The Advanced Youth Baseball Training Tips and Techniques Blog provides youth baseball coaches with free youth baseball drills, tips for coaching youth baseball, youth baseball training techniques and articles on coaching young baseball players.
Showing posts with label youth baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth baseball. Show all posts
Friday, July 26, 2013
The Swing and Squat Jump - The Best Speed Workout For Baseball in 2 Exercises!
Visit extremebaseball.org for more free baseball videos. In this segment players perform infield drills to help fielding techniques, lateral movement, turning double plays, pop-ups, communication, and slow rollers. More more Big League workouts or questions, email us at: info@extremebaseball.org
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Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Where Does Power Come From For A Youth Baseball Hitter?
By Guest Author: Chip Lemin
To help your players develop more power in their swings, you must instruct them to have balance throughout the entire swing. Earlier, I discussed the stance of the hitter. This includes even weight distribution right from the trigger of the swing. In order to generate power, the swing must be compact and short. Yes players with long swings will generate power also, but they generally will not make as much consistent contact.
Many youth baseball players will have far too much hand and foot movement to achieve balance throughout the entire swing. These players could get away with these flaws when pitchers are just trying to throw strikes in younger leagues. As pitchers develop velocity and location these flaws will be exposed.Some young players will resist keeping their hands held up high. They resist keeping their shoulders stacked up over their feet. They may not have a wide enough base in their stance. These players like to stride out at the ball. A small controlled stride is acceptable. Many newer coaches are unaware that a long stride will hamper the player's power base.Many of the top youth baseball hitters will no stride at all. They may use some front foot movement as a timing trigger to begin to "load up' their swing.
I became a student of the baseball swing to learn all I could. When your gets professional instruction (which I encourage) pay close attention,and take notes.Many of the instructors are great sources of knowledge who are willing to help you too. After all, it is in their best interest for your players to improve. It is a reflection on his talent as an instructor.It may mean more business for him.It is the player's responsibility to work on their swing. You can give them the tools and information. You can attempt to inspire them to work harder. Don't feel any guilt about a player's swing if they are not putting in extra work to improve.
Players must look at the pitcher with both eyes. Too often the player's shoulder position will be turned so that both eyes are not on the ball. These batters may have hit the ball well at lower even with these flaws,it may take some strikeouts or weakly hit balls to get their attention. Just be a patient instructive leader. Focus on what the batter is doing right first, then move on to correcting mistakes. Most young players don't get proper extension and follow through on their swings.They may be trying too hard to pull all pitches. This is a common mistake. When players wrap the bat around on their follow through, and it ends up below the front shoulder, it is a sign that they are "pulling off "of the ball. The finish should be up high, with the bat and the hands up near or above the front shoulder.
Power is not always generated just by size. It is a function of bat speed.The quicker the bat head can get into the hitting zone the better. The batter's hands must lead into the zone, and the hips and torso will follow. The player must focus on extension through the entire hitting zone. This will help the player to finish the swing with a nice high follow through. Then the hips and torso will come along also. Professional instruction with a qualified instructor is worth every cent. I believe the coaching staff will get just as much help from it as the players. There will be more articles on hitting for youth baseball players coming up soon. Thanks Coach Chip
Chip Lemin has been a promoter of youth baseball since they started using aluminum bats. That's a long time. I have witnessed many good people get into coaching without solid coaching skills and it is not fun for them or the kids.Today's newer coaches are also being shortchanged on sportsmanship, like there is none. Visit my site to sign up for a insightful, informational, free coaching e-course at http://www.baseballecourse.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chip_Lemin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1008653
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Monday, July 15, 2013
Organizing Youth Baseball Practice
For the coach youth baseball practice actually begins before you get to the field. You need to plan out what you want to work on and what drills you will use to accomplish your objective. It is advisable to utilize parents and volunteers to help you. If possible you want to be the facilitator who walks around insuring everyone is doing what they need to do.
Youth baseball teams typically are assigned a practice field on certain days for a given time period, so depending on your teams needs and areas they need to work on will determine what your practice plan will consist of. Make sure to write it down and stick to the time allotted.
It is advisable to have the players warm up as a group. I ask two players to volunteer to be the captains for the day. They will lead the stretching and warm up. Once that is done we will move into our throwing routine. The warm up, stretching and throwing routine is consistent before every practice and game. The player's become familiar with it and develops a routine they are comfortable with.
After warming up the following would an example of a normal practice.
•Rundown - Half the players will be on 1st base the other half on 2nd, and a runner in the middle, the runners run with their gloves so as to keep the drill moving. The goal is to keep the drill moving and teach one throw and get the runner out.
•Cutoff & Relay - Break your team into groups, if you have 12 players use three groups of four players. Make sure the players are moving their feet to the ball with their glove side to the target. I use the phrase, step-catch-throw to emphasize quick release of the ball. This is a good opportunity to make a competition between the teams and adds fun to practice as well.
•Individual skills – keeping the same groups as cutoff & relay one group will go to shortstop, another group to second base and a final group to center field. The infield works on ground balls, the outfield works on fly balls. You could have one of the infield groups working on charging slower grounders while the other group fields and makes a strong throw to 1st.
• Group skills – This is where you may work on 1st & 3rd defense, bunt defense, turning double plays, pop fly's, pitchers fielding practice. •Hitting – Like the above we will utilize groups. Most youth baseball fields don't have a cage so to perform live hitting a coach(s) will need to throw on the field.
I have found that putting a screen on home plate and the hitters close to the back stop not only prevents lots of foul balls from leaving the field, but I can have two coaches throwing to two hitters simultaneously. This allows the other two players in the group to be working on the side with soft toss and/or tee drills.
I have one group shagging in the outfield, and one group fielding ground balls hit by helpers in the infield.
Another option you could do is have one group throwing a bullpen during this time.
This method of taking BP makes hitting practice efficient and productive, and the kids aren't bored.
I finish practice with a base running drill. It may be step-by-step instruction or it may be a drill they like and have done before.
This type practice will typically last two hours. It encompasses a lot of instruction and repetitions. I look at practice as my time and games as the players time to show the world what they have learned.
The biggest thing for the coach is too organized. Save your practice plan as you may want to use it or a similar version later in the season.
by Thomas
Tom has been coaching youth baseball for the past 20 years. LeftHandedBaseballGloves.com is a site designed to offer quality baseball gloves. Tom's blog is dedicated to offer coaching idea's for the volunteer baseball coach.
Youth baseball teams typically are assigned a practice field on certain days for a given time period, so depending on your teams needs and areas they need to work on will determine what your practice plan will consist of. Make sure to write it down and stick to the time allotted.
It is advisable to have the players warm up as a group. I ask two players to volunteer to be the captains for the day. They will lead the stretching and warm up. Once that is done we will move into our throwing routine. The warm up, stretching and throwing routine is consistent before every practice and game. The player's become familiar with it and develops a routine they are comfortable with.
After warming up the following would an example of a normal practice.
•Rundown - Half the players will be on 1st base the other half on 2nd, and a runner in the middle, the runners run with their gloves so as to keep the drill moving. The goal is to keep the drill moving and teach one throw and get the runner out.
•Cutoff & Relay - Break your team into groups, if you have 12 players use three groups of four players. Make sure the players are moving their feet to the ball with their glove side to the target. I use the phrase, step-catch-throw to emphasize quick release of the ball. This is a good opportunity to make a competition between the teams and adds fun to practice as well.
•Individual skills – keeping the same groups as cutoff & relay one group will go to shortstop, another group to second base and a final group to center field. The infield works on ground balls, the outfield works on fly balls. You could have one of the infield groups working on charging slower grounders while the other group fields and makes a strong throw to 1st.
• Group skills – This is where you may work on 1st & 3rd defense, bunt defense, turning double plays, pop fly's, pitchers fielding practice. •Hitting – Like the above we will utilize groups. Most youth baseball fields don't have a cage so to perform live hitting a coach(s) will need to throw on the field.
I have found that putting a screen on home plate and the hitters close to the back stop not only prevents lots of foul balls from leaving the field, but I can have two coaches throwing to two hitters simultaneously. This allows the other two players in the group to be working on the side with soft toss and/or tee drills.
I have one group shagging in the outfield, and one group fielding ground balls hit by helpers in the infield.
Another option you could do is have one group throwing a bullpen during this time.
This method of taking BP makes hitting practice efficient and productive, and the kids aren't bored.
I finish practice with a base running drill. It may be step-by-step instruction or it may be a drill they like and have done before.
This type practice will typically last two hours. It encompasses a lot of instruction and repetitions. I look at practice as my time and games as the players time to show the world what they have learned.
The biggest thing for the coach is too organized. Save your practice plan as you may want to use it or a similar version later in the season.
by Thomas
Tom has been coaching youth baseball for the past 20 years. LeftHandedBaseballGloves.com is a site designed to offer quality baseball gloves. Tom's blog is dedicated to offer coaching idea's for the volunteer baseball coach.
Monday, July 8, 2013
8 New Baseball Drills for Advanced Catchers
Catching drills that improve receiving, blocking and throwing techniques for catchers.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Here's Some Baseball Thoughts And Quotes For Youth Baseball Coaches And Players
Here's Some Baseball Thoughts And Quotes For Youth Baseball Coaches And Players
By Guest Author Chip Lemin
Here are baseball thoughts and some quotes that I thought all you youth baseball coaches would appreciate. There are far too many hot dog players and coaches in youth baseball today. I believe we must honor the game baseball by example. Most of it is just common sense and courtesy. I'm not giving you any secret formula to success. Let's behave like mature adults and remember we don't have a team full of future professional baseball players even though others may think otherwise.
Everyone on the team must be willing to trade sweat, effort, and sacrifice for success. When looking at yourself as a player, the critical. There are too many egotists among players today. Egotism is the anesthetic which deadens the pain of stupidity.
Success is costly. You must exchange something solid in yourself for success.
Concentrate on improving your weaknesses. It is more obvious than your strong points.
No player ever becomes a success by giving up. Keep trying.
If your coach criticizes you, it indicates that he is watching you, so appreciate that.
Never alibi. Excuses never win games.
Be confident. Say to yourself, I can I will, I must.
Be a good team player. Encourage your teammates and cooperate with them. They in turn will do the same.
Don't yell at the officials or umpires. They are seldom responsible for your success so don't blame them for your failure.
Your conduct, both on the field and off the field of, is a true test of you as an individual. It reflects your degree of dependability, responsibility, and the extent of your self sacrifice.
Here are some anonymous quotes...
If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today.
The coach may not always be right, but he's always the coach.
When I won I thought I was lucky, but the harder I work, the luckier I got.
Every athlete has problems, the winners handle theirs.
The player who refuses to be beaten is tough to beat.
Not always a winner but never a loser.
If you know anyone who has always received a fair deal, get a witness- you're seeing a miracle.
Repetition is the mother of education.
I will get ready and perhaps my chance will come.
Enthusiasm is like a coat of paint- it covers up a lot of mistakes.
Little things make big things.
The surest way not to fail is be determined enough to succeed.
The player who does what he pleases is seldom pleased with what he does.
When a winner makes a mistake, he says I was wrong. One loser makes a mistake, he says, it was not my fault.
Hustle! You cannot survive without.
Enthusiasm and action will overcome fear.
The greatest key to success is a good attitude.
If You Think You are good, then why not be better. If you'd think you are better, then be the best.
Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.
It takes a cool head to win a hot game.
I will leave you with this, it pertains to more than just baseball.
You can never get ahead of someone as long as you are trying to get even with them.
Thanks for your time, I hope these quotes, the ones without quotation marks around them, will help you get through this long winter waiting for baseball season start.
Thanks again, Coach Chip
Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of youth baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game of youth baseball is something that really needs I feel. I have a free course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.
Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do.Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing. I would like to help you with that.
Sign up at http://www.baseballecourse.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chip_Lemin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/842896
==========================
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By Guest Author Chip Lemin
Here are baseball thoughts and some quotes that I thought all you youth baseball coaches would appreciate. There are far too many hot dog players and coaches in youth baseball today. I believe we must honor the game baseball by example. Most of it is just common sense and courtesy. I'm not giving you any secret formula to success. Let's behave like mature adults and remember we don't have a team full of future professional baseball players even though others may think otherwise.
Everyone on the team must be willing to trade sweat, effort, and sacrifice for success. When looking at yourself as a player, the critical. There are too many egotists among players today. Egotism is the anesthetic which deadens the pain of stupidity.
Success is costly. You must exchange something solid in yourself for success.
Concentrate on improving your weaknesses. It is more obvious than your strong points.
No player ever becomes a success by giving up. Keep trying.
If your coach criticizes you, it indicates that he is watching you, so appreciate that.
Never alibi. Excuses never win games.
Be confident. Say to yourself, I can I will, I must.
Be a good team player. Encourage your teammates and cooperate with them. They in turn will do the same.
Don't yell at the officials or umpires. They are seldom responsible for your success so don't blame them for your failure.
Your conduct, both on the field and off the field of, is a true test of you as an individual. It reflects your degree of dependability, responsibility, and the extent of your self sacrifice.
Here are some anonymous quotes...
If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today.
The coach may not always be right, but he's always the coach.
When I won I thought I was lucky, but the harder I work, the luckier I got.
Every athlete has problems, the winners handle theirs.
The player who refuses to be beaten is tough to beat.
Not always a winner but never a loser.
If you know anyone who has always received a fair deal, get a witness- you're seeing a miracle.
Repetition is the mother of education.
I will get ready and perhaps my chance will come.
Enthusiasm is like a coat of paint- it covers up a lot of mistakes.
Little things make big things.
The surest way not to fail is be determined enough to succeed.
The player who does what he pleases is seldom pleased with what he does.
When a winner makes a mistake, he says I was wrong. One loser makes a mistake, he says, it was not my fault.
Hustle! You cannot survive without.
Enthusiasm and action will overcome fear.
The greatest key to success is a good attitude.
If You Think You are good, then why not be better. If you'd think you are better, then be the best.
Winning is not everything, but wanting to win is.
It takes a cool head to win a hot game.
I will leave you with this, it pertains to more than just baseball.
You can never get ahead of someone as long as you are trying to get even with them.
Thanks for your time, I hope these quotes, the ones without quotation marks around them, will help you get through this long winter waiting for baseball season start.
Thanks again, Coach Chip
Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of youth baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game of youth baseball is something that really needs I feel. I have a free course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.
Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do.Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing. I would like to help you with that.
Sign up at http://www.baseballecourse.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chip_Lemin
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/842896
==========================
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Baseball Pitching DVDs
Baseball Drills Videos & Books
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Youth Baseball Hitting Drills: Load For Successful Hitting
Baseball Player University Host Jeff Forney says: A hitter must go back to to go forward in the hitting process
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Thursday, August 18, 2011
Coaching Youth Baseball - Team Building Ideas
BatAction.com
Coaching Youth Baseball - Team Building Ideas
By Jake Wyatt
When coaching youth baseball, you often end up with a bunch of boys who may not know each other. Team building is very important to ensure a cohesive team, one where the players support each other rather than compete with each other.
At the first practice, you need to break the ice with the players. Some will be very outgoing, some will be shy. Try to gently get all the boys to introduce themselves and share something simple about why they like to play baseball, or perhaps what position they like to play. This will help you get a feel for the boys as well.
Here are some great ideas to help the boys become a team that plays well together:
1. Have activities outside of practice. One or two pizza parties or hot dog picnics gets the families together and lets the boys get to know each other outside of baseball. Have a few gifts (packs of baseball cards) to hand out for drills that center on knowledge of the sport. During the event, ask questions to generate conversation.
2. Pay particular attention to boys who are not fitting into the team during practice. Figure out ways to gently include them into the practice routines. For instance, if you are doing hitting drills, make this boy catcher for the day. Or put him in charge of counting or measuring. This can be difficult to do without being obvious, but with some thought a good coach can make it happen.
3. Have a rule that during games, the players in the dugout pay attention to the game. They should be making a lot of noise in support of team members who are on the field.
4. Make it clear, in your initial meeting with the boys, that you will not tolerate whining, bullying, or meanness. Point out that in order to win, all the players must support each other. Establish the consequences for unacceptable behavior right away, and stick to it.
5. Have some team-building activities during practices. For instance, have the players stand in a circle and pass the ball around the circle. Time how long it takes. Then ask them to try again and beat their time. Watch them work together to figure out how to go faster.
In coaching youth baseball, if you successfully build a strong team spirit, your team will play better and have more fun during games!
In order to be the best possible baseball player, training should happen year-round and be a joint effort between the coach, the player and the parents. Get more free tips to improve baseball performance, reviews of e-products related to baseball, and links to training resources at http://youth-baseball-training.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Wyatt
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Thursday, August 4, 2011
Youth Baseball - Youth Baseball Training - Baseball Equipment
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Monday, July 18, 2011
Youth Baseball Series Baserunning and Sliding Video / DVD from BaseballVideos.com
Youth Baseball Series Baserunning and Sliding Video / DVD from BaseballVideos.com
Uploaded by BaseballVideoscom http://www.baseballvideos.com - Instructional youth baseball training video Youth Baseball Series Baserunning and Sliding DVD with Coach Steve Johnigan: In this instructional baserunning DVD Johnigan explains the importance of good baserunning and proper sliding technique and has drills of good baserunning and proper sliding demonstrated. He starts with home to first base and getting out of the box, running in a straight line, focusing on the front of the base, pumping the arms, turns at bases and the curve, leaning into the turn, and hitting the inside of the base. He also discusses Figure 4, head first and hook slides. 2000. 45 minutes. LD-01233E
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Monday, June 28, 2010
Youth Baseball Batting Tips - The Fundamentals
XtenderBattingCages.com
Youth Baseball Batting Tips - The Fundamentals
By Guest Author Jeffery A Wise
Learning youth baseball batting tips and practicing them thoroughly will practically guarantee a successful baseball hitting career. The best time to learn these tips is when you're young. Knowing the fundamentals of hitting will develop into lifelong skills.
My father taught me tips for hitting when I was a youth and those skills have stuck with me to this day. If you are a parent, be patient in teaching your child these fundamentals one at a time. If you are a young ball player, seek help from a parent or coach to make sure you're grasping these tips correctly. Remember that it takes time to develop skills. Even professional ball players practice batting fundamentals every day.
Here are the fundamentals you need to be the best baseball hitter you can be.
Keep your head down and eyes on the ball. Youth tend to keep their eyes on the pitcher or somewhere else on the field. Instead, they should practice keeping their eyes on the ball. From the moment it leaves the pitcher's hand to the moment they make contact with the bat. One way to practice this from the beginning is to hit off of a tee. You can go to any open ball field and practice. Another way to practice is by doing soft toss. Have your father, friend or coach get on one knee and underhand toss you the ball and swing into the protective net if your field is equipped with one or if you have one. You can do this in your backyard or at the ball field. These drills will help you focus, keeping your eyes on the ball.
Stand correctly in the batter's box. Make sure you are standing in the box shoulder width apart with your feet square and in line with the pitcher. Keep it simple in the beginning. Bend at the knees a little and hold the bat at or just below your chest and four to six inches away from your body. Make sure you feel comfortable in the box. If you don't feel comfortable, you won't get as many hits as you want.
Have a smooth, never changing swing. You can practice your swing anywhere virtually. Your goal should be to take a few dozen swings every day. Your swing should be smooth from start to finish. It shouldn't be jerky.
Always hustle. Whether you get a walk, ground out, fly out or a clean hit, always hustle to first base and wait for instructions from your first base coach. Sometimes that hustle will turn into an extra base or force the other team to make an error. Hustling also shows your coaches that you're serious and dedicated. Coaches like to see players who hustle and work hard.
Have fun. Relax and play the way the game was first intended. Have fun! If batting becomes a chore or no fun then you definitely won't be as successful hitting as you would if you were having fun.
These basic youth baseball batting tips should be practiced regularly. As time progresses, these fundamentals will become second nature to you and will stay with you the rest of your life.
Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn the proven system of youth baseball batting tips so that you can learn how to hit a baseball better. Start learning today at http://www.baseballhittingtipsonline.com by reading our information and downloading our free report.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeffery_A_Wise
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Baseball Mental Training and Baseball Goal Setting
Mental Training and Goal Setting
Mental Training and Goal Setting
By Nate Barnett
Each year I work with teams of youth baseball players in teaching them the values of the mental game of baseball. Just as there are skills needed to develop the physical side of the sport, there are skills necessary to build the mental side of the game as well. Unfortunately, teaching the mental game is a bit more difficult to teach because the results aren't necessary visible as quickly. Let me assure you however, if you have goals of playing baseball at the collegiate level or above, you will need a sold mental game if you are going to excel.
One of the first things I teach kids is set proper goals. This usually sounds a bit dry and boring, but it's important that a game plan is created in order to form a path to follow as an athlete. There are three important steps involved in setting goals that are functional. Broad goals, process goals, and action habits. Let me explain those below.
If we are talking about a season to season focus, broad goals are essentially what you want to accomplish by the end of the season. These should be something you can measure like batting average, fielding percentage, stolen bases, etc.
Process goals are the middle level of goal setting. There are the things you need to solve or improve upon in order to accomplish your broad goals. They should be specific as far as the things you are going to do daily, but they should be areas in your game that need immediate improvement. So let's say you have a season goal of hitting .400. A process goal would be to improve on your ability to hit off speed pitches. Or, it could be that you need to work on what pitches you choose to swing at.
The last part of this goal setting process is your daily action habits. These are the day to day things that you will do to get better at accomplishing your process goals. Using the example from above, if you process goal is to get better at hitting off speed pitches, your daily action habit might be to spend 15 minutes in the batting cage working on hitting a curveball. Whatever you choose to make it, it should be something that has a time frame attached to it.
Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Come download a free ebook on dealing with failure and the mental game of baseball.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett
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Mental Training and Goal Setting
By Nate Barnett
Each year I work with teams of youth baseball players in teaching them the values of the mental game of baseball. Just as there are skills needed to develop the physical side of the sport, there are skills necessary to build the mental side of the game as well. Unfortunately, teaching the mental game is a bit more difficult to teach because the results aren't necessary visible as quickly. Let me assure you however, if you have goals of playing baseball at the collegiate level or above, you will need a sold mental game if you are going to excel.
One of the first things I teach kids is set proper goals. This usually sounds a bit dry and boring, but it's important that a game plan is created in order to form a path to follow as an athlete. There are three important steps involved in setting goals that are functional. Broad goals, process goals, and action habits. Let me explain those below.
If we are talking about a season to season focus, broad goals are essentially what you want to accomplish by the end of the season. These should be something you can measure like batting average, fielding percentage, stolen bases, etc.
Process goals are the middle level of goal setting. There are the things you need to solve or improve upon in order to accomplish your broad goals. They should be specific as far as the things you are going to do daily, but they should be areas in your game that need immediate improvement. So let's say you have a season goal of hitting .400. A process goal would be to improve on your ability to hit off speed pitches. Or, it could be that you need to work on what pitches you choose to swing at.
The last part of this goal setting process is your daily action habits. These are the day to day things that you will do to get better at accomplishing your process goals. Using the example from above, if you process goal is to get better at hitting off speed pitches, your daily action habit might be to spend 15 minutes in the batting cage working on hitting a curveball. Whatever you choose to make it, it should be something that has a time frame attached to it.
Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Come download a free ebook on dealing with failure and the mental game of baseball.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett
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Friday, June 4, 2010
What is Mental Toughness and Why Is It Important?
By Mike Posey
Over the years I have had the opportunity to coach many players and one thing I can tell you without reservation is the best players were all mentally tough. It's a hard concept to explain until you see it, but it's obvious when you see a player that has it.
To clarify my point, not all of the best athletes have it. No every big league player is mentally tough and there are plenty that never make it to the big leagues that have great mental toughness. It's not about ability, I've coached many great athletes that didn't have a clue about being mentally tough and would fold under pressure. They could perform well when there was nothing on the line, but when the game was in balance, or the competition was tough, they usually failed.
On the other hand, I've witnessed many players with average skills, but mentally tough, perform in ways no one thought they could perform. A clutch hit, a key bunt, a great defensive play that stopped a rally, mentally tough players get the job done. In fact, the greater the pressure, the better they perform.
One thing I've come to understand with experience is that mental toughness is not an inborn DNA trait, but rather one that is developed over time and exposure to adverse conditions. Preparation in mental toughness begins with experiences at a young age. Parents can play a key role to begin the process of training mental toughness, but they need help along the way. A disciplined educational system with high expectations and good classroom rules, along with tough, but fair coaches (or mentors in other activities) with a positive mind set, is essential to developing a child mentally, whether they are an athlete are not.
This is one of the many reasons why it's important for all children to be involved in balanced organized extra curricular activities at a young age: Karate, gymnastics, ballet, music, scouts, children and youth activities at church, or youth sports will play a part in beginning to instill the discipline and structure that is needed to develop mentally. Notice I said begin to play a part. It takes time and preparation.
Development of mental toughness (and leadership skills) is also a reason that athletes need to be involved in a proper training program by the time they are 14 or 15 years old. A training program not only helps to build power, strength, and agility, but is important in developing mentally. Players should be accountable to a mentor (trainer, coach, etc...) as well as the camaraderie and pressure of a small peer group, even if it's only one or two others.
If a player is involved in a training program earlier than 14 or 15, it should be for the purpose of agility and speed training, along with teaching the proper techniques in strength conditioning without weights. Before any training program is started, please consult your child's physician during their annual physical, as the development of each child is unique.
Defining Mental Toughness
Mental toughness is having the psychological edge that allows one to perform at peak maximum effort and efficiency during the demands that are placed on them during training, practice, or competition. Specifically, when the demands are greatest or the conditions become adverse.
Whenever the demands are the greatest is when the characteristics of mental toughness are the most evident.
Some of the many characteristics that are evident when a player is mentally tough include:
- Self-confidence
- Self-motivation
- Focus
- Concentration
- Composure
- Calmness
- Poise
- Self-control
- Positive Energy
- Determination
- Persistence
- Leadership
Please note, this doesn't mean that the outcome is always a win, in many cases these attributes can show up the most during a loss, especially a close loss to a tough opponent or during adverse conditions. But over time and with careful training, the mental toughness of skilled players comes to light in championships won.
Developing Mental Toughness
To become mentally tough one must practice attributes that lead to mental toughness. I wish there were a formula to follow, but there is not. It takes time and patience under the right leadership to develop mental toughness. Parents, educators, coaches, and other mentors must be systematically involved in the training process.
Also, it takes failure and the ability to bounce back. Many people develop mental toughness through the experience of failure. Good parents do not want their children to fail and I understand that. But today, too many blame others for the failure. Parents are quick to blame the teacher for problems in class or a coach when the child is not excelling in an activity. Mental toughness can not be developed properly when blaming others. In fact, the opposite is the case.
Here are a couple of examples:
"Every strikeout got me closer to my next homerun". Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth grew up in an orphanage. During his playing career he struck out a record 1330 times on his way to hitting 714 career homeruns.
"Failure makes me try harder the next time." Michael Jordan
Jordan was only 5' 7" when he entered high school. Because of his speed and athleticism (and an older brother named Larry that the coaches knew well) he was invited to try out for the varsity, but didn't make it. He was placed on the JV team where he routinely scored 25 -30 points a game. By his junior year, he was 6'4" and made the varsity team. By then, he not only had the skill to play, but the drive and determination to be successful, while demanding the same from his teammates. His older brother Larry had a lot to do also with him developing his toughness on the court.
Edmund Hillary failed three times before finally being the fist to climb Mt. Everest.
Bill Gates and Steve Allen (his Microsoft co-founder) failed at their first business, Traf-O-Matic, which was developed to analyze traffic patterns.
Walt Disney's first animation business in the 1920's failed after only one month, forcing him to take a job from another company at that time. Coaches, you can train your players to become mentally tough but it takes time, persistence, and hard work. But the results are worth it.
Coach Mike Posey "CP"
http://www.expert-baseball-tips.com
Tips from a championship coach's perspective and experience, offering creative insights into helping others learn the game of baseball.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Posey
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Monday, May 31, 2010
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make sure to bookmar the BaseballParentGuide.com for future visits.
Visit YouthBaseballDigest.com for free baseball articles on coaching youth baseball. Site features daily articles, tips, drills, and coaching strategy.
Visit the Baseball Coaching Journal at http://www.bb2day.com for the very latest baseball coaching drills, tips, and articles.
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Monday, May 24, 2010
Hustle and Increasing Your Baseball Performance
Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine
By Nate Barnett
I work weekly with a 10U baseball club up here in Washington. Recently, they had a rough couple games with countless mental errors, lack of hustle and focus. Part of the deal is that they are 10 years old so some of that is to be expected. However, at practice the coach wanted me to work the magic and improve their overall hustle and focus pitch to pitch. The following is the email I sent to the coach about what we had gone over tonight at practice. If you have a young player, this is well worth helping him with.
Hi Coach,
Here is the stuff we worked on tonight. The boys looked good and caught on quickly.
1. In and out of the dugout in a "crisp" manner. This means once the last out is made the guys are hustling to their positions or back to the dugout. This will be particularly difficult when the guys are struggling with a recent mistake. But, as we talked about tonight, getting the body moving will help the brain recover!
2. At the beginning of the game, the SS and the CF will select a location in the dugout for all of the infielders and outfielders respectively to place their gloves and hats when they go out to hit. This way when the third out is made the guys on the bench will bring the glove/hat out to the players who are left on base. This will help out with guys getting to their positions quickly and ready for the next inning.
3. Each time there is a new hitter the infielders will turn around and face the outfielders and tell them how many outs there are. The outfielders will in turn return the outs call back to the infielders. This will keep everyone alert and in the game. Less mental errors are made when there is no confusion over outs.
4. As each pitch crosses the plate it's highly important that all players ready themselves. We talked about the two-step approach. As the pitcher begins to move in his delivery, the fielders move as well into their ready position with their glove out in front. Once the pitch has crossed the plate, the guys can move back to their starting position and get ready for the next pitch. This constant movement will help players stay focused as they are physically having to prepare themselves for the next pitch.
Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.
You can find The Pitching Academy's articles, blog, and videos on baseball psychology, pitching mechanics, and hitting mechanics when you visit the website.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett
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Friday, May 21, 2010
Baseball Swing Secrets to Learning the Right Mechanics Quickly!
By Joey Myers
The perfect baseball swing is like poetry in motion...watching Joe Mauer, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriquez, or Manny Ramirez hit leaves anyone with an awe that is indescribable. They've taken hundreds of thousands of cuts to create such a beautiful swing with such devastating impact on pitchers.
But, do you really have that kind of time with:
The new season coming up?
A big tournament being a week from now? or maybe you
Have to get ready for a big scouting showcase?
What you need is to SUPER-learn the baseball swing, like, yesterday!
Well, this article will go into what it's going to take to do just that. Doing the following will not make your swing perfect , it never will be, but you'll be able to take the information from the Smart Hitting Tips tab on the navigation bar, do what's prescribed here, and have a helluva showing.
Most of the following tips are hard rooted in research based on state-of-the-art Neuroscience and Exercise Science practice & theory...
This isn't a get hits quick scheme either, and will take A LOT of work, 2,000+ reps a week to be exact, but you'll train your brain and body to harmonize, building to successful baseball swing execution.
Ready?? Hold your horses...First,
You must create a time-line...when do you want to accomplish this? In a week (recommended, at least)? or 2? A month? Decide that first, then move on to the following Steps...
STEP 1: Make Small Circles
Start off slow with one concept, two at most, a day and breakdown each and every movement by going in extremely slow motion. You're brain is like a record...the more you do a movement, the more the needle wears the grooves on the surface of the vinyl... the more reps you do, the deeper and more solid the grooves.
Be careful because it can also work against you, by doing the movement wrong, so start off slow the right way, then speed up.
STEP 2: Balancing Act
Using the Balance & Reach Drill a foot or two off the ground will cause your brain to engage more muscles to stabilize the whole body, and the more you engage the Central Nervous System, the more muscles get recruited, and the faster your body picks up the technique.
Also, doing regular swings on an unstable surface, like on a narrow cushiony weight bench, diving board, exercise bose ball, or with eyes closed, the better off you'll be in record time.
STEP 3: Reps Before Bed
Studies have shown going through the motions before bedtime helps to burn them into your brain better. It has to do with the Four Stages of REM Sleep ...major repairs, both physically and cerebrally, go on in the 3rd and 4th Stages of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. If you don't get to the last two stages, then your body doesn't repair itself, which leads us to the next Step...
STEP 4: Set Alarm for 4.5 Hours
In order to speed up the learning process for developing an effective baseball swing, you have to take advantage of two sets of REM sleep. Do your swing repetitions before bed, set your alarm clock for 4.5 hours, wake up and do more reps, then finish off your sleep or the next REM cycle.
What this does is complete one cycle of REM (all 4 stages), then reset your body (by waking up) for another round, deepening those grooves in the brain. By doing this you're 50% more likely to make "stick" the desired technique.
All this can be possible if you...
STEP 5: Do NOT Eat Carbohydrates Past 6pm
Eating enough Carbs to spike your insulin, anytime past 6pm will keep you from getting to Stage 3 & 4 of REM sleep. Our natural occurring human growth hormones (HGH) get released in those stages of sleep ONLY, to repair the body. To allow that to happen, we have to chill out on the Carbs after hours.
And most importantly for your baseball swing, not only will you not repair and heal, but learning is dampened and your immune system crashes.
Last but not least,
STEP 6: Hyper-Computing for Cadence
Once we get a handle on all of the above baseball swing hyper-learning points, now we can speed up our micro processors. By doing this, we train the Central Nervous system by speeding up our motion to get the proper tempo or cadence.
Key point: do NOT attempt this until you have a solid handle on the proper form and movement first.
Speeding up the process of a particular part of the swing helps to deepen the specific movement groove in the brain, so when you engage the correct tempo, the movement is more natural.
You have to exaggerate a technique (in this case, speeding up the cadence), to get the right motion.
This is also great training for combating fast tempo pitchers, who when you step in the batter's box and look up, the pitch is already on its way.
The bottom line about HYPER-learning the baseball swing?
For these 6 Steps to be effective, you have to take between 1,200 to 2,000 repetitions a week...the RIGHT reps. Remember, wearing grooves in your brain can work for OR against you. Keep in mind, with that amount of swings in a small time-frame, you're going to develop blisters and sore muscles. Try and work through them, but if it comes to the sacrifice of good form, then stop, let them heal, and get back on the horse.
To Hyper-Heal sore muscles, do what the Soviet athletes did in the 80-90's, ice the sore spots for 5 minutes, then plunge into a hot bath or spa for 15 minutes, and repeat the process a couple times. This sequence also helps your body release melatonin, which will aid in putting you to sleep.
For blisters, drain them, but don't cut away the whole dead skin blister layer for a couple days...put antibiotic ointment between the dead and raw skin, and cover with a band-aid & athletic tape. They also have blister spray skin toughener, which you may want to look into...it burns like hell for a moment, but makes it so you can hit again with virtually no pain.
We hope you enjoyed this baseball swing article, remember we're always adding content, so please subscribe to the RSS feed, blog, and/or The Dugout Newsletter to stay up-to-date with the latest baseball hitting information.
My name is Joey Myers, and I played 18 total years of baseball finishing my career after my fourth year of college (2000-2003) as a Fresno State Bulldog (the 2008 College World Series Champions). I'm very grateful for the success I had at Bullard High School, and getting a scholarship to play at a Division I university, Fresno State, where I started 110 out of the 178 games I played, in the outfield. Now I devote most of my life to baseball swing coaching and personal fitness training. My websites are http://www.swing-smarter-baseball-hitting-drills.com/ and http://www.corecreationsonline.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joey_Myers
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Tips For Hitting In Youth Baseball
By Brian McClure
How did Babe Ruth, Micky Mantle Blast the Ball farther than Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa?
Batting drills can be fun, practice has to be done but in the long run hands, wrists, and forearms need to be strong to develop a quick swing and result in hitting the ball hard. This will not only help your child or team hit the ball harder with more control of the bat , but also prepare them for high school baseball. Here is a simple inexpensive way to do just that.
1) Tennis Ball - Have some tennis balls around the house and especially in your childsroom. While your youth baseball player is watching t.v. or waiting on his turn to play a video game he can be squeezing the tennis ball building the muscles on the hand , wrist , and forearms .
Sure you can buy exercise equipment for this but don't waste the money. This will provide enough resistance for what your child or team needs to develop.
(Bonus) Wrist roller - You can also take a rod (old broomstick handle will work) The rod needs to be 15 or 16 inches long with a hole drilled in the middle. Take some thin rope, run one end thruough the hole and tie a knot or two in it so it will not fall through. Leave a few inches past the rope for adjustments later. Take the other end and tie to a brick or weight. The rope should be long enough the weighted object rests on the ground but will lift when the youth baseball player rolls his wrists. The youth baseball player will hold the rod palms up and rolls his wrists. This mechanism is adjustable with the rope as the child grows
or you can tie on different weights.
2) Repetition - Simply put, It takes swings. Hitting off the tee, Soft Toss and some live batting practice. These three can be done at home or at off practice times to increase hitting performance. As a coach of youth baseball practice it would be great to set up one day just for hitting and have some volunteers help and move kids from stations. A tee station. A soft Toss station, a live free hitting station.
Coaches, be sure and tell your kids and parents about the tennis ball. Several will do it. And if you do a repetition station day and tell the parents this is what they can work on at home..many will do that. After all everyone loves to hit the ball, or at least see their son do it. This will be a great step toward the coaches team (or your child) hitting the ball.
For more free Free youth baseball tips & drills
Author- Brian McClure
More about helping your child in youth baseball as a parent or coach?
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/
See our complete list of Topics and articles on youth baseball here
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Brian_McClure
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Friday, May 14, 2010
Baseball Tips - This Problem May Be Causing That Hitting Slump
By Tom Read
Hitting the baseball is tough. You need to have a good batting stance, correct placement of the hands, good eye hand coordination, a good read on the type of pitch, and good body movement through the ball. And as the old saying goes, you are trying to hit a round ball square with a round bat. So when you go into a batting slump, which part of this equation is failing you?
This is a story I like to tell. My young son was in a bating slump like never before. He had gone from hitting the ball all over the field, to striking out at every plate appearance. Of course he was frustrated. This had never happened to him in his young career. So he and I started to take a look at each part of his swing.
His coach was also very helpful. He pitched extra batting practice to my son and gave us suggestions to try at the batting cages. We tried having him crowd the plate, back off the plate. We tried an open stance, then a closed stance. We raised his hands, we lowered his hands. We did soft toss and hit off the tee. We went ot a lighter bat, then to a heavier bat. I began to realize I was putting too much importance on this small part of his life. But to him it was very important.
Two weeks had gone by and I had decided that maybe this was his real hitting ability, and that his earlier success was just an unusual hitting streak. Then a thought came to me. At school they check every student's eye sight each year, but maybe he needed an eye exam.
My wife was able to get him into the eye doctor the next day. And can you believe it, his sight was 20-100, very bad. Surprisingly, we were all pleased with the news. Can you imagine that.? Happy that he had bad eye sight. Maybe this was his batting problem.
We were able to get glasses right away, and my son was amazed at what he could see. Leaves on the trees were now so much clearer. He was so trilled. He said let's get his ears checked. Maybe there was something he wasn't hearing. We told him his hearing was just fine.
Now the true test, the next game. I tried to prepare him for the worst, telling him it might take some time to adjust to this new sight. But that caution was never needed, he came out of the gate sending hits all over the field again. All those changes to his batting stance weren't needed. His eyes had changed very rapidly, but he had not noticed.
From what I understand, four other boys on the team had their eye sight checked within the next week. I guess you can say seeing is believing. So when you see changes in your player's ability be sure to consider their eye sight, as well as any other physical aspect. Kids grow up fast, and they make many changes during that time.
For other baseball tips and stories, please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Read
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Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Tips to Become an Effective Pitcher
Tips to Become an Effective Pitcher
By Nate Barnett
We have always consistently emphasized the dramatic increase of arm injuries with youth pitchers. Many of these injuries can be avoided with proper education and healthy, yet competitive environments. I constructed a brief list on missed opportunities coaches and parents have to train their youth to be better all around athletes and pitchers.
Pitching Mechanics: Of course this would be first on the list. I travel a lot to different youth baseball games to watch some of the pitchers I work with. I also observe pitchers on opposing teams and I am very aware of the lack of education youth pitchers have about pitching mechanics. It is concerning that so many pitchers throw to throw and don't know how to throw correctly. Their arm takes the beating and this can all be avoided with proper education about pitching mechanics. Parents and Coaches need to show their pitchers where to go for that education.
Pitching Workouts: I have also written a lot lately about the importance of strength and flexibility. It is imperative that all pitchers have enough strength to support the pitching workloads pitching requires. If not, they are prone to injury. If you have been receiving our training newsletters regularly you will also know how important of a role core strength training plays in becoming a complete pitcher.
Mental Game of Baseball: Many of life's lessons can be learned by playing Baseball. Parents and Coaches, I believe, have the obligation to teach the youth these valuable lessons during practice and games. We all know Baseball is a game of failure; hall of fame hitters success only 30% of the time. The best pitchers at that level succeed half of the time. Youth baseball players can learn just as much from losing as they can from winning. Of course, there is much more to the mental game of baseball than just that; we will review more of that later.
Nutrition: Nutrition is more important than most athletes, parents and coaches understand. There are so many missed opportunities to teach nutrition. The best way to teach proper nutrition is through example. If you are a soda drinker, your kids and athletes will be as well.
Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy.
After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. You can find The Pitching Academy's videos, blog, and more articles when you visit the website.
The Pitching Academy's pitching mechanics DVD.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nate_Barnett
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Friday, April 2, 2010
Little League Digest - Proper Baseball Swing Mechanics and the "Belly Button" Rule of Hip Turn
Little League Digest - Proper Baseball Swing Mechanics and the "Belly Button" Rule of Hip Turn
By Nick Dixon
Little league Digest: Baseball Batting Coaching Tips: Teaching Hip Turn Mechanics and Using the "Belly Button" Rule to Improve Baseball Swing Quality
The hips play an important part in the baseball swing process. The turn of the hips helps to generate power and bat speed. There are several important coaching points about the involvement of the hips in the swing. The "B B" rule is one good way to teach young players the degree of hip turn on various pitch locations. This article presents several coaching points and explains the "B B" rule.
Here are 10 Coaching Points related to Hip Movement Mechanics:
1. The degree of hip movement is determined by the location of the pitch.
2. The hips must turn more when hitting an inside pitch.
3. The hips will turn less when hitting a pitch away.
4. The hips should not move before the hands and bat.
5. To free the hips, the back foot must spin, rotate or turn onto the toe.
6. The hips follow the barrel. The hips should open behind the barrel, not before it.
7. Premature front side or hip movement will cause a batter to pull the head and to pull of pitches.
8. The correct hip movement is a spin. Lunging or sliding the hips forward is not acceptable.
9. The hip movement should be a thrust or fast rotation. The faster the rotation of the hips, the faster the bats speed.
10. The degree of hip rotation can be taught by teaching the "Belly Button" rule as explained below.
The "Belly Button Rule" is explained as the following:
The Belly Button should follow the barrel of the bat through the baseball swing process. The location of a pitch determines hip turn. The degree of hip turn determines where the belly button is pointing when the batter finishes the baseball swing. The belly button should always finish in a position that points toward the direction in which the baseball was hit.
For example, when a ball is hit to the opposite field, the batters "Button" should point or be directed toward the opposite field when the swing is completed. If a batter pulls an inside pitch, the belly button should follow the ball and point toward the direction in which the ball was hit.
Coaching Point: For right and left handed batters, if the ball is hit through the box, up the middle, the belly button should "shine" or point toward second base when the swing is complete. For right handed batter, is a ball is pulled, the belly button should finish pointing toward third base. If a right handed batter hits the baseball down the right field line, the button should point toward first base when the swing is completed. If a left handed batter pulls the baseball, the hips should turn completely and the button should finish pointing at first base. If a left handed batter hits the ball to left field, the hips should turn less and the belly button should finish the swing pointing the 5-6 hole or between 3rd and 2nd base.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I wish you and your team good luck this season! Have a great day, Nick.
The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
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.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
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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!
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By Nick Dixon
Little league Digest: Baseball Batting Coaching Tips: Teaching Hip Turn Mechanics and Using the "Belly Button" Rule to Improve Baseball Swing Quality
The hips play an important part in the baseball swing process. The turn of the hips helps to generate power and bat speed. There are several important coaching points about the involvement of the hips in the swing. The "B B" rule is one good way to teach young players the degree of hip turn on various pitch locations. This article presents several coaching points and explains the "B B" rule.
Here are 10 Coaching Points related to Hip Movement Mechanics:
1. The degree of hip movement is determined by the location of the pitch.
2. The hips must turn more when hitting an inside pitch.
3. The hips will turn less when hitting a pitch away.
4. The hips should not move before the hands and bat.
5. To free the hips, the back foot must spin, rotate or turn onto the toe.
6. The hips follow the barrel. The hips should open behind the barrel, not before it.
7. Premature front side or hip movement will cause a batter to pull the head and to pull of pitches.
8. The correct hip movement is a spin. Lunging or sliding the hips forward is not acceptable.
9. The hip movement should be a thrust or fast rotation. The faster the rotation of the hips, the faster the bats speed.
10. The degree of hip rotation can be taught by teaching the "Belly Button" rule as explained below.
The "Belly Button Rule" is explained as the following:
The Belly Button should follow the barrel of the bat through the baseball swing process. The location of a pitch determines hip turn. The degree of hip turn determines where the belly button is pointing when the batter finishes the baseball swing. The belly button should always finish in a position that points toward the direction in which the baseball was hit.
For example, when a ball is hit to the opposite field, the batters "Button" should point or be directed toward the opposite field when the swing is completed. If a batter pulls an inside pitch, the belly button should follow the ball and point toward the direction in which the ball was hit.
Coaching Point: For right and left handed batters, if the ball is hit through the box, up the middle, the belly button should "shine" or point toward second base when the swing is complete. For right handed batter, is a ball is pulled, the belly button should finish pointing toward third base. If a right handed batter hits the baseball down the right field line, the button should point toward first base when the swing is completed. If a left handed batter pulls the baseball, the hips should turn completely and the button should finish pointing at first base. If a left handed batter hits the ball to left field, the hips should turn less and the belly button should finish the swing pointing the 5-6 hole or between 3rd and 2nd base.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to read it. I wish you and your team good luck this season! Have a great day, Nick.
The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
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.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
===Advertisement from our sponsor:=====
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!
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LittleLeagueLinks.com
Thursday, April 1, 2010
4 Highly Recommended Baseball Coaching Articles for High School Little League, Cal Ripken, Dixie Youth, Babe Ruth Pony, and all other Youth Baseball C
4 Highly Recommended Baseball Coaching Articles for High School Little League, Cal Ripken, Dixie Youth, Babe Ruth Pony, and all other Youth Baseball Coaches
Look for this ad in the Next Issue of Jr. Baseball Magazine
Baseball Youth Digest - Bunting Made Simple - Teaching Bunting Skills to Beginners
Bunting is a skill that must be taught and practiced just like throwing hitting, and fielding. It is wise for t-ball or Little League coaches of coach pitch teams to introduce every young player to the basics of bunting. This article outlines 10 recommended coaching points for teaching and introducing bunting to beginners.
Baseball Coaching Digest - What Baseball Coaches and Umpires Expect From Each Other
Baseball coaches and umpires often have a love/hate relationship. Coaches often make the job of an umpire more difficult. Umpires sometimes hurt the feelings of a coach with a crucial call. Coaches expect a high level of professionalism from the umpires in the crew working a game. Umpires expect a high level of professionalism from the coaches of both teams. Here I outline 5 things coaches expect of umpires and 5 things umpires expect of coaches:
Little League Digest - The KISS Rule of Teaching Youth Baseball Players a Proper Swing
Coaching baseball is not rocket science. I believe in the KISS rule of coaching young baseball batters. The KISS or "Keep it Super Simple" rule means that the coach will present the batting instruction in a way that it is easy for young baseball players to understand, visualize and perform. This article explains the 6 simple steps in teaching youth baseball batters using the "KISS" method.
Youth Baseball Digest - Good Pitcher Sometimes Can Not Throw a Strike - 10 Things to Check First
If you have a young baseball pitcher that at times looks like a Josh Beckett or Randy Smith and other times he struggles to throw two strikes in a row, what can cause of his control problems? There are 10 key elements of his delivery that should always be checked first. Those key elements are outlined in this article.
Coaching Baseball - The Importance of Teaching Batters to Hit the Ball Where it is Pitched
Great hitters at all levels share one common skill. They know when and how to attack every pitch location. Great hitters read and react to every possible pitch location. If you watched the 2008 Baseball College World Series, you quickly realized that great college hitters can catch up to any fastball regardless of the velocity. You saw batters over and over, on the ESPN TV Coverage of the CWS in Omaha, hit mid-90s to upper-90s fastballs with amazing power and bat speed. You also saw college baseball batters that apply and execute one of the most important and basic skills of hitting a baseball, the skill of "hitting the ball where it is pitched". The philosophy of most pitching staffs today is that the job of the pitcher is to allow the batter to get himself out. Pitching coaches teach and coach the pitcher to keep moving the ball in or out, up or down, and to never leave it over the plate. A batter often does not get the same pitch in an at-bat and may not see the same pitch in several at-bats.
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Look for this ad in the Next Issue of Jr. Baseball Magazine
Baseball Youth Digest - Bunting Made Simple - Teaching Bunting Skills to Beginners
Bunting is a skill that must be taught and practiced just like throwing hitting, and fielding. It is wise for t-ball or Little League coaches of coach pitch teams to introduce every young player to the basics of bunting. This article outlines 10 recommended coaching points for teaching and introducing bunting to beginners.
Baseball Coaching Digest - What Baseball Coaches and Umpires Expect From Each Other
Baseball coaches and umpires often have a love/hate relationship. Coaches often make the job of an umpire more difficult. Umpires sometimes hurt the feelings of a coach with a crucial call. Coaches expect a high level of professionalism from the umpires in the crew working a game. Umpires expect a high level of professionalism from the coaches of both teams. Here I outline 5 things coaches expect of umpires and 5 things umpires expect of coaches:
Little League Digest - The KISS Rule of Teaching Youth Baseball Players a Proper Swing
Coaching baseball is not rocket science. I believe in the KISS rule of coaching young baseball batters. The KISS or "Keep it Super Simple" rule means that the coach will present the batting instruction in a way that it is easy for young baseball players to understand, visualize and perform. This article explains the 6 simple steps in teaching youth baseball batters using the "KISS" method.
Youth Baseball Digest - Good Pitcher Sometimes Can Not Throw a Strike - 10 Things to Check First
If you have a young baseball pitcher that at times looks like a Josh Beckett or Randy Smith and other times he struggles to throw two strikes in a row, what can cause of his control problems? There are 10 key elements of his delivery that should always be checked first. Those key elements are outlined in this article.
Coaching Baseball - The Importance of Teaching Batters to Hit the Ball Where it is Pitched
Great hitters at all levels share one common skill. They know when and how to attack every pitch location. Great hitters read and react to every possible pitch location. If you watched the 2008 Baseball College World Series, you quickly realized that great college hitters can catch up to any fastball regardless of the velocity. You saw batters over and over, on the ESPN TV Coverage of the CWS in Omaha, hit mid-90s to upper-90s fastballs with amazing power and bat speed. You also saw college baseball batters that apply and execute one of the most important and basic skills of hitting a baseball, the skill of "hitting the ball where it is pitched". The philosophy of most pitching staffs today is that the job of the pitcher is to allow the batter to get himself out. Pitching coaches teach and coach the pitcher to keep moving the ball in or out, up or down, and to never leave it over the plate. A batter often does not get the same pitch in an at-bat and may not see the same pitch in several at-bats.
Sponsor Links:
Check out our network of baseball blogs:
Blogger (Blogspot) - baseballcoachesdigest
Blogger (Blogspot) - baseballparentguide
Blogger (Blogspot) - baseballhomeworkhelp
Blogger (Blogspot) - batactionbaseballtraining
Blogger (Blogspot) - battingcagebuyingguide
Blogger (Blogspot) - coachesbest
Blogger (Blogspot) - teeballcoachingclinic
Blogger (Blogspot) - hurricanebaseballtrainingmachine
Blogger (Blogspot) - teeballparentsguide
Blogger (Blogspot) - youthbaseballcoachingclinic
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