Showing posts with label Baseball player baseball coach NCAA Baseball 2021 Baseball recruiting High School Baseball MLB Baseball draft prospect. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baseball player baseball coach NCAA Baseball 2021 Baseball recruiting High School Baseball MLB Baseball draft prospect. Show all posts
Boston Red Sox players David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogaerts and Steven Wright show us how they raised their games to an All-Star level and how young players can improve aspects of their game. Book this course.....
Boston Red Sox players provide instructionals on NESN Clubhouse, NESN’s commercial-free pre-game show for kids, which airs live on Sundays, 90 minutes before the network’s traditional pregame coverage. The show -- which also features player interviews and segments on science, fitness and much more -- includes a studio audience comprised of Little League baseball players and girls softball teams from throughout New England. For more, visit https://shrsl.com/3b9y9
Catching is one of the most physically taxing positions in baseball. Spending 9 innings in a squat can be tiring, but it is also incredibly important. You must always be posed, aware of your surroundings and ready to jump into action every pitch. In this article I will talk about 5 drills that take a total of about 20 minutes that you should practice every day that will help you develop habits of extremely good catchers.
#1 Slide and Block
Every passed ball or wild pitch leads to a free base for the opposing team. As a catcher, the number one responsibility you have is to keep the ball in front of you. The slide and block drill can be done with a fellow catcher or coach every day and takes just a few minutes.
The drill is simple in that as the catcher, set up in your receiving position and have another person throw a ball in the dirt and to one of your sides. Use your body and slide to get in front of the ball and play it off your chest protector. Remember; always keep the ball in front of you.
Some keys to focus on in this drill:
Start in a good receiving position. Keep your posture solid so that the feel becomes natural in a game.
Don’t reach or stab at the ball with your glove. You’ll miss more than you catch
Slide on your leg protectors to the ball and get as much of your body in front of the ball as possible.
Fielding your position as a catcher is more than just catching pitches and throwing out would be base stealers. One of the hardest plays to make in baseball is when a catcher has to get their crouch, field a dribbler in front of the plate and make a throw to a base.
This drill can be done as part of team infield drills. As always, start the drill in a good catching position. Have a coach or teammate toss a ball out in front of the plate. You should jump out of your crouch, field the ball cleanly with you’re throwing hand and make a quick, accurate throw to each base.
For 1st and 3rd base, practice making throws on both the inside and outside of the bag, verbally letting your teammate know which side of the bag you are throwing on.
This is a skill that takes practice. You come across this situation most often in bunts which means 1 of 2 things:
It is a sacrifice situation in which the other team is giving you an out. Take it! Take your time, field the ball and make a good throw and take the free out.
It’s a bunt for hit in which the runner is fast. You need to be quick here and make a good, strong, accurate throw.
#3 Popups Behind Home Plate
Fielding a popup behind home plate may be the hardest pop up to catch in the infield. There are so many variables to account for: get rid of the mask, locate the ball, locate the dugout or wall, read the ball flight correctly. This play may only happen once every few games, but it could end up being a big out.
As usual, begin the drill in your normal catching position. I encourage you to practice this drill with your mask on, so that you mimic what you will have to do in a game. Have someone else stand behind you and throw the ball high in the air, straight up. They should also yell ‘Up’ or something to let you know they have thrown the ball.
Once the ball is in the air, the first thing you should do is remove your mask, keep it in your hand and try to locate the ball. I encourage you to keep the mask in your hand until you locate the ball so that you don’t drop it somewhere you need to run and trip over it. Once you locate the ball and determine its flight path, throw the mask out of your way and get in the best position to field the ball. Use two hands to catch and secure the ball as catching popups with a catcher’s mitt is difficult.
Now, the biggest thing to practice here is learning how popups straight in the air fly. This just takes practice and repetition. The more you practice, the more confident you will be in determining the ball flight.
#4 Glove To Hand Transfer
The glove to hand transfer is the most important part of the process in throwing out a base stealer. This is commonly referred to as the pop time. Obviously having a strong and accurate arm is important, but being able to quickly and successfully transfer the ball from your glove to your hand can shave off tenths of a second that is the difference between and out and a stolen base.
As with every drill, begin in your standard crouch position. Have another person throw a ball to your glove; they can only be 10 to 15 feet away. Receive the ball, and move into your throwing position, transferring the ball to your hand. The purpose of this drill is to become quicker at this motion. Catching the ball, moving it to your hand and getting in a throwing position.
Note, if you are limited in space, you don’t have to throw all the way down to second, you can just stop once you get in a throwing position. In this drill we are concerned about the transfer to your hand and getting in the right throwing position.
#5 Pitch Framing
Pitch framing is a practice that’s been around as long as baseball, but it has only recently moved more into the spotlight. As advanced analytics are growing, more people are trying to quantify things that were previously unable to quantify, such as runs saved through pitch framing.
They key to pitch framing is to not make it overly obvious. AJ Pierzynski gets an A for effort here but obviously this would never be called a strike. The art of pitch framing is taking a pitch that is near your glove and holding it right around the corner of the plate to show the umpire that your pitcher not only threw it exactly where he intended it to, but also it is right on the corner.
Here’s a terrific example from Jonathan Lucroy. As you can see, this pitch is close to the plate but hits Lucroy’s mitt exactly. He ever so slightly pulls his mitt right on the corner and gets the strike call. Sometimes the catcher may get this strike call anyway, but Lucroy made sure the umpire knew this pitch was a strike.
This final drill is as simple as the previous four, simply have someone throw to you and work on holding your glove strong once you catch the ball. Don’t stab at the ball, or catch it in a sweeping motion as these make the ball harder to see for the umpire. Set up a good target, catch the ball and hold it there to the umpire can see that it was a strike.
Conclusion
Catching is the most taxing defensive position on the field. It’s not easy to be a catcher and it takes a lot of practice and will to be good defensively. The 5 drills I have described here should take about 15 minutes every day but you will see results in no time. For additional information about catching, check out this free course from CoachTube.com:
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DJ is the Owner and Director of Push Performance. He played college baseball at Metro State University and has his Performance Enhancement Specialist and the United States Weight Lifting Certification.
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He has developed the Elite Baseball Program and has had 11 Colorado baseball players drafted including three in the top three rounds. DJ also works with a handful of professional baseball athletes out of state in the Push Performance Satellite Program.
He has worked with over 100 baseball players at all levels in this program. DJ has also worked with multiple NFL and college football athletes. DJ not only works with high-level athletes but also with active adults and the general fitness population. Book this course today!
The old saying that “defense wins championships” doesn’t just apply to the gridiron. Last year, the Houston Astros led the MLB in Defensive Wins Above Replacement. Not surprisingly, they made it all the way to the World Series. Your team isn’t playing in front of thousands, but the games are still important. In big games, every play counts, and your infielders have to be able to field their position. Defensive excellence starts in practice, and here are 5 tips to get your infield ready for the big game.
1: Game Speed Matters
If you practice with low energy, you’ll play with low energy. As a coach, the level of intensity starts with you. Are we saying that you need to scream when your second baseman boots a two-hopper? Of course not, but fielding routine ground balls every day never helped anyone. Add a little “umph” on those grounders and give your fielders a challenge. What’s the most important fielding drill you can practice with your players? Making them play each practice ground ball like a game ground ball.
2: Work The Backhand
It’s simple: the ability to field a ball backhanded allows a player to quickly get to more balls. Keep an eye on how many balls your infield boots next practice. I’d bet that most of them were hit to the backhand. If you don’t practice it, your players will never make the backhanded play. It takes flexibility and a weight-shift that’s unique in the game. When your shortstop can go to his right, backhand a ball, and make the throw, that’s when you know your infield is clicking.
3: Short hops, Shorthops, Short hops
When we think of short hops, usually we envision working with the first baseman. However, fielding short hops takes soft hands - a trait that we want every one of our infielders to have- and occurs much more than just on throws to first.
Pair the kids off and make them throw short hops to each other. Next time your second baseman picks one up and lays down a tag to get the runner, you’ll thank us.
4: Bunt Drills
We know… bunt drills are tedious.
As a second baseman, I hated bunt drills. I’d jog to first, stand over there to field the throws, or even make a back-up do it. But, a bunt can change the dynamic of a game. They usually take place in close games, and if your team isn’t ready to defend the bunt, you can turn a free out into a two base error. Bunt drills need to be practiced every single day. Your second baseman might be upset with you, but at least he’ll be in really great shape.
5: Like a Big Leaguer
Your team can do all the drills, learn all of the fundamentals, and have a perfect “ready” stance, but if they’re not comfortable in the field, they’re going to make errors. My favorite drill of all time is the “Big Leaguer.” Basically, your team fields balls and makes the throw to first while trying to look as good as possible. Maybe it’s a little dance before they get in the ready position or maybe they sidearm a throw to first Let your guys show off a little bit, and have a little swagger; it will get them more comfortable when they’re on the diamond. They’ll know when to “turn it on” for game time.
6: Long and Short
Many games are decided by the 50/50 balls- the grounder in the hole to the shortstop or the swinging bunt that the third baseman has to field barehanded. In this drill, you prepare your team to make those 50/50 balls.
First, hit a ball deep in the hole and let your infielders work on their lateral movement. After they make the throw to first, have them charge another softly-hit ball and make another throw to first. You’ll see some coaches have their kids make one of the throws to home plate, but it’s really just preference.
7: Rolling Two
Turning a double play can completely change the course of an inning and even change the outcome of the game. When you need your middle infielders to work their magic, make sure that you’ve prepared them for it.
I’d suggest that you practice turning double plays during every infield practice, hitting grounders to each of your infielders and letting your second baseman and shortstop make the turn. Keep an eye out on your middle infielder’s feet- make sure they’re hitting the bag and getting out of the way of the incoming runner.
8: Covering First
This one is for your pitchers and your first baseman. Let your pitchers go through their motions, and respond by hitting a ground ball to first. The first baseman fields the ball and tosses the ball to the pitcher who is covering first for the out. Some key things to remember here:
●You want your pitcher to run parallel to the first baseline, not directly to the bag.
●You also want to train your pitcher to hit the inside of the first base bag, to keep them safe from injuries.
●Let’s be honest, your first baseman might not be the most graceful player on the field. Don’t train him to try to make the perfect, soft toss to your pitcher. Train your first baseman to get the pitcher the ball and then allow him to run to the base.
How do you make your infielders better? You practice like you play, you work on the fundamentals, you prepare for every play, and you help them stay comfortable on the field. The momentum starts with you, coach.
During your next practice, implement some of these strategies: liven up the practice with some hard-hit balls, get back to basics, and let the kids have fun- even when they’re taking ground balls. When sound fundamentals meet preparation and confidence, success will always follow.
So get out there, and help make the next Ozzie Smith great!
During his 20-year career in major league baseball, hall-of-famer Tony Gwynn won eight batting titles, seven Silver Slugger awards and was a fifteen time All-Star. His lifetime batting average of .338 ranks him as one of the greatest hitters in history, and his five Gold Gloves prove that he was as productive on the field as he was at the plate. As head coach at San Diego State, Gwynn led the Aztecs to a regular season title and was named 2004 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year.
Now, Sportskool offers all of Tony Gwynn's collected wisdom in this Baseball course. Join Tony and his award-winning coaching staff as they break the game down to its fundamentals, so you can build your game from the ground up.
Whether you're just getting started or ready to take your game to the next level, look no further than Baseball Fundamentals with Tony Gwynn. Book this course.....
Look at Tony Gwynn's 1997 season, his 17th in the majors, for proof of the legend's longevity and dominance. Then 37 years old, Gwynn put together career highs in hits, doubles, home runs, and RBI for the arguably best season of his career. Arguably. He only hit .372 that season. And Gwynn did bat .394 in a strike-shortened 1994 season, flirting with the first .400 season since Ted Williams hit .406 in 1941. So analyzing one season of the San Diego Padre is foolish. Gwynn's one of the few athletes to never have an off year. Never. Nothing even close. His string of dominance is almost unparalleled in baseball or any sport. That's why Gwynn's largely considered one of the greatest hitters of all-time, perhaps even the greatest living one. Analyzing Gwynn's batting exploits groups him with names like Cobb, Williams, Rogers Hornsby, Tris Speaker and other icons from more than a century ago.
Born May 9, 1960 in Los Angeles, California Retired following 2001 season with a total of 3,141 hits and a career batting average of .338 (both 17th all-time) Batting titles in 1984, 1987-89 and 1994-97 No. 19 jersey retired by the Padres After batting .289 in limited action in 1982, Gwynn hit .300 for 19 consecutive seasons, surpassing Wagner's National League record set from 1897-1913 Hit .350 or better from 1993-1997, becoming only the fourth player in history to top the .350 mark in five consecutive seasons (Cobb, Hornsby and Al Simmons) .394 average in 1994 was the highest average in the National League since 1930 Struck out only 434 times in 10,232 plate appearances over 20 seasons Five Gold Glove Awards. Only two players achieved 3,000 hits in fewer games than Gwynn; five needed fewer at bats 15-time National League All-Star selection. Book this course.....
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Mexican Culture Weight Loss
Today I get to share an inspiring mexican culture weight loss success story. Janeth wanted to be an example in her culture that getting healthy and fit was possible. I could not be more proud of her for her hard work and dedication throughout this process. When you set your mind to something, anything is possible. She is living proof of that.
Starting Body Fat %- 30.85 , Ending Body Fat %- 17.01
Starting Stomach- 32 1/2″ , Ending Stomach- 28.5″
Starting Hips- 42″ , Ending Hips- 39.5″
She Dropped- 24 lbs, 6.5″ and 13.84 % Body Fat
Latina-Fat-Loss
Janeth’s Story
Hola, my name is Janeth Montoya I’m 35 yrs old and married to Abiel Montoya who’s also in this weight loss transformation with Micah LaCerte at Hitch Fit. We have 5 kiddos (18,16,11,9,7 yrs old) My husband joined Hitch Fit in Oct 2020. A month in and he insisted that I join and go through the process with him. I joined on Nov 2020. This has been the best decision we have ever made to better our health and be able to see our kids grow old and be part of our Grandchildren and Great-grandchildren lives, yes I plan to be that old and alive lol.
Lose Belly Fat
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I feel attractive once again after going though that mommy hood and ignoring my looks in making sure my kids had everything they needed and wanted. I’m loving the new me, my husband is really really loving the new me lol!!
I have not been this weight since since I was 16 years old and had my first kiddo who now is turning 19 in Aug 2021. I went from size 8 to size 2. It feels great to be able to get up and not feel exhausted and tired.
Latina-Weight-Loss
In the Mexican Culture we eat a lot of flower based foods. Confession: this was the hardest part of the entire transformation. We eat everything with tortillas and bread. It’s been supper hard when our family gets together every weekend (it feels like everyday) and eats not so healthy. I wasn’t just trying to keep my self from eating with them but also my husband.. Mexican food is his weakness!! I really believe that he (my husband) is my biggest challenge but we worked together to make it work.
Fit Mom Weight Loss
Mexican-Female-Fat-Loss
A huge shout out to Micah that was there for us and was able to keep our minds active and positive through our entire Journey! He listened to all of our good and bad thoughts lol love his positive attitude!! Love Hitch Fit’s purpose and mission! It is really to help as many people as possible live a healthier life.
“Come on people life is to short and soo beautiful. We can make the best of it while we are still able to make a difference for ourselves. So get up and contact Hitch Fit now!!!”
Jaw Dropping Fit at 49 Transformation. When Tiffany began her journey at Hitch Fit, she was ready for change. She is the busy business owner of Salon Halo in Kansas City. She was spending so much time on her business, and realized she wasn’t taking care of herself! She knew it was time to take charge of her eating and exercise habits in order to get her health back on track, and to feel strong and confident as she nears the fabulous age of 50!
Tiffany shed over 20% body fat and nearly 30 pounds on the scale with the help of Hitch Fit owner Diana Chaloux – LaCerte. This mom and busy business owner is an inspiration! Showing what is possible when you set your mind to your goals, and are willing to take the action to get them.
Tiffany’s Before and After Weight Loss Stats:
Starting weight: 156
Ending weight: 128
Starting body fat: 38.94%
Ending body fat: 18.47%
Tiffany’s Jaw Dropping Fit at 49 Transformation Photos:
The Braves have started out the NLCS with two straight walk-offs! Watch how they pulled it off on this edition of Curtain Calls pres. by @DIRECTV . Stay on top of all of the Championship Series action with the MLB app!
Do you want to hit more line drive shots?
Do you want to drive more balls out of the park?
Do you want to throw the ball with more power?
Do you want tougher hands, wrists and forearms so you can play harder than ever before
My name is Jedd Johnson and I have spent the last several months putting together the most TOP SECRET Baseball Strength Training Resource in the world: Ultimate Forearm Training for Baseball.
This is the manual you NEED to pick up before everybody else does so you can start putting this information into practice and start dominating today.Hitting
The hands hold and control the bat. While the legs generate power and the core initiates movement, the hands are what actually takes the bat to where it is supposed to go and what transfer all the leg and core power through the bat and into the ball.
Pitching
Pitching involves transferring the power generated by the legs and core throughout the wind-up into the ball by snapping the wrist like the end of a bull whip. Pitching also involves the ability to angle the wrist through varying degrees of rotation and deviation for pitches such as curveballs, sliders, sinkers, and screwballs.
Catching
Catchers themselves have to play about 1/2 of the game with their mitt held wide open for the pitcher to use as a target. How worn out is your forearm at the end of a game? Preparing the forearms for catching requires a completely different approach, shown in this manual.
Tagging
How many times have we experienced or seen on TV a player applying a tag only to see the ball pop out at the last second and no out is recorded? What if you don't have time to cover up the glove with your off hand? This movement pattern is called pinching and requires specific strategies to train, and the equipment you need is already in your weight room or garage.
Diving
How many times have we seen outfielders dive for a ball only to roll their wrist underneath them and miss half the season or more? With correct lower arm strengthening protocols, we can strengthen everything from the elbow down in order to make it more resilient against injury and allow us to bounce back quicker if we do experience an injury of this kind.
Sliding
When you slide there is always a chance for us to bend a wrist too far back, jam a finger on a bag or shoe, or get stepped on by a cleat. We have to do everything we can to make our hands bullet proof, Keep reading and get started today!
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Red Sox Player Instructionals
