Hit it far or hit it hard?

This year, my son once again asked if I could help coach his 7 year old team.  I’m one of the assistants.  When it comes to hitting, I’ve found myself recently saying, “hit the ball far, guys.”  I started the season using my standard phrase “hit it hard.”  I think I started to use “far” because […]

Middle infield mistake when breaking to second base

I had the pleasure of checking out a high school game last week.  It’s great to get outside and enjoy some warm weather for a change and it also gives me a long list of ideas for future posts!  Here’s one. When covering second base on a steal, both middle infielders should not be breaking […]

No double taps for shortstops

One of the many bad habits infielders can get into is tapping the ball in their glove before throwing.  To get an idea of what I’m talking about, watch this short video of Brendan Ryan taking grounders at shortstop.  The ground ball where he taps his glove just before throwing starts at the :35 second […]

What does pitchability mean?

A lot of players and their parents ask how important velocity is to college coaches and pro scouts.  If you listen to the answers, you’ll probably hear something like this … “A pitcher needs to show that he has enough velocity to get college/pro hitters out.  Certainly, more velocity is better than less velocity since […]

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast

I’ve often told players that if they cannot perform a task (fielding, hitting, pitching, etc.) in slow motion then they will never be able to do it in regular speed.  Because of this, I’m a firm believer in players practicing (on their own) their mechanics in slow motion.  When they are performed in slow motion, […]

Tell them they need good vision

Did you know that studies have revealed that telling someone they need good vision to perform a particular task can actually improve their vision?  It’s true.  Here’s how one study worked.  The experimenters organized two randomly selected groups of Air Force ROTC students at a university. All members in both groups took a standard eye test.  […]

Young arms – overuse and specialization

There has been quite a debate raging in the game of baseball as to what is causing all the arm injuries. Before going any farther, look at the following photo and consider this scenario.  You are 16 years old and at a showcase.  Every coach you’ve ever had has tried to convince you that location is more […]

Balance and the brain in baseball

The human body is an incredible machine.  Take balance as an example.  When we perform a task such as walking, our body and brain are performing an amazing number of things to make sure we stay in balance.  Balance is so central to our functioning that our body and brain takes care of it all […]

No reflexive swings

I am very fortunate in that, for whatever reason, I throw a pretty mean batting practice.  Tons of strikes, same speed, same location, and easy to see and hit.  At least that’s what I’m told.  If you fall in that category, congratulations.  If you are not in that camp, don’t feel bad.  Some of the […]

Two out close plays at first base

Here’s the situation … runner on second base with two outs.  A ball is hit to an infielder who bobbles it and throws to first base.  The play at first will be a bang-bang play. If the runner is out, it’s inning over.  If the runner is safe, there is a very good chance the […]

Keep the batter off second base

In yesterday’s post I described a strategy geared towards outfielders to avoid giving up extra base hits late in the game when your team is ahead by just a run or two.  Today’s post is another common strategy also geared towards outfielders.  This strategy is to make sure the opposing team has a harder time […]

Nothing over your head

If you watch coaches in the dugout late in the game when the game is close, you may see a coach whose team is winning wave his hand up and down behind his head.  This is the universal sign for outfielders that means “play deeper and don’t let any ball go over your head.”  Here […]

Pinch on passed balls at home plate

Today’s post is a tip for middle infielders and for coaches who are looking for another one of those little things to pass on to their players.  It involves a passed ball or wild pitch that goes to the backstop when there is a runner on third base and at least one other at 1st […]

You are working too hard

When I first started teaching about 20 years ago, a department chairperson who observed my teaching said she liked my style and methods but felt I was working too hard.  I didn’t quite know how to take that.  I thought working hard was the point.  When she said it again after another observation, I told […]

Addition by subtraction

In my neck of the woods (Philadelphia area) there has been a lot of talk recently about the Eagles outright releasing wide receiver Desean Jackson.  Critics of the move have focused on a number of things but the big one tends to be that they (the Eagles) got rid of a highly talented player and […]

Mr. and Mrs. Parent

Here’s a quick tip that can avoid some problems down the road – don’t call parents by their first names. Inevitably, when you coach a team, you will know some of the kids’ parents better than others.  You may know them outside of baseball.  You may have grown up with them.  You may have coached their other […]

Getting a ton of infield reps – Part 2

In Part 1 I explained how to get a bunch of reps pretty quickly for your infielders.  I usually did it at the start of practices but it could certainly be done anytime you see fit.  Today I’ll show how this basic concept can be expanded into a full-blown infield activity that  works on a ton […]

Getting a ton of infield reps – Part 1

When I ran outdoor high school practices, virtually every one started with defensive reps.  I felt our ability to hit largely depended who was pitching against us but if we worked hard at the footwork and fundamentals to fielding then that side of the ball would/should remain consistently good. The way I started involved rapid […]

Practice in uniform

At my high school, us teachers have to chaperone two events during the school year as per our contract.  This year I am chaperoning the senior prom again which counts as my two because of the amount of time involved.  To many, spending most of a Saturday night with about 1,000 teenagers seems like torture. […]

Baseball and Wall Street

When it comes to investing, some people are long-term investors.  They continually put money in the market and don’t worry so much about the daily, weekly, or even yearly ups and downs and just focus on where they want to be in 20-40 years down the road.  When looking at the following picture, long-term investors focus […]

A lot can be seen in one play at first base

Take a look at the brief video clip I ran into online.  Click on the photo below and then keep clicking the refresh button to see it over again.  Then come back to the post to read further. It only takes a few seconds to watch the clip but there are several things in the […]

Pitchers – Are you a head-snap or glove guy?

A huge part of being a great base stealer is being able to quickly recognize opportunities that increase your chances to be safe.  Examples include a catcher with a weak arm, middle infielders that are positioned too far from the bag, and a slow delivery to home plate.  Another big example involves what the pitcher […]