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Competitive Edge Sports baseball speed training.
Chip Smith works with Justin Smoak of the Texas Rangers and Jeff Francouer of the Atlanta Braves to improve batting speed
and agility.
Joe Mauer Quick Swing Trainer Ball Loading and Set-up Demo from QuickSwingTrainer.com
Video shows the Joe Mauer Quick Swing Trainer being
loading and set-up between hitting sessions. You will see the college player loacd the machine and take batting practice swings.
He is hitting the balls into a SKLZ 7' Pop-up Baseball Drill Catch Net. The net is available at http://store.baseball2u.com/sk7mupone... Make sure to visit QuickSwingTrainer.com or http://store.baseball2u.com/joemaqusw... for more information on the Joe Mauer Quick Swing Baseball Batting Trainer.
Baseball Coaching Digest: Teaching Baseball Pitchers the Correct and Proper Stride Leg Mechanics One of the most common pitching flaws seen in baseball has to do with the motion and action of the pitcher's front leg
or stride leg and foot. This article discusses three common baseball pitching flaws associated with the stride leg and foot.
Stride leg movement and landing foot action is an extremely important part of proper pitching mechanics. Here are three common
mistakes made by pitchers that can make them suffer the embarrassment of a poor performance on the mound.
Baseball Coaching Digest - The 5 Keys to Obtaining and Maintaining Power Pitcher Status A "Power Pitcher" is a pitcher that dominates with an overpowering fastball. There are five conditions that I think add
to the likelihood that a pitcher will be overpowering to the opposition. Those keys are above average arm and body strength,
above average conditioning and flexibility, good and proper mechanics, an understanding of the importance of proper warm-up,
and dedicated commitment to proper post-game arm care. This article gives insight in how important each of these keys are
and how each can be improved.
Baseball Coaching Digest - Teach Batters to Use Their New Brain When Batting To me the hitter's brain is his eyes. If you literally try to think yourself through every at-bat, you are in trouble
in today's game. The hitter must let his eye's do his thinking at the plate. I consider the eyes a batter's new brain. They
must learn to properly use it. This article discusses several coaching points, tips and details related to this approach to
hitting.
Baseball Coaching Digest - Want to Be a Great Hitter? Learn to Be Patient One of the worst hitting flaws in baseball is "lack of patience" at the plate. This article discusses importance of being
a patience batter and the reasons being a patient hitter puts the odds in the hitters favor. It also discusses one common
baseball practice procedure that causes batters to not be patience at the plate.
As I sit back and think about my playing days, I can't help but think I didn't question enough people about their
methods of training. I took for granted that my high school coach, or the local hitting instructor had a legitimate theory
on how to develop me as a hitter. Now as coach, I look back on the hundreds of camps and the dozens of instructors I had and
can't help but think that I wasted a good majority of my time. Unfortunately, baseball has become oversaturated with "new"
drills. If you are not careful, you will train your players in circles instead of helping them make any real progress. This
is precisely why I have put together the top 5 baseball batting drills that your players can start using today, and begin
to see some real results.
First off, let me explain why these drills are head and heels above all the other ones that
are on the market. Believe it or not, it has nothing to do with the drills themselves. Players are naturally "stubborn" when
it comes to making changes to their swing. Often times you will hear, "It feels uncomfortable" or "This throws me off" for
which my response is "Good!" People are a afraid of change because it means a different result that they have never experienced
before. With that mind, if a player has never felt uncomfortable in his batting training, all he has bee doing is excising
by swinging a bat.
As a result, we must strip out result oriented drills and add step specific drills that break them
out of their comfort zone. For me, I do that by "overtraining" or "over-exaggerating" their swing path. I design, or use drills
that forces players to make adjustments naturally. I have seen countless coaches over the years try to convince players that
feeling uncomfortable means making adjustments. Although they are correct, that is a loosing battle on the coaching front
and leads to more conflict than resolution. So I work for the opposite direction and challenge my players with hard to do
drills that force them to manipulate their swing and help them figure out how hit the baseball better. From the outside in
these drills may look unorthodox, but once you add them to your batting training, you question why you have ever trained any
other way.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number One: The Samurai Drill. When I first got back into coaching, I began
noticing a trend in most young players. They are what I characterize as "weight loaders". "Weight loaders" are typically stiff
by nature and carry a lot of tension in their body that results in difficulty separating the hands and front leg during the
load portion of the swing. As a result, I designed this drill to break that tension barrier. Have you player place his feet
all the way together, and his have hands extended out straight towards the pitcher. Yes, it should be on the other side of
his body. This is our starting position. From there we break the swing down into load and swing. On the load, the player draws
his hands across his body to comfortable hitting position, and extends his front leg out towards the pitcher. For this drill
only, I want the player to keep 90% of his weight on the backside of his body. This is done to over train the disconnect of
his hands and feet. From there, the player takes his swing freely. Goal: Become comfortable with our hands and front leg loading
away from our body.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill number 2, the Oar Drill. Nothing says baseball like an oar to
paddle a boat right? In this drill you take the bat out your players hands and replace it with an oar. Then, have your player
place the oar behind his back leaving the open face of the oar extended as the hitting surface. As you soft toss tennis balls
to your player, he naturally has to rotate his back leg to hit the ball. This is a great drill to help players understand
how to use their backside more appropriately and efficiently to give them more power.
Unorthodox baseball batting drill
number 3, the Top Hand Drill. The first time any player does this drill he will give you an awkward look. This will soon be
followed by, "This is impossible" or "How am I suppose to get any power?" I love this reaction! Have you player grip the bat.
Then, tell him to open is top hand so just his palm is touching the handle of the bat. Then have him put hand on the other
side of the handle, and flip it over so his palm is on the bat ready to "push" the bat through the zone. The key is not to
grip the bat with the top hand. After you player finishes his swing his top hand should be extended towards the pitcher. This
drill does wonders helping young kids how to use their hands to hit the inside part of the baseball and not extend to far
to soon. My players can generate enough power during this drill to hit balls that one and two hop the wall.
Top 5 Baseball
Batting Drill Number Four: The Carrier Drill. I named this drill after an aircraft carrier. They are long and flat much like
how our swing path wants to be through the hitting zone. Staying through the zone for a long period of time helps players
make up for timing mistakes and end up with more hits. This batting drill involves two batting tees set-up in a line one to
two feet apart depending on skill level. The tees should be the same height and baseball should be placed on each tee. The
objective is to hit both baseballs with one swing. It is a lot like landing plane or having a plane take off from an aircraft
carrier. Goal: Understand how it feels to gain extension through the zone.
Top 5 Baseball Batting Drill Number 5: The
Reverse Bucket Drill. You are sure to get an awkward look from your player the first time he works out using this drill. Saying
that, at the end of the drill he will come away with better balance, and a better finish. Have your player take his batting
stance. Then, place a bucket under his back leg for him to step on. This elevates the back foot dramatically and removes stability
from his stance. Then have him load and swing. Note: Players back leg lightly rotates or rolls onto the topside of their foot
as they swing. If the player over rotates the bucket will fall over. The key to this drill is staying balanced through contact
and finishing through the baseball instead of around his body. Goal: Understand how over-rotating can affect you power through
contact.
As you can see, these batting drills are a bit unorthodox and may seem a bit far-fetched, but they accomplish
one thing, adjustments. It is virtually impossible for any player to go through these drills and not come out with a more
efficient, powerful swing. When you break the comfort barrier, you make adjustments. Try these drills out during your next
batting training session and you will be amazed at how well your players will respond!
The Advanced Skills Tee has two patented built in features
that make it the most advanced batting tee in baseball. It is known and respected for preventing and correcting common batting
flaws and bad hitting habits. Visit http://www.AdvancedSkillsTee.com or http://store.baseball2u.com/adsktee1.html for more information. Visit the Advanced Skills Tee training blog at http://advancedskillstee.blogspot.com/ for coaching tips, drills and articles
The 3 Most Common Injuries in Baseball and How to Prevent Them By Jim Bain
Baseball injuries are unfortunately an unpleasant fact of life which can't be totally avoided. If there were such
a miracle I'm sure Major League Baseball teams paying players millions of dollars to sit on the bench injured would have found
it. However, there are three common injuries in Little League baseball we can look at preventing or at least minimizing
the degree of the injury.
Blisters are the number one injury in Little League and are created by the irritation of
equipment rubbing against the skin, which causes the first layer of skin to separate from the second layer. The body then
creates fluid to fill the gap between the two skin layers in order to protect the injury from further damage.
Proper
fitting equipment, the use of powders and anti irritation gels will help prevent the blister, but once the blister has occurred
the first issue is to prevent further injury.
If you can't stop the activity your involved in which is creating the
blister, place a piece of tape or a band aid over the wound to protect it from further damage. A piece of duct tape works
as well or better than a band aid as it seems to stick to the skin better and for longer periods of time.
Depending
on the degree of the blister it may heal on its own if left alone. However, if there's oozing pus, extreme pain or signs of
infection the wound should be drained with a sterile needle, antibacterial ointment applied and bandaged.
Little league
elbow is a soreness of the elbow usually experienced by pitchers who have not yet reached puberty. The growth plates attached
to the elbow will be pulled loose creating pain when throwing.
This injury is caused by either throwing too many pitches
in a particular span of time or by throwing breaking balls at too young of an age.
Should your player incur this injury,
stop all throwing and have him rest the arm. Applying ice 20 minutes an hour for 4 or 5 hours the first day will reduce any
swelling.
To treat or prevent this injury, be sure to monitor the amount of pitches a player throws. They should be
limited to no more than 100 pitches a week and absolutely no breaking balls are to be attempted.
Sprains and strains
round out the top three injuries in little league baseball. Teaching proper fielding and running mechanics is the best method
to try and prevent these types of injuries.
If playing on an unfamiliar field, walk the outfield to look for any holes
or unleveled ground which could cause a trip or twisting of an ankle.
The degree of the sprain dictates the treatment
of the injury. A mild sprain may be treated with a treatment of ice packs rotated in 20 minute intervals for 8 hours. The
injured limb should be rested above the waist or heart level in order to reduce swelling as well as wrapping with an elastic
ace bandage.
As with all injuries of kids, if in doubt or at the first sign of infection, seek immediate professional
medical care.
About the Author Let Coach Bain teach you more about how to prevent and treat injured players. His
site offers coaching tips on pitching, fielding, catching and more at Learn Youth Baseball Coaching. http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com
Traditionally, for the most part baseball players are not as ripped or bulked muscle definition wise as football
players. The vision of rippling muscles flexing under the tremendous strains of lifting weights does not seem to compute for
a MLB player in the gym as it does for a football player in the weight room. Although it's true football players normally
require additional and different muscle bulk for the tasks they must perform vs. the baseball player, that doesn't mean a
baseball player isn't suppose to be muscular or work out with weights. Alas, just the opposite is true.
The core strength
of a baseball player, shoulders, hips and legs must be very strong in order to produce the explosive energy which propels
baseballs 410' or throws a 100 mph fastball. Core strength is produced by muscle bulk and muscles are built by lifting
weights of varying sets, reps and amounts. The heavier the weight, the bigger the muscle mass which is created, while the
more sets and reps performed, the more toned and lean the muscle.
Let's exam just one aspect of building muscles through
lifting weights which increase core strength and how it enhances our baseball abilities. The legs are the foundation of the
core, giving the body balance and an ability to coil and explode much as a snake when striking.
The legs must be strong
enough to carry and balance the entire weight of the body as it prepares to begin the starting mechanism of the swing, or
being able to hold the hands back as the body begins its motion forward.
Most non-baseball people mistakenly believe
the power for hitting originates in the shoulders and chest area, which is not correct, not totally that is. The explosion
of power originates from the turning of the hips, which when turned with speed and power, leads the rest of the body into
a powerful pin wheel reaction increasing the velocity and speed of the baseball bat as it travels through the hitting zone.
This
speed of the bat, as we know, is what actually transfers the body's strength and power into the baseball as contact is made.
Simply defined, slow bat speed equates into weak hitting, while quick bat speed equates into powerful hitting and the sum
of it all...weak core strength equals slow bat speed. Increasing core strength through exercising with weights is the best
method to achieve results in the shortest period of time.
That's not to say other forms of training, cardio, stretching,
pilates or yoga are not essential for perfecting our body strength, flexibility and limberness in order to prevent injury,
but for pure muscle building.. Lifting weights in the proper manner is the Best method to build strength through muscle bulk.
Jim
( Coach ) Bain is a former Minor League Player and Coach of Youth Baseball for over 10 years. He has drawn from fellow successful
coaches' experiences and combined them with his own extensive experience to create a Baseball Teaching Website. The site is
packed with 100s of tips, drills, history and instruction on how to play and coach the game of baseball. http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain
In my 25 years of coaching baseball I have seen many great players come and go. Many were gifted players that
were great high school players that excelled and made it to the next level. In fact, a couple have even made to the Big League
in the MLB Draft.
This article outlines what it takes to fail. It outlines the five traits of the players destined to fail at
any level. Those traits are "Will Nots" that the player practices regularly. Those "willnots" are:
1. Will Not Listen - This player refuses to take coaching. He thinks that he knows it all.
He has been told so many times by Mom and Dad that he is great that he does not think he can be coached. When a player gets
too good to be coached, he is too bad to play. He must be put into his place or he will never make it to the next level. Attitude
is 100% of success in baseball. One of the primary responsibilities of a coach is teach players to humble. They are lucky
to get to play baseball. It is a privilege to play baseball. They are not the game. Baseball will go on just fine after they
leave it.
2. Will Not Adjust - They refuse to adjust techniques and methods. There is room for improvement
in every player's game. When a player refuses to do a simple adjustment or change a simple procedure or technique, they will
never excel. Many times they are scared to change. At some point in the past, they may have made an adjustment and it seemed
weird or made them uncomfortable. Players must realize and know that there is a correct way and wrong way to do everything.
And when we make an adjustment or made a change in technique there is a learning curve and a time required for the new method
or technique to become comfortable. When changes are made, it must always look bad before things will slowly improve. Patience
and perseverance are a must for baseball success.
3. Will Not Sacrifice - This player makes me sick. They refuse to do what the team needs.
They are too busy looking out after themselves, their own stats, and image to help the team win. They refuse to work on bunting
and short game techniques because they feel that bunting is "below" them. They complain when they are called upon to bunt
or sacrifice a runner over. They need to remember one of my coaching slogans that I regular use. "What is good for you may
not always be good for the team, but what is good for the team is always good for you! You are a team player or you are nothing
at all!"
4. Will Not Work - Laziness has caused the demise of many baseball careers. Players have
to learn that hard work, conditioning, and regular workouts are a must for one to succeed in today's game. Players today complete
in the age of "travel baseball" and "year-round" workouts. To be a money player, you have got to earn your money. Somewhere
during every hour of the day, there is someone working to get better to bet you and your team. One day you two will meet,
who will be more prepared or ready? That is something that you can control with good work habits and a total and absolute
commitment to the game.
5. Will Not Respect - I have little respect for those that do not respect the game of baseball.
I see players that think that they are bigger than the game itself. They do not show or display any dignity, class or respect
for the game, their opponents, the opposing coaches, umpires or league officials. Many times this is a direct indication of
the parental up raising that the player has received. If his parents show disrespect, then that is all he knows. It is our
job as coaches to teach every player to show respect at all times on and off the field. We are coaches for a couple seasons;
the players are going to be team players, in some line of work, all of their lives. Planting good seeds of class of dignity
will help that player for the rest of his life.
I want every player to succeed and enjoy baseball as the true fun game it is. I want every player to enjoy
playing it as much as I enjoy coaching it. But, we must remember that teaching and developing good character and people skills
is as important as teaching baseball skills and techniques.
I hope that you found this article to be informative. Thank you for taking the time to read it. Have a great
day, Nick.
The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and
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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon
is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the
inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ
Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest,
the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
Article Title: How to Create Consistent Hitting Mechanics By Nate Barnett
I'm sure you know from experience that hitting a baseball consistently for any length of time is one of the most
difficult and frustrating things to do in sports. There are two areas of your overall baseball preparation you'll need to
develop on a regular basis if you want the most consistency possible as a competitive athlete - the mental game of baseball,
and proper hitting mechanics. If you're interesting in learning more about baseball psychology there are quite a few resources
online as well as my blog. This article is reserved for teaching a little on the topic of hitting mechanics.
I get
the chance to work with dozens and dozens of athletes individually each year. It's truly a rewarding experience much of the
time, though at times it can be extremely frustrating to see such talented athletes fail to put in the necessary work to achieve
some consistency in their swing. I never have a tough time getting the athletes to work hard when I work with them in the
cage. It's when athletes have to motivate themselves to work outside of their practice days when their work habit breaks down.
In
order to become a highly consistent and effective hitter, I prescribe the following "medicinal procedure" to be used away
from practice:
1. Dry Drills: These are hitting mechanics related drills that are meant to reinforce muscle memory.
It is impossible to only put in two to three days on a specific hitting technique and make it stick long-term. The problem
you'll run into is that during a game your focus will be placed on the pitcher and not your mechanics. If you have failed
to put in the necessary time to build quality muscle memory, you'll revert back to the problems you were initially trying
to fix.
2. Mental Rehearsal: The mind is a powerful tool for good or evil. When you use your mind for positive imagery
or visualization you will increase your effectiveness as a hitter. If your mind pollutes your body with thoughts of failure,
your body will respond in a negative way. Lack of confidence and fear can destroy a good hitter. To make sure you are conditioning
your brain in the right way, it's highly important that you replay mental video clips of yourself succeeding offensively.
This is easy to do, many of you do it all day long in other areas. Sometimes your mind wanders in church or school and you
lose focus as to what is occurring around you. If you can slip into this mode and daydream about your performances, you can
truly become a master of the mental game of baseball.
Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball. His website is devoted to teaching the mental game of baseball and hitting mechanics. After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training
career.
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7 Tips on How to Become a Better Baseball Player By Jack D. Elliott
Baseball players everywhere want to know how they can get better. The best way to do this is to look at it your training
from a comprehensive perspective. Here, are some pointers to help you up your game.
1. Read and Watch Everything Baseball.
Scan books, look over hitting and pitching lessons videos, see games, ask for help from coaches and good players.
2.
Practice makes perfect. Do your drills daily for at least 5 to 6 days a week. Feel free to mix up your routine; however, make
sure you are developing muscle memory with enough reps of your swing and pitching motion.
3. Pick up something else
when the season ends. To avoid burnout, choose another sport or physical exercise in the off-season. It is preferable to pick
something you are not familiar with. This will allow you to stay fit and appease any creativity interests you have because
of the novelty of the new sport. By the time the next baseball season rolls around, you will find yourself avidly looking
forward to playing.
4. Strength Train Before It Is Too Late. Do not make the mistake of waiting to build strength until
your junior and senior years of high school. Do yourself a favor and start working out in the summer after your 8th grade
year and work out each summer thereafter. This will allow you to build a base, plateau, and then, build up to yet another
plateau. In this way, by the time you are senior, you will be very physically strong and ready to have a great senior season.
5.
Get Lessons. A great instructor will save you time, wasted energy, and ultimately give you better results. By learning from
a great instructor from the start, you can develop the best techniques from the start and avoid bad habits. Once you learn
the lessons, you can practice them and go back only occasionally when you feel a refresher course is needed.
6. Practice
with a tee. The basic hitting tee has improve the swing and hitting consistency of many major league players. Learn from their
example and use this tee to perfect your ability to hit to the opposite field and fine tune your swing. This along with some
waffle ball toss are great for removing holes in your swing.
7. Maximize your speed and power. Plyometric exercises
can help develop your speed and explosiveness. Learn from a trained instructor who can give you a regimen that you can practice
several days a week. If practiced sufficiently, you will see your speed and power improve. This added boost will carry over
into other parts of your game as you have a new found confidence in your baseball abilities.
All these pointers are
geared towards making you a top flight athlete by your final year of high school. By using each of these pointers you can
expect to maximize your potential for baseball success.
The Perfect Baseball Hitting Drill? By Guest Author:Jack Perconte
The sign of a good baseball hitting drill is one that forces the correct hitting fundamentals and that over time,
causes the correct hitting action when a hitter goes without the drill. With that in mind, some drills are obviously better
than others. The drill below does just that. It forces the correct action and works on all the important hitting fundamentals
of staying back, compact swing, weight shift, hips opening and follow through.
Because this drill combines all the
correct baseball hitting fundamentals into one drill, it makes teaching hitting easier and quicker, as long as it is performed
correctly. It is a little complicated and requires some hitting tools that one does not usually have in the basement, or backyard.
The local batting cages though will have the things needed - balls, protective screen, batting cage.
Here is the perfect
baseball hitting drill:
1. The hitter stands very close (within six to 10 inches) from a net, facing the pitcher with
the net being behind the hitter where the catcher stands. The hitters rear foot and hands should both be this distance away
from rear net. Make sure a home plate is set and hitters stand their normal distance from the plate.
2. The coach sets
up behind a protective screen with a bucket of balls in front of the hitter, beginning at twelve to fifteen feet away.
3.
The coach flips balls to the outer half of the plate - firm underhand flips are best from this distance, trying to keep the
ball level with no rise or drop on the flipped ball.
Result you are looking for? Because the ball is on the outer half
of the plate, hitters should drive the ball to the opposite field by missing the net on the initial portion of the swing but
hitting the net on the follow through.
Note: Hitters may graze the net on way forward and come up a little short of
hitting net on follow through and this is acceptable.
Why is this the perfect baseball hitting drill?
1. One
of the main fundamentals of hitting is "staying back" - if the hitter jumps forward (lunges or over strides) they will not
be able to hit the net on the follow through.
2. Another goal of hitters is to have a compact swing - when a hitter's
swing is long, in anyway (upper cutting, casting, dropping barrel behind them) they will be striking the net on the initial
portion of their swing.
3. Another objective of a good swing is to have the hands in a power position (palm-up, palm
down) at contact. By hitting the ball to the opposite field on this outside pitch, this drill will guarantee that the hitter
is in this correct contact position.
4. Another component of the perfect baseball swing is that the hitters' weight
transfers while their hips open - missing the net on the way forward will promote weight shift and the only way to hit the
net on the follow through, or get close to it, is to open the hips.
5. Another ingredient of good hitting is that hitters'
keep their eye on the ball; thus, the reason for working on the outside pitch. It is further recommended that hitters keep
their eyes in the direction of where they ball is hit, while trying to hit the net on the follow through as hard as possible.
As
hitters begin to perform the drill with some consistency (frequent line drives with back-spin to the opposite field), the
coach can begin to back up until eventually doing the drill from regulation, hitting distance.
Is the drill the perfect
hitting drill? Maybe not, but if done correctly, it works on all the necessary hitting fundamentals all at once. Finally,
I am sure that I have not been the first one to discover this drill, but it is one of my favorites while teaching hitting
over the last twenty-two years.
Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and
batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books
can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com
Chief among the positions in baseball is the position of hitter, which is way more complicated to do than most people
would assume. Many problems could be said to cause a player to not hit properly, and these problems can be very frustrating
until the source of them is discovered. A player's performance can be hindered if they lack proper hitting mechanics, and
luckily these problems can be remedied through learning about the human body and with the use of baseball hitting aids.
Focusing
way too much on the upper body and neglecting the lower half is a major cause of hitting problems for player of baseball.
Learning about your lower body is a must before you can expect to begin hitting the ball correctly.
Attempting to hit
the ball without knowing what your lower half is doing, is similar to trying to build a house without establishing a proper
foundation, it will fall to the ground.
Shoulder dipping is one of the problems faced by hitters, and it is caused
by collapsing of the player's backside. Other issues include hunching out over the plate, and letting your hands extend away
from your body during a swing. Every one of these problems can result from not knowing enough about how to position your lower
body during a swing.
Shifting your weight onto your back leg before the pitch begins is called loading, and if the
weight does not stay on that back leg it could cause a hitting problem. Many hitters naturally shift their hips forward in
the direction of the pitched during the beginning stage of their swing, and this issue may be the source of many or all of
the problems listed, and this hips shifting problems is called "floating".
The "floating" problem is definitely fixable
once the hitter is able to recognize it as a problem. Videos and books are good examples of useful aids, and they can be quite easily found. These aids will help one detect and the fix problems with the lower body during hitting,
and then you can focus on the upper body during the swing.
Use of these types of aids can help your coach or yourself
recognize which problems your have when you are at bat, and you will soon be hitting better than you had once imagined possible.
These books and video hitting aids can easily be found at a local bookstore or library, and if those don't pan out you can
find many online sources for aids too.
I am Joseph Harrison, a baseball coach since 20 years ago. I love baseball since
I am young, especially the feeling when you know you will absolutely crush the ball. Training your kid to gain interest in baseball will benefit him from both mentally and physically. In with he will gain team spirit, learn how to cope with teammates,
and at the same time train up his physical, and concentration (to have good eye and hand coordination and the ability to use
both at once). Go through my article and you will know all the benefits of baseball.
There is no secret that most pitchers throw a curveball as one of their three pitches. And while this pitch is important
to learn correctly, it is more important to understand proper pitching mechanics first. Only with a good understanding of
how to throw a baseball right can one avoid unnecessary injury of the arm.
To correctly throw a curveball, place your
index finger on the opposite seam as your thumb. When finished, your thumb and index finger will have split the baseball in
half. Next, place some medium pressure on your thumb and middle fingers only. The index finger should rest lightly on the
baseball.
To get the right spin off the baseball, you may consider learning this pitch by taking your index finger
off of the baseball to make sure that you do not apply too much pressure with it. Too much pressure by the index finger will
cause you to have poor release with the baseball and not get the desired curve effect.
Once you have a basic understanding
of this pitch you will be tempted to work on it a lot. I must remind you that without proper pitching mechanics, you run the
risk of hurting you arm. In addition of injury, there are some other important reasons why you need to understand pitching
mechanics. First, you will end up showing hitters what your are throwing and giving you're your curveball. Secondly, you may
end up reducing your arm speed when throwing a curveball which will ultimately telegraph your pitch to the hitter, obviously
making it less effective. The only thing that changes when throwing a curveball is your wrist and forearm angles. There is
no snapping of the baseball, instead, let the baseball roll off your index finger. If you have the correct angle with your
wrist upon release, this should be a natural motion.
Coaches and parents should keep a close eye on how many curveballs
are thrown per game. This is especially the case if a young pitcher has some early success with the pitch. As a general guideline,
pitchers should throw curveballs no more than 15% to 20% of the time. Any more than this, athletes who are young may increase
their risk of arm injury.
Pre-game infield practice can be extremely useful for youth baseball, where kids are still learning to play the game
correctly. However, I've never understood the traditional infield practice routine. Hitting the ball to a player that knows
the ball is coming is not very game-like. Of course, we want our fielders to expect and want the ball hit their way. In games
though, players never know the ball is coming to them for sure, like it is done in the traditional infield practice method.
Continue Reading....
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Have you ever had a kid that had the perfect baseball swing but sometimes has difficulty
hitting live pitching? In drills, the player simply kills the baseball. Every soft-toss rep is a line drive. Every front toss
rep is a line drive with power. The player is perfect in every drill that your team but has difficulty hitting live pitching.
The player often struggles to hit in games although he has one of the best swings on the team. What could cause a player to
perform perfectly in practice but have a difficult time hitting the ball when a pitcher is pitching from regulation distances?
This article discusses one cause of poor hitting performance that baseball coaches sometimes fail to detect.
Youth
Baseball Digest: One Cause of Poor Hitting Performance that Often Goes Undetected Have you ever had a kid that had the perfect
baseball swing but sometimes has difficulty hitting live pitching? In drills, the player simply kills the baseball. Every
soft-toss rep is a line drive. Every front toss rep is a line drive with power. The player is perfect in every drill that
your team but has difficulty hitting live pitching. The player often struggles to hit in games although he has one of the
best swings on the team. What could cause a player to perform perfectly in practice but have a difficult time hitting the
ball when a pitcher is pitching from regulation distances?
I am speaking from experience here. I once had a right handed
player on my high school team that was absolutely a dream hitter in practice and a nightmare hitter in games and live inter-squad
games. He would dominate every hitting station with his high velocity bat speed, precision bat control, and unbelievable ability
to adjust to every pitch location with the perfect swing adaptation. However, when he faced live pitching he simply looked
like "Ned in the First Grade". He would miss or be late on routine and average fastballs. He would be late or completely misjudge
curve balls and when he should attack them.
I quickly realized that there was a problem and began to do some research.
I soon found some definite performance tendencies. In day games, when he made contact, he almost always hit a ground ball
to the second baseman. On ball he should pull, he nearly always got jammed. At night, he hit for 150 points less than in day
games. With all these facts considered, we realized his cause for poor hitting. The cause was poor eye sight. We sent him
to have his eyes checked. He had extremely poor vision in his dominate eye. He could perform well in our hitting stations
and toss drills because they were all done at short distances. When the distance the pitch came from was increased, his ability
to see and pick the ball up quickly was diminished. A new set of contact lens got him back on his "A" game. He quickly became
as dominate in games as he was in drills.
So the moral of is that if you have a kid that is inconsistent from his hitting
in practice to hitting in a game, make sure to have his vision checked. Poor eye sight may be the cause of his poor hitting
performance.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and useful. I thank you for taking the time to read
it. For more great articles on coaching baseball visit the Baseball Coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, Little League
Digest, and the Baseball Parent Guide. Good luck to you and your team. Have a great day, Nick
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is 1-877-431-4487.
Very simply, a hitting slump occurs because of something that you are NOW doing that is mechanically incorrect when
swinging the bat (or) it can be something that you were doing correctly and NOW you are not doing it. In other words, either
you have developed a bad habit or have gotten away from a good habit.
Good Morning to You. Here are several recommended articles for baseball coaches. I hope that you find them informative.
Make sure to visit our sponsor, Baseball2u.com. They have over 1400 Baseball Coaching and Training Products and are adding more almost daily. Have a great weekend and good
luck to your team! Nick
Baseball Coaching Digest - The Catcher, Your PR Player [Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This article explains one of the most important roles
that your catcher will play in every game. The role is that of being the team's public relations representative with the umpire
staff. The catcher's attitude and behavior can have a huge effect on an umpire's attitude.
Coaching Youth Baseball - 25 Common Baseball Terms and the Meaning of Each [Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Coaching Little League or Youth Baseball requires a good
knowledge of the game. Many good youth baseball coaches have never played the game before. They make it their mission to study
and learn the game. This article presents a list of 25 common baseball coaching terms and gives the meaning of each.
Baseball Coaching Digest - Base Running Basics [Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are certain base running rules that every base
runner should learn. Here is each base and basic rules that players should know about each.
Youth Baseball Coaching - 8 Elements of a Super Baseball Swing [Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The perfect baseball swing is a thing of beauty. There
are few movements and actions in sports that are practice more often than the baseball swing. Players take thousands and thousands
of practice swing during a season. The key to game swing quality is practice swing quality. There are certain basic rules
that every batter should remember when taking a swing in practice and games.
There is nothing more frustrating for a hitter than having a mechanical problem with the baseball swing and not knowing
what the issue is or how to find a solution. While I don't have the ability here (nor do you have the patience to sort through
it) to discuss all of the root causes to the countless mechanical failures of a baseball swing, I will give you one for today.
Of course, you will need to consult with your hitting instructor for more depth and practical baseball drills to help solve
the problem I discuss.
Let me point out the biggest lower body problem for hitters. I say the biggest problem in the
sense that it does the most damage when trying to hit a baseball effectively.
The Problem: Hips floating forward
At
the beginning of the swing, the hitter must begin to transfer some weight from the (presumably balanced) stance position onto
his back leg. The weight distribution will then be roughly 60% weight on back leg, and 40% on front leg. Most hitters can
do this step quite easily without a lot of baseball drills to assist.
The second movement a hitter makes is to begin
to take some of the weight he has loaded onto his back leg and move it forward to create energy (this is the trigger process).
At this time the back knee and foot begin to rotate towards the pitcher. This is when the hips floating forward problem begins
for most hitters.
The weight that was originally placed on the back leg MUST remain there as the rotation occurs. You
can see if this is happening by looking at the angle of the back leg. If there is a bend in the back leg at the knee (during
contact with the baseball), there is a good chance this hitter is keeping his weight back. If the back leg is relatively straight
when the hitter makes contact with the pitch, then the problem of hip floating forward has occurred. The only reason this
happens is that many times younger hitters think they must move towards the baseball and begin turning their body with their
rear hip and moving it forward towards the pitcher. This does nothing to create energy, and in fact, destroys the ability
to create a quick and powerful swing.
Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the skill of mental baseball
Pitcher fielding practice should be an important part of every team's regular practice routine. Pitcher fielding
practice is an activity that allows pitchers to practice fielding and making good throws to the different bases in different
situations.
Our Pitcher Fielding Practice or PFP, as it is called, requires all infielders and all pitchers. The activity takes
only 7 minutes. Therefore we do PFP drills every day in practice. This practice activity requires two coaches to fungo or
hit the ground balls, 6 baseballs, and 4 catchers alternating and catching up.
First Set - Pitcher Covering First and Bunt throw to 2nd Base
We begin the activity by having 2 middle infielders report to their position. We will then divide the pitchers into
two groups. One line will be getting over to first on a ball hit to the right side. The other line will be fielding bunts
and making the throw to second. This is the first segment of the drill and we do this for 3.5 minutes without a beak. The
pitchers will rotate lines after each throw.
The "cover first group" works on the right side of the diamond. The bunt cover to 2nd base group works on the left
side of the diamond. The line will run out toward 2nd base. The pitchers will set up even with the pitching rubber but will
shade to their respective side to allow enough space for both groups to work at the side time without delays or stopping.
Coaching Points: Covering First
The pitcher will must take a good angle toward the line and work up the line toward the bag. The catcher will yell,
"get over" each time a ball is hit. The first baseman will communicate with the pitcher to let him know if he will take to
the bag himself. If the first baseman bobbles or is slower getting to a ball, the pitcher will setup and stretch on the throw.
It is important that the pitcher avoid shading over into the base path in order to avoid a collision with the runner. The
pitchers will work out of the windup.
Coaching Point: Bunt throw to 2nd base
The pitchers and catchers will make a call. If the catcher can field it, he will. If the pitcher fields it, the catcher
will make a "2 call". Communication and verbal calls by the catcher is an important part of this drill. The pitcher must make
a perfect throw every time. Make sure that the pitcher has the right approach to the ball and sets the feet before picking
it up, if he can. Good footwork will save time and make execution of the throw easier. The pitchers will work out of the stretch.
Set 2 - "Squeeze Play and Throwing to Second Baseball to Double Play" During the second half of PFP's we will
have the "right" side group field a "come backer" ground ball and make a throw to 1st or 2nd. The "left" side group will may
a "do-or-die" play on a squeeze play for 1 minute and then cover home on a passed ball for the remaining 2 minutes.
Coaching Point: Comebacker
The coach will call out where runners are before the ball is hit. The pitchers always work out of the stretch. The
catcher will make a "2 call" if the ball is a double play ball and there is a runner on 1st. If the ball is bobble or too
slow for to turn two, the catcher will make a "1 call" and the pitcher will make a throw to 1st. If no runners on base the
pitcher will make a throw to 1st. We will vary the situations on various days. The coach may call a runner on any base or
all bases. The pitcher may check a runner at 2nd and go one, check a runner at 3rd and go 1. The pitcher may have to go home
with it if the 3rd base man makes a "4 call". The pitcher may also turn two if the catcher makes a "2 call". All infielders
are used during this drill and "talking" is vital.
Coaching Point: Squeeze Play - Cover Home
The "left" side group will may a "do-or-die" play on a squeeze play for 1 minute. The pitcher must charge the ball
and use a "scoop and throw" technique to get the ball to the catcher. The winning run is at third and the play is a "do-or-die"
play. Speed and accuracy is important. The catcher must complete the play with a simulated tag. Next, the pitcher will practice
covering home on a passed ball or wild pitch. The catcher will retrieve the ball using a "slide by" pickup technique. The
catcher must make a perfect tag spot throw to the pitcher. The pitcher will hustle, set up for the throw and finish the play
with a simulated tag.
Note: A lot of action is occurring is this 7 minute drill. If commit only 7 minutes so the "sense of urgency" make
the kids really bounce around and hustle. Each fielder receiving a throw will step out of the drill and make a throw to the
2nd catcher in their drill. The catcher will then toss the ball to the coach for the next rep. The catchers alternate each
side every other day. One day two catchers will work the "right side" drills and the next day they will work the "left side"
drills.
I hope you find this information useful and beneficial. I know that you can add and make improvements to this activity
as you use it. Good Luck till next time, Nick Dixon.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full
time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction
Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also
a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
===Advertisement from our sponsor:===== Baseball2u.com/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number
is 1-877-431-4487.
Important Pitching Mechanics Tips You Need to Know By Nate Barnett
One of the most important steps to becoming a successful pitcher is to ensure you throw with proper pitching mechanics.
Great mechanics begin with appropriate balance and weight transfer toward the direction you are throwing. If there is any
inappropriate head movement up or down, left or right or even any weight going in any other direction than toward home plate,
you are mechanically insufficient. Many pitchers tend to struggle with their throwing mechanics. Are you one of them? Here
are some helpful tips you should know about pitching mechanics.
1. Pitchers need to make sure their momentum is going
in one direction, forward! However, there is more to pitching mechanics than merely making sure your momentum is going toward
home plate. Pitchers need to use explosive movements to create sufficient energy for an explosive fastball. Many pitchers
are lazy and get in the habit of getting to foot strike tortoise like. This creates no power in their delivery at all. These
pitchers are often seen giving up the long ball and throwing batting practice in games as hitters tee off on their lackadaisical
approach.
2. During a pitchers transition to foot strike, using these explosive movements; it is imperative that a
pitcher keep his head over his center of gravity, belly button, or slightly behind the center of gravity when they transfer
their weight from one foot to the other. Many pitchers have the issue of staying back to long which can create arm lag.
3.
We talked about explosive movements toward home plate, but how long should your stride be? Your stride should be as long as
you are tall. If your stride is shorter than 100% of your height you should be working on lengthening your stride. A longer
stride creates more power toward the direction of your throw, a shorter stride places more stress on your throwing arm because
you have to rely on your arm for the velocity as apposed to first using your legs to generate it. Another advantage of having
a longer stride is perceived pitching velocity. Every foot closer you are to the batter at release of the baseball at sixty
feet six inches away, it "appears" like 3 mph faster to the batters eye. This gives the batter less time to react to each
pitch you throw.
4. The next step to create optimal balance in your delivery is making sure your throwing arm and glove
arm mirror each other. I believe pitching instructor Tom House coined the term "equal and opposite" for this mechanical process.
This means that your glove arm and your throwing arm create the same angle at foot strike. You will see different styles of
how to do this in our pitching mechanics DVD. You have to see it!
5. One of the more challenging aspect coaches face
when learning about pitching mechanics is their misunderstanding of mechanical terminology. For example, there is still a
lot of confusion about arm slot and arm path when a pitcher releases the ball. What arm slot is the best? What does this mean
exactly? These are common questions pitchers ask me all of the time. The answer is whatever arm slot is natural for you. You
don't want to force a 90 degree arm slot on a pitcher when they naturally throw three quarter. In fact, most pitchers tend
to throw with a natural three quarter arm slot.
There is a lot of science to pitching mechanics. The Pitching Academy
breaks this all down for you if you're looking for more information. Pitching mechanics should be easy to understand for anybody
who is eager to learn; we keep the science into pitching, but you will be surprised how simple it is to learn proper mechanics.
After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational
training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles on pitching mechanics the website.
America's #1 Hitting Slump Breaker! The Hurricane Hitting Machine by SKLZ! How to Prevent a Hitting Slump - Eleven Baseball Hitting Tips For Players, Parents
and Coaches By Jay Granat
Last week, I got a call from a baseball player who plays the outfield for a Triple A team connected with a major league
club. The man was concerned because he has been in a hitting slump on and off for several seasons. He wants to make it to
the major leagues and he feels that time is running out on him.
Yesterday, I got a call from a mother of a college
player who is also stuck in a slump. This parent happened to be a psychiatrist. Like many parents who call me for help, this
worried mother said, "My son has a beautiful swing. He works with a top hitting coach. He is great in the cage, but terrible
once the game starts."
This concerned and worried mother had even tried medication to help her son perform better at
the plate.
Baseball players frequently call me when they are stuck in a slump. Fortunately, over the years, I have
developed many techniques, strategies and tools for breaking slumps.
However, it is useful if players can learn
how to start the season with a positive and effective mental approach to hitting. Here are a few tips to help you get your
baseball season off to a good start:
1. Learn the strike zone very well and swing at strikes. 2. Know what kind
of pitch you like to hit. 3. Be aware of the count and the game situation. 4. Train your mind to think of nothing
or have just one thought at the plate. 5. Practice relaxation techniques. 6. Learn how to stay calm, focused, confident
and relaxed at the plate. 7. Learn how to stay in the present and the here and now. The most important pitch and swing
are the next ones. 8. Watch the pitcher carefully from the dugout. 9. Try to hit the ball into the gaps. You will
naturally pull some of these for homers. 10. Keep accurate records on all of the pitchers who you face. Record what they
threw, what you did and what you learned about hitting against them in the past. This is extra work, but these data will pay
big dividends for you. 11. Once your swing is mechanically sound, you need to master the mental aspects of hitting.
He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports,
at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America,
AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute. He is
also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport
Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest
named Dr. Granat one of America's Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long distance running.
Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers.
There are numerous hitting drills and all have specific purposes. Good hitting drills address a specific area of a
hitter's fundamentals. When hitters have practiced basic hitting drills for a time they may be ready for more advance hitting
drills. Additionally, these drills can serve to break up the monotony of performing the same drills over and over.
Some
drills will actually address a few different fundamental areas at the same time, making them even more valuable. One such
drill is the back knee pickup drill that I have written about before. This drill where the hitter swings, picks up the back
foot and allows the knee to rotate towards the pitcher is a good multi-use drill that works on using the front side and keeping
a firm front side without collapsing the lower half on the swing. It also serves to have hitters transfer their weight and
maintain leverage through their swing. This is only a drill and is not the way a hitter will hit in a game, but a drill that
reinforces the correct fundamentals for hitters who have specific hitting deficiencies. This drill helps hitters who "step
out" with their stride and for those who open their hips or front shoulder too early.
Other advanced hitting drills
include the following:
1. The self flip drill is very valuable for advanced hitters. It will force hitters to develop
quick hands and strong forearms. To perform this drill the hitter will hold the ball with their top hand as their lower hand
grips the bat. The hitter flips the ball up no higher than eye level into the hitting zone. At this time, the hitter will
grab the bat with both hands and hit the ball. Obviously, the goal is to hit line drives and in the direction of where the
ball was flipped, (middle, inside or outside). Hitters will notice that very quick hands are necessary to hit the ball consistently
solid.
2. Another advanced hitting drill is to have the hitter stand a foot or so away from a net, where the hitter
is facing away from the net. The goal is to swing and miss the net with the bat going forward, but to hit the net slightly
on the follow through with the bat. This drill will reinforce a compact swing and "staying back" at the same time. Hitters
should keep their head in throughout the entire swing and not pull their front shoulder out in order to hit the net on the
follow through. Once again, this is another drill for advanced hitters only. This drill can be done with a ball on the batting
tee or with flip drills for even better results.
3. The two ball flip drill is another advanced hitting drill that
is very good for teaching hitters to wait on the ball and to develop a quick, compact swing. Hitters will need the assistance
of a coach to flip balls from behind a protective screen for this drill. The coach will hold two balls in the same hand at
once and flip the balls into the hitting zone. When the ball approaches the hitter, the coach yells out which ball they want
the hitter to hit, either high/low, or even inside/ outside. Obviously, because the hitter does not know which ball to hit
until the last moment, they cannot cheat with their swing too early or they will hit the wrong one or miss altogether.
These
are a few advanced hitting drills that will help advanced hitters. Many more like these are contained in my hitting book.
Former
major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all
ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - and one of his videos can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsIt0TIsHmQ
America's #1 Hitting Slump Breaker! The Hurricane Hitting Machine by SKLZ! How to Prevent a Hitting Slump - Eleven Baseball Hitting Tips
For Players, Parents and Coaches By Jay Granat
Last week, I got a call from a baseball player who plays the outfield for a Triple A team connected
with a major league club. The man was concerned because he has been in a hitting slump on and off for several seasons. He
wants to make it to the major leagues and he feels that time is running out on him.
Yesterday, I got a call from a
mother of a college player who is also stuck in a slump. This parent happened to be a psychiatrist. Like many parents who
call me for help, this worried mother said, "My son has a beautiful swing. He works with a top hitting coach. He is great
in the cage, but terrible once the game starts."
This concerned and worried mother had even tried medication to help
her son perform better at the plate.
Baseball players frequently call me when they are stuck in a slump. Fortunately,
over the years, I have developed many techniques, strategies and tools for breaking slumps.
However, it is useful
if players can learn how to start the season with a positive and effective mental approach to hitting. Here are a few tips
to help you get your baseball season off to a good start:
1. Learn the strike zone very well and swing at strikes.
2. Know what kind of pitch you like to hit. 3. Be aware of the count and the game situation. 4. Train your mind
to think of nothing or have just one thought at the plate. 5. Practice relaxation techniques. 6. Learn how to stay
calm, focused, confident and relaxed at the plate. 7. Learn how to stay in the present and the here and now. The most
important pitch and swing are the next ones. 8. Watch the pitcher carefully from the dugout. 9. Try to hit the
ball into the gaps. You will naturally pull some of these for homers. 10. Keep accurate records on all of the pitchers
who you face. Record what they threw, what you did and what you learned about hitting against them in the past. This is extra
work, but these data will pay big dividends for you. 11. Once your swing is mechanically sound, you need to master the
mental aspects of hitting.
He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest
potential at sports, at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times,
Good Morning America, AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just
One Minute. He is also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf
Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes.
Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America's Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long
distance running. Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers.
The Proper Baseball Swing - Swinging on the Pitch Plane By Todd Thomas
What should players, baseball and fastpitch alike, be focusing on improving going into a new season? I say it should
be on the key element to the proper baseball swing and the proper fastpitch swing which is to match their swing plane with
the plane of the pitch. Swing LEVEL...to the ball. The BALL, not to the ground. You know, like the best players in the game
do?
If you swing down on the ball, then you are "intersecting" the path of the ball giving yourself a small window
of timing for contact. A more productive swing would be to attempt to match the plane of your swing to the plane of the pitch.
Having the bat on the same plane as the ball as long as possible opens up your window of timing for making contact. Why would
any hitter consistently give themselves the smaller window of contact? It simply makes sense to swing on the pitch plane.
Swinging
on plane IS the proper baseball swing. Albert Pujols, one of the games great hitters, has shown he is on plane on many of
his swings for up to 5 and 1/2 feet. That's awesome. Being on plane that long gives Albert or any hitter a much larger window
to make good contact with the incoming pitch.
Can you be on plane perfectly every time you try? No. That's why you
see various types of hits. But attempting to swing level to the ball increases your line drive rate which in turn raises your
batting average. Line drives equal a high batting average.
How do you teach players to swing on the pitch plane? You
have to understand and show them how to put the bat on the pitch plane. Take a rope and secure one end. Stretch it out and
teach players to put the bat on it in their swing and swing along the rope. You should hold the loose end slightly lower than
the secured end in order to more closely simulate the high to low path of the ball. Take a 3 to 4 foot piece of PVC pipe and
hold it where players can put their bat on it and swing along it. If you are holding the pipe, I don't recommend letting them
swing at full speed.:-) It should be a slow practice swing. Get creative and teach your players the proper baseball swing
and the proper fastpitch swing by teaching them to swing on the plane of the pitch.
Play Ball!
Todd Thomas is
a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game
so they can reach their full potential.
Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out
the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.
See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to BatAction.com.
Baseball Coaching Tips - Teaching Players to Have a Good Two Strike Approach at the Plate
Good Morning, I hope
the season is going great for you and your team! "Two Strike" hits are a big part of every team's success. Team that score
runs with 2 outs and that get hits consistently with 2 strikes on the batter are the teams that post winning records and win
championships. Here are 5 points that I teach to make sure that every player on our team has the same proper "two strike approach":
1.
The batter should assume a more balanced stance and take most of the weight off the back foot. 2. The batter will be prepared
to swing at "anything close". My saying is that "if it is close enough for the ump to call a strike, it is close enough to
hit". 3. The batter should get 3 inches closer to the plate than normal and choke up at least one inch on the bat. This
is done regardless of the batter's ability or position in the batting order. 4. I would rather that the batter be late
on the pitch than early. What this means is that the batter must keep the hands back and have trust in his or her hand speed. 5.
Expect anything! Do not guess pitches. The even stance and "shorter bat" should allow the batter to hit or fight off any pitch
location. 6. The batter should fight to saty alive. He or she should battle their butt off to get a hit or stay alive.
The batter must win the battle by fouling off pitches, eveining the count, and fighting until the pitcher makes a mistake
and throws a pitch that the batter can handle to get a basehit.
Good luck til next time. Have a great day, Coach
Nick
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BaseballCoachingDigest.com - Drills, Tips, and Informative Articles for the Baseball Coach looking to improve his game!
One of the most common hitting problems involves hitters taking their eye off the ball before making contact. Solving
this problem is rarely as simple as just telling a hitter to "Keep your eye on the ball" or saying, "See the ball hit the
bat." Usually, hitters pull their head and subsequently their eyes off the ball because of an incorrect hip turn or having
a long arm swing, failing to use their hands and forearms.
Having said that, there are some good hitting drills that
baseball coaches can have their players do that will help ballplayers keep their eye on the ball. Also, by controlling their
head throughout the swing, it will help all the other hitting fundamentals, which is an added bonus of these drills.
Head
Control Drills that will help hitters keep their eyes on the ball:
1. During batting practice, place an object to the
opposite side of home plate from where the hitter stands and a few feet in front of home plate. This object (player's glove,
pop can, etc...) should be in line with hitter's eyes at contact with the ball. The object of drill is to have batters keep
their eyes on this object after contact is made and until the completion of their swing.
2. Along the same lines and
when performing tee, flips or dropped ball drills have the coach, who is standing off to the side, flash a number down with
his fingers immediately after contact. The hitter is required to read the number before looking for the hit ball.
3.
Behind the hitter flips are great for keeping a hitters head in on the ball. The coach kneels a safe distance behind the hitter
where the catcher usually is and the coach flips balls forward into the hitting zone. Hitters watch the ball being released
from the coach's hand and swings when the ball reaches the hitting zone. With this ball coming from behind, it will force
the hitter to keep their head and eyes on the ball.
4. Writing a decent size number on a few baseballs during batting
practice and having hitters try to read the numbers when hitting is also a good drill. This can be extremely challenging,
of course, but will make the point of how well hitter's need to watch the ball.
5. It is important to realize that
balance comes from the hitter's head. Practicing hitting on a balance beam or similar balancing object, can greatly help hitters
keep their eye on the ball, as well as helping all swing fundamentals.
Finally, a habit that I use to incorporate in
major league baseball was to watch the ball all the way to the catcher's glove on pitches that I did not swing at. Baseball
coaches should teach young hitters to do that also. It will help them keep their eye on the ball when they do swing as well,
which is the obvious goal.
Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting
practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books
can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com
My wife was a self described bad sport. She had been thrown out of games, argued with
the other teams' parents, yelled at the umpires, and embarrassed my son and I. I would talk with her before and after games,
reminding her to not get out of control, but it did not help. Someone from the other team would say something, or the umpire
would make a questionable call, and she would start in. What was I going to do?
It Can Start At the Beginning
When
I was coaching tee ball, I once had to break up a verbal fight between my first base coach and the other team's coach. Another
time, I noticed that a dad, who had been to every practice and game, started missing the games. I asked him at a practice
if his work was keeping him from the games. He told me no, Johnny was feeling too much pressure with him at the game. This
is still tee ball. I guess it was good that the dad at least realized where the pressure was coming from. Most of the time
parents do not realize that the things they say can put undue pressure on their kids.
Travel Teams Are the Worst
It
seems travel teams have the most vocal parents, good and bad. I have always assumed the reasons for this are either one, they
have spent a lot of time and money involved with this team and are expecting a big return, or two, they are on the road and
friends and family are not around. But, on the other hand, I've seen travels teams stay home to play and behave just as badly.
And I have seen bad behavior at recreational games. So it can happen anywhere.
Solution - Put My Wife in Time Out
Back
to my wife; a few hours after the game would be over she would feel bad about her behavior. I thought about asking her to
stay away from the games, but she really did enjoy watching our son play. Finally it came to me. I needed to remove her from
the home plate area, get her away from the other teams' parents and away from our son when he was batting. We moved down the
outfield line; pass the dugouts and about half way towards the outfield fence. Out there we didn't hear the other team, the
home plate umpire couldn't hear us, and the game became real enjoyable. Our view wasn't as good, but that was a small trade
off. We were having fun again.
It Is Easy to Involve Others
Other parents were asking us why we were sitting
so far down the line. My wife did not hesitate to answer that she was in "time out". Like a child, she couldn't be trusted
to behave properly when located near a potential bad situation. Soon, others that had the same problem were joining us. A
few games into this idea, and half the parents were down the line with us. It became an enjoyable social event. Maybe it even
helped a few marriages.
Start Your Own Cheap Seats Section
There are certain situations where adults will act
like little children. If you have these types on your team, ask them to take a stroll down the line with you. Everyone, especially
their sons, will thank you.
Preaching to the Choir
I know most of the people reading this are not the problem.
Parents with bad behavior usually do not seek out advise. But in the right way you can make a difference. To see other baseball tips and stories I have written please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info
We all know the importance of good base running. We know that "solid" base running scores runs and wins games. We
also know that poor base running can easily cause a team to lose a game. The following two stories are true stories of base
running mistakes that cost the team a win. All the team had to do to win was to have the base runner advance to the next bag.
These two stories are great stories that you can tell to your players to teach young players two important rules of base running.
Every one of us has at one time or another, either as a player or a coach, had to face what is considered the "unhittable"
pitcher. You know what I mean, the pitcher that is undefeated because he has an overpowering fastball, nasty curve ball, and
a 3 pitch arsenal of potent pitches that intimidates the average team while he is just warming up. Coach Dixon discusses is
strategies that can used when your team faces a dominating and overpowering pitcher. The main strategy in this situation is
that you must have a "strategy" that you and your kids believe will work. The trick is have several scenarios and plans that
you will apply as the game progresses.
Volunteering to coach youth sports can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. It is a privilege to
spend time teaching, coaching and mentoring youngsters in one of the most critical stages of their mental and physical development.
Many kids do not have positive role models in their life. Many kids do not get the attention and the discipline that they
need and desire. The main thing I want to discus today is the importance of thinking before you speak and the fact that your
words greatly affect the self esteem of your players.
There are two simple actions that a pitcher can use to distract or disrupt a batters concentration. The two actions
are the "double pump windup" and the "start over" pitch deliveries that are done to change a pitchers regular windup. Both
of these actions are used when there are no base runners on base. They both serve as effective ways to disrupt the concentration
of opposing batters.
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Baseball Strategy Tips For Developing a Solid Pitching Rotation By Jack D. Elliott Everyone enjoys the excitement of the homerun; however, pitching tends to play a larger role in the importance of a winning
Baseball Strategy. Let's use high school baseball as an example. For most high school teams, there are usually only one or
two good pitchers on each team. One of the differences between good and great high school teams is how they develop the rest
of their pitching staff.
To win at the high school level in the playoffs and beyond, a high school team should develop
a rotation of 4 to 6 pitchers. There are several reasons for this Baseball Strategy:
Top pitchers will then get
the opportunity to rest their arms during the season. It provides an opportunity for younger pitchers to develop their
skills for future seasons. The coach has a number of options to choose from for certain game situations. (For example,
have a left hander throw to a left handed batter). May be able to use your top pitchers in other roles. This can be especially
helpful if they are a very good hitter as it adds a strong bat to your lineup. Allows you some additional protection if
you lose one of your pitchers to grades or an injury.
Traditionally, pitchers on high school baseball teams tend to
be those who throw the hardest and or have done it for a number of years. However, a smart high school coach should be scouting
his team every year to look for players who could be turned into pitchers. Some of the skills a coach should look for in a
prospective pitcher include:
Left-handed or a unique throwing motion (ex. sidearm delivery). Strong arm (Fastball
is above 80 mph). Excellent control of throws regardless of fastball speed. Natural movement on fastball. Ability
to throw a unique pitch (ex. knuckleball).
Once these players are discovered, the coach should have them begin practicing
pitching at every practice. Over time, their skills would improve to the point where you could use them in game situations.
Then, your baseball strategy could shift from relying on your two top pitchers to letting these prospects start pitching against
weaker teams in your district or allowing them to pitch a few innings in certain games.
To help encourage players to
want to be a pitcher, the coach should give extra praise to those who are participating and repeat the importance that pitching
has on helping the team go far in the playoffs. In addition, a wise coach would recommend these players take additional pitching
instruction from quality baseball instructors in the area. With a little encouragement, you can outsource some of this training.
This will allow for these players to keep developing their skills and not take away from the team's overall practice time.
The
benefits of developing a pitching staff over time should allow for your high school team to move from a good to a great program.
Also, who knows, you just might stumble upon the next great ace pitcher.
We have always consistently emphasized the dramatic increase of arm injuries with youth pitchers. Many of these injuries
can be avoided with proper education and healthy, yet competitive environments. I constructed a brief list on missed opportunities
coaches and parents have to train their youth to be better all around athletes and pitchers.
Pitching Mechanics: Of
course this would be first on the list. I travel a lot to different youth baseball games to watch some of the pitchers I work
with. I also observe pitchers on opposing teams and I am very aware of the lack of education youth pitchers have about pitching
mechanics. It is concerning that so many pitchers throw to throw and don't know how to throw correctly. Their arm takes the
beating and this can all be avoided with proper education about pitching mechanics. Parents and Coaches need to show their
pitchers where to go for that education.
Pitching Workouts: I have also written a lot lately about the importance of
strength and flexibility. It is imperative that all pitchers have enough strength to support the pitching workloads pitching
requires. If not, they are prone to injury. If you have been receiving our training newsletters regularly you will also know
how important of a role core strength training plays in becoming a complete pitcher.
Mental Game of Baseball: Many
of life's lessons can be learned by playing Baseball. Parents and Coaches, I believe, have the obligation to teach the youth
these valuable lessons during practice and games. We all know Baseball is a game of failure; hall of fame hitters success
only 30% of the time. The best pitchers at that level succeed half of the time. Youth baseball players can learn just as much
from losing as they can from winning. Of course, there is much more to the mental game of baseball than just that; we will
review more of that later.
Nutrition: Nutrition is more important than most athletes, parents and coaches understand.
There are so many missed opportunities to teach nutrition. The best way to teach proper nutrition is through example. If you
are a soda drinker, your kids and athletes will be as well.
After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational
training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.
Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out
the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.
See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to BatAction.com.
If you ask 100 baseball coaches the question, "What is the Most Important Thing in Baseball?", you will get a wide
variety of answers. Some will say winning is the most important thing. Some will say that "expecting to win" is the most important
thing. Others will say that helping kids grow, mature, and develop a sincere love for the game is the most important reason
for playing baseball. When I ask myself this question, I have one simple answer. This articles explains what I feel that the
most important thing in baseball to me is that I see some level of improvement every day.
This "level of improvement"
can be in any aspect of the game. I may leave practice knowing that our team improved their knowledge and skill in defending
the bunt. I may leave a game knowing that our team, although we lost, learned how to "come back" and compete when we were
down by 4 and made it a one run loss at the end.
You may see an improvement in team unity, team chemistry, or team
leadership. You may see a certain player show improvement in pitching control, hitting the off-speed pitch, or reading the
pitcher to get a better jump when stealing a base. See these improvements are what coaching and playing baseball is all about.
Is
it better for a team to show absolutely no improvement in a season and go undefeated because they dominate their league or
for a team to play.500 baseball on the season, but show incredible levels of improvement from the top of the lineup to the
bottom? You see what I mean? Improvement is the "name of the game". Improvement is what coaching baseball is all about.
Coaches
must keep in mind that only half of the teams that play every day, win. The other half lose. Should 50% of the coaches feel
their day was a total loss ever day they play? When it comes to playoffs it is a fact that less than 1/100 of 1 percent of
all baseball teams will end their season with a win each year. The other 99.999 % of the teams will find themselves ending
their season with a loss or not being in the playoffs.
Now, I want you to know that I value winning as much as any
coach on this planet. But what I am saying is that coaches must make winning a goal and getting better a priority. You should
feel satisfaction when you see improvement on a daily basis. If you do not see improvement, chances are that you will find
it difficult to win anyway. So the message here is to make it known to you team that you want to see them improve as players
and as a team every day in some way. It is their job to make it happen. It is your job to give them the opportunity to do
so in practices and games.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full
time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction
Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also
a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
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1. Laziness is the #1 trait of bad coaches. It is impossible
for a coach to fool the players. They more than anyone else know when a coach is lazy. It is difficult to get players to work
hard enough to be successful if the coach is not willing to put forth the effort. 2. Lack of knowledge is another trait
of an inadequate coach. They do not know enough to properly teach and instruct. If a coach did not play as a child or teenager,
they should become a "student of the game" and learn the correct terminology, fundamentals, techniques and strategies to be
successful. 3. Not being organized is another trait that bad coaches are good at. They seldom have what they need or have
a plan for practice or games. 4. Not being on time is another characteristic of a terrible coach. They arrive late for
practice and games. They often have to miss practice or have to leave practice early. They find it impossible to find enough
time to be a good coach. 5. Negativity is a trait that helps make a bad coach worst. They are always expecting the worst.
They expect it to be a bad day and most of the time they are right. They expect to lose and often find a way to justify losing.
6. Lack of attention to detail. They are too busy to see what is happening or to pay attention to small details that make
big differences in a player's and team's success. They often ignore swing flaws, mechanical mistakes, and sub-par performance
at practice or a game. They chose to over-look the mistake than correct it. They do not consider little things important.
Therefore, their players and teams never reach their fullest potential. 7. Bad coaches often speak before they think.
8. They are quick to panic or over react. They are impatience. 9. They are not consistent in teaching and instruction
techniques. 10. They don't really like kids.
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service number is 1-877-431-4487.
Using Video to Analyze Pitching Techniques By Nate Barnett
One of the best ways to make sure your pitching techniques are free of any major problems is to use video to analyze
the movements. The key to understanding your performance is to discover what in fact is preventing you from excelling on the
mound. Professional baseball players use video all the time to detect changes in pitching technique, etc. Here are some things
in the pitching motion to look for.
1. Leg Lift: The leg lift should be a smooth process without rocking backward.
Many times pitchers get into trouble because their balance tends to be poor as they lean backwards with their chest. The body
should stay slightly bent so the center of gravity remains in the middle of your body.
2. The Front Side: The front
part of your body should remain closed off to the hitter for as long as possible. Many times guys with poor pitching technique
tend to let their front arm and leg open up (exposing their chest to the hitter) before their front foot lands. Not only does
this reduce velocity, but if affects the location of the pitches as well.
3. The Landing: When you review your video,
check to see if the landing (when the foot lands) is balanced. Guys who tend to land on the front leg with the weight already
shifted forward won't get enough energy transferred into the delivery.
4. The Finish: One of the biggest problems for
younger pitchers who lack strength is falling off the mound before they have extended their body towards the catcher. They
effectively peel away from the play and do not allow themselves to create the most energy possible.
Finally, in order
to learn the best possible pitching techniques, you have to be able to watch yourself over the course of a season. Find someone
to video tape you at the beginning of the season, the middle, and at the end at least. If you are uncertain as to what to
look for, grab a coach to help you evaluate your movements. Using video is well worth your time if you're serious about improving
your ability on the mound.
After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational
training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.
Baseball coaching is teaching the big and little details of the game. Every position or location on the field requires
a player to observe and to be aware of what is happening. Many young batters on deck often do no pay attention to what is
happening. They are often guilty of looking into the crowd or even talking to someone through the fence. On-deck batters that
do not closely observe the pitcher and the catcher are missing a greatly opportunity to "scout" the opponent.
The coaching of baseball pitchers does not require a degree in "pitchingtology". There is no such degree to my knowledge.
I just made that up. My point here is that coaching baseball pitching is not rocket science. However, having a basic knowledge
of the terms and mechanics is a must.
Fewer things in baseball are more embarrassing for a young baseball player than to make a base running mistake that
cost his team a run. Some of the most devastating and demoralizing mistakes in baseball are made by baserunners at 3rd base.
When a runner gets to third, the team momentum and confidence is increased. The team and the player, and the fans feel like
they are going to soon score a run. But, to have that chance of scoring removed by a blunder by the runner or coach can take
the momentum completely away from the team.
The skill of throwing a good curve ball accurately is a skill that must be taught and coached. Teaching curve ball
control and accuracy is vital to a pitcher's success at any level. Here I discuss the method I use to teach and coach our
high school pitchers to vary their curve ball location and to accurately control the spot to which the ball will break.
Teaching, training and developing young baseball pitchers takes a lot of time, patience, and practice repetition.
Many young pitchers need to practice pitching skills daily. To keep the interest level high, it is best to use a variety of
drills on alternate days to prevent boredom. Here are 4 baseball pitching drills that can be used to train youth and beginner
pitchers.
Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out
the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.
See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to BatAction.com.
Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule By Nick Dixon
The word is PLAN
There are many four letter words that baseball coaches know, but few are as important as the
word for today, PLAN. There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in
your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4
four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are
Goal, Plan, Work and Time. In part one I discussed the important of the word Goal and the importance of setting a goal to
drive a team toward success.
The Baseball Coaches four letter word of today is P-L-A-N:
Planning is one of the
most important responsibilities of a head baseball coach is planning. Planning is organization. Planning is delegation of
duties and responsibilities to your assistants. You must plan every practice. You must plan your season. You must have a game
plan going into every game. Planning practice after you start is a sign of bad coaching. If the team has practice at 3:00
PM, and the head coach turns to the assistant coaches as the team is warming up, and says, Well, guys what do you think we
need to do today? A team with a coach like this is destined to have a difficult year. The coach is not organized and does
not have the dedication to do his coaching homework at home before he arrive at the field. Have a plan and a schedule before
you arrive at the field. The practice plan should be in the can! Planning as you go will waste valuable practice time that
will never be recovered. It is extremely important to have a daily practice schedule written down. You must decide on each
practice activity for that day, the assigned amount of time to be spent doing each drill or activity, and the objective or
reason for doing the activity. A written practice schedule is a must! You practice plan must be detailed, easy to read, and
easy to understand. Your practice plan begins with the first minute of practice and ends with the last minute. Every minute
is scheduled. Include breaks and transition times from one activity to the next. You should write out the practice plan, run
copies, and give each coach a copy. The schedule will have time slots, each coach drills and duties, and location of each
activity.
A sample practice plan:
3:00 to 3:12 Team Stretch and Warm-up
3:12 to 3:27 PFP (Pitching Fielding
Practice)
3:30 to 3:45 Outfield Drill Work & Infielder Drill Work
3:45 to 4:00 Team Defense, Infield, and
Outfield Cuts
4:00 to 4:45 Team Batting Practice
(4 Groups, 4 Station, 12 Minutes and Rotate to the next station
-Station
1 On-field Batting Practice -Station 2 Batting Cage Work -Station 3 Bunt Station -Station 4 Tee & Soft-toss
4:45
to 4:55 Break
4:55 to 5:15 21 Outs Drill
5:15 to 5:25 Base running Drills/Conditioning
Coaching Note:
6
Pitchers will throw after practice bullpens. List Names. The greatest difficulty in having a practice schedule is staying
on time. You must have a set rule that when drill time is up, the drill ends. If the drill was performed so bad that it needs
to be done again, it will be done over after practice. Always have a coaches meeting after each practice to discuss what the
staff has to say about the day practice. You also need to ask what they think the next practice schedule should cover. Listen
to your assistants and consider what they say when you make out your next practice plan. Another part of having a plan is
the delegating of responsibilities. You can not do it all. Recruit some good volunteer coaches to help you.
Good coaches
always delegate task and duties to assistant coaches. Let certain coaches work with certain positions. One of the crucial
assignments on every team is the position of pitching coach. You must have a coach that oversees pitching practice, bullpen
work, and that calls the pitches during the game. Another important role is that of the team hitting coach. The hitting coach
is often the offensive coordinator and 3rd base coach. This coach oversees all batting drills, batting practice and base running
practice. Organize you pregame routine. Plan it, write it down, and make sure every coach know it by heart. Have a set time
when you start stretching and warming up. Have a set time that you take pregame defensive infield and outfield warm-up. a
set time that players may have 3 minutes to go to the restroom if they need to. Have a set time that you have a team huddle.
Plan what you are going to say during this team moment. Having a plan is having a purpose, a time, and a place for everything
and everyone.
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is 1-877-431-4487.
Baseball Pitcher Warm-Up and Stretching By Mike Schim
Pitching a baseball game begins long before you even step onto the pitching mound. It is important to prepare both
physically and mentally for pitching in a game. Below are some mental and physical steps you can do to prepare for pitching
on the day of the big baseball game.
When you wake up in the morning, begin mentally visualizing your pitching experience.
Start imagining how your pitching will be that day. While taking your morning shower, think about how you want your pitching
strategy to be. Do you want to throw many fastballs? Do you want to vary your pitching a lot in the game? Do you want to try
and strike every batter out? Or would you want to pitch each batter in such a way as to try to get them to ground out to the
infielders on the first pitch? All of this mental preparation can help visualize how you want to win.
During the day,
conserve your energy and keep thinking about how you are going to pitch the best game ever. Your positive attitude will help
you win. All of the positive thoughts will get you very excited about pitching in the game.
When you are getting dressed
for the game, keep a clear head and positive attitude. If you pitching coach gave you advice on pitching strategy, repeat
key concepts in your head. Consider the strategies for each batter. If you did research on the other team's players, remind
yourself of which batters to pitch fastballs to, and which batters to throw curveballs to. You don't need to quiz yourself,
but simply review the concepts in your head.
Before going into the pitching bullpen, gently jog around the field. Get
the blood flowing. Gently stretch, and then jog a little more. It's important to loosen up your arms and your legs. Your entire
body is needed for baseball pitching, so be sure to warm-up your entire body.
Once you've returned to the bullpen,
go to a grassy spot away from other players and gently stretch your arms and arm joints. Focus on your shoulders, forearms,
wrists, and elbow.
After stretching for about 5 or 10 minutes, find a teammate to have a simple catch with. Stand about
20 feet apart and simply throw the ball to each other. There's no need to throw any pitches at this point. Just throw the
ball. Catching and throwing the ball will actually help you stretch some more before you even throw a single pitch. After
a minute or two, extend the distance to about 50 feet apart. After a few more minutes of having a casual game of catch with
your teammate, you should start casually going through the pitching motion. Use your legs in throwing the ball. Do a casual
wind-up and lift your leg a little bit in the pitch.
Now that you've warmed up, you can start your pitching activities.
Have a teammate, preferably a catcher; assume the catching position while you throw some practice pitches. Start with a very
slow pitch and practice the pitching motions. Don't worry about speed. Pay attention to your pitching mechanics. The web site
[http://www.2PlayBall.com] has books and videos that discuss the mechanics of baseball pitching. Besides reading and watching
videos, you can also watch other pitchers and study how they pitch the ball.
Once you've thrown about 15 simple pitches
while focusing on the delivery, start to warm-up your pitching aim. Focus on inside and outside pitching corners. Practice
your aim with each of your pitches. Throw a fastball, curve, change-up, slider, and other pitches.
Ask your warm-up
catcher and another teammate to go to home plate and practice with you while you stand on the pitcher's mound. Your practice
catcher should assume the catching position, and your other teammate should stand in the batters box with a baseball bat in
hand. The practice batter should not hit your practice pitches, but simply stand in the hitting stance and occasionally swing
very lightly at the pitches. All of this will help you visually prepare for real game pitching.
If you have not already
done so, go see your pitching coach and say hello. Ask any questions that you may have. If you don't have any questions, review
with your pitching coach any pitching strategies for the game.
Before you enter the game, be sure to go to the bullpen
and throw some more warm-up pitches. Also, throw just a few pitches at full speed. Don't throw too many, but throw maybe 3
or 4 full speed pitches.
If you are not the starting pitcher, be sure to keep your body warm and loose. And remember
to keep warm and loose in-between innings even when you are the active pitcher.
And of course, enjoy your pitching
experience! After all, that's why you play baseball...to have fun!
About the author Mike S. has been a baseball fan
for nearly 30 years. As a child he enjoyed playing catch with very old, well worn baseball gloves. He now plays ball with
friends and teaches his family and kids how to play ball. You can read more of his articles at [http://www.2PlayBall.com] and he also writes for http://www.TeachMeSports.com Mike hopes that his passion for writing about baseball will help everyone more thoroughly enjoy the game.
Baseball coaching is teaching the big and little details of the game. Every position or location on the field requires
a player to observe and to be aware of what is happening. Many young batters on deck often do no pay attention to what is
happening. They are often guilty of looking into the crowd or even talking to someone through the fence. On-deck batters that
do not closely observe the pitcher and the catcher are missing a greatly opportunity to "scout" the opponent.
The coaching of baseball pitchers does not require a degree in "pitchingtology". There is no such degree to my knowledge.
I just made that up. My point here is that coaching baseball pitching is not rocket science. However, having a basic knowledge
of the terms and mechanics is a must.
Fewer things in baseball are more embarrassing for a young baseball player than to make a base running mistake that
cost his team a run. Some of the most devastating and demoralizing mistakes in baseball are made by baserunners at 3rd base.
When a runner gets to third, the team momentum and confidence is increased. The team and the player, and the fans feel like
they are going to soon score a run. But, to have that chance of scoring removed by a blunder by the runner or coach can take
the momentum completely away from the team.
The skill of throwing a good curve ball accurately is a skill that must be taught and coached. Teaching curve ball
control and accuracy is vital to a pitcher's success at any level. Here I discuss the method I use to teach and coach our
high school pitchers to vary their curve ball location and to accurately control the spot to which the ball will break.
Teaching, training and developing young baseball pitchers takes a lot of time, patience, and practice repetition.
Many young pitchers need to practice pitching skills daily. To keep the interest level high, it is best to use a variety of
drills on alternate days to prevent boredom. Here are 4 baseball pitching drills that can be used to train youth and beginner
pitchers.
Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out
the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.
See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to BatAction.com.
Coach Loses Bet & Buys New Umpire Gear By T J Andersen
Being an umpire must have its rewards because if you are going that route be ready to spend some money on umpire gear.
I have never been an umpire, though I have coached at virtually level in the world of baseball. Somehow, I am good friends
with several umpires and with all the arguments I've had with them over they years, this must be some sort of divine payback.
Last
week I was paying off a friendly bet I had made with a long time friend of mine. He and I have been rivals for years, on the
field mostly, and I was going to pay him by helping to upgrade his umpire gear. It was not my idea to lose, but like I said
coaches do not like it when they are wrong.
My friend, Brice, is a much better baseball umpire than he was a player.
Behind the plate he was alive, but he could not manage a hit and run situation if his life depended on it. Rather than be
relegated to sitting on the bench, he decided to pursue the noble profession of a baseball umpire. There, he had found his
home and his office of business was normally behind the plate in one of the most competitive conferences in the country.
Baseball
runs in our blood, Brice and me, but too many times we found ourselves on opposite sides of an argument. We met in college
and as I developed as a catcher, Brice was honing his skills as a Blue.
Recently, we found ourselves on the same field
in a high school championship game and I'd promised to help upgrade his old fashioned umpire equipment if he did not blow
one call. He promised to buy me dinner, a much better deal for him as I would find out. Agreed, you might not think this was
a good bet on my part, but I have been around Brice and umpires like him for eons and believe me when I tell you this. They
know when they make a mistake. Rarely do they not blow a call.
With the way the game is structured, umpires are like
the Pope. They are infallible and once they make a call, even if they are wrong, this call is gospel. Umpires are trained
like this and many carry this inability to be corrected in all walks of life. I knew Brice would blow at least one call. Many
coaches might not catch the intricacies, but I would and i was already planning where we would have dinner.
In many
ways coaches and umpires are alike. We do not ever expect or like to be wrong and when we are, obvious or not, we deny it,
hide behind the cloak of our position and expect severance and understanding. Umpires don't argue like coaches. They do not
have to, instead sliding behind the heavy veil of authority.
Brice and I met for a burger and in his hand was a catalog
with the latest umpire gear. Like I said, I lost the bet, I have no idea how he got so lucky. Anyway, I was prepared to spend
maybe $40 plus the meal, but when I saw the knowing smile on his face, well, I was not prepared for what was in store.
Did
you know these chest protectors are now made out of some sort of armor plating? The one I saw in the book looked a lot like
it belonged to the movie character, Iron Man. It must fit under the shirt somehow, because I have never seen an umpire with
one visible.
$100 plate shoes? I mean it is not like steel plates covering the foot. I thought back to the game and
my temper tantrum and umpire shoes. Did I mention that I lost the bet? Did I tell the circumstances? Oh, I will get to that
part.
I winced at the price I was going to have to pay. He flipped to the umpire mask and explained about a new product
called CoolMax, a fabric recently invented that draws moisture away from the body to increase ventilation. I can understand
how this would be important in a chest protector, but in a face mask? Moisture control in baseball?
I thought back
to the game and had to admit that although we had lost the game, Brice only had one questionable call. Lucky guy. It was a
play at the plate which occurred when my worst hitter chopped a grounder in front of the plate with the bases loaded.
The
catcher at the time, an excellent athlete, fielded the ball, fired to first and as he did my third base coach sent our runner
to the plate. A good call because the runner on third had a good lead and was fast as all get out.
The call as he was
sliding into the catchers domain was close, but it was obvious from the third base dugout he was out. This is because of a
bullet relay throw back to the plate from first, a throw on the left side of the plate at knee level. All the catcher had
to do was catch and hold on to the ball. This is not what curled my hair. Not this call at the plate, but the call before
that.
I felt the ball was foul to begin with and this brought all my fury toward Brice. Felt? Heck I knew it was a
foul ball. Chopped foul outside the batters box, then cleanly fielded after one bounce in fair territory. Brice made no call,
did not have time, which was an indication the ball was in play. The opposing catcher did the right thing. He played the ball
and did a great job doing so. Surely though the play would be called dead.
When I approached Brice, a locomotive gathering
steam from the third base side, he was ready with an explanation. Mask off, he told me the ball was chopped in fair territory
and that my angle of vision was wrong. It was obscured and I could not see what he saw. I responded by kicking as much dirt
on his shoes as I could.
He would have thrown me out of the game had it not been over. We had lost by a run and I continued
my barrage at the plate. Brice screamed right back at me, telling me I was wrong and had no idea what I was talking about.
I responded again and kicked more dirt and his parting words were, "You are buying me a new pair, pal."
The film proved
Brice right and as I sipped my beverage and leafed through the catalog, it was obvious my purchases would start with the umpire
shoes. The face mask would also be mandatory for my poor behavior. I ordered more beverages and thought about my tirade. New
umpire gear was going to cost me. Setting the catalog down, I remembered the incident like it just happened. My tab would
be at least $200 for everything. I surmised that it was better than having to apologize. Being wrong can be expensive but
you still do not have to admit it. Especially to an umpire.
TJ writes about what interests him and what he is passionate
about. Visit his website at http://www.umpiregear.org which help people find the best umpire gear
Hitting Tips, Batting Tips, Sports Psychology and Baseball - How to Break Out of a Hitting Slump By Jay Granat
Every week, I get calls from parents, from coaches and from baseball players who are concerned because they or someone
they are concerned about is stuck in a hitting slump.
Hitting a baseball is difficult and when you lose your confidence
and your focus, it is very hard to perform well when you are batting.
A lot of the players who call me or who come
to see me have excellent swings. Many of these baseball players have had private hitting coaches for years. Some have hitting
coaches, fitness coaches, flexibility coaches, speed coaches and nutritionists. The athletes are hoping for baseball scholarships
and some are hoping to play Division I baseball or professional ball.
So, you might ask, why to players with great
strength, great balance, great technique and good timing get into slumps? And what can be done to shorten the slump and get
the hitter on track once again?
In my view, many of the hitters who I counsel know very little about their own psychology.
That is, they don't know how to get their mind into the right place prior to getting up to the plate. In addition, they don't
know how to adjust their mental attitude in a way that will allow them to break out of their hitting slump.
Sometimes,
we need to revamp their whole approach to hitting to get them to hit to their potential.
In other cases, one minor
adjustment can solve the problem. I try to start with something simple first. Changing something minute can sometimes free
up a baseball player to feel confident and empowered at the plate.
One batter was given a confidence building slogan
that he was to repeat to himself in between pitches.
Another was taught a simple way to relax when he got up to bat.
A
very talented switch hitter needed a different way to focus when he got into the batter's box.
Another batter changed
what he did in the on deck circle. This helped him to feel more comfortable when he came up to bat.
Many of these techniques
can be found on 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis. Here is the link to get
this program.
Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com - He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports,
at work and at school. Dr. Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America,
AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. He can be reached at info@stayinthezone.com - He is also the author of How To
Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis,
101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America's
Top Ten Mental Gurus. His new baseball cd and free book is available at: http://tinyurl.com/yh3srae
It used to be simple; a bat was one piece of wood, aluminum or composite. How things have changed! Two-piece bats
are now extremely popular and seem to be the trend for the foreseeable future.
Easton, Demarini and Nike have long
championed the two-piece design. Demarini and Nike have held fast to this philosophy while Easton has branched out to make
bats in almost all designs in an effort to appeal to everyone. They say the major benefit of a two piece bat is that it gives
more flex to the barrel at the point of contact and, therefore, increases the trampoline effect. This should not be confused
with handle flex (or whip action). Handle flex or whip action is supposed to take place before the point of contact with the
ball, and the trampoline effect at the point of contact.
The one-piece bat argument long championed by Louisville and
recently COMbat. Louisville claims their Triton and H2 are "bonded" together to act more like a true one-piece bat. They say
the two-piece design results in weakness at the joint of the handle and barrel thereby reducing the trampoline effect or spring
back. They're essentially saying that it provides very little resistance and therefore will not spring back as quick and hard
as a one-piece design.
Before we go any farther, let's understand what trample effect actual means in the scientific
world. The trampoline effect refers to pronounced elasticity in the impacting object (baseball bat, tennis racquet, golf club,
etc.) such that it acts like a trampoline. It is also referred to as the spring-like effect because of the degree to which
the object depresses, then springs back into shape when striking a ball. Here are the scientific specifics for a baseball
bat:
The trampoline effect in baseball refers to the elasticity of a bat upon impact with a baseball. When
a ball hits a wood bat, it compresses to nearly half its original diameter, losing up to 75% of its initial energy to internal
friction forces. However, in a hollow bat such as an aluminum or composite bat, the bat barrel compresses somewhat like
a spring. This means that the ball is not compressed as much and loses less energy to internal friction forces. Furthermore,
most of the energy temporarily stored in the bat is returned to the ball in an aluminum or composite bat. The energy which
is lost in the bat compression is much smaller than that lost without compression. So there is absolutely no doubt that
the barrel flexes during contact and does create a trampoline effect. The real question is does a two-piece bat create more,
less or the same barrel flex/trampoline effect than a one-piece bat made from the same material? And if so, does this increase
batted-ball speed?
This is where the science gets murky because there doesn't seem to be any scientific data supporting
or debunking claims that a two-piece bat produces more trampoline effect than a one-piece bat (or vice versa). Will someone
please call Mythbusters!
So what I've done is try to look at this logically. My conclusion is that a two-piece bat
probably increases the trampoline effect due to its hinge at the connection point. But, the increase is probably negligible
and therefore won't make much of a difference. I've also look at what the top players are using to see if there is a preference.
Most players on college baseball teams swinging Easton bats overwhelmingly choose the two-piece bats to their one-piece siblings.
They'll usually choose the Stealth Speed over the Synergy Speed and the SV12 over the V12. They also tend to choose the stiff
handle design of those bats. In the end, you're fine with either a one or two-piece bat as I believe they are extremely close
in performance.
First decide what you want to spend, the material that's best for you, whether you prefer an end-loaded
or balanced bat, a one or two-piece model and then the handle design.
To see reviews for all baseball bats visit Baseball
Bat Reviews Blog.
The game of baseball is one of statistics. You see the Major League Baseball Managers going through the numbers, analyzing
pitcher/batter matchups, looking at the tendencies of each batter on both teams. Teams have their best scouts send ahead of
them on road trips to scout out the next opponent.
The Baseball networks are fanatics for numbers and statiistics,
sometimes meaningless numbers too! The baseball mind is one that completely understands the nuances in baseball. It is one
that is always thinking ahead and being prepared for any scenario.
Here are some questions a Major League manager might
be thinking when deciding to use a pinch hitter or not:
Is he a better hitter against righties than lefties? Can
he hit the off speed stuff? Can he bunt? Does he have trouble against this pitcher? Does he have success against
the guys in the bullpen? Does he have the bat speed to get around on the pitches? Is he smart at the plate? Does
he swing at the first pitch? Does he have a tendency to strike out? Is he a clutch hitter? Who is up after the
pinch hitter? Who else do I have on the bench? What opponent's pitchers are still available?
This is just
a very simple example of the questions going through the mind of the manager when trying to decide if he should bring in a
pinch hitter or not. Now, if you decided to go with the pinch hitter you also have to be ready for the opponent to make a
counter move, like bringing in a righty pitcher to face the righty. But you were waiting for this and have a plan up your
sleeve that can make the difference in the game. This is where the baseball mind comes through..
The baseball mind
is one that is always thinking, analyzing, looking for that something that will get you an advantage. In today's game it is
just amazing how you see things like the double switch, hit and run, run and hit, rotation play and other types of strategies
the baseball minds have in their toolbag.
Bat Rolling - The Truth About Detection By Brock Gibson
Everyone who rolls bats will let you know that bat rolling can't be detected; to a degree this is fact. Any type can
be rolled and be undetectable; this statement comes with some exceptions. In about 90% of cases, rolling is virtually undetectable,
even if a trained roller was to take it for examination. The other 10% would have issues with being undetectable.
When
a roller says that bat rolling is undetectable they are not lying but they are not telling the entire truth either. As I said
earlier all can be rolled with no detection. In order to do this the bats will not come even near to being entirely broken
in. What that means is the pressure placed on the bat will be not enough to break up the resin. I believe some rollers are
afraid of breaking them or are inexperienced and do not know how to properly roll. This is why they roll with less pressure.
Some composites and all aluminum bats will have long flat spots along the length of the barrel after rolling. With composites,
this is typically caused by low-grade composite material but can also be caused by too much stress. So the question remains
what if I have one of these bats that rolling will leave roller marks? Answer: A good roller will create procedures that will
work around this challenge. One of these tactics is parallel rolling. One can't successfully roll an aluminum bat with a perpendicular
rolling machine. Let me say that again, "You cannot effectively roll an aluminum bat with a perpendicular rolling machine".
This is where a parallel rolling machine is a necessity. It will efficiently roll the bat without leaving flat spots.
I
can say the same thing about some composite bats. As I made the point in the second paragraph, a few composite bats are made
of substandard material and perpendicular rolling can cause flat areas. Some of these composite bats include: 2009 or above
Mikens and Worths, Easton Extended 2008, TPS, most youth fastpitch, and most youth baseball bats. This is not a complete list
but it gives you an idea of some of the potential problems with perpendicular rolling. I mentioned that Mikens and Worths
have this occur, this is not to say that they have low-grade composite but it definitely occurs with these bats. Again, this
can be avoided with a parallel roller and an expert bat roller. So if these sorts of bats are rolled to there full capability
in a perpendicular bat roller there will be flat areas. Again, there will be flat spots with perpendicular bat rolling.
Getting
back to the original question, can bat rolling be detected? No, as long as you use a parallel bat rolling machine and an expert
bat roller. I have personally sent 4 bats back to Easton and Miken that had been rolled and got my replacements. You will
see bat rollers on Ebay trying to get your business with no real experience. You will see things like "we can roll bats 'Hot'
or 'Super Hot'", what in the backyard nilly willy is this? You will find claims of 20-60 feet; rolling has only been tested
to increase distance by 40 feet. You will see bat rollers who blame the bat companies for graphics coming off. Ebay is a proving
ground for inexperienced bat rollers. What to look for: look at Ebay feedback, make for certain you get it done by a legit
bat rolling company, and look for a bat roller who does both perpendicular and parallel. This will improve your chances of
not receiving a detectable bat after bat rolling.
Teaching Young Baseball Batters to Have Better Eye Focus and Visual Concentration By
Nick Dixon
The eyes of the batter are his greatest asset. The batter must "see and think" with the eyes. A batter can know the
count, know the situation, know the pitcher, and know how to swing, but if their eyes are weak or fail them, they will more
than like suffer defeat at the plate. How many times have we heard a successful batter say that "I am really seeing the ball
right now" or an unsuccessful batter say "I am not picking the ball up. I am not seeing the ball". There are many factors
that affect the ability of the batter ability to see the baseball.
Factors and conditions such as the pitchers motion,
the amount of sunlight or field lighting, the angle of the sunlight as to the time of day and the background in center field
all can hamper or affect the ability of the batter to see the baseball. These factors we have little ability to change. However,
we can minimize their affects by improving the ability of the batter to focus or see the baseball.
How should a batter
use the eyes during the batting process? Does a batter simply step in the batters box, tap the plate with the bat, and start
looking for the ball? Or is there a recommended process or procedure of using the eyes during the batting process? What should
the batter focus the eyes on prior to the pitch? If you ask 10 batters, most likely, you will receive 5 different answers.
Batters can be taught a technique that can increase the effectiveness and sharpness of eyesight during the batting process.
Batters
should use two types of eye focus when batting. Batters should start with a "soft eye focus" to ease tension on the eyes,
and then go to a hard eye focus when the pitcher starts the pitching motion. The batter begins the soft focus by looking at
an area around the pitchers head and shoulders. The batters may soft focus on the pitchers cap. As the pitcher begins the
pitching motion, the batter when then converts to a hard eye focus on the pitching arm shoulder area and the pitchers release
point. During this crucial segment of the swing, the batter uses an extreme hard eye focus technique to pick up the ball.
Using the soft to hard focus technique, batters tend to not lose concentration, suffer eye strain, and get too up-tight.
Coaching
point: good teams and players read and identify certain tendencies by pitchers. The opposing pitcher should be observed and
studied to determine his "arm slot" and "ball release point". Players should be doing this "observation" from the dugout and
in the on-deck circle. Knowing the delivery motion, timing, and release point of the opposing pitcher allows batters to "pick
up" or see the ball much quicker out of the hand of the pitcher. The ability to see the ball earlier increases the chances
for a successful at-bat.
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Article Title: Sports Psychology and Baseball Hitting Tips - How and Why to Relax at the Plate By Jay Granat
The baseball season is about to begin and I already getting calls from parents, players and coaches who are concerned
about hitting slumps.
Anyone who has played baseball for any length of time has experienced the frustration of an extended
hitting slump. And there are many causes of these performance valleys.
Some of the causes are physical. A breakdown
in mechanics, poor balance, poor technique, a moving head, a tight grip on the bat or an injury can contribute to poor performance
by baseball players.
Some of the causes of hitting slumps are mental. A batter who has been hit by a pitch can be scared
in the batter's box. A player who has been hitting poorly can lose his confidence. A batter who is worried about impressing
his coach, his parents or a scout can become quite anxious. A player who is conflict with teammates may find it hard to hit
to his potential. Similarly, a player with stress related to his or her life off the field can have difficulty concentrating
when he or she steps up to the plate.
Also, it is important to understand that there are many relationships between
the mind and the body where hitting a baseball is concerned. For instance, a nervous player is apt to grip the baseball bat
too tightly. Likewise, a tense player is apt have difficulty turning on a pitch.
Interestingly, some people believe
that our vision gets worse when we are tense and that it improves when we are relaxed.
There are many ways to relax
one's mind and one's body before you get up to bat.
Players can learn relaxation techniques, meditation, visualization
or self-hypnosis. Some players benefit from listening to music in the dugout or before a game. Others do some aerobics before
they take the field as they find that this helps them to relax when they get up to bat.
Tension will work against you
at the plate, so it is important that baseball players learn how to get very comfortable when they face the opposing pitcher.
Zone Hitting - Working the Pitch Count By Fred Bonds
Undisciplined hitting has two major pitfalls. First, the batter is not swinging at pitches that are located where
he hits most effectively, resulting in weak grounders or fly balls and easy outs. Second, a team of undisciplined hitters
will never (and I mean NEVER!) press the opposing pitcher to the point of breakdown. Bottom line is that the pitcher will
always maintain control of the ballgame as long as he can count on hitters swinging at his pitch and not theirs.
There
are many ways to have a good at bat (let's call it a QAB or quality at bat) from this point on. QAB's come from good clean
hits. The pitcher throws the all, you hit it hard, it finds a hole and you're on base. That's the most obvious QAB. The less
obvious ones come from forcing the pitcher to throw you your pitch or taking him deep into the count before getting a walk
or making an out. Both should be rewarded by teammates for reasons I will explain later.
Let's start by defining a
QAB. This is a concept you must learn, understand, and apply every at bat from this point on. A quality at bat is any at bat
you have that results in either you getting on base via a hit or walk, or you forcing the pitcher to throw more than four
pitchers. Why four? Because if I, as a pitcher, can get you out in 4 pitches and I can do it again for each of your teammates,
then my pitch count is 12 pitches per inning, 108 for the game. That's not too bad for a pitcher. Also, it means that you,
as a hitter, are only getting 12-16 pitches (if that) per game to hit. Later in the game, you'll not have seen enough pitches
to get your timing down and get comfortable. Have you ever wondered why a pitcher, who is cruising along in a game with no
real problems but is going to full count with nearly every batter, suddenly gets rocked even though he is doing well? The
batters got comfortable with him. They saw enough pitches to figure out how to hit him effectively. That's why closers are
so effective even if they throw only one type of pitch.
By forcing the pitcher to throw more pitches, you get to see
him longer, and see all of his pitches. Also, you wear him down. So instead of 4 pitches, it now takes 7 pitches to get you
and the rest of your team out. Assuming no one gets on base, the pitcher ends up throwing 21 pitches per inning or 147 per
game. That is a very high pitch count for anyone, especially high school or collegiate pitchers.
Let's assume that
most pitchers have an effectiveness ceiling of 80 pitches. You face a pitcher and get on base in 5 pitches. The next hitter
flies out in 6. The number 3 hitter hits a ground ball through in 4 pitches. The cleanup hitter is out in 7. The last batter
of the inning fights back from 1-2 only to ground out in 7 pitches. No runs score, but your team has made the pitcher throw
29 pitches in one inning. At that pace, the pitcher should lose his effectiveness in the third inning. If your team continues
to wear him down, you will have created a window of opportunity to break the game wide open somewhere in the third or fourth
inning.
How do you have a QAB? The answer depends on the situation present when you enter the batters box. For now,
let's discuss your first at bat, no runners on, and no outs. You should have a good idea of where your "happy spot" is in
the strike zone. A "happy spot" is your power zone. Normally, it is mid-thigh to belt high on the inner half of the plate.
Where ever it is, this is the spot that you want to hit the ball for power and solid contact. When you are at the plate, you
are looking for a fastball in that specific location. You will not swing at any pitch outside that zone even if it is a strike.
Also, you will not swing at any off speed pitch. You will keep looking for a pitch in this zone until you have one strike
on you.
With one strike, the zone you are hitting in expands slightly. Now you are looking fastball (or hanging off-speed)
across the heart of the plate. Height-wise look just above knees to hip high. You must make a mental note to stay closed as
you expand your zone. The odds of getting pitched outside increase dramatically when you have one or more strikes on you.
Also, your mind-set should be to hit the ball up the middle. You should not swing at pitches outside of the zone or at off-speed
pitches that are not mistakes. You will hit this zone until you have two strikes.
With two strikes, the zone is wide
open, extending at least 2 in. on the corners and a ball width up and down the zone. Make note of what the ump is calling
and adjust your zone accordingly. Your swing shortens slightly as you look to put the ball in play or foul it off. You are
now looking for the ball away and will keep your front hip closed as you approach the ball. You are looking to hit opposite
field as a majority of pitches will be thrown to the outer half of the plate with two strikes. You will react to the inside
pitch.
Now with this mind-set, the pitcher must throw a minimum of 3 pitches to get you out or get a walk. So, a minimum
of 3 pitches to get you out or 4 to walk you. You have that many pitches to find one that is in your hitting zone to hit for
power. Expect to go at least 5 pitches as we can expect the pitcher to waste a pitch or miss the zone. It is very likely one
of those five pitches will be the money pitch for you. Be ready. The big difference between amateur and professional hitters
is that pros can hit the pitch when they get it a majority of the time.
With runners on, your zone will change depending
upon where you want to hit the ball, but for the most part, those three zone situations will suffice. Also, should you face
a pitcher who is throwing strikes and a lot of them; you will need to match his aggressiveness. Still looking for your pitch,
your zone should expand larger after the 1st strike to incorporate the zone the pitcher is hitting. If he's not missing much,
you have to step it up a notch and match him. Sure, you are not going to drive up the pitch count (unless you hit him a lot
and keep him out there) but you will see pitches you can hit so go get them.
Working the count is extremely important
when hitting against a pitcher you haven't seen before. A team effort is required to gain info on what the pitcher has in
way of velocity, location, and pitch types. Done properly, batters can swing the advantage to their side of the plate while
possibly increasing their batting averages. Will this work every time? Probably not, but it will make you a better hitter
and increase the odds of your team winning.
Variations of this approach can be made by moving your initial zone to
wherever you want to hit the ball. If I know I can hit the outside pitch away with power, I may want to go after the first
fastball I see on the outer half of the plate (very likely the first pitch). It's up to you. The important part of all of
this is to learn discipline at the plate and not go up there hacking at anything that moves. Have a plan and stick to it unless
the conditions make you change.
Ultimately, QAB's will help raise your batting average, RBI count, and on-base percentage.
In order to be effective, however, you must learn to recognize pitches as well as developing a short quick stroke to the ball.
Putting it all together is what it's all about!
Fred Bonds is the Director of Research for Area51Sports, an innovative
new wood baseball bat company, http://www.area51bats.com. He was director of the Central Michigan Sports Center, director of the BPR Nationals Baseball HS Prospect team, and a former
associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds and Global Scouting Bureau. Be sure to visit the Area51Sports website and get on the
email list for the latest advances in hitting, coaching, and great discounts on the hottest baseball bats in the game. For
more info on wood baseball bats or to contact Fred, go to http://www.area51bats.com.
