Developing your outfield doesn't stop in the offseason. Continuing to work on new drills with your team during the season is crucial as injuries and fatigue begins to set in.
Implementing new drills in practice will keep your players on their toes and constantly improving as the wear and tear of a grueling multi game week starts to affect their performance.
Let's take a look at 5 outfield drills you can put your players through when getting ready for a big game.
Jake Boss Jr. . was appointed the 16th head coach in Michigan State baseball history on July 1, 2008, and has quickly become one of the most successful coaches in the program’s 131-year history. Coach Boss is constantly coming up with new drills to keep his outfielders prepared for any type of ball that comes their way. In the clip below, check out his different drills including diving for fly balls and tracking angles. (click image for video).
Darren Fenster became the Boston Red Sox's Minor League Outfield & Baserunning Coordinator in 2019. Coach has become known for his innovative drills and philosophies when training outfielders to get the most out of their athletic abilities on the field in game situations. One of his favorite daily drills in practice is “Tapbacks” which is done consistently right after stretches and warm ups.
John Marshall is the former varsity baseball coach at Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, N.J. and also played at Harvard University and then for the semi-pro Paramus Pitbulls of the North Jersey Amateur Baseball League. He believes that footwork is the key to consistent outfield play, and is a simple but effective concept that you can work on with your players in the middle of the season. Here is a look at some of the drills he uses that can be replicated in your own training sessions.
Former head baseball coach at Indiana UniversityBob Morganknows all about turning your outfield into a well oiled machine. In his course "Outfield Play: The Defense's Secondary", Coach Morgan covers the crucial components for the last line of defense including throwing grip, stance, creep steps, and proper techniques and footwork for catching the baseball. In the drill shown below, he talks about creep steps and stance techniques he worked on at the division 1 level.
Former Detroit Tiger Kevin Hooper has preached TEAM DEFENSE since he got into coaching. His course on team defense includes things like:
Pop Fly Priority
Cuts & Relays
PFP
Pickoffs and Rundowns
Scripted Plays
Having your defense act as a single unit is key to saving runs and getting the team off the field to go hit. This clip covers the proper cut and relay drills for empty bases and a ball down the left field line.
Keep in mind that a lot of outfielders rely on instinct when it comes to in-game situations they find themselves in on the field. When you continue to pump in new drills each week before the game, you are adding to their muscle memory and increasing their chances of success when the game is on the line and you are in need of a big play.
Most people know that lethal acts of violence happen all over the country. But knowing about violent crime differs from understanding the nature of a violent attack. Surveillance videos like the one of this encounter provide invaluable lessons that we would do well to study.
Armed Robbery Video, Philadelphia, PA—
This video captured an incident in the city of Philidelphia. For context, Philidelphia is toward the top of the list in crime. The BFIs Uniform Criminal Reporting (UCR) numbers from 2019 show the murder rate in Philadelphia is 22.7 murders per 100,000 people, ranking it 16th on the list for most murders per capita of major cities in the country.
We do not seek conflict, but when necessary, Your ability to act decisively and with violence can save your life.
According to the post from LawOfficer.com “…robberies involving a handgun in Philadelphia spiked 63.21% year-to-date, rising to 1,526 from 935 reported during the same period in 2021, according to public police statistics.” I mention all of this to say, while crime happens everywhere, try to avoid areas with high criminal activity. If you can't, there is even more reason to consider making yourself a harder target by training both mentally and physically in the many facets of self-defense.
Now, back to this incident.
Out Looking for a Victim—
In the video, we initially see one suspect (S1), a Hispanic male wearing blue jeans and a black hoodie sweater. This suspect approaches a man walking the opposite way on the sidewalk, but he doesn't attack. S1 throws his hands up as if to say, well I missed my opportunity. Could it be he didn't attack this person because he thought the person was aware or ready for an attack? Could it be the man looked tougher, and S1 decided to pick someone who he felt would put up less resistance? All of these things are possible, but as we will see, S1 is not good at identifying who the easy target is.
Priorities in a Fight—
In the next clip, S1 already drew a handgun, and is engaged in a struggle with the victim. The victim fights to gain control of the suspect. It looks like he has one arm wrapped around the suspect's arm and grabbing him by his hoodie near his shoulders. The victim locks onto the wrist of the hand that is holding the gun. I don't know the victim's training background, but he wisely isolates and controls the suspect's hand that holds the weapon.
In the next clip, the victim and suspect remain on their feet as the victim pushes the suspect backward. The two men ultimately run into a stop sign, which may have been the victim's intent. The suspect ends up on one side of the pole, with the hand holding the gun on the other, giving the victim more leverage on the gun. S1 attempts to pull from the victim's grip by slipping out of his sweater, which only ends up binding his arms together awkwardly.
Consider how the victim even used the suspect's clothing during the confrontation. Have you thought of this as part of physical self-defense? Have you thought about how the clothing you wear could hinder your ability in a physical fight?
Gain Control of the Hand that Holds the Weapon—
The two men end up on the ground, with the suspect face down and the victim on top. Even as the two men went to the ground, the victim kept control of the suspect's gun hand, although the gun is still in the suspect's grip.
Now What?
Let's pause and consider the victim's options. He can't stay on top forever, and nobody is coming to his rescue. His only genuine option is to disarm the suspect. Ideally, if he has complete control of the gun, he could break contact and move to a position of cover. As we see, the victim is in a position of advantage with the suspect face down.
But he doesn't yet have control of the gun, so while even though he looks to be in a position of advantage, the suspect is still an imminent deadly threat. The Victim has a strong case to use deadly force against the suspect. Does that change if the victim were to disarm the suspect? It's unwise to make definite legal predictions based on a hypothetical because there are too many variables, but it's worth considering.
If disarmed, no longer fighting, and in this position, shooting the suspect in the back of the head might not be the best option. Then again, even if disarmed, the proximity of the suspect, coupled with his aggressiveness, would make that decision much easier with even the slightest movement to resume the fight.
A Second Armed Suspect Enters the Fight—
Here, the victim had little time to consider if he should shoot the suspect or not, because S1 had a buddy (S2) watching from a nearby vehicle.
S2 comes rushing in, armed with a handgun. Did S2 yell as he ran toward the men, or did S1 call for help? I don't know, but I think it's the latter. Whatever the reason, the victim remained alert and noticed the second attacker even while fighting for control of the gun.
So while physical defensive skills kept the victim alive for the first part of the fight, it's his awareness that saves him here. Had the victim not been aware, S2 would certainly have executed him right there.
Techniques Used Against Multiple Attackers—
S2 begins shooting at the victim. The victim wisely rolls, and uses S1 as a ‘human shield' as it were. This gave him some temporary cover. Introducing a second armed attacker gives the victim only a split second window of opportunity to survive this fight. By rolling and placing S1 between him and S2, the victim not only had some cover, but used a technique called stacking. Stacking is useful in closing the angles when attacked by multiple threats.
At this moment, it looks like the gun S1 and the victim are fighting over discharges. It seems like the victim has partial control and directs the round(s) toward S2. S1 starts to break contact.
Let's pause to notice something interesting about the victim. We don't know what self-defense training the victim has, but we see that during this exchange, the victim has his legs wrapped around S1's hips. Perhaps the victim has some grappling, jujitsu, or some other martial arts training that helped him control S1.
The Will to Survive—
S2 moves to flank the victim to get a clear shot on him. At this moment, S1 gives up and is in full on flight mode, giving the victim complete control of the gun. As S1 tries to break away, the victim uses S1's gun to shoot at S2, who is blindly firing at the victim.
Notice the distance between S2 and the victim is maybe 10, maybe 15 feet. And the victim is shooting one handed at a standing attacker, while laying on his back. Is this how most concealed carriers run through drills on the range? Of course not. And while you may never need to shoot from this position, is it worth understanding the limitations and principles of how to do it?
It appears gunfire struck the victim during the exchange, and the article confirms he suffered wounds to his buttocks and ankle. Although injured, the victim fights, landing what appears to be at least one shot on S2. It's likely S2's decision to flee results from him being shot. How critical is it we remain in the fight and not give up?
Some Final Considerations—
Finally, we know the victim is 46 years old, the same as me. And while not elderly, no spring chicken. The suspects, on the other hand, appear to be teens or young men, perhaps between 16-20 years old. The age of suspects committing violent crimes is trending younger and younger. Don't assume a teen is not a threat. We also should maintain our physical health to the best of our abilities.
As a last consideration, how would the incident change if the victim had access to a concealed carry handgun? Could he access it in the different inside the waistband (IWB) positions? Which ones would provide better access than others in this fight? What about if it were in the victim's bag he appeared to have slung across his body? How does carrying off body help or hinder your response? Have you practiced drawing from unconventional positions?
If you haven't thought about these things and the way you carry your firearm, maybe you should.
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Countless athletes approach their diet with an “I can eat whatever I want to because I workout” attitude and adherence to gymnastics nutrition principles is no different. The biggest problem with this recklessness is it’s nearly impossible to eat right just by chance. The other side of the coin presents the opposite approach, “I must avoid weight gain at all costs.” This reaction to the fear of weight gain totally dismisses the nutritional importance of food and can create a whole host of other physical, psychological and emotional problems. Neither is optimal for becoming your best or your health.
Where body fat composition plays an important role in an athlete’s level of success in most sports, it is critical for gymnasts because of the favorable strength to body weight ratio needed to compete. Maximizing lean body mass while keeping body fat composition to a minimum can be quite a challenge. A scientific plan of attack trumps a “just wing-it” attitude in your pursuit of optimal gymnastics nutrition. I see many Austin gymnastics programs that put the gymnast first and others that put results in front of the young gymnastics student. The following recommendations are a starting point to reaching your peak performance as it relates to nutrition and gymnastics.
Hire a sports nutritionist to optimize your dietary intake for gymnastics.
A sports nutritionist is just as important to your level of success as the coach you hire to train you. Having a dietary plan mapped out for you is recommended in order to meet your specific athletic and health needs. A well-designed, written out individualistic approach will consider your workout schedule: frequency, intensity, length of workout and workout recovery; your “game day” plan; as well as, the gymnastic events in which you compete. These important details will affect the calorie count and composition that your nutritionist with prescribed. Follow it closely. This delicate balance of fueling your body for the anaerobic competition that gymnastics requires, but not to the point of storing body fat, will strongly influence the outcome of your individual performance.
Steer clear of eating disorders that gymnasts can potentially fall into.
Anorexia, bulimia and excessive dieting are serious concerns in young gymnastic athletes. Some estimate that as many as half of all young gymnasts suffer from an eating disorder. If you suspect this is a problem, consult your healthcare provider as soon as possible. Treatment for severe cases may require hospitalization. Nutritional counseling, psychotherapy, antidepressant drugs, as well as other treatments are typically used in less severe cases. Your physician, sports nutritionist and/or sports psychologist will help get matters under control so that you can become the athlete you are training so hard to become.
Minimize or eliminate sugar.
Calories are at a premium, you have to make each one work for you, not against you. Although carbohydrates are needed to fuel the explosive anaerobic needs of any event in gymnastics, they should come from nutrient-dense, real foods such as fruits, vegetables and tubers. Sugar-containing foods lead to energy crashes, a non-hunger satisfying effect, stored calories in fat cells, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, an inflammatory response in your body, and more. None of these consequences are conducive to performing at the highest level possible, let alone good health. So, make each calorie count as usable fuel in the near future, not something you accumulate in fat cells for later use.
Don’t eat processed foods.
With the availability, cost, tastiness and convenience of processed foods leading to greater consumption by kids, the risk of nutrient deficiencies increases. Processed foods are full of unhealthy fats and high fructose corn syrup and are destined to leave you feeling lethargic, sick and fat. They also contain artificial ingredients which have been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, allergies, and more. So, consuming food with a long list of ingredients, more than 5 or 6, on the label is not in your best interest from a health or athletic performance standpoint. Anything less than optimal gymnastics nutrition & dietary intake will create a decrease in athletic performance. So, power your training up with whole, nutrient-dense, real foods, not foods that are made in a lab.
Stay hydrated as a cornerstone of gymnastics nutrition.
Everyone knows that hydration is not only good for your health and staving off hunger pains, but it is also essential for performing your best at practice and in competition because of body temperature regulation. Once you feel the thirst sensation, you are already slightly dehydrated and certain physiological factors will be conceded affecting your performance. Meeting your hydration needs at this point can be a real challenge given you are still working out or in a competition. This is why pre-practice /competition hydration is critical; so you don’t fall behind. As dehydration increases so do the symptoms. At first you may see a slight drop off of performance, then muscle cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke, even death in extreme cases. Staying hydrated is REAL important.
Take supplements if needed.
Follow the directions of a sports nutritionist if it’s recommend that you take supplements. Not only will the nutritionist know your dietary needs, they will also know which supplements are safe for you to take. Additionally, some supplements may be more convenient at certain times than an actual meal so having a greater understanding of what will be most beneficial to you is essential. Ideally, meeting all of your nutritional needs through your diet is best. This is because the nutrition in your food will be more readily absorbed by your body. Nutrients in food act synergistic-ally with one another to complete the beneficiary effects of food and meet the needs of the human body. However, with the additional nutritional requirements of a gymnast, supplements may be added to make up for any nutritional differences.
Eat a post gymnastics workout meal.
Intense workouts diminish muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrates in the muscle, blood and liver) our primary fuel source and create micro-damage to the muscle tissue. Gymnastics nutrition can focus on the rebuilding and repairing of this muscles tissue that we actually get stronger and gain more muscular endurance. Nutrient timing isn’t only important in executing your event to your highest ability, it is extremely important in replenishing glycogen stores, increasing protein production and slowing protein breakdown post-workout to speed recovery and improve muscle efficiency. The quicker we get replenishment to these areas of need, the sooner we “heal” the damaged muscle and slow the muscle breakdown caused by the workout. This will have a positive effect on your performance if you consume a carbohydrate and protein food source 1-2 hours following your intense workout. Light workouts may not need a post-workout meal or drink. A nutritionist will be better able to advise you on this given the intensity of your workouts and the composition of the rest of your diet.
Note: The content in this article should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs as you optimize your gymnastics nutrition plan.
Two unprecedented crises face children around the world
today: abortion and child sex slavery. At home and abroad, the abortion
genocide has reached catastrophic heights.
It has been estimated that no
war in history has cost more human lives than abortion has. It has
become a general convenience and a huge business. Human Trafficking has
boomed within the last generation, as well. A rise in organized crime
and the easy access to information via the internet have sparked a
massive increase in child kidnapping and prostitution.
Christians everywhere have risen to take a stand for justice and
fight the abortion and child sex trafficking industries. But words are
only words, and even changing laws to protect the unborn and outlaw
prostitution will only solve half of the problem. Children, abandoned by
their parents or sold into slavery, must have somewhere to go. They
must have homes to take them in, arms to embrace them, parents to give
them food, clothing, shelter, truth, and love.
Adoption must go hand in hand with any justice movement to free
children from the evil of trafficking and unborn death. Though adopting a
child can be an expensive affair, adoption agencies have begun to
spring up which specialize in lowering the high costs. And it must be
remembered that a child's life is worth any amount.
According to Ephesians One, God has a heart for adoption. Romans
chapter eight, verses fifteen and sixteen confirm this further. Jesus
says simply in John chapter fourteen, verse eighteen that He will not
leave the Church as orphans, but will come. The rest of the Bible, Old
Testament and New, is full of references to God's heart for orphans and
the oppressed. In a way, Jesus was even adopted, as Joseph was not His
natural father. If God chose adoption for His own Son, He will be quick
to bless those who adopt the helpless.
It is essential in these days of great injustice that the Church at
home and around the world is allied and in tune with the heart of God.
Such a great need has arisen for parents to take orphans on as their
very own sons and daughters. Many potential parents may have promised to
pray about it, examine the finances and the housing situation this
year. But now is the time. Abortion survivors and trafficking victims
need homes now. There is no more time to wait. There is nothing more to
consider.
The author is a freelance journalist who writes
regularly on the work of charities for children in the developing world. He also supports child ministry work and children for adoption programs.
Head Coach of Women's Volleyball at Long Beach State
"Regarded as one of the top volleyball minds in the country, Brian Gimmillaro will have administrative oversight of both the beach and indoor volleyball programs at Long Beach State. Honored in 2008 with induction into the AVCA Hall of Fame, Gimmillaro has led his Alma Mater to three NCAA Championships and eight Final Four appearances in women's volleyball, and will help usher in a new era as the leader of an emerging sport in sand volleyball.
Long Beach State has a tremendous tradition of producing fine beach volleyball players that have found great success worldwide.
That list would certainly include Misty May-Treanor, arguably the greatest women's beach volleyball player in the world. May-Treanor is the all-time tournament wins leader in both professional and international competition, and with her partner Kerri Walsh, will be attempting to win a third straight Olympic Gold medal in London in 2012 after reaching the sport's pinnacle at both the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
May-Treanor's journey started at Long Beach State, where as a two-time National Player of the Year, she led the 49ers to the first perfect record in NCAA history on the way to a National Championship in 1998, Gimmillaro's third title.
Many other players have starred in beach volleyball after working under Gimmillaro's tutelage as well. Jenn Snyder and Brittany Hochevar are both among the nation's top money winners in professional beach volleyball. Alicia (Mills) Polzin was a member of Gimmillaro's first NCAA championship team in 1989, and has competed in beach volleyball for over 20 years.
Gimmillaro has been consistently one of the best coaches in the indoor game as well. He ranks 14th in Division I history with 789 career wins, and ranks in the Top 10 among active coaches in both total wins and winning percentage at the Division I level.
Gimmillaro graduated from Long Beach State in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Gimmillaro has two children, a son, Stefan, and daughter, Lauren." Book this course......
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