Stephen Gamma MA, AT, CSCS
PBR-NY Contributor

The baseball schedule is that unlike any other sport. Athletes typically play multiple games per week, sometimes per day, and unexpected changes in the weather can create challenging physical and mental demands. Summer baseball is no exception. Long car rides leave little time for the normal, pre-game routine you have become accustomed to. Likewise, this may not allow for the best choices when it comes to post-game meals (the VALUE in value meal doesn’t stand for quality).

The main message I would like to get across today is setting a schedule and making a plan. It sounds simple but taking a few minutes to prepare a short, personalized pre-game routine and packing some healthier food choices before hitting the road will improve your game and keep you on the field.

Below are some quick tips to get you thinking SCHEDULE and PLAN:

• Before we even think of getting to the ballpark, let’s start thinking about preparation. This can start with a good night sleep, trying to stay consistent with your bedtime routine and the time you go to bed. Your body is very sensitive to changes in your routine. This means staying up late watching TV or going out to party will make its way into your performance the following day.

• Set the tone of your day by waking up at a consistent time and with a well-balanced breakfast and hydration. We frantically try to rehydrate when it’s too late. During competition when we’ve already lost a tremendous amount of fluid and electrolytes, it will take a great deal of work to return to baseline. Get a head of the curve with a smart breakfast.

• Pre-game foam rolling with a foam roller, baseball, tennis ball, etc. The dynamic warm-up is very important but performing a little soft tissue work, like a tennis ball massage, really personalizes your routine. You will get more out of your pre-game warm-up by addressing small areas of tone or “tightness” that you may not find in a general warm-up.

• Pack some healthier food options for pre-game, in between a double header and post-game. Choices like peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat, some fresh fruit, and whole grain rice with chicken are easy choices for carbohydrates and lean protein. Adding coconut water as part of your fluid intake is a highly effective way to quickly replenish and rehydrate the body.

When we think of ways to improve athletic performance and stay ahead of the competition, we default to exercises, drills and conditioning tips. Rarely do we think of the importance of setting a routine and making a plan that is centered around rest, nutrition and mental preparation. However, when we go to a professional ballpark, hours before game time what do we see? A preset routine with established goals of the day. When I worked as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in the Appalachian League, I would have a “variable” routine each day, meaning the goals were slightly different and modified but the athletes knew they had to spend time with me each and every day, it was part of their routine. On the skill side, during our home stands the athletes would have a fundamental goal to work on such as bunt coverages or cut-offs on balls in the gap.

We are creatures of habit…In times of increased stress, we can lean on our routine and preparation to control the anxiety and remain in the moment to succeed.

Bio

Stephen C Gamma holds a Master of Science in Athletic Training from the University of Idaho, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and hold certification with Functional Movement Systems.

Stephen is a former Minor League Baseball Strength and Conditioning Coach with the Kansas City Royals and recipient of the 2010 Appalachian League Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year award.