Change your focus by changing your clothes

Your locker doesn’t have to be aselaborate as Ryan Howard’s to getthe benefits of some mental work. When people come home from a rough day at work or school, what’s the first thing many of them do?  They change their clothes.  Why?  One reason is simply to put on clothes that are more comfortable.  Another […]

ACTING v REACTING at the plate

A couple weeks ago I did a post called How to hit a 100mph fastball.  I had to laugh when Nelson Cruz of the Rangers that very same day pulled a 100mph Verlander fastball down the line for a homerun.  What timing!  Anyway, the broader concept of that post is what I wanted to focus […]

Off-season training: The two-day workout

The link at the bottom of this post will provide you with a pdf of a two-day lifting routine for baseball players.  A few days ago I provided a beginners’ routine for middle-school players or anyone else who is just starting to get involved in weight lifting.  That post can be accessed HERE.  The post […]

Off-season hitting: Mix in a take

Here’s a tip that you almost never see young players do during the off-season.  When a player is in a batting cage, he generally swings at whatever amount of balls the coach manning the pitching machine has.  But as we all know, that is not how things work in the game.  Batters of course, do […]

Be comfortable with being uncomfortable

This time of year provides a lot of freedom for players to experiment with some new things.  Whether it’s a couple tweaks in the batting stance, a slightly different grip on a change-up,  or a new hitting drill, the off-season provides a non-competitive environment to try new things without worrying about failing.  Tweaks during the […]

A common mistake on a change-up

Although the change-up, in my opinion, is the second best pitch in baseball – the first would be a good fastball, it can be a difficult pitch to learn for some players.  There are many different grips that can be used and each one can be altered slightly to match the pitcher’s comfort level and […]

Lifting routine for beginners

A combination of free weights, dumbbells, and … The link under this post will take you to a basic lifting routine for young players (middle school) or any high school player who is just beginning to enter the world of lifting weights.  As I described in yesterday’s post called Offseason Lifting Tips, the weight room […]

Off-season lifting tips

For many players around the middle school/high school age, lifting weights can be somewhat of an intimidating process.  Many kids that age do not have a lot of experience in lifting and have a fear of looking bad or weak in front of others.  When I coached high school baseball, many of the incoming 10th […]

Don’t get lost in your statistics

Any player who says they have no idea what their statistics are is probably lying.  A player may not know to the decimal point what the numbers are but he certainly will be able to “ball-park it” if pressed for a number.  When a player says “I don’t know what my batting average is,” what […]

Would you do that in Yankee stadium?

If you wouldn’t do it here … When I watch guys practice and/or play games, I am constantly amazed at how many players appear to be going through the motions.  If you ask many of those players if they want to play in college and beyond, most would immediately say “Absolutely!”  The obvious comeback is […]

Constructive criticism and mixed messages

Giving criticism to someone can be a very delicate process.  You never know how the person is going to respond to what you say.  Some go to one extreme and completely dismiss or ignore the criticism altogether.  Others go to the opposite extreme and take every speck of criticism deeply personal and may even lash […]

Interview – Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports Part 3

Today’s post is Part 3 and the final segment of the interview with the founder of Jaeger Sports, Alan Jaeger.  If you missed Part 1 click HERE.  For Part 2, click HERE ! BaseballByTheYard (BBTY):  When I played, long-tossing and (surgical) band routines were seen as just for pitchers.  Does your program fit position players […]

Interview – Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports Part 2

Today is Part 2 of our interview with the founder of Jaeger Sports.  In Part 1, Alan and I discussed primarily the mental side of the game and the importance of training that side of baseball players.  Today is mostly the Jaeger Sports philosophy concerning the physical side to training. BaseballByTheYard (BBTY):  On the physical […]

Interview – Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports – Part 1

This post is the third interview I have done for Baseball By The Yard.  The first two have become two of my most popular posts in terms of overall readership and I’m confident this one will eventually be up there as well.  Because of the length of our conversation, the interview will be broken up […]

Take off like an airplane

A little while back, I was listening to former major league catcher, Brent Mayne, talk about catching.  He mentioned that a catcher should think of an airplane when he is coming out of a crouch to catch and make a throw to second or third base on a steal attempt.  Although he was referring to […]

Cast of characters

The baseball card of a former manager of mine who now is the current 3rd base coach for the Twins. Notice theteam “comedian” between his legs. Probably the best thing about playing baseball is the relationships you build with other people.  When players retire from the game, they often say that what they miss the most is […]

Tip for leads off first base

When it comes to base running, where a runner takes his lead is just as important as how far off the bag he goes.  The base path is the three foot area between each base and different runners stand in different places on that path.  When runners take leads off first or second base, some […]

The effects of tension

Much of sports psychology is meant to calm players down during competition so that they are better able to focus on whatever task they need to perform.  Tension and anxiety can reek havoc for any player and should be carefully monitored and manipulated so that players can play to the best of their ability. Tension […]

How to handle a hole on the mound

Pitch long enough and you will have to deal with all kinds of holes on the mound.  This video post gives some tips for handling the dreaded hole right in front of the pitching rubber. Click “YouTube” on the bottom right of the screen to expand the view as needed.

Don’t assume they’ll know what to do.

The shocking events exposed this week at Penn State University have been forcing a lot of people to ask the question, “What would I have done?”  Many of the adults involved who either personally witnessed the atrocities or were told about them clearly made some decisions that, from the outside looking in, seem completely irrational […]

Footwork for 2nd basemen on the flip

Click “YouTube” in the lower right corner of the screen to expand the view.

Training the mental side

As we enter November and the leaves come down in my neck of the country, baseball players begin to come indoors to start their off-season training.  Getting stronger, quicker, and more flexible is usually the goal of most players heading into the gym.  But if you have been a reader of this blog for any […]

Every play is a rough draft

Remember in school when the teacher would require you to write a rough draft of an essay or research paper before handing in the final product?  Students generally hate that extra work but there is a lot of value in that process.  Sitting on what you’ve written and coming back to it occasionally gives a […]

Fielding: Turn in or spin?

(Click “YouTube” on the bottom right to expand the view)

Quality at-bats = better stats

In the game of baseball, pitchers will always have the advantage over hitters.  It can be frustrating but that’s how the game works.  When I played, what frustrated me the most was when I got myself out.  By that I mean there was an error in my approach to the at-bat that had a greater […]

Off-season hitting: Using lighter bats

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the benefits of using a heavier bat when training to better integrate both halves of the body when swinging.  Although I think it is a good idea to train occasionally with a heavier bat, there is a danger in doing it too much.  When a player frequently swings a heavier […]

Off-season hitting: Using heavy bats

One day when I was at spring training in the Twins organization, Chili Davis, the Twins DH at the time, came down to the minor league complex to get some additional at-bats.  I batted after him one inning and noticed his bat.  It was gigantic.  When he wasn’t looking, I picked it up and took […]

Practicing to hit the low pitch

As this video post will explain, practicing the low pitch is not easy based on the equipment that exists today.  However, as kids get older, the ability to handle the low pitch becomes greater which makes practicing it more important as well.   Click on “YouTube” in the bottom right of the screen to expand […]

Psychological warfare

Most people have heard of the saying, “All is fair in love and war.”  In some peoples’ minds, it applies to baseball as well.  I have to admit that I succumbed to that opinion every once in awhile during my playing days.  As players get older, the mental side of the game gets more important […]