World Baseball Softball Confederation

Physical Demands of Baseball & Softball

The following table represents the main physiological processes involved in some international sports including baseball and softball.

Strength & power	Strength is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to exert maximal force against resistance. Power is the ability to move weight with speed. Power is the workload multiplied by velocity most commonly expressed in Watts. The metabolism most used in this case is the anaerobic one (ATP-PCr) where the energy system is usually used under 15 seconds.
Muscular endurance	It is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to execute sub-maximal force against resistance for an extended period of time. The metabolism most used is the Lactic one (glycolytic) where the effort fluctuates between 15 secs and 2 mins.
Aerobic endurance	It is the body’s capacity to sustain medium to high intensity physical exercise for extended periods of time through the continual acquisition of oxygen. The metabolism most used is the aerobic one where the energy expenditure overcomes 1 min with no limitation.
Movement agility	It is the ability to move and change direction and position of the body quickly and effectively.
Reaction time	It is the length of time taken for a person or system to respond to a given stimulus.
Psychomotor skills	It is the stable and reliable link between perception of body (sensory-motor area) with environment and execution of goal‐directed sports actions.
Accuracy	Where the objective is to hit a static or moving target of various shapes and sizes.