Increase pitching velocity with one exercise

Most pitchers are NOT doing this one crucial exercise...but every one of them that wants to throw harder should be.

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Explosive Rotational Hitting for Beginners thru High School

Using the rotational power of the hips, exerpts from this 60 minute dvd, show 4 drills and help parents and athletes undertstand powerful hitting in easy to follow terms. For baseball and fastpitch



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More Effective Baseball Hitting by Better Training Techniques

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Better Baseball Hitting Training Techniques
By Guest Author: Chris Moheno

Baseball is one of the most popular sports on the planet. People flock to the stadiums and pile around their televisions to watch the games. Beyond that, however, hundreds of people want to become more successful as baseball players. But their ability to succeed requires working on their skills. Just because you don't have a personal trainer, that doesn't mean you can learn how to make the most of your baseball training.

Baseball: What is Considered as Effective Hitting?

Effective hitting, in a nutshell, is hitting that results in the bat connecting with the ball. While this may sound simple, most experts agree that hitting the ball is the hardest skill to master. Even some professional players strike out or end up having to walk the bases during a game. The key to being successful in learning how to improve your baseball hitting is obviously practice but you have to practice the right way.

Here's where trouble often comes from. When you're on a team, everyone receives the same training. If you're learning the rules of the game or how to catch the ball, there's nothing wrong with using a standard method of baseball training. Baseball hitting is different. Each player is going to come to the game with a different level of skill and with different techniques that are going to hurt or help their performance. Good training finds ways to work with these existing skills and to maximize them for an overall positive performance. In many cases, that's not going to be possible without one-on-one training.

How Do You Train for It?

If baseball training is important to you but you can't afford to hire a personal trainer, there are other ways to improve your game. As mentioned above, practice is definitely going to be the key to ongoing success. The most effective approach to improving baseball hitting is to practice the individual components of good hitting, including the grip, the stance, and the approach.

Approach, for example, is something that is essential for good baseball training. However, most people have real trouble learning this information because it conflicts with their earlier training. For example, most players are taught from an early age that when they see a pitch coming they need to swing. They are not asked to judge the effectiveness of the baseball pitching. When the people doing the baseball pitching aren't very skilled either, this technique can work. As they improve, however, the will stop pitching strikes when they know the hitter is going to be swinging at every potential shot.

Instead, good hitters need to be able to determine which of the pitches have potential and which do not. Only then will they be able to get those doing the baseball pitching to send them balls with the potential to be great hits.

Another part of training to be a good hitter is practicing the swing. Even a good pitch for the hitter can not connect if that hitter does not have a good swing. Hitters need to realize that more than their arm movements are playing a role in the connection of the bat to the ball. The process actually involves the legs, the hands, the hips, and even the head. One main difference between good hitters and exceptional hitters is their ability to keep their eyes on the ball all the way through contact.

Additional Advice

Professional baseball players who have spent a good portion of their lives and their careers perfecting their ability to make that connection can provide some good advice for newer players, too. One of the most common pieces of advice involves bat selection. Again, no one recommendation is going to work for all players, except the recommendation to find a bat that feels comfortable in your hands. Try out a few and find one that delivers results.

Some pros also suggest that you have someone else watch your performance to provide feedback. That's a benefit of having a trainer but you can get around that problem if you can't afford a trainer. Instead, have someone record your actions so you can watch them later yourself and tweak your performance. You might also be able to watch the recording of your hitting performance with a coach who can evaluate your performance.

The pros also know that good baseball hitting training includes lots of practice. You'll need to complete countless numbers of drills if you want to start seeing an improvement in how often your bat makes that connection with the ball.

Chris Moheno has a long time passion for sports in general and for baseball coaching more specifically.

His goal is to spread the word about effective non-fluff baseball training techniques for both more experienced and young baseball players, to help them perform better during the game. Discover more about baseball training secrets on baseballtrainingsecrets.com

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

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How to Throw Strikes - Great Drill For Youth Baseball Pitchers

Drills For Youth Baseball Pitchers
By Guest Author Jack Perconte

If anyone could discover a guaranteed method of teaching youth baseball pitchers how to throw strikes, they would strike it rich. Obviously, youth baseball games would go a lot smoother if kids threw more strikes. More innings could be played in the allotted time span and umpires would be able to keep some semblance of the strike zone. Often at the under 10 year old kid pitch leagues, umpires have to call any balls caught by the catcher "strikes" just to keep the games moving. Obviously, this umpire practice does not allow hitters to learn the strike zone and coaches have to tell hitters to swing at almost everything so they won't get called out on strikes. This result of calling a huge strike zone doesn't serve the development of pitchers or hitters, and causes much frustration in youth baseball leagues.

One thing I have noticed over the years, which is not earthshaking news, is that kids are accurate and display good throwing mechanics from a close range. Once they reach a certain distance away from their target, their throwing mechanics change and any consistent throwing accuracy is lost. The usual result of throwing a further distance is that kids step away from their target and open up their front side way too soon. Overtime, these incorrect throwing habits become a habit and may lead to arm injury.

Of course, even with the following practice drill, kids still have to be taught the correct throwing mechanics and they should work on perfecting them. With this in mind, following is one of my favorite drills where youth baseball pitchers can learn a consistent release point and have some fun at the same time.

Advance and Retreat Drill for Pitching

Once pitchers have warmed up, I start them at the midway mark between home and pitchers mound, where they begin pitching. For every "strike" they throw, pitchers back up a step towards the pitcher's mound and for every "ball" they move a step closer to home. I then count the number of pitches it takes them to get back to the pitchers mound (less the better, of course). The next time they work on pitching, the pitcher tries to beat their previous number of pitches. This drill is a great way for baseball pitchers to focus, try to keep the same mechanics and release point as they eventually get to the correct distance from home plate.

Of course, this same type drill can be used for kids who are just throwing, as opposed to pitching, and works with throwing off a wall or into a target as well. Additionally, different throwing contests can be designed and competition among players used with this baseball throwing drill.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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



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Baseball Coaching Digest - The 4 Key Elements That Help a Batter Hit a Baseball With More Power

The Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, by SKLZ. Availabe at fine sporting goods stores nationwide or at Baseball2u.com.

By Nick Dixon

Every baseball player loves to hit the ball hard and far. The power required to hit the baseball deep comes from the generation of maximum bat speed. The generation of bat speed is created by the correct use of the lower body, hips and hands. Four key elements are required to make the batting swing more powerful.

This article outlines and explains those key elements.Those key elements are:

1) The Batter Uses the Front Leg as Leverage to Generate Maximum Bat Speed. - What is leverage in the baseball swing? Why is leverage important? How is leverage generated? Leverage in a baseball swing is a resistance point or stationary object that stops forward movement. The front foot acts as the lever and provides leverage to the swing. For this leverage to occur the batter must allow the ball pass front foot. The front foot should be closed with the toes pointed toward the plate to supply maximum leverage to the swing. This leverage is the force against which the batter rotates the hips against. The front leg must be strait and planted to allow the hips to turn.

2) The Batter Generates Maximum Rotational "Torque of the Hips". - I use the term "Hip Torque" to describe the power the hips add to the swing. Batters must rotate the hips to achieve maximum bat speed. To get the maximum hip turn the front foot should be kept in a closed position. If the front foot is allowed to rotate or is in an open position at any point during the swing, there will be a loss of hip energy and a reduction of power in the swing.

The back foot is often lifted or turned up onto the toe. Many coaches describe the action of the back foot as a turn of the "shoe laces to the pitcher". The back foot action is not nearly as important as the front foot. The one thing that must be monitored is that the back foot does not travel forward. The back foot should stay where it was at the beginning of the swing, but the heel should lift and the foot turn to free the back side and to allow for maximum hip and torso rotation.

3) The Batter Keeps of the Hands Close to the Body. The Batter Keeps the Hands on the Shortest Power Path to the Ball. - The power track for the hands is a path that starts above the ball and close to the body. The "power track" is a short compact swing that is directly to the ball. To generate great bat speed the batter must drive the knob and bury it at the power contact position. Keeping the hands closer to the body also keeps the hands inside the ball.

4) The Batter Achieves Maximum Extension Through the Ball. - The batter that keeps the bat on the ball plane as long as possible is able to generate the maximum amount of power possible. The track or path of the bat should be downward until it gets to the balls plane. When the bat gets on an even plane with the ball, the batter should then drive the hands forward through the ball. This power extension has the top hand in a palm down position and the bottom hand in a palm up position. This forward extension or drive through the baseball is a key element of generating power.

I hope that this article was informative and helpful to you. I appreciate you taking the time to read. Have a great day, Nick.

5 Ways to Add Power to Baseball Swing and Improve Arm Strength

Increasing Baseball Swing Power and Improve Arm Strength
By Guest Author Jack Perconte

If there is one thing I would have done differently in my major league career it would have been to consistently use a strength building program during the season. Understand that for most of my early career lifting weights was frowned upon for baseball players. Why that was I am not sure. Probably because people assumed that lifting weights would make players build muscle that would inhibit the long fluid actions ballplayers need. Anyway, gaining and maintaining strength for ball players is essential and can keep a baseball player physically and mentally strong throughout the season. The great number of games during the season often zaps a player's strength which may lead to mental fatigue as well.

Of course, the best way to develop strength and power is to swing the bat and throw the ball more. Performing repetitions of the actual skills of swinging and throwing will lead to strength. For players who want to be their best, there is no substitute for swinging and throwing more than your competition. From experience I have noticed baseball players who throw and swing more months (up to nine), are the players who increase their power and arm speed the most. It is a good idea to give the body and mind a two or three month break from the skill training, but the conditioning and strength work can continue year round.

However, it has been proven over the years that bigger, stronger, faster can be improved through a weight training program. With that in mind, following are some basic tips that players of all ages can use to develop power and arm strength without having to hire a personal trainer or buy expensive exercise equipment:

1. Much of the bat speed, control of the bat and throwing speed comes from the forearms, hands, wrists and fingers. Players can work on these areas by squeezing things. There are many useful items on the market designed to help, but squeezing a tennis ball or water out of a towel will work just as well. Doing this a few minutes a day will develop the strength that will make a difference with how to get the ball to "jump off the bat" and have a "livelier" fastball.

2. The next set of muscles to develop is the core muscles of the midsection. Doing fast hip turns while holding a weighted object are good. Gradual increases in the amount of weight held will develop this core strength. Old fashioned sit ups or any variation of those are beneficial too.

3. Most of the time we think of running exercises only for running speed. However, working on fast crossover steps and explosive first moves of the lower body are just as important for hitting power and throwing speed. Much power is generated by the muscles around the thighs and rear end. Using these muscles with explosive movements will help. Working on explosive crossover steps will develop fast hip rotation for both the hitter and pitcher.

4. Old-fashioned pushups are still great strengthening tools that are good for any and all ages. They will help develop the bigger muscles around the chest and shoulders. Performing different variations like hands wide, hands together and finger tip push ups will work on different muscles.

5. Finally, doing lunges and knee bends will help develop the leg and rear end muscles, which are a major source of power for both a hitter and pitcher.

After a few weeks of this conditioning and continued work on the fundamentals, players will notice the difference with increased bat and arm speed. Working to be bigger, stronger, faster and fundamentally sound will allow players to reach their full potential, without future regret of what they might have done differently.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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



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Training Baseball Players - Why Hitting a Small Ball Leads to Big Results

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Small Ball Training for Baseball Players
By Guest Author:John Peter

In all of sports hitting a round ball with a rounded bat is said to be toughest thing to do. It might be true, it might not, but I can tell you that the difference in Major League Baseball between $2 million per year and pumping gas at a Texaco station could be as little as 30 more hits a year. So, it sure is not easy!

Think about that for a second...

500 at bats and 150 hits, and you are hitting .300.

500 at bats and 120 hits, and you are hitting .240 and maybe out of baseball!

So what's my point? THE GAME ELIMINATES US ALL (see the related article of this same title). Some way, some how and some day we are all out of the game. Sometimes it's injury, but more frequently, it's on-field performance. And hitting is the one skill that will keep a position player in the game longest! Whether it is breaking into the starting line-up, the clean-up spot, a travel or High School team, or even a Major League roster, hitters have a way of staying in the game longest! (Remember, there still is a DH for poor-fielding wall-bangers in Big League ball).

Focus Plus Quality Repetitions Equals Success

Can you find ways to make better, solid and more frequent contact with the talent you now possess? You bet you can. It's easier than you think and can be done right in your backyard! Hit a small ball...first with a bat, then with a smaller bat, then do it again and again. It's a simple idea. I hope most readers will agree that this makes sense. ... But lets dig deeper into how and why this works.

I will tell you that it is a baseball truth that if you learn the proper swing mechanics and then simply do it again and again... You become better...period!

Here's Why It Works

1st - Players of all ages can do this though we will be making some adjustments based on age and skill level.

2nd - Hitting requires timing and balance. This is achieved through repetition of proper swing mechanics done again and again.

3rd - Focus heightens when a player is challenged - a smaller ball perhaps struck with a smaller bat will create an even greater amount of focus. Do this again and again...you will see results almost immediately!

4th - Hitting is fun!

Here's How It Works

Your local K Mart or Wal Mart sells golfball sized whiffle balls by the dozen. They also sell broom handles. Get the picture? It stands to reason that if a player can hit a small ball, he certainly can hit a regulation-sized baseball. The same is true with a smaller bat. Start with 2-3 dozen balls and a bat. Throw from 15 to 20 feet depending on the hitter's age and skill level. Even if he struggles in the beginning, watch what happens when he starts connecting. The eyes narrow, the "this is no fun" attitude disappears. In short order, he's taken 50 - 150 swings! This is where progress begins to happen.

Note - If you do this three times or more during the first week especially the day of or the day before a game, you have just raised the hitter's timing and confidence levels tremendously! But if you do it one time only, you or your player may not be motivated enough at this time in the player's development to become a more skilled player or coach. I say this simply because this exercise requires less effort and time than most skill-building exercises that I could possibly invent or teach!

Coaching Tips & Variations

For Younger or Less-Skilled Players - Buy what used to be known as a Fat Albert Bat. It's plastic and about 3 times the diameter of a regulation-sized bat. Cost is less than $5.and is available at a K Mart or Wal Mart type store. It's a great way to build confidence. Players get a kick out of how far they can hit the ball too! Eventually, let them advance to their own game bat.

The Soft Toss Drill - This should be a staple for any team. Simply stated, the "pitcher" kneels about 5 - 7 feet diagonally (a 45 degree angle) to the front side of the hitter and tosses underhanded toward the front hip or thigh area in a small-to-no arc path. This is a great way to get alot of swings without all the bad throws that happen when pitching from longer distances. It saves on the pitching arm as well. The batter takes a minimum of 15-25 cuts. Take a break to retrieve balls when the player's swing begins to get sloppy or his breathing becomes labored.

Note: Pitcher must allow time between pitches for the player to get his bat back to the set position. This is extremely important for his timing as too fast will eventually equal lousy swings and may allow bad habits to invade.

Make It A Challenge & Make It A Game - Look for the fun in any drill. Why be bored or feel like you are working when you don't have to. Here's a few quick , fun ideas...

Batting Average Game - Each player (or if one player, each rack of 20 swings) keeps track of how many good hits during each round of 20. Play it in 6 or 9 "innings"

Total Hits Game - Make each round a continuous total. Again play it in "innings".

http://www.baseballtips.com/

Baseball tips & youth baseball equipment, training aids & instruction! It's all here for baseball coaching of pitchers & hitters, little league to high school.

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

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