By Alan Karpuch
Problems in life can sometimes cause distraction during a game and if this happens to you, it is best to approach your trainer and ask help especially on different baseball pitching mechanics. Your trainer can help you control your emotion and thoughts and use the important concept on the field. One of the most essential things that should be noticed is their attention on performing at their highest level. Remember that all physical and mental skills can be learned and developed with hard work and diligence.
An important part of baseball pitching mechanics is work out in order to respond faster, build a more athletic body, have a tougher mind, acquire more stamina for games, to practice longer without losing concentration and have the ability to execute even in hot conditions. It is recommended to do stretching for at least two to three minutes after every game. In order to play properly, it is best to have a regular exercise routine. It is also important to concentrate on different small factors involved in baseball pitching mechanics such as discipline, focus, taking care of your baseball equipments and teamwork.
One of the important baseball pitching mechanics is keeping the ball near to the ground as well as on the corners. You should also avoid walking at almost all the time except for some situations. Make sure to be assertive on the bases and never give easy bases to runners. It is essential to keep your mental state strong throughout the game. In order to increase speed, it is recommended to determine your fitness level and go on an appropriate fitness program. You can ask your trainer to perform a test for your conditioning quality and throwing mechanics aspect. In order to enhance your speed, it is best to change your pitch velocity. You must use bigger muscle groups in throwing a baseball instead of using your shoulders and arms only. You must learn the right way to pitch from the ground going up. Remember that speed comes from the forces that are added to the ball.
Alan provides information about Pitching Workout through his website on Best Pitching Workout
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Karpuch
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
If You Are a Baseball Player Are Your Priorities in Order During the Off-Season?
By Brandon Richey
If you are a serious baseball player then you should improve your game year after year just like any other athlete. Now I have talked about my frustrations involving misconceptions on training towards other athletes and trainees, but for the sake of this article I am addressing baseball players. It amazes me that in this day and age that a lot of baseball players still have an incorrect mindset when it comes to their off-season training. Note that I did not say "all" baseball players, just a lot of them!
You see the one thing that amazes me is that several baseball players do not generally put a lot of emphasis on strength and conditioning. With the MOST successful athletes it is known that their off-season strength programs are fierce. The goal should be to get bigger, faster, and stronger. If a baseball player is not concentrating on these elements, which several don't, their training is flawed and their priorities are mixed up. You see here are the facts. The batting averages for the entire major league baseball ranged from .292 on the low end and .364 on the high end. These averages were gathered from all of major league baseball statistics in 2008. Now why am I showing you these? Well, whether or not you are a little league player, high school, collegiate, or in the majors more than likely you will not obtain an average better than .364 and I don't care how many hours you devote inside the batting cage. Realistically you won't even hit around .290 consistently. So knowing this and knowing that baseball is a multi-skilled game why do so many baseball players spend so much time in the cage?
The problem is in a false mindset. I have trained many athletes for years including baseball players and I have always had to battle this old mindset. You see the truth is that a committed baseball player will retain the necessary skills of hitting, throwing, and catching by practicing on a consistent basis, but the real way to improve these is to become a better athlete! Athleticism is underrated in baseball. Many of the players that I trained for an extended few months prior to the season went out the next year and had record numbers. Many other studies have been done to prove the effectiveness of strength training and athletic performance training in baseball players among other athletes as well. Yes, getting bigger, faster, and stronger does apply to baseball players. If you don't believe me then look at Barry Bond's numbers. Oh, and don't give me the whole spill about him being on steroids. He may or may not have used a performance enhancing substance, but if he did and did not apply the proper training it wouldn't have made a difference. Trust me, had he used an anabolic steroid and spent the majority of his time in the "batting cage" he wouldn't have gotten a bit stronger.
I would like to close by saying that if you are a baseball player young or old then you should be working in an athletic performance program in the off-season. If you are a mom and dad that is currently throwing a lot of money out the window for batting cage time then that is your choice, but if you want your kid to have a break out year then I would recommend that you take that money and use it on getting him professional help to get stronger and faster! Strength means he'll have greater bat speed and speed means that he'll be better able to chase down a fly ball or beat out a throw to get a base hit instead of an out. That's the difference!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:
http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
If you are a serious baseball player then you should improve your game year after year just like any other athlete. Now I have talked about my frustrations involving misconceptions on training towards other athletes and trainees, but for the sake of this article I am addressing baseball players. It amazes me that in this day and age that a lot of baseball players still have an incorrect mindset when it comes to their off-season training. Note that I did not say "all" baseball players, just a lot of them!
You see the one thing that amazes me is that several baseball players do not generally put a lot of emphasis on strength and conditioning. With the MOST successful athletes it is known that their off-season strength programs are fierce. The goal should be to get bigger, faster, and stronger. If a baseball player is not concentrating on these elements, which several don't, their training is flawed and their priorities are mixed up. You see here are the facts. The batting averages for the entire major league baseball ranged from .292 on the low end and .364 on the high end. These averages were gathered from all of major league baseball statistics in 2008. Now why am I showing you these? Well, whether or not you are a little league player, high school, collegiate, or in the majors more than likely you will not obtain an average better than .364 and I don't care how many hours you devote inside the batting cage. Realistically you won't even hit around .290 consistently. So knowing this and knowing that baseball is a multi-skilled game why do so many baseball players spend so much time in the cage?
The problem is in a false mindset. I have trained many athletes for years including baseball players and I have always had to battle this old mindset. You see the truth is that a committed baseball player will retain the necessary skills of hitting, throwing, and catching by practicing on a consistent basis, but the real way to improve these is to become a better athlete! Athleticism is underrated in baseball. Many of the players that I trained for an extended few months prior to the season went out the next year and had record numbers. Many other studies have been done to prove the effectiveness of strength training and athletic performance training in baseball players among other athletes as well. Yes, getting bigger, faster, and stronger does apply to baseball players. If you don't believe me then look at Barry Bond's numbers. Oh, and don't give me the whole spill about him being on steroids. He may or may not have used a performance enhancing substance, but if he did and did not apply the proper training it wouldn't have made a difference. Trust me, had he used an anabolic steroid and spent the majority of his time in the "batting cage" he wouldn't have gotten a bit stronger.
I would like to close by saying that if you are a baseball player young or old then you should be working in an athletic performance program in the off-season. If you are a mom and dad that is currently throwing a lot of money out the window for batting cage time then that is your choice, but if you want your kid to have a break out year then I would recommend that you take that money and use it on getting him professional help to get stronger and faster! Strength means he'll have greater bat speed and speed means that he'll be better able to chase down a fly ball or beat out a throw to get a base hit instead of an out. That's the difference!
To learn more about Kettlebells, Fitness, and achieving Total Mind-Blowing Strength come and visit me at: http://www.efandps.comTo be one of my members and to receive more tips on INSANE BODY CONSTRUCTION please visit me at:
http://www.efandps.com/www.efandps.com/Brandons_Members_Newsletter.htmlI'm Brandon Richey the Strength and Conditioning Pro!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brandon_Richey
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Beginner Baseball - Notes For Coaches
By Alex Dumas
A friend of mine once said "Give a kid a bat and he'll run around hitting anything in sight including himself. Teach a kid how to bat and he may turn into another Babe Ruth." Coaching beginner baseball is not a walk in the park. Yes, you would be dealing mostly with kids but kids have different personalities too. Also, do not discount the fact that some older generations would want to try their hand on baseball too, probably because they did not have a chance when they were younger.
Let us focus more on kids. Sad to say, there are kids who shun away from baseball because they did not have the opportunity to enjoy the real fun in baseball. Coaches for beginners should be very understanding since most kids lack the emotional stability of most adults. Their emotional capacity and limited understanding should be properly addressed by the coach. If a coach fails to do this, the baseball world would lose another potential player. Always remember that each kid has potential. It is up to the coach to learn what this potential is, bring it out, and hone it to its limits.
The first thing that coaches usually deal with is fear. Most kids fear baseball because, well let's face it, your initial reaction to a ball thrown at you is to evade or protect yourself. Baseball does not involve much physical contact compare to other youth sports like basketball or football. A coach should be able to teach and guide a young one to turn fear into determination. A young player, when coached properly, would see a ball as a target and not as a weapon. My friend showed a Japanese samurai cutting a thrown apple in half to his young squad and everybody was applauding. But he was keen to add that a baseball bat is not a sword but a tool used to prevent a ball from hitting them. A coach should also be kind and exhibit lots of patience. This is no different from a parent teaching his child to read or write. Come to think of it, a coach for baseball beginners should be similar to a loving and caring parent. Their degree of strictness should be surpassed by their degree of support and passion to develop a child into a young baseball player. Showing these traits to baseball beginners would further encourage them to do well and add up to their development. The satisfaction of being able to coach someone and turn him into a great baseball player is beyond description.
For more tips and information about coaching beginner baseball, check out http://www.weplay.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_Dumas
A friend of mine once said "Give a kid a bat and he'll run around hitting anything in sight including himself. Teach a kid how to bat and he may turn into another Babe Ruth." Coaching beginner baseball is not a walk in the park. Yes, you would be dealing mostly with kids but kids have different personalities too. Also, do not discount the fact that some older generations would want to try their hand on baseball too, probably because they did not have a chance when they were younger.
Let us focus more on kids. Sad to say, there are kids who shun away from baseball because they did not have the opportunity to enjoy the real fun in baseball. Coaches for beginners should be very understanding since most kids lack the emotional stability of most adults. Their emotional capacity and limited understanding should be properly addressed by the coach. If a coach fails to do this, the baseball world would lose another potential player. Always remember that each kid has potential. It is up to the coach to learn what this potential is, bring it out, and hone it to its limits.
The first thing that coaches usually deal with is fear. Most kids fear baseball because, well let's face it, your initial reaction to a ball thrown at you is to evade or protect yourself. Baseball does not involve much physical contact compare to other youth sports like basketball or football. A coach should be able to teach and guide a young one to turn fear into determination. A young player, when coached properly, would see a ball as a target and not as a weapon. My friend showed a Japanese samurai cutting a thrown apple in half to his young squad and everybody was applauding. But he was keen to add that a baseball bat is not a sword but a tool used to prevent a ball from hitting them. A coach should also be kind and exhibit lots of patience. This is no different from a parent teaching his child to read or write. Come to think of it, a coach for baseball beginners should be similar to a loving and caring parent. Their degree of strictness should be surpassed by their degree of support and passion to develop a child into a young baseball player. Showing these traits to baseball beginners would further encourage them to do well and add up to their development. The satisfaction of being able to coach someone and turn him into a great baseball player is beyond description.
For more tips and information about coaching beginner baseball, check out http://www.weplay.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alex_Dumas
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