Coaching baseball could be more fun by incorporating a bit of Eastern wisdom into your baseball strength training program. Chi Kung, more popularly known as Qi Gong, is an ancient Chinese holistic technique that unites spirit, body, and mind whilst helping the practitioner to be in touch with the earth and his/her own energy. It integrates a variety of postures and movements of the body and the synchronization of different breathing techniques.
Most practitioners perform qi gong as a way to enhance or maintain wellness and health, some use it to support medical treatment or as a form of treatment. It is often learned along with Chinese martial arts as a supplementing or supporting discipline. It inculcates discipline and control whilst helping the body to breathe correctly and to re-channel Qi or vital energy. Qi in Chinese means gas or breath and it represents the field of energy that exists inside the body.
There are four leading fields of application in this area: Sports, Spiritual, External Healing, and Healing Qi Gong.
Sports Qi Gong (Wu Gong)
This field is very helpful in sports training because it is important for resistance to injury, coordination, stamina, balance, strength, flexibility, and speed. Because Qi Gong exercises are able to boost performance in any sport, it can be extremely useful in baseball strength training. It can help players improve their focus and make them faster and stronger. In addition, this technique helps increase accuracy on the field and in a person’s overall ability in the sport.
Spiritual Qi Gong (Tao Gong or Fo Gong)
This discipline obviously focuses on the spirit. It is designed to open the individual to harmony with nature, tranquility, and self realization. This aspect of Qi Gong is rooted in Taoism and Buddhism.
External Chi Healing (Wai Qi Shi Liao)
This can aid the healer to exploit nature’s healing energy and course it through his/her body. The exercises are designed to raise the sensitivity of the healer to energy fields and enhance the effectiveness of the treatment. The fundamental concept to this is the more this style is practiced, the more effective will the healing ability of the practitioner become. The techniques are suited for standalone practice or in combination with osteopathy, acupuncture, massage, and other therapies.
Healing Qi Gong or Medical Qi Gong (Yi Gong)
This style is an aspect of Chinese Medicine that is preventive and self healing. It instructs individuals how to control their responses to stress which can help prevent the rise of heart disease, high blood pressure, and other diseases. It is quite helpful in relieving anxiety.
Qi Gong can be integrated into baseball strength training to help players take their game to the next level. It can be used as part of baseball coaching and player training. By practicing this technique, players can improve their skills will improve and stay focus. It can benefit the entire team as well as the individual player.