Softball tips: Team USA’s Stacey Nelson presents her pitching warm-up

As a softball pitcher, it’s of the utmost importance to warm up properly every time you play.

Not only will it help you prevent injuries, it will also boost your performance if you go into the game with warm muscles and loose joints. In this short video, Team USA pitcher Stacey Nelson talks about her personal warm-up.

Related: Put a little mustard on your pitches with our selection of pitching aids.

Softball tips: Improve your grip and forearm strength with rice and a bucket

Here’s an interesting way to improve your grip.

Many baseball and softball players use rice bucket training to help build forearm strength and grip.

How does it work? There are a few different methods, but basically you want to work your hands deep into the rice and pull them out. The pressure from the rice puts resistance on your hands, and it trains your forearms.

And when you’re done, you have a nice post-workout snack.

Here an additional video with Vanderbilt University strength trainer John Sisk, where he explains specific workouts he uses with his pitchers.

The strength gained from the workouts increases the amount of grip pressure the pitcher can put on the ball, thus giving him more control over his pitches.

The video shows baseball players doing it, but it’s just as applicable to softball players.

Related: You can also build forearm strength with the Pro Systems Wrist Roller.

Softball training: Monica Abbott shows off her balance and demonstrates a great way to build core stability

It take some serious skill to do this.

Here’s Team USA pitcher Monica Abbott demonstrating a drill where she balances on top of a workout ball and pitches from there.

Pitchers rely quite a bit on their legs for power and balance. This exercise removes the pitcher’s legs from the equation.

Without her legs to help her, the pitcher must have excellent core stability to stay balanced while she throws.

Thus, the exercise improves core stability and balance.

As Abbott’s trainer explains, it’s important to start slow and work up to balancing on a fully-inflated physioball. He suggests balancing on a partially deflated basketball (and keeping the tips of your toes on the ground) to start.

Related: Change up your fall training with our softball training gear.

Softball tips: How to keep your hips loose while playing catcher

Day after day of catching can make things hard on your hips.

It can be difficult to shake out the soreness and stiffness. That’s why it’s important to frequently stretch, and as Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Weiters explains in this video, do exercises to keep your hips loose.

The exercise he describes is a lateral box step. It involves standing next to a box, step or a weight bench, and then stepping out laterally on top of it.

Here’s a good demonstration:

You can alter the exercise to suit your goals. To build strength, carry heavier weights. The “overload” from stepping with the extra weight will strengthen your hips.

To improve flexibility and lessen soreness, raise the height of the box. Your hips will stretch further than normal, and it will improve flexibility and help relieve stiffness.

Related: Prepare for next season with our selection of softball training aids.