- Herts players will feel the pain over the next few days after Sunday’s first session with strength and conditioning coach Tony Marshall, but they will appreciate it when the season commences.
Herts Baseball Club has added one more very critical member to the club’s coaching staff with the appointment of strength and conditioning coach, Tony Marshall.
Marshall will be aiming to work for the long-term physical development of the club’s players delivering sessions which will work on speed, acceleration, agility, plyometrics, metabolic conditioning, weightlifting and others. He has a Masters (MSc) in Strength and Conditioning and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist with a 2:1 honours degree in sport science. He is now in the process of taking his UKSCA accreditation.
Tony Marshall contacted the club in October with a view to joining the Herts coaching staff and he took part in his first training session with the Herts adult teams on Sunday.
Herts President, Aspi Dimitrov, said: “We are very fortunate to have Tony as part of the team. We don’t have the salary budget of Manchester United or the Los Angeles Dodgers, so to have a highly qualified coach join the club on a voluntary basis means that our players too can work with a sport scientist in the same way that the professionals do and we are very grateful to Tony”.
Although Marshall will be working mainly with the five Herts adult teams, U17 team Manager, Cris Hiche, has made a special request to set aside as much time as possible for the Herts U17 players, whose performances and fitness levels could benefit the most from Tony Marshall’s work. Many of the U17 players are challenging for a place with the Great Britain National Teams and this could give them a significant competitive advantage.
Herts is keen to set the highest possible standards in all aspects of the club from financial management and statutory compliance to facilities and coaching. Perfecting the product offered to members and fans of Herts Baseball was one of the key objectives identified at the club’s Annual General Meeting in November. The appointment of Tony Marshall ticks one more box for the club.