Expert: Jack Elliott - 8/22/2008

Question
I read your answer to Dave's question about off season sports that would compliment baseball, I did not see Tennis in your recommended sports would that not meet all 3 as well?  How would that affect batting. I knew a kid who played in the boys National's 18's which is the best of the best for 18's and then he also played baseball for a good D1 college and good high school team.

Answer
Hi Valerie,

Good eye.  There are a few additional sports I probably should have included in my write-up and tennis is definitely one of them.  I believe tennis does have some attributes that can be applied to all three of my criteria.  Therefore, I definitely think it could be used as a cross training sport; however, I believe some of the other sports listed may offer a better cardio workout (If you are playing at some the highest competitive levels of tennis this may be different).  

As far as tennis affecting your batting, yes I think that playing tennis could affect your batting swing, but only slightly.  This is similar to the argument raised about football quarterbacks where it is stated that throwing a baseball and football requires a slightly different throw.  Although this is true, this argument should not deter anyone from taking on any off-season sports.  Any negative impact here would be easily offset by the value gained from letting your body use a whole set of different muscles and refreshing your mind in this new sport.  Plus, you will always have plenty of time to relearn your swing or throwing motion in the pre-season of the upcoming baseball season.  

The goal of cross training is to simply keep the person fit in ways that do not seem like work or the same old boring routine.  If the person enjoys the cross-training sport, this goes a long way towards keeping him refreshed and avoiding burnout for the upcoming baseball season.

Hope this helps,
Jack Elliott
http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com