Tony Dello Baseball Instruction

Strength & Conditioning with a Pro

Boston Red Sox

Strength Coach...

Dave Page

How important is it to stretch?

Stretching your muscles is important to keep them loose, powerful and avoid injury, however, when and how to stretch them is the issue.

Prior to activity (game or practice), it is imperative the athlete raise his/her "core" temperature. In other words, break a sweat and get the heart pumping. This will heat the muscles from the inside out. Warm muscles react more powerfully and efficiently than cold muscles. You never see a boxer emerge from his corner for round one without a good sweat going, do you?

Static stretching or what you see most people doing when they are "stretching" is great for after a hard practice or game activity to help restore full range of motion to the joints and avoid injury.

So, warm up first with movement drills that emphasize flexibility (shuffle, skips, bounds, lunges, arm circles etc.) and finish your workout with a ground base stretch.

Which supplements are safe?

Tricky question! The Boston Red Sox do not promote or provide any supplements to our players. It is my recommendation to check with your family doctor for any specific questions. A solid workout schedule and effort with an eye on what you are eating will provide a great foundation on which to succeed athletically.

What do you suggest to improve your diet?

Educate yourself! There are many great books on sports nutrition. My brief recommendation is to eliminate fatty foods. Controlling your body fat will do wonders for performance and recovery. A pound of fat takes 4 times more energy to move than a pound of muscle!

What tips do you have for power lifting/slow lifting?

Athletes who train slow-move slow and those who train fast move powerfully. So, when you train, move the weight with explosion and lower it, or return to the start position, slowly. This action will build strength and power.

Can you improve your speed?

Yes. You can improve your speed but it doesn't mean you can become an olympic sprinter. Three things will help improve your speed.

-Leg strength. Guys with great speed have strong legs.

-Flexibility. Good flexibility allows your running stride to be more efficient.

-Maximum Effort. Run your sprints hard! Sprinters don't jog to improve speed.

Is cardio work as useful as outside running?

No. I've watched thousands of baseball games and have never seen anyone hit a ball into the gap and jump on a bike to go around the bases. Bikes, steppers, and elliptical trainers do not involve balance, agility or explosiveness. These are things a ballplayer needs. The best thing for baseball players are long or short sprints with timed rest. For example, you can run 10-8 second sprints with 24 seconds rest in between each sprint. You can vary the sprint time but always rest 3X as long as you run.

What are some fun drills for you?

I love doing agility work with our players. Mini hurdles are enjoyable to work with...you can do alot with them. We use a rope ladder quite a bit, also. Agility work separates the athletes from the non athletes or the guys with strong legs and cores from the weaker players. It gives me an idea of what needs work.

What do you see at the MLB level that you would like to see in youth baseball?

From a strength and conditioning standpoint I would place a premium on teaching kids to move more efficiently and with quick feet. Even if you have a great arm or you can hit the baseball a mile...you better be able to move. Who cares if you have "great hands" if you can't get to the ball? Great players knock down balls in the hole, cut balls off in the gaps and score from first base on a double, etc. Those are all movement initiated results. To accomplish these results you must be strong, flexible, agile and powerful.

Tony extends his sincere gratitude to Dave Page for his expert knowledge and influence throughout Tony Dello Baseball.

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