San Francisco Giants outfielder Hunter Pence put himself through an intense workout regimen this offseason that included two personal trainers, five-foot stools to jump on and an intense aerobic routine. But the real key to his confidence is ping-pong. Yes, as in table tennis.
According to CSNBayArea.com, Pence considers ping-pong to be an extremely important part of his offseason routine.
“Sounds crazy, right?” Pence said. “It works your fast-twitch muscles. You react. I just got a bunch of different friends and we didn’t play games. It was just rallies, as hard and as long as we could.”
And it works. Just ask Pence’s brother Howie, who pointed out to Hunter a few months ago that the more ping-pong he plays over the winter the better his MLB seasons are. Pence said it was that observation that inspired him to step up his table tennis game in preparation for the 2013 season.
“It might be a coincidence, but it was worth a try,” he said.
Take it from a ping-pong enthusiast: the game requires tremendous hand-eye coordination and concentration. Last I checked, so does hitting a baseball. I don’t know if playing more ping-pong actually leads to more success on the diamond for Pence, but I can certainly understand how it would sharpen his skills.
H/T Game On!
Photo credit: Frank Victores-US PRESSWIRE
