Crush Your Game Without Feeling Like Crap
Do you ever feel like there are certain areas of your body that just need a little extra TLC? Like you always need a massage? I totally get it. We all try resting, icing, stretching, and massaging, but sometimes it seems like nothing really works. It’s frustrating, right?
Let’s get you some solutions.
Let’s chat about stretching for a sec. Have you ever stretched a Laffy Taffy and noticed that it doesn’t really go back to its original shape? Well, our muscles can be a lot like that too. Stretching too aggressively and too often can actually change the structure of our muscles and cause more problems.
So when should we stretch, and what do we do if stretching isn’t the answer? It all comes down to understanding our muscles. There are three important components we need to know about: strong vs. weak, long vs. short, and tight vs. lax.
Understanding Muscles
Three components to muscles that we need to consider:
Strong vs. Weak
A muscle is weak when it cannot perform the task we are asking it to do. If we put it under constant strain, it can develop consistent soreness. The answer to this problem is to strengthen it.
Long vs. Short
A short muscle is a muscle at rest that is structurally shorter and not able to perform the task because it doesn’t have enough length. The answer to this problem is to stretch. However, aggressive and chronic stretching can cause more harm than good. (Don’t overstretch your Laffy Taffy)
Tight vs. Lax
A tight muscle refers to the contractile state of the nervous system. When we are stressed or overtrained, our muscles have a higher resting tone. The answer to this problem is soft tissue.
If a muscle is weak, we need to strengthen it. If a muscle is too short, we need to stretch it. And if a muscle is too tight, we need to work on the soft tissue. But stretching isn’t always the answer for mobility problems. Sometimes, we need to reposition our body and focus on strengthening our core to relieve tension in other areas.
Repositioning
Imagine a rubber band that can stretch to a maximum of 10 inches. Now imagine a board with two nails set 11 inches apart. If you wanted to put the rubber band around both nails you could try to stretch it beyond its capacity and risk ruining the rubber band. Another solution is to move one of the nails.
Is the rubber band too short? Then stretch. But if the rubber band is actually the right length then stretching it will ruin it, and the real solution is to move one of the nails.
This is what I call positional stiffness.
Your hamstrings are attached to your butt bone, and depending on the position of that bone, it can make your hamstrings feel like you need to stretch. But that could actually make things worse because your hamstrings are already tight and constantly stretched out. Instead, try to reposition your hips by working on your core strength. And while you’re at it, some soft tissue work on your hamstrings might help ease the tension.
Indicators Your Stretching Program Isn’t Effective
And let’s talk about those leading indicators that your stretching program isn’t working for you. If you’re not seeing results within a few weeks, if you quickly lose your results when you stop stretching, or if you feel like you have to stretch all the time to maintain normal motion, then it’s time to switch things up.
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No Results in 2–3 Weeks: Healthy tissue should respond quickly. If you aren’t seeing results in 2–3 weeks, you need to consider other methods.
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Quick Loss of Results: If you quickly lose your results when you stop stretching, your stretching program isn’t effective.
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Chronic Stretching: If you feel like you have to chronically stretch for the rest of your life, your stretching program isn’t effective.
Neck Pain: A Common Softball Culprit
Let’s chat about that neck pain. If you throw repetitively, you probably have it. Along with all your teammates. But why?
Repetitive throwing trains your muscles and bones into a different resting state. You might notice that your scapula (shoulder blade) is moving away from your spine, causing tension in your upper trapezius muscle and resulting in neck pain. Stretching might provide temporary relief, but to solve the problem in the long run, you need to reverse the pattern that’s causing it. Train your muscles to rotate your scapula down, back, and towards your spine, and you’ll finally get that permanent relief you’ve been waiting for.
Train For Relief
The way you train and repetitively practice the same softball movements is what creates the pain you're having. The only way to really fix it is to train your way back.
The Baseline MX training program includes pattern-reversal exercises and drills to help you restore symmetry and optimal movement. It's a year round, season-oriented, softball-specific program that maximizes results and minimizes injury. You just show up every day, follow the program, and get results like:
- Relief from chronic aches and pains
- Throw farther
- Pitch faster
- Faster base running
- Faster pop time (we got you catchers!)
- Reverse in-season changes that lead to pain and injury
- Maximize your pre-season and be 110% at first practice
We take out the guesswork. If you show up, and put in the work, you'll get results. You'll also get access to chat with me, Emily, at our weekly chalk-talk where I field your questions and share training advice.
Ready to get started?
