Yoga for Baseball Players

I teach yoga to youth sports clubs and athletes.  Young baseball players benefit in many ways from yoga.  I start my classes with fifteen minutes of foam rolling, followed by an hour of yoga.   

What does yoga, this 5000 year old practice, offer baseball players?

Mental toughness and calmness - Learning breathing techniques and holding poses while staying present in the mind helps athletes get in the zone and stay totally focused in tough situations.

Flexibility - Becoming more flexible in key areas like the hips, groins, neck, shoulders, spine and wrists helps players in the following ways: 

Open hips = less stress and strain on the knee joints, helps with quick, reactive moves on the field

Open groins = help with quick movements turning in either direction instantly on the field

Flexible neck = full rotation allowing for looking over each shoulder without moving the body

Flexible shoulders = reduction of stress on joint and increases power of the throw

Long, flexible spine = ability to look over the shoulder and throw out an opponent

Flexible wrists = ease of gripping the ball and the bat and recovering from diving catches

Strong Core - Strong abdominal muscles promote proper posture, support the back and make twists easier which helps players increase the speed at which their hips turn when up to bat or when running.

Stability and balance - Balance poses help keep the players' ankles flexible and strong.  This allows them to make quick changes of direction, and get strong push offs to initiate movement.

Overall, yoga helps baseball players with focus and concentration, flexibility, strength, coordination, mental calmness, balance and confidence, which is not only important for improving their game, but also many other aspects of their lives.  There is a reason yoga has been around for so long.  It works. It's a game changer.

I suggest that athletes incorporate some amount of yoga into their daily lives to complement the other healthy mental and physical activities they already do.  I encourage my students to try a little bit of yoga and/or foam rolling every day.  And,  3-5 yoga sessions per week is ideal.   This can be done at home, in a studio, at a gym, on the field before or after practice, in school, in a hotel room, etc. Five to ten minutes of yoga a day is better than none at all.  Do what works for your body, use props for support if you have them, get into your own head, stay present and let the benefits of yoga become clear to you.

Sources: 

http://lovemyyoga.com/power-yoga-for-baseball.html

http://www.menshealth.com/yoga/yoga-for/Workout_Yoga_for_Baseball.php

http://m.mlb.com/news/article/40926824/players-put-machismo-aside-for-benefits-of-yoga

http://www.mercurynews.com/athletics/ci_25386926/oakland-incorporate-yoga-into-their-daily-routine

http://lovemyyoga.com/squat-pose.html

Yoga and Youth Sports

Yoga is a perfect complement to the young athlete's workout routine. Yoga helps with breathing, flexibility, strength, confidence, energy, balance, concentration, endurance and injury prevention.

Yoga also helps young athletes learn how their bodies work. Proper yoga instruction teaches body mechanics and enhances body awareness. When players have good body awareness, they learn how to make the best choices for their bodies on and off the ice, the court, the field, etc.

The mind training and visualization in yoga is truly beneficial. Yoga teaches players how to harness their breathing and focus on the present. Being able to visualize that shot, or that save, or that stride, or that hit, for example, is key in improving one’s game.

In addition to the physical benefits of yoga, yoga also provides important psychological benefits. In today’s fast-paced world, young athletes often feel intense pressure to do well in their sport, in school and at home. They often don’t have time to relax and reap the benefits of their workouts. Yoga gives them the opportunity to slow down, regenerate and be present. Yoga is a gift they can give themselves and use throughout their entire lives.