Tips and Reasons Why Abdominal Training Is Crucial To a Faster Swing
While there are many factors that go into a baseball players swing, keeping shape and having abs that are strong will help in many ways. An abdominal area that is strong will give the player more control over their body. Swinging a baseball bat is about precision. The body must be used as a whole when swinging the bat. Having strong abs to rely on will help a player make accurate swings each time.
Strong abdominal muscles will also help improve posture, which will affect the swing. Players that have good posture will be able hit differently types of pitches easily. Slouching will limit the range of the arm, which will not be effective when swinging the bat. Players must stay in good shape in order to hit the ball, run, slide, and catch. There are many tasks that a baseball player must accomplish during a game. Having strong abdominal muscles will improve their overall game as well as their ability to swing efficiently and hit the ball.
The third reason why having abdominal muscles will help improve one’s swing is the speed at which the ball is traveling when it hits the bat. This speed could push a player is not in good shape back too far. When standing, the player will use his abdominal muscles to help keep him upright. Having strong muscles will help keep one’s legs firmly on the ground. This will also help in case the ball hits the player. While they may suffer some bruising, the player should be fine.
There are a few ways that players can keep their abdominal muscles in good shape. The first is to exercise regularly. This means that they will have to perform crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, and other abdominal exercises that will help keep these muscles strong. At least an hour a day must be devoted to exercises of this nature in additional to strength training and running. When a player is in good shape, they will be able to perform on the field much better. They will be more focused on what they have to do and they are more prone to accomplishing what they have set out to do.
In addition to exercise, players must eat a healthy diet that is full of protein and does not include fat that will build-up on stomach muscles. Eating too much junk food, drinking alcohol excessively, and not exercising are ways to build a stomach that will not be strong. Players will have to cut out foods that are high in fat and substitute them for foods that are high in fiber and nutrients that will help them have more energy on the field and that will keep them in shape.
Over time, the body will begin to change. Many players consider retiring as their body becomes different. However, you will also see players that linger on, working out harder than ever to keep up with the rookies of the game. This can mean that it will take more effort and time each year to maintain strong, healthy abdominal muscles in order to make more home runs. Players have to work very hard when they are working out and eating in order to avoid foods that they should not be eating. Nutritionists and others can offer advice on how to eat and how to exercise. Players who are in good shape will be able to hit the ball and run faster than those who are out of shape. Abdominal muscles will help a player perform more on the field by providing support for the body, strength behind the bat, and allow a player to run faster.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Curveball - When And How To Pitch
The Curveball - When & How to Pitch
In baseball, there are four rudimentary pitches: the four-seam fastball, the two-seam fastball, the change-up, and the curveball. Both the change-up and curve ball are off-speed pitches that a pitcher throws when he wants to keep a hitter off balance. For example, if a pitcher begins a sequence of pitches by throwing an outside fastball at the knees for a strike, and then an inside fastball letter-high to which a batter swings and misses, then his next pitch should be a curveball thrown at the same visual point that the letter-high fastball was thrown. By doing so, the pitch will effectively disguise his pitch by making it appear as though a fastball is coming toward the batter from the same visual perspective; furthermore, the pitch is twenty miles per hour slower descending at a 45 degree angle through the strike zone which effectively causes a batter to misfire and become off-balance when swinging.
This is not the only time during an at bat one would want to throw a curveball. Nonetheless, the same basic principle applies in so far as a pitcher needs to utilize the curveball as a deceptive pitch. Depending on the batter, a pitcher may want to throw all curveballs, or no curveballs. Each batter has his own personal strengths and weaknesses. According to these strengths and weaknesses a pitcher must execute how and when he throws the particular pitches. However, more often than not, even if a batter has a history of not being able to strike a curveball, one would not want to pitch strictly curveballs because doing so will allow that batter to hone in on the pitch and eventually strike it.
Often times the hitters with the most trouble striking curveballs are power hitters. This is usually the case because many homerun hitters have a tendency to over swing while trying to hit every pitch - especially fastballs - out of the ballpark. By taking this approach at the plate, power hitters are usually unable to keep their hands and body weight back, thus, when they swing at a curve ball they are usually out in front of the pitch.
Before one can learn to throw a curveball, they should always keep in mind that a pitcher should not throw one until his or her muscles have fully developed. In other words, young pitchers should not be throwing curve balls because it can have irreversible damage on one’s tendons and ligaments. In many cases where a pitcher has blows his arm out, medical professionals have linked doing so to throwing curveballs at a young age. Thus, if one ever should have aspirations of pitching at the professional level, one should not attempt to throw a curveball until their body can handle the stress of throwing one.
There are a few different ways to throw a curveball, however, one method is predominantly used. This method consists of a pitcher gripping the ball with two fingers along the right vertical seam of the ball (or the left vertical seam if on is left-handed). After this grip is applied, a pitcher should go into the same mechanical motion that he or she uses in order deliver a fastball. However, rather than vertically following straight through - as is the case with a fastball - the pitcher should diagonally snap his throwing motion from the same release point. In other words, at the same release point as one releases his fastball, one should release the ball is if he or she were pulling down on a light cord. This diagonal motion applies a spin to the ball as it is rotating toward the plate, which consequently allows the ball to come in at a slower velocity, but more importantly makes the ball go through the strike zone as if it were falling off the edge of a table.
There are many great curveball pitchers in the Major Leagues; however, according to many experts, perhaps the best curveball belongs to Oakland A’s pitcher Barry Zito. Even though Zito does not have a good fastball - about 85 mph -, his great curveball allows him to keep big league hitters off balance. Many curve balls will drop around 12 - 18 inches through the strike zone; however, Zito’s curveball often times drops nearly four feet because of the angle he throws it at. Making his curveball even more effective is the fact that the pitchers mound is elevated seemingly making the pitch drop even more than it actually does because of the downward flight path.
In baseball, there are four rudimentary pitches: the four-seam fastball, the two-seam fastball, the change-up, and the curveball. Both the change-up and curve ball are off-speed pitches that a pitcher throws when he wants to keep a hitter off balance. For example, if a pitcher begins a sequence of pitches by throwing an outside fastball at the knees for a strike, and then an inside fastball letter-high to which a batter swings and misses, then his next pitch should be a curveball thrown at the same visual point that the letter-high fastball was thrown. By doing so, the pitch will effectively disguise his pitch by making it appear as though a fastball is coming toward the batter from the same visual perspective; furthermore, the pitch is twenty miles per hour slower descending at a 45 degree angle through the strike zone which effectively causes a batter to misfire and become off-balance when swinging.
This is not the only time during an at bat one would want to throw a curveball. Nonetheless, the same basic principle applies in so far as a pitcher needs to utilize the curveball as a deceptive pitch. Depending on the batter, a pitcher may want to throw all curveballs, or no curveballs. Each batter has his own personal strengths and weaknesses. According to these strengths and weaknesses a pitcher must execute how and when he throws the particular pitches. However, more often than not, even if a batter has a history of not being able to strike a curveball, one would not want to pitch strictly curveballs because doing so will allow that batter to hone in on the pitch and eventually strike it.
Often times the hitters with the most trouble striking curveballs are power hitters. This is usually the case because many homerun hitters have a tendency to over swing while trying to hit every pitch - especially fastballs - out of the ballpark. By taking this approach at the plate, power hitters are usually unable to keep their hands and body weight back, thus, when they swing at a curve ball they are usually out in front of the pitch.
Before one can learn to throw a curveball, they should always keep in mind that a pitcher should not throw one until his or her muscles have fully developed. In other words, young pitchers should not be throwing curve balls because it can have irreversible damage on one’s tendons and ligaments. In many cases where a pitcher has blows his arm out, medical professionals have linked doing so to throwing curveballs at a young age. Thus, if one ever should have aspirations of pitching at the professional level, one should not attempt to throw a curveball until their body can handle the stress of throwing one.
There are a few different ways to throw a curveball, however, one method is predominantly used. This method consists of a pitcher gripping the ball with two fingers along the right vertical seam of the ball (or the left vertical seam if on is left-handed). After this grip is applied, a pitcher should go into the same mechanical motion that he or she uses in order deliver a fastball. However, rather than vertically following straight through - as is the case with a fastball - the pitcher should diagonally snap his throwing motion from the same release point. In other words, at the same release point as one releases his fastball, one should release the ball is if he or she were pulling down on a light cord. This diagonal motion applies a spin to the ball as it is rotating toward the plate, which consequently allows the ball to come in at a slower velocity, but more importantly makes the ball go through the strike zone as if it were falling off the edge of a table.
There are many great curveball pitchers in the Major Leagues; however, according to many experts, perhaps the best curveball belongs to Oakland A’s pitcher Barry Zito. Even though Zito does not have a good fastball - about 85 mph -, his great curveball allows him to keep big league hitters off balance. Many curve balls will drop around 12 - 18 inches through the strike zone; however, Zito’s curveball often times drops nearly four feet because of the angle he throws it at. Making his curveball even more effective is the fact that the pitchers mound is elevated seemingly making the pitch drop even more than it actually does because of the downward flight path.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Baseball Bats
The history of baseball bats dates back to 1800s. During this period, baseball was in its infancy, and players made their own bats from wood, without any specific shape or size; players experimented with long, short, flat, and heavy bats, and they eventually built a bat with a round barrel.
In 1859, the first rule was made regarding the size of the baseball bat. The rule prescribed the allowable width of the bat, 2.5 inches in diameter, but no length was prescribed. In 1869, another rule was made to restrict the length of the bat to 42 inches (the same maximum length allowed today). Even though there was no rule regarding the shape of the bats, most of the players used bats with flat surfaces. Baseball underwent several developments during the succeeding years. In 1890, a committee made a rule concerning the shape of the bat; the rule suggested the round shape of the bat and fixed the diameter to 2.75 inches at the end
Baseball came to a new phase with the introduction of metal belts in 1970. Bats made of aluminum became an instant success, as they are lightweight, durable, and much faster than wooden bats. Although titanium bats were introduced in 1993, they were banned from professional games because of other dangers. Various types of aluminum baseball bats were introduced during the 1990s. Bats made of scandium aluminum are the most popular today.
A great deal of research was conducted and many resulting modifications were made by manufactures to improve the trampoline effect of the bat and to increase the size of the sweet spot (the place on the bat for hitting the ball). A double-walled bat, a new design introduced in the 1990s, consists of an outer wall of scandium-aluminum and an inner wall of a composite material (often graphite), and a thick fluid or rubber between these two walls. Today, standard wooden bats are made of maple, white ash, and bamboo; these bats are used in professional baseball tournaments.
The past 150 years have seen many significant changes to the baseball bat, and the design of the bat continues to evolve.
Baseball bat cases
Baseball is a beloved sport for many Americans. Many young men dream of playing in the professional leagues and some carry this dream well into their golden years. Baseball bat cases are the ideal gift for anyone who loves the sport. You can put collectable bats signed by players or you could even buy baseball bat cases for old bats used by the recipient in years past.
My husband had the dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He did have some talent but not quite enough to take him out of the minor league. Nevertheless, he is quite proud of his accomplishments even though he didn’t take it to the pros. I decided to bring back some of his fond memories of playing by buying baseball bat cases for his little collection.
Most of the baseball bat cases are really simple. I bought one that holds two bats and one that holds a single one as well. I put a couple of his old bats in the double baseball case and the other “lucky” bat in the single container. He was thrilled to see the display and he was even more thrilled with how the baseball bat cases looked in his game room.
Since the baseball bat cases were such a hit (no pun intended), I decided to invest in a different unit that offered a little more. This product is a true beauty. It offers a combination of spaces that allow for a real collection including a bat, ball and an 8 X 10 photograph.
Finding the perfect case was pretty simple but I did have a bit of a challenge filling it with memorabilia. I had a choice between professional items that are signed by his favorite player. This would be an expensive endeavor but well worth the investment. It really doesn’t matter how much it is worth because I don’t think that he would ever sell the contents of the baseball bat cases.
A few months and a few hundred dollars later, I had the perfect collection for the last of his baseball bat cases. I had no idea that he would be relatively mild in his reaction. He was much more excited to get the baseball bat cases that contained his old items that he used to use.
I learned a great lesson about my husband during the whole process of finding and filling baseball bat cases. Memories are much more important than money when it comes to his many experiences with his all-time favorite sport.
My husband had the dream of becoming a professional baseball player. He did have some talent but not quite enough to take him out of the minor league. Nevertheless, he is quite proud of his accomplishments even though he didn’t take it to the pros. I decided to bring back some of his fond memories of playing by buying baseball bat cases for his little collection.
Most of the baseball bat cases are really simple. I bought one that holds two bats and one that holds a single one as well. I put a couple of his old bats in the double baseball case and the other “lucky” bat in the single container. He was thrilled to see the display and he was even more thrilled with how the baseball bat cases looked in his game room.
Since the baseball bat cases were such a hit (no pun intended), I decided to invest in a different unit that offered a little more. This product is a true beauty. It offers a combination of spaces that allow for a real collection including a bat, ball and an 8 X 10 photograph.
Finding the perfect case was pretty simple but I did have a bit of a challenge filling it with memorabilia. I had a choice between professional items that are signed by his favorite player. This would be an expensive endeavor but well worth the investment. It really doesn’t matter how much it is worth because I don’t think that he would ever sell the contents of the baseball bat cases.
A few months and a few hundred dollars later, I had the perfect collection for the last of his baseball bat cases. I had no idea that he would be relatively mild in his reaction. He was much more excited to get the baseball bat cases that contained his old items that he used to use.
I learned a great lesson about my husband during the whole process of finding and filling baseball bat cases. Memories are much more important than money when it comes to his many experiences with his all-time favorite sport.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Baseball Game
Baseball Game
If you want me to take a nap, all you have to do is put a baseball game on my television. I know that many of my friends would throw things at me for saying something like that, but it never fails. If there is golf or baseball on my television and my daughter is not home, I am going to fall asleep. Baseball is ok, but it is not one of my passions. Quite frankly, it moves too slowly and there is too much downtime. I prefer football or hockey, though I have to admit I have seen some football games move just as slowly.
I enjoy a baseball game more if I am there to watch it in person. I have been to a few when I visited friends in Pittsburgh, though the team didn’t do that well. The whole experience of going to a baseball game was great though, and I had a very good time watching the game and catching up with my friends. I was amazed at what they had to offer at the stadium. If I remember correctly, there was an Outback Steakhouse there if you wanted to have dinner. Amazing! It almost seemed as if you could spend an entire weekend there and not have to leave for anything. They had it all, except perhaps, for the beds.
I also like a good baseball game if I am playing. When I was a kid it was one of the games that we played all of the time. There were many kinds in my neighborhood and we played a game with each other whenever we could. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that sitting on someone was not an acceptable way to stop them from getting to a base. I guess you could say our baseball game was not what you would see on television, though perhaps it was far more interesting.
Whatever the case, we had fun when we played, and I am still up for a good baseball game if we are at a family gathering and someone wants to play. I still don’t watch it on television, and that is something that might never change. However, if I ever feel the need for a really good nap I will be happy to turn on a baseball game so I can peacefully drift off into a deep sleep for a few hours. Please, just don’t come over and sit on me, ok?
If you want me to take a nap, all you have to do is put a baseball game on my television. I know that many of my friends would throw things at me for saying something like that, but it never fails. If there is golf or baseball on my television and my daughter is not home, I am going to fall asleep. Baseball is ok, but it is not one of my passions. Quite frankly, it moves too slowly and there is too much downtime. I prefer football or hockey, though I have to admit I have seen some football games move just as slowly.
I enjoy a baseball game more if I am there to watch it in person. I have been to a few when I visited friends in Pittsburgh, though the team didn’t do that well. The whole experience of going to a baseball game was great though, and I had a very good time watching the game and catching up with my friends. I was amazed at what they had to offer at the stadium. If I remember correctly, there was an Outback Steakhouse there if you wanted to have dinner. Amazing! It almost seemed as if you could spend an entire weekend there and not have to leave for anything. They had it all, except perhaps, for the beds.
I also like a good baseball game if I am playing. When I was a kid it was one of the games that we played all of the time. There were many kinds in my neighborhood and we played a game with each other whenever we could. It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that sitting on someone was not an acceptable way to stop them from getting to a base. I guess you could say our baseball game was not what you would see on television, though perhaps it was far more interesting.
Whatever the case, we had fun when we played, and I am still up for a good baseball game if we are at a family gathering and someone wants to play. I still don’t watch it on television, and that is something that might never change. However, if I ever feel the need for a really good nap I will be happy to turn on a baseball game so I can peacefully drift off into a deep sleep for a few hours. Please, just don’t come over and sit on me, ok?
Baseball boxes
Perhaps the greatest thrill of a young baseball fan is opening up his or her first set of baseball trading cards. Not knowing exactly whose card will be in the package and hoping beyond hope that your favorite player will be there is just one of the many thrills all new baseball fans look forward to.
Since the late 1980’s buying baseball cards one package at a time is not necessarily the norm. Baseball boxes, with anywhere from twelve to thirty six packs per box, are now often purchased in their entirety by collectors looking to find those rarest of cards in great quantity. As opposed to gathering a huge selection of different player cards, the collector is after two things in particular – the hot rookie card and the specialty card. For this reason, buying baseball boxes rather than single packages is now the investor’s purchase of choice.
With baseball supplies, memorabilia, and individual player cards all gaining in popularity a new era of collectors have arrived. Collecting baseball cards is no longer only for the young to use as noisemakers in the spokes of their bicycles but for the fan who closely watches player development and statistics as well. By purchasing baseball boxes the likelihood of collecting more than just one of those rare cards is increased astronomically. The most common baseball card boxes today have approximately 360 cards per box, or roughly half of an entire set. With the most sought after cards randomly packaged throughout the company’s boxed sets it makes for a huge selection from which to grasp that ever elusive card. In buying baseball boxes, collectors get exceptionally great prices should they happen to find a higher than average number of rookie and specialty cards per package. So while the youthful exuberance of looking for that one player still remains, it is there for a different purpose. For the last fifteen years, the majority of those opening packages of baseball cards have done so looking for today’s most popular card and not necessarily their favorite player.
While baseball boxes and their sales continue to grow it is still a wonderful market for those of all ages to enjoy. Along with selling complete season sets individually, all baseball card companies still offer the individual package for the child in all of us. Whether collecting cards alone or with your children, the joy of opening that single package is still much more exciting than carefully unwrapping entire baseball boxes of cards making sure not to damage any cards that may affect an investment. Either way, both the young enthusiast and the most well-informed collector will always look forward to the cards that come with each new season.
Since the late 1980’s buying baseball cards one package at a time is not necessarily the norm. Baseball boxes, with anywhere from twelve to thirty six packs per box, are now often purchased in their entirety by collectors looking to find those rarest of cards in great quantity. As opposed to gathering a huge selection of different player cards, the collector is after two things in particular – the hot rookie card and the specialty card. For this reason, buying baseball boxes rather than single packages is now the investor’s purchase of choice.
With baseball supplies, memorabilia, and individual player cards all gaining in popularity a new era of collectors have arrived. Collecting baseball cards is no longer only for the young to use as noisemakers in the spokes of their bicycles but for the fan who closely watches player development and statistics as well. By purchasing baseball boxes the likelihood of collecting more than just one of those rare cards is increased astronomically. The most common baseball card boxes today have approximately 360 cards per box, or roughly half of an entire set. With the most sought after cards randomly packaged throughout the company’s boxed sets it makes for a huge selection from which to grasp that ever elusive card. In buying baseball boxes, collectors get exceptionally great prices should they happen to find a higher than average number of rookie and specialty cards per package. So while the youthful exuberance of looking for that one player still remains, it is there for a different purpose. For the last fifteen years, the majority of those opening packages of baseball cards have done so looking for today’s most popular card and not necessarily their favorite player.
While baseball boxes and their sales continue to grow it is still a wonderful market for those of all ages to enjoy. Along with selling complete season sets individually, all baseball card companies still offer the individual package for the child in all of us. Whether collecting cards alone or with your children, the joy of opening that single package is still much more exciting than carefully unwrapping entire baseball boxes of cards making sure not to damage any cards that may affect an investment. Either way, both the young enthusiast and the most well-informed collector will always look forward to the cards that come with each new season.
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