How to Avoid Bat Drag - How The Best Hitters in Baseball Use Their Hands
In order to swing the bat effectively and produce bat speed you need to learn to torque the handle of the bat. This video explains the hand mechanics which 95% of the best hitters in MLB use.
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Baseball Coaching Digest - The Magic of the 10 Minute Baseball Drill
Baseball Coaching Digest - The Magic of the 10 Minute Baseball Drill
By guest author: Nick Dixon
One of the main reasons some kids refuse to play baseball is that baseball practice is too boring. One thing that makes it so boring is that many coaches run certain drills too long and do not break their practices into short times periods.
This article discusses the "magic of the 10 Minute Baseball Drill" and why many coaches use short time periods and drill variety to minimize boredom during baseball practice.
Why the 10 Minute Baseball Drill is Needed?
Baseball coaches and players are notorious for having short attention spans.
I have learned that I must keep our baseball drills short for two reasons. The first reason is that some of my players have short attention spans and after 10 or 15 minutes they lose interest and become bored. The second reason is that I have a short attention span and I too get bored with a drill that runs on and on without a break or change in activity.
What makes a 10 Minute Drill in Baseball a perfect drill?
I feel that three things make the 10 Minutes the perfect amount of time for a baseball drill:
1. The drill can be performed with total concentration. The kids have no trouble staying on task or focused for 10 minutes. The retention of mental skills also increases when the drill is interesting and action driven.
2. The short drill emphasizes quality not quantity. Our kids know and value the worth of a rep well done. They know when a drill has run too long. They know when a drill's value begins to diminish. They know that I would rather that they practice a skill for 10 minutes with a high level of performance quality and a true sense of urgency for rep success.
3. Total focus - Kids are more motivated to hustle, concentrate and perform a task when they know that the task will be limited to 10 minutes if the effort is adequate and the performance level is acceptable.
4. High Level of Excitement - Players of all ages can get excited about any drill or task if it is presented correctly. Coaches should show a high level of interest and excitement. A strong emphasis on why a drill is done will add to players understanding and raise their interest level.
The 4 Keys to running an effective 10 Minute Baseball drill:
1. Organization is vital to the success of the drill. It is a must to have a written practice schedule with time slots designated and allocated for each drill to be done that day. Each coach on the staff should have a copy of that schedule.
2. Player instruction in the details of the drill is important. The first time that you do it, you may have to spend a considerable amount of time explaining, demonstrating, and setting the drill up. After the first time, the players should get more and more efficient and comfortable with the drill and be able to get a lot of reps in the allotted 10 minutes.
3. Equipment must be ready to go. There can be no time used to set-up equipment or move machines, nets, and such. It is recommended that all needed equipment be prepared and arranged before practice or by other staff while the previous drill is being done elsewhere.
4. Get in a Routine - It is a good thing to establish a regular practice routine that you follow each day. You should always start with s stretch and warm-up period that is routine. Then everyday you should follow the same basic scrip as to the subject and direction of your practice. For example, you may wish to start with 2 offensive drills, and then do 2 defensive drills and alternate then until you have covered everything you have in the practice plan for that day.
At our daily practice, after warm-ups and stretches, the first thing that is done is a catchers/infielders drill that allows catchers to throw to the bases and infielders to practice catching and tags. Then we normally go into PFPs or Practice Fielding Practice. My point here is that we follow a routine that the kids know. They start each drill on their own and flow from drill to drill without wasting time.
We normally end our practice every day with one of about 4 bunting drills we use. That drill is intense and it is 10 minutes like all of our other drills.
In closing, let me make one point absolutely clear. I will deviate from the 10 minute drill schedule if the drill is sloppy or poorly done. If I have to, I will restart the clock, and make the team start the drill over. If I have to run a drill twice to get the level of performance that I expect, I will. The number focus in every drill is quality. That quality includes performing every rep at an acceptable level or standard. My kids know that I do and will start a drill, or even a practice over, if things are done poorly, sloppy, and without the right focus or energy level.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. You may find many other articles like it at Baseball Coaching Digest and the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Thanks for reading my articles. Have a great day, Nick.
The Baseball2u.com Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
=======================
Thanks to our sponsor:
www.BatAction.com
---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here
By guest author: Nick Dixon
One of the main reasons some kids refuse to play baseball is that baseball practice is too boring. One thing that makes it so boring is that many coaches run certain drills too long and do not break their practices into short times periods.
This article discusses the "magic of the 10 Minute Baseball Drill" and why many coaches use short time periods and drill variety to minimize boredom during baseball practice.
Why the 10 Minute Baseball Drill is Needed?
Baseball coaches and players are notorious for having short attention spans.
I have learned that I must keep our baseball drills short for two reasons. The first reason is that some of my players have short attention spans and after 10 or 15 minutes they lose interest and become bored. The second reason is that I have a short attention span and I too get bored with a drill that runs on and on without a break or change in activity.
What makes a 10 Minute Drill in Baseball a perfect drill?
I feel that three things make the 10 Minutes the perfect amount of time for a baseball drill:
1. The drill can be performed with total concentration. The kids have no trouble staying on task or focused for 10 minutes. The retention of mental skills also increases when the drill is interesting and action driven.
2. The short drill emphasizes quality not quantity. Our kids know and value the worth of a rep well done. They know when a drill has run too long. They know when a drill's value begins to diminish. They know that I would rather that they practice a skill for 10 minutes with a high level of performance quality and a true sense of urgency for rep success.
3. Total focus - Kids are more motivated to hustle, concentrate and perform a task when they know that the task will be limited to 10 minutes if the effort is adequate and the performance level is acceptable.
4. High Level of Excitement - Players of all ages can get excited about any drill or task if it is presented correctly. Coaches should show a high level of interest and excitement. A strong emphasis on why a drill is done will add to players understanding and raise their interest level.
The 4 Keys to running an effective 10 Minute Baseball drill:
1. Organization is vital to the success of the drill. It is a must to have a written practice schedule with time slots designated and allocated for each drill to be done that day. Each coach on the staff should have a copy of that schedule.
2. Player instruction in the details of the drill is important. The first time that you do it, you may have to spend a considerable amount of time explaining, demonstrating, and setting the drill up. After the first time, the players should get more and more efficient and comfortable with the drill and be able to get a lot of reps in the allotted 10 minutes.
3. Equipment must be ready to go. There can be no time used to set-up equipment or move machines, nets, and such. It is recommended that all needed equipment be prepared and arranged before practice or by other staff while the previous drill is being done elsewhere.
4. Get in a Routine - It is a good thing to establish a regular practice routine that you follow each day. You should always start with s stretch and warm-up period that is routine. Then everyday you should follow the same basic scrip as to the subject and direction of your practice. For example, you may wish to start with 2 offensive drills, and then do 2 defensive drills and alternate then until you have covered everything you have in the practice plan for that day.
At our daily practice, after warm-ups and stretches, the first thing that is done is a catchers/infielders drill that allows catchers to throw to the bases and infielders to practice catching and tags. Then we normally go into PFPs or Practice Fielding Practice. My point here is that we follow a routine that the kids know. They start each drill on their own and flow from drill to drill without wasting time.
We normally end our practice every day with one of about 4 bunting drills we use. That drill is intense and it is 10 minutes like all of our other drills.
In closing, let me make one point absolutely clear. I will deviate from the 10 minute drill schedule if the drill is sloppy or poorly done. If I have to, I will restart the clock, and make the team start the drill over. If I have to run a drill twice to get the level of performance that I expect, I will. The number focus in every drill is quality. That quality includes performing every rep at an acceptable level or standard. My kids know that I do and will start a drill, or even a practice over, if things are done poorly, sloppy, and without the right focus or energy level.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and helpful. You may find many other articles like it at Baseball Coaching Digest and the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog. Thanks for reading my articles. Have a great day, Nick.
The Baseball2u.com Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
=======================
Thanks to our sponsor:
www.BatAction.com
---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Baseball Coaching Digest - Why Baseball Players Are the Most Accountable Athletes in Sports
Baseball Coaching Digest - Why Baseball Players Are the Most Accountable Athletes in Sports
By guest author: Nick Dixon
Baseball players are held to a higher level of accountability than any other athletes in the world. If you compare baseball, football and basketball to see which sport holds the player athlete more responsible for mistakes and errors, you will find that baseball holds players to a higher level of accountability. This article explains my perspective on why baseball players are the most accountable athletes in sports.
I am absolutely sure that baseball players are held at a higher level of accountability than other sports athletes. Why do I feel this way? Have you ever been to a football game and seen a player miss a tackle or block that cost his team dearly? Did the official score "flash" error on the football scoreboard? The answer is no. Have you ever watched a basketball player miss a wild open layup that hurt his team? Did the score keeper or score operator flash "error" on the scoreboard? The answer is no.
On the other hand, as baseball player can bobble a hard hit ground ball and the whole world will soon be notified and an official documentation of the mistake will be made in the scorebook. The scorekeeper will write a big "E" in the scorebook that makes the error officially known. Then the scoreboard operator will also turn on the "error" light on the scoreboard to let every player and spectator in the park know that an error was made.
That is the reason I feel that baseball players are the most accountable athletes in sports.
Maybe other sports consider adding an "Error" light on their scoreboard or writing a big "E" in their scorebook when a player makes a mistake. Then maybe the next time a player fails to execute on a football field or basketball court, they will know what it's like to be held publicly accountable and responsible like a baseball player.
I hope that you enjoyed this article. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Visit the Baseball coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, Little League Digest and Baseball Parent Guide for more baseball articles. Good luck to you and your team, Nick.
The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
=====================
Thanks to our sponsors:
www.BatAction.com
---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here
By guest author: Nick Dixon
Baseball players are held to a higher level of accountability than any other athletes in the world. If you compare baseball, football and basketball to see which sport holds the player athlete more responsible for mistakes and errors, you will find that baseball holds players to a higher level of accountability. This article explains my perspective on why baseball players are the most accountable athletes in sports.
I am absolutely sure that baseball players are held at a higher level of accountability than other sports athletes. Why do I feel this way? Have you ever been to a football game and seen a player miss a tackle or block that cost his team dearly? Did the official score "flash" error on the football scoreboard? The answer is no. Have you ever watched a basketball player miss a wild open layup that hurt his team? Did the score keeper or score operator flash "error" on the scoreboard? The answer is no.
On the other hand, as baseball player can bobble a hard hit ground ball and the whole world will soon be notified and an official documentation of the mistake will be made in the scorebook. The scorekeeper will write a big "E" in the scorebook that makes the error officially known. Then the scoreboard operator will also turn on the "error" light on the scoreboard to let every player and spectator in the park know that an error was made.
That is the reason I feel that baseball players are the most accountable athletes in sports.
Maybe other sports consider adding an "Error" light on their scoreboard or writing a big "E" in their scorebook when a player makes a mistake. Then maybe the next time a player fails to execute on a football field or basketball court, they will know what it's like to be held publicly accountable and responsible like a baseball player.
I hope that you enjoyed this article. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Visit the Baseball coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, Little League Digest and Baseball Parent Guide for more baseball articles. Good luck to you and your team, Nick.
The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon
=====================
Thanks to our sponsors:
www.BatAction.com
---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here
Monday, September 5, 2011
Baseball Defense Coaching Tips and Strategy
Arizona State Head Coach Pat Murphy On Defense
Hotsed By Jeff Forner
BaseballPlayerUniversity.com
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Friday, September 2, 2011
Major League Baseball Must Expand Its Use of Instant Replay Now!
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Major League Baseball Must Expand Its Use of Instant Replay Now!
By Guest Author Mickey Morgan
Major League Baseball (MLB) Umpires Are Ruining the Game
I'm tired of watching umpires taking over and ruining the beautiful game of baseball. Every umpire has his own strike zone and it is disgusting the way some pitches that are called strikes are clearly out of the strike zone. I admire the players for their restraint because it has to be so frustrating to have an "at bat" taken away or at least altered by today's umpire's version of the strike zone.
Opponents of instant replay say that it will ruin the integrity of the game. I say the umpires have already done that. They say it will lengthen the game time, I say it will it shorten it. They say it will take the "human element" out of the game and I say it will improve the human element by eliminating mistakes.
Currently baseball has agreed to use instant replay to review questionable home runs. However, the way they implemented it was all wrong. Why make the umpires walk into some room under the stadium to view tape? In a recent (8-16-11) game between the Yankees and Kansas City Royals there was a disputed home call. It took five minutes to review the play and in the end they still made the wrong call.
It wasn't replays fault that it took umpires five minutes to make a call (right or wrong), it's the way the process has been implemented. What is the sense of having three umpires walk from the field into a viewing room under the stadium, when a fifth umpire in a replay booth could have made the correct call in a matter of seconds.
I've read some opponents articles where they suggest that it could take 15 minutes to review a play. That is ridiculous. Again for you fans that watch baseball on TV, we see the replay, many times from several different angles in a matter of seconds.
This Didn't Just Start...Remember This One?
Jeffrey Maier was involved in an incident in which he deflected a batted ball hit by Derek Jeter in-play into the stands during Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles. His action altered the course of Game 1, as the resulting home run allowed the Yankees to tie the score. They would go on to win the game and the series, four games to one.
What is the Strike Zone?
There actually is a definition of a strike zone in the rule book; however it certainly isn't being enforced. I love the technology (e.g. ESPN's K-Zone) that television provides us showing where a pitch is in relation to the actual strike zone. One of the arguments opponents of instant replay have is that it will make the game longer. What happens today when an umpire calls a pitch that is out of the strike zone a strike; the batter backs away, adjusts his gloves, stares at the ump and finally gets back into the batter's box. How long does that take; multiplied by how many times a game this happens. Also, the use of the technology would eliminate the possibility of players and managers from being thrown out of games for arguing strike calls.
A Typical Example
Based on a true situation, K-Zone shows the pitch as a strike, but not to the umpire on this night. He calls it a ball, ball 4. The batter takes first, loads the bases. The next batter hits a blooper into left for a walk-off single. Instead of strike three the batter is given a free pass based on an arbitrary strike zone keeping the inning alive and giving the home team one more chance for victory. There are probably thousands of situations like this during the baseball season. The next night or for that matter the next batter that same umpire could call that pitch a strike.
MLB needs to incorporate replay reviews in other areas of the game where missed calls frequently arise.
Fixing baseball umpiring requires a two prong approach: (1) significantly expand the use of technology and, (2) completely redefine umpire's roles and responsibilities.
The technology has existed for 10 years. Why won't MLB use applications like ESPN's K-Zone to show the exact trajectory of the ball across, around, or outside the strike zone? The best solution here would be to have something like Pitchf/x automatically call every ball and strike. He can communicate electronically with the first, second and third base umpires to overturn a close call when that umpire misjudges a bang-bang play. If a call is simply too close to call on replay, then the on-field call will stand.
Technology will make the game better and end the bickering between players/managers and umpires. Players and fans want it and I would bet that even most of the umpires want it. They don't want to make a blunder that will hang over their heads forever.
I love baseball. But I'm fed up with the inaction. Fans deserve to have their sports judged fairly. Time moves on, baseball needs to finally move with it. Given the battle ahead for expanded replay of any kind, I don't see that day coming any time soon.
Mr. Morgan is the owner of the Blog http://sportsfantalking.com and the ecommerce website http://grandslamsports360.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mickey_Morgan
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6506125
================
Thanks to Our Sponsor – Baseball2u.com
BatAction Youth Hitting Machine
BatAction 360
SKLZ Lightning Bolt Pitching Machine
SKLZ Light Bolt PRO Pitching Machine
Joe Mauer PX4 QuickSwing Baseball Trainer
Advanced Skills Tee by Muhl Tech
SKLZ 5 Position Batting Tee
ZipnHit Pro Baseball Swing Trainer
Jugs Small Ball Pitching Machine
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