By Pat McMahon, University of Florida Head Coach

Through our conditioning plan in the off-season, we are laying the foundation for the upcoming campaign. It is comprised of strength and conditioning, nutritional guidance, speed training and agility work for both the entire team and the individual. Our goal is to be as sport-specific and individual-specific as we possibly can.

While all of the practices are an opportunity to get better, what happens in the weight room and through individual workouts are an integral component in preparing for the long grind of our schedule. Through my work with USA Baseball on three different occasions and as a head coach at Florida, Mississippi State and Old Dominion, I have been fortunate to see various training and movement principles that can be applied to our team.

John Barrett, our trainer, is in his third season as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Gator baseball program. He is responsible for prevention, care and rehabilitation of injuries. Steve Orris is in his fourth season as our Strength and Conditioning Coordinator. His responsibilities include designing and implementing year-round strength, speed and conditioning workouts for us in the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr., Athletic Training Center. Orris guides each student-athlete through an individual training program designed to enhance strength as well as explosive power, speed, agility, endurance, coordination, balance and flexibility.

“Steve and I work closely together with the Coach McMahon and his staff to determine the best workout plan and what demands it will place on the body,” said Barrett. “What’s important is having our goals and objectives firmly established for the players and keeping the lines of communication open. With so many new players at the start of each year, conditioning is a dynamic process in which we do what we can to maximize potential. In our sport, players can be separated into four different groups – pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders. Obviously, there are specific needs for each position and player and it is our mission to provide workouts that will enhance each guy’s abilities.”

“We try to do exercises that are position-specific and can relate to where they play on the field,” said Orris. “One particular point of emphasis relates to core strengthening in three parts: abdominal muscles, lower back and the hip flexor. At the start of each school year, we evaluate each student-athlete’s flexibility and muscular balance in order to develop an individual program for them. Although we have them working through the same types of drills as a team, I will work in additional exercises for each person to keep everyone at the same level.”

Our goal is to help each of our players perform at optimal levels through all phases to maintain his health over the course of the season to remain injury-free. By planning structured routines, we can monitor their development and develop better methods to enhance production on the field. We believe that our strength, agility, nutritional and conditioning plans at the University of Florida can help them reach their fullest potential.