The Best Christmas Gift Santa Can Give a Littlle League Player.

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Happy Thanksgiving to Our Baseball Coaching & Training Equipment Blog Readers

Happy Thanksgiving to Our Baseball Coaching & Training Blog Readers

The staff at Nedco Sports wishes you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holidays.

Baseball Pitching Tips - Composure on the Mound is Critical For You!

By Larry Cicchiello

To constantly improve, pitchers quite often work on their control and improving the quality and consistency of their pitches. Let me be very bold and tell you that if you are NOT able to maintain your composure on the mound, you had better start working on that also!

You work on control, you work on the fastball, you work on breaking balls and you better work on your composure just as seriously. Having good composure is a very important part of a pitcher's arsenal of weapons. You can have "great stuff" but if you lose your composure, isn't the benefit of having "great stuff" severely diminished?

NEVER let a bad pitch affect your next pitch. I admit, this is easier said than done. What can be helpful is to allow yourself three seconds to be upset and then totally let it go. Have this understanding with yourself ahead of time and stick to it. Three seconds, that's it.

My son has a friend, who is a crafty left-hander who pitched in high school in 2007 and now pitches in college. In his senior year of high school, he really impressed a college scout. He gave up a tremendous home run over the left field fence. The scout who came to watch him, told him after the game that the bomb is a part of the game and is NO big deal at all. What the scout was impressed with was that after the bomb, he calmly struck out the next batter on three pitches and maintained his composure! College scouts have a tendency to be extremely sharp baseball people. They look for composure in a baseball player and realize the importance of it. The scout never mentioned his six innings, three hits, two earned runs, eight strikeouts and only two walks. Hopefully, just as the college scout realized, you will realize the importance of maintaining your composure.

Please don't ever let a bad pitch get the better of you. You are not going to strike out every batter on three pitches. You are not going to pitch a shutout every time out. You are not going to pitch a no hitter every time out. The only certainties in baseball pitching are that you ARE going to make some mistakes and sometimes things are just not going to go your way.

Allow yourself three seconds to be upset and then get back to work. If someone hit a bomb off you ten seconds ago, it's the same as if it was hit twenty years ago. It is in the history books. The same with an error by one of your teammates. The same with a bloop hit. If you truly want to be a good pitcher, your only thought process should be on making your next pitch a quality pitch.

You can not rewrite the history books. The only pitch that matters is the next one you throw.

Please "let it go" and get back to work!

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc and is also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or baseball coach at any level of play, or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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Baseball Training Pitching Tips

By Eugene Rischall

Pitching is very important in winning baseball games. Pitching the proper way with the help of your baseball training will greatly improve your teams chance of winning.

Your pitching plan should include located fastball, quick breaking ball, change speeds, pick off and hold runners, and fielding. Pitchers should do three things when they pick up a baseball. Locate, change speeds, and throw with a proper mechanical delivery.

Proper delivery mechanics should help a pitcher increase velocity, throw better breaking balls, have better control, reduce injury, and build confidence. Pitchers should be able to pitch from a wind up or stretch position.

The delivery is broken down into five phases. The initial stance or set up is where you analyze, visualize, centralize, and execute. The primary balance point is where the pitcher achieves balance. The break phase is when the pitcher starts his movement toward the plate. Secondary power position starts the moment the pitchers foot hits the ground. The last phase is the follow-through which is extremely important to how your ball is pitched.

A great baseball training aid is the designated hitter which is a silhouette dummy at the plate. Great for good pitching location mechanics.

Baseball training drills are very important in a pitchers development. The knee drill drill is important in developing upper-body technique. Power emphasizes lower-body technique. There is also balance drill, full delivery drill, dry drill, clap drill, and glide-to-stride drill.

With a lot of practice your training will help you develop into a great pitcher. There are different baseball training aids which will greatly improve your chance of success. Remember, practice, practice, and practice.

Author-Eugene Rischall, Owner, Baseball Training Emporium http://www.baseballtrainingemporium.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eugene_Rischall

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Baseball Training Aids - Finding the Best Ones

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Using good baseball training aids can help improve your practices and make you a better player. The difficulty is trying to find the good ones and avoiding the others.

By Jack D. Elliott

All baseball players want to have a quicker bat, throw harder, or run faster. Many Baseball Training Aids sell this vision to baseball players tempting them to by their new product. However, the training aids do not always deliver what they promise. This can not only be frustrating to the young baseball players, but it can also be counterproductive. In some cases, it can even hurt the performance of an aspiring ball player. For this reason, to help combat the proliferation of bad products and to promote the good baseball training aids, I have put together this list of things you should review before buying:

Reputation of the Company or Sponsor

If the company is an established company in the baseball world that has been selling products for a number of years, they are far more likely to put out legitimate and solid products. The reason for this is their reputation as a company is dependent on how customers feel about their product offerings. If they have been in the competitive baseball equipment market for a number of years, odds are they have done this the right way. This essentially means you can be more trusting of their products and you should give a more critical review to new companies offering unproven products.

Look at the performance information that is included

Most baseball training aids will include some type of empirical evidence to show why their training aid is such a great product. If the product fails to include this type of information, this is a sign right away that something may be amiss. Another thing you should look at is to think critically over the source and meaning of the information provided. Essentially, you are trying to determine if the study or numbers are valid. Questions you should think about are what other factors might have caused this spike in performance that is unrelated to the product or who is putting their name behind this product. Often times, the best products will be getting a vote of confidence from former baseball players and coaches. Just a general endorsement by some guy in some town is not enough. What you are looking for is "recognized experts" who are giving their approval. Don't settle for anything less.

Does the baseball training aid have a track record?

Do not be fooled into believing the best things are those that are brand new. The best baseball training aids will be those that have been on the market for a few years and have been field tested by plenty of different people. These are the training aids you should seek out because there will be a number of reviews and comments made about them that you can look over to see if it delivers what it promises. In fact, it is almost always best to let others be the guinea pigs for new products. You reap the benefit by letting them deal with poorly performing products and get to use the products that everyone endorses. In this way, you significantly cut down on the risk that you will get a bad product.

Using this advice, will help you find some quality baseball training aids. One of the biggest lessons in life is to be happy with what you have. By being content with established baseball training aids and not always looking out for the next great thing, you increase your odds off having better practices through using quality baseball training aids and reduce the risk of getting either frustrated or picking up bad habits with poor training aids.

For more information on the best Baseball Training Aids, try visiting http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com - it is a website offering solid tips and information on baseball training aids and baseball instruction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott

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If you are looking for a baseball batting tool that will increase bat speed and skill, here are three of baseball's most popular batting trainers.

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The Stayback Tee is designed to help teach and practice rotational hitting that can increase bat speed. The Stayback Tee helps the batter establish the proper axis to launch the swing. It virtually eliminates forward motion after swing initiation commonly called lunging. This enhances balance in the stride landing and allows the hitter to adjust to different speed pitches and maximize the power by leading with hips and turning into the ball.



Short video demonstration of the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball softball trainer, The BatAction offers high speed ball movement drills that are 100% Guaranteed to Improve batting averages, bat speed and hitting skill. Unit is suitable for all ages from t-ball to high scholo. Great for Little League team parctices and home backyard workouts. The BatAction is often called the "Backyard Basketball Goal" for baseball and softball players.




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The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Baseball Hitting Tips - Excellent One Liners About Baseball Hitting

By Larry Cicchiello

Sometimes you can say a lot with only a few words. The following list will prove just that.

"Everything goes toward the pitcher." Your body should be going toward the pitcher and not toward third base if you are a right-handed hitter or toward first base if you are a left-handed hitter. It's a very common baseball hitting problem because it is extremely unnatural to go toward someone who is throwing a baseball in your direction. But, the truly great hitters all do it.

"Outstanding hitters have slow feet and fast hands." The faster you move your feet around the better the chances are that you will get "sloppy." A steady, balanced foundation is as important to hitting as it is to building a house. Even if everything above the foundation is perfect, whether it be hitting a baseball or building a house, if the foundation is not perfect it will lead to many problems. And "fast hands" are of the utmost importance when hitting a baseball. It's very frustrating, especially for power pitchers, when a hitter literally just flicks the bat out with very quick hands and hits the ball hard for a hit.

"Short and quick is so much better than long and strong." I can not overemphasize how being "short to the ball" is a very critical factor and one of the better baseball hitting tips. Being "short" is an absolute necessity and you will be able to catch up to anyone's fastball. I would rather pitch against a baseball hitter with a long and very powerful swing than someone who is "short to the ball" any day!

"Stride and then swing." They are two separate movements yet quite often weaker hitters will do them at the same time. Watch and you will see this very common baseball hitting problem happen often. They should happen in rapid succession but they are separate movements that should be done as smoothly as possible.

"Tension is a hitter's worst enemy." An expression that's been around for decades and still holds true and always will. Hitting a baseball effectively is not an easy thing to do. If you tighten up your muscles it is pretty much impossible to be a good baseball hitter. That's one of the reasons some very good hitters will have a little waggle with their bodies or their bats while waiting for the pitch. It's almost impossible to tighten up your muscles when you are moving them. Relax and "let the air out."

"To hit the ball harder, you don't necessarily have to swing harder." Don't place too much emphasis on how hard you swing the bat. It's a very common baseball hitting problem, especially with younger players.They swing too hard and miss the baseball by a foot. Focus heavily on getting the sweet part of the bat on the ball as often as you can. Trust me, just get the bat there and watch what happens. Let the bat do 90% of the work for you. Bat manufacturers spend millions of dollars on research to have the ball jump off the bat when hit on the "sweet spot." Nobody will ever notice how hard you did or did not swing at the pitch. What they will notice is your "seed" going up the right-center or left-center field gap!

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, baseball fielding tips, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED!

You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

Getting Kids to Youth Baseball Practice on Time

By Marty Schupak

As the season starts, we want to get off to a good start with our team and what is expected of them. Of course, youth baseball is unlike a school team sport and you cannot force a player to practice or even force them to be on time. However, there are certain things you can do as a coach to ensure your team develops good habits.

My own personal pet peeve was having the players arrive late for practices. My practices usually run no longer than one hour and if a player is fifteen minutes late, he misses a full quarter of a practice. I have tried a number different tactics. The first one is, I give each player a number as they arrive at practice and they keep that number throughout the practice. Whoever arrives first is number one and when it comes to batting practice he or she goes first. The players remember this and after a couple of practices, you will notice the difference with players arriving early to get a good number.

Another technique I use is to start practice with a mini batting practice even before warm ups. After you do this a few times, you'll notice the players arriving early and telling you that they go first. Do not do this technique every practice but every once in a while. Practices, especially early in the season, will set the tone for a successful and fun season. The kids take notice when the coach arrives early and organized. Use these two techniques to get your players to arrive on time.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills" and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_Schupak


Baseball2u.com/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number is 1-877-431-4487.

The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!

Baseball Tips on Hitting - Problem Swinging Late at Pitches

By Larry Cicchiello

When looking to solve a baseball hitting problem, always look for the easiest "fix" first. Here is a list of some possible solutions if you are swinging late and not catching up to the pitch:


Make sure you are not using a bat that is too heavy for you. That's the easiest fix of all.
Make sure you are loading up early enough and giving yourself enough time to get the bat into the hitting zone. You never want to load up late so if needed, load up earlier. I've seen many 10 to 12 year olds going back toward the catcher when the pitch is already on its way. This makes hitting the ball impossible. Watch for this with younger players. I've seen it may times.
Many youngsters in particular, have the bad habit of loading up twice. You go back once, not twice. They load up once and then they make the common mistake of loading up a little bit more. You can't be going back toward the catcher when the pitch is on its way.
You are possibly taking too long a route to the ball. Be more direct when going from point A, where you are "loaded up," to point B, where you make contact.
The first movement after you are loaded up should be DOWN toward the ball and the bat should level out only at the point of contact. Many weak hitters have the bat parallel to the ground at the beginning of the swing and this is wrong.
Another possibility for being late is the bottom of the knob of bat is facing too far back toward the catcher. This will cause the bat to have to travel a much greater distance to get to the ball and make you late on your swing.
Possibly the bat is wrapped too far around your head. Again, the bat will have to travel too far and you will be late on the pitch.
You don't want to have your hands too far away from the body, which causes the front arm to straighten out too soon. This will cause a longer and indirect swing, causing you to be late on the pitch.
Maybe the bat is being held too much straight up and down. If you are doing this, try a compromise of half way in between straight up and down and parallel to the ground.
Maybe you are gripping the bat too tightly. It's a known fact that you can swing the bat more efficiently and quicker by NOT gripping it too tight. It's the same exact principle as a pitcher gripping a pitch tighter to slow down the speed of the pitch to fool the hitter. Gripping the bat too tightly will slow down your bat speed just like it slows down a pitch from the pitcher.
In summary, there are two things I would look for right off the bat, no pun intended.



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First, make sure you don't have "too much bat" and that you can handle the weight of the bat comfortably.

Second, make sure you are being direct to the ball. One of the best baseball tips on hitting is that you go from point A to point B in a straight line.

Remember, one of the best baseball hitting tips you will ever hear is to keep the front elbow pointing down at the very start of your swing and the swing levels out only at the point of contact!

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, baseball fielding tips, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED!

You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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Baseball Fielding Tips - Very Common Throwing Problems and How You Can Fix Them!

BatAction.com

By Larry Cicchiello

Here is a list of some common throwing problems, why they are happening and how they can be fixed:

Throws Are Overthrown and Sailing High.There is a very good chance that you are NOT raising your throwing elbow to shoulder height. I've witnessed this hundreds of times over the years. Watch closely to replays on TV when infielders overthrow their first baseman because the throw sailed high. In many cases, you will see the infielder did not raise his elbow high enough when making the throw. Just remember, "elbow too low, ball high." In essence, the ball is being "pushed" and not actually thrown. Another possibility for overthrowing your target is you may be releasing the ball before your landing foot hits the ground.

Under Throwing the Ball.The problem is usually at your release point. If you release the ball too late, your throw will almost definitely be too low. Another strong possibility is that your front shoulder is dipping down below your throwing shoulder. If your front shoulder dips, there is a good chance your throw will be low and short of your target. Whenever possible, make sure that your shoulders stay level throughout the throwing motion.

General Erratic Throwing.There is no substitute for spending time practicing your throwing. If you throw the ball every day, your throwing will improve. It simply has to. Just remember, every time you throw a baseball you should aim for a target. It's one of the simplest yet most important baseball fielding tips for improving throwing. If having a catch with someone, aim for their left shoulder, then their right shoulder, left hip, right hip, etc. Every time you throw a baseball, aim for something! How can this possibly not help? It has to help and it will help.

If throwing erratically, the problem could very well be in your footwork. Not getting their feet set up properly is a very common problem, especially with youngsters. Their feet are not set when they throw the ball because of their impatience to want to throw the ball too soon. Their arm is ready but their footwork is not ready yet. They have no balance or foundation when they throw. Like we mentioned above, keep your shoulders level and keep them square to your target. Make sure your front foot is pointing to your target and your back foot lined up like you are using the pitching rubber.

Once again, EVERY time you throw a baseball, aim for a target. There is no way on earth that this will not help you out tremendously!

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, baseball fielding tips, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED!

You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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Baseball College Recruiting: 10 Facts Baseball Players, Coaches, and Parents Need to Know

By Kenny Buford

Although many of the colleges want you to believe you have to be the top of the top for baseball college recruiting, that isn’t always so. In fact, many times colleges are assuming that they are not looking at the top 5% because those student athletes may already be spoken for.




Some things to remember:

1. Grades count. Sure, athletic ability is important, but do you have the grades to get into the college admissions office and catch their eye even without your sports ability? You should have grades that support you as a well-rounded student, not just an image of a ball player alone.

2. Do you know what a college coach values in a player? Is it the same as a high school coach or a teen-level coach? What do you bring to the coach that is different from the myriad of other players your age and ability that makes you a step above? Can you bring the values to the team that your coach is looking for?

3. What is your motivation? Not just “are you motivated” but what motivates you? Is it fame, money or a passion for the game? Do you work at your game based upon only your motivation? Do you have many motivators for your game? This is important; because parents, students and coaches will need to understand the motivators.

4. Are you motivated? As a verb, do you have it? Do you have what it takes to look into adversity and tough times and still shine? This is going to be important to be able to display to prospective colleges and future coaches as this may be a tie breaker trait.

5. Don’t wait until the last minute. Some students start as early as their freshman year in marketing themselves to colleges. If you are a senior and haven’t started, don’t let that discourage you, but do get moving on that! Market yourself as early as you can as a true athlete, because every moment you are no exposing your abilities, your peers are.

6. Do you, or do you plan to, meet the core requirements of entering college? If you are a great player, it’s important to have pretty good grades and decent SAT scores. There are a myriad of Internet sites that can help you make sure you are not lagging, and your guidance office should be able to help you. Again, it’s never too early to start working on your sports collegiate career.

7. Know the reality. According to statistics, less than 15% of high school baseball players will play college baseball. Just know your realities so if you don’t make the team, you are not devastated. It’s as important to know the realities of the situations as well as how to best get into a situation. Never enter any situation blind to both sides.

8. Look at the bigger picture. You may want to play ball but you may also want to have a certain climate, social life and academic schedule that fits your desires. Look at more than just the team; because you are more than just a ball player.

9. Do you have what it takes? It’s more than just the above. There is also something called “Luck and Timing”. Absolutely realize that you have to have both in addition to all the things you can control. Realize that a little of this is going to be out of your control.

10. Finances: not everyone is going to be playing ball on scholarship, or at least on full scholarship. Decide if the cost is worth the sport participation. If you are reading this, the answer probably is “yes, of course it is” but realize an injury or a sudden lack of passion means you still have the finances to deal with but none of the glory of the sport. Really weigh your financial realities.

All of this is meant to get you thinking – be it a parent or a player. Even a coach reading this needs to understand that you are going to be looking at some kids who have the research down pat and can impress you, but some other youth will be just as impressive deep down, but you may have to scratch the surface a bit. Not everyone knows the ins and outs of impressing a coach and a college but may be an exceptional player, student and person under it all. It’s everyone’s responsibility to learn as much as possible and do what they can to ensure the best options for all involved.

Kenny Buford spent years playing baseball at the college level. Today, he coaches 3 youth development teams and shares his extensive coaching knowledge on his blog, you can visit him here: http://www.baseball-tutorials.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Buford

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Baseball Training Hitting Tips

By Eugene Rischall

This article will explain different hitting tips to use when training that will help improve your baseball and softball game.

Five keys to success are the longer the wait on a pitch will make him a better hitter, line drives and ground balls will improve a hitters batting average, a plan at the plate, patience, persistance, and poise, and training drills.

Stance is very important to the swing as is load position, stride, launch position, rotation forward, shoulder rotation, weight transfer, brace off, bat arc, straight to the ball, bat speed, extension, seeing the ball, and putting the ball in play.

Hitting drills with or without baseball training aids are strike zone swings which you learn to hit in all areas of the strike zone. Dummy swings develop a proper swing when working with an object that does not move. This can be done with a batting tee which is a very valuable baseball training aid. Soft toss another great baseball training aid can be used for angle tosses, one-knee toss, with two balls at one time, and short toss.

Baseball pitching machines are training aids that are great to help your improvement in hitting. They can throw at different speeds with an assortment of different pitches. There are many baseball pitching machines available.

Try different drills for hit and run, leadoff hitter, man on second in a nonforce situation with no outs, man on third with less than two outs, and two strike swings.

It is very important to use different training drills and with baseball training aids will help your game to go to a higher level.

This article went over different basics and situations that will help make you a winner with practice, practice, and more practice, and the will to succeed.

Author - Eugene Rischall, Owner, Baseball Training Emporium - http://www.baseballtrainingemporium.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eugene_Rischall

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Baseball Tips - 20 Minutes And Out

By Chico Reese

These baseball tips can maybe help you think of ways to keep your baseball training and drills productive in the off-season.

This is especially important for catchers who may have just put in a very long summer season behind the plate. Catchers have a greater number of skills that they need to practice compared to other players on the team. This can be a problem if there is a long layoff between the end of the summer season and the beginning of the High School season. The catchers now have to do a lot of training in a short time to get sharp on the throwing, blocking and footwork skills that catching requires.

It's never too early to start the catching training and drills. The trick is trying to keep a young mind and body motivated for most of the year if this is their only sport. The summer season for our team was long last year. It went right into fall ball. Some of the guys also started a conditioning program. There was not a lot of spare time left for our catchers to practice what they needed to and when I did start with them, there was a quick sense of general fatigue and I could tell the guys were "just not into it". I couldn't blame them.

I initially started getting some of the catchers' time after their conditioning, batting, tee work, etc. Bad news. I next tried to find some time for just catching drills and training...no bats. But with their busy schedule, an hour here and there still was too much. I'd hear stuff like, "You said it would only take a little bit last time and we were still there almost an hour." This in itself was the problem.

Here is the baseball tip for this article…I call this little idea, or training method, "20 Minutes And Out." I used it for catchers but obviously you can adapt the idea to anyone. The whole thing is strictly psychological, and it worked great! All I did was set a time limit…I just picked 20 minutes because I knew that I could get a ton of footwork reps done in 20 minutes. I'd only work one catcher on any given day or night and work only one type of drill in that training session, whether it was some type of footwork, blocking receiving or throwing.

I'd tell them something like, "Look, meet me at the training center and we'll do footwork only, and only for 20 minutes. Guaranteed. Twenty minutes and we're out of there. The thing is, you gotta work hard, be focused, no messing around and we'll get some good work in and leave."

Well at first, some of the catchers didn't believe me. But I did this, stuck to it and the results were great.

Sometimes they didn't even realize how fast 20 minutes would go. They'd be ready to do some more and I'd say, "Five more good ones, and we're done." And sure enough, we'd leave…no matter what. That's the key. Promise 20 minutes and get out. If they think they want to stay longer, don't. Tell them you have things to do.

Here's what I see happened and why I think it worked so well.


The time limit guaranteed an ending, always. That's big to teenagers.

As soon as the catcher saw me sticking to the 20 minute rule, he believed that he would truly be done soon and not only didn't mind going and doing the drills, he actually looked forward to it…all because he knew that it wouldn't drag out.

Since the time limit was relatively small, a catcher would really work hard in those 20 minutes and because of the "believable" guarantee he really didn't mind.



The end results were great because of the focusing on one drill each session. It was always a pretty good, intense workout and yet it wouldn't kill them. One catcher in particular improved his footwork tremendously because that's what we'd do each time. Tons and tons of reps for 20 minutes a shot. He really worked hard and got into it. Consequently, his throwing improved a great deal also.

Think about these baseball tips, try something like this and see what happens. This will make the short workout more enjoyable and at the same time you'll get a lot done. And it's all because of the "20 Minutes and Out", really. It's all psychological. Stick to the 20 minutes, no matter what. You'll be amazed how your players respond and what they can get done. You'll appreciate the short workouts too!


Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years and enjoys working with young catchers.

For excellent Catching instruction, drills, training and other valuable baseball tips, consider the following sources:

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chico_Reese

Baseball Tips on Hitting - The Most Common Hitting Problem at Any Level of Play

By Larry Cicchiello

If you have what is referred to as a "quick hip," please forgive my bluntness but you will have no chance of being a successful baseball hitter.

Only on an inside pitch, can you get away with opening the front hip a little bit early.

A "quick hip" is when the front hip opens a fraction of a second early. It is a common hitting problem and a very serious one for many hitters at all levels of play. The swing itself should force the front hip open.

If the hip is a fraction of a second too quick, it forces your front side to open too early and this is a recipe for disaster for a baseball player at any level of play.

Three Major Problems Occur if You Have A Quick Hip:

1. You will not see the ball well. Your head will go along for the ride with your "quick hip" and you will be looking at the ball out of the corner of your eyes when the moment of truth arrives and you attempt to actually hit the ball.

2. Your power will be lost. You will be leaning toward third base if you are a right-handed hitter or toward first base if you are a left-handed hitter. That is NOT where the hitting is taking place. The hitting is taking place in front of you, not to the left or right of you.

3. Your plate coverage will be POOR. The only pitch you'll be able to hit with any success at all is the inside pitch and low and away pitches will cause many problems for you as a baseball hitter.

I wonder how much young players who are struggling at the plate would improve considerably if they made this fairly simple adjustment at the plate.

Keeping the front hip closed is one of the best baseball tips on hitting you will ever hear.

How common is the hitting problem of having a "quick hip"? You can check it out for yourself.

When watching a game live in person or on TV at any level of play, observe the weaker hitters. (The ones who are batting .220, .230 or .240) Keep an eye on their front hip. In almost all cases, it will be opening too early.

On the other side of the coin, you can also check out the better hitters. They will be keeping their front hip closed!

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His site offers many FREE baseball tips on hitting, baseball pitching tips, baseball coaching drills, baseball fielding tips, etc. You will be FULLY EQUIPPED! You can visit his website at http://www.larrybaseball.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_Cicchiello

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The Hands Back Hitter - What doe the expects say about it?

"Finally a fun batting trainer that teaches the correct swing."
- Mike Epstein, hitting instructor

"We use the Hands Back Hitter to teach separation between stride and swing."
Coach Woody Hunt, (Cumberland University) 2004 NAIA National Champs


More Customer Testimonials:

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HBH is a great training tool.

It is paticularly useful in separating the stride from the swing (it does not encourage the dreaded interruption feared by PCR "slop eliminators") so kids can practice getting a good lower body foundation beneath themselves to support the swing instead of trying to stride and swing at the same time. Epstein and Peavy also find it very helpful.

Kids can get some brief instruction, then amuse themselves for hours with the device in a way that fits with the principles of the mlb swing.
the mlb swing.

"TG"
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I bought the HBH when it first came out, and I must say that I was more than pleased with the results. It soon became the most popular by far of our hitting stations, and with very few exceptions, at least the problem of swinging while striding quickly ceased to be a concern. It also seemed to be as effective for the less motivated as for those who really worked to improve.

"CH"
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www.HandsBackHitter.com

Baseball Instruction - How to Find Good Information

By Nate Barnett

There is no shortage of information on baseball instruction within the millions of pages on the internet. Before the web days, baseball instructional information itself was greatly more valuable than that same information today. Why? Because the supply has increased dramatically. I can do a search for "baseball instruction" on Google and today I get 440,000 pages that contain pages that may have the information I'm looking for. The challenge now for the athlete, parent, or coach looking for training information is not where the information can be found, by what information should be accepted and used. Here are some general guidelines.

1. Look for credibility. Anyone can post information online. Looks for some playing and coaching credentials. Be careful however, many prior professional athletes who are no longer playing, turn their attention to coaching. The title of former professional baseball player holds little weight if that individual cannot relay information correctly. I'm just suggesting that you look past the title and look more for content. See if the person supplying training has invested some time communicating the game.

2. Cross-reference content. To avoid being sucked into some sort of baseball philosophy that is on the fringe, always cross reference your baseball instruction with other sources. Start with those whom you already trust, local coaches, athletes, etc. Next turn to online forums, article sites such as this one, and other reputable instructors to see if they are teaching similar skills and techniques.

3. Become a learner. I know quite a number of people who have not played baseball past the high school level who are outstanding coaches. They attend clinics, read books, listen to other successful coaches, and do all they can to make sure their baseball information is current.

4. Find an instructor or information that communicates within your style of learning. Many enjoy reading their information; others hate learning by reading and would much prefer to have information relayed audibly. Many love to learn by watching videos, or viewing DVD's. Whatever your style and preference, there is a good chance an instructor with the same communication style is out there. You'll just have to search some.

In short, the best instructors I had throughout my playing career were those who relayed information in a clear and concise manner. It was easy to understand and the concepts were not complicated. Seek out information that fits your learning style and you'll love the baseball instruction learning process.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving your baseball psychology.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett

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Numbers That Can Tell a Different Story

www.AdvancedSkillsTee.com

By Todd Thomas
Here are some of my favorite lesser-known stats that can show why a player might seemingly be "slumping" and should inevitably be breaking out of it OR shows that a player who seems to find every hole is about to make an apparent about face and regress back to the pack:

Batting average on balls in play: The average major leaguer's BABIP (or BIPA) hovers around .300. If someone has compiled a significantly higher or lower BABIP (and doesn't have a track record of doing so), some regression to the mean can be expected. For example, Chipper Jones'(Braves) at an early point in the 2008 season had a .385 BABIP which was 65 points over his career average. Consequently, we saw that his flirting with .400 didn't last. Chipper did have a very nice year though, but many of those balls that had been finding holes starting getting caught and Chipper "seemed" to regress when in reality the law of averages was just working itself out.

Line drive percentage: Of the three types of batted ball types (fly balls, ground balls, line drives), line drives most often fall in for hits. Matt Kemp(Dodgers) led the majors well into the 2008 season in line drive percentage (32.3 percent); not coincidentally, he was hitting .315 at the time. At the other end of the spectrum, Jhonny Peralta(Indians) had only 9.1 percent of his hits were line drives and he was hitting .216. The moral of the story... Want a higher batting average?.. Then hit more line drives. Want to hit more Home Runs?.. Then hit more fly balls. Want to be turned into exclusively a pitcher or be called a "defensive specialist"(usually called that because the player can't hit)? Then hit more ground balls than anything else.

Isolated power: A .300 batting average is pretty and all, but it needs some extra-base hits to really help a team in runs and RBIs. Enter isolated power, which shows the difference between a player's slugging percentage and batting average. Mike Jacobs of the Florida Marlins and his somewhat pedestrian .271 batting average ranked 19th amongst first basemen, but he was a top-10 first baseman thanks in no small part to his .336 isolated power mark (third best in the majors behind Lance Berkman(Astros) and Chase Utley(Phillies). What does that mean exactly? It means that of all of Jacobs hits, a lot of them were going for extra bases(doubles & Home Runs). Think about this(as a coach)... Which would you rather have?... Your team lead your league in batting average OR your team lead your league in runs scored?? Last time I checked, runs win games.

Ground ball to fly ball ratio: Unless you're The Flash(or Ichiro), it's hard to hit a ground ball for a home run. Not surprisingly, pitchers who do well in GB/FB(more ground balls to fly balls ratio) tend to be successful -- Fausto Carmona(Indians), Brandon Webb(D-Backs) and Roy Halladay (Blue Jays) were among 2008 MLB leaders. Grounder-heavy pitchers don't strike out as many batters as their fly-ball counterparts, but they also tend to pitch deeper into games. How does this relate to hitters? That's easy. Scroll back up and read about Line Drive Percentage again. :-)

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Thomas

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Youth Baseball Conditioning

BatAction Batting Trainer by Nedco Sports
By Trevor Sumner

There are many valuable youth baseball conditioning techniques to increase your players' abilities by maximizing their strength, range of motion, and flexibility. Just as a car can only travel as fast as its engine will allow, in like manner, baseball players can only perform to the degree that their bodies will allow. If coaches, parents and mentors ensure that their players are involved in recommended youth baseball conditioning training, they will be increasing their players' chances to fulfil their maximum potential.

Here are some advised youth baseball conditioning techniques that are recommended for youth baseball coaches for the development of their players:


Pitching Better through Swimming - Swimming can actually strengthen the shoulder muscles and enable pitchers to throw the baseball harder while protecting pitchers from devastating shoulder injuries. It is recommended that pitchers swim in free style for two minutes with a series of 4 repetitions. If the player can not swim, then the pitcher can stand waist deep in water under adult supervision and push the water away from the body with a hard thrust and fingers spread apart. This should be repeated for 2 minutes at a time.
Sprint to Success - One of the traditional youth baseball training programs remains the best. Players need to build up their endurance in order to play the entire game with strength and energy. Wind sprints are the best way for youth baseball players to build up their endurance and, at the same time, bond with their teammates. If your players run wind sprints as a team or in bunches, such as pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, you will be building up their endurance and the team will become closer as a unit. Ten 60 yard sprints are a good way to start, and you can lengthen the distance and repetitions over time.
Squeeze that Ball -Another simple youth baseball conditioning exercise can be done everywhere from the ball field to the schoolyard and even to bed. Baseball players can increase their wrist strength by squeezing a rubber Spalding ball. Yes, these pink balls are still of infinite value to baseball players - pitchers, to increase the speed of their pitch; hitters by increasing their bat speed and, therefore, the distance of their drives; and fielders by increasing the strength of their throws.
Stretch Before Games - Stretching and warm-ups are a key element of baseball conditioning training protocols to prevent injuries. Prior to every game and practice, baseball coaches should lead their team in a regular series of stretching and warm-up exercises for at least 10-12 minutes. Before the players begin playing baseball, make sure to cover all major muscle groups including shoulders, legs, arms, hips, and back.

Of course these are just a few, simple youth baseball conditioning exercises among many. Baseball coaches should be familiar with a wide variety of exercises and should weave these into a more holistic conditioning training plan that is appropriate to the age of their players.

Combined with a variety of baseball drills that make the game fun and build the fundamental skills needed to play, a strong baseball conditioning training regimen will ensure that players reach the top of their game and avoid unnecessary injury.

By Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay.com, a youth baseball community dedicated to providing parents, coaches and athletes the tools and information they need to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay has one of the most comprehensive baseball drill libraries in its active baseball community.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trevor_Sumner

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Baseball & Softball Swing Training - Is Muscle Memory a Myth?

www.QuickSwingTrainer.com

By Todd Thomas

Exactly what is muscle memory and how do you create it for a specific thing you want your body to learn to repeat? The term muscle memory is thrown around so loosely, but do those who use the term really know what muscle memory is and how to create it? So many have just heard the term and simply repeat it because it sounds good. First off let me ask, do your muscles really have cognitive power in and of themselves? Do our muscles have brain cells embedded in them? I think even those who throw the term around as if they really understand it would even admit the simple answer to that question. That answer being No. Our muscles do not have the ability to remember anything. So where does the term muscle memory come from and how does one actually create it?

Muscles really only have two capabilities. They can either be constricted(to varying degrees) or they can be relaxed. That's it. So again, where does this "muscle memory" come from? Well, it's really BRAIN memory. The brain is what is really "remembering" moves or has the "memory" of certain performed activities. The brain sends electrical impulses to the muscles causing them to either be constricted or relaxed in order for the body to perform what it is being asked to do. So it's really the brain that needs to be programmed for memory of desired muscle movement not the muscles themselves. They just perform what the brain tells them to.

So with this in mind that we really need to train the brain not the muscles in order to learn and repeat a desired athletic move, that begs the question of exactly how to do it. To understand the answer, just think about the sensory inputs that the brain receives in order to learn. Yes, the senses...Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Feel(Touch). And of course, that sixth sense, Emotion. The two most important here for programming "muscle memory" is sight and feel. Sound or Hearing factor in here too from the instruction of what a coach may be telling a player to do, but hearing by simply being told how to perform an athletic move is a far distant second(if you will) behind sight and feel in training the brain for muscle memory.

It is important for a player to "feel" what they are doing in their swing. Feeling the swing as a whole and feeling what different body parts or muscles groups are doing is a powerful step forward for any player. The ability to feel the "hands" for instance and how they are working in the swing is important. Knowing where they(the hands in this example) are at each moment of the swing is important. "Feeling" where they are and feeling what they are doing IS KNOWING their performance in the swing. I tell students a lot to draw their attention to a certain body part and to "pay attention" to what that part is doing in their swing. Paying attention to it(whatever it is) is to "observe" it without trying to change it. Pay attention or observe it as I, the instructor, am observing it. Feeling is important and is a powerful way to make mechanical changes or adjustments and to promote muscle memory.

Then there is sight. Baseball and softball players being able to see themselves and what they are doing, be it in a mirror or on video is extremely important as well. Seeing what they are doing helps them to feel what they are doing. However, the players seeing what they are doing is not the only important visual sensory input to the brain that will help develop the much desired muscle memory. It is also extremely valuable for players to take in the visual input of other players they want to emulate by watching video of that player(s) over and over and over perform at their best(or performing their best swing). Don't sell the value of this short. I'm telling you, it is a scientifically proven fact that watching the best players perform at their best is a great(and in many ways untapped) way to train a player's brain in their desired athletic endeavor. Remember, it's the brain that is trained for "muscle memory" not the muscles themselves. The brain stores and recalls this information to send to a player's muscles when it is time to perform. Does just watching a little bit of video do it? No. It should be a regular "practice" of a player wanting to train their muscle memory. Just like physical practice isn't a one time(or few times) thing either. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.

Oh yea, that brings me to physical REPETITION. Physical repetition of course is critical. Does physical repetition train the muscles? No. It trains the brain on the impulses necessary to send to the muscles to perform the desired athletic activity.

So technically, muscle memory is a myth. It's the brain that one needs to train to perform the desired muscles memory. Remember that!

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Todd_Thomas


Baseball2u.com/CoachesBest.com is the ultimate online baseball training and coaching store. With over 1400 products organized into categories Baseball2u.com makes finding that baseball training product easy and simple. Order securely online or by phone. Baseball2u.com is a fully licensed company and has a full time staff available from 8:00 to 5:00 CST. Their toll free customer service number is 1-877-431-4487.

The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!