High Intensity Workouts and Softball Speed

with Kris Massaro,
Founder/Owner of Softball Strong Training Program

Kris Massaro has trained hundreds of softball players throughout her career with great success in making them faster, stronger, and more flexible. She has worked with players from 8 years old to college and professional players. Her specialty is creating workouts developed upon the needs of position specific, speed skills and the mental side of player development.

Every coach drills fielding, hitting, and base running, but only a few put a focus on conditioning players to make them stronger and faster. Imagine the benefits of players that are faster on the base paths, stronger in the batting box, and more agile playing defense.

In this video, Kris Massaro demonstrates unique stretches and exercises for softball players that will make them more flexible and reduce the amount of potential injuries. She covers a series of precise, high-intensity exercises that will make your players faster and stronger. These exercises can be done with minimal resources, adapted to both individual and group training, and are designed to build the entire body.

Stretching and Mobility Work

All teams stretch before working out or practicing, but is your team getting the most benefit from that stretching time? Start by putting your athletes through a four-step hip mobility routine, activating the muscles in the hip joint that are necessary for every movement in softball. Learn an eight-step dynamic stretching routine that will promote flexibility and movement, preparing your athletes to be fast and explosive on the softball field. The range of fielders, especially the middle fielders, increases with mobility and explosiveness.

Sprinting

Speed is critical, as it is one of the few tools that helps softball players on both offense and defense. Learn how to be fast and explosive with the first step. Massaro introduces drills for improving the five aspects of the start. She goes further by teaching non-traditional start variations that directly translate to high performance for softball athletes. In one particular set of drills, the players start by laying down flat on the ground, to build first step acceleration and explosiveness. Having quick first steps will allow athletes to steal more bases and track down more balls on defense.

High Intensity Circuits

Prepare your players for athletic excellence with an eight-exercise high intensity circuit that will push athletes to perform while maintaining proper form and mechanics. These activities are hand-picked by Coach Massaro to develop mobility, balance, and explosive power. The focus is on improving your players' athleticism and mobility while challenging their stamina with this fast-paced, demanding routine.

Looking for your team to gain an edge on the softball diamond? This video may be exactly what you're looking for! Massaro introduces a blueprint for creating a more athletic softball player. With these 32 exercises, you will equip your softball players to become more mobile, more explosive, and better overall athletes.

34 minutes. 2017.