Baseball Positions: Second Baseman Is the Best

By David J Weller

Second Base is the best position on the baseball field. Second basemen need to have a good range. They also need to have quick hands and quick feet. Second basemen are vital in turning double plays. Often, when a runner is stealing second, the second baseman covers the bag. And they also act as the cutoff man for balls hit to right field or right-center field.

A second baseman needs to have a good range. They cover between second base and the first baseman. Most first baseman have a smaller range, mainly because they need to stay close to first base. Therefore, the second baseman needs to cover just a little more ground. It helps to have quick reflexes in order to cover that ground.

Second basemen need quick hands and quick feet. The quick feet allow them to get to more balls. The quick hands get the ball out of the glove fast which allows the second baseman to get the throw off quickly. The combination of quick hands and quick feet allows the second baseman to get to more ground balls and make more plays.

Those quick hands and feet also help on a double play. A second baseman needs to be able to catch a ball, pivot, throw to first, and avoid the runner. Being able to do that prevents runs and gives the team a better chance to win. After all, the double play is a pitcher's best friend.

Second basemen often cover second base on a stolen base attempt. This is another example of quick hands and feet coming in very handy for a second baseman. Getting to second base quickly on a stolen base attempt is important because it gives the catcher a better target to throw to. The quick hands allow the second baseman to catch the throw and apply the tag quickly.

Second basemen are crucial to the cutoff throw. When a ball is hit to right or right-center field, the second baseman gets between the outfielder and the base they are throwing to. The idea is to create a shorter throw for the outfielder. And once again, quick hands and quick feet come in to play. When the second baseman receives this throw, they need to pivot, transfer the ball from the glove to the throwing hand, and throw an accurate ball to a base in an attempt to get the runner out.

So there you have it. Second base is the best position to play. Second basemen have a good range. They also have quick hands and quick feet. They are vital in turning double plays. They cover second base on stolen base attempts, and they act as the cutoff man for balls hit to right and right-center field.

If you are a second baseman, you are in company with baseball greats such as: Roberto Alomar, Jackie Robinson, Rogers Hornsby, Bill Mazeroski, Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, Jim Gantner, Craig Biggio, Dustin Pedroia, and Rickie Weeks.

This is part of a series of articles explaining why each position on the baseball field is the best. This series is aimed towards coaches at all levels. It is my belief that every position is important, and they each need players with different strengths.

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How To Be A Good Coach

By Jim Bain

My email box is crammed every morning with mail from all sorts of sports forums, which I scan, then normally quickly delete, but every now and then a topic catches my eye.

One such topic which caught my attention this morning was the question posed of "How to be a good coach," and I found some of the comments to be quite interesting, while others left me scratching my head.

Comments such as;

" The coach must have passion for the athletes... "
" The coach should never stop trying to learn... "
" A coach should be pro-active... "
" The coach should leave no stone unturned in training... "

I suppose I agree with these comments, assuming what I think they meant is in fact what they were trying to convey. I'm not a real good "read-between- the-lines" person, so allow me the opportunity to boldly state some of the qualities I believe it takes to be a good coach.

1. I'm not reluctant at all to say a passion for the game, whatever the game may be, is a first prerequisite. Coaching, which I prefer to equate to Teaching, is an extremely difficult and time consuming job. Without a burning passion to give others the opportunity to learn the skills you were taught, the excitement of doing something new and different will quickly extinguish and you'll just be going through the motions at best.

2. A coach must exemplify skill, courage and high moral character. Young players must see their coach physically demonstrate how a skill is performed, not just talk it to death. Players are people and people are visual. They must see the coach suck it up on a bad call against his team without throwing a temper tantrum or instantly running to the aid of an opposition's injured player showing compassion.

3. A coach must be able to communicate with his players without consciously trying. Coaching 9 year old kids and 16 year old ones is a totally different game when it comes to communication. You can tell a 16 year old pitcher to never throw a strike on an 0-2 count, but a 9 year old is consumed with throwing strikes, don't confuse the issue. A good coach automatically adapts to the level of his team, maintaining a slightly higher status which clearly defines player and coach.

4. Fairness is a most important element. Professional athletes have varying degrees of abilities, obviously your players will be no different. It's important all players play and all players sit, which is the corner stone of building a team.

It's the coach's job to figure out how to rotate his players and still maintain a reasonable chance of winning.

5. Honesty, which may surprise you as even being included, is important. I knew a traveling team coach who convinced a player to abandon his original team and join his although he knew he'd never play the kid, but he weakened his opponent by stealing the player.

Although I was not the offended coach, I must embarrassingly admit this is the only team I ever, in thousands of games, ran the score up on. Guess grown men can act childish too.

Obviously there are many other factors which go into the equation of making a good coach, but if I had to reduce it to one simple statement...

"Passionately talk the talk and walk the walk," as you are a role model for America's future.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Youth Baseball Mental Training

By Miles A Noland

The game of baseball cannot begin without the action of one position.

In basketball there is a lot of focus on the point guard. In football there is a lot of focus on the quarterback.

These are important positions, but there is no position that is more important than a pitcher in baseball.

There is so much responsibility that involves a pitcher. From throwing different pitches, knowing the various hitters, fielding their position, pickoff moves, to controlling the running game, to dealing with adversity, mental focus, and dealing with fatigue, a pitcher has a lot to deal with.

If one of these important parts of pitching is missing, you do not have a complete pitcher. Missing one of these components negatively affects all of the other components.

Most pitchers are not advanced to be good in all of these areas, however, when you realize what areas a pitcher is weak in you can begin to attack it and improve.

The mental game in pitching is so important, oftentimes more important than the physical part.
Andy Pettitte, great guy who I hung out with in the Dominican

You must teach your pitchers to think one pitch at a time. It is very easy to think about the past or future, and this inhibits your ability to be best the possible in the present
.
Cues such as get to the top of the baseball, or take a deep breath and focus on executing the pitch, create movement at release are great for creating the right type of focus.

Attempting to throw harder in times of struggle or getting mad at infielders or the umpire are typical things that make a pitchers struggle even worse.

Teach your pitchers how to coach themselves and watch them develop right under your eyes.
P.S. One pitch at a time, one pitch at a time. Oftentimes a mound visit is very effective in calming a pitcher down. Tell him to step off the mound and focus on dominating the things he can control.

What can he control?

1. His focus
2. Executing each pitch
3. Attacking the strike zone
4. Taking deep breaths
5. His body language
Things he can't control?
1. Where the ball is hit
2. What the umpire calls
3. If his fielders catch the ball
4. The mound conditions
5. Bad luck

Get your pitchers to focus on the controllables and they will deal with failure and adverse conditions much better.

Coach it up,
Miles

http://www.iybca.org/gift

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Becoming A Great Catcher

By Jim Bain

In order to transform from a Good Catcher to a Great Catcher, a player must have the internal fire inside to drive him to practice 8+ hours a day, day after day. He must have the realization that he'll never know it all and he'll never stop learning. With that in mind, let's look at some catcher skill drills.

The prerequisite for these drills is the ability, or the coaches' ability to development practical usage of racquetball skills, because the use of that little blue ball and small racquet will be one of your greatest teaching tools.

(1.) The ball is relatively soft reducing chances of player injury...

(2.) The velocity of the ball can be regulated from slow to extremely fast...

(3.) The ball reaches heights unattainable by throwing or tossing.

In order for a Catcher to develop Soft Hands, which are critical for holding onto foul tips and quick ball transfer for throwing, it's best to begin at the beginning... with the Bare Hands.

For this Bare Handed catching drill, the Catcher will assume his position behind the plate, preferably wearing his mask, but using no catcher mitt, while the Coach positions himself @ 30' to 40' in front of the catcher, in line between the plate and pitching rubber.

The Coach then hits line drives, simulating pitches, to the catcher who will catch them bare handed, using one or two hands and a hitting glove if desired. For real time action, have the catcher assume his normal receiving position, throwing hand behind his back or tucked into his shoe, then catch the ball with 2 hands.

The Coach can vary speeds as he desires, starting slow and working up to very fast. (It's a good idea to perform this drill inside or with the aid of a backstop, as Coaches have a tendency to skyrocket a ball every now and then.)

The second variation of this drill, which uses the identical tools, is the foul pop up drill.

(1.) It's important the catcher be in his catching stance in order to become accustomed to coming out of it backwards...

(2.) The catcher must use his face mask as he must learn to remove and discard it properly.

The catcher, assumes his position, the coach while standing to the side and slightly forward of the plate, within the line of sight of the catcher, will hit pop flies straight up into the air.

The catcher will have to locate the fly ball, orientate himself correctly in order to make the catch, which is bare handed, then discard his mask in the proper direction.

By using the racquet ball the coach can hit much higher fly balls than attempting to throw them. I'd also recommend using all of my catchers while performing this drill to curb fatigue.

There's always something to learn, a skill to refine, if there wasn't there wouldn't be catching coaches for major league catchers. They'd already know everything there was to learn.
 

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com
 

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33 Cues to a Great Hitter

By Miles A Noland

1. Hold the bat so loosely if the wind blows it should move your bat.

2. How you do you jump? You bend your knees, which is how you get athletic. Hitters need to be athletic to hit, so they need to bend their knees.

3. How does a boxer throw a punch? He loads back and punches. He does not punch without loading, because momentum equals force created. Hitters must load to be successful.

4. Get all your energy flowing in a straight line.

5. Take the effort out.

6. Take a slow, long breath before stepping into the box. The muscles need oxygen to function properly.

7. Focus on the task at hand, which is getting your best look at each pitch.

8. Focus on each pitch independently of each other. The best hitters eliminate the past and the future to focus in on the present.

9. You are good enough; don't play for anyone else but yourself, because it is not your job as a hitter to please everyone.

10. See the ball, and be easy.

11. Loose muscles are quick twitch muscles.

12. Drive the back knee to the pitcher.

13. Be aggressive with the lower half, loose with the upper half.

14. Have flex in the back knee when the stride foot lands.

15. The knob must be pointing towards the back foot when the stride foot lands.

16. Develop a plan for seeing the ball (ex.-early: whole body, one windup starts move to bill of hat, late: shift eyes to release point).

17. Tension causes poor decisions and loss of seeing the ball well.

18. Eliminate tension by visualizing what you want to happen.

19. Eliminate tension by taking long, slow deep breaths, which allows your muscles to breathe.
20. Good hitters get jammed, bad hitters are always early.

21. Great players love hit by pitches and walks, because they know they are helping the team, on base percentage is huge.

22. Great hitters make their living off hitting fastballs.

23. Eliminate offspeed pitches unless you have 2 strikes.

24. If a pitcher proves he can throw offspeed for a strike, then live by the motto, "if it's high let it fly, if it's low let it go."

25. Figure out the umpires strike zone in the first 20 pitches of the game and adjust our approach.
26. Look for pitches you can drive early in the count.

27. With 2 strikes shorten your swing and put the ball in play.

28. Stay on balance throughout entire swing, ensures a good jump to 1b.

29. Goal should be to hit the ball on the barrel everytime; if a pitch won't allow you to do that, take it.
30. Learn about the pitcher and umpire from paying attention to teammates at-bats.

31. Handle adversity well, realizing baseball isn't fair (but better than losing a job), but you move on to focus on the next play.

32. The pressure is on the pitcher with the bases loaded; be patient and don't try to do too much.
33. Great hitters are constantly working on their craft.

USE the cues to keep things simple for your hitters, and you will notice the improvement. A certain cue can have a profound effect on a hitters swing.

Coach it up,
Miles

http://www.iybca.org/gift
 

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33 Cues to a Great Baserunner

ByMiles A Noland

1.You must be on balance when you finish your swing. This allows you to run your best time from home to 1st.

2. After hitting the ball and not being sure if the ball will get through the infield you should peek on the 3rd of 4th step to see if you should take a turn around 1st or run straight through the bag.

3. Never expect a single, always expect to take the extra base. In youth baseball you must run hard around 1st to even have a chance to take the extra base.

4. Always be aware of the pitcher when he has the ball in his hand. You must take a lead with your eyes on the pitcher.

5. Always run through 1st base. After running full speed through the base break down in an athletic position and look to the right for an overthrow.

6. In youth baseball always be aware of the opposing team when on base. You never know when you have an opportunity to take advantage of them not paying attention.

7. Have the mentality of a thief while on base. You must look to take anything they give you.

8. Anticipating the pitch thrown in the dirt, looking to advance to the next base. It is very hard for a youth baseball catcher to block the ball in front of him, stand up, pick the ball up, and make a great throw.

9. Understands the pitchers pickoff move and looks for differences between when he goes to the plate and when he picks.

10. Understands that if the pitcher slides steps he should not steal.

11. Knows that a headfirst slide in youth baseball allows you to get there slightly quicker, but doesn't allow you to get up as fast in case of an overthrow, and is much more dangerous.

12. Knows that a feet first slide allows you to get up faster in case of an overthrow.

13. Knows that you should not make the 1st or 3rd out a 3rd base.

14. After rounding first and thinking about going to third the baserunner should look at his third base coach.

15. Constantly reminding himself how many outs there, and what he should do in each situation.

16. Knows to try to tag in youth baseball with 0 outs, and try to get off the base as far as possible with 1 out.

17. Understands that with 2 strikes and 2 outs to be moving on a swing.

18. Knows to freeze on infield line drives with less than 2 outs.

19. While on 2nd base in youth baseball he must hold if the ball is hit in front of him (3B or 6 hole), and advance when hit behind him.

20. Understands that if he is in a rundown he must stay in it as long as possible to allow the back baserunner to advance.

21. Pick up the coach for the sign as soon as he returns to the base.

22. At 3B takes a lead in foul territory and returns in fair territory.

23. Sees a bunt down before advancing to the next base.

24. Runs hard on the bases at all times.

25. Must peek in to home on a hit and run to see where the ball is hit in youth baseball.

26. Knows how to use a popup slide to recover quickly and advance to the next base.

27. Never slide headfirst into home plate.

28. Aware of the 1st to 3rd move while on 1st base.

29. Knows outfielders arms and when to be aggressive and when not to.

30. Understands pickoff moves to 2B and how to get back to the base.

31. Knows what a walking lead is and how to use it to steal in youth baseball.

32. Understand how to get deeper on a lead at 2B with 2 outs to get a better angle to score on a single

33. Must tag on any ball hit in the air while on 3B with less than 2 outs

Any player or team can have a huge advantage over the opposition by running the bases intelligently and aggressively.

Baserunning must be worked on and emphasized, because it can be the edge that wins your team the game!

Coach it up,
Miles

http://www.iybca.org/gift
 

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Baseball Psychology - 5 Things To Improve Your Mental Approach

By Bill Bathe

In the game of baseball, you need to understand the psychology that is involved in order to take your game to the next level. Here are 5 things that will assist you and help prepare you to rise above the competition.

Pre-game routine- have you ever wondered how to prepare for a baseball game besides just taking batting practice and infield? If you really want to take it to the next level, you need to have a pre-game routine. It all starts hours before you even show up to the ballpark. When I played in the major leagues, my routine started at home after getting up for the day. And as the day progressed, I slowly started to slip into my mental preparation or pre-game routine. The closer it got to going to the ballpark, the more I concentrated and visualized who I would be facing. You should have an idea of what you are going to be dealing with and you slowly prepare for it as the day goes on.

Understanding the opposition- This goes along with the pre-game routine. As you are concentrating more and more, you are focusing on the opposition. Are they throwing a hard throwing pitcher that day? Or is the pitcher someone who likes to throw a lot of off-speed pitches?
This means you need to be focusing on taking the ball the other way. This would start in your pre-game routine of visualizing, then carry onto the field when you start taking batting practice. Understanding the opponent will help you immensely in your preparation.

Mental preparation, putting it all together. You woke up today and you know that you are facing a hard throwing opponent. You are focusing your attention on what you need to do to be successful against him. You start visualizing being short to the ball (short swing) and you start visualizing how you are going to practice before the game. You see yourself being a little quicker to the ball and shorter to the ball. In other words, you are mentally preparing for the game the right way!

Visualization- one of the key elements to baseball psychology and success. I cannot say enough about visualizing your success. Have you ever seen yourself being successful at something? How did it feel? Have you ever heard of someone describing a big hit they had? You will often hear them say it was like they already saw it happening as it was happening. This is visualization. You see yourself hitting someone in a key situation before it happens and you are instilling success! Learn to visualize. All the great players use visualization to see the end result.

Understand the "whys". What I mean is you need to comprehend what is happening when you are playing. I will give you an example. You take a swing at a pitch that was right down the middle and you foul it straight back to the backstop. The crowd is yelling load at the mighty swing. You are excited and you think to yourself that I just missed that pitch. You know what? Here is the difference between a 350 hitter and a 250 hitter. The 350 hitter will understand the why. The great hitters after just fouling off the pitch, will step out of the batters box and figure out why they missed it and make the correction right on the spot. They will visualize themselves hitting that same pitch again only not missing it this time. They will take a practice swing with the right mindset this time, step back in the batters box and absolutely rip the next pitch if they throw it again. Did you see the difference and what happened? They understand the whys involved. And so can you.

These are five good examples of how you can improve your game immensely and take it to the next level. Baseball psychology plays a big role in your development on the field but is one the least things addressed. If you apply these five examples you will undoubtedly improve your game and prepare yourself for success.
 

Bill Bathe - former major league ballplayer who played for the Oakland A's and S.F. Giants and played in the 1989 world series. To learn more about baseball psychology, visit Baseball Psychology or to learn more about the mental approach, visit The Mental Approach
 

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Baseball Coach for Kids: 5 Smart Tips That Will Help You Get the Best Out of Them

By Adam C Moore

One of the major demands of parenthood is responsibility. When you bring a life into the world, it is your responsibility to sustain and nurture that life, from an infant to a teen. Do not forget to give yourself a pat on the back when the child reaches adulthood. During the course of our parenting life, there are many deals that are thrown in our direction. One of them might just be playing coach to a bunch of baseball crazy children. It does not really matter if you have never played the game. But it does help if you know what doing and get to become the cool coach. Looking forward to coaching baseball to kids? Here are 5 smart tips that will help you get the best out of them.

Never Show Up in a Shirt and Tie

Never turn up in a shirt and tie. What this implies, is that you would rather be somewhere else and not really 100% committed to the cause. Shirts and ties belong to work. When it is time to play with the kids, turn up in jeans, a t-shirt and a baseball cap. Come down to their level and be part of the gang or you will never get the best out of them.

Make it Fun

You are not gunning for the World Series. So it is really about bonding and having fun with the kids. Ask for suggestions about what name should be given to the team and any ideas they might have about the mascot. Let them work together and realize the importance of group activity and team building. When your coaching skills resemble a military drill, kids tune off and would rather be found doing something else. Expect most of the kids to defect.

Forget the Mumbo Jumbo

Teach them the basics of baseball in a way they would enjoy and understand. Use everyday things to explain how to play baseball. Kids learn faster in between the giggles and the laughs. And will easily pick tips and strategies, if you use things they are familiar with. Do not use gaudy grammar or weighty words. Make it look to serious and its school all over again, maybe even worse.

Do Not Embarrass Publicly

Children do not have thick skin. So despite things not going as planned, never verbally bash a child in public or in private for that matter. If a child has an attitude problem or is not exactly playing his position, call him aside and tell him what he's doing wrong or how a change in approach can make everything much better for the team and everyone else.

Man of the People

Do not set your sights on the kids alone. Also try to parley with their parents. Encourage them to come and watch their children play baseball. Be friendly with the kids. But you can play boss with the parents, by knowing when their kids are coming for practice or when they will be going home. If there are any issues, meet in person, never talk over the phone. It could compound whatever situations that might arise.
 

As a former baseball players & coach, some of my other hobbies include creating websites on the sports. One of my newest websites is this website dedicated to the best bbcor baseball bats available. Come take a look!
 

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Teaching Baseball Instinct and Running

By Jim Bain

In order to teach baseball running instincts and skills, one must learn the skills and mental strategies which create these instinctive reactions, themselves.

Every baseball team, especially a youth baseball team, has a certain amount of raw natural skill levels built into the players. Some teams I coached had an abundance of power hitters, others strong defensive players, some over powering pitching, but one thing in common all the teams had was Baseball Instinct when running the bases.

I'm sure it happened, but for the life of me I do not remember one single player of mine being thrown out attempting to advance an additional base, not including a straight out steal attempt, due to the base running skills they were taught.

There are far too many variables to discuss in one article, but let's exam a few of the basic elements of developing good instincts on the base paths.

1. Reaction must be immediate, as any hesitation, no matter how slight, will jeopardize your chance of success.

(A) Players on first base were taught to immediately take off for second base the instant they saw the pitched baseball hit the ground. It didn't matter if it was a 55' curveball, hitting 5' in front of the plate, or a ball that hits home plate.

Ninety nine percent (99%) of the time if a catcher does not cleanly receive a pitch he will not be able to locate, properly grip and get into a good throwing position to throw a runner out at second base, especially if the runner has average or above average speed.

2. Runners on second base are taught to crow hop the second they see the ball hit the ground, which is different from immediately running to third base, but still puts their body into motion. There's nothing worse in running than being caught flat footed.

(A) Should the ball skirt to the catcher's right, towards first base, regardless of the distance, the runner is to immediately take off for third base. The catcher's momentum is carrying him away from third base, which means he must stop and reverse momentum once he grips the ball, plus every step he takes chasing the ball is increasing his distance he must throw.

(B) Balls which skirt to the left or out in front of the plate, unless more than 3 or 4 feet, most likely are too close to advance on, although that is subject to the runner's speed, lead off and reaction time. This is where the runner must be aware of his own skills, as the coach doesn't have time to help.
3. Immediately attempt to score from 3rd base the instant you see the catcher's back. Assuming the backstop is not 4 feet away or has a wooden board across it which creates a ricochet back to the catcher, should the catcher be required to turn his back to the plate in order to retrieve the baseball, chances are excellent for success.

I know certain baseball people would possibly argue everything I have explained by questioning what if this happens or this, but what if the world ended today?

I guarantee you implementing these base running instinct skills will result in your runners being safe, while advancing on a wild pitch or muffed ball, 99% of the time. That's an average I can live with.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com
 

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Sandlot Wisdom

ByKM Pickel

If eleven boys all gathered at the sandlot twice a week to play baseball, they would work out their own relationships. It wouldn't take long for them to figure out who was going to play first base and who was going to be the catcher. The guy who was the best pitcher would pitch. The best fielder would be at short. The younger kids would be in the outfield or maybe at second base. And when the boys from the next block came over for a game, there would be very few questions about the line-up. The big hitters would be at the top and the younger guys would bat at the bottom. This would all be easy for them to establish because they would all have the same goal, to win.

Every kid on the team wants to go home and tell his mother that he won. Every kid on the team wants to go to school the next day and tell his teacher that he won. Every kid on the team wants to sit at the lunch table with his buddies and say he won. That's what we do. That's who we are. We strive to win and we're proud when we do.

I see a lot of little league coaches now that are trying to change the game by changing the natural order of things, by making certain things more important than winning. I know there are things more important than winning, but not very many.

Baseball is a team sport. And the team is the most important thing. The team winning is the ultimate goal. The kids all want to be part of a team, that's why they're there. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. That's what the experience is. When we change the order of things as coaches, we take that away from them. They're no longer part of a team, because the team would serve itself. They are now part of some made-up hierarchy of adult concepts that they don't understand or want to participate in.

I heard a statistic the other day that most kids quit organized sports by the time they're 13 years old. At 13 you're just starting to put the pieces together, you're just starting to get an idea of what you're capable of. We parents and coaches are responsible for this statistic. We make them quit before they even get a chance to experience these changes, before they experience growing up in a sport and all that comes with that. We take something that is easy for them to understand, and make it complicated, baseless and confusing.

If Louie Little Kid gets on base the team is just as proud as if Billy Big Kid rips a double. They know their differences, they understand their challenges, and they respect them. They're learning about themselves, they're inventing themselves the way they want to be. They're trying to improve themselves. You can't do this for them. They have to do it for themselves. They don't have a problem with the way things are until we tell them they should have a problem with the way things are. Right field is a pretty good place to be when you're a little guy and you're on a winning team. To be at short stop scares the hell out of you. The possibility of losing your teeth to a rip roaring line drive at third is almost as scary as the thought of losing the game for the team. His responsibility is to the team. He wants to fill his responsibility. Help him be successful. Don't get me wrong, he wants to play third base, but only if he can do it without it costing the team a win.

Second game of the season, the score is tied. The coach puts Louie Little kid in at short. Why, because he thinks everyone should get a chance to play short no matter what the consequences, he puts that above winning. Louie Little kid bobbles the ball and they lose the game. What purpose did that serve? Who learned something? Who improved or felt good about themselves? The other team, the other team, that's it. They're the winners. Now what is Louie Little Kid going to say in the lunch room tomorrow?

The kids aren't crazy gamblers. They wouldn't make it a regular practice to gamble on Louie Little Kid at short when the game is tied. They're more conservative than that. They want to win. Louie Little Kid can play short when the game's in the bag. Or maybe he'll practice harder and get there next year. Who knows? All they know is that they want to win this game.

My boys have a lot of trophies, too many trophies, but when Grandpa comes to visit, the two they pull down to show him are the two championship trophies they have. When they were on those two championship teams they were the smallest, littlest kids on the team, they sat out most the time and probably didn't get a hit all season. I'm sure they never played in the infield unless the team was way ahead, but they won by God. They know that. They were part of those teams. They had those experiences.

Winning is a building block experience. The more you do it, the better you get at it. At what age do you want them to start this process? When do you want to turn them loose so they can start striving to win and building on those experiences? How about now coaches? How about we let them strive to win now? And tomorrow, we let them do it again. They'll figure it out. And this way, if they quit baseball, it will only be to go find something they're really good at. Not because we took it away from them. Not because we confused them with what we thought the game should be about.
 

K.M. Pickel
kpickel@mindspring.com
 

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Coaching Baseball: How To Hit To The Opposite Field

By Jay P. Granat, Ph.D.

Hitting to the opposite field is a real and a very valuable skill for baseball players at every level.
Over the years, there have been some players who were quite proficient at hitting to the opposite field.

The great ones include: Derek Jeter, Tony Gwynn, George Brett, Wade Boggs, Tony Oliva and Rod Carew.

Don Mueller, who played in the forties and fifties and who recently died, was known as Mandrake The Magician because of his ability to generate hits to any part of the field.

So what does it really take to hit the ball to the opposite field?

Mark Gola, the author of eight books on hitting and the former hitting coach at Princeton University and Rider College and the current Direct Of Athletic Communications at The College of New Jersey, described five keys to hitting to the opposite field.

1) Commit to it

Most young, talented hitters like to turn on or drive balls to the pull-side. It's where the hardest and longest balls are hit. But the pitch dictates where the ball is hit (with the exception of situational hitting). To hit the ball with authority to the opposite field, a hitter must commit to hitting ball that is located middle-away to the opposite field. 'Wanting' to pull the ball inhibits the hitters' ability to drive the ball the other way.

2) Let the ball get deep

To hit the ball to the opposite field, the hitter must let the ball get deep in the hitting zone. "Let the ball travel" is another commonly used phrase. This allows the batter to hit the ball with strength, maintain balance throughout the swing, and keep the hands in a palm-up, palm-down position at contact. When a hitter recognizes a pitch is away, he can think opposite field all he wants, but if his timing is too early, he will reach extension prematurely. Either the top hand will 'roll' prior to contact and hit a 'rollover groundball' or when he reaches the barrel will dip and pop the ball up weakly to the opposite field. To hit the ball the other way, you have to let it get deep.

3) Minimize hip rotation

A hitter needs to 'quiet' his hips when hitting the ball to the opposite field. They should not fully rotate. To turn on or pull a ball effectively, a hitter must fully rotate his hips. On a pitch over the outer half of the plate, the hips do not turn as much. This enables the hitter to keep the force of his swing on the ball and keep his head down. If the hips fully rotate, the force of the swing will begin to pull away from the ball and take the head with it.

4) Keep the top hand strong

The hitter must keep the top hand strong and keep the barrel of the bat above, and then at the middle of the baseball. Because outside strikes are farther away from the hitter, the tendency is for the top hand to 'lay off' a bit and the barrel slides beneath the middle of the ball. This often garners the description of the hitter "dragging his barrel". The top hand needs to stay strong to deliver the barrel of the bat to the middle of the ball with authority.

5) Finish the swing

A hitter needs to finish his swing when driving the ball to the opposite field. This allows the hitter to maintain bat speed to and through the ball. A mistake hitters make is that they resign themselves to a modified or less aggressive swing when hitting the ball to the opposite field. Yes, there is less time to generate bat speed from the load position to contact since the ball is traveling deeper in the hitting zone. But the objective is to "drive" the ball, not "serve it" the other way. Finishing the swing enables the hitter to maintain bat speed.

Claudio Reilsono, the head baseball coach at Carnegie Mellon, noted that most coaches would say to hit the " inside of the baseball" which I think is a good idea. This mental approach will enable you to bring your hands out in front of your body a bit more and the angle of the bat will be such that you will hit the inner half of the ball and drive it the other way."
"I also think that moving up in the box a little is quite helpful in learning to hit to the opposite field," says Reilsono.

Learning to hit to the opposite field can also help some hitters to break out of a hitting slump. It can also help players to feel more versatile at the plate.
 

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D., Psychotherapist, Author, Columnist And Founder of http://www.StayInTheZone.com.

 Dr. Granat has developed peak performance programs for top athletes from every sport from around the world. He has appeared in many major media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Good Morning America, USA Today, ESPN,The Chicago Tribune, The CBC and The BBC. Golf Digest named him one of America's Top Mental Gurus. For more tips on hitting get 101 Ways To Break A Hitting Slump. He recently produced a new video called How To Avoid Choking, Get Mentally Tough And Stay In The Zone. These programs are available at http://www.stayinthezone.com. Dr. Granat is available for counseling and for seminars and can be reached at 888 580-ZONE or at info@stayinthezone.com.
 

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6 Bad Habits That Affect Baseball and Softball Hitters

By Mike Huber

One of the most common complaints from players is the lack of power behind the plate. No matter what philosophy of hitting you believe in, none of them will help you reach your greatest potential if these top 6 bad habits are not stopped in their tracks. This is true for baseball and girls' softball. If you have any of these bad habits, ridding yourself of them will automatically increase power and bat speed.

Smushing the Bug

If you were taught to smush the bug, you have dug yourself into a hole. Smushing the Bug involves a small muscle movement that reduces power and bat speed. Some hitters are taught to twist or turn their back foot to create more bat speed and power in the swing. Nothing can be farther than the truth. Additionally, it is nearly impossible for you to hit middle or outside pitches with the sweet spot of the bat if you have a spinning back foot problem. A sure pop out! This is the most major of these six diseases because it also throws off your balance. This bad habit needs to be fixed right away, but it's not easy.

Correction: Try swinging the bat while your back foot is planted flat on the ground. See if you can swing without moving your back heel off the ground. Also, it may be helpful to work on hitting outside pitches off of the tee. This will help you hit from your heels and keep that foot from spinning too soon.

Bat Wrapper

This common bad habit affects batters who were trained in the "back elbow up" theory. If your back elbow goes up when getting your weight back, the bat will start to wrap around your head and throw off the timing of the swing, ultimately adversely effecting power and bat speed.

Correction: In your stance, bring the elbow down right away. If this doesn't work and your elbow keeps popping up, lay the bat back in your top hand when you move your hands and weight back. This should help prevent the bat from wrapping around your head. You should iron this out by practicing this correction technique until you're confident that the habit is broken. This disease is most likely going to keep coming back, so monitor it and drill it out of your system!
Back leg collapse

This disease is pretty serious and must be addressed. When that back leg collapses, you lose all of the power in your big muscles, and your eyes and head do too much bobbing. This type of batter pops out a lot!

Correction: Stay as tall as possible in your stance and when swinging the bat for power.
If that doesn't work, do some swinging drills where you swing off your back leg only. If it collapses, you'll fall down swinging. Remember, stay tall and hit the ball!

Head Diver

This player was led to believe that if he dives his head near the contact zone, he'll see the ball better. This action causes your eyes to move off the ball path and throws you off balance. It also locks up the large muscles and prevents power and bat speed production.

Correction: Concentrate on thrusting your back muscles. If you're a head diver, you're trying too hard to hit the ball with your eyes instead of letting your body bring your hands to the ball. "Crack your back" and keep your head behind the ball. It is nearly impossible to have any kind of power or bat speed when you are off balance. Once you contact the ball, remember that it's OK to let your head come off of the ball for a complete follow-through!

Bent Lead Arm

If hitters' are swinging slightly up and popping up often, you can look to see if their lead arm is bending too much at the start of their swing. This problem is rare, but easy to fix.

Correction: All you need to do is concentrate on keeping the lead arm straighter when starting your swing. Most advanced or experienced hitters will not have this problem, but it's something to be aware of. Remember; only make adjustments when the ball is not flying like it should in batting practice. If you're hitting rockets and your lead arm bends a little, then who cares? In the swing, the lead arm will usually straighten at first and then possibly bend at contact depending on pitch location (Especially the low pitch).

Twister

The hitter who twists his upper torso while getting his weight back before he swings will have problems hitting the ball. There is way too much eye movement and upper body movement when the hitter has this problem. This throws your timing and swing path out of synch.

Correction: This is a rare disease that can be cured by religiously practicing getting your weight back without turning your shoulders. Your hands should move straight back without the shoulder turning much. It makes a big difference!
 

There are 25 bad habits that inflict baseball and softball players when they are up to bat. Most of these bad habits are old swing techniques that were actually taught to them by coaches, parents or other players on the team. You can learn how to quickly spot the 25 bad habits and how to correct them by visiting http://hubiemagicblog.com When you visit the site, you can also read about the discovery and development of the first perfect swing that works for both baseball and softball.

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Sports Psychology And Baseball: How To Be A Mentally Tough Pitcher

ByJay P. Granat, Ph.D.

This year's baseball playoffs and the World Series are approaching rapidly. As always, pitching will play a key role in determining which teams will do well in post season play.

Pitchers who can perform well at this crucial time of the year require a special kind of physical toughness and mental toughness.

Where physical toughness is concerned, pitchers who play well at the end of the year need to have energy and strength to continue to pitch well after spring training and after a one hundred and sixty two game regular season schedule.

Where mental toughness is concerned, the best pitchers know how to remain relaxed, confident and focused when the pitch in these tense, post season games. They benefit from having control over their range of pitches. They also benefit from being able to get ahead of hitters and from knowing hitters strengths and weaknesses. Previous playoff experience also seems to help pitchers to adjust to the special kind of pressure that is a part of championship baseball.

But, how do pitchers develop mental toughness?

Some pitchers use traditional sport psychology techniques like relaxation training, meditation, self-hypnosis, visualization, guided imagery and pre-pitch routines in order to perform to their fullest potential on the mound. I teach these kinds of techniques to pitchers all the time.

A recent study by my colleague, Anthony Cinelli at Boston University, sheds some interesting insight into how pitchers develop mental toughness.

Mr. Cinelli, who pitched in college and who has studied the psychology of pitching, approached me several months ago because he wanted to collaborate with me on some research about mental toughness, choking and staying in the zone.

We decided to interview pitchers about these issues.

Interestingly, ten of the nineteen college pitchers who were interviewed, stated that their father played an essential role in their development of mental toughness. That is,
fifty two percent of these pitchers attributed the early learning of mental toughness to contact with and coaching from their dads.

Many young baseball players are first introduced to this sport by their fathers. So, their dad t is often their first coach. Therefore, fathers often play a crucial role in how an a pitcher develops physically and mentally.

Some of the pitchers interviewed also attributed the learning of mental toughness was function of watching their fathers behavior in their careers and in their businesses.

Apparently, the young pitchers started to model some of the behaviors, attitudes and actions that were demonstrated by their fathers in the world of work. In short, they took what they observed their dad's doing in their lives and brought some of these attitudes and behaviors to the baseball field.
Others pitchers stated that fathers taught them valuable lessons about being accountable, taking responsibility and learning to accept good and bad performances.

While this study has a small sample, it does seem to reinforce the importance that early learning, relationships between parents and kids and early coaching can have on the development of mental toughness among pitchers.
 

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com. Dr. Granat has appeared in major media outlets including Good Morning America, The New York, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The BBC, The CBC, Sports Illustrated, Tennis View Magazine, ESPN and The Chicago Tribune, Golf Digest named him one of America's Top Mental Gurus. He has created many self help programs for athletes, parents of athletes and coaches including 101 Ways To Break A Hitting Slump, How To Get Mentally Tough, Avoid Choking And Stay In The Zone, How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnois and Bedtime Stories For Young Athletes. He can be reached at 888 580-Zone or at info@stayinthezone.com
 

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Youth Baseball Coaches: Squishing the Bug Is a Bad Habit

ByMike Huber

If you coach youth baseball hitters to squash the bug, you have only dug them into a hole. Squashing the bug involves a small muscle movement that reduces power and bat speed. Some youth baseball hitters are taught to twist or turn their back foot to create more bat speed and power in the swing. Nothing can be farther than the truth. Additionally, it is nearly impossible to hit middle or outside pitches with the sweet spot of the bat if you have a spinning back foot problem. A sure pop out!

Why is the swing technique called squishing the bug still being taught to youth baseball hitters?

Some coaches believe that it is necessary that hitters be on the balls of their feet at the point of contact. This is commonly known and taught as "squishing the bug", "squish the bug", "squashing the bug", and "squash the bug". Coaches who advocate this swing technique are typically coaches in the youth leagues. This swing technique is not what great hitters do in the minor and major leagues.
Coaches who still advocate the squishing the bug swing technique typically do so for one of the following reasons:

1. Coaches often have large egos and believe that their methods are better than others.
2. The coach is underestimating the potential and abilities of youth baseball hitters.
3. They have never watched a video of pro hitters, in slow motion, frame by frame.

When viewing live speed videos or still images, you will probably see what looks like squishing the bug. But when viewed frame by frame, you will see that the bug doesn't get squished until well after the point of contact. The heel coming up off the ground and the ball of the foot twisting is actually a result of the body rotating on its center of mass or axis.

One other reason that a few coaches still advocate squishing the bug.

They believe it is a simple way to teach hip rotation to youth baseball hitters.

Some people contend that many coaches underestimate what youth baseball hitters can do. No matter how you look at it, or what the reasons are, teaching little league players the wrong swing techniques only sets them up for failure as they progress into higher leagues of baseball.

Youth baseball hitters need to learn the right way to swing the bat from the beginning so what they learn doesn't have to be unlearned later. Most adults know how hard it is to break bad habits.

In case you have been taught an incorrect way of hitting, here are a few tips for unlearning the squishing of the bug swing technique.

Try swinging the bat while your back foot is planted flat on the ground. See if you can swing without moving your back heel off the ground. Keep practicing until you can. Also, it may be helpful to work on hitting outside pitches off of the tee. This will help you hit from your heels and keep that foot from spinning too soon. Spinning the foot before the point of contact greatly reduces bat speed and power.
When players of any age learn the correct rotational swing technique, he or she will be able to hit balls over the outfield fence, even if they are the smallest kid on the team.
 

As a player moves up in the ranks, to high school, college and travel teams, he may not realize that his swing contains bad habits. Even the smallest of wrong movements can greatly reduce the power of your swing. Have your swing analyzed by a hitting specialist. Go to http://hubiemagicblog.com to learn more.

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Where to Find a Good Hitting Coach

ByMike Huber

If only finding a good hitting coach was as easy as looking in the yellow pages. Unfortunately, things just aren't that easy when it comes to baseball and softball hitting coaches. It can be difficult to find a good hitting coach for youth baseball and softball programs.

Think about it. Pro teams hire specialized coaches for anything and everything, even a bench coach who specializes in, I don't know, spitting? Just kidding, a bench coach is responsible for keeping the team motivated and focused and probably some other stuff, like bathroom breaks. On a more serious note, youth league teams typically have one general coach and an assistant coach. These coaches are volunteers and rarely specialize in any one area of the game.

Coaches of youth baseball and softball are often a parent of one of the players on the team. These coaches can be great at teaching the basics of the game but when a player has trouble with hitting, he/she is probably not the best person to ask for advice. The youth players and coach tend to bond, creating a sense of loyalty that can actually prevent a player from reaching his or her full potential as a hitter. How? The sense of loyalty often prevents the parents of the player from seeking outside help. Hitting a ball with a bat is the toughest part of the game to get a grip on. Most youth players either suck at it or they are naturally gifted hitters. Without a good hitting coach, the youth players that suck at it probably always will and, more often than not, quit playing the game before they reach high school.

Can you imagine how many kids quit the game because they didn't have a good hitting coach to bring out their full potential and hidden natural talents?

A good hitting coach has an arsenal of tips and tricks that help players hone their abilities and reach their own, individual best performance behind the plate. Before we discuss where to find a good hitting coach, we first need to know what makes a coach a good hitting coach.

Characteristics of a good hitting coach:

• Has a proven track record
• Has a stack of positive testimonials from previous clients
• Can explain their approach to hitting and why it works, in simple terms
• Can explain to the player(s) the what, when, why and how of each step
• Can show the player proof of their improvement after a number of lessons
• Can identify and solve problems quickly and efficiently
• Builds confidence and mental toughness along with skills (mental toughness doesn't mean military style training)

Where to find a good hitting coach.

Despite the bonding that may have taken place between the volunteer coach and his youth players, a good coach will be the first one to suggest that parents hire a good hitting coach for their child. He is also the first one a parent should ask for suggestions. You won't find a coach in the yellow pages, usually, but instead, by asking around. Ask the other parents, coaches of opposing teams, schools, and so on. Word of mouth is a good hitting coach's best advertising and all you have to do to find one is ask. Before hiring a coach that specializes in hitting, make sure they meet all of the above list of characteristics. Otherwise, you will be wasting your time and money.

Every coach has their own ideas of what works and what doesn't. If what they are preaching works, then they shouldn't have a problem with showing you proof that their approach to hitting works. Hitting philosophies are abundant and comparable to religion in the fact that each one claims truth, but unlike religion, the proof is tangible.
 

Mike Huber is a team hitting specialist for baseball and softball, who has 10 years of solid evidence that his hitting system, called Hubie Magic, works. He meets and exceeds the list of characteristics of a good hitting coach and his hitting system has a plus 90 percent success rate. You can read about the Hubie Magic Hitting System at http://aboutbaseball.co or his main site at http://hubiemagic.com
 

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Best Hitting Technique to Increase Bat Speed

By Mike Huber

Is Bat Speed Important?

Fast bat speed is the skill that hitters are now focusing on and seeking out new ways to accomplish the fastest bat speed possible. Keeping alert to and learning new batting techniques is what training is all about. A fast bat speed is important in both baseball and softball and it can definitely give the hitter a jump on the competition. Increasing your swing speed is the key to hitting the ball harder and further but some hitting techniques have limits as to how fast a hitter can swing the bat, merely because of the laws of physics. Baseball scouts love to see bat speed at their combine and showcase camps. When it is recorded on paper, it is the one hitting skill that really stands out for the scouts.

How to Increase Bat Speed

As a way to increase bat speed, hitters are beginning to take a closer look at rotational swing mechanics because it has been proven to increase the speed of your swing and thus, the rate of bat speed. Many hitter training systems and consensus coaches have adapted to a technique that combines linear mechanics with rotational mechanics as a way to increase the speed of the bat. In some cases, this combo technique has been proven to increase the average bat speed by 20+ mph.

Combo Technique Explained

The part of the swing that helps swing speed rise is the pushing off of the back leg before rotating the hips into the ball. It has been proven by radar guns, that this technique out performs the old techniques of the past. Put a ball on the tee and take the combo hitting technique for a test drive. Radar guns don't lie. Then watch the flight of the ball, it also doesn't lie. Hitters and coaches around the world of baseball are buying into this combination technique. This technique makes sense, initially, and is backed by a substantial amount of statistical proof to support it. But, does that make it the best technique for increasing bat speed?

Popularity Doesn't Come Without Limitations

Is this combo technique too good to be true? One hitting specialist's answer is yes! The scientific answer to this is also yes. Even though the test results don't lie, they are deceptive. Why? Because each time a hitter uses the technique, he or she should show improvement until they reach their maximum potential. Like the saying, "Practice makes perfect." The deception is that there is a limit as to how fast a hitter can swing the bat using that method, thus lowering what should be, the hitter's maximum potential.

This technique, that combines linear mechanics with rotational swing mechanics, really doesn't work to bring each hitter to their maximum hitting potential. The reason is because hitters are taught to hit the ball when it is out in front of them. The hitter is taught to launch a linear attack off the back foot to meet the ball in front, then follow that up with a powerful rotational hip action. Sure, speed increases, but the forward movement toward the ball has wasted time and resulted in a limit to power and speed.

Once the hitter makes a move or slides forward to the ball, he needs more bat speed to make up for wasted time. So really it is all a wash in most cases. The increase in bat speed made up for the lost time; meaning that the hitter can only get so much better.

The Key is the Right Swing Technique

In reality, the key to a finding a hitter's maximum potential is to teach them a hitting technique that increases both time and speed. The problem with introducing a swing technique that uses only rotational swing mechanics is that most trainers will claim that you can't gain bat speed without linear body momentum when starting the swing.

Their theory has been proven wrong over and over again, but most coaches and trainers just won't listen and take the time to try it for themselves. Using rotational mechanics to produce maximum power and speed has been scientifically backed and proven by those who study martial arts. Several rules that are common in martial arts and the laws of physics can be applied to real life baseball and softball hitting scenarios.

One such technique has been perfected and tested for well over 10 years. Teams and individuals who have been trained in the all rotational swing method have been astounded by its power from the very first swing. The rotational swing method has aided teams and individuals of both baseball and softball in breaking over 80 batting records and winning many championship games. Testing of this method has consistently produced batting average and slugging percentage increases of up to 200 points.

The all rotational swing method is the only hitting technique known to product these results in only two steps and in as little as three lessons. It is the only hitting technique known to produce increased batting average and slugging percentage, simultaneously. To date, using a hitting system that consists of only rotational mechanics has not been beaten by linear or combination hitting system.
 

If you are a baseball or softball coach or hitting trainer, I urge you to try this out for yourself. I truly believe you will be amazed. You can learn more about the all-rotational hitting technique at http://hubiemagic.com
 

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Best Advice a Spiritual Coach Should Give His Athletes

By Mike Huber

The most important pieces of advice a coach can give a team is teaching them how to tune into their spiritual selves. Too often, a coach wants too much control over their team and this eventually causes athletes to rebel or hold onto negative emotions. When things go wrong, players who harbor negative emotions may lash out at others or themselves, and more often that not, lose their competitive edge. The biggest destructive force that a coach and his or her players have to learn to deal with is their own ego and how they handle adverse situations or conflict.

One key to dealing with adversity or other challenges is a coach teaching the team to look beyond the ego. Ego is manifested externally and to look past it one must look inward, to their spiritual self. In competitive situations, this is not easy as the ego is at its strongest during competitive events. The more a person practices, the easier reaching the spiritual self becomes. The spiritual self must become more powerful than the ego in order for you to find it when you need it. Some people are born with a strong spiritual self and find dealing with negative emotions to be easy. If you are reading this, you are probably not one of the lucky few. You have to learn how to become strong, spiritually, especially if you plan on being a coach to athletes.

Spirituality is not the same as religion. To put it simply, spiritual is being in tune with your soul, another word for spiritual self. It is the opposite of anything material, physical or tangible. Being in tune with your soul means you are aware that you are a part of something not of this earth, something bigger and unseen but you know it is out there somewhere. Knowing of its existence and belief in its power gives you the strength and wisdom to handle any situation in a positive and calm manner. Another benefit to knowing and strengthening your spiritual self is that when you are in tune, you are more successful at every type of challenge you face throughout your life, not just in competitive situations.

A spiritual athlete is a very powerful influence on the team, even though he may fly under the radar. These are the team players who are able to keep a broken ship a float. They have the ability to see beyond what the eyes can see and take advantage of what is not seen on the surface, while protecting themselves from negativity. Spiritual athletes tend to have meaningful goals that are positive, win-win situations for themselves and the team. They see obstacles as an opportunity to learn, build character and strength. They know that by overcoming obstacles, they are rewarded with opportunity.
Therefore, a spiritual coach who is successful at teaching the team about their spiritual selves, will have a powerful edge over the competition. A coach who is open and aware of the power contained within the human spirit, is a coach who is happy, fulfilled and successful. Building a spiritual team is the best way to build a winning team, even if the scoreboard shows a loss.

The spiritual coach who builds a spiritual team will usually have smooth day-to-day routines that involve hard work, dedication and focus. A spiritual team needs fewer disciplinary actions and the setting provides a more enjoyable experience for the whole team.
 

Coach Huber is a spiritual coach for baseball and softball players. He wants to help more players by certifying coaches to teach his hitting and confidence training courses. Spirituality is a part of the program. If your interested in learning more, go to http://hubiemagic.com.
 

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Great Throw for Young Pitchers

By Ian McIntyre

When cultivating your skills as a pitcher, it's great to build a repertoire of simple pitches that promote skills and can lead to more advanced throws. The following are three basic throws that will help you find rhythm as a pitcher and promote good technique for future instruction.

Pitching is considered one of the most difficult activities in sport. There is a reason that a strong, shut-out capable pitcher makes big dollars, and that's because the talent and dedication that goes into being a strong pitcher is only matched by how dominant those skills are on the mound. Think about it this way, if a pitcher is truly capable, and given the right circumstances, they could in fact defeat another team on their own, entirely.

Before no-hitter dreams, however, the basics must be grasped. While the raw talent and drive to practice cannot be taught, a young pitcher can learn the tools to succeed. Such as, the basic pitches that can be molded into a particular style and open the way for the more advanced pitches. Able to be practiced in a wide field or at your local batting cages, these are some of the grip mechanics for our favorite basic pitches.

Fastball

The fastball is the bread and butter of a young pitcher. Master the most basic of throws in order to upgrade to the more technical or uncomfortable grips. A basic, 4 seam fastball begins with crossing your index and middle fingers perpendicular across the seams of the ball that form a horseshoe. Place your thumb beneath the ball on the leather in the middle of the second "horseshoe." Make sure that there is space between your hand and the ball, and keep your grip on the ball slightly loose. Friction holds a pitch's speed back and makes the ball leave your hand slower, keep loose to make sure that ball flies as fast as possible.

3 Finger Changeup

The change up is the classic off-speed pitch for throwing a batter off their game. A seasoned batter could read the changeup as a time to swing for the fences, but a young batter will bite at just about anything and a changeup is a great way to get them frustrated and swinging. Lay three fingers perpendicular on the stitches as you did with the fastball above. Touch your thumb to your pinky underneath the ball and hold the ball deep into your hand. The more contact with the ball, the slower the pitch. Throw with all the same fastball mechanics, the differences in grip and pressure on the ball with crank down the speed and catch the batter off guard.

Basic Curveball

The basic curveball is a stellar throw for getting a young pitcher comfortable with more advanced techniques. Line your top two fingers on the seams, and your thumb on the top/back seam. Then, remove your index finger so that you're gripping with your thumb and middle finger. Use your index finger to guide as you finish the throw; otherwise, simply rotate your thumb upward and snap your middle finger downward as you throw. The curve should be basic, but effective. Wean yourself off this pitch as you get into college ball though, a batter worth his salt can see the lifted finger on delivery a mile away.

Practice!

Throw at least twenty of these pitches a day. If you need space or training partners, head to you local fun center and hang around the batting cages. There's going to be a batter training there who will be willing to square off against a real pitcher. Also you could rent out a batting cage for pitch training, as well as batting. The right setting or opposition will make your practice that much more fruitful.

If you are looking for a Fun center with a batting cage near you in the Bakersfield, CA area, stop by Camelot Park today. You can also visit their website at http://camelotparkbakersfield.com.
Come to Camelot Park in Bakersfield, CA & see all of the rides & attractions. they have go karts, mini golf, batting cages, arcade games & much more!
 

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3 Steps for Proper Pitching Mechanics

ByShingo Mitsumori

How many of you have heard pitching coaches yell out "find your balance point, just throw strikes, finish off square to the plate, rare back and fire, throw hard now", etc... ? I had coaches like that too growing up and guess what... They don't know what they are talking about.

Throwing, just like any other complex movement, requires many moving parts to flow in the correct sequence. When executed correctly, it should create a single effortless motion. Just throwing the ball is too general; we must be able to throw the ball on a downward plane with the most velocity as possible while putting the least amount of stress on the weaker links (UCL/Rotor-cuff) within the kinetic chain which is throwing.

First, let's split the human body up into 3 main components of power generation. Starting from the ground up, first we have the lower body composed of feet, ankle joints, lower legs (tibia, fibula), knee joint, and upper-leg (femur) all connecting at the pelvis (hip joint.) Second, is where the majority of power is generated and that is the core. The bone supporting the core is the lumbar spine, where the range of motion is the greatest giving the core the ability to create torque. Third, there is the upper torso and arms. This portion of the human machine is the most complex and the majority of throwing injuries occurs in the shoulder or elbow due to the immense stress these joints have to withstand with each throw. The Brain Controls everything! Now to see how we can use each component to the highest mechanical advantage our anatomy allows.

Lower Body

The lower body must be separated into two subdivision, legs and pelvis (hips). The sole purpose of the legs is to create as much speed (distance/time) going towards the target, then stopping as abruptly as possible, which will in turn, speed up the upper-body rotation, maximizing the power output at the point of release. Think of this reaction in terms of a car crash. If a car with a stack of books on the passenger seat drives at 100mph and hits an immobile wall, the cars velocity will drop to zero but the books will continue to fly through the windshield at the original 100mph. The Pelvis (hips) also has major part in the throwing process. Its job is to simply load up (rotate away from target) in the beginning of the motion and to unwind in sync with the landing foot as the legs propel the thrower towards the target.

The Core

The best way to visualize the core is as a very thick coil attaching the upper and lower components. Although the majority of the power generated in the proper throwing motion is produced by the core, it is the simplest process in this kinetic chain. To use the core to its maximum potential the thrower must simply load the upper and lower components simultaneously in the beginning of the delivery and keep the upper body loaded (closed) as much as possible till the front foot plants. At this point, the more separation there is between pelvic and upper torso lines, the more torque the core can produce. This is the true meaning of commonly misused term "staying closed". The separation of the Pelvic and Shoulder lines creates the most range of motion for the already stretched core to explosively rotate; this rotation will be the main source of velocity for the thrower.

Upper Torso

The last but not least of the three components is the upper torso. The main goal of the upper torso is to achieve maximum Scapula load, and to maintain the greatest amount of separation from the Pelvic line till the front foot plants. This will all lead to maximum external rotation of the throwing arm which will directly increase velocity. The most efficient way to load ones Scapula is to do so as naturally and effortlessly as possible. The arms actually have tracks, just like trains do. If the train falls off the track, it doesn't run. This track differs for each individual. To figure out where your track is, stand up with good posture and let your arms hang down to your sides and swing your arms forward and backwards. You will see your arms will naturally want to stay close to the body and swing on a Chest-Back plane. This Chest-Back plane does not ever change, no matter what. As the arms travel on the natural track, the elbows will fire towards each other squeezing the shoulder blades together while the chest expands. This is called scapula load. This Scapula load will occur right as the front foot strikes the ground and plants. This is when the loaded shoulders explosively rotate driving the throwing shoulder up and over towards the target line. The actual release of the baseball is done so by the extension, pronation, internal rotation and wrist flexion of the throwing arm. After the ball is released, the shoulder rotation will come to a stop to do structural limitations, but the now accelerated throwing arm will keep going until it hits the rib cage and comes to a stop. This method of deceleration is the most natural and puts the least amount of stress on the decelerator muscles. As a result of the fast upper torso rotation, the back leg will fly up off the ground and come to a soft landing.
 

Shingo Mitsumori Bio:

Shingo Mitsumori is owner of Torque Athletic Performance located in Deer Park, NY and the only instructor in the World that is teaching the Torque method of pitching. Shingo was an accomplished Minor League and Japanese professional pitcher. Feel free to Google Shingo's stat's from his professional career. Shingo currently throws over 90 MPH himself which more than qualifies him to teach the very same techniques used by many of the current MLB pitchers today. Shingo is a firm believer in video analysis and compares all videos of his students with current MLB pitchers. Please feel free to contact Shingo for additional information or for more detailed information.

Special Offer Worth $60

Anyone interested in receiving a complimentary video analysis of their current mechanics, I will personally review and critique your current pitching mechinics. Please upload your video clip to youtube and send me a file share link to: torqueap16@optonline.net Typically I charge $60.00 for video analysis and you can have access to this for the first time at NO COST TO YOU.

For more detailed information please visit me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/torque.ap or you can email any questions to Shingo Mitsumori at torqueap16@optonline.net or feel free to call me at 631-392-0944.
 

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Handling Pre-Game Stress

By Jim Bain

I was reading an article in a sports blog discussing the issue of young athletes, specifically baseball players in this article, freezing up when faced with pressure situations of the game.

I must admit I was somewhat surprised at some of the comments, quote "professional" unquote, coaches and sports advisors offered in order to deal with the emotional stress of performing in the "Big Game."

Some blamed private tutorage from teachers and sports trainers who were excellent at teaching repetitive drills, but lacked the experience of handling the ill-affects produced by pre-game raging emotions, therefore ignoring the subject.

This was an interesting comment and I'm not disputing the validity of the claim, but the author offered no alternative solution. I've found in my years of coaching, anyone who trashes a coaching action, but offers no other option, normally is lost at what to do to solve the problem. I wish the writer would have expanded on his comment.

Some sang the praise of practicing visualization as a method of handling the ill affects of pre-game jitters and anxiousness. I've had my fair share of teaching visualization and it's extremely important, but tell me how a youngster can visualize something they've never experienced.

Ever hear somebody say they didn't like watching so and so sport on television, big screen or not, but would go to games because the atmosphere and action were so much different. I'm a huge fan of visualization, but it has it's limits and I personally feel this is definitely one of those examples.
I'm in no way trying to discredit or argue with the "professionals" who addressed this blog question, but I'd like to offer a few suggestions and comments of my own on the subject.

Human emotions are designed to help us survive in life, such as the "fight or flight" instinct, and should be harnessed as a God given talent no different than an athlete's foot speed. Having the fastest player on the field is useless if he/she is allowed to run with reckless abandonment with no purpose. The intense energy high emotions provide, properly controlled and applied, will have a positive effect on the athlete and should not be suppressed, only channeled.

(1.) Preparation is the key to stress control and that responsibility falls squarely on the coach's shoulders. It's his job to develop a plan to push his team to the next level through intense repetitive practice, from which the players themselves will realize their skills have improved. This instills confidence, and confidence breeds a calmness of knowing you're up to the task.

(2.) I mentioned I'm a big fan of visualization and here is where I'd apply it. I loved the movie Hoosiers, when Gene Hackman, the basketball coach, took his team to the tournament arena and with a tape measurer, and showed the team the court was identical in size to their school gym.
A baseball coach can apply the same visualization technique with his team by measuring the distance between bases, pitching rubber and etc. etc. Explain to the team as you walk through this exercise that yeah, the stadium will be larger, but that's for the spectators. Their field of battle is exactly the same, in fact probably easier to play on because it's more professionally groomed.

(3.) Lastly, the pre-game instructions, which again falls to the coach. This shouldn't be a rah rah speech, but rather a quiet recap of how they've done everything possible and are prepared for the game. They've proven they are winners by simply achieving being in this game and nobody can ever take that away from them. It's a once in a lifetime experience, go play hard and enjoy it.

1. Preparation...
2. Visualization...
3. Mental Focus.

Remember pre-game stress and jitters can destroy a player's focus and the ability to attain peak performance, a matter which requires addressing.
 

Jim Bain is a former Minor league player, Coach and author of the baseball coaching site http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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