TRAINING NEWSLETTER 2900 SOUTH 110TH STREET IN ROCKBROOK VILLAGE OMAHA, NE (402)

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1 STRIKE ZONE TRAINING NEWSLETTER 2900 SOUTH 110TH STREET IN ROCKBROOK VILLAGE OMAHA, NE (402) As highly trained instructors, we see athletes making the same mistakes over and over again on the field. Please enjoy this series as we take each position one-by-one and discuss the common mistakes associated with each position. We thank Strike Zone Staff Writer, Bob McCreary for putting these thoughts in writing for us so that we can share it with all of our athletes. Bob was fortunate to have played and coached at the high school, college, and professional levels. Stay tune to our website for more blogs from Bob. MOST COMMON MISTAKES BY POSITION. CATCHING Too much movement before the pitch. Ever try throwing a dart at a moving dartboard? That would be tough, right? That s why it s so important for catchers to have as little movement as possible before the pitch. Give the sign, set your feet and the target, and then sit still. Big league catchers move a lot more than they used to I think too much but it is more understandable at that level because pitchers are more accurate and the fear of opponents stealing signs and/or location is greater. However, young pitchers need all the help they can get. Stay still! Too much movement after the pitch. By this I mean body movement and glove movement. Simply put, more movement = less strikes called. If you set up in the strike zone and the pitch is in the strike zone there is no need to move beyond reaching for the ball to catch it. The only glove movement after the ball is caught should be towards your belly button and only an inch or two (framing). To do this, the glove has to beat the ball to the location. If the ball and glove get to the spot at the same time, the force of the ball will take the glove back and out of the strike zone. Beating the ball keeps you in control and keeps the ball in the strike zone. Too quiet. A catcher needs to be heard. The whole game is in front of you and within your view. You are the on-the-field coach and traffic cop. There is a reminder to be said before every play. Say it. It s ok to be soft spoken off the field but not on the field if you want to be a catcher. Too lethargic. Catching is by far the most grueling position - physically and mentally - on the field. However, catchers should not prove this fact to everyone by appearing worn out and miserable all the time. Run on and off the field, even if your bench is five steps from home plate. Make it obvious to all observers that there is no place on earth you d rather be than behind the plate. Block every pitch in the dirt correctly even when no runners are on base. A scout might only see you for one inning. Show them all you ve got. Most catchers don t play this way. Most don t play beyond high school either. JANUARY 2011 We at the Storm Chasers HIGHLY suggest The Strike Zone. They offer the best services at the best price. We are a proud partner with them and I highly recommend Joe Siwa and his staff. SPECIAL OFFERS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Special Pricing on 3 Month, 6 Months and One Year Memberships CALL TODAY! INSIDE THIS ISSUE Catching 1 First Base 2 Second Base 3 Short Stop 4 Third Base 5 Left Field 7 Center Field 8 Right Field 9 Pitching 10 Hitting 12 Base Running 15 Bench Player 16

2 PAGE 2 TRAINING NEWSLETTER FIRST BASE MISTAKES I DON T WANT TO EVER LOOK BACK AND SAY THAT I COULD HAVE DONE MORE Assuming you're just a hitter. It is true that many great hitters who have lost a step on defense get put over at first base but that doesn't mean the position should be taken lightly. Only those who have never played with a great first baseman say the position is overrated. Virtually every play in the infield involves the first baseman in some capacity. Take great pride in your defense. Practice, study, and master the position. Your teammates in the infield will love you! Stretching too soon. Most first basemen know to stretch with their glove-side foot first. However, many don't wait for the throw to be made before stepping. In other words, they assume it is going to be a good throw and have already committed their feet. Good first basemen get to the bag and place both heels near the bag. After they see where the throw is they step to the ball, square up to block it, jump, or do whatever else is called for. To be a great first baseman, master your footwork around the bag and be ready for any scenario on every play. Relying on the catcher too much on relays. First of all, good players know where they are on the field at all times. A good first baseman should never have to rely on the catcher to line him up on a relay throw. Many stadiums at the higher levels are too loud on plays like that for the first baseman to hear "Left!" or "Right!" anyway. It's the first baseman's job to get himself lined up properly. Second, a good first baseman doesn't wait to hear for the catcher to yell "Cut, home!" He can see the throw himself and judge if the throw is off-line or if it doesn't have the carry to reach home plate. In those situations, he cuts it regardless of what the catcher says or doesn't say. Letting balls get past them. It is considered a "cardinal sin" to allow a playable ball to get past you as a first baseman. A first baseman can knock a ball down, kick it, step on it, bobble it again, and still get to first before the runner. He even has the help of the pitcher in covering first base. A first baseman doesn't have to have tremendous hands. However, he does have to do everything in his power to keep the ball in front of him. Tip: Practice diving for ground balls regularly. It's great fun and you get a chance to practice your own "web gems!" There is no better way to get one-on-one instruction from high quality instructors than signing up for a Private Lesson with The Strike Zone. These 30 or 60 minute sessions concentrate on specific skills such as Pitching, Hitting, Catching, Fielding, and All-Skills. The nature of the session assures the player he or she will receive the most in-depth and proper instruction available. For Private Pitching Lessons, our regulation, real clay pitching mounds provide a realistic atmosphere for enhanced learning. Hitting Lessons are held in one of our three full-size hitting tunnels and/or our automated batting cages. Often times, our Private Lessons are used to maintain and enhance player's strength and skills throughout the year. Private Lessons are available year-round. Call or visit The Strike Zone to book your Private Lesson today! One of the Strike Zone's best-selling services is our group lessons. Group lessons are skill-specific classes that run one night per week for four weeks. Each class in one hour long and focuses on skills such as pitching, hitting, fielding, and catching. All skill classes are available for all age groups. There are generally 4-6 players per class so participation and instruction are enhanced. Each player is taught the vital fundamentals of the position or skill being taught. If the player within a group is falling behind, our instructors will usually suggest a private lesson with that player to ensure that player maintains the pace of learning within the group. When you enroll in one of our group lessons, you are guaranteed to get one on one attention from the most specialized coaches in the area. Area teams are already involved in our groups lessons. A Team Camp group lesson just for your team is available as well. Many Omaha-area coaches and teams agree that The Strike Zone's Group Lessons are vital for individual and team success. Stop in The Strike Zone or call us at to book tunnel times for your team s lessons today.

3 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 SECOND BASE MISTAKES Late getting to the bag. A second baseman has to master the area around the second base bag. A big part of that is getting to the bag on time for double play pivots, steals, and pick-off attempts. Slow footwork in their approach to the bag and positioning themselves too far from the bag are two big reasons why this happens. Know your foot speed and position yourself accordingly. If your footwork is slower, cheat closer to the bag before the pitch. If your foot speed is quicker, you can afford to position a bit farther from the bag. Tip: Stand where you would normally be if there were no runners on base. Now take three good size steps towards home plate and then three steps towards second base. That s double play depth. (Note: The same is true for shortstops). A faster player could get away with 2 steps in and 2 steps over. The point is know thyself and do what you need to do to get there on time. Straddling the bag too soon. This applies to covering the bag on a steal attempt. Many second basemen get to the bag, immediately straddle it, and wait for the throw from the catcher. This works as long as the throw is right on target. If not, and at the lower levels it usually isn t, the second baseman is stuck in a horrible position to go get bad throws. (Note: This applies to a shortstop covering as well.) If the throw drifts towards the first base side of the bag, the second baseman will have to contend with catching the ball while trying to avoid a sliding runner. Many times the ball ends up in centerfield. The correct way is to get to the bag a little sooner (see "Late getting to the bag" above) and position both feet on the home plate side of second base. If the throw is on target, drop your left foot back over the bag (now you re straddling it!), catch the ball, and apply the tag. If the throw is off-line, being in front of the bag allows you to move in any direction to go get a bad throw without worrying about contacting the runner. (Orlando Hudson does this correctly in the picture.) A coach will not be upset if the runner is safe. He will get upset if the ball ends up in centerfield and the runner gets to third. It takes a lot of practice but it needs to be done. Using the same double play pivot. Too many second baseman find a double play pivot they are comfortable with and only use that one. Different situations call for different approaches to turning a double play. Who is giving you the feed? How far away are they? How hard is the throw? How fast are the runners? Is it a good throw? How strong is your arm? All these questions get computed and the best second basemen adjust accordingly. Coming across the bag is best in certain situations. Coming back off the bag is better in others. Straddling the bag sometimes works as well. Knowledge of the varieties that exist and the work ethic to master them all makes you a more versatile second baseman. It also helps with your safety. The last thing I want is to have a runner like Scott Rolen know for sure where I m going to be on a double play turn. If he does, he can put his head down at contact and run directly for the spot where he knows I ll be. Advantage Rolen. If I show multiple varieties, he has to wait to see where I am going before he slides. Advantage me. It could be the difference between turning two and being knocked into left field. Poor timing when jockeying runners. I admit, this may seem a little trivial but I tend to be a stickler on the little things. In an attempt to hold runners close, too many second baseman jump around and jockey the runner on second before the pitcher is even looking at them. All the second baseman is doing is wasting energy. Even worse, when the pitcher does finally come set and look back at the runner, some second basemen have already returned to their fielding position. The timing should be as follows: Move to within 15 feet or so of the bag and just wait still. The pitcher will get the sign from the catcher and should look back at the runner as he is coming to his set position. Start your jockeying only after he has come set and is looking at you. The runner will be on higher alert because you are jockeying close to the bag and the pitcher is paying attention. The tough part is breaking back to your position when the pitcher throws to the plate. Great players have better timing and get back quicker as well. IF IT IS TO BE...IT IS UP TO ME. REALIZE YOUR MAX POTENTIAL AND WORK OUT AT THE STRIKE ZONE TODAY.

4 PAGE 4 TRAINING NEWSLETTER SHORT STOP MISTAKES EVERY STRIKE BRINGS YOU CLOSER TO THE NEXT HOME RUN. Charging straight at the ball. This mistake is understandable since that is what younger kids are correctly taught to do at the lower levels. However, as kids get older the game gets faster. Eventually, charging straight at the ball creates problems with timing, footwork, balance, and momentum. All these prevent players from keeping up with the pace of the game. This is true for all infielders but especially for shortstops since they generally have longer throws and less time in which to do it. The correct way is to get to the right of the ball when you charge. Additionally, the last two steps before catching the ball should be right foot then left foot, in that order. A fielder should not be back in front of the ball until the left foot lands. Staying to the right allows for proper footwork and also creates momentum towards your target. Stepping right foot then left foot puts the ball back in the center and also shifts the body s momentum to the player s left (towards 1 st base) even before catching the ball. This is what s happening with Omar Vizquel in Figure 1. Fielders can move through the ball and never have to stop to catch a grounder and then waist time getting started again. Staying to the right isn t always possible depending on where and how hard the ball is hit but the best shortstops have practiced it and are quick enough to do it more often. Catching the ball over the bag on a double play. As stated earlier, the game gets faster as you get older. Turning two a little faster is one of the many little things that can take a shortstop from good to great. Many young shortstops get to the bag on a double play and then stop to receive the feed from the second baseman. They catch the ball right over the bag and then turn to throw to first. Eventually, this isn t good enough. When the ball is hit, the shortstop should sprint to within 5 feet of the bag. He then sneaks up on the bag using shorter, more choppy steps to read the throw. If the throw is on target, he then steps across the bag with his left foot to catch the ball. In effect, he is catching the ball about 2-4 feet on the right field side of second base. This enables him to catch the ball 2-4 feet sooner than if he caught it over the bag. He also has decreased the distance of his throw to first by a few feet. As Figure 2 shows, Jeter is farther away from the base path making the play safer as well. The most difficult part to this play is the sneaking up on the bag and reading the throw. Shortstops have to be careful not to assume the throw is going to be on target and come across the bag too soon. Slowing down (not stopping) to read the throw and then speeding up to get through the bag takes a lot of practice and timing but the better ones do it. Only one arm angle. To be a premier shortstop, a player needs to practice and be comfortable with throwing with every possible arm angle. From throwing right over the top all the way down to practically scraping his knuckles on the ground, different situations call for different arm angles in order to maximize the combination of quickness and arm strength. Throwing at one arm angle all the time (side arm, ¾, over the top, etc.) limits a shortstop's ability to handle any play that comes along. Generally speaking, when a shortstop needs a longer or stronger throw (relays or plays in the hole), an over-the-top arm angle should be used. Short throws (like feeds to 2 nd base) that require more quickness than arm strength allow for lower angles. Turning a double play calls for a combination of arm strength and quickness so a ¾ angle or side arm works best (Figure 2). Practice and train your arm to be comfortable with every angle. Dropping an anchor. Too many shortstops pick one spot where they are comfortable playing and position themselves there virtually every pitch. That's called "dropping an anchor" because the player doesn't move from that spot. Some may have two spots one for a lefty hitter and one for a righty. Premier shortstops (and other fielders as well) consider many variables and change their positioning as a result, sometimes changing every pitch. This is especially true for a shortstop since they have a lot of ground to cover. The movements may not be extreme but they do occur. Premiere shortstops also develop the ability to lean depending on who is batting, the count, and the pitch. Here is an example. A right-handed pull hitter swings and misses badly on two slow curveballs in the dirt low and away. The next pitch called for is a hard fastball on the inside corner. 99.9% of the time, that hitter will never pull that pitch in that location. The shortstop might lean up the middle on the pitch to account for this. In doing so, a shortstop can pick up an extra step or two of range if they lean correctly. This, of course, takes practice, experience, and a good awareness of what s going on around you. This is what coaches and scouts mean when they say a fielder has good instincts. However, it is not all instinct. It can be practiced, learned, and developed like any other skill.

5 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 THIRD BASE MISTAKES Playing too shallow. I suppose there may be coaches or players who would disagree with this but I believe it is too common. Obviously, if a third baseman has a weaker arm it would be natural for him to play a little more shallow. However, many players have enough arm strength to play deeper but do not. A lack of range is the obvious problem with playing too shallow. Premiere third basemen are not afraid to play farther back behind the base path and cover more ground as a result. This certainly applies to third as well, maybe even more so because of the need to occasionally field bunts. One result of playing deeper is the need to charge more aggressively on slower hit balls. Keep reading below for more information about that. Not knowing the pitch. Third base is called the hot corner for good reason. Bullets hit down that way are the norm for third basemen and require quick feet and fast reactions (More reason to play deeper!). Knowing what pitch the pitcher is throwing can give the third baseman a heads up as to when batted balls may be more likely to come his way. Unfortunately for third basemen, catchers are taught to hide their pitch signals from everyone except the pitcher and the middle infielders. The downside of this is that the third baseman cannot see the signs. Let s say a hard thrower is on the mound. It makes sense that right handed batters would be much more likely to pull a ball down to third base if that pitcher throws a change-up as opposed to a fastball. If I play third, I want to know when that pitcher is throwing a change-up. But how do I know if I can t see the signs? The answer is the shortstop tells you. When the catcher gives the sign, some shortstops will give some kind of verbal cue to the third baseman to alert him of a particular pitch. He might say the pitcher s number or first name when an off-speed pitch is coming and may say another word or nothing on a fastball. There are many options that can be worked out beforehand. (Note: this can be done by the 1 st and 2 nd basemen as well). This tip might give a third baseman an extra step (there's that Better by a Yard thing again!) and/or a better sense of readiness. Be careful and discreet though. The other team might catch on to what you re saying. Too slow on choppers and slow rollers. These are probably the toughest plays a third baseman has to make. He has to read the speed and hops of the ball as well as the hitter s running speed and determine whether to charge hard or wait back a little more for a good hop. That being said, I believe too many third basemen error too much on the side of caution and do not aggressively attack light choppers and slow rollers. Most of the time, if the third baseman hesitates or comes up short in his attack even a little, the runner is safe. To improve, it is important that third basemen practice a few of these plays every day at game speed. The use of a stopwatch can be valuable in this process. Have a coach roll a ground ball and start the timer as soon as the ball leaves the coach s hand. Stop the timer when the ball is caught by the first baseman. Continually try to cut the time it takes to make the play. Remember, an average major leaguer gets from home plate to first base in just over 4 seconds. If you want to continue playing third as you get older, these are plays you have to routinely make under that time. Unaware of who is pitching. This applies to the cooperation between the pitcher and third baseman on bunt plays with a runner on second base. One of the more challenging responsibilities for a third baseman is reading the ball off the bat on a bunt and determining whether to charge and make the play or stay back at the bag and let the pitcher get it. Knowing how good your pitcher is at getting off the mound on bunts is essential. Different pitchers have different levels of foot speed and quickness. Some hop on bunts like a cat. Others seem to take forever to get off the mound. Either way, the third baseman needs to know who is on the mound and how good they are at getting to bunts. Paying close attention to how well pitchers do this in practice is important. This can impact where the third baseman starts on the play. If the pitcher is quick, the third baseman might play a step deeper. If the pitcher is slow-footed or maybe falls towards the first base side after each pitch, he may have to play in on the grass a bit more. The point is, know who is pitching. THE WILL TO WIN IS IMPORTANT. BUT THE WILL TO PREPARE IS VITAL.

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7 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 7 LEFT FIELD MISTAKES Note: It is valid to say that the mistakes listed for the individual outfield positions would be true for all the outfield positions. That being said, I believe the concepts chosen are more frequently seen in the individual position being addressed. Allowing too many batters to get to second base. This mostly applies to balls hit down the left field line that aren't hit hard enough to reach the corner. It's a play where the batter tries to stretch a base hit into a double. The mistake left fielders make is being too slow in getting to these balls making it more likely the batter-runner will take the chance in going to second. Many times the left fielder incorrectly assumes the batter will stay at first and takes his time. Other times the batter-runner may know the left fielder's arm strength is a little short and tries to take advantage. Either way, the left fielder must attack all balls hit to this area to get to them as quickly as possible. A batter-runner who rounds first base and sees the left fielder in the process of throwing to second will most likely stop at first. If he rounds first and the left fielder has not yet reached the ball, he will most likely try for second base and probably will make it there. Left fielders need to get to the ball and get rid of it as fast as they can. Throwing to the cut-off man. This refers to two separate plays in which the left fielder is involved. The first involves the play explained above where the batter-runner attempts to stretch a single into a double. The second involves a throw to home plate to cut down a runner trying to score. The source of the mistake involves the difference between the phrases "throwing to the cut-off man" and "throwing through the cut-off man." When players are younger, their lack of arm strength generally prevents them from throwing from left field all the way to second base without using the shortstop as a cut-off man. The same holds true for throws to home with the third baseman as the cut-off. Kids are therefore taught to "hit the cut-off man" with all throws. As stated in previous posts, the game gets faster as players get older. As a result, the left fielder eventually must be able to reach the base they are throwing to without the need for a cut-off man. However, many older kids with enough arm strength still have this "throw it to the cut-off man" mentality instead of the "throw it through the cut-off man" mind set. Adding a cut-off man increases the time it takes for the ball to reach its destination. Ideally, all throws should be low enough so that the cut-off man is capable of cutting it but strong enough to reach the base on its own as well. Too much respect for the shortstop and center fielder. In comparison, the left fielder is usually the less talented outfielder of the three all things considered. Of course, there are always exceptions to this. On the other hand, the center fielder and shortstop are frequently the two best overall defensive players on the field. Sometimes this impacts how left fielders go after fly balls. If the left fielder knows that the shortstop and center fielder are talented, they sometimes assume those other guys will get the ball more easily. Therefore, the left fielder gives up on going for the ball too soon. To complicate matters further, many coaches stress that center fielders have priority if two outfielders both go after a fly ball. Although this is true, some left fielders become too timid on all fly balls as a result. The best left fielders know when to back off and when to attack the fly balls they are responsible for catching. Too deep with a runner on second, two outs. As stated above, many times the left fielder is not the best defensive outfielder of the three. This of course may apply to arm strength as well. Especially with two outs, many left fielders play too deep with a runner on second base. Since there are two outs, the runner on second will start running at contact and therefore has a better chance of scoring on a hit. This is why left fielders sometimes should play a little more shallow - especially if their arm strength is a bit short. The obvious risk that comes with this is that balls can be more easily hit over their head. However, with two outs, the left fielder needs to be in a better position to give himself a chance to throw out a runner at home. The score, the inning, and who is batting also play a factor so understand that it is never as clear cut a rule as it may sound. YOU HAVE TO EXPECT THINGS OF YOURSELF IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE THEM.

8 PAGE 8 TRAINING NEWSLETTER CENTER FIELD MISTAKES EVERYONE HAS THE DESIRE TO WIN BUT ONLY CHAMPIONS HAVE THE DESIRE TO PREPARE. Too timid. The last thing a center fielder should be is too timid. They are playing center field for a reason. Someone thought they could cover the most ground and probably thought they had the most athleticism and speed among the three outfielders as well. A fearless aggression is essential for a center fielder to move from good to great. Premiere center fielders take it personally if any ball drops in their territory without being caught. They certainly have the most territory to cover so any hesitation in their first step jumps and approaches to fly balls will prove costly. They want the ball hit to them and they expect to track it down every time. Too deep. There are coaches who probably would disagree with this but I believe many center fielders, especially at the high school level, play too deep. Upwards of 75% of the game of baseball occurs in the infield. Taking this into account, most balls hit to center field are going to be in front of the center fielder. Playing more shallow allows the center fielder to be in a position to catch more line drives and bloop hits that fall into shallow center field. A couple reasons why center fielders play deeper is because they are more comfortable moving forward on a hit ball and fear a ball will land over their head for extra bases. This certainly will happen every once in awhile but the benefits of reaching more balls in shallow center outweigh the few balls hit over their head. At least in my opinion. Keep reading to see what can help a center fielder gain more confidence on balls hit over his head. Too lazy during batting practice. The first two mistakes so far have been playing too timid and playing too deep. Practicing outfield work during batting practice is single handedly the best way for any center fielder (and other outfielders as well) to correct these mistakes and improve their defense. Having coaches hit fly ball after fly ball is no replacement for reading the baseball off the bat during batting practice. Too many players who are out in the field during batting practice use that time to socialize and hang out until it is their turn to hit. Premiere center fielders use the time differently. They treat it like a game where their job is to get to and catch every ball hit into center field. By doing this, they are getting experience going every which way to get balls, they are working on their jumps, they are anticipating where balls will be hit, and to address the previous mistake, they are working on going after balls over their head. Taking this approach to batting practice gives center fielders more confidence to attack fly balls come game time and also gives them more confidence to play a bit more shallow since they know they can go back well on balls over their head. Too quiet. Like catchers, center fielders need to be the most vocal member of the outfielders. They are the coach in the outfield and should be constantly reminding the other two outfielders of things they need to know. Where batters hit the ball in previous at-bats. Which runners can run and which ones can't. The score. The outs. Any piece of information that would impact how an outfielder should play should be passed along by the center fielder. College coaches and professional scouts notice that so a center fielder cannot afford to be silent on the field.

9 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 RIGHT FIELD MISTAKES THE VISION OF A CHAMPION IS SOMEONE WHO IS BENT OVER, DRENCHED IN SWEAT, AT THE POINT OF EXHAUSTION WHEN NO ONE IS WATCHING. Relying too much on arm strength. Most outfielders eventually find themselves in right field because of their arm strength. Even though all outfielders have similar distances on throws to second base and home plate, it s the long throw to third base that separates the right fielders from the other two outfielders. The longer throw requires a stronger arm. However, this arm strength can pose a problem for some right fielders. Because they have always had good arms, many of these right fielders have neglected the proper footwork needed to get to a ball and get rid of it quickly. Outfielders with less arm strength realize early on that they have to develop proper footwork and technique to make up for a lack of arm strength. Right fielders on the other hand can be more interested in showing off their arms than learning the finer points of playing outfield. Good arm strength and a desire to constantly improve on the little things is what allows right fielders to go from good to great. Slow to read swings. Great defensive players regardless of position need to be good at anticipating where balls are going to be hit. I addressed this point about anticipating in the posts about shortstops and third basemen but it could apply to everyone else on defense as well. One problem that is uniquely difficult for right fielders is that many balls hit out their way are slicing away from them and towards the foul line. As a result, it is imperative that right fielders become great at reading swings to anticipate where batted balls are most likely to go. This of course helps with getting better jumps on all balls hit but especially those that slice away from them. If a right handed batter fouls off a fastball over the first base dugout, the right fielder should probably interpret that as the batter having slower bat speed. This kind of swing makes it more likely the ball will be hit to right field. The observant right fielder might decide to shift his positioning more towards the right field foul line. A hitter that turns well on a pitch and fouls it down the left field line might signal the right fielder to shift his positioning towards the right-center gap a bit more. The point is to study the swings of all batters to better predict where balls will be hit. Camping under the ball. This mistake can also be a byproduct of relying too heavily on arm strength when making plays. With runners on base, the fundamentally correct way of catching a routine fly ball is to get behind the ball a few steps and move forward (towards the infield) to catch the ball. This allows their momentum to already be moving towards their throwing target before they catch the ball. When outfielders camp under the ball, they are catching the fly ball standing still or even worse, drifting backwards towards the fence. In this scenario, the outfielder needs to waste a lot of time stopping and then changing their momentum in order to throw back to the infield. A player who hustles behind the ball, squares their body up to the infield, and moves forward to catch the ball can catch and complete a strong throw much quicker. Right fielders with strong arms may tend to neglect these fundamentals thinking their arm strength will carry them through instead. This may work at the lower levels but at some point, other teams base runners will begin to exploit this weakness. Making throws tough to handle. Since many right fielders like to show off their arm, many do not focus a lot of attention on the finesse side of their throws. This is similar to a quarterback with a canon for an arm that can easily throw 50 yard passes but not a short screen pass that requires more finesse. Right fielders sometimes forget that there is a teammate on the other end of their throw who would appreciate being given an easy throw to catch so they can apply a tag. The easiest throws to receive as an infielder are those that arrive at the bag in the air or the ones that arrive on a big, easy to handle hop. To show off their arms, many right fielders will launch a throw that ends up short-hopping the infielder making it very difficult to catch and make a tag. Should there be a need to one-hop a throw to 2 nd base, 3 rd base, or home plate, a right fielder (or any outfielder) should throw the ball so that the ball bounces at least 15 feet away from the bag. This will almost always ensure a clean, easy-to-handle hop for the infielder or catcher. It takes some finesse and lots of deliberate practice but your teammates will thank you.

10 PAGE 10 TRAINING NEWSLETTER STRIKE ZONE OFFERS POWER PITCHING CLINICS FOR SERIOUS PLAYERS 12 AND UP. Being someone they are not. The first step for a pitcher who wants to be successful is determining what type of pitcher they are instead of focusing on what kind of pitcher they wish to be. By this I mean that the pitcher needs to be honest with himself and realize that he has both strengths and weaknesses. Maximizing the strengths and diminishing the weaknesses becomes essential in order to pitch effectively. If a pitcher has poor velocity, trying to throw the ball past hitters like a power pitcher will end in disaster. On the other hand, a pitcher who throws very hard shouldn t be nibbling around the corners of the plate either. This usually ends poorly as well. The baseball culture is fascinated with hard throwers because there are not too many of them in the world. Unfortunately, this inspires young pitchers to try and throw as hard as they can. This of course is a poor game plan for a pitcher with not much velocity to begin with. It all starts with an honest evaluation of your abilities and then creating a strategy to maximize whatever strengths you have. Too much time between pitches. Is there any trend worse for baseball than the 3 ½ hour game? Not only is it tough for fans, it is tough on players as well. Nobody likes to play behind a pitcher who takes forever in between pitches. Minds wonder, focus is lost, and errors are made. Pitchers can help with this problem by doing one little thing that makes a big difference over the course of a game. Stay on the mound! There is no reason why a pitcher has to throw a pitch, walk halfway to the catcher, receive the throw back, and walk back to the mound. Catchers are more than capable of throwing the ball 60 feet back to you. After the pitch, stay on the mound, receive the throw back, and get right back on the rubber. PITCHING MISTAKES This accomplishes three things. 1) It conserves energy. The pitcher does not have to waste energy walking back to and up the mound times a game. 2) It makes the batter feel rushed which is to the pitcher s advantage as well. 3) It keeps the fielders attentive because they do not have as much time to let their minds drift between pitches. Less errors are usually the result. Of course, there will be instances when a pitcher should take a little more time after a pitch to gather thoughts and make adjustments. However, it should not become a habit. Straying from their line. One thing many pitching coaches do to help young pitchers is to draw a line on the mound that extends from the middle of the pitching rubber down towards the catcher. This is usually done to help the pitcher see, in relation to the line, where his foot lands when he strides towards home to throw. For a right handed pitcher, his foot should land slightly to the right of that line. The opposite is true for left handers. Although this line in the dirt trick is a good one, there is more that can be seen by using this line. Instead of just focusing on where his foot lands in relation to the line a player should work to keep his center of gravity on that line from start to finish. Think of someone throwing a dart. Good dart throwers hold the dart up, take the dart back in a straight line, take their hand forward on that same line, release, and continue moving their hand on that line for a few inches even though the dart has left their hand. Basically, they stay on that line from start to finish. The same holds true for accurate pitchers. From start to finish, a pitcher s center of gravity stays on the line. If a pitcher strays from that line, the ball usually is thrown off that line as well. Ball one. From the wind-up, many young pitchers deviate from that line immediately by stepping to the side. This shifts their weight off that line. When they bring their knee up their weight often shifts across to the other side of that line. The pitcher zig-zags on both sides of that line making it tougher for him to keep the thrown ball on the line. Staying on that line as much as possible from start to finish usually means the ball stays on that line to the strike zone. Throwing like a position player. At the high school level, the majority of pitchers also play other positions. In fact, most of the throwing they do is probably associated with a position other than that of pitcher. This poses a big problem for many young pitchers that have not yet focused 100% of their attention on pitching like practically all pitchers in college and the professional ranks are forced to do. The problem is that many young players do not differentiate between throwing as a position player and throwing as a pitcher. When they step on the mound, they continue to throw like a position player. The key is to throw and follow through finishing tall. A pitcher does this because a position player has to make throws that carry over the entire infield or outfield. They are also taught to throw around chest height for it to be easily caught. A pitcher on the other hand only throws 60 feet and wants the ball to end up at knee level most of the time. Therefore, a pitcher must follow through differently to get the ball down in the strike zone. They have to get much more extension in their follow through and finish low in order to accomplish this. If a pitcher throws like a position player, they generally finish too tall and the ball comes up in the strike zone making it more easily hit. When pitchers steps on the mound, they have to remember to throw like a pitcher, not a position player.

11 The Power of Pitching FIVE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD THROWING TECHNIQUES Eyes are constantly on the target Pitcher should be in a good goal post position: both glove-side elbow and throwing elbow should be high The ball should be pointed back to allow for the rotation of the hips Glove-side shoulder and foot should be pointed directly at the target Weight transfer and follow-through from post foot to glove-side foot American Sports Medicine Guide To Pitch Counts Age 1 Day 2 Days 3 Days 4 Days Rest Rest Rest Rest FASTBALL A four-seam fastball is a variant of the straight fastball. The four-seam fastball is a pitch that is used often by the pitcher to get ahead in the count or when he needs to throw a strike. This type of fastball is intended to have minimal lateral movement. The most traditional way is to find the horseshoe seam area, or the area where the seams are the farthest apart. Keeping those seams parallel to the body, the pitcher places his index and middle fingers perpendicular to them with the pads on the farthest seam from him. The thumb will then rest underneath the ball, about in the middle of the two fingers. With this grip, the thumb will generally have no seam to rest on. TWO SEAM FASTBALL A two-seam fastball, sometimes called a two-seamer, is a variant of the straight fastball. The two-seam fastball is designed to have more movement than a four seam fastball, and is a pitch to be used while the pitcher is ahead in the count, setting up an off speed pitch, or looking to get a strikeout. The pitcher grabs a baseball and finds the area on it where the seams are the closest together. Then, the baseball is rotated so that those seams are perpendicular to his body, with the index and middle fingers on each of those seams respectively. Each finger should be touching the seam from the pads or tips to almost the ball of each finger. The thumb should rest underneath the ball in the middle of those two fingers, finding the apex of the horseshoe part of the seam. The thumb needs to rest on that seam from the side to the middle of its pad. This ball will tend to move for the pitcher a little bit depending on velocity, arm slot angle and pressure points of the fingers. FLYING OPEN VS. STAYING CLOSED CURVEBALL The curveball is thrown with a grip and hand motion that induces extra rotation on the ball causing it to "break," and fly in a more exaggerated curve than would be expected. The pitch is slower than a fastball, and this difference in velocity also tends to disrupt the hitter's timing. Good curveballs often seem to drop sharply with a sharp rotation as they reach the plate, making the batter swing above it. The rotation on a curveball should be in the opposite direction as that of a fastball so the hitter cannot easily distinguish between the pitches; as such, the drop on such a ball should be 12 to 6 on a watch (although many pitchers are successful with a curve ball that breaks down and away from the batter, rather than straight down). The curveball rotation is produced when the pitcher snaps his wrist downward at the moment of release, causing the ball to "roll" off the pitcher's hand. The palm of the pitcher's hand typically faces up during the follow through after releasing a curveball. "FLYING OPEN" Flying open early during the stride and cocking phase is a common fault experienced by all pitchers no matter of age or experience. Young high school and college pitchers have to learn HOW to stay closed, and experienced pitchers must FOCUS on staying closed until the stride foot plants. "STAYING CLOSED" Staying closed means that until the stride foot plants giving the pitcher a stable base, the lead elbow, the shoulders, and throwing arm stay aligned to the plate. The next action (sequence) is for the trunk to powerfully horizontally rotate to create angular velocity (torque), which is the major source of power, arm speed and velocity! The fault of "flying open" occurs when upper body, shoulders, and arms open with the stride leg and front hip. This is a natural tendency biomechanically, but this action decreases rotational forces angular velocity) and puts the motion out of sequence, negatively effecting control and velocity plus creating unnecessary stress on the shoulder and arm muscles. "Flying open" causes the arm to drag because the stronger & larger muscles of the legs, hips, and trunk have already fired and are not available to create torque. Because of the lack of torque, most of the pitch velocity has to come from the shoulder and arm muscles, which will cause early fatigue. TECHNIQUES & DRILLS TO STAY CLOSED-Teach the pitcher an efficient, balanced, aligned & compact motion. Rocker-Pivot-Lift Drill Get to a balanced posting position without swinging the foot or leg up. Make certain the pitcher closed up the front side but doesn't over-rotate. Down & Out Stride Drill Do not swing the leg or foot around and down. This technique will help keep the body aligned to the plate. Lead with the Front Hip Bone This technique helps alignment and generates lower body forces for a longer and more powerful stride. Stride Drill For direction, landing flat-footed on a stable base with the toes pointing inward slightly (10-15 degrees). Hand Break & Lead Arm Action DrillUse a flexed elbow as a rifle sight. This helps to keep the arms and shoulders aligned to the plate and keeps the upper body closed. Mirror & Abdominal DrillPerform the "down and out drill" and "stride drill" in front of a mirror. Concentrate on the lead elbow and shoulders staying aligned (closed) to the plate. Even though the front hip has opened upon stride foot plant, the lead elbow and front shoulder should stay aligned and closed. Learn to contract the abdominal muscles to keep upper body closed. A pitcher should consciously feel the abdominal tighten. Cocked Position DrillRemember that the natural tendency is for a pitcher's upper body to come open with the front hip and stride leg. "Staying closed" is a LEARNED, not a natural TRAIT, and must be understood and developed. Once a young pitcher masters this technique, you'll see improved control, more movement on the fast ball (due to torque), and an increase in pitch velocity. CIRCLE CHANGEUPS A circle changeup is a pitch thrown with a grip that includes a circle formation. The circle is formed by putting the index fingertip against the thumb tip, and holding the ball against the palm with the remaining three fingers. This pitch will tend to have little ball rotation. The circle changeup is a variation of the straight changeup. A circle change can also be used to provide screwball-type movement. By placing the index and ring fingers slightly to the inside (that is, towards the thumb) of the ball and sharply pronating the forearm at release, a pitcher can make the ball move downward and armside. A left-handed pitcher's circle chance will break down and away from a right-handed batter. Effective circle changeups can reduce the platoon split a pitcher will experience. When releasing the circle change, keep your wrist straight and follow through fully. If this pitch is left up, it will be hit hard! It is a very effective pitch to throw early in the count to produce a ground ball; it is not a strikeout pitch. By rotating your wrist (before releasing) you can change the movement from that of a fastball to that of a curveball-like pitch. PITCHING QUESTIONS HOW CAN I THROW MORE STRIKES? It all boils down to mechanics. Proper pitching mechanics will lead to increased control. Once you're able to have consistent proper mechanics, control comes down to release point which can be adjusted on a pitch by pitch basis. HOW CAN I THROW HARDER? A lot of velocity comes from proper mechanics. Also, in addition to proper mechanics, an increase in velocity can come with strength training, particularly core exercises. There are many different activities/exercises you can do to improve core strength. Ask us how. I HAVE GOOD CONTROL AND VELOCITY, HOW CAN I GET MORE OUTS? Any average hitter can catch up to a fastball if he knows it s coming. Keeping hitters off balance and guessing is the key to getting outs which means you have to change speeds and location. Good off speed pitches and the ability to hit spots with all your pitches will lower pitch counts and ERA s. WHAT S THE BEST PITCH IN BASEBALL? A strike. No particular pitch is better than the other, as long as you can throw it for a strike. Get strike one. Getting ahead of batters is crucial to getting outs.

12 PAGE 12 TRAINING NEWSLETTER HITTING MISTAKES BE EXPLOSIVE AT THE PLATE AND LEARN TO INCREASE YOUR BAT SPEED IN OUR HITTING BOOT CAMPS Poor foundation. When instructing hitters, many coaches take a ground up approach. This means nothing is worked on until a batter has created a good, strong foundation with his feet. In sports, the athletic position is fundamental to the success of many varying types of athletes. It involves the position the body gets into in order to maximize speed, power, quickness, lateral mobility (side to side), and vertical mobility (up and down). Tennis players waiting for a serve get into this position. A basketball player guards another in this position. A soccer goalie waits for a penalty shot in this position. A quarterback, running back, and line-backer all are in this position before the start of the play. Too many young hitters are not in this athletic position when they are attempting to hit. It requires a batter to widen his feet to at least shoulder width. There is a slight bend in the knees so the weight is more on the balls of their feet. The waist is slightly bent and the eyes are level and still. All the players mentioned earlier are in this position because it allows them to do anything with the most athleticism. Starting off in a stance that does not include these basic things automatically puts the player at a disadvantage because the player has to get in this position as the ball is moving in order to hit effectively. Many never do. Players should help themselves by starting in this position. It s one less thing they have to worry about once the pitch is thrown. Not ready to hit. There aren t many things worse than watching a hitter take a first-pitch strike right down the middle with runners in scoring position and the game on the line. There certainly are times when taking a pitch is warranted but this is probably not one of them. Usually this lack of aggression is caused by the hitter not being ready to hit when he steps into the box. As a result, he takes a pitch to get a feel for the pitcher and/or the at-bat. Unfortunately, the pitch taken may be the only good pitch he sees that at-bat. This problem increases as players get older because the likelihood of seeing multiple good pitches to hit in an at-bat decrease as one moves up the baseball ladder. To fix this, a batter must know the situation he is walking into before he steps up to the plate. This mental process must occur in the on-deck circle. A coach would much rather see a hitter swing at a pitch over his head in that situation than take a strike. At least the batter is showing the coach that he is ready to hit and knows that being aggressive is important in that situation. Be ready to swing from the first pitch to the last. Too mechanical. One of the advantages players have today over previous generations is the ability to get quality instruction. There are many more facilities that exist that provide private and/ or group instruction to players who want to get better. This is a good thing. However, sometimes hitters become too mechanical because of all the attention paid to technique. As I eluded to in a earlier organized baseball has its downside. Players are constantly taught by adults to hit using the proper technique but some of those players focus too much on technique in the batter s box. As stated in the previous hitting mistake, players need to do much of this kind of thinking in the on-deck circle and take more of a see it and hit it approach while in the box. Too much focus on mechanics at the wrong time can cause hitters to lack aggressiveness and fail to let it fly when swinging. Ignoring the future. If you read anything regarding sports psychology, you probably will quickly run across the concept of staying in the moment. Basically, that means focusing on the here-and-now as opposed to worrying about what happened in the past or what might happen in the future. This is great advice for any baseball player. That being said, when it comes to practicing and developing a player s skills, many players choose to focus on drills and skills that will help them in the present and fail to plan for the future. Most players who move on and play college and professional baseball were the top hitters on their high school teams and more times than not, batted in the 3 rd, 4 th,, or 5 th spot in the batting order. This poses a problem for many hitters after they leave high school. Most of these hitters are rarely (if ever) asked to sacrifice bunt, squeeze bunt, hit and run, base hit bunt, or move runners over. Those responsibilities are usually reserved for everyone else in the line-up. Coaches want their 3, 4, and 5 hitters to swing away and drive in runs. However, when these hitters move on to college and/or pro ball, many no longer hit in these spots in the line-up and will be required to do these little ball skills. Unfortunately, many don t have a lot of experience doing these skills and most never bothered to pay much attention to the development of them because they are never required to do them in a game. A player who wants to succeed at the next level has to start thinking about the skills that they will need to perform at that level and begin to incorporate them into their training today.

13 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 13 TRAINING WITH WOOD The Strike Zone instructors as well as many other reputable baseball minds strongly recommend training with wood bats. It is most important that young hitters work with wood in order to develop the proper hitting mechanics and learn how to utilize a bat for maximum efficiency. Wood bats make you the hitter you really are at any given time. Wood does NOT deceive or make you think that you are better than you actually are as a hitter. With wood, you MUST stay within yourself. Wood gives instant feedback as to how you really hit the ball. Wood forces the hitter to learn and execute solid and correct hitting mechanics. There is less margin of error for success and a more effective swing is necessary. (Poor swing=broken bat) Wood is not forgiving. You must hit in the core of percussion (sweet spot) in order to make significant contact. The player must concentrate on a smaller hitting surface. Wood builds strength wile perfecting the skill of hitting. Wood provides more significant feedback to the hitter: better feel, touch, and sound. It tells the hitter what areas need improvement. In order to be successful as a hitter one must have confidence and working, learning with wood bats builds confidence. Also, knowing a hitter is using the same tools as professionals will enhance confidence. Wood allows young hitters to swing at pitches they can hit and learn the strike zone. Metal bats reward hitters for swinging at pitches out of the strike zone or that are inappropriate for the situation. Wood bats are heavier and because by rule they must be solid, the weight is distributed more towards the barrel end. As a result, wood bats are more difficult to accelerate to swing speed. Extra weight makes timing and control more finite. Moreover, wood encourages the proper follow through as the extra weight teaches the hitter to finish the swing and increase power/line drive potential. Wood more acutely identifies specific weaknesses in mechanics and magnifies needed adjustments. Metal bat companies advocate not using your game metal bat in the batting cage as the rubber balls can increase stress to the bat on impact. Many will void their warranty if used in batting cages. Also, many warranties are void if the bat has been used in temperatures lower than 60 degrees. Wood bats are the tools a hitter will be using in professional baseball (probably soon in college) and it is a good time to learn the right way to hit. The thrill of using a tool that might break if not used correctly increases the hitter s focus to learn to hit on the sweet spot. The skill of hitting and proper technique are more difficult to learn but the process of learning will teach and refine problem-solving abilities. These are invaluable in attacking other life problems and lead to the individuals development of a decision making process applicable in real life. It s REAL BASEBALL and FUN to hit with wood!!!

14 The Science Of Swat (402) Hitting Techniques The hands should be placed together on the handle when gripping the bat. The bat should be held with the base of the fingers, not the palm of the hand. The fingers of each hand should be aligned at the knuckles. The Wind Up Before hitting the ball, the batter winds up with his shoulders and elbows spread apart, and with his weight on the right foot. He draws the bat back, hands below his shoulders and rotates his torso slightly. A batter may bunt the ball in an effort to surprise the opposing team or to advance a runner on the field. To do so, he pivots into a crouch while moving the outside hand toward the end of the bat. The ball should land in front of him on the ground, remaining in play. The Swing The batter lifts his left foot, moves it forward and puts it down at the moment of contact with the ball. His body weight transfers to his left leg as his arms swing the bat toward the ball. The Follow Through Once he hits the ball, the batter follows through with his swing until he is facing the pitcher. Drives the ball deeper and harder, more consistently -every 1 mph increase in bat speed adds 5 feet to the distance your ball travels. Gains more reaction time at the plate to enable you to make better decisions on whether or not to swing at a pitch. Step into the batter s box with confidence. Average Bat Speed: 7-9 Year Old MPH 9-11 Year Old MPH Year Old MPH Y ear Old MPH Year Old MPH Hitting Questions Answered What is the number one thing coaches look for in hitters? Bat speed. The first thing a college coach will notice about hitters is how fast the bat moves through the zone. Even if the hitter has some mechanical flaws, the coach notices how fast the bat went through the zone and recognizes the player s raw talent. Coaches are more likely to recruit a player that has raw talent than a player who is mechanically sound but is slow to the ball. What should I do to improve myself as a hitter? Drill, Drill, Drill! The more hitting drills you perform, the easier it will be to develop muscle memory from these repeated actions. The goal of every hitter should be to develop muscle memory during drills so that the actions come naturally in the games. How can I maximize my power? The number one activity to increase power is weight training. There is a direct correlation between physical strength and power at the plate. How can I improve my eyes at the plate? Once again: drill, drill, drill! The more pitches you see and cuts off a tee you take, the quicker your eyes will become. The best way to do this is to have a plan: not only a plan for every swing during a game, but also a plan for every cut you take in practice. Train your eyes to recognize the pitcher s release point. The earlier you pick up the pitch, the easier it is to determine the movement and speed the pitch has. The earlier you pick up the pitch the easier it is for your body to When the Bat Meets the Ball The bat and ball are in contact for about seconds. Here is what happens: 8,000 pounds of force are required to change the direction of a 90 mph pitch /110 mph hit that will travel 400 feet. The ball is compressed to about 1/2 its normal diameter. Most of the energy in the ball and bat are lost as heat. The baseball returns about 35 % of the energy it receives during the compression. It is this energy return that causes the ball to rebound from the bat.. Upper Limit Horizontal line halfway between the top of the shoulders and top of the pants. The Strike Zone Determined from the batters stance as he prepares to swing at a pitched ball. Lower Limit Line at the top of the knees.

15 TRAINING NEWSLETTER PAGE 15 GROUP LESSONS FOR AGES 5-18 COVER EVERYTHING FROM PITCHING, HITTING, CATCHING, ALL SKILLS, & MACK S MITES. BASE RUNNER MISTAKES Playing base to base. This involves the mentality that affects many base runners especially those who do not have much running speed. When runners know that foot speed is not their strength, they frequently fear taking any risks at all on the base paths even in situations that call for taking an extra base. As a result, they play base to base and require multiple hits in order to score them. A player who has the desire and confidence to stretch a single into a double is usually capable of scoring a run with only one additional hit. The same runner who stops at first and plays base-to-base is going to require multiple hits to force them around the bases and score. Obviously, every coach on Earth would rather have the first runner in their line-up. Keep reading for tips on how to go from a base to base runner to a more aggressive, confident one. Relying too much on coaches. As stated in this post about organized many runners rely too much on base coaches to tell them when to run and when to stop at a base. For great base runners, base coaches are only needed when the ball is being thrown from behind them and therefore outside their vision. Rounding third on a base hit is one example. Going to third with a throw coming from center or right field is another. In both cases, the runner has a tougher time seeing the play develop behind them and may not be able to determine whether to continue, stop, and/or slide. However, in just about every other scenario, the runner should be able to run and watch the play develop since the play and throw is within their field of vision. This requires the runner to run with their head up and eyes on the play. Of course, this contradicts what many little league coaches teach runners. They are commonly told to not watch the ball, just run, and do what the coach tells them to do. This responsibility has to shift much more to the individual runner as they get older because the game gets faster. At the higher levels, plays develop faster and runners do not have time to wait for instructions. They have to just react on their own or else they will miss the opportunity. Poor anticipation. Ask any experienced coach about base running and they will probably say that the best base runners are often not the fastest runners. Sometimes the fastest runners have been able to rely on their speed and have neglected the finer points of base running. Slower runners know that in order to continue playing they have to be more selective about their aggression on the base paths. This requires gathering information prior to the play and anticipating what is going to happen before and during the play. Here is an example of how this could work. A runner on base recognizes that the count is 1-2 on the batter. He also knows beforehand that the pitcher uses a curveball in the dirt as his strikeout pitch. In this count, it is likely the pitcher is going to throw a curveball and therefore more likely the ball will bounce in the dirt. Knowing this, the runner anticipates the catcher having to block the next pitch and either steals on his own or at least is ready to move up on a passed ball or wild pitch. In all these cases the runner is able to get a better jump than the runner who just reacts to what they see happen after the fact. Great base runners are more aware of what s going on around them and use that information better than most. Lack of practice. Although running the bases should be the easiest thing a player does on a baseball field, it is often the most screwed up because it is rarely practiced at all let alone practiced at a high level by young players. I mentioned in my center field mistakes post that the best way to practice outfield skills is during batting practice. The same holds true for base running. Batting practice gives runners a chance to practice their base running skills in game-like situations that require the ability to anticipate and read the ball off the bat. A common practice for great base runners is to play mental games while practicing base running. By that I mean runners pretend they are in common game situations and react to a batting practice hit as if they are in a real game. For example, a runner on first during batting practice could pretend there are two outs, shuffle off on the pitch, and go on contact like they would in a game. Another time they could pretend they got the hit-and-run sign and break on the pitch, look in at the plate like they would normally do in that situation, and react depending on what the batter does with the pitch. This process can be done at second base and third base as well. The point is, when practicing base running, there are so many options base runners can take but it requires diligent practice and a creative mind.

16 PAGE 16 TRAINING NEWSLETTER BENCH PLAYER MISTAKES Call BROWSE OUR WEBSITE AND LET US HELP YOU IMPROVE STRIKEZONEOMAHA.COM Call Failure to accept their role. I have never met a baseball player who was happy that they were not playing in the game. As you move up in levels, the game gets tougher and the players get more competitive. Telling a competitive player that he is not going to be a starter usually does not sit too well with the player. Of course, some handle this better than others. Many major league players and coaches say that coming off the bench and being expected to perform at a high level is one of the hardest things to do in baseball. Many young players have a hard time mentally grasping the idea that the coach thinks someone else is better in a particular position. This is one of the reasons why managers generally do not like having young players be bench players in the major leagues. Usually those spots are for veteran type players that have been around for a little while, are usually more mature, and understand what is needed to be good off the bench. Success as a bench player all starts with accepting the fact that at this time they are a role player and therefore have a different set of expectations and responsibilities. Good bench players always try to work their way into a future starting line-up but until that happens (if ever) they make the best of their current situation by being the best they can be at whatever role the coach assigns them. Ignoring pre-game infieldoutfield. One of the best sources of information for all players (especially bench players) comes from watching the other team take infield-outfield practice prior to the start of the game. Major league teams don t take a pre-game infield-outfield practice like they used to but it is still routine for high school and college teams to do so. There is valuable information to be found if a player looks for it. For example, a bench player may have to come off the bench late in the game and pinch run for a teammate in a close game. If he watched and studied the opposing team s pre-game, he already will know which fielders have good range and which have the best arm strength. As a result, the player is more capable of making better, quicker decisions in the game. Yesterday s post on base running mistakes mentioned the importance of knowing lots of information before the play develops. Paying close attention during pre-game allows a bench player to store valuable information for later. Unfortunately, many players, once they see they are not starting that day, don t feel the need to pay attention. They wrongly have the attitude of if I am not playing, why bother. The most valuable bench players are usually those who are constantly trying to accumulate more usable information before and during the game. Irrelevant bench talk. This pertains to what was just stated above about trying to accumulate information before and during the game. It is natural that players on the bench are going to have conversations during the game that might not always pertain to baseball. Baseball is a fairly slow moving game where the opportunity to expand conversations away from baseball exists. That being said, it is important that bench players try to keep their conversations related to the game. Talking baseball with other players is a great way to learn about the game and keep your mind on things that are relevant to the success of the team and to yourself. If a coach overhears a conversation on the bench about what the opposing team s signs are or how the pitcher doesn t vary his times to the plate, he will think more highly of the players involved. On the other hand, if the coach overhears a conversation regarding who is having a party on Saturday, that s not going to have the same positive reaction. It takes discipline but talking baseball on the bench can be very valuable for a role player. Not prepared to play. Add up the previous mistakes and the result is that when asked to perform later in games, the unprepared bench player is probably going to fail. This of course makes it more likely the player will not get more playing time in the future as well. As stated earlier, being a role player off the bench can be very challenging even if you are prepared. Sitting on the bench for 5 or 6 innings (sometimes in very cold weather) can make it extremely difficult to perform successfully. However, there are some things that can be done to increase the chances of success. Here is one. Anticipate playing time. If you are a good runner, look for situations where your coach may need a runner and start to get loose beforehand. For example, if a slow runner is leading off the inning in a close, late inning game, chances are good the coach will call for a pinch runner if the batter gets on. Knowing this, the bench player can get his legs loose well in advance in case he is needed. Another bench player who can hit can do the same if a weak hitter is due up in a key situation. Taking some swings or maybe even some soft-toss an inning before can help tremendously. The key is to think ahead and don t just wait until the coach says he needs you to go in. The coach may not call for you but if he does, at least you will be ready. Know what you need to do to get ready and do it.