Levatino Bat Speed Machine - Excerpts from 'Complete Conditioning for Baseball'

As a Major League baseball manager, I've had the good fortune to manage some of the best players in the game. The one thing they all have in common is the solid baseball skills needed to get to the top of the game. What distinguishes the great players from the good players, aside from natural talent, is an elevated level of dedication to improving their overall game - everything from baseball skills like hitting and throwing to their strength and conditioning regimen.

When I became the manager for the Arizona Diamondbacks, I knew we had a unique opportunity to see the organization develop from the ground level. One of our main objectives was not only to get the most talented players for our major league team, but also to establish a comprehensive program for our Minor League players, many of whom will become our future stars. Our approach to achieving this goal has included a solid strength and conditioning program, and Jeff Forney has brought just such a program to our organization.

Jeff's program isn't a generic routine for athletes of various sports altered to apply to baseball players. Rather, it is designed specifically for meeting baseball players' needs - a uniquely baseball-specific conditioning program. It takes into account the need for such skills as speed and agility in the field, as well as strength and explosive power at the plate.

Since implementing this conditioning program during our initial seasons, we've seen our players improve noticeably. By following our training program, they

Not only have we experienced these dramatic gains, we've also established a basis for continued improvement. This baseball-specific conditioning program - much of which is in Complete Conditioning for Baseball - keeps athletes interested by varying the workout routines and incorporating a variety of training tools and techniques. The workouts are designed to help you achieve the maximum amount of improvement in the minimum amount of time.

We feel we've identified a key component of our organization's success. Our conditioning program enhances our players' performance and establishes a standard that we believe is among the best in the league. You may not have access to a professional strength and conditioning coach at every training session, but you can use the information provided in Complete Conditioning for Baseball to help you improve your physical development and raise your overall game to a higher level.