The season is long for amateur and professional baseball players, and that's why it is very important to set up fitness plans for players in the preseason -- to avoid injury later. The most likely injury in training for baseball is in the shoulder, whether you're a pitcher or playing a field position.  What you tend to see is that about 30% of baseball injuries are in the quadriceps and hamstring area of the legs, but at least 70% of the injuries are in the shoulder.

Throwing the ball sends a tremendous amount of twisting force, called torque, into the area of the shoulder called the rotator cuff. The best way to prepare players for that kind of stress with general fitness training and some special shoulder exercises that are specific to sports with overhead arm movements, such as swimming and tennis. But a solid training regimen will first focus on four fitness areas for injury avoidance on the field:

Cardiovascular Fitness

The first thing to get going on is a cardiovascular fitness plan. That begins with 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise every day, such as jogging, bike riding or using the Stairmaster.

Once you have established a solid base of cardiovascular fitness, which you can think of as the base of a fitness pyramid, then you can start working toward the more specific exercises that form the top of the pyramid. That narrower training includes sprints, starting with 400-meter exercises and then working up to shorter and faster exercises, such as the 200- or even 100-meter sprint.

Flexibility

This includes 10 to 15 minutes of warm up exercises and pre- and post-game stretching activities. This stretching doesn't have to be anything fancy, but it needs to be done. A lot of people don't put enough effort into pre- and post-game stretching. But these stretching exercises, especially post-game, are really important to keep those stressed areas flexible and strong. That's some of the best protection against injury you can get.

Strength Training

Again, like the stretching, this is the same type of strength training that anyone would do for an overall, total-body workout. Baseball players concentrate on upper-body strength for throwing power. But just like anyone else in training, they usually lift weights three or four times a week with a day off between sessions to allow the body to rebuild and rest.

Good Nutrition

Good nutrition and hydration are critically important to safe sports. If you start drinking when you're thirsty, you're already behind the curve. During the summer, you have to contend with extremely hot weather, so hydration is something we focus on, but it is important for sports in all climates. Just as important is a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. Almost all teams have a pre and post-game meal plan together to get good nutrition, and they work with nutritionists to make sure the players are getting the kinds of foods they need.

Protect That All-Important Shoulder

One thing you can do is plyometrics to improve shoulder strength in players. This involves throwing a 4-pound ball against a large net rebounder, which returns the ball to the player. Players, including the position players, add a special series of exercises to their general workout.

This is called the Jobe's Rotator Cuff Series, and, as the name suggests, the exercises are designed to protect the shoulder structure known as the rotator cuff, which consists of the muscles and tendons that surround the top of the upper arm bone (humerus) and hold it in the shoulder joint, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. There are common signs of a rotator cuff injury, or tear:

-Recurrent pain, particularly with overhead activities

-Pain at night on the affected side

-Muscle weakness, especially when attempting to lift the arm

-Grating or cracking sounds when the arm is moved

Using very light weights and special rubber tubing that provides resistance, the players do three sets of 10 repetitions each of these exercises. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes to run through. It hits muscles in the shoulder area that don't ordinarily get targeted in other weight training. This isn't about lifting huge greater and greater amounts of weight, it's more about strengthening these little-used muscles that hold the shoulder together.

A good trainer at a gymnasium or a physical therapist should be able to help you work on developing these same muscles that baseball players spend so much time on. If you pay attention to these four stages of health, even a weekend warrior who plays baseball, tennis or swims should be fine.

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