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Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Baseball Glove Repair

Baseball Glove Repair
By guest author: Chico Reese

Baseball glove repair would really not be a concern around this time of year if players and/or parents would just perform a little bit of "routine maintenance" on their baseball gloves right after the playing season is over and then maybe a little bit more right before the beginning of the next season. But this doesn't seem to happen that much from what I can tell.

So here we are...another High School Baseball and College Baseball season. I've already gotten a couple of baseball gloves in the last month or so that have broken. And it's the same thing...very, very dry leather and laces. The laces on one of these baseball gloves were so dry, hard and brittle that they didn't even feel like leather. The laces were so stiff that it was actually a little tough pulling these laces out of some parts of the glove.

The condition of your baseball glove during and after a season will somewhat depend on where you live in the country. In the southeast and southwest you probably aren't going to see a lot of snow, ice and mud. Your glove may face very strong sun and heat, though.

The baseball gloves that I have just repaired were used in the northeast part of the country which can be terrible for leather. The leather can see snow and freezing temperatures. The baseball gloves will definitely get wet and muddy. This mud and water gets ground in sometimes day after day. This water eventually strips the leather of its original oils, softness and color. Then, summer comes. The sun beats down on the glove and dries it up even more. The laces become stiff, weak and brittle. They eventually break. Sometimes parts of the glove, like the eyelets and leather holes, rip. This even happens on the good, expensive gloves that are not cared for.

All of these things can mostly be avoided. Simply try to implement some of the following tips:


Clean off your baseball glove during the season when it needs it. Just a warm, damp cloth will do. Don't soak the glove. You're just trying to get some of the dirt off.
During the season, if the glove has seen a lot of water and then a lot of sun, you should rub in a little bit of conditioner (not any kind of oil!) and let it soak in. This will restore some of the leather's oils, softness and color.
Most importantly, give your glove a good cleaning and conditioning after your season is over. Wipe off all of the dirt and then after the glove dries rub a good coat of conditioner into the glove. Sometimes you may have to do this two or three times if the glove soaks up all of the conditioner right away. Wipe off any excess conditioner. Your restored glove will look and feel new during the off-season.
Tighten up loose laces and definitely repair broken laces or laces that you have a good feeling will break the next season. Do it now while you have the time.
And then, right before the beginning of your next season, inspect your glove again, tighten things up if necessary, put a light coat of conditioner on. There you are! Almost a new glove again.

Believe me, these simple baseball glove repair and restore tips work. I have taken care of a catcher's mitt for three years now...and yes, it's up in the northeast where a catcher's mitt takes water and mud in great amounts in some games. But this glove, after three years, feels great and looks great. The laces and leather show no signs of weakness. This is all because I religiously follow the tips above.

The kid who's glove I fixed the other day...the real dry one, says his glove looks and feels new again. He actually likes the all-black laces better than the original gray ones too. I hope he takes care of it now. But I bet I see it again someday.

And I bet I'll repair a good number of gloves starting around now. These are all of the gloves from last season that were just thrown in garages or basements with no after-season conditioning or tightening or repairing of laces.

So that's where I'll come in...again. Baseball glove repair and restore. I do it all of the time and never once have I advertised this. It all started with one glove, as a favor, and word got out. That was about six years ago and I'm still repairing gloves today.

So try to keep in mind some of these baseball glove repair and restore tips. Your glove will always be in great shape and you'll prevent those unexpected breaks during a game...and there will be no "down time" of your favorite glove.

Do your own Baseball Glove Repairs. Learn how to repair, relace and restore your own baseball glove with "Fix That Glove". Save yourself time and money.

Baseball Glove Repair

http://www.BaseballGloveRestore.com/

Chico Reese has been closely involved in youth baseball, softball and High School Baseball over the last twelve years. He also is known as "The Doctor" for his quick baseball glove repairs and restorations for many kids and adults throughout the summer.

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Monday, September 27, 2010

BatAction Hitting Machine Baseball Softball Trainer



BatAction Hitting Machine Baseball Softball Trainer
Coach2winVideos
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. Visit the Official BatAction Training Blog at http://batactionbaseballtraining.blog... for free drills, tips, and baseball coaching articles. http://www.BatAction.com

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---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
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---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
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---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
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Friday, September 24, 2010

Baseball Hitting Drill: "Stay Back"



Baseball Hitting Drill: "Stay Back"
ebaseballtips
http://www.baseballsmith.com is another great resource for players, coaches and parents involved in youth baseball.


In coaching youth baseball have you ever wondered what stay back actually means to a hitter? This video explains the key reference points in this concept.
www.ebaseballtips.com

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HurricaneMachine.com - Links

---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
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---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
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---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Video Demo Clips

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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine - 4 Important Tips for Hurricane Machine Owners



Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine - 4 Important Tips for Hurricane Machine Owners
Coach2winVideos
Video shows important tips that every Derek Jeter Hurricane Machine Owner should know and follow. Video features Nick Dixon of Nedco Sports. Dixon is the inventor of the Hurricane and BatAction Machines. Visit the Hurricane Machine Training Blog at http://hurricanebaseballtrainingmachi... for free baseball coaching and training tips, drills and articles. Also visit http://www.HurricaneMachine.com or http://store.baseball2u.com/husotrmaj... for more information on the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine by SKLZ.

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Monday, September 20, 2010

Common Baseball Injuries - How to Avoid Them

Common Baseball Injuries - How to Avoid Them
By guest author: Mike Pirolo

Is the Overuse of Young Arms the real culprit in the Stephen Strasburg Story?

These thoughts are less about Steven Strasburg, (my prayers go out to him and his family for a speedy recovery from Tommy John surgery) and more about the overuse and abuse of young arms starting in Little League and beyond.

While Nat officials believe that the injury to Strasburg is "Acute" (brief and severe), as opposed to chronic, I cannot help to think about the overuse and yes, abuse of young arms I have observed over the last 15 years as a youth coach and former D1 Athletic Administrator.

In a culture that is obsessed with winning at all levels, and at all costs regardless of the consequences, too many coaches lose focus on what the stated objectives are of youth sports. Below is an excerpt from the NYSCA Code of Ethics for Youth Coaches:

NYSCA Coaches' Code of Ethics
I hereby pledge to follow this Coaches' Code of Ethics.
I will place the emotional and physical well being of my players ahead of a personal desire to win.
I will treat each player as an individual, remembering the large range of emotional and physical development for the same age group.
I will do my best to provide a safe playing situation for my players.
I will use those coaching techniques appropriate for each of the skills that I teach.
I will remember that I am a youth sports coach, and that the game is for children and not adults.

An incredibly important and specific code of ethics. However, too many times I have seen a coach's personal desire to win now override good judgment, to the point where they violate the stated playing time rules, leaving their best players in the game; I can't even count the times where I have seen coaches leave 11 year old pitchers in the game way beyond the recommended pitch counts. I've seen kids pushed to the point of tears from the pain in their arms.

This is where I believe the arm problems have their genesis. If a young player shows any promise as a pitcher in Little League, they are immediately tagged as the "ace" of the squad and subjected to egregious overuse. While the problem can at least be monitored in Rec ball, the travel team concept pushes pitch counts and innings to the limits of sanity. Most of the recent studies in this area point to pitch count and lack of recovery time as the main culprits. Ironically, these are two areas of management that can be controlled if the coach has the will.

In their recent article "Prevention of Overuse Injuries in Young Baseball Pitchers", Eric D. Parks, MD* and Tracy R. Ray, MD state:

"With millions of young athletes participating in competitive baseball annually, it is essential that physicians, coaches, parents, and the athletes themselves become aware of potential overuse injuries. Monitoring for the signs or symptoms of common overuse injuries may prompt diagnosis and prevent further deterioration and injury.

Abiding by recommendations proposed from the various organizations and research institutes will help decrease the incidence of these injuries. With these measures, the young thrower can continue to participate and compete at the highest level possible.

The following safeguards have been recommended for preventing youth throwing injuries:
-Breaking pitches should not be thrown in competition until bones have matured, as indicated by puberty. A rule of thumb is that a player should not throw breaking balls until he is shaving regularly.

-Young pitchers should develop proper mechanics and participate in year-round physical conditioning programs.

-Pitchers should not be allowed to return to the mound in a game in which they have already been removed as the pitcher. In addition, no intense pitching practice should take place after the game.

-Showcases are discouraged.

-Pitchers are discouraged from pitching in more than one league if multiple leagues overlap within a season.

-Pitchers should not compete in baseball for more than 9 months in any given year. At least 3 months of arm rest from drills or any other stressful overhead activities (quarterbacking, competitive swimming, playing softball, etc) is highly recommended.

-Specific rest periods between outings are recommended on the basis of age and quantity of pitches

Prevention of long-term chronic arm problems in young pitchers would seem to be common sense, as outlined in the Dr's Parks and Ray's research article. However, it will take a concerted effort on the part of Coaches, Parents and Administrators to halt the destruction......Is winning a 6th grade baseball game really worth an 11 year-olds arm?

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Baseball Drills For Youth - The Proper Batting Technique

Baseball Drills For Youth - The Proper Batting Technique
By guest author: Peter S. Smith

There are a lot of tips and tricks when it comes to youth baseball. However, no matter how gifted the child is, a proper technique needs to be developed at an early age. Without this, further along the way injuries could occur and this could end a promising career fast.

In the first part of this article we talked about the proper throwing technique. In this part we'll focus on batting. Kids will love this, and playing ball will be a lot more fun for them as they will be able to swing the bat faster and hit the ball harder.

So, what's it all about? Well, first things first, you want to get your kid a bat just right for him or her. The child should be able to keep the bat horizontally for at least 15 seconds - if he/she can't, then you will want a lighter and shorter bat.

Once you have the right bat, the child should develop a right stance. This means that feet should be at shoulder wide distance apart, the foot closer to the child lined up near the front of edge of the home plate and knees and waist slightly bent. The bat should be held firmly but loosely - so don't let the child cut the blood flow to his/her hands while waiting for the ball.

When the ball comes his or hers way, he/she should solely focus on the ball, and when they hit it, their head should remain still while the body moves. Practicing this baseball drills for youth on a daily basis will improve strength, efficiency and accuracy.

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Monday, September 13, 2010

Baseball Coaching Digest - 6 Basic Rules Tee Ball Players Should Learn to Insure Their Safety

Baseball Coaching Digest - 6 Basic Rules Tee Ball Players Should Learn to Insure Their Safety
By guest author: Nick Dixon

Tee Ball is the very first experience that most baseball players have with the game of baseball. There are physical skills that must be learned. There are mental aspects of the game that must be learned. But, there is no more important elements of the game that a player must learn than the basic rules of the game that provide safety and protection for the players, coaches and umpires involved.

There are certain basic baseball rules that tee ball players must be taught before they play their first game. The sooner young players learn these rules, the better. Here are what I consider to be the very first rules a player should be taught when being introduced to the game of baseball. Those 6 basic baseball rules are:

Rule # 1 - You can not sling the bat when you hit the ball. Young players must learn to drop the bat after they hit the ball. They must be told that if they sling the bat they are out. This needs to be the first rule they learn when being taught the game of baseball. The reason they must learn it is for safety reasons.

Rule #2 - You run from home to first, to second, to third and back home. You must drop the bat before you run. The player must touch each base before advancing to the next base.

Rules #3 - You can not run over someone. Running into or over another player at any time will result in bad things for your team. If you are on offense, you will be called out. If you are on defense, the runner will be called safe.

Rule #4 - You must not allow a ball hit by a batter bat to touch you before a fielder touches it. If you touch the ball before a fielder does, you will be called out.

Rule #5 - You do not slide into first base. It may not be against the rules, but it should not be done at the t-ball level. Base runners must slide into second, third base and home plate feet first. Sliding head first is not allowed and it is unsafe. Sliding head first is against the rules and will result in the base runner being called out.

Rule #6 - Fielders may not stand on top of the bag or in the base path unless they are attempting to field a ball. The fielder should learn to touch or tag the bag or base properly and remove the foot after the catch is made.

You may be able to think of more. These are the very basic rules. I hope that you found this article useful and informative as you prepare your tee ball team for the approaching season. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Have a great day, Nick.

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine
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Derek Jeter Hurricane Machine Training Blog

HurricaneMachine.com - Links

---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
---6 Questions Often Asked By Customers
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Drills
---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Video Demo Clips

Baseball2u.com has a one of the internet's largest selections of baseball coaching and training dvds

Friday, September 10, 2010

Coaching Youth Baseball Catching Drills & Skills Pt 1



Coaching Youth Baseball Catching Drills & Skills Pt 1
youthbaseball
How to teach a young player how to catch through safe, repetitive drills that build player confidence. The video shows the development of a 5 yr old player catching pretty well and learning a little bit about baseball.

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Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Pitching Warm Up - Shoulders & Elbows



Pitching Warm Up - Shoulders & Elbows
krmkarlm
A great warm up routine for pitchers AND position players to loosen up shoulders and elbows. From the National Pitching Association, www.nationalpitching.com

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Friday, September 3, 2010

Baseball Coaching Tips - Practice Hitting Vs Game Hitting

Baseball Coaching Tips - Practice Hitting Vs Game Hitting
By guest author: Joe Brockhoff

Let's understand three important principles when we talk about how to hit a baseball:

1. Mechanics, which include form and technique
2. Judgmental principles
3. Confidence

When a player is hitting off of a tee or in soft toss, this involves only mechanics. There are no judgmental or confidence factors at all involved. Whereas, in the game, judgmental principles may be even more important than mechanics. This involves reading the pitch and taking appropriate action.

Here is one of my best baseball coaching tips. The player who does only short-toss and t-hitting misses out on a major part of hitting, and that is judging the pitch in space (trajectory). When we practice with soft toss, it is "pitch - hit". But when we hit in the game, the sequence is "pitch - trajectory - hit".

And no player can perform at his best unless he has confidence. Tension forces a player to do things he would not do during practice. So how do we make the transition from practice to the game?

Hitting is a conditioned reflex. A hitter must practice to "groove" his stroke, and then trust it. In other words, 'no stinkin thinkin' at the plate. It's see-ball, hit-ball, have fun!

Toss and tee hitting only provide practice of mechanics, and the hitter needs much more. Not only does he need to see pitching from a distance, but he also needs to have some pressure put on him during his practice sessions. Read more.

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Wednesday, September 1, 2010

When and Why a Player Should Play Travel Baseball

When and Why a Player Should Play Travel Baseball\
By guest author: Jack Perconte

Whether a child should play travel baseball and at what age they should begin playing travel is often a tough call for parents. Deciding to go the travel baseball route too early in a player's career can be detrimental to their desire to continue playing baseball in subsequent years. When anyone of the key factors listed below are missing, it may lead to unhappy ball players. Whereas, not playing travel soon enough can feel like a year wasted, it is usually not so serious because a player can try out the following year for travel ball. I believe a player's talent will come through in the end whether they play travel baseball or not. But when a child seems to be bored or not challenged at the in-house recreational league, it is time to consider playing travel baseball. Every travel team and community is different, but generally, travel baseball provides a higher level and more interested player. Also, baseball players who are around good players and are challenged correctly have the opportunity to improve their skills at a quicker rate.

There are four key things that can help determine when and whether a kid should play travel baseball. The key things are listed in my order of prominence but the importance of each factor is a little different for each family, based on their particular situation.

1. Interest level - parents should talk to their child about travel ball and observe their actions when playing baseball to judge weather a child appears to have the added interest that travel ball requires. The decision to play should not be because the parent wants them to play.

2. Skill level - putting a player in a level they are not ready for is the quickest way to have them want to discontinue playing. Parents should check out travel ball player's skill level before tryouts, when possible. Asking for an outside opinion about their child's skill level from their previous season's coach may be helpful. Even having a player try out for a team - when they are obviously not ready for that level of play - can hurt a child's self-esteem and desire. Read more.

===========
Thanks to our sponsors:

=======================================
Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine
=======================================

Derek Jeter Hurricane Machine Training Blog

HurricaneMachine.com - Links

---15 Reasons To Buy a Hurricane Trainer
---6 Questions Often Asked By Customers
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Drills
---20-Minute Hurricane Batting Practice Workout
---Hurricane Hitting Machine Video Demo Clips

Baseball2u.com has a one of the internet's largest selections of baseball coaching and training dvds