General Comments on Conditioning for NVSS Softball
Playing softball requires sudden starts and stops, sprints, quick movements from front to side, front to rear, pedaling backwards for pop-ups, stretches to catch and throw the ball, twisting while batting and fielding, and various other movements not normally found in day to day living—or even in most exercise or running programs.
The vast majority of players new to senior softball find that their long layoff from recreational softball and the exercise programs they had been using prior to their entry to NVSS, are insufficient to prepare them for their first season of NVSS softball, regardless of the conference level they start in. Quad, groin, and hamstring pulls, shoulder soreness, tennis elbow, and plantar fasciatis injuries are quite common the first year or two in NVSS.
It is important, therefore, to have an exercise program that works on softball related muscles, not just running or a program that works on conditioning in general.
Principles of Conditioning
The American Sports Medicine Institute's Principles of Conditioning ">http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/conditioning/condition_principles.html emphasizes the need to work on flexibility, balance, core body strength, and softball-specific muscle development. They also stress training and strengthening the entire body, training to the actual movement the body performs in softball, strengthening both sides of a joint, emphasizes the Quality [using the proper form] of the exercise--not the quantity, and stresses the importance of a year-round approach. They also provide a specific program of exercises that strengthens the arm muscles related to throwing and batting ">http://www.asmi.org/SportsMed/throwing/thrower10.html .
NVSS Winter Conditioning Program
NVSS sponsors three sessions of winter conditioning at the Fairfax Sportsplex in Springfield, from early November until the Thursday in April preceding the opening of the summer season. There is a charge for the portions of the program that you attend.
Tu/Th, 9:30 to 11:30: Numbers are limited, and participation is usually offered only to those who have attended one of the other two segments. Each session opens with about 35 minutes of stretching and strengthening exercises, followed by 15 minutes of ground ball fielding, and then finishing with about an hour of batting practice using “soft” softballs [about 20 hits per member attending].
Tu/Th, 11:30 to 1:30: Numbers are limited. Each session opens with about 40 minutes of exercises: these exercises, designed in conjunction with Dr Blee at Inova Physical Therapy, work on flexibility, balance, core body strengthening, and incorporate modified versions of ASMI's Thrower's 10 exercises, and finish with a few minutes of running exercises focusing on sprinting and side to side and backwards movements. This is followed by throwing, batting and fielding exercises, with each member getting about 10 hits against a throwing machine and about 10 hits against live pitching. Exercises used in this program can be found in the Members Only section of the NVSS website.
Wed, 9:30 to 11:30: Once a week, with a program similar to the Tu/Th 9:30 class, except that only live pitching is used for batting practice, followed by the group being split into four “teams” that play a softball game on two indoor soccer courts.
NVSS Spring Conditioning Program
This is a free program for NVSS Members only. It is currently offered at the James Lee Recreation Center 10:30 to 12:30 from early February to the Thursday prior to the start of the summer season. The program emphasizes stretching, muscle strengthening, and running. In April, as the spring weather improves, outdoor batting practice is available after each exercise session, as well.
Conditioning During the Summer and Fall Seasons
Pre-game Warm-ups: Members are strongly encouraged to warm-up well prior to each game. Warm-ups should include jogging to the outfield fence and back to start the warm-up, stretches for both leg and arm muscles, and then a few tosses with a softball prior to taking the field for pre-game batting and fielding practice. A suggested program is contained in the Members Only section of the NVSS website.
Conditioning During and Between the Seasons
The American Sports Medicine Institute strongly encourages members to perform their winter conditioning exercises twice a week during the summer and fall seasons, and during the break between the summer and fall season. NVSS encourages the use of the Tu/Th 11:30 Winter Conditioning exercises for this purpose, found in the Members Only section of the NVSS website.
Programs Not Sponsored by NVSS
There are other programs in the area, both summer and winter, that are attended byand in some cases, run by—NVSS members. However, these programs are not sponsored by NVSS, and do not have NVSS's official endorsement.
Equipment
Some of NVSS's programs use “assistance devices” in lieu of weights. You can search the web using “exercise bands”, “resistance bands”, or “exercise tubing” and find numerous manufacturers and retailers who carry this type of equipment. They come in various strengths—be sure to get the one that matches your current and future fitness levels.
Click on this link to view the exercises ==> Exercises
Click here to view the exercise details==> Winter Exercises