For the second edition of “Balling on a Budget,” I am going to make the natural transition from the fish scale to the tools that go along with it, tow straps or ratchet straps. These versatile pieces of equipment are available at any hardware store and have uses in both skill acquisition and strength training. With their many uses, ease of transportation, and simple attachments to fences, carabiner style clips, weight room equipment, or even the fish scales discussed last week, tow straps are a low cost, must have instrument in every player development equipment toolbox.
Besides pulling your riding lawnmower off the field when it runs out of gas, tow straps have a multitude of uses. As briefly mentioned above, tow straps have utility both as weight room equipment and on the field. Training uses of the straps include all of the movements highlighted in last week’s article on fish scales. Although I did not previously go in depth on the benefits of isometric training, the straps allow for true isometric training and power production, especially in movements or positions similar to those seen on the baseball field (shown in the video below). According to a 2019 study on isometric training and long-term adaptations, isometric training has shown increases in muscular hypertrophy, maximal force production, rate of force development, and improved tendon qualities.
The exercises shown in the videos above and below are incorporated throughout various parts of our programming. The shoulder isometrics are commonly performed both pre and post-game/practice in accompaniment with the fish scale to assess a player’s readiness or fatigue. We also use tow straps to perform isometric variations of deadlifts, front squats, rotational pulls, triceps presses, biceps curls, pull aparts, chest presses, rows, shoulder presses, leg curls, hip flexions, and others throughout our performance training programming. Tow straps are quite versatile as they allow us to vary the exercise prescription based on specific individual needs such as position, strength/movement deficits, or performance goals. Additionally, the tow straps provide a decent mobile substitute for weights. Whether it is during quarantine, in an on-the-road workout, or if a player is pressed for time and must get his workout in at the field, the beauty of the tow straps and isometric training is that you get what you put into it. The individual controls the effort level, and the harder the individual pushes or pulls, the harder the exercise becomes. This perhaps explains why isometric training has been found to elicit the most pronounced and fastest increase in muscle torque, while also being effective at augmenting muscle mass. (Do isometric, isotonic and/or isokinetic strength trainings produce different strength outcomes? Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies · August 2017. Sabrina Eun Kyung Lee, Claudio Andre Barbosa de Lira, Viviane Louise Andree Nouailhetas, Rodrigo Luiz Vancini, Marilia Santos Andrade).
In addition to using these exercises in the weight room, the straps can also be used for mechanical work or movement patterning at the field. Due to the inflexibility of the straps, they provide great support when strapped to a fence or pole and are completely extended. This use of the strap has been incredibly effective in teaching or reinforcing back hip loading in both pitchers and hitters. As shown in the video below, the strap acts as a support, as the athlete holds various positions in the rear leg/hip load and eventual slide down the mound in his pitching motion. This will commonly be programmed for pitchers in our pre-mound work or on a mechanical day, or as a movement prep exercise for hitters.
Another example of a patterning application is to use it for proper upper body loading during the swing (shown below). The strap’s rigidity forces the arms to resist the torqueing of the lower body and torso. This creates a great stretching sensation across the core in the launch position of the swing, promoting proper kinematic sequencing for the swing. I instruct my guys to place the handle of the strap between their hands on the handle of the bat, creating the slightest split grip. The reason behind that specific grip is simply to ensure the strap doesn’t fall off of the bat during use. Much like the hip load for hitters discussed previously, this exercise is used in movement prep.
Tow straps can be found in a quick search online for less than $30.00 or at a local hardware store, but I believe there may be even cheaper options available if you do a more advanced search for lighter resistance levels. Another inexpensive option is to go the ratchet strap route. Ratchet straps provide most of the same benefits as the tow straps; however, with no handles, the uses are a little more limited. We currently have two tow straps and one ratchet strap. Our ratchet strap typically stays in the bullpen for pitching drills, and the handled tow straps come with us everywhere because of their ultimate versatility.
While there are many more uses of the tow straps than what was discussed in this article or shown in the videos, my goal was to cover our core uses of the straps and offer some guidance on how and why to implement them into your program or training. Both tow straps and ratchet straps work, but if you have the option of either, I would definitely recommend tow straps. Additionally, if you are willing to spend another $30.00 or so, be sure to pick up a fish scale as well to gauge the force of the isometric contractions (see last week’s post). With myriad applications, tow straps provide a versatile, easy to use, mobile training aid focusing on isometric contractions that can be used for performance training as well as skill acquisition. Most importantly, they will keep you balling on a budget.
Adam Moreau, MBA, CSCS
Director of Player Development and Recruiting Coordinator
Eckerd College
419-250-7243
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