Baseball Drills - Staying Motivated While You Practice

Baseball Drills - Staying Motivated While You Practice
By guest author: Nate Barnett

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.

Nate Barnett is owner of The Pitching Academy and improves the mental game of baseball in athletes. Help your game by improving your pitching.

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Baseball Coaching Digest - Base Running Basics

Baseball Coaching Digest - Base Running Basics
By guest author: Nick Dixon


There are certain base running rules that every base runner should learn. Here is each base and basic rules that players should know about each.

First Base


1.Sneak a peek when running to first. If the ball does not get by the infielders run through the bag. Make sure that you foot lands on the front half of the bag.
2.When you cross the bag, always look to your right to see if the throw got by the first base man.
3.If the ball gets into the outfield, do a "fish hook" move to get a flatter path to second base.
4.Get your signs from the 3rd base coach with both heels on the bag.
5.Make sure to take you lead using the proper steps and shuffle footwork.
6.Remember it is your job to get a good jump or start. The job of the coach is not to start you but to rather stop you.
7.Should a deep fly ball be hit to the left field, go away from the bag as long as you can read the numbers on the back of the jersey of the left fielder. When he stops and turns to field the ball, you should stop and read what happens of the play. If he sets up for the catcher, you should retreat to first base with a full sprint.

Second Base


1.When advancing toward second base, always pick up the 3rd base coach visually about ½ of the way to second base.
2.If there are less than two outs, take your lead in the line or base path directly between the bags.
3.If there are two outs, get a deeper lead, to give your self a flatter angle to turn at third base should you have to score.

Third Base


1.Always take your lead in foul territory with no part of you body extending into fair territory. This is prevent an out being called if a ball is hit down the line and you can are hit by it.
2.Make sure to take your walking lead with timing that has your right foot landing when the ball gets to the plate. Do not get caught flat footed. When the ball hits the mitt, you either score on the play or retreat to the bag immediately.
3.When you return to third base, always return to the inside corner of the bag. If the third base man has his glove out, go in high, and block the block from home plate. This may deflect a throw from the catcher.

I hope this article was beneficial and useful to you. Visit the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog and the Youth Baseball Coaching Clinic Blog for daily post and articles on every aspect of coaching baseball.

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Baseball Tips - Catchers - Just Let 'Er Rip!

Baseball Tips - Catchers - Just Let 'Er Rip!
By guest author: Chico Reese

Did you ever get to a game and as you're watching the players warm up you notice that the catcher seems to have a pretty good gun? He's snapping throws off to other players and throwing ropes in long toss. He just looks good.

Then the game starts. Well, inevitably, a guy with half descent speed gets on first and gets the steal sign and takes off on a following pitch. The catcher pops out of his crouch and throws an absolute rocket towards second base. However, it's too high and sails into centerfield.

The next thing you hear is the coach yapping away with things like:


•"Hey! Get it down! No one can do anything with that throw!"
•"Hey! Follow through!"
•"Hey! Throw down, not up!"
•"Hey! Get it down! I'd rather have it in the dirt instead of out there!"

All of the above is true, for the most part. If you've ever caught, you've probably heard good advice during a game and many times heard bizarre things that leaves you shaking your head. This is very true if you have a coach that doesn't know that much about catching and has never caught before either.

Later in the game, another guy gets on and steals. The catcher pops out of his crouch and fires off a...well, not a rocket, but a medium fast, arcing throw towards second.

Safe.

It got there, but there was nothing on it. It didn't, however, end up in centerfield did it? But, how good is that throw anyway? And that's how the rest of his throws go. The catcher has been reduced from a kid throwing rockets before the game to a catcher who is taken a great deal of velocity off his throw and is now "aiming" his throws. It looks like he's throwing darts at times.

Here are a few baseball tips for you catchers, especially the young ones. Also, coaches should be thinking about these also.

First, catching is an explosive position. There are no big wind ups, long strides, and so on. Watch the pros. When someone steals the catcher fires up and just puts everything into a short, fast motion. The mask is usually flopping all over the place and the chest guard is flopping around. It has to be this way. That's how momentum is built up and released.

What can stop this explosiveness and produce crappy arcing throws?

Fear.

Fear of what?

Well,


•There is a fear of failure.
•There is a fear of looking bad or stupid.
•There is a fear of getting yelled at during the game by a coach.

If you are a catcher and you have a fear of throwing , you better fix it and get over it because when the time comes, you "gotta let 'er rip"! Don't worry about overthrowing because of your velocity. Always, always, always throw hard!

What you need to do is focus on your footwork and your release and try not to aim or "throw darts", which will kill your velocity. You need to understand correct throwing mechanics and footwork. Learn them. Find someone knowledgeable who can teach you these things. The best thing is to get your hands on catching videos and DVDs showing proper throwing techniques. These are produced by college coaches and pros who know what they're talking about. You only need one or two. Watch them and then watch some major league games on TV and you'll see that the pros are doing exactly what you've watched on your tapes and DVDs.

So, learn and practice...over and over. You can never practice footwork too much. Once your footwork is correct and your release is correct you won't worry about overthrowing. Your velocity will still be there, probably better now. And as a catcher there are times when you do overthrow. Big deal! But, you have to feel what you just did, feel that your feet were too fast or too slow or feel that you were too far in front too fast, and so on. This comes only with knowledge and practice. Don't blame yourself for throwing too hard!

Overthrowing second base has nothing to do with throwing hard. You must know that as a young catcher. As a coach you should always encourage hard throws. Don't yell about the overthrow...make the catcher think about his feet and delivery. Go over it after the inning is over. If you've trained the catcher with proper footwork and delivery he should be able to tell you what went wrong with that throw. And it should never be, "I threw it too hard."

So keep your catchers throwing hard. You can prevent full potential by yelling about overthrowing. Remember, you overthrow second base by having bad mechanics for that particular throw, not throwing hard. That's as silly as telling a traffic cop that the reason you drifted through the stop sign was because you were going too slow.

On rare occasions, excessive thinking or fear of throwing can lead to the most devastating throwing "afflictions" you can ever witness or go through. This is the Steve Blass Disease or Sasser Syndrome. Sasser was a catcher for the Dodgers. There are other names for this but the most notable case in recent years was young pitcher Rick Ankiel of the St. Louis Cardinals.

So catchers and coaches, consider the baseball tips above for a little bit. Learn proper footwork and delivery and practice it over and over and over. Then you'll be very confident and not afraid to "just let 'er rip!" when you know someone just got the steal sign and is taking off on the very next pitch.

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:

Catcher Instruction, Training and Tips To Make You A Better Catcher

http://baseballcatcher.baseballgloverestore.com/

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Rediscovering the Magic of Youth Baseball

Rediscovering the Magic of Youth Baseball
By guest author: Dave Rosene

I have seen significant changes how youth baseball has been 'taught' in the U.S. since the 1960's, and the changes haven't been positive. I didn't say coached because coaching refers to strategy and competition, and the concentration of youth baseball must be on skill development, rules understanding, and team play. We need teaching coaches for that, because today's players show deficiencies in these areas more than previous generations. When people of my era started playing baseball, it was the most popular sport in America and engrained in our culture. There were many different forms that helped improve individual skills: fast pitch, whiffle ball, ledge, penner, or just throwing popups to yourself, and we didn't need parents to organize these activities. We called our friends who would call their friends, we threw off walls or our house steps, and we had games with whoever was around and made up our own rules. We became better players by thinking or playing baseball every day. Plus we learned the game by watching baseball on television or going to major league games if we were lucky enough to get tickets.

Most youth American players today lack the knowledge and experience that we had because they have more options to take up their free time and they therefore have varied interests. By not spending more time practicing, playing, or watching baseball, they are lagging behind kids from other countries in skill development and general baseball knowledge. Why do Latin American players dominate professional baseball? In most cases playing baseball is the only sport available to kids there to participate in, and by playing constantly they progress quickly.

Can we and should we go back in time to help our youth rediscover the magic of baseball? How can we, as teachers and coaches, make the game relevant and necessary for players who get distracted and sidetracked easily. We have to show kids what made us love baseball, and pass along that love. That's the challenge we want to take on. In future articles we will discuss how to effectively teach and coach our youth athletes to maximize their talents while identifying the negative methods to avoid that I've seen too much of in the past 30 years.

DNA Sports specializes in personalized baseball and softball skill programs, college recruiting education and preparation, and coaching clinics. Learn more: http://www.dnasportsonline.com

Dave Rosene - Co-Founder, DNA Sports

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Dustin Pedroia Baseball Training Tips

Dustin Pedroia Baseball Training Tips
Uploaded by StackBaseball Dustin Pedroia of the Boston Red Sox, provides a baseball training how to, addresing the importance of hard work and the difference between high school and college training. Pedroia: ""I went to Arizona State, and in the fall there, when we weren't playing, it was always, get as strong as you can as fast as you can for the season. I try to take that into professional baseball as well. That's why I train at ABI and get ready for the season, because I feel like it's the best fit for me, and makes me become the better athlete that I can be. I trained in high school too, but it got more advanced when I got to college. I think in high school, you just go in there and any time you can, you just go in there and lift weights any time you can, but once you get to college they have people that prepare you and they have strength coaches where in high school it was just our baseball coach telling us what to do and to lift weights. I think once you get to college, you'll understand that there is a program that you need to be on.""

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Problems With Travel Baseball: Not Enough Practice Time

Problems With Travel Baseball: Not Enough Practice Time
By Andy Pohl

When travel league schedules revolve around tournament play, winning inherently becomes the primary focus. Rarely do these teams have time to practice due to the heightened amount of travel and games. This is a glaring problem with travel baseball, as kids need a combination of practice and games to best facilitate athletic development. Simply throwing young kids out on the field to play as many games as possible does not necessarily facilitate athletic development, as younger athletes need considerable practice time to develop their hitting and defensive skills in a pressure free environment.

Basically, what travel baseball has done is put 8-11 year olds in an adult created setting where the pressure to win and perform takes precedent over the emotional and athletic development of the players themselves.

A bi-product of this reality is the coaches themselves acting as if they were managing professional players - the yelling, the throwing of equipment, the arguing with umpires, the sulking after losses. And while it may appear that these travel coaches know what they are doing with their custom made dry-fit coaching shirts and Oakley Sunglasses resting on the brims of their fitted caps, the fact of the matter is that most of travel coaches possess the same amount of knowledge as your average house league coach. In fact, the majority of travel players are being coached by parents who don't know the first thing about baseball or the social and emotional development of kids. Many of these parent coaches cannot even properly parent their own kids!

Rather than winning, the focus for youth baseball needs to be on development. After all, once these kids hit puberty, it is really not going to matter which travel team your son played on and how many tournaments they won. Athletic excellence and success cannot always be identified at an early age, and inferior athletes will frequently blossom and attain success in later years given the right opportunity to compete and develop their skills. Consistent practice time is a critical component to this development.

Though some may disagree with several of the statements in this narrative, understand that my goal is to report in an honest and straightforward manner what I know to be true from my many experiences working with youth baseball players. I have no hidden agenda. The well-being of kids is always my top priority, hence the reason why I created this article.

Andy Pohl - Co-Founder, DNA Sports

DNA Sports specializes in personalized baseball and softball skill programs, college recruiting education and preparation, and coaching clinics. Learn more: http://www.dnasportsonline.com

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The Importance of a Good Baseball Weight Training Program

The Importance of a Good Baseball Weight Training Program
By Guest Author Ron Wrigley

Serious baseball players understand the importance of starting a baseball weight training program during the off-season. Sure, they could spend the off-season reliving the wins and losses of the past season, but that does nothing to improve their game. A smart program will only improve a player's skills.

In recent years, there has been much buzz about famous baseball athletes who performed well and then were found to be using steroids and other harmful substances to increase their performance. Instead of participating in these illegal practices, it is important to know how to train properly so that you can be the best in the sport.

Baseball players mostly use the core muscles in the body: those located in the stomach and the back. Some of the key elements in the sport are power and the ability to be quick. Major league teams have recognized that a players ability to bring these elements into the game relies heavily on their weight training. Most of these teams have incorporated weight training rooms and fitness centers in their stadiums, as well as trainers who are professionals at coaching sports competitors.

The barbell push press is very effective at training the muscles in the shoulder area, allowing a baseball player to achieve a very strong swing with the bat. The front squat will benefit any athlete in increasing leg and shoulder strength as well as balance and stability. The barbell bench press, jump shrugs, and squats are other exercises that ball players should practice which strengthens the entire upper body.

Lunges and jumping jacks will help with endurance skills, and practicing jumping hurdles can be another great exercise for athletes to take part in.

Not only is it important to increase your stamina and weight lifting skills, but you should also practice sprinting and agility drills so that you are quick on your feet. Do your best to be in good physical shape for the games before your season begins and you will be well on your way to a winning season.

Click Here [http://www.baseballweighttrain.info] for more training tips.

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