IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE:
	ProZip SpeedToss High School & Collegiate Trainer "Half-Time" - Baseball - Teaches Players To Use The WHOLE FIELD! Tips For Pitchers - Getting Out of A Jam BASEBALL TODAY Coaching Journal - The 3 R's of Baseball YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A PLAYER - Parents Spend Your TIME & MONEY Wisely!

"Half-Time" - Baseball - Teaches Players To Use The WHOLE FIELD!

This is a drill used to teach young hitters to "go with the pitch", "hit behind the runner", and to "use the whole field". The drill uses only 1/2 of the field. Normally it use it for righted-handed dominated teams, so we use the right side of the diamond. The drill teaches players to hit to the right side. The players compete against each other. They get one run when they safely reach firstbase on a hit or error. They get two runs if they hit a double which is the best you can do with one swing of the bat. They are out if they fail to reach safely. Any ball hit to the left side of secondbase is an out. A coach pitches and players play the right side positions. The coach pitches into a screen. No catcher is necessary. After the batter reaches 1B or 2B safely and the play is over, the batter comes back to the dugout. Players should keep up with everyones' score and outs. All players play defense and bat. Each batter is allowed three outs before they go to play defense. When a batter makes his third out he goes to play rightfield and the defensive players rotate. Gloves are left against the fence behind 1B when the batters come in to hit. The position rotation is from 9 to 8 to 4 to 3. The firstbaseman comes to bat when a players goes out to play defense. The drill can also be set up with teams competing. When a left-hander comes to the plate, the ball must be "pulled" to score. Batters are allowed to take until they get a pitch in a location that they know can be hit to the right side. This teaches them to read a pitch before reacting. You may add your own rules or "twist" to make it even better. It is a great drill and players love it! Read on... »

Tips For Pitchers - Getting Out of A Jam

Pitching success requires skill and total mental concentration. The number one over-riding factor is COMPOSURE. I always teach my pitchers to be "stone- faced". Never show your emotions on the mound. Batting teams tend to "feed" off of negative and positive emotions shown by the opposing pitcher. Every pitcher is going to get in a "JAM" sooner or later. We all know the old saying, "Adversity Builds Character". However, "on the job training" can make for a long season if pitchers do not develop COMPOSURE at a early stage in their career. Here are three suggestions to help pitchers get out of a tight spot with runners in scoring position. .......1. Focus on the task at hand. Have confidence in your ability to succeed. Do Not Panic, just do your best. .......2. Make sure to keep the ball down in the strike zone to get a ground ball. Let your defense help you. .......3. Change speeds, hit your spots, and make sure every pitch has a purpose. .......There are also other things that pitchers and catchers must remember when "Getting Out of A Jam". The ball should be kept low and away. Coming inside, high and tight, once or twice will help make your pitches on the outside half more effective. Additional Recommended Reading - "The Act of Pitching" by Dr. John Bagonzi »

BASEBALL TODAY Coaching Journal - The 3 R's of Baseball

This new site has the 3 R's of baseball covered; BASEBALL READING, RESEARCH, and REFERENCE. You will find articles and links covering over 50 categories. The site features tips, drills, coaching links, baseball safety, baseball firstaid, Dangers of Steroids, the Creatine Debate, new product review, baseball humor, baseball history, true stories in baseball, plus much, much, more. Visit the BASEBALL TODAY Coaching Journal Now! Click Here! »

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE TO MAKE A PLAYER - Parents Spend Your TIME & MONEY Wisely!

We all know that baseball offers great opportunities for players when it comes to fun, recreation, and exercise. We also know that to many of baseball's best the sports opens doors to education and employment. There are several things that I always recommend that parents do with their son early in his career. START SETTING GOALS EARLY.....Before each season parents should encourage their son to make a list of his own "team" and "personal goals". These goals can be short-term such as weekly or monthly or long-term such as one year, two year and 5 year. TEACH YOUR SON TO BE ACCOUNTABLE...The player should come up with his own goals. It should not be the parents desires but rather a personal commitment by the player to set goal, put them on pare, post them in his room, and evaluate his progress regularly. These goals should be simple and attainable. The player may add more goals as the season progresses. An important part of this process is parental support and guidance. "PARENTAL PRESSURE" is not needed. This activity teaches the player to hold himself accountable and make self assessments. ENCOURAGE HIM TO EXPECT TO WORK FOR HIS FUTURE SUCCESS......COMMITMENT IS THE NAME OF THE GAME!...Players should make a decision to dedicate their time and energy to their baseball future. Parents should make sure to make two keys investments to help their son develop his skills. ....The first investment is devoting your TIME!....The second investment is is in purchasing the right EQUIPMENT!... It is important to spend as much time in the early years helping your son develop basic skills. We highly recommend the BATACTION HITTING MACHINE and the HIT2WIN TRAINER for those important backyard sessions. Both of thses units were designed by a coach and come with the much needed information and technology that you need to help your player build the skills needed to become a "MONEY PLAYER". This machine can TURN AN UNUSED CORNER OF YOUR BACKYARD TO A PROFESSIONAL QUALITY HITTING STATION FOR YEAR-AROUND USE. Buy the Best Equipment For You Son! Buy the BatAction Rotational Hitting Machine at CoachesBest.com! Click Here! »