Posted by: ernie roy (prd530@msn.com) on Mon Sep 21 04:45:57 2009

Hi Jack,

This is a good point and athletes need to really think about all aspects of their program & try to keep a balance with their training. My concern is when a kid states he or she wants to improve their hitting, then spends 6 hours a week lifting weights all winter, while spending 30 minutes/week on the batting tee or the heavy bag.
You're absolutely correct in that added strength & power can help. The caveat is that it must not be at the expense of technique. Simply being bigger is not always the answer. You don't need to be 10 feet tall to play baseball. I don't think Ted Williams knew the difference between a squat and a bench press - sure didn't seem to hurt his hitting.

Ernie