A Pre Game Infield Alternative You should be Using
As coaches, we constantly try to convince our players to practice the same way they play in games, with the same focus and intensity. Then coaches proceed to take pre-game infield practice in an un-game like manner. Hitting the ball to a player, who knows the ball is coming in a position-by-position designated way, is […]
Of Baseball And The Dog Days Of Summer
When I was a kid, I used to keep track of my batting average during our extremely informal sandlot baseball season. I really didn’t know how to figure out a batting average, but I knew that one hit in two at bats was a .500 average, and I would go from there. One year, I […]
Game Theory Application in Pitching Sequences
game theory -? noun: a mathematical theory that deals with strategies for maximizinggains and minimizing losses within prescribed constraints, as therules of a card game: widely applied in the solution of variousdecision-making problems, as those of military strategy andbusiness policy. Through my time as a professional poker player in college, I dabbled and experimented and […]
Having an Offseason Baseball Plan
The end of July is one of those transition times of year when kids stop competing in baseball and begin playing or practicing for another sport. Playing multiple sports when young is good and a great form of conditioning. Taking a break from playing any sport for a while is also OK, as long as […]
Baseball, More Than the Fundamentals
Recently, I was asked to evaluate players for a 13-year-old travel baseball tryout. I was surprisingly impressed and disappointed at the same time. Impressed with the baseball skills that many of the young players displayed, but disappointed with the athleticism of a majority of the kids. Many of the players had good baseball fundamentals, but […]
Leadership – What it Takes
Leadership is often lacking on our playing fields, even at the highest levels of sport. It certainly makes a coach’s life easier when they have a player, or two, who has leadership skills. Of course, good coaches develop leaders by showing youth players how to deal with the various situations that sport present, good and […]
Helping Ballplayers Eliminate Fear of Being Hit by the Ball
Let’s face it, when you get hit by a pitched ball, it hurts. When a ball hits young ballplayers, it can lead to such fear of being hit that it actually ends their desire to continue playing. Sometimes, nothing will work, but with time and patience, this fear can disappear. One thing that I have […]
Not so Obvious Baseball Tips – Teaching the Game
Since retiring from major league baseball many years ago, I have studied and taught the game to many. I wish I had a few extra bucks for every time I thought to myself, “If I only knew then what I know now.” The good news is that what I know now, I pass on to […]
Ten Hitting Tips that Guarantee Success
Never accept mediocrity. When hitters have good hand, eye coordination there is no reason for inconsistent contact – work harder on the fundamentals. Hitters do not need to know what they are doing wrong but they need to know how to adjust. I often tell my students that no one forces them to […]
Keeping It Simple – 4 Keys to Hitting and Pitching Success
I have been teaching baseball for a long time and feel like I could spend hours and hours discussing the fundamentals of the game. Along the same lines, I believe I could list well over 100 baseball drills. In addition, I wrote a two hundred-page book on all aspects of hitting and […]
A Good Stance Begins with Your Feet
Throughout my career, and even since the conclusion of my playing days, people always took notice of my unique batting stance. My stance actually came about because of Nolan Ryan, the great Hall of Fame pitcher known for, among many other highlights, his seven career no-hitters. Nolan struck me out 29 times, with most of […]
Batting Practice using Pitching Machines – Good or Bad?
Frequently, I receive this question from my student’s parents, “Should I take him/her to the batting cages.” You would think my response is, “Sure, practice is good.” However, it is not that simple an answer for a number of reasons. First, and this is often my response, “Let’s wait awhile, because they are just going […]
The Flex Stance and Studying the Pitcher
When using the flex-stance, the key to making it work starts with knowing when to be flexible. You can use all three stances – the standard stance, which is medium open with your front foot 8-12 inches away from the inside chalk; the open stance with your front foot 12-18 inches off the inside chalk; […]
How to Raise Your Batting Average
It is true that major league players, who get two hits for every ten at-bats, go back to the minor leagues and those, who get three hits ever ten at-bats, are superstars. What a difference just one hit every ten at-bats make. All baseball players want to hit for a high batting average […]
The Flex Stance and Studying the Pitcher
When using the flex-stance, the key to making it work starts with knowing when to be flexible. You can use all three stances – the standard stance, which is medium open with your front foot 8-12 inches away from the inside chalk; the open stance with your front foot 12-18 inches off the inside chalk; […]
A Look At The Mariners Pitching Staff in 2011
The Mariners have stumbled out of the gate to start the 2011 season; however, it’s no fault of the pitching staff. ERA FIP K/9 BB/9 GB% 2011 (9 games) 4.56 3.59 6.43 2.22 47.9 2010 (162 games) 3.95 4.17 6.09 2.83 43.4 Nine games is a very small sample size but, based on the […]
How to Analyze Your Son’s Baseball Swing – 3 Basics to Look For
Some hitting faults like stepping out, over-striding, swinging early or late, upper cutting, pulling off the ball and taking the eye off the ball are obvious flaws that even casual baseball observers can notice. Many hitters’ mistakes are not nearly as obvious and take a trained baseball eye to know the swing problem. […]
Your Stance: The Foundation of Your Swing
John Wooden once said, “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” The late, great basketball coach’s wise words applied to the baseball diamond, as well. Quick hands, wrists and reflexes are valuable tools at the plate. Having patience and the ability to refrain from rushing things is just as valuable, particularly when setting up your stance in […]
How to Teach Hitters to Keep their Eye on the Ball
Every time a player swings and misses a pitched ball, observers, automatically, assume the hitter took their eye off the ball. In reality, that is rarely the case because most missed balls are due to poor timing or bad fundamental swings. However, there is some basis for the statement. It is very […]
Jack Z and the 2011 Seattle Mariners Offense
The 2011 season will be Jack Zduriencik’s 3rd season as GM of the Seattle Mariners. It seems like just yesterday that the Mariners were fresh off a horrible season, had no good players (excluding Ichiro and Felix), a bloated payroll, and no hope of a prospect contributing anything to the big league […]
Rod Carew: 10 Important Keys to Good Hitting
In the 43 years since I debuted in Major League Baseball, I’ve watched thousands of great and not-so-great hitters. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t, and I’ve sought to understand the fundamentals of success and failure. I’ve spent thousands of hours experimenting, watching video tape and refining my own hitting techniques. In the end, […]
Should Your Child Should Play Travel Baseball?
As youth baseball season is about to begin, many families will begin to wonder whether their child is ready to play travel baseball next season. The good news is that because of the great amount of travel baseball teams around today, most players can usually find a travel team to play on. The bad news […]
Rod Carew on “Making Contact”
Long before he was the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Don Mattingly was a phenomenal first baseman for the New York Yankees who was one of the best hitters of his time. So a compliment from him certainly goes a long way. “Rod Carew influenced me a lot,” Mattingly said during in his playing […]
10 Tips to Develop a Complete Baseball Player
Of course, not all youth players can become star baseball players. However, becoming a well-rounded baseball player is the result when parents and youth coaches do many of the following things to help: 1. Bigger, stronger, and faster athletes advance the most, so having young athletes perform age-appropriate speed and strengthening programs is […]
Making Contact, Step 3: Flat-Hand Hitting
If any single idea dominates my overall approach to hitting it is my undying belief in the advantages of flat-hand hitting. Here’s why… It increases your flexibility to react to a variety of pitches. It gives you more leverage to drive the baseball. It provides you better arm extension. It allows you the ability to […]
Catching the Fun of Throwing a Baseball
It does not take long for kids to get bored with a game of catch, whether it is with mom or dad in the back yard or at baseball practice. Often, players get bored quickly with playing catch and want to move on to fielding or hitting right away. The problem is that many kids […]
Cardinals Dig In; MLB Losing It’s Sanity?
On the cusp of spring training, the Cardinals have less than 24 hours from this Tuesday night writing to make Albert Pujols happy. That’s the deadline he set for ceasing all contract extension negotiations. Seeing that the talks were stalled, outfielder Matt Holliday, due to make more than Pujols this year, agreed to place more […]
Hall of Famer Rod Carew on Making Contact, Step 2: The Stride
As you continue taking steps toward becoming a successful hitter, one of the crucial steps is actually making a stride. In your quest for contact, the purposes of the stride are many. For starters, it gets your energies moving in the right direction. It also eliminates a flat-footed swing and balances the weight shift and […]
How to Run a Great Baseball Practice
The key to running a great baseball practice is organization. Coaches should map out their practices so that there is little wasted time. Preseason practices should cover every important aspect of baseball for the age of the player. In the regular season, coaches can gear their practice time to cover parts of the game most […]
Rod Carew’s Hitting Tips: Making Contact, Step 1 – The Setup
Everything has a starting point. The starting point of making contact – the starting point of becoming a successful hitter – is the setup. On the surface, it might seem like a rather simple or even natural process; but it’s a very important aspect of your quest to becoming a good hitter. As you start […]
