List of Core Exercises for Softball Players
Stretches
Any athlete should stretch before practice or a game, softball players included, but there are some stretches geared more toward softball players than other athletes. According to the Stretching Institute, softball players should do three types of stretches: a lying knee roll-over, elbow-out rotator, and rotating wrist stretch.
Start the lying knee roll-over stretch by lying on your back. Bend your knees to the ceiling and roll them both to one side, all the way to the floor. Keep knees here for ten seconds, bring them back up to the center, and roll them to the other side for another ten seconds. Repeat three times.
Perform the elbow-out rotator stretch standing up. Place one hand palm out, behind your back, on top of your spine. Reach your other arm across your stomach and grab the bent elbow. Pull the elbow forward very gently and hold for ten seconds. Do the same thing with the other arm and repeat three times.
Begin the rotating wrist core exercise for softball standing up. Extend one arm in front of your body with your wrist pointing downward. Point the wrist and hand straight out, then use your free hand to grab the hand and rotate it upward towards the ceiling. Do the same with the other hand and repeat three times.
Strength and Stability
According to bodybuilding.com, softball players should work more on core stability and conditioning than on core training. In other words, don’t worry so much about getting a six pack as in making your performance count.
One good strength core exercise for softball is the abdominal crunch. You can do this on a weight machine or mimic a crunch with a sit-up. Place only as much weight as you can handle on the weight machine, sit on the bench, grab the handles and bend forward. Use only your ab muscles to bend - don’t employ your back and legs to stabilize you too much. Do 10 to 20 crunches per set, and do about two or three sets at a time.
The belly button to spine exercise is also a good core exercise for softball. This is actually an exercise you can employ whenever you do an ab exercise. Imagine a string pulling your belly button towards your spine. Don’t suck in the stomach, but rather use ab muscles to tighten abdominals as much as possible. This will tone and condition your core.
Role-Specific Exercises
There are specific exercises that help the core especially for batting or pitching.
Pitchers should work on shoulder and upper core strength with lifting exercises. Dumbbell bench presses are a great way to do this. Lie on your back on the floor or a bench with an equal weight in each hand. Lift only as much weight as possible without injuring yourself. Raise both arms toward the ceiling, either one at a time or simultaneously. This will strengthen arms and stabilize your core.
Batters need more power to hit the softball with speed and strength. Thus, they should consider doing sit-ups with feet tucked under a chair or held by a partner. Fold hands behind the head or across the chest and use abdominal muscles to sit up and lie down in a smooth, fluid motion without jerking.
Sources
ACC: Georgia Tech Softball Exercises