Baseball around the clock

I say it all the time but I beg and plead with parents and parent coaches to make the game fun, let kids of a young age play all positions, and do not just get a kid his one at bat per game because it is the rules.  I ask kids to play for the love of the game, but they can only do that if the coach and parents allow that love to grow.  So I am going to assume the coaches and parents are doing this and I am going to turn my attention to the player now.

I ask you to simply “follow the love”.  If you do this you will be playing the game because it is fun, and when the game is fun you will put more into it.  The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.  You must remember it takes hard work to play at a high level but if you are following the love you will never feel like you are working.  You will be getting better and having fun at the same time.

Coaches and Parents please allow the love to grow and players do it because you simply enjoy the smell of the grass, the sound of the glove, and having your friends around.  One day it may turn into more than that but you must have that foundation before anything further can come of it.

Go out, work hard, enjoy the game.

College baseball camps used to be for fun and a chance to get out on a college field and practice your skills and hopefully learn a few things.  Times have change and I mean a lot.  Now College camps are used not only to teach skills but they also allow college coaches the chance to see multiple players live and at one time.  What makes these such great tools for coaches is the ability to see numerous players at one time.  College camps used to be full of drills and light instruction from players, they are still full of drills but now college coaches are more involved in the camps.  Things you can expect to get out of a college camp:

60 time

Arm Strength

Live Bullpen

Home to 1st time

Catchers pop time

All of these are for your benefit but they also help the coaches as well.  Those are hard numbers that we as coaches love to have, but by seeing a player at a camp we get to see how the player acts, we get to see his baseball movements, and we get to see how he interacts with other players.

Players you should attend camps when you can, especially if you have a realistic shot at playing for the school because you get to evaluate the situation as well.  You will be around the coaches and players for hours and using drills and techniques the team at the school uses all day.  Why is this so important? For one you might learn something but you also get to see if the program is a good fit for you.  You work along side the actual players, so you get to see if you like the palyers, you also get to meet the coach so you will get to see if you like the head coach as well as the assistants.  Finally you get to see what they teach and how they teach it, so you will be able to determine if the school is a good fit for what you are looking for athletically.

Don’t forget the most important aspect of the college, does the school have the program in which you want to pursue a degree.  Have fun and keep working hard.

Some people argue that people who hit for power use hip rotation and singles hitters tend to slide forward and be more linear.  I disagree completely, I think there is one way to swing a baseball bat that makes people consistently successful.  That way as I have stated before comes down to your back hip opening and driving forward after your front heel hits the ground.  This is obviously a little bit of a simplistic overview of my philosophy.  I will say this, you hit into your front foot, not on it.  What does this mean, it means your front leg should be firm and your hips should power your swing through the zone driving you into your firm front leg.  This link below gives proof to the fact singles hitters and one of the best singles hitters in baseball history uses these exact mechanics.  Notice how his neither his head or chest are even close to being in front of his front foot.  Again this guy is a singles hitters.

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/ProfessionalHitterAnalyses/SwingAnalysis_TonyGwynn_3B_001.html

Now the next link is Albert Pujols, who we all know to be a tremendous power hitter how also hits for average.  Notice the swing mechanics and the hip rotation are the same as Mr. Gywnn’s swing.  The one difference is the amount of tilt Pujols has but that is no big deal.  I want you to look at the positioning of his body during the swing and at contact.

http://www.chrisoleary.com/projects/Baseball/Hitting/RethinkingHitting/Essays/AlbertPujolsSwingAnalysis.html

Both of these hitters use their hips to propel their swing.  The swing plane is not down, the hands do not start the swing, the back shoulder is lower then the front, and this is the way to swing the bat.  For all you kids out there and all you hitting instructors please make sure you are practicing and teaching what you see.

When you are playing catch the name of the game is catch, not chase or pick up, it is catch.  So how do you play catch the right way? First you play often and second you work on throwing the ball to a person.  The person who does not have the ball should give the person throwing the ball a target, this helps concentration and focus.  You should always throw to something, do not just throw it in a general region, look at a target and try to hit that target.  In a game when you have to throw someone out you have to throw to a base and more precisely you have to throw to a person who has to stay close to the base so get used to hitting a target when you are playing catch.

Receiving the ball during catch:

When you are playing catch and you do not have the ball your eyes should always be on your target, this is for safety reasons.  Also when you receive the ball you should always try to catch the ball with two hands and have the ball in between your shoulders.  What does this do?  First, two hands is proper form and second catching the ball between your shoulders makes you move your feet like you will have to do in a game on a throw that isn’t on target and it is makes catching the ball easier because it is right in front of your face.  Obviously if the ball is too high or too far away you will have to adjust but you will still have to move your feet.  Do not play catch with poor form, it creates bad habits.  You always want to be creating good habits and playing catch properly will allow you to do so.  Step and throw to a target and catch the ball with two hands between your shoulders.  Go out and have some fun playing the best game of all time.

The truth shall set you free:

As a player you must be honest with yourself in order to give yourself the best opportunity to play at the college level.  Let your friends and parents tell you how great you are but you must be informed and truthful with yourself.  Why is this so important?  You need to know what schools your abilities fit and you need to search the right schools.  Chances are if you are not the best player on your team in high school you are not going to LSU.  This does not mean you can’t play college baseball it just means you have to be realistic about your ability.  You can dream, set goals, and work hard, but if you simply are not good enough to play at a certain level you have to understand that.  If you want to play at Michigan and the only schools recruiting you or even writing you letters are division three schools or NAIA you may need to reassess your ability.  If you do not know, go ask someone for their opinion.  Make sure it is someone you trust will be honest with you and it should be obvious this person needs to have an understanding of what it takes to play at the college level.

Recruiting services:

Do not waste your money

If you have not heard of these there are people who will charge you an insane amount of money and some even guarantee you a spot on a college team.  Do not fall for this scam.  Yes they may actually get you a spot on a team but there is a good chance you will have little to no interest in playing at that school but as long as they find you a spot they have upheld their end of the deal.  Some people say all we want is a chance to play college ball we do not care where we play.  That is fine but you can do this on your own or with the help of your high school and summer coaches.  You do not need to pay someone $1,500 dollars a year to get recruited.   There are plenty of schools out there, you just have to find one that fits your skill set and if you follow the instructions in this manual you will find a place to play if you are talented enough.

Use your resources:

Ask Coaches and instructors to contact a coach.

A good word from someone the coach knows or trusts can go a long way.  Your high school coach, summer coach, and private instructors are good people to ask for help.  Talk to them and find out if they would be willing to make a call or send an email on your behalf.  Most coaches will do this, the only stipulation they will have is, the school must be one at which they think you are capable of playing at.  These people have reputations and they want to keep them, if they get a reputation for trying to send guys places they do not belong college coaches will stop listening.  Since you trust these people enough them to ask for a favor you should trust them enough to be honest with you.  Also, if you go this route you must follow through and play no matter what happens.  You must remember things will not always be perfect and if you quit it will hurt the reputation of the person that vouched for you.  On one occasion I have had a player quit after we told a coach he would do anything in the world just to play college baseball.  I am now very careful who I put my name on, and if I do vouch for someone I tell the coach the whole story, strengths, weaknesses, grades, and character, I make sure they know what they are getting.

School and Summer baseball:

These are times when coaches can come watch a player play in a live game situation with or without the player knowing they are there.  Showcases can also provide live games but the player always knows people are watching and may be nervous.  During your school season it is tougher for the coach to actually come watch because they are still playing as well.  Unless your team goes deep into the playoffs coaches will see you the most in the summer time.  What can you do to make sure you are getting in front of the right people?  Make sure your summer team goes to the right tournaments.  All teams are not created equal, some teams are put together by high school coaches simply to get players more playing time and help them get better and other teams are for the sole purpose of getting players exposure.  Teams that are looking to provide exposure will usually do a lot of traveling in and out of state.  These teams will go to major tournaments where there is a proven track record of college and pro scouts attending.  Do your research, figure out what teams offer, where they go, how much they cost, and what that cost covers.  Last but not least, check the roster.  Although you want to be on a good team, you also want to make sure you are going to play.  If you are a shortstop and the team you are thinking of playing for has a shortstop that is being recruited by numerous D-1 schools you might be better suited playing somewhere else.  Do not get me wrong competition is good for players but at this point you want the maximum amount of playing time at the position you would like to play.

School ball is important because college coaches talk to high school coaches about their players and other players they have come across.  School ball is a great opportunity to get your name out there with other high school coaches who will share information with each other and college coaches in general conversation.  For example, how many times have you heard about a player from another school but you have never actually watched that player in a game.  This happens with coaches too, but if a college coach gets their interest peaked they will get your schedule and come see you play.  It is just like anything else, if you hear about it enough you have to go find out what it is about.  Always be respectful of opposing coaches and always play hard.  You never know who they know.  During my playing career in high school and college I had numerous coaches tell me they liked my game and if I needed any help, please let them know and they would help in any way they could.