December 2009
155 posts
How to use college camps: all ages
Camps are a sticky subject. There are all types of camps, college camps, high school camps, position camps, hitting camps, and the list goes on and on. How do we utilize this resource in a way that will benefit your child the most and allow him to feel your support without feeling a shove? First let’s start with the younger kids. I am talking eight years old to thirteen years old. In this time...
November 2009
83 posts
To all the parents who are doing it right
I would like to thank all the parents and parent coaches who understand what youth sports are about. I would like to thank you moms and dads alike for harnessing a passions for the game and allowing it to grow in your children and the children you coach. You do more than you will ever realize. You turn kids onto the games instead of turning them away from the game. Coaches and parents who...
Sir, your 12 year old is not projectable
Little League is a time for kids to play the game for the pure enjoyment and love of baseball. It is a time to for them to learn the game, have fun, and build friendships. Kids should be kids and have a blast playing the game. The emphasis should be on learning and getting better, not winning championships. If you do happen to win a championship as a coach at this level, ask yourself one...
Baseball and Family
The game of baseball can bring parents and kids together and it allows for quality time. Growing up my Dad was my coach from the time i was four years old until I was nine. He tried to quit a year earlier but all the other coaches seemed to lack the passion for the game so I begged him for one final season and he said yes. You may think that it is normal to want your Dad as a coach, but I bet...
Baseball is to Complex to be boring
I hear people say baseball is like watching paint dry. People say this because they don’t understand the game or how to watch it. If you are going to the park to look for HR’s and diving plays you would surely be bored, because that is not the game. When those happen it is icing on the cake, but the game is far more complex than that. Kids quit and say it is just boring, and I...
There is only 1 DH in a line up.
With an abundance of baseball and softball facilities popping up around the country I fear one thing. I fear most people view these as hitting facilities and that is where the problem begins. A true indoor facility should have enough space to work on your entire game. If the indoor facility you attend allows for this it becomes your responsibility to take advantage of it. Kids love to hit, but...
Baseball season never ends.
For those of you who are seriously committed to the game of baseball and being the best player you can possibly be know that baseball season does not stop because the snow is flying. I love when I get people who want to get one hitting lesson the day before tryouts start to give their kid a tune up. You don’t give your kid a tune up in a 30 minute hitting lesson the day before tryouts, but...
Note Card Goals
All of us make goals, some of us make goals for a certain GPA, others make goals for a salary, and a few of us make goals about getting to the big leagues.
Just like many other kids in this world I had a dream of playing in the Big Leagues, I announced this goal every opportunity I had, and usually people laughed it off but I was serious. If you have this precise goal I want you to do the...
No I will not give your 4 year old a Private...
Sometimes in my line of work I run into parents who are a little hard to deal with. For example in the seven years I have been giving private baseball lessons I have been approached to work with a kid under the age of six 10 times. All of us baseball fans know baseball requires very intricate movements in a very precise order. Just to be clear I have done one lesson with a kid under six and I...
Reblogs
95% of my posts will be original but everyone once in a while I will find something I like and simply reblog it onto my site. I have a few of them today as I felt they all pertained to my sites theme. I hope you enjoy.
“If Zack Greinke goes 4 innings in his next start, gives up 30 earned runs, &...”
– Michael Shur (via allikazoo)
Please, no free passes for manager Jim Leyland... →
allikazoo:
I hate that I agree with a lot of this. I’m not sure why everyone (yours truly included) loves Jim so much. I found myself wanting to throw things upon seeing some of the lineups for certain games this year as well as decisions made during them. Personally I think I’m just attached to him after the craziness of ‘06 and ‘09, but I really can’t explain why. He’s a great person that...
“You can’t sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the...”
– Earl Weaver (via hatsby) (via mightyflynn)
Picking up Tendencies
As a hitter one way to gain a huge advantage is to pick up on a pitchers tendencies. If you are able to pick them up you will be able to look for certain pitches at certain times and be almost 100% sure you are going to get it. An example of this would be recognizing that every time a certain pitcher threw a first pitch curve ball for a strike he would follow it up with a fast ball. If you were...
Brandon Inge Gold Glove? No Chance Detroit Fans
All you Tiger fans out there who love Brandon Inge because he has a rocket for an arm, he hits for a little power, and has awesome tattoos on his forearms (joking), I have some news that may be hard to swallow for you.
There were 20 third baseman who played 100 or more games in the MLB this year. Of those 20 Mr. Inge ranks 15th in fielding percentage. He was also 9th out of 11 players in...
Process Oriented
In the past few posts I have talked about setting goals, and in those posts I have used the term “process oriented”. What I want each player to do is stick to the process, you can not change everyday, you can create a new you all the time. You have to have a goal and stick to it. As mentioned before if you are 0-12 but you have hit 8 missiles right at people you should not change...
Setting Goals: Position Players
You should set the same type of process oriented goals on defense that you set on offense. This means instead of making a goal to make 5 or fewer errors this season set a goal to be in the right defensive position before each pitch. If you are in the right position defensively it will give you a better chance to make more plays because you will be able to get to more balls under control. Plus...
Setting Goals: At the Plate
When it comes to setting goals players should learn to not worry about numbers. A player should worry about things they can control. For example instead of setting a goal in high school of hitting .400 set the goal to control the strike zone and not take call third strikes or swing at pitches out of the zone. Instead of setting a goal to hit 10 HR’s, set a goal of jumping on fastballs...
Don't Be Afraid To Fail
When you walk onto the baseball field you have entered a competitive arena. As you enter this arena you must be thinking of one thing…winning. Get it in your head and set your site on that goal. Doing this will allow you to prepare to win, if you prepare to win you will be playing the game offensively, meaning you will be aggressive at the plate, aggressive on the bases, and aggressive in...
Big Time Player On The Move?
MLB Talk: Rules For Free Agency
During the off season you will hear a few terms which affects what players a team can go after. Type A, Type B free agents, and arbitration.
Type A Free agent is a player who is determined to be in the top 20 percent at the position they play. Type B free agents are between 21 and 40 percent at their position. What confuses things a little more is salary arbitration. Salary arbitration can be...
MLB Talk: Free Agents
Here is a list of the top free agents available this off season starting with pitchers.
John Lackey, Randy Wolfe, Rick Hardin, Billy Wagner, Rafael Bettancourt, Fernando Rodney.
Position Players:
Johnny Damon OF, Jason Bay OF, Matt Holliday OF, Chone Figgins Utility, Benji Molina C, Hideki Matsui OF-DH, Vladimir Gurrero OF-DH, Placido Polanco, Orlando Hudson 2b, Marcus Scuturo SS, Miguel Tejada...
MLB Talk: Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox have added third baseman Mark Teahen .271 50RBI 12HR and Omar Vizquel .266 14RBI 1HR. The Southsiders are also going to move Gordon Beckham. Is any of this going to matter or even help at all? Vizquel who will surely not be an everyday player with Alexei Ramirez playing shortstop and Gordon Beckham also playing everyday, it looks a lot like an expensive coach not...
MLB Talk: Roy Halladay
Is there any chance the Detroit Tigers could come away with Roy Halladay after the 2010 season. Reports say Roy Halladay does not want to sign an extension and will enter free agency. If the Tigers are making a run for Halladay their recent talks of trading Miguel Cabrera would make sense in order to scale back on payroll, and open up money to enter the bidding war that will surely pit them...
MLB Talk
Miguel Cabrera has reportedly been added to the list of names in which the Detroit Tigers are willing to trade. The original list was Edwin Jackson and Curtis Granderson. Tell me this, does anyone in Detroit actually care if this wife beater leaves town?
I for one would have no problem shipping him to another team because quite frankly my moral compass just doesn’t allow me to root for...
Pujols Wins MVP!!
MLB Talk: Detroit Tigers Free Agents
Replace Batting Practice With 2 Ball
Throwing programs
Don't Believe Your Own Hype
It may sound like a negative statement, but telling kids not to believe their own hype is probably the best advice I or anyone can give them when it comes to baseball. I like to call it “Greatness Syndrome” and it starts from an early age. It usually starts when the kid has proven to be one of the better players on his youth baseball team and usually comes from his or her own...
Baseball is a series of learned movements
Hitting, throwing, and fielding are all awkward movements which require a lot time to develop through years of practice. The swing is not a natural movement for your body, that is why hitting is so hard, and it is even harder when you do not take the time to practice. There are few people in this world who will ever walk up, grab a bat and swing it correctly the first time. This movement...
4-6-3: Overhand Toss
This play requires a very awkward body position and one that is not a natural movement, so a lot of practice time is required to get the muscle memory. There are a few different ways of executing this play so I will explain them and let you choose which feels more comfortable.
You will use this play on balls hit to your left. Like the play from short stop you are going to field the ball in the...
4-6-3 Chest Flip
The chest flip is performed on a ball hit directly at you. This flip is very tricky to teach young players and you will have to practice this often.
Field the ball with the proper footwork moving through it just like you normally would. Once you field the ball you are going to shuffle your feet toward second base to get the momentum you need to make a strong toss. As you shuffle, bring the...
4-6-3 Underhand Flip Moving toward the bag
Just like shortstop you will use the flip and the overhand toss from second base as well.
We will use two different flips when performing the 4-6-3 double play. One flip is exactly like the flip from short to second.
Underhand Flip: On a ground ball hit to your right you are going to use the momentum you have due to moving to your right to field the ball and continue it after you field and flip...
6-4-3: Overhand Toss
When the ball is hit to your right side you are going to use a harder throw so the ball can get to the second baseman faster. This is one of the few times I want you to field the ball and plant your feet. You will not move toward the bag on this play.
Moving to your right get the ball to the middle of your body and set up to field it. Now that you have the ball in your glove all you are going...
Proper outfield technique when a runner is tagging...
6-4-3: The Flip
We are going to address the double play involving the middle infielders.
The problem: Routine double plays get botched a lot due to a lack of communication and players using the wrong mechanics. Too often players use the overhand toss when they should be using the flip, and even when they do use the flip it looks like they are bowling.
6-4-3: The Ball is hit directly at you or to your left. We...
Trivia Question
What dubious honor does Cesar Geronimo hold?
Secondary Lead
Now that you have taken your lead from first it is time to get your secondary lead as the pitcher goes to home plate. The tricky part with the secondary is you if you get too far you will have your weight on your back foot when the catcher catches the ball or worse yet if the ball is in the dirt not allowing you to take the extra base. If you don’t get far enough you haven’t given...
Passion for the Game
When a player is young and playing with his team and they are laughing and enjoying themselves he is building a passion for the game. This passion fuels players at a later time but when they are young it simply keeps them coming back to play each season. Passion starts with the coaches and this is where Little League coaches come in and make a huge impact. If the coach makes practice quick and...
is 250 the new 300
When we talk about pitching immortality we say things like 300 wins, 3,000 k’s and how many Cy Young awards and World Series rings does he have. But I am asking is 300 still the measuring stick for greatness. The only reason I ask is in my previous post I put up a chart showing career wins, average wins per season, and average starts per year. One thing stood out to me in that chart, how...
Leading off from first
Taking your lead is very important, and knowing when and how to do it can save you from getting picked off.
You should always wait for the pitcher to step on the rubber before taking your lead off, if you do this there are certain rules he must follow in order to throw over. After the pitcher gets on the rubber, the baserunner should have his left foot on the bag and they should have their body...
5 man rotation and pitch counts
Is the five man rotation actually helpful? Do pitch counts help or hurt a teams chance to win?
It is my firm belief that the 5 man rotation does nothing but take starts from good pitchers and give them to guys who should be in the bull pen. The 5 man rotation came about in the early 70’s and since then the average number of starts by a teams #1 pitcher has also dropped. This means your...
College Baseball...what it takes
There is a lot of speculation out there but most people do not understand the rules of recruiting or what is actually going on. This post will answer some of those questions and if you have any more please let me know.
First of all a coach can not contact you for recruiting purposes before July the summer leading up to your senior year. If you email a coach, they are able to send you camp...
I do not like giving away outs.
To bunt or not to bunt that is the real question. I am a believer in conserving outs unless my back is totally against the wall. My strategy is to never bunt a runner from 1st to 2nd anytime before the 7th inning. It is about this time when you will realize you have no options left because you have to force a run across and your team simply isn’t hitting enough and you are hoping to...
Aggressive play is rewarded
Turn singles into double, take the extra base on the ball in the dirt, and every now and then swing for the fences if the situation allows for it.
Aggressive play is what makes the game fun to watch, when you come to the park you want to see players stealing, hustling, and diving whenever they get the chance, it is exhilarating. Players need to learn from an early age to put pressure on the...
On Field Communication
This is another post for the outfielders. We all know you need to talk, but there is a lot more to talking then just calling a fly ball.
One thing I think is very important is letting the other outfielders know where to go. If you are in right field and there is a ball in the gap that gets down and the center fielder calls it, instead of the stopping on the play or just backing him up you...