Baseball Drills

There are very few things more frustrating to an athlete than than to struggle at the plate as a hitter and not understand where the problem stems from. When I work with hitters, I focus on perfecting the functions of lower body mechanics because of the affect the lower body has on the upper half. Trying to solve upper body hitting mechanics without addressing the lower half first is like attempting to build a house beginning with the second story prior to building the basement - it doesn't work too well.

Some of the common mistakes that can be ironed out with some common lower body baseball drills are:

1. Collapsing of the backside (shoulder dipping)

2. Front side (hip) flying open

3. Hunching over the plate (upper body)

4. Hands extending away from body through swing

Here is what to check for as you work with the lower body mechanics of your athletes during some baseball drills.

As the hitter shifts some weight onto his back leg (the load) prior to the pitch, look to see if that weight continues to stay on the back side as the swing begins. Many hitters have the problem of letting their hips slide forward towards the pitcher during the beginning stages of the swing. This problem (often called floating) can be a major cause of some of the above problems.

Because I understand that visualizing the process I'm referring to in text can be tricky, there are a couple videos posted on my blog that will illustrate a proper trigger and lower body mechanics. Upon entering my blog, click on hitting on the left hand side of the screen and you will be able to view that will illustrate what I've written on.

Staying Motivated While You Practice

One of the biggest challenges a coach faces is to successfully instill a long-term motivation and vision in practice during the typical lengthy baseball season. It's not uncommon for a high school player to spend February through August doing baseball drills, workouts, training, and of course participating in games. So the question must be asked, how can you create a sense of urgency and long-term focus during the hundreds of hours of baseball drills throughout the season?

This is where goals come into play. Though I will say, be careful how you use the term "goals", the reaction of your athletes may be less than excited. I prefer the term, "road map". Whether it be to play in high school, college, or professionally, you will be much more likely to find your athletes will perform the baseball drills and workouts you create efficiently if you help them continually expand their road map. Without a clear and defined road map, you'll end up wasting a lot of practice time and will most certainly find it tough to help your players stay motivated throughout the duration of the season.

I'm sure you've agreed with me thus far that a road map creation process is vital to the success to an athlete. But let me give you one tangible and practical way to help enlarge the thinking of your players.

Think of it this way. If the goal is to get to the Big Leagues, there are some serious rewards that come with the title of Big Leaguer. One of the benefits of course is economic. Lets say a talented and successful player makes one million++ dollars annually playing professionally. Broken down over a career of practicing and working hard on baseball drills, that's about 20 grand per practice! Obviously it largely depends on the age of the athlete whose dream is to play in the Bigs, but I'm sure you can do the math and figure out the amount of money per practice. Have the athlete deposit the money in his mental bank account only if he's worked hard during his practice.

The mind is an amazing thing. Help your athletes develop it so they may achieve their full potential.

Tips And Reasons Why Abdominal Training Is Crucial To A Faster Swing

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.

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.