Without a doubt athletic competition is stiffer than ever before. As this generation of ballplayers strive to make their mark, they are doing so with unparalleled rigor. As many individuals focus their efforts on a single sport, rather than multiple sports in the past, it’s important to make sure that young athletes are taking care of themselves.

Nowadays it’s fairly common for an athlete to pursue their passion all year long, no matter their age. With this demanding schedule, it’s important to consider that these individuals run the risk of burning out or suffering a wear and tear injury. A good way to remedy this possibility is by keeping training ideas fresh and by incorporating low impact reps into a practice regimen.

Studies have shown that developing athletes should steer clear from heavy weight lifting and utilize calisthenics, resistance training or light weights with more reps to develop strength. The reason for this is because excessive weight combined with improper mechanics could lead to injury and could have a negative effect on a child’s development.

This concept of counter productivity should also be considered when an athlete is spending hours upon hours working on their respective craft. Training is essential to an athlete’s success, but sometimes less is more. Not less practice, but less weight and less potential for long-term damage. This will help preserve an athlete’s body for years to come.

Hitting a pitched baseball or softball is widely considered to be the most challenging task in all of sports. In order for a player to experience consistent success in this endeavor, it’s essential that the athlete develops hand eye coordination, bat speed and vision. So how does a player with collegiate or professional aspirations log the hours necessary to develop elite skills without running the risk of their body breaking down?

For generations, ballplayers in the Dominican Republic have honed their skills by hitting bottle caps with a broomstick. This ingenious drill was way ahead of its time, because hitting a small object with a skinny barrel helps an athlete develop impeccable hand eye coordination and focus, without the risk of wear and tear.

In many ways, the concept of training with MaxBP resembles that of the bottle cap and broomstick drill. By utilizing small ball training techniques, golf ball sized wiffles, a player is challenged with the task of hitting an object that is smaller than regulation size. Then, throw in the fact that the ball is moving at a high velocity and/or a variety of spin rates - and you have the broomstick drill to the extreme.

Athletes who train with MaxBP will find that they can train endlessly to improve their skills, while doing so in a safe manner, because of the low impact wiffle balls. Which raises the question, what type of bat should a hitter use when training with a MaxBP? What type of hitting tool will help a player develop the best skills without the risk of injury?

There are several viable options, including a wiffle bat or a broomstick, but the best training tool is the BetterBat Skinny Barrel Training Bat. By incorporating a BetterBat into your MaxBP experience, a player will be using a bat that is approximately ⅔ the weight of a game bat. This provides a hitter with the challenge of “squaring up” a small ball traveling at high velocity with a skinny barrel, but does so with an athlete’s best intentions in mind. Take care of your athletes. By training with a lighter bat and wiffle balls, your players can enjoy more challenging reps than ever, without the negative repercussions on their body.