Advanced Training For Baseball Players

Core Power For Baseball Players

2010-07-29T12:40:00.001-07:00

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Inside of the game. Every day of workouts is spelled out for you!
Learn how to improve your jump and running speed on the basepaths with a 4 simple drills to help you avoid getting caught stealing and never again kill a potential rally

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Major League Baseball Store

2009-10-24T12:12:00.001-07:00

Conditioning & Training

2009-10-20T12:22:00.001-07:00

Coaching DVD's

2009-10-19T20:10:00.001-07:00

Coaching DVDs at Championship Productions

Baseball Books

2009-10-19T19:28:00.001-07:00

Fall Baseball

2009-09-09T10:24:00.003-07:00

I've watched several fall league baseball games the last few weeks and it seems to me that a lot of players are playing without a purpose. It's as if playing fall ball is the thing to do, but why? Is it because they think it's expected by their summer league or high school coach? Are they playing because their buddy is? Is it something their parents want them to do? With few exceptions, they just seem to be taking their turn at bat and walking out to their position.

And pitchers, I'm very disappointed in their pre-game prep. I know most teams don't have the luxury of a pitching coach or a bull pen coach and the pitcher is left to prepare on his own. But, they often just start firing away in the bull pen! I'm sure that most of them have been instructed to use a Bull Pen Routine to help them prepare the arm, find their rhythm, work on location and find the feel for all their pitching grips. Most hitters can crush a fastball, if you ever watch a major league game, even the elite hitters have trouble with off speed pitches when the situation is set up properly. So pitcher,why don't you throw your bull pen the way you've been instructed. There should be a sequence off pitches featuring your fastball, change and curve ball. Fast balls should be thrown at 3/4 speed concentrating on mechanics, grip and location.
If possible, the pitcher should have a hitter standing in to make the bull pen game like. Wait until your last 4 or 5 fast balls to "air it out".

Another waste of time and effort is the warm-up pitches between innings. This is an opportunity to work on that pitch that's not quite working or to see if you can get a little more movement or to work on location. Yet I see pitchers doing little more than just playing catch with the catcher for 5 pitches. During a seven inning game, the pitcher gets a minimum of 35 pitches to work on something.

And hitters, there's so much you could and should be working on. Can you sac bunt with confidence? The drag & push bunt are important bunting skills that must be practiced. How about working on hitting behind the runner when the situation calls for moving the runner? How about learning to drive in runners from third base with less than two outs? Where are the infielders playing the hitter? If they're in for a play at the plate, you should be working to drive the ball to the outfield, If the infield is playing back, work on hitting ground balls to the middle infielders. There isn't a player that couldn't benefit from working on his base running skills. How about working on an extended lead? Reading the pitcher and getting better jumps? More aggressive secondaries? Practice cutting the corners tighter?

Outfielders can also work on their weaknesses. Many young outfielders have trouble taking the proper angle to a fly ball, work on it in your fall games. Play a few steps shallower than normal to work on fly balls over your head. How about "do or die" ground balls?

Baseball is a tremendously demanding game that requires many skills, fall ball is the ideal time to work on all aspects of your game.

Remember, "you never know who may be watching"!

Bob Harris
Former Pro Scout

The Baseball Coaching Bible

2009-09-08T11:10:00.001-07:00

MLB Baseball Fundamentals Taught by Major League All Stars

2009-09-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Dustin Pedoria

2009-07-23T09:11:00.001-07:00

Heads Up Baseball

2009-07-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Be sure to read the Customer Review on Amazon.com

Instructional DVD's, Videos & Books

2009-06-23T11:53:00.001-07:00

Coaching DVDs at Championship Productions

Possibly The Best Catcher's Equipment Bag Availabel

2009-03-20T12:34:00.001-07:00

Gear Guard No. 2

Catcher's - Blocking

2009-03-20T12:29:00.000-07:00

Catchers Block All Breaking Pitches -

Catchers, make it a habit to block all breaking pitches in the dirt, even when there are no runners on base and even with less than 2 strikes. Keep in mind that your #1 job is to make your pitcher look good. Blocking pitches is very important and emphasizes your generalship of the game.
Here are some key points:

Make it your goal to block 100% of the balls in the dirt. This will increase your pitcher's confidence.

Your pitcher may want to throw a curve ball in the dirt to try to get a hitter to chase it and he knows you won't let it get past you.

Don’t show pain or disgust when your pitcher throws balls in the dirt.

You must practice blocking pitches often. Each pitcher's breaking pitch is a little different. Practice with every pitcher on your staff. Use your bullpen time for practicing blocking balls.

By blocking these pitches the entire game, you are ready and have confidence that you can do the job in the 9th inning with the game on the line.
Thanks to Rob McDonald for these tips. Rob is the head Coach at Murray State University

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2009-03-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

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Possibly the Best Catcher's Equipment Bag Available

2009-03-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Gear Guard No. 2

SPEED TRAINING FOR BASEBALL PLAYERS

2009-03-04T09:13:00.000-08:00

The following article is from Jon Doyle's "Speed Traing For Baseball Players" web site.

Understanding Baseball Speed Training: Part 2
By Shawn Moody

Those spring days that I spoke about in Part I of this series are fast approaching. I can only assume (which you shouldn’t do) that the gloves are being oiled and that we’ve been swinging the stick in the cages and working out hard for our up-coming season.

In the last article, I had given you a starting point to speed training with various drills to assist in the development of your agility and first-step quickness.

Before diving into a sample program that I have used with athletes, let’s take a look back at a few of the points that I made last time, just to ensure we understand our goals.

First, you are not training for a track meet. If you run track that is fine, but in this case we are looking to improve our speed for the benefit of our sport. When you are waiting to steal a base or get that jump that is needed from the outfield to run and dive for that fly ball, you don’t have the luxury of getting into a perfect stance and waiting for the gun to fire.

Second, aerobic endurance work will do nothing to enhance speed. I don’t’ care how fast you run the mile, it doesn’t mean you can get from Point A to Point B fast. Take a look at the difference in body composition between a top marathon runner and a world-class sprinter.

Ok, with those two points hammered home let’s take a look at a sample workout that I have used with some of my athletes. This speed session is going to focus on the development of the 30 and 60-yard sprint work that is often incorporated into baseball camps.

Before I have my athletes or clients engage in any type of physical training I always prescribe some type of dynamic warm-up. This time is used to elevate the body’s core temperature and prepare the joints for the up-coming session.

Jon Doyle has an excellent product available on this site for this particular phase of the workout. I would highly suggest picking it up when you get the chance.
Baseball-Specific Warm-up

The Session:
This a sprinting rotational ladder that I have used with some of my athletes and I have varied the distances and the amount of the volume or total sprint work depending on their age and their current athletic level.

• Your rest periods will be 1 minute between each sprint.
• You will need 4 cones (or something just to mark off the appropriate distance)
• You will only be sprinting to either a 15, 30 or 60 yard marked distance.

Set your cones up giving yourself a starting point and then place one cone at 15 yards, one at 30 yards and the final cone at 60 yards.

• When sprinting 15 yards you will start from a push-up position lying flat on your
stomach.
• When sprinting 30 yards you will start from a lateral position (similar to stealing ‘
a base.)
• When sprinting 60 yards you will start from a normal two point athletic stance.
• You will complete all of the 15 yard sprints before moving onto the 30’s and so
on.

Bracket 1.
15 yard sprint = 5x (times)
30 yard sprint = 3x
60 yard sprint = 1x

Bracket 2.
15 yard sprint = 1x
30 yard sprint = 5x
60 yard sprint = 3x

Bracket 3.
15 yard sprint = 3x
30 yard sprint = 1x
60 yard sprint = 5x

After your final rest time, finish the workout session with a static stretch routine.

A couple of key points that I would like to make.

• First, when taking off from a push-up position make certain that you are looking
into the ground. If you are looking upward this causes the head to pull the rest
of the body up too fast during the acceleration phase of the sprint. 15 yards is
about acceleration!
• Second when running the 30-yard sprints alternate the lateral direction you are
facing.

• Third, when running the 60-yard sprint, RELAX! You won’t be fast if you are all
tensed up.
• And finally, don’t lie down between sprints. I actually prefer my athletes to walk
around or back to the starting point.

Once again this is just a sample of something that I use. It’s not the end all, but it works. Give it a shot and let me know how it works for you. I will outline a weekly program in the future. Until then remember keep having fun and work hard!

Also read: Understanding Baseball Speed Training: Part 1
and Understanding Baseball Speed Training: Part 3

About Shawn:
412.334.3810 | moody@libcom.com

Shawn is an independent performance coach. He is a certified Speed / Agility and Quickness Trainer through N.E.S.T.A. (National Endurance and Sports Trainers Association) and a Renegade Training certified coach. Shawn was a three sport athlete growing up in the Pittsburgh area. He was an all-conference defensive back in college and attended CFL/NFL tryouts. Shawn also competed as a powerlifter in the Pittsburgh's tri-state area. He brings out the best in all of his clients.

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PITCHING VELOCITY

2009-02-25T10:30:00.001-08:00

Pitching Velocity- Three kinds of velocity?
Did you know there are three types of pitching velocity? They are real, perceived and effective velocity. I am going to spend more time talking about perceived and effective pitching velocity more than I will real velocity because there is simply more to them. Real pitching velocity is what shows up on the radar gun; easy enough. That’s all there is to it.

Perceived pitching velocity is truly how the hitter sees the pitch. You see, as a pitcher, we really have an advantage over any hitter, regardless of who they are. Not only is hitting a baseball one of the hardest things to do in any sport; as a pitcher you have many ways to effect the hitters inability to hit the ball. Some of these are to ensure your stride is at least as long as you are tall; you have a great delayed shoulder rotation etc. Why would that help? The closer you are to home plate at release of the baseball the better. It has been said that every foot closer you are to home plate at release; the perceived pitching velocity is 3 miles an hour faster to the hitter. Perceived, meaning, the ball appears to be traveling faster to the batter because the ball is released closer to home plate; less reaction time for hitter to react to the pitch. Would you rather have Randy Johnson throw 50 feet away from you or 45?

Effective pitching velocity deals with what pitches you are going to throw, what location you will throw those pitches and in what sequence. It is very deceiving to a hitter’s eye when your arm speed and angle are the same whether you throw a fastball or a changeup. Many times hitters predict a certain pitch like a fastball and you throw a curve; or vice versa. Those scenarios explain what effective pitching velocity is.

Article from the "Pitching Academy"

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2009-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

15% off $100 at SportsAuthority.com! (exclusions apply) Ends 3.31

BODY POSTURE

2009-02-19T09:45:00.001-08:00

The Complete Pitcher's Newsletter
02-16-2009 Issue

Are you a subscriber? Sign up now for free:
www.thecompletepitcher.com/newsletter.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------

Here's another baseball pitching tip...

The most important thing you can do is maintain
good body posture on the pitcher's mound: stand
tall, shoulders back.

Work fast by jogging to, from, and around the
mound when you're out there. And after you make a
pitch, stay on the dirt, get the ball back from your
catcher, and make another pitch.

Keep your facial expressions stoic (the same, all the
time): If the ump makes a good call, don't show it. You
should already expect it because you believe and trust
your stuff.

If the ump boots a call, don't show it. Don't react. Just
focus on the next pitch.

The same holds true for the defense behind you: If a
teammate makes a good play, cheer him on, but
refocus quickly. If he makes an error, pick him up,
but don't dwell on it. It's out of your control. Get focused
on the next pitch.

Try it for yourself. I'll bet the confidence you exude may
get some hitters thinking: "Geez, this pitcher's got
something figured out."

Whether you do or don't, it'll get hitters thinking....

Be confident out there, and show it.

Work on it!

Want to throw harder by spring?
Visit www.pitchingworkouts.com

Steven Ellis

P.S. Enjoy this newsletter? Tell your teammates.

Pujols Swing

2009-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

BASEBALL PITCHING GRIPS

2009-02-14T16:08:00.001-08:00

Pitching Mechanics and Technique with all Baseball Pitching Grips

To make it to a higher level in baseball, a pitcher should have three great pitches, not necessarily a “best pitch”, but three outstanding pitches he can throw for strikes on any given day. This allows the pitcher to dominate his opponents with a good change of speed and great movement. If a pitcher can throw three outstanding pitches to two locations it keeps the hitter off balance, keeps them guessing and improves the chances of the pitcher getting the win and making a habit of it. Before I share information on pitching grips; understand the ratio of pitches thrown. 60-65% fastballs 15-20% curveballs and 20-25% change-ups. Here are a few examples of some of the most effective pitches.

Baseball Pitching Grip: four-seam fastball Place your index and middle finger over the “horseshoe” of the baseball. Thumb and middle finger split the baseball in half; so your thumb should be placed directly under your middle finger. Don’t grip this pitch too tight; in fact, it should be held as if you were holding an egg. Doing this allows the ball to leave your hand quickly minimizing the friction, between thumb and middle finger, to create maximum velocity. If your thumb is not directly under middle finger you will not have the correct rotation on the ball; spinning from the bottom to the top. The average speed of this pitch at the major league level is 89-91 Mph. This fastball is the most commonly thrown pitch.

Baseball Pitching Grip: two-seam fastball For the two-seamer, “movement pitch” the first and second fingers lay across the narrow seams of the baseball between the two horseshoe-shaped seams. This ball is thrown the same as the four-seam fastball with thumb and middle finger splitting the baseball in half, causing force behind the ball. This pitch goes on average 1 to 3 miles an hour slower than the four-seam. You will see a slight difference in movement with the two-seam as you compare it to your four-seam fastball. Most pitchers throw a combination of both four and two-seams for variation. Many coaches tell their pitchers to grip their two-seam a bit tighter and hold it deeper in your hand. By doing that, they feel it takes velocity off the pitch. In reality, the ball will end up on your fingertips anyway, won’t it? So the ball won’t necessarily slow down. You impart force on the baseball when the ball leaves your middle finger. Important: A pitcher must understand the basic fundamentals of pitching mechanics before they start experimenting with other pitches. It is pointless and even can be dangerous to teach athletes an additional pitch without first knowing and implementing basic throwing mechanics. Every pitch should be thrown with fastball mechanics, only changing grip as well as wrist and forearm angles.

Baseball Pitching Grip: Circle Change Make a circle or an “ok” sign using your thumb and index finger. The smaller the circle the tighter the grip actually is, so this pitch may take awhile to master. I encourage my pitchers to start off with a C-change which is really making a large C instead of a circle with your thumb and index finger. The important part while throwing this pitch is wrist and forearm angle as shown in the change-up illustration above. Both pitches are thrown the same with the C or the Circle thrown at the target. I see a lot of coaches teaching the Circle change because it is a popular pitch. However, they don’t teach their pitchers that the Circle is thrown at the target. By changing the position of your wrist (Pronation, turning your palm slightly out, example on bottom page of article) you are imparting rotation, not force, on the baseball. This way you have a nice fading movement while reducing the velocity of the ball. The biggest mistakes most pitchers make while throwing a change-up is slowing down their delivery which in turn slows down their arm speed. Keep your fastball mechanics and arm speed with this pitch and you will find more success with it as it can be deceiving to the batter. Also, don’t roll or pull the Circle change. It will not only affect location, but put undue stress on you throwing arm. Pitching Grip : How to throw a split finger fastball Basically you’re throwing a fastball with split fingers. The hardest part about the split is the grip. Where the two seams come together, lay your index and middle finger on the outside of each seam. The grip should be firm.The wider the split the slower the ball is going to be. Thumb cuts the baseball in half; the v in the split takes place of the middle finger in the ball. All you do then is throw it like a fastball. It is said that the split can be harder on your arm. That is true, only if you twist your throwing arm at release of the baseball. Twisting the ball is easier to do with this pitch because you are not splitting the baseball with thumb and middle finger. Again, you want to keep your fastball mechanics here.

Baseball Pitching Grip: Curveball First and foremost, curveballs are harder on your throwing arm because of your arm position at release. However, recent studies show that the slider is the most stressful pitch on the arm. What makes most pitches, like the curveball, unsafe is that pitchers try twisting the ball when throwing instead of focusing on wrist and forearm placement. How we grip the curveball: Simply place your middle finger on the top seam (as shown in the illustration) and place your thumb on the back seam, splitting the baseball in half. Apply pressure on your thumb and middle fingers. Your index finger rests on the ball next to middle finger with no pressure on it whatsoever. A curveball does take a lot of work to master the pitch and throw it effectively for a strike, so be patient and continue working on it.Remember to use the same arm speed as your fastball, just use appropriate wrist and forearm angle while you throw the pitch. What the curveball does and why it does it: Because you’re throwing on the side of the ball and imparting rotation; the ball will be slower, so it looks like a fastball because of arm speed, but drops at the last minute. One of the biggest obstacles for beginners is timing the release of this pitch. If a pitcher lets go of the ball too soon, the ball will stay high and won’t drop. If that happens, a pitcher may have to squeeze the ball a little harder, again, with thumb and middle finger, so he can release the ball later.

To view photos of Pitching Grips go to: http://www.thepitchingacademy.net/

8 SECRETS TO WARMING UP FOR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE

2009-02-13T07:09:00.000-08:00

8 Secrets to Warming Up for Athletic Performance
Most athletes perform some type of regular warm-up and cool down during training and racing. A proper warm up can increase the blood flow to the working muscle which results in decreased muscle stiffness, less risk of
injury and improved performance. Additional benefits of warming up include physiological and psychological preparation.

Benefits of a Proper Warm Up:

1. Increased Muscle Temperature - The temperature increases within muscles that are used during a warm-up routine. A warmed muscle both contracts more forcefully and relaxes more quickly. In this way both speed and strength can be enhanced. Also, the probability of overstretching a muscle and causing injury is far less.

2. Increased Body Temperature - This improves muscle elasticity, also reducing the risk of strains and pulls.

3. Blood Vessels Dilate - This reduces the resistance to blood flow and lower stress on the heart.

4. Improve Efficient Cooling - By activating the heat-dissipation mechanisms in the body (efficient sweating) an athlete can cool efficiently and help prevent overheating early in the event or race.

5. Increased Blood Temperature - The temperature of blood increases as it travels through the muscles, and as blood temperature rises, the amount of oxygen it can hold becomes reduced. This means a slightly greater volume of oxygen is made available to the working muscles, enhancing endurance and performance.

6. Improved Range of Motion - The range of motion around a joint is increased.

7. Hormonal Changes - Your body increases its production of various hormones responsible for regulating energy production. During warm-up this balance of hormones makes more carbohydrates and fatty acids available for energy production.

8. Mental Preparation - The warm-up is also a good time to mentally prepare for an event by clearing the mind, increasing focus, reviewing skills and strategy. Positive imagery can also relax the athlete and build concentration.

Typical Warm up exercises include:

Gradually increasing the intensity of your specific sport. This uses the specific skills of a sport and is sometimes called a related warm-up. For runners, the idea is to jog a while and add a few sprints into the routine to engage all the muscle fibers.

Adding movements not related to your sport in a slow steady manner: calisthenics or flexibility exercises for example. Ball players often use unrelated exercise for their warm up.

Which to choose? The best time to stretch a muscle is after it has an increased blood flow and has increased temperature to avoid injury. Stretching a cold muscle can increase the risk of injury from pulls and tears. So you are better off doing gradual aerobic exercise before stretching. Keep in mind that the best time to stretch is after exercise because your muscles are warm and pliable with the increase of blood in them. Make sure your warm up begins gradually, and uses the muscles that will be stressed during exercise.

Keep in mind that the perfect warm up is a very individual process that can only come with practice, experimentation and experience. Try warming up in various way, at various intensities until you find what works best for you.

Quinn, sportsmedicine.about.com

MLB Top 25 Salaries 2008

2009-02-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

Year / Top 25 players
2008
Rank Player Salary Team
1 Rodriguez, Alex $ 28,000,000 New York Yankees
2 Giambi, Jason $ 23,428,571 New York Yankees
3 Jeter, Derek $ 21,600,000 New York Yankees
4 Ramirez, Manny $ 18,929,923 Boston Red Sox
5 Beltran, Carlos $ 18,622,809 New York Mets
6 Suzuki, Ichiro $ 17,102,149 Seattle Mariners
7 Santana, Johan $ 16,984,216 New York Mets
8 Helton, Todd $ 16,600,000 Colorado Rockies
9 Hunter, Torii $ 16,500,000 Los Angeles Angels
10 Abreu, Bobby $ 16,000,000 New York Yankees
11 Delgado, Carlos $ 16,000,000 New York Mets
12 Pettitte, Andy $ 16,000,000 New York Yankees
13 Zambrano, Carlos $ 16,000,000 Chicago Cubs
14 Hampton, Mike $ 15,975,184 Atlanta Braves
15 Ordonez, Magglio $ 15,768,174 Detroit Tigers
16 Furcal, Rafael $ 15,730,195 Los Angeles Dodgers
17 Thome, Jim $ 15,666,666 Chicago White Sox
18 Guerrero, Vladimir $ 15,500,000 Los Angeles Angels
19 Hudson, Tim $ 15,500,000 Atlanta Braves
20 Sexson, Richie $ 15,500,000 Seattle Mariners
21 Schmidt, Jason $ 15,217,401 Los Angeles Dodgers
22 Johnson, Randy $ 15,100,546 Arizona Diamondbacks
23 Ramirez, Aramis $ 15,000,000 Chicago Cubs
24 Rivera, Mariano $ 15,000,000 New York Yankees
25 Tejada, Miguel $ 14,811,414 Houston Astros

BASE RUNNING 101

2009-02-11T08:09:00.001-08:00

Although foot speed and quickness is a tremendous asset to the baseball player, a baseball player can learn to be a good base runner even if he lacks these skills. Any player that takes the time to practice and learn the following 20 base running
fundamentals can be an asset to his team.

Base Running 101

A. When the Batter/Hitter is running from home to first base:

1. The right handed batter takes his first step out of the box with his right foot.
2. Make the first step as quick and as fast as possible. Should practice this in BP.
3. The left handed batter takes his first step with a cross-over step with his left foot first.
4. The hitter must take a look into the infield after his 4th or 5th step to determine whether or not the ball is going through the infield or whether the infielder is going to make a play on the ball.
5. If the ball stays in the infield, the hitter makes a "Hard 90" (Hard 60, 70 or 80 depending upon the age group) directly to first base using good running form and running straight toward the first base bag in long, rapid strides.
6. The hitter should hit the front edge of the first base bag and toward the middle to avoid contact with the first baseman and to avoid twisting an ankle.
7. The hitter must run through the bag at full speed.
8. The runner/hitter breaks then down after touching the bag in full stride.
9. While breaking down, the runner should look to his right to determine whether or not there was an over-throw.

B. Leading Off First Base:

1. The base runner gets his sign from the third base coach while in contact with the first base bag.
2. The base runner acknowledges the coach's sign by raising his had and indicating the number of outs.
3. The base runner then checks the positioning of the outfielders as well as the SS and second baseman.
4. In a non steal situation with a right handed pitcher on the mound, the runner then takes a 3 - step primary lead with his left foot first and then two slide steps.
5. The runner takes another slide step toward second base when the pitcher comes set.
6. The runner should place his right foot slightly behind his left foot, approximately toe of right foot to instep of left foot while remaining in a balanced, athletic position.
7. The runner "reads" the pitcher's front or stride leg as well as the back heel to determine whether the pitcher is going home or to first base.
8. When it's determined that the pitcher is going to the plate, the runner takes two additional slide steps toward second base.
9. If the ball is hit, the runner crosses over with his left foot from his last shuffle and continues to the next base.
10.If the ball is not hit, the runner must immediately sprint back to the first base bag to avoid a "back pick" by the catcher.
11.When in a steal situation, there is no secondary lead, the runner takes off the instance he determines the pitcher is throwing home.

Practice these techniques and you can become a good baserunner!

CATCHER'S EQUIPMENT & BAGS

2009-02-07T14:57:00.000-08:00