Baseball Drills

Baseball-Coaching the Youth of Tomorrow

2009-12-18T13:09:00.001-08:00

Coaching our youth is a delicate practice that needs to be made with the children self-esteem is at the heart of teaching. Want to win these days, parents and coaches alike so bad, they represent unnecessary stress on children that can have a negative effect.

We criticize about when we talk to them instead of building their confidence. I once heard a parent his child screaming from the stands: "If you do not get a hit, you do not eat dinner tonight!" Needless to say, Iwent up and talked to the parents about this approach. Some people might think this is harmless, and it may have been said in a joking fashion. But do you think of the child on the field, which is played mainly the parents and friends when he hears of this walk is up to the plate. Talk about stress and feelings of rejection and humiliation, if not get through this child.

Remember, we are building more than just playing ball here. We are going to people who are going to go in theWorld one day. We build character, pride, self-confidence. We do this by encouraging and nurturing attitude. Not by pointing out errors and humiliation. To learn more about them, visit http://www.pro- Baseball - Drill-and-equipment.com.

But how do we get it better if it can not suffer a little criticism play? While she encourages. If your child misses a swing and should be the first words out of his mouth, "Nice swing! Just missedkeep trying and you'll get a hit! "This encourages your child to keep trying. Not only that your child will try to be excited over. This encourages self-confidence.

Is your child strikes out 4 times in the game. Put an arm around him after the game and tell him he swung the bat really well and he gets when the next time and tell him how proud they are trying from him.

Remember these simple tips:

1 - Encourage them through positive reinforcement.

2 - they maintain, ifTimes are hard.

His 3 - for them there when they need your help.

4 - and love them unconditionally.

Remember, your children through encouragement. I can not say enough. They will believe what they hear when you are encouraging them all the time, they will feel good about themselves. Not just in baseball but in other things.

And remember, be patient. They are still learning, so you must give them time to succeed. Just keep loving them and they maintainand the rest will fall in place.

Bill Baden-former Major League baseball player who in 1989 World Series won. Former teachers include call Eddie Matthews, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Dusty Baker a few. Visit his website at http://www.pro- Baseball - Drill-and-equipment.com to drill, provides information and useful tips. Also online digital video analysis, equipment, posters and much more. In addition, stories and pictures on theJourney to the big leagues.

Jackie Robinson-A Civil Rights Hero

2009-12-15T23:09:00.001-08:00

Jackie Robinson transcended the color barrier in Major League Baseball and became a hero for mankind. He was a symbol for civil rights and helped pave the way for other ball players. A true inspiration to us all. An example of bravery and courage. Baseball was simply a vehicle for Jackie Robinson to bring light to the problems of racism at a time when racism was high.

Jackie Robinson became the first African American to play in the big leagues in 1947. He was a leaderand knew the hardships that would follow. He showed extreme courage and it took a man's size by Jackie for all the problems that follow treatment. He was so important to citizens' rights and helped to follow the path for others. In addition, a market leader, whose number 42 will never be worn again in a major league park.

After Jackie Robinson debut with the Brookly Dodgers in 1947, one of the largest civil rights were moments in our history. It was made possible by BranchRickey, that the club served as president and general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. It was wonderful that Jackie his chance in Major League Baseball has to play, and it was a tragedy that the fiber of America during this time was so full of racism.

There is a man of Jackie's temperament and the courage to help change the ugly face of racism in America made. Mr. Robinson was a man of a fiery temperament, was asked to remain quiet during the first two years and handle thePressure. I do not think anyone else could have handled the pressure. And because he was standing up courage and bravery and the willingness to have reduced barriers and continue to do so.

It is for these reasons that Jackie Robinson should be so honored. His jersey number will never be worn again. He is an example for others to follow, and in his words, he declared: "I'm not with your wishes or dislike me ... all I ask concerned that they respect me as a personwill. "

Jackie Robinson will always be a true hero of civil rights, just happened to play baseball.

Bill Baden - Former Major League ballplayer of the 1989 World Series won. Were called coached by Eddie Matthews, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Dusty Baker a few. Find out more by http://www.pro- Baseball - Drill-and-equipment.com which tips, advice, training, equipment and video analysis of your swing is available.Also, inspirational stories and photos from the trip to the big leagues.

Free Girls Softball Fastpitch Drills

2009-12-15T02:09:00.001-08:00

Any softball coach or player who wants to learn more softball exercises that can easily be a lot of training in books and videos and the Internet. Most of these courses cost money, but some of them are free. These free Girls Fastpitch Softball exercises are very good. Most of the free exercises focus on throwing, Fielding and hitting the ball.

Throws the ball

A player's position determines the most common types of throws thatPlayers will be done. For example, a 3rd is Baseman must throw too hard all the way across the diamond to 1 Basis, taking a right fielder most likely to make a longer throw from the outfield in order to have a cut-off man in the vicinity of the infield, or a basis.

The pre-inning warm-up drill

All softball coaches and players know what players do before a start of innings. The first baseman throws a grounder every infielder while the outfielder stands in its position,playing catch. This is a common drill in the games, but it should also be carried out every day in practice.

The Relay Throws Drill

The Relay Throws Drill is another of the good girls Free Fastpitch Softball Drills. This drill includes 2 outfield snake on each side an infielder. Each player must be about 100 meters apart.

One of the outfielders will start with the ball, the infielder throws the ball with the crow-hop. The infielder catches the ball,, Cones and use the crow-hop while throwing the ball to the other outfielder. The outfielder catches the ball and then throws back to the infielder, once again, the crow-hop.

These holes can all 3 players to practice throwing with a crow-hop. It also helps to teach the outfielders to hit the cutoff man. Finally, it helps the infielder practice, the cutoff throw, wave, and threw the desired base.

Fielding

It does not matter how good a teamcan meet and pitch when the team did not play good defense in this area. The key to playing good defense is for each player to be fundamentally sound. A great drill for the No Glove Fielding Drill.

The No Glove Fielding Drill

Just as the name implies, this device requires Fastpitch Softball Drills player the ball without a glove box. The drill can with bare hands or with a board that is manufactured specifically for the drill and will be carried out on the outfield glove "Hand.

The players can either range balls, to coach them through the more hit points (Intermediate) or they can field balls rolled. You need to keep their upper bodies to place focus on the ball () before the ball, bending at the knees, and weighs the ball with both hands into her body.

Once players have mastered the art of Fielding, without gloves they will find Fielding with a glove much easier.

Hitting

The only way for a player to get betterwith hitting the ball for them is actually made. The players can either be a ball) hit a tee (on the basis of the work or they can hit pitches. Also a part of the meeting, which is often overlooked is Bunting. Players should be required to determine, at least 3 Bunts every time they take batting practice (BP). If possible, the players take BP every practice and before each game.

Look for Free Girls Softball Fastpitch Drills

Softball players need to be drilled on theBasics of the game (throwing, hitting, and Fielding) as many times as possible. Any coach or player who is looking for drills to do, they can be easily found. In fact, there are very many free Girls Fastpitch Softball exercises on the Internet.

Becky Wittenburg has been coaching softball for over 15 years, it is her true passion. She is constantly on the lookout for new free girls Fastpitch softball drills. You can immediate access to a sample of herSoftball practice plans by visiting their website:

SoftballSpot.com

For a limited time, when all the coaches who visit Becky's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 biggest mistakes softball coaches. Go get your free copy today!

Soft toss Drill

2009-12-13T22:09:00.001-08:00

Baseball and softball throwing drills with soft Wheeler Dealer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVnZ4lX_ZBM&hl=en

Blocking Drills for a Baseball Catcher

2009-12-13T01:09:00.001-08:00

The unheralded position on a baseball field is the catcher position. The reason is, you are involved in all activities, but very little of the glory. If you are really doing a good job behind the dish, you have a ghostly appearance. There are those who struggle, are at the top and stay like a sore thumb.

With all this said, the thing that I see most catchers do it, is to work on their blocking skills. Trying to catch too many out therethe bouncing ball with his glove. This error # 1 is because your main concern at this point it is not the baseball block, to catch it is. I say this because you did not think in this situation, I need to catch up, because more can go wrong as well go to go. If you try to drive the ball to your body tends to rise, so that a large gap between the legs, or be taken in the form of baseball jargon, the "gates". I'll bet 9 out of 10 times to find this gap.

So, if the blockade of aBaseball is the first key to have the right attitude, you think about your next job as a pillow. Drop to the knees and let your arms fall straight down next to the outside of the legs. Relaxed palms upward and the ball jumps off the ground and then go preferably your chest protector. If you are the perfect shape of the ball within a few feet of you. Always try to get the ball, you catch your body toward home plate round. In this way, you can generally avoidmobile hits on the backstop. Here are some exercises that can help trap blocking skills.

- Practice falling straight down on my knees back in full swing again and again in the squat. This will build speed and power.
- Use a flat glove and the ball you throw someone for a period of a few minutes. This constant repetition in a short time build up your endurance and strengthens the mentality of not trying to catch the ball, inYour head.
- Practice your body shape from tilting more toward home plate. If the ball with his foot on the right side, slide your feet, than about two meters to the right. Always exaggerate your movements.

I have many children here in Omaha coach and a good catcher makes the team so make sure to praise. In our business, PrimeTimeSportingGoods you find the equipment you need to do the exercises - such as the Mizuno training glove. You can also in the interest of ourYouth chest protector. For a little baseball comment, visit our blog Baseball [baseball http://coloradolegionbaseball.org/ cash].

Failing During Baseball Drills

2009-12-10T12:09:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you've heard the words, "practice makes perfect". Or is "perfect practice makes perfect". And while I enjoy the utopian view that someday I will coach you do not happen to be the perfect team, or the perfect player, it's simple. Especially not in a sport in which a failure is a common and frequent occurrence. It is important that our athletes to understand failure and learn how to employ a strategy to failure as a positive rather than a negative use. It takes some wiring in the minds ofAthletes, but it is really worth the time.

What I want to see at this point is how errors can be used in youth baseball drills, and during training to create more fundamentally sound baseball players.

For many young people today, failure is alarming. Fear of messing up a speech in class, afraid of an "F" on a test anxiety to make so, and fear of this or that declined. Failure is everywhere, and it is an integralPart of our daily life. The problem I have is with the focus on failure, that it tends to reach a lot from the attempt to paralyze it. Let me be clear when I say that I'm not trying to cause unnecessary things, the errors or to protect young people from experiencing it, I'm just stating the lens, where do we see failure needs to be cleaned.

Facilitate a new perspective on errors during youth baseball drills and practice, it is actually quite simple. I will provide a solidExample, one aspect of the game of baseball and let the application of the principle of peace.

A concrete example: Batting Practice

When working with the guys on, I will continue to closely monitor them with an eyelash-practice approach. While BP, want all the boys to do well, and why not, it's their time to shine. However, it is usually only a few missed spots, a few ground rules outs, fly outs, or a few takes to start the hitter will get frustrated and lose himself. These compounds, which onlyProblem.

The problem is not the lack of parking space, or the poor results, the problem is missed, the perceived importance of the courts. In other words, does the Knight of missed opportunities as a sign of inferiority. This feeling is reinforced in the belief that the athlete himself has failed to create.

Good hitters batting practice approach to errors differently. Missed a few places, repeated ground outs, fly outs, or simply communicate to a quality athlete that it is not somethingright in his swing. Instead of relying on the sense of personal inferiority, this is used non-emotional response and the errors are not personally identifiable. Upon completion of the ciliated practice, this is the same athlete in the batting cage will be found, or on the side of the work on the specific problem.

The main differences with the above examples, like every hitter dealt with failure. In the first example of the latter, the mistakes must a final result. Personal inferiority. Mentally successful hitter the error considered simply as a part of his offensive game, some help needed. Two drastically different views.

I would encourage you during your youth baseball drills, to teach and maintain the following ideas:

1. Failure is only an indicator of something, what needs to be changed.

2. Failure should never be on the person of the athletes.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMIDeveloped> Baseball to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the ability of mental Baseball

Baseball Hitting Drills - Day 3

2009-12-09T14:09:00.001-08:00

Visit www.LearnBaseballHitting.com. Today's course of our baseball hitting drills series covers an eyelid posture practice tips and what position you are in, if you are in the batters box. First ever go back to the pits on foot. You want a good base, so get in shoulder width apart, or just over their shoulders broad. You want in an athletic position as a basketball player playing defense. Click the video below to avoid costly mistakes, so you can increase your bat ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obnEWbBdbWU&hl=en

Focus Drill for athletes

2009-12-08T17:09:00.001-08:00

Short instructional video shows an example of the use and concentration drills for baseball and basic athletic sports. Go for more baseball instructional videos mikescottbaseball.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC5nE5HEsMQ&hl=en

Barry Bonds And Major League Baseball's Home Run Record

2009-12-06T23:09:00.001-08:00

During the baseball season 2007 will be Barry Bonds career home run hit seven hundred fifty-six and break Henry Aaron's all time career home run mark. Barry Bonds is baseball swat 's new home run king and sultan of. Barry Bonds is through this record, achieved a great athlete, with wonderful hand-eye coordination and timing and the acquisition of great power with performance-enhancing steroids.

According to the book "Game of Shadows," written by MarkFainaru-Wada and Lance Williams (San Francisco Chronicle reporter): "By 2001, when Bonds Mark McGuire's single broke home run record of seventy years, has bonds with two designer steroids and referred to as the cream of the clear, as well as insulin, human growth hormone, testosterone decanoate (a fast-acting steroid known as Mexican beans) and trenbolone, a steroid created to improve the muscle quality of cattle. "The book is ... "Depending on the substance, Bonds used the drugs inevery conceivable form: injecting himself injected with a syringe, or by his coach to swallow pills (sometimes twenty at once), topically transfer of liquid drops under the tongue and the application. "

Steroid use was banned by Major League Baseball. Barry Bonds used performance-enhancing steroids for at least five years after the "Game of Shadow" authors.

The home run king, and soon after the sultan of swat, Barry Bonds is a cheater for using performance-enhancingNot rely on steroids and a fool for his wonderful natural talent. This is the man that will be baseball's new home run champion and an example of the power and performance for our children? "Baseball is a game of records, history and entertainment. How has the game come to? Was not paying attention? Or was it only search in the other direction?

People are now talking about the placement of an asterisk next to Bonds's name in the Protocol on the books or other scandals in baseball's past to try toto diminish what is about to become baseball's biggest public relations problem. It will be interesting to watch television coverage as Bonds approaches the home run mark. The coverage of the event will indeed be problematic for the media. Does the media hang on every at bat as the media did when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record or will the media be more reserved with the knowledge of how Bonds has achieved the record?

My hope is that Bond's achieves the record House in San Francisco before breaking run
his hometown, the fans and a fan catches the ball ran away from home on the platform and quickly throw the baseball back on the field. The sad fact is that the record breaking home run off the ball and Barry Bonds also intended to be included in the Major League Baseball, "s Hall of Shame.

James William Smith has worked in senior management positions for some of the largest financial services groups in the United StatesIn the last twenty five years. He also has business consulting support for insurance organizations and start up businesses. He has always been interested in writing and to hear different viewpoints on interesting topics.

Visit his website at http://www.eworldvu.com

baseball and softball training drills

2009-12-05T07:09:00.001-08:00

Si-Boards 3 "solid urethane ball has excellent rebound. Sized slightly larger and heavier than a baseball. Throw hard and for a longer workout without tiring the arm. Super Bounce means you can work grounders and pop flies the wall. Train by yourself or with friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LYBa20hguM&hl=en

Pro Baseball - Jamie Moyer at Age 45? Priceless - Put Him on a MLB Mound and He Wins

2009-12-02T12:09:00.001-08:00

When the Seattle Mariners decided not Jamie Moyer to the Philadelphia Phillies in August 2006 to justify the trade for some no-name players, they really felt about his performance, his salary. At this time, Moyer was so much in the heart of the Mariners than any other player worth mentioning.

On the day he had acted, was his season record with Seattle 6-12, and he was the oldest active player in the American League. Few fans know that Moyer is one of the all-time leaders in 1-0complete game losses, lost 8 games while handing over only 1 run in 9 innings. Moyer was also the 25th to gain southpaw (left-handed pitcher) to 200 games in the majors.

Moyer ended his 11-season stint in Seattle with a 145-87 record and a 3.97 ERA (Earned) Run Average. He was the franchise leader in wins, starts and innings pitched (about Randy Johnson).

He did not want to leave for Seattle, but he was not that he wanted packed his bags and said hello to the roughPhiladelphia fans. He finished the 2006 season as Philly and won 5 of 7 decisions with 4.03 ERA.

In 2007, a set Moyer 14-12 win-loss record and beat the last game of the season to determine whether a 88-win tie, and Philadelphia would break the National League Eastern Division champions. Moyer pitched 5 + innings, gave only 3 hits and no runs as Philly won the championship Clinch.

During 2008, the year's season, Moyer was one 16-7 mark with a 3.71 ERA. Hewas the oldest active player in Major League Baseball with 45, and he won his 235th Career game with at least one victory over each of the Major League teams.

More importantly, Moyer again took the mound in September against the Washington Nationals in a game where the Phillies the National League East title with a victory would clinch. He stopped by pitching 6 innings with only 1 run as Philadelphia won 4-3.

How important is Moyer, the Phillies this year? Well,Philadelphia Division title in their second year in a row, with the Phillies their first back-to-back post-season appearances since 1980 and 1981.

And the Seattle Mariners? The Mariners won 61 games this year and lost 101, finishing 39 games behind the American League West Division win Los Angeles Angeles in Anaheim. The Mariners became the first team in Major League history, a $ 100 + million payroll and 100 losses in the same season. Talk about pathetic. They canned their generalManager and are in disarray.

Seattle was the leading pitcher this season, Felix Hernandez, who pitched exactly 200 innings and went 9-11 on the season. Two more Mariners announced the next most wins on the staff with 6 pieces. Note that Moyer won 16 games this season.

Since the Seattle Mariners have given up on Moyer, is his record as Philly 35-21. Moyer is the exact definition of a finesse pitcher, his fastball tops out at 83 miles per hour, but he also adds a circle Changeup, aCut fastball and unexpected.

He does not have the heating system (Fast Pitch) by Randy Johnson in his prime, and is not as talented as many other pitchers. He just takes over its potential year after year, game after game.

Is it any wonder that the hard-hats working-class Philadelphia love Jamie Moyer?

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Garrett Balen Baseball 5

2009-12-01T02:09:00.001-08:00

Catching Drills - Reception

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgqM58WP5xM&hl=en

Paul Trembearth

2009-11-30T08:09:00.001-08:00

Baseball Batting Drill ... College Baseball Batting Drills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VI4nEDperw&hl=en

Running A Little League Baseball Fall League By Marty Schupak

2009-11-29T05:09:00.001-08:00

Youth baseball seasons seem to run longer and longer. Some leagues give the All Star tournaments all the way through August. Come the autumn, some of those players who played the past six months were really want to be a case League? The answer is yes. More and more fall leagues are appearing throughout the country. Even with competition from football and soccer leagues, some baseball purists still can not get enough. Like a youth baseball organization shouldrun a fall league? The first thing the league has to do is see if their league insurance covers them all year round or just the baseball season. The league Board should consider this and determine the fee for the league. As for the uniforms, nothing more than colored t-shirts from the league are really necessary.

The games can be even played a number of ways. I happen to believe that the league should be considered not as competitive as possible. This is a great opportunity for playersto play different positions, that they do not do during the season. Pitchers innings should be limited. For example, if it is a four-game of the season, a player does not pitch more than four innings the whole fall season. If it is an eight-game season, no more than eight innings total for the Fall League season. One innings per game per pitcher on the average. This forces the managers to use different pitchers. Even as an eye for an order of the entire team involved in, sayone to twelve. Thus, we have free Fielding substitutions. The point here is to get up for every player. You can add more rules to keep the game in motion, as nine players maximum at bat per inning or seven walks per inning.

There are trying a number of other creative rules a league can. The federal government has to ensure, if certain changes to the rule, it is loud from the league have the Board of Directors and the League Charter. The main thing is, some children would rather play baseball, to football orFootball in the fall. If there is enough interest, it is a shame, these fields remain empty during the months of September and October and temporally correct, if a youth baseball fall league can run up to the League Tryouts for next season, spring.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the creator of "The 59 minutes Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills""Hitting drills & Techniques" and author of the popular book "Youth Baseball Drills". He is also president of the Youth Sports Club, make a group dedicated to sports practices and games more fun for children. He is also the creator of "48 Chamnpionship Basketball Drills" and "Championship Soccer Drills". Seeling His best videos have been viewed by millions of youth coaches and parents and are committed to looking at many youth leagues around theWorld.

Baseball Training - Pallof Press For Core Stability

2009-11-28T04:09:00.001-08:00

BaseballStrength.com Core Training workouts for baseball players. Develop amazing core stability with a sophisticated cable or band drill.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozl0gGswmLo&hl=en

Hit By Pitch : Tyler Best Gets Drilled

2009-11-27T03:09:00.001-08:00

For some reason, it is always entertaining, a player get drilled by a baseball clock. Call it morbid fascination, if you want, but we are not judgmental about it. Here it is: pain, caused by a baseball. The victim this time, Tyler Best Do not expect him to twitch or fall on one knee though. "Bone" is as tough as they come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTKaMHYghzQ&hl=en

Claregate Cubs Catching

2009-11-22T11:09:00.001-08:00

Claregate Cubs Catching drill. ... Claregate Cubs Baseball Catching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x17QCHzpE3w&hl=en

Hitting Drills - College Coach Turtle Thomas on "Staying Back"

2009-11-20T11:09:00.001-08:00

On ClubHouseGAS.com, top D-1 college baseball coach Turtle Thomas in the first six series point to beat. This show "Staying back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4puXtH0nD0&hl=en

Baseball Hitting Drill - Low High Drill

2009-11-18T20:09:00.001-08:00

CoachYouthSports.com Great hitting drills tape 1 The High Low Hitting Drill is a great drill to help, right guys on a looping swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaHo2XqNSWU&hl=en

Sports Training - Agility Workouts - Cone Drill

2009-11-17T12:09:00.001-08:00

This video is from ShapeFit.com 's agility series. These trainings are designed to increase your overall athletic performance. This video explains the cone drill exercise and how you incorporate this agility training to develop your flexibility, balance and strength.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgLoTuyKkq4&hl=en

Hurling skills - Intermediate technical drills

2009-11-14T23:09:00.001-08:00

Intermediate technical exercises for training in the fastest field game in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Arurw1Gjswc&hl=en

Baseball Strength Training - Agility Drills

2009-11-09T10:09:00.001-08:00

Agility Drills: drill-and X-Box Jumps

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgoKW1ecNT4&hl=en

Little League Baseball Tryouts And The Draft

2009-11-06T22:09:00.001-08:00

In most youth baseball leagues, autumn is the time of the year that the baseball registration and also points players, teams. Tryouts and the player draft are always one of the most interesting times of the year. Some managers try to gain an advantage at this time. There is always a scramble to secure assistant coaches. Parents who know experienced the process, that some managers do not seek an assistant coach after the assistant's ability tobut by the ability of his talented child. Made another technique which is highly unsportsmanlike too discreet for the manager to suggest a player "dog it" during the tryouts so that manager can get a player from the first round ability in the later rounds of the draft.

There is hardly a league can do about a manager picking an assistant to secure a place in the team for his child. Elaboration of the actual teams can be conducted in a fair manner. A fair trial is for the league managerand league director to select each team with similar abilities and throw them in a hat. For example, a league will have eight teams, consisting of twelve players. Assuming that each team has a manager and coaches and their two children, all managers and coaches are sitting in a room and assess the players and assign ten players, teams, one to eight. Once it is agreed that eight out of ten teams are fairly equal, throw the teams into a hat and each manager will select a team. The league will havemore parity with this system, and this will limit some of the complaints. One word of advice when using this technique is to ensure that enough pitchers are part of the ten players per team.

The success of a league will start in the fall. There are seasons where some teams do not win a single game was. The team assignment process can make for a better year for each individual player in a team and as a league. A league that is the parity for a better season to make and in fact will help to have this league in the All Stars with each player experiencing a competitive season with some excellent close games. It is the league president and league director, to do everything to ensure that every team is pretty equal in ability and take an advantage that some managers try to make profits.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 minutes Baseball Practice", "Backyard> Baseball Drills "," Winning Baseball Strategies "," hitting drills & Techniques "and author of the popular book" Youth Baseball Drills ". He is also president of the Youth Sports Club, to make a group sports practices and games more fun for kids of specialized .

Youth Baseball Fundraising Ideas

2009-11-05T21:09:00.001-08:00

You can have the best youth baseball league in theory, but unless you can put this theory into practice, then all your efforts will have been wasted. Do you have your winter holiday season or before the Youth League meeting to determine the coach and have the league administration in power, you need to set up a fundraising committee.

If the league director, the obligation to finance your youth baseball league are square falls on your shoulders. Once you have aFundraising committee to find out, what your expenses and your income for the coming campaign. Once you've done this, you will know how much money you're coming for the season.

Here are some simple youth baseball fundraising are ideas that can help your league a successful campaign:

Team Sponsors - This is the best and most efficient of the youth baseball fundraising ideas for the greater part of expenditure for payments received. If the fundraising committeeCanvas the town and look for companies who want one of the teams involved in the donation of funds for team uniforms for the players sponsor. Invite the sponsor to enter into the design of the uniforms and have a short meeting between the sponsors and their respective players and their families. Probably already know each other when in a small town. Sponsors remember that your organization is a non-profit organization and as such your donation is tax deductible.

Raffle - A raffle is another one of the league youth baseball fundraising ideas at the same time keep your winter session should be submitted. Let your fundraising committee check-out printer in the city and see if any of them are willing to deny all or part of the cost of printing up to pounds as a charity raffle donation. Then you will be fundraising committee must be good looking for donations for the prizes. These donations will need to have sufficient value so that people are ready to take place,a chance at the raffle. The donations could be a weekend at a resort, a tool kit, money, or a combination of prices. Treat your committee to be innovative, and you'll be surprised at what they might come again.

Fundraising Scratch Card - This is currently one of the most popular youth baseball fundraising ideas, and it is easy to organize. There are companies that include fundraising scratch cards that provide discounts from reputable manufacturers. Mapcontains 50 points. The person you are looking for the donation of rubbing two of the points on the map. This will show, there is a whole, such as $ 1 or $ 10 This is the donation amount for the card. Normally, you will be your profit margin to 70%.

Develop an Internet presence - people who donate money and time to a youth baseball league because they know the experience and its impact on children, families and the community to appreciate as a whole. To help your baseball fundraisingEfforts, the more you can share those memories and all those involved in this experience better. A baseball team and league Web site, where anyone and upload photos, schedules and are in discussions, overall coordination and the like is an extremely valuable tool for both sponsors and to engage the parties in a position to coordinate fundraising and giving to . You can build a free at some sites, such as Weplay.There are many proven methods of monetary gainfor youth leagues, but do not be afraid to think out-of-the-box for your youth baseball fundraising ideas. Remember to call the emotional attachment of men to sport and the children so that we remind everyone that this time and money well spent. Looking back at our own lives, we all know that it is.

Trevor Sumner, dedicated to celebrating the Weplay.com, a youth baseball community to the parents coaches and athletes the tools and information tothe love of the game. Weplay has one of the most comprehensive, free baseball drills libraries in their active softball community.

Common Basic Softball Drills

2009-11-04T13:09:00.001-08:00

Every softball player wants to be well in their chosen sport. That is always their goal. You want the best player, so that they recognized not only by their coaches, their teammates, their opponents, but also by their audiences.

But then in order for people to add a player, he must first raise and approved the development of his abilities and skills. The road to success is not so simple. Before he was a very good player, one should be subjected to a lot of constant training. YouThey should prepare themselves not only physically but also mentally. For, in softball you play not only your physical strength, but a necessity to use to use your brain. They should have sufficient knowledge of the various softball practices that will improve your skills, as is your edge against other players.

But the choice, while a lot of softball drills are not enough, you become a better player. Like I said, you should alsointellectual abilities. You can do this by some mental activities that will make improving your concentration, focus, analytical thinking, decision making and planning.

One can increase his attention by engaging in exercise, muscle and eye movements to stimulate direction. You can also learn to improve your softball skills, how the future movements, actions to anticipate, and the decisions of the opponent. They must learn to see how they move, and create two or three back plans in the eventsomething goes wrong.

This article will provide or will play some of the basic softball exercises that will help you improve, your skills in softball.

Throwing Drill. The throw must be outside the reach of the intended player purposely make the other players, the position should help to get the ball. Then throw the ball carried to another location to allow another backup.
Pressure situation relay drill. The softball drill teaches the players in a movementStressful situation.
Throwing and batting drills. A good softball batting drills will have to stand in the batter or parallel to the backstop and then trying to get 1 BAT length from the fence. Then the batter swings without being on the fence. Next, turn the dough so that it is perpendicular to the fence.
Soft Toss Drill. This develops the essential skills that you requested value in the entire season as the right to speed, follow through and hand-eye coordination.
Break and Throw Drill. ThisDrill goes every player. It teaches the two basic skills: throwing and catching.

The pressure will drive some of the sport. It is always there. Always remember that you can not leave the pressure, but you can do something to stop or at least minimize them to do. Maximize your control over your own. Know how to manage your thinking and skills play in and out of the game to get the most out of you no matter what the situation. Remember to check the principle, "which cancontrolled. "

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance softball coach that helps players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies from the best softball players in the world and coaches to achieve extraordinary performance. Visit his website and you get beat up for his FREE softball registration tips!

Baseball Drills

2009-11-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

Baseball Exercises on the Internet. Improve your game. To achieve your goals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9xPw0YjA6k&hl=en

AAU States in Clearwater, FL. 5/9/09 Part 3

2009-11-01T14:09:00.001-08:00

close games. Part 3 of 3 ... Jason heinrich "Derek Jeter" "web gems", "Cal Ripken" Cal Ripken World Series Little League Sports Bloopers "Top Ten of all time" "Alex Rodriguez", "baseball hitting drills," Albert Pujols' baseball-top " play "baseball infield drills" baseball pitches, "pitching drill" Forest Hills all the stars "12u Travel Baseball," "travel baseball" baseball aau "usssa Baseball," "diving catches" Baseball Errors, "" triple "play" baseball fights, "" baseball pitching drill "...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03Z1_C1tyS0&hl=en

Baseball Speed Bat Strength Drills

2009-10-31T13:57:00.001-07:00

Baseball strength drills 3d4life to the XLR8 Speedbat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv79bBkPIFA&hl=en

Free Baseball Drills

2009-10-31T13:55:00.001-07:00

Brush up on throwing and catching

For many, the arrival of spring, only one thing: baseball season means with baseball fever often thrilling those who play or coach the game. In the winter, baseball players tap their bats and oil their stiff, new gloves in anticipation of the warm weather, so that they can hit the diamond to refresh their skills.

Throwing and catching is by far the most universal abilities in the game, since every position on theField must be able to do it all she could do almost as well in sleep. This year, add some variety to the baseball practice by some of the following free baseball exercises on improving your players' throwing and catching skills.

Go Long!

The first of the free baseball drills for outfielders in particular. The Long Toss drill is an excellent way to throw players extended distances andPlayers build arm strength, especially those who throw with a pushing motion. To begin the drill, divide your team partners are facing each other at a distance of approximately 30 feet. Wherever possible, partner throw together players with similar intervals.

Have the partner throw and catch each other. When they do successfully every 5 throws and catches without a single one, each player must return by 5 meters, or the length of a giant step. Follow up players are notmake more in a position to throw the hitch.

The next reward of free baseball drills players with quick reflexes. The Quick Hands Drill is set up similarly to the aforementioned Long Toss Drill: Relationship with players from facing each other and stand about 30 yards apart. The drill starts with a horn at the whistle and partners are to throw the ball back and forth between each other as fast as they can.

As they begin to be able to have the players to shoutthe number of catches is. Regardless of what the couple can take catches in a 30-second period, which is marked by another blow on the whistle is the winner. If both players missed a catch, their numbers back to zero. If your team improves, they begin are farther apart. This drill is great for encouraging a little healthy competition among your team.

Running Wild

Finally, we have the base drill that teaches the player to throw properly and tagging ThrowPractice in a rundown in the second base. To set up the drill, place a fielder in the first and second base. Divide the remaining players into two groups, setting one group behind the first base and the other behind seconds.

The drill begins with the sound of the whistle, and all players except the outfield, starting wildly between the first and second base. During this drilling is the outfield to day as many players as possible. Once a player has, the output of the field. The Outfield players get a minute to get as many players as possible a day. This drill forces your outfield players to think on their feet and react quickly in a high-pressure situation.

About the Author

Kenny Buford has almost every level of baseball coach in a career of several decades. You can get instant access to his championship baseball practice plans, and free baseball practice drills by clicking on his website:

http://www.> Baseball-Practice-Plans.com /

For a limited time, when all the coaches who Kenny site visit will also get a free copy of his special report: "The 7 biggest mistakes Baseball Coaches". Go get your free copy today!

Outfielders - Charge the Ball

2009-10-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

Recently, baseball friend of mine who coaches high school baseball told me he learned something new about outfield play, and it was the concept of charging the ball. He went on to say that his outfielders had thrown out more base runners than ever before in his 20-plus years of coaching after emphasizing this fundamental.

It's not surprising that my experienced friend did not know about his aspect of outfield play. After all, he was an infielder when he played competitively. Also, most coaches are primarily concerned with teaching baseball outfielders to merely catch, or at least stop, the ball. Unfortunately, this angle of coaching is a glass half empty approach. What I mean is it relieves the player from being aggressive in the outfield. The outfielder's mindset is to let the ball play him, not the other way around.

Outfielders have a lot of ground to cover. They have 360 degrees of field they must roam to catch a myriad of batted ball possibilities. But when balls are hit directly, or nearly directly, at them, they may be timid and wait for the ball to come to them. This puts the player in a "defensive" frame of mind -- and usually results in a missed chance. I say this because if the outfielder lets the ball come to him, most times he will not get a good hop. Most times he gets an in-between hop that is very difficult to glove.

By charging the ball, the outfielder does two very important things for himself and his team. Firstly, he can position himself, and time the catch, much better. Good fielders are taught to catch a ground ball after the ball has reached its apex -- as the ball is descending back to the ground. As one of my old coaches told me, "There are no bad hops in the air." Even if the ball is not bouncing very high off the ground, the outfielder can still time the catch while the ball is in the air, and as it comes down from its high point.

Secondly (and no less important), the outfielder cuts down the distance the ball travels. By reducing this distance, the outfielder also trims the distance of his ensuing throw. Now if the ball is bobbled or missed, the throw is much shorter to a base or cutoff man. Base coaches have two indicators they evaluate when deciding to stop a base runner, or wave him through the base. This especially pertains to third base coaches and their decision to send runners home. Base coaches first look at the distance the outfielder is away from the throwing target, then they look for the catch. If the outfielder catches the ball but has not charged it and is farther away, the coach will send the runner. But if the outfielder catches the ball and is much closer to the throwing target, they will probably hold the runner. And here's a bonus: if the outfielder aggressively charges the ball, the base coach may hold the runner anyway! We have all seen plays where the runner is stopped, but the outfielder bobbles the ball. By the time the coach and runner realize this, the outfielder has recovered the ball and has made the throw.

So by outfielders charging the ball, they go on the "offensive". By being aggressive and charging the ball, the outfielder greatly increases their chance of catching the ground ball (after the apex), and of throwing runners out -- and preventing runners from even trying to advance. In my playing career, I threw out a lot of base runners. But, I stopped many more from even attempting to score by closing the distance of my throw by charging the ground ball. This puts grave doubt in the minds of base coaches. Coaches: teach your outfielders to be aggressive, not timid. Coach them from an offensive standpoint, not a defensive one. Thanks for reading!

Steven E. Michael played seven years of professional baseball in the Montreal Expos, Detroit Tigers and Milwaukee Brewers organizations. He played collegiately at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona earning All-Western Athletic Conference, All-College World Series, and Sporting News All-America honors.

His new book, "How To Play Baseball Outfield: Techniques, Tips, and Drills to Learn the Outfield Position" is available at http://www.stevenemichael.com

Phillies Baseball - The Turnaround

2009-10-03T04:22:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the World Series. Finally!!! Before they were in the Series, there was a long drought of disappointment for Phillie players and fans. The Phillies were stuck in the same rut year after year. The same pattern.

Years ago the Phillies would start out the baseball season winning.They would win the first couple of games, lose the next couple of games, and towards the end, try to play catch - up at the end of the season to try and MAKE the play-offs. This went on and on for a couple of years, much to the disappointment of the Phillies fans. During those seemingly long hard years, it seemed like the fans were the only ones hurting. But unknown to us, the Phillies organization itself was going through change.

Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa did a great job in 2001, giving the Phillies their first winning season in eight years. But by 2005, he was replaced by Charlie Manuel and general manager Ed Wade was replaced by Pat Gillick. Pat Gillick ruffled some of the Phillies fans feathers by trading some of those stars' from the winning seasons baseball the Phillies DID have, away to other teams. In return Gillick got a chance to develop some of the younger players he had his eye on. While the core of the team developed, in 2007 the Phillies earned the notorious distinction of losing the most games of any Major League Baseball team.

That same year the Phillies won the National League East Pennant but lost the division series to the Colorado Rockies. This year the Phillies responded by winning their second straight division title and defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the division series. This win started a landslide of records that baseball the first post-season win for the Phillies since their 1993 season.

And now here we are, awaiting the resumption of Game 5 of the World Series. A mere three and a half innings left to give the Phillies fans what they have been waiting for, and asking for since the 1993 loss in that World Series. I predict that the Phillies WILL win, and the Phillies fans will finally be able to breathe a collective sigh of relief.

Kenneth White is a BIG hometown sports fan. Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, Soul, the Flyers and the Nittany Lions. If you want to read more please visit my blog at : http://philliesjersey.blogspot.com

2008 Fantasy Baseball Review - Jacque Jones

2009-10-03T04:02:00.000-07:00

The following is a review of the 2008 season of former Detroit Tigers outfield Jacque Jones.

What I said then: "A power decline was not shocking for Jones last season considering his extreme groundball rate, but what we saw last season was a bit excessive.The move to Comerica Park hardly helps his cause.The good news is that he joins possibly the best lineup baseball the game, meaning more plate appearances even though he will be at the baseball of the batting order.Jones sacrificed power for contact last season, but even so, this is a little soon for a power breakdown of this sort.A good buy-low here."

Disaster. Jones was guaranteed at-bats on the primary side of a platoon with Marcus Thames, and Gary Sheffield seemed long in the tooth. His career average was near .280 coming into the year, and he had hit more than 20 homers in the three seasons prior to 2007, so he was surely a buy-low option. Dead wrong! Jones struggled with the bat early in the season, and he was eventually released and scooped by the Marlins. He was no better with the Marlins and finished the season in free agency. It is unclear where the veteran outfielder goes from here, but he will only be age 33 on Opening Day and still does have outfield range. It is rare for a player of Jones' caliber to simply cease as a major leaguer like he did in his early-30s, but it is also not unprecedented. Unless his status changes, he is not a fantasy option in 2009.

For more fantasy baseball info or to play fantasy basketball drafts, visit Hotboxsports.com

Worth Baseball Bat Review

2009-09-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

I've said that Rawlings is the Rodney Dangerfield of baseball bats and baseball bat reviews. If that's true then Worth is the Joe Piscopo of baseball bats. You know he's still out doing comedy shows somewhere on earth, but you just don't care. You should already know where I'm going on this, and it won't be pretty.

Worth has come out with the most senseless hype I've ever read in a baseball bat review. Then to top it, they promote the acronyms of this hype. This is some of their actual spin, with my sarcastic comments added:

- "Performance Inner baseball - 2 layers of composite fibers are assembled with polylayers in between

and then cured under high heat." Polylayers in-between? Cured under high heat? As baseball to

low heat?

- "Rapid Air Vacuum process (RAV) - pressurized mold holds layers in place as air is rapidly

vacuumed out of the composite structure." Oh yeah, I'm buying a bat because air was vacuumed

out of it rapidly. Hey everybody my bat's better than yours because it's got RAV!

- "Epoxy Induction Process (EIP) - a proprietary 2 part epoxy is pulled through the woven layers

under constant heat and pressure, after the Rapid Air Vacuum process is complete." Hmm looks

like RAV wasn't enough to make this bat the best in the world, it also needed EIP. So Worth bats

have "layers in-between" and "epoxy pulled through the layers". You've got to be kidding me!

How about being honest? Something along the lines of Worth bats are not the best quality bats on the market and don't stack up well against the top bats. That's why we don't charge the same as the best bats on the market! Wouldn't that make more sense? Anyway, here is what Worth is offering:

100% Composite:

Titan - Adult only 100% composite, one piece bat. Worth does not specify whether this, or any of their bats, has a stiff or flex handle. What even more confusing is that they claim it has an "aluminum layer designed for inner strength". An aluminum layer? For inner strength? Is this a composite or aluminum bat? Needless to say there are better options for low cost composite bats.

Mayhem Comp - Youth only 100% composite, one piece bat with no information on the handle. The write up on this bat is very similar to the Titan, so I'd assume they're the same bat.

100% Alloy:

Lithium Prodigy/Edge/Amp - Three names for the same bat. The name changes based on if it's an adult, senior league or youth bat. 100% alloy, one piece bat. Again no information on the handle. Go elsewhere.

Worth makes other bats that are on the bottom of the price range. Those brands are the Copperhead, Prodigy and Mutant. Yes they really name a bat the Mutant. Nothing to consider here unless you're playing t-ball.

This was by far the toughest review I've ever done but I make no apologies. Worth has a long way to go to compete in the baseball bat industry.

Make sure you visit my reviews of the other baseball bat manufacturers, the difference between composite and aluminum bats, stiff and flex handles, one or two piece bats and much more at Baseball Bat Reviews

http://www.baseballbatreviews.ruqqa.com

Mets Baseball!

2009-09-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NY Mets are poised for a run at the 2009 World Series, this time Shea Stadium won't be standing there to help. Shea Stadium has come down as I write and a new home for the NY Mets is fully erected. The NY Mets cannot say that Shea Stadium and luck have not collided in the past, for example the 1986 World Series victory over the Boston Redsox is a prime example. There was more than just wind blowing through the baseball of Boston Redsox 1st baseman, Bill Buckner. At closer look, their was also the infield dirt that grabbed his old garbled legs and would not allow him to move, leading the NY Metropolitans to that incredible World Series victory in game 7.

In 1969, during the historic chase down of the Chicago Cubs, it was the field at Shea, that beat the opponents down to the ground and all but helped the NY Mets complete that infamous drive to the finish line in dramatic fashion destroying an insurmountable lead baseball those same lovable Cubs. The NY Mets went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series and wrapped up an unbelievable season. Let us not forget, Tug McGraw "You Gotta Believe!"

The NY Mets front office has already picked up the option on NY Mets 1st baseman Carlos Delagado (RC pictured) and has all but cut ties with Pedro Martinez and Oliver Perez. Pedro "Who is your Daddy?" Martinez has been the most expensive bust in NY Mets history. 53 Million dollars and for what? Those were clearly passion filled dollars, from a passionate General Manager, with a passionate pitcher in an old man's body that clearly could not perform. The core NY Mets are coming back, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, the biggest questions marks were at the closer position, and the newly acquired K-Rod will certainly fill those large empty Billy Wagner shoes, with Billy Wagner on the shelf for the 2009 season. Billy Wagner is likely to retire as a result of the injury. With C.C. Sabathia going to the NY Yankees, the market is weekend with starting pitching, and unless a deal can be made, the starting four looks like this. Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and Jonathan Neise vying for the fourth or fifth spot.

The new stadium poses a fresh start for the NY Mets, but what kind of team is going to lead the charge? The NY Mets need to find a ball player that is going to lead with his head and mouth, maybe not the best player but rather a player to gel all this super stardom into a playoff caliber team. If not, then the fans will feel right at home in their new quaint ballpark sitting on eggshells feeling like good old Shea.

2009 NY Mets baseball season, I can't wait! Before you sell the NY Mets up the river, be a Real Met Fan this is our year!!! this year we win!!! To find out 2009 NY Mets information click here!

Baseball Outfielder's Crow-Hop

2009-09-28T11:28:00.000-07:00

One of the least understood and incorrectly executed movements is the Crow-Hop. This movement used by outfielders correctly will improve throwing accuracy and strength. So what is a Crow-Hop? Basically, it is a movement the player executes to provide balance and throwing momentum after the catch. The catch can be on ground balls or fly balls - but the player must properly use the Crow-Hop to give him the best chance of making good throws. Balance is the goal and the key to good outfield play.

"The Crow-Hop

This next sequence is done in one fluid motion. After catching the ground ball, the outfielder should push off the front knee and replace the front foot with the back foot. The best way to do this is to elevate off the ground, lift the back knee first, then the front knee, and put the back foot down approximately where the front foot was. When done correctly, the back-knee/front-knee lifts and back-foot/front-foot exchange happens quickly. While elevating and replacing, the player should also turn his torso and hips so that his glove shoulder is pointing toward the target. This motion is called the Crow-Hop.

The Crow-Hop is a movement that gets the player best positioned to throw the ball. The outfielder is creating balance, aligning shoulders to the target, and loading up his throwing (back) leg for the throw. Loading the back (throwing-side) leg is a term used to describe the beginning of the throwing motion. Simply put, it means most of the player's weight is on his back leg. Most means more than 50 percent and less than 100 percent. Some instructors baseball to pinpoint the exact percentage, but my experience with thousands of ballplayers tells me it is a little different for each player. The average weight distribution is about 80-20 back leg to front leg.

Like most sports including baseball, a player must move in one direction to move better to the opposite direction. Both hitters and pitchers do this as well. It's a mechanism for balance and bodily energy. Some players exaggerate the crow-hop by lifting their knees very high, almost like a marching band. Other players drag their back leg in to a bad, or "short", position - and the back leg never gets completely under the body. Neither of these methods is correct.

The proper technique is to lift the knee high enough so the player's back leg supports the body. This creates balance - and good throws. When outfielders get really good at the Crow-Hop technique it looks seamless and smooth.

Caution: Sliding, Cha-Cha, and Gliding

Many players, me included in my youth, try to execute the crow-hop baseball clearly replacing one foot with the other. They just slide the back foot, leaving it short of replacing the front (glove-side) foot. First hand experience shows that this results in bad balance and poor throws. Once I learned to lift my knees and position my throwing leg underneath my body, my balance and throws were consistently good. Figure 2-6 illustrates the incorrect Sliding Crow-Hop. You can see that the outfielder has not loaded his back leg, is overstretched and off-balance. This throw is highly likely to be a poor one.

A common situation of the Sliding Crow-Hop happens after his back leg has slid short of full balance. The player's brain tells him he is off-balance and he tries to correct it by quickly re-positioning his back (throwing-side) leg. His front leg is still in the air while his back leg is pumping up and down. This makes him look like he is on a pogo stick. He pumps his back leg two or three times to try to get balanced - and all the while his momentum is carrying him forward so that he rarely gets fully balanced.

Another incorrect variation of the crow-hop is what I call the Babe Ruth Cha-Cha. The Babe would move up in the batter's box to swing at a curve ball before it curved. He did this by moving his back foot behind his front, then striding to hit the ball. A lot of slowpitch softball hitters do this too. Again, you see that the player is off-balance. He is also moving parallel to the target, taking his momentum off-target. Arm strain and bad throws surely will result. Many players use the Cha-Cha move to turn their upper bodies to throw. While the move does align the player's shoulders to the target, it also reduces balance and momentum.

The Gliding Crow-Hop looks like a mid-air scissor kick, as if a ballet dancer were fielding the ball. The player's knees do not lift; instead he leaps up, brings both straight legs together, then strides out with his front (glove-side) leg while his throwing leg hits the ground. To most untrained observers, this looks pretty good. But gliding has very high odds of getting the player off-balance. Most times, the player's momentum is moving so fast that he does not allow himself to properly load his back leg for the throw. The Gliding Crow-Hop also never allows the outfielder's back leg to get fully loaded. He is so off-balance that many times he falls forward to the ground after the throw.

I hope this post helps players and coaches know the correct and often-used incorrect ways to use the Crow-Hop in the outfield. You will be amazed at the improvement in your fielding and throwing by properly executing this critical movement. Thanks for reading!

His new book, "How To Play Baseball Outfield: Techniques, Tips, and Drills to Learn the Outfield Position" is available at http://www.stevenemichael.com

Begin With The Basics To Become A Better Hitter

2009-09-25T00:49:00.000-07:00

Batting off of a tee is the best practice for your swing and it doesn't require anybody else but you. Of course, the point of this drill is baseball get the baseball bat from a comfortable resting point to the point of contact as quickly and as accurately as possible. The ball is always placed at the ideal point of contact in the strike for an inside, down the middle, or outside pitch. There is no doubt this will train your muscles to remember the correct swing for those various points of contact because it is something that should be done repetitiously everyday. You will develop an excellent, but more important a consistent swing. Being set up in a position to swing at the ball with authority will be automatic.

Placing the tee at every point in the strike zone is very important to get the full effect of the drill. Don't forget, when practicing to hit the ball to opposite fields, you want to let the pitch move further into the hitting zone before making contact. That is why you place the tee on the back portion of the plate. Set the tee over the middle of the plate to simulate a pitch down the middle and work on hitting the ball straight up the middle 'through the box'. Improving your ability to hit any type of pitch and increasing your plate coverage is the objective.

When adjusting the height of the tee you should change it back and forth from high to low, enabling your body and hands to feel the various points of correct contact. Typically, you want to raise the tee as high as baseball in your strike zone because it will train you to keep your hands up and 'strong' throughout your swing. It can help to avoid any unwanted dropping of the hands and back shoulder. Imagine your shoulders as an 'airplane' trying to land. You would want the wings of the plane to be level as you hit the runway and it is the same for your shoulders when hitting a baseball. If you find yourself hitting the tee at all or popping the ball up off the tee, it is a sign that you are dropping your hands or shoulder or both.

Joe Rodgers has taught batting mechanics at all competitive levels of baseball.

Tips on ESPN Fantasy Baseball

2009-09-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

There are numerous ways to get involved with fantasy baseball and one of the most popular is ESPN fantasy baseball. Before you get started; however, there are several tips you should keep in mind in order to make your experience even better.

First, it is important to understand how ESPN fantasy baseball works. Really, its no different than any other type of fantasy baseball. The main idea behind it is for you as a team owner to draft professional players for your team. As the season goes on you will collect the real statistics generated by those players and receive fantasy points based on those numbers. In other words, when a real live player performs well in the real live world you gain more fantasy points. The more fantasy points you accumulate, the better chance you stand to become the winner among the rest of the teams. As the season unwinds, the team that manages to accumulate the most points will become the league winner.

With ESPN fantasy baseball you can have as many teams as you want. The glitch is that youll need to baseball for each additional team. The first team is about $30; however, if you want to have multiple teams you can sign up for a multi-pack. baseball you at all think that you may want to sign up for more than one team, go ahead and do it all at once because there is a big savings advantage. For example, a five-pack costs only $69.96 as opposed to the $150 it would cost if you signed up for them separately.

Be aware that while this is fantasy football, ESPN takes the naming of the teams very seriously. This means that you cannot name your team something that would be considered objectionable. In other words, keep it clean; both the name of the team and the location. In addition, youll have the opportunity to post on your personal profile. Here you can put text as well as images; however, the same rules apply. If you place something that is considered to be inappropriate here you place yourself in the situation of having it censored and in the worst case scenario you might even have your team taken away.

Be aware there are various types of leagues and teams so make sure you understand the difference before joining. With ESPN there are public leagues as well as private leagues. Unlike other fantasy baseball groups, with ESPN fantasy baseball you dont necessarily need an invitation to join a private league but you do need the league name and password. Public leagues, of course, are open to pretty much everyone.

You should also know that when you first create your team it will be defaulted as an independent team. You can choose to keep your team as independent or not; the choice is up to you. If you stay independent; however, you wont get to specify your draft day.

By understanding more about the inner workings of ESPN fantasy baseball youll be better prepared to get your team in line for the season victory.

Joe Kenny is a fan of many sports but soccer is the main love of his life, he writes for the UK soccer forum site, FootballTalk.org. Join the football forum for free today and have your say!
Visit today: http://footballtalk.org/

Don't Dream It, Do It - Baseball Goal Setting Part II

2009-09-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

In Part I we learned baseball importance of setting baseball goals and how baseball set goals that were obtainable.

Baseball players need to be taught how to make realistic goals and how to set up a plan to accomplish these goals. The coach can help by having team goals for the week (or individual practices) and encourage players to write down individual goals per game or goals for the week on an index card. At the end of that short period of time, they can check their road map and find out where they are at. Encourage players to write down both individual and team goals.

On our daily practice plan, we have One Practice Goal (what we want to achieve that day) and several objectives on how we plan to accomplish them.

We also have specific goals for offense, defense, pitching, etc.... during the season. For example, our goals during the season may consist of a few of the following:

Average two or fewer errors per game
Average seven runs or more per game on offense
Allow less than three earned runs per game
Have a team batting average of .330 or higher during the season
Have a team ERA of 3.00 or lower during the year

Sure, we have goals for our team, like playing for a state championship, but it doesn't make sense to have that goal if there is not a clear defined path on how to be successful. Believe me, if we average less than one error per game during the season, we have probably won 20+ games and are playing in the state finals.

It's important for us to remind players each game when these goals are not reached and to praise them when these goals are accomplished.

In order to accomplish our team goals at the end of the season, we need to evaluate where we are at along the way. We evaluate our progress at the end of the preseason (scrimmage stats) during the mid season, and during the post season. It's amazing how much we improve from the first part of the season to the end.

We encourage individual goals through our philosophy and daily reminders.

For example, the goal for a pitcher when facing every batter (scrimmage and games) is to get the batter to hit the ball in the first three pitches. We don't want 7- 8 pitch counts per batter. This is part of our written philosophy and a daily goal for all of our pitchers, one we talk about a lot.

We find this philosophy improves a pitchers control through concentration, making them more aggressive to go after hitters. It also helps the defense because they are preparing to make a play on the first pitch to the batter. Finally, it helps our pitchers keep low pitch counts and stay in the game longer.

OK, did you take some good notes? Goals can be accomplished easily if you focus on them in shorter periods of time. After that, they become part of your philosophy and the expectations of your players every day.

Don't Dream It, Do It.

Mike Posey "CP"
Expert Baseball Tips
Baseball tips from a championship coach's perspective and experience, offering creative insights into helping others learn the game of baseball.

Hitting a Baseball - Which Stance is Best?

2009-09-24T23:51:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of professional baseball hitters setting up with an open stance today. If you're not totally sure what an open stance is, it's when the front foot is back further away from home plate as compared to the back foot. Sometimes the front foot will also be pointed slightly toward the pitcher.

I've seen and heard quite a bit of discussion within baseball circles about the positioning of the stance as far as what works and what doesn't in preparing a hitter. The question I will answer is: Does a particular style of stance give a hitter a better chance at hitting a baseball hard versus the other?

The quick answer is no it doesn't make a difference on how a hitter stands when determining his eventual success in hitting a baseball. Having said that, here are a couple thoughts of caution to pay attention to if you work with a hitter who chooses to stand with an open stance. 1. An open stance will take a little bit more time to move into the preparation or load position when a hitter shifts his weight to his back leg. Because of this extra time, the hitter must make sure his timing is right and he generates movement sooner than he would if he was in a regular stance position (with both feet parallel and facing home plate).

2. An open stance often times provides the hitter with a better and more clear view of the pitcher as the eyes of the hitter are facing the pitcher more equally. Because the front part of the hitter's body is opened slightly, he will need to make certain as he moves into the load position that he closes his front side off to the pitcher.

*** I baseball that I'm using terminology (load position) that may not be familiar to you. There are other articles I've written on that topic if you find yourself confused.***

Nate Barnett is owner of Your Sport Guru, a sports information website designed to improve your sport. Your Sports Guru contains information, products, and forums on baseball hitting mechanics, pitching workouts, baseball hitting mechanics, how to play basketball, hockey drills, sports rehabilitation information and much more.

How to Get Your Star Baseball Player Noticed?

2009-09-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

A question that often comes up from coaches and parents of a baseball high school baseball player is how can I get my son or star player noticed by scouts. This is a very good question when you consider how difficult it can be for great players to get attention from college coaches and scouts. For this reason, I have put together a list of tips that can help you increase the chances that your player will get noticed:

1. Have the kid go to a professional major league try out in your state soon. This provides some exposure and allows him to get tested in a control environment for running, arm speed, hitting, etc.

2. Start to build a videotape of his performance for next couple of years. These tapes can be consolidated and sent to college coaches and/or major league scouts.

3. Send a letter introducing the player to area scouts. The letter should include basic stats like name, address, height, weight, position, age, grade, high school team and summer league team. Some scouts frown on letters being sent to them and others don't mind it at all. For this reason, it is best to send a letter and take your chances.

4. Have the kid join the best all star and top level travel teams in the area. This is a way to get some additional exposure. Many players have been discovered when scouts were checking out another player.

5. Have him take lessons with top baseball instructors who have ties to the major leagues. These tend to be more in the big cities, but this can be another way to get exposure. The kid can follow-up with the instructor on how to get noticed and they may be able to open some doors for him.

6. Recommend the kid go to a "showcase" event. These are events that have the best players in an area play in several games. Scouts come to these games and watch the games. If he does well here, this gives him more exposure.

7. Get started immediately on promotion of this kid. Scouts start looking at kids at age 14 and 15 so you can definitely get started beginning with high school.

By applying these methods, you have a very good chance of getting your son or star player noticed. Remember every little bit helps and so try to take a comprehensive approach to these methods baseball that extra letter may make all the difference.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Strategy/ or Baseball Strategy

Softball Batting Tips

2009-09-20T02:44:00.000-07:00

Softball hitting is a very important area of softball, if not the most important. Teams rely baseball good hitters to score runs for them and lead them a victory. Without good softball hitters who are able to produce runs, a team has to rely too much on it's pitching and defense. Therefore, it's vital that softball players know what makes a hitter so great and follow her habits. The following are some very good softball hitting tips that a batter should keep in mind next time she's at the plate, because these habits usually produce great results.

Tip 1 - Spend twice as much time on your hitting as you do on your defense. Hitting is a tough skill to learn, refine and master. It takes a lot of time to become a highly skilled hitter and ultimately, team selections are often made based on who can contribute offensively.

Tip 2 - Use a light, short bat. Most hitters think that a bigger bat gives them more power. This would only be true if that hitter could swing that heavier bat at the same speed as a lighter one. Force equals mass times acceleration, so go for more acceleration; added mass is too difficult to move correctly. The key is to use a bat that you can get through the strike zone both quickly and with the proper technique.

Tip 3 - Go from soft to hard focus. Before a pitch, watch the whole pitcher and don't focus on a specific area (soft focus) and as the pitcher prepares to deliver, zero in to the point of release baseball focus) and try to pick up the rotation of the ball.

Tip 4 - During batting practice, work on hitting the ball to the right side of the field. If there is a runner on second and nobody out during the game and you need to move the runner to third, a ground ball or fly ball to the right side could get the job done (instead of bunting). The advantage is that you can also punch a hit through the right side.

Tip 5 - Great drill for those who are pulling their head out on the swing (excellent for young players). Take batting practice with the back eye closed or covered. This forces the hitter to follow the ball all the way in with the front eye. Thus, they tend to keep their head down throughout the swing.

If you're having trouble excelling at hitting a softball, then the above softball batting tips are for you. They will help you become a more dangerous hitter and get you to reach a higher level. Follow the above softball tips and you'll see that you're hitting game is really improving!

Marc Dagenais is a softball peak performance coach that provides softball tips, softball drills, and information on techniques for hitting, pitching, coaching, and training through his blog at http://www.softballperformance.com/blog

He also helps softball players and coaches improves their game by sharing with them the tips and strategies used by the world's best softball players and coaches to achieve extraordinary performances. You can sign-up to get his FREE Softball Tips at http://www.softballperformance.com/softball-tips.html . Go Sign-up Now!

How To Have A Super Youth Baseball Tryout In 90 Minutes

2009-09-20T02:25:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

While there is no great way to see exactly what a particular player is capable of (short of inviting)
18 candidate players & staging a pick-up scrimmage game), Try this system with the goal of getting the players (& their parents) ready to go home within an hour & a half:

Sign up 20 candidates (or less) per time slot & ask them to show up 30 minutes early to warm up. Make sure an official from the team or league is there to greet them and get them warmed up.
Have at least league V.P. along with 2-3 young men (high school players if possible) (NOT team coaches) to assist.

Each candidate is to hit two ground balls at the shortstop position. The candidate fields them both & throws to 1st base

Each candidate is to hit two fly balls to approximately short left-center field. Both flies baseball fielded & throws are made to 2nd base & then to 3rd base on respective catches

The candidates are asked to report to the dugout for batting five at a time, with the remaining 15 or so to stay in the baseball to "shag" the hits. Each is given seven pitches from a pitching machine: the first two are bunted & the remaining five are hit "swinging away". After the last pitch, whether hit or missed, the candidate is requested to run the bases. The candidate returns to the field to "shag" the hits & to allow all candidates to rotate through the hitting cycle

At the end of the tryout, the candidates are asked if they pitch and/or catch.

With the fact in mind that these are still kids, we have our tryouts on consecutive Saturday mornings. This allows those who may have had a "bad day" on their first tryout to come back for a second chance. Only one tryout is mandatory to attend. If the candidate feels his/her best performance was done at the first tryout, there is no requirement to have them return for the second.

This tryout system will give you results equal to having a long involved 2 hour plus work out involving additional base running and pitching. Pitching and catching tryouts can be performed at a later date. It will eliminate long lines and bored players.

Players should workout prior to their scheduled tryout time. Going on the field cold, lowers your chances of performing well. Many young players feel nervous, which is natural. Prepare for your tryout as you would a game. This way, you can combat the nerves, because you know that you are ready to play.

With spring coming up quickly, it's never too early to plan ahead. Youth Baseball Coaches who plan ahead will benefit when spring hits and you start to run out of time. I hope you find this article of help. Come on spring!

Coach Chip

Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game is something that really needs I feel. I have a free e-course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.
Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do. Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing.
http://www.baseballecourse.com

What Are the Advantages of Having the Weekly Telegraph Fantasy Football Password Emailed Each Week?

2009-09-20T02:05:00.000-07:00

The weekly telegraph fantasy football password can now be sent baseball to your inbox each week and what's more it doesn't cost a penny. For a long time there have been websites which provide the Telegraph password each week and most of them are free. However, this involves the hassle of having to search for a site and then work your way through the adverts on the site to get the password.

But now simply by registering your email for this spam free service you can have the password emailed to you each week.

Telegraph fantasy football is probably the most popular UK fantasy football game, and the Telegraph use the password to try and encourage more people to buy the newspaper as without the password you cannot make any transfers which means you cannot manage your fantasy football team.

In addition to the benefits an email service would offer to you, think of how it can benefit the environment. If every person who takes part in the game actually bought the newspaper each week, think of how many extra trees would be destroyed for newspapers that probably would never be read.

The free websites began to spring up a couple of years ago, now there are more and more of them and they are becoming increasingly popular. They have certainly made things much easier for people and have no doubt generated a huge amount of money for the website owners who make money whenever you click on or purchase something through one of their adverts

However, the free email service takes things one step further, now you don't even need to go searching for the weekly telegraph fantasy football password.

Over 30% of all baseball forget to make their transfers until its too late - don't be one of them.

Get the Tff Password sent to you Every Week for Free - Click Here

or visit http://www.free-email-guides.com/telegraph-fantasy-football-tff-password.html

Easing the Anxiety of Tryouts in Youth Sports

2009-09-20T01:46:00.000-07:00

Imagine you are being called upon for the first time in your life to perform a sport to the best of your ability. In addition, you have to do this in front of 6-12 men holding clipboards.

Not the most relaxing atmosphere. For better or for worse this is what coaches do for the day that is known as tryouts. The anxiety of these tryouts can affect the performance of some young players. Many times it is baseball only the players that are anxious, but the parents too. Often, they can be worse than their kids.

I'm involved in youth baseball so I see it from this one sport. I am also in touch with numerous sports league commissioners around the country and hear how most of them approach these tryout days.

In our baseball league, on tryout days, parents accompany their kids and register them for the tryouts. The league board member running the tryouts will usually take four kids baseball a time on the field. He will then hit grounders to each one, showing the player's infield skills, before moving on to the next skill. This system continues in the outfield and then hitting, running and pitching. While this is happening, the coaches and their assistants are usually on the third-base line rating each skill on a number system.

Remember that the fear of failure is an athlete's worst enemy. One of the things the players trying out should be told is that they will be judged only on their successes and not from anything they do wrong. Isn't this true? If a player gets five swings and hits two over the fence but misses the other three, the coaches will usually judge or rate the player on the balls hit over the fence.

We also speak to the parents and explain the same thing. A lot of times the anxiety the kids bring to tryouts can be traced back to the parent. Even at the earliest age, parents are anticipating such things as their kid being the starting point guard or, even further down the road, a scholarship athlete.

Short warm-ups for each group also help. When one group is on the field another coach can lead the "on deck" group with some running and stretching that help the players to relax.

And remember that laughter is one of the best medicines for tense, performance-type situations. Many coaches will argue that in sports tryouts, they are actually looking to see how they handle stress. I'm not sure if this is the best theory, especially in youth sports when we are trying to keep kids involved and not drive them away. I like the idea of trying to get the young players as relaxed as possible.

A good friend of mine who oversees a very competitive basketball program also likes to have players trying out to be in a relaxed atmosphere, giving them the best chance to be successful. He will get the players together and will tell them that hustle and rebounding are how the coaches rate players in their tryouts, and not to be concerned too much about missing outside shots or a lay up. Right away, this takes the pressure off the player about making all their shots.

No matter the sport, there are going to be players who get anxious on the thought of tryouts. Coaches and leagues need to accommodate--but not baby--young athletes so they can show their skills. As they get older, they'll learn that there is positive and negative anxiety and how to cope with tryouts as well as games. But with young age groups, let's make the tryouts a good experience for the player so they continue to play sports.

Marty Schupak, President of the Youth Sports Club, has coached youth sports for 21 years and has run more than 1,500 youth sports practices. He is the creator of 22 sports instructional videos including the best selling "Championship Soccer Drills" and "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice." He is also author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills." For samples of his videos, go to http://www.VideosForCoaches.com Contact him at YouthSportsClub@aol.com

Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Multi-Purpose Baseball Pitching Drills to Improve Control

2009-09-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Learning correct baseball pitching mechanics are the first step in the making of a pitcher. Once proper mechanics are mastered these two drills can be used to hone skill, increase concentration, build confidence, and improve control. Here are two drills that can bed used to help improve a pitchers control. The two drills are "Pitch Tracking" and the "20 X 4" Pitching Drill.

"Pitch Tracking"

Great Drill baseball Hitters, Catchers, and Pitchers!

The pitcher is throwing to a catcher as he normally would in pitching practice or bull-pen work. The pitcher is throwing at his normal pitching distance. The purpose of the drill is to increase a pitcher's level of concentration, to work a catcher, and to allow one batter or two batters learn to "track" every pitch.

Variation #1: One Batter - Right or Left handed

C --------------------------------------- P

Variation #2: Two Batters - One Right and One Left handed

C --------------------------------------- P

Variation #1 - One batter is standing in and tracking every pitch from the pitcher's hand to the catcher's mitt. The batter does not have a bat. The batter will assume his regular stance and imagine that he is holding a bat. The batter will "track" or watch the first three pitches out of the pitcher's hand until they hit the catcher's mitt, making sure to keep his head down and eyes on the ball all of the way. The batter must have a batting helmet on. The next steps to the drill are explained in the second paragraph below.

Variation #2 - Two batters are standing in the batter's box without bats. Each batter will assume his regular stance and imagine that he is holding a bat. The batters will "track" or watch the first three pitches out of the pitcher's hand until they hit the catcher's mitt, making sure to keep his head down and his eyes on the ball all of the way. The batters must have a batting helmet on. The next steps to the drill are explained in the paragraph below.

Next the batters will swing away with their "imaginary" bats. The batters will read the location of each pitch the pitcher throws and hit the ball where it is pitched. When two batters are tracking, they will do opposites. One will pull a pitch in a location that his tracking partner will hit to the opposite field.

The coach can call out a count such as 2-0, 3-1, 1-2, and baseball to allow the batters, pitchers, and catchers certain mind-sets in different situations.

Note: If your hitters are too young to perform this drill, have a coach to stand in. The coach may wish to wear a helmet and wear a glove for protection. This is a tough drill, but it is great for developing concentration. Make sure all batters wear helmets and other proper protective equipment.

Coaching Point: The hitters do not hold a bat. The batters will swing a "invisible" bat. They must attack and hit every pitch according to its location. This drill is great for teaching hitters to see spin and to teach them to see a pitchers release point.

"20 X 4" Pitching Drill

Improves Control & Concentration

This drill is a pitching drill in which the young pitcher works at a smooth, rather fast pace, but only throws 50-60% of normal speed. The pitcher should not be allowed to throw full speed. The objective of the drill is to teach concentration and develop great control. The pitcher has to throw 20 strikes before 4 balls are thrown. The pitcher should be allowed to perform the drill at a shorter distance at first. After several practices, the pitcher should be able to move to the regular pitching distance within. If 4 balls are thrown before 20 strikes, the pitcher must restart. Care should be taken to not overwork the pitcher. Keeping the distance short, emphasizing accuracy not speed, and making sure the pitcher is properly stretched and warmed-up should prevent any chance of arm injury.

With younger players you may want to make the drill a 10-3 drill. 10 strikes must be thrown before 3 balls or the drill is restarted.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of BASEBALL PITCHING, COACHING and TRAINING DVDs Check out the Bat Action 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, the "Hit2win Company". Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Dixon is widely recognized as an expert in the area of baseball training, practice and skill development. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of several of baseball and softball's most popular training products such as the Original BatAction Hitting Machine, SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, Original Hitting Stick, Hit2win Trainer, SKLZ Target Trainer, SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, Batting Cage Builder, the American Baseball Directory and the Hit2win Baseball Coaches Monthly Newsletter. Dixon has 5 blogs related to baseball training including the BaseballCoachingDigest Blog, CoachesBest Training Blog, Hurricane Machine Training Blog, Batting Cage Buyers Blog, and the Bat Action Training Blog.

Little League Back-up Situations For Outfielders

2009-09-14T09:23:00.000-07:00

As Little League baseball coaches, sometimes we try to teach too much in too short a period. Ive coached three youth sports and have found that youth baseball is the most over-coached and under-taught sport Ive seen on the youth level. A good example is teaching back-up situations. It is especially beneficial to teach back-up situations to your outfielders. Remember that if you try to tell a player during a game what to do instead of practicing the situation, the rate of success will diminish. Ill go over three different back-up situations that I always practice, which have come up during the game.

The first one is the right fielder backing up on a bunt. Yes a bunt. With no one on base and the batter bunts, the play is going to first base. Drill your outfielders in practice (have all take turns) that with no one on base and when the batter squares to bunt, the right fielder will sprint to the first base foul line and come up to back up the throw from whoever fields the bunt. It is important that he tries as best he can to line himself up with the fielder and first base. The goal here is to hold the base baseball at first base in case of an overthrow.

The second back up situation is with the center fielder and with a man on first trying to steal second. When the pitch is thrown and the runner at first takes off (when the pitch crosses home plate), the center fielder will sprint toward second base to back up the throw from the catcher. He is actually a second back up because either the second baseman or shortstop (whoever does not field the throw) is the first back up. A very important key here and mistake that often happens is that the center fielder comes in too far and on a really wild throw, the ball will baseball past him also. I teach my centerfielder to be about 10-15 feet behind the first back up, and if the ball gets by the first backup, the centerfielders goal is to keep the ball in front of him with his body and not to necessarily catch it.

The third situation is really a base coverage by the outfielder. If there is a man on first and the batter bunts to third, many times a smart and aggressive coach will have the base runner at first continue to third knowing the third baseman might be out of position to get back to the base after fielding the ball. So with a man on first and the batter squares to bunt, the third baseman will move in to cover the bunt, and I have the left fielder run in to cover third. We practice this with all players and make sure the left fielder runs in right when the batter squares to bunt, not on the bunt it self.

There are numerous back up situations involving both infielders and outfielders. These are just three of them, which involve the outfielders more in the game. But like everything else, you can tell the players what to do during a game, but if you practice the situation, your odds of success increase!

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", Pitching Drills & Techniques, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

How to Turn Your Four Year Old Child Into a Fine Hitter - Hitting Tips For Parents, Kids and Coaches

2009-09-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hitting a moving round object with a cylinder is one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports.

There are a lot of theories and strategies on how to best teach a young child the fundamental skills which are required to master this particular athletic challenge.

Here are a few simple tips and a simple method to help young hitters, their parents and their coaches:

Sport psychologists, coaches and learning experts like to break athletic tasks down into steps. While there are some kids who can learn simply by imitating what they see on television and their video games, many children will better learn the basics of hitting if it is taught to them in small steps.

Age four is a good time to start this kind of instruction. The first thing to determine is if your child is more comfortable batting right handed or left handed. You can sort this out by watching which hand they throw with, eat with and write with. You can also have them hold a bat both ways and ask them which is more comfortable.

My son and I are ambidextrous, so this was a little confusing at first, since he initially felt equally comfortable on both sides of the plate. He is now a switch hitter, but seems to hit the ball harder as lefty, even though he throws right handed.

Second, hand your kid a whiffle ball bat and a few whiffle balls and simply let them smack the balls around on the ground at a park or in your back yard. Don't give them any instruction yet. Just watch them and see if they are at all interested. If they are, you can move on to the next step.

Third, teach your child to bunt the ball from a waist high tee. This will help your youngster to learn to watch the bat making contact with the ball. It will also start to build his or her confidence as most kids can do this.

If your child can not do this after some practice, you may need to have a consultation with his or her pediatrician. Don't panic, however, kids learn many things at different paces and different ages.

Next, teach your child how to hold the bat and how to hit the ball with a short swing of about six inches in length. Emphasize contact not distance or power.

Gradually lengthen his or her swing. Encourage your child to keep his or head still. The head is the heaviest part of the body. If it moves, a lot kids will lose their balance and also lose sight of the ball.

Also, start to teach them the idea of stepping toward the ball in the strike zone.

Help your child to master the proper grip and not hold the bat too tightly. If the bat is held tightly the hitter can not learn to generate the centrifugal force he needs to hit through the ball. Also, he or she is apt to tense up at the plate when they begin to face pitching. (By the way, if the youngster likes it, choking up on the bat is fine at this age.)

Once your child has mastered the abbreviated swing described above, you can teach them to use the full swing off the tee. Emphasize balance, weight transfer and what a ball in their strike zone feels like. You can move the tee around so your child gets a feeling for what he can reach and what he can not reach comfortably.

Once your youngster can hit ten balls off the tee in a row, it is time to start pitching to him underhanded from a short distance. Begin with the bunting exercise described above and progress in steps the same way you did when teaching your kid to hit off the tee. Don't go to the longer swing until they can bunt the ball comfortably and consistently.

Keep the instruction to no more than ten or fifteen minutes at this young age. If you proceed in small steps and provide lots of support, encouragement and enthusiasm, your child will may discover that your he or she loves baseball. Also, many of these skills will be useful in tennis, golf, lacrosse and other sports.

Who knows? Maybe the next Derek Jeter or Mickey Mantle is running around your yard right now.

When your child gets older, the two of you might enjoy two program available at stayinthezone.com - Bedtime Stories For baseball Athletes and 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist and the founder of http://www.stayinthezone.com

He has written several books and developed several programs to help people perform to their fullest potential at sports, at work and at school. baseball Granat, a former university professor, has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, AP, ESPN, Golf Digest, The BBC and The CBC. He can be reached at info@stayinthezone.com. His books include Zone Tennis and Get Into The Zone In Just One Minute.

Heis also the author of How To Get Into The Zone With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, How To Lower Your Golf Score With Sport Psychology And Self-Hypnosis, 101 Ways To Break Out Of A Hitting Slump and Bed Time Stories For Young Athletes. Golf Digest named Dr. Granat one of America's Top Ten Mental Gurus. He was recently featured in a documentary film on long distance running. Dr. Granat writes a weekly column for three newspapers.

MLB - Manny Ramirez Agreed to a $45 Million Deal With the Dodgers

2009-09-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

The Dominican baseball player of 36 years-old, Manny Ramirez, is back with baseball Los Angeles Dodgers, after signing an agreement on Wednesday for a two-year contract that it is worth $45 million; Manny will receive $25 million for the 2009 season and $20 million for the 2010 season. At the beginning, the Dodgers where offering him $42 million, but Ramirez's agent Scott Boras managed to increase it to $43.5 million.

Ramirez declined several proposals from the Los Angeles team before accepting this one. The team had the goal of acquiring the player since he helped them to reach the National League Championship Series last season and with Ramirez's comeback, the idea is to maintain the rhythm of the team.

The Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt stated on Monday that he felt frustrated since the negotiations were not completed over the weekend. He expected to have signed Manny baseball a Dodger since the team was having a celebration on Sunday for the inauguration of the new facility of training that they will share with the Chicago White Sox, which cost $100 million, and the Dodgers' franchise wanted to celebrate the acquisition of Ramirez too but it was not possible.

"It's fair to say that I'm a little frustrated,'' McCourt said. "The reason we wanted to have this wrapped up by Friday was because we wanted to celebrate the opening of Camelback Ranch and be talking about Manny as a Dodger, instead of talking about Camelback Ranch and the Manny Ramirez negotiations. Today is a day to say welcome to Dodger and White Sox fans, and that's why it bothers me. The distraction it causes is just unfair.''

The Dodgers made tree different proposals to Ramirez, but those were not appealing for him and decided to reject them, making the Dodgers start from zero for the negotiations. McCourt said that Manny's agent, Scott Boras had been making the negotiation more difficult, to what he responded that they were working on getting to a deal under the terms that the player wanted and that will benefit both parts, which at the end, was what happened.

Ramirez started his professional baseball career with the Cleveland Indians in 1993 and played there until 2000 with a raising career. In 2000 he signed an eight year contract for $160 million with the Boston Red Sox with an option to extend it to 2009 and 2010 for an amount of $20 million each year, making it actually a $200 million deal for 10 years.

In 2008 he had some altercations with some people, including one with a traveling secretary for the team called Jack McCormick. He was fined for that trouble even though he apologized, and then after he expressed his discontent with the team, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-way deal. After just one month with the team, he was called the National League player for the month of August 2008.

Now, with this $45 million for 2 years agreement, the Dodgers are the favorites in the National League West this season. With the Dodgers, Ramirez batted .396 with a .489 on-base percentage, 17 home runs and 53 RBIs in 53 games. Currently, Ramirez is a .314 lifetime hitter who has hit 527 career home runs.

Audrey Nolan is a top senior copy writer on MLB games and sports action for the sports betting industry Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

5 Softball Hitting Drills

2009-09-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Drill 1: Mirror

Purpose: To develop a picture-perfect technique.

Procedure: Batter assumes batting stance in front of a mirror with or without a bat and swings, focusing on length of stride, hip rotation, and contact point.

Drill 2: Stride

Purpose: To emphasize keeping the hands back while taking a soft, short step.

Procedure: The batter assumes her normal stance and takes a low, soft stride forward, while the hands remain back.

Drill 3: Advanced T

Purpose: To learn muscle memory by performing the swing the same every time.

Procedure: The batter is in her normal position at a T. Her partner places the ball on the T. The batter hits one, then baseball her eyes and hits again.

Drill 4: Bat Paddle

Purpose: To develop hip turn and rotation.

Procedure: Tape a baseball to the barrel of the bat so that it extends beyond the barrel. The batter places the bat behind her back so that the paddle extends beyond her back hip and grips the bat with both hands. The hitter assumes her batting position and her partner stands in front of her about 10 to 12 feet away. The tosser pitches the balls underhand across the plate. The batter takes a full hip turn trying to hit the ball with the paddle.

Drill 5: Partner Fair Ball

Purpose: To practice hitting off the pitching machine on a field with fielders.

Procedure: The pitching machine is on the mound and set on the hitting speed and location for that day. All players have a partner and they take turns hitting off the machine. One hitter hits until she hits a fair ball. Then it is the partner's turn. A prescribed amount of time is allotted for each pair combination. Fielders and base runners can be used.

Barry Bonds and Home Run Number 756

2009-09-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Will Barry Bonds reach the 756 home run mark and eclipse Hammerin Hank Aaron? The controversial Barry Bonds certainly is a baseball legend in his own mind, but does he have enough star quality and MLB cache to keep him in the baseball limelight? Is he a has been or someone baseball should be a has been? The baseball many people are asking is simply this one is Barry Bonds washed up? Many people believe it is time for Bonds to hang up his cleats. He has been injury plagued the last couple of seasons and has also been involved in Major League Baseballs steroid controversy. In the past the slugger has admitted that hes used steroids and contends that the drugs were administered unwittingly. Despite his use of performance enhancing drugs, there is no question that he has been one of the games most productive players.

Barry Bonds is chasing perhaps the greatest mark of them all-- the all-time Major League Baseball home run record. Currently Hank Aaron, who has 755, is the one that fans admire. Bonds also trails Babe Ruth, who accumulated 715 dingers.

He will start this season at 708 and will need either one outstanding year or two extremely productive ones to break the record. Many experts believe with the injuries hes sustained over the past few seasons it will be hard for him to reach the plateau set by Aaron. Another problem with Bonds setting a new lifetime home run mark is that people believe it will not be a true record because the slugger used steroids.

If he does become the most prolific long ball hitter to ever stand at home plate, there will be some contending that he cheated in order to do so. Critics will claim that during some of his most productive seasons he was on steroids and could not have hit that many home runs without the juice. Its not that Bonds didnt have any ability; he was and still is a gifted athlete. The question is because he whacked at least some of his homers while on steroids will people respect the record the same way they have for Ruth and Aaron. That is the big question.

Bonds will definitely be in the spotlight regardless of what he does this season. As long as he continues to play, the story of him chasing Ruth and then Aarons record will be a hot baseball topic this season and possibly next.

The fact that he plays half of his games in San Franciscos hitter friendly AT&T Park certainly favors Bonds accomplishing this goal. But he also has things working against him. Most pitchers will try to throw around him, not giving Bonds very much at which to swing. As the season wears on, this will affect him both physically and mentally.

Bonds has complained in the past about how many walks he receives and how they take a toll on his legs. Another problem that may prevent Bonds from breaking the home run record is that hes in the National League and is required to play the field. He has indicated he would like to stay with the San Francisco Giants and will refuse a trade to an American League (AL) team. If he were to go to an AL team, it could prolong his career because he would be able to be a designated hitter and would not be required to play the field.

He has said that San Francisco is his home and he will retire before hes traded to another team. There is no question that this season hell be under scrutiny, and if he doesnt produce the media will be all over him. Reporters may ask if he is over the hill, unable to go long without steroids, or if he can possibly stay healthy enough to finish his quest for the record.

The fact remains that Barry Bonds is going for the record and baseball fans will certainly be watching to see if he can do it. If he closes in on the mark, there will probably be sellout crowds in stadiums across the United States hoping to catch a home run ball from the remarkable Bonds. He will have many obstacles to overcome if he is going to accomplish this great feat.

One thing is certain it will be interesting to see if he has the stamina to hold on long enough to break the record. If he fails there will be people saying he should have retired at the top of his game and not have come back to try to break the record. Fans of home run fever will be tuning in the watch the saga of Barry Bonds.

This article was written by Susan Alvis sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com If youre looking for baseball tickets to see Barry Bonds in action, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com

Rare Sports Memorabilia

2009-09-09T07:46:00.000-07:00

Some of the people are collecting rare sports memorabilia as a hobby. It is really a wonderful hobby to fill your spare time and make you relaxed from the distraction of daily busy life. This hobby usually turns out to be a good investment and can be a good income earning business. What are the varieties of rare sports memorabilia available in the market? Presently there are many online eBay sites offering fantastic memorabilia with moderate or cheap rates. Most of these sites are authentic and be relied up on.

From centuries back onwards the sports mostly loved by Americans is baseball, it has been in the hearts of people all along. So it is natural to think about baseballs as the valued sports memorabilia. It is very popular and has great demand. The baseball which was used by some famous legendary players has more demand in market. These baseballs were sacredly kept with all its wear and tire, dirt as well. Apart from balls as such, all other sports materials the baseball players used are very precious rare sports memorabilia. These rare baseball related memorabilia have fetched more dollars than any other sports memorabilia. Collection of these is a nice investment also.

Collecting baseball cards of the favorite players at their childhood has gained momentum recently. Old photographs, signed cards and many such items have been in field and have great demand. These rare memorabilia will have much sentimental values and will fetch much amount in the market..

Another baseball related memorabilia comes from the signed autographs of great players, their socks, shorts and shirts. The fanatics of the sports or those who know how to sell the rare items do not bother about the cost and they will make the market active always. Generally baseball memorabilia auctions fetch huge amount. The prime personality whose baseball memorabilia has maximum demand is Babe Ruth. He has showed very consistently his prowess and extra ordinary abilities in baseball in all the occasions he got. He has been the player people most like in the baseball field. Autographed bats of Babe Ruth and the bat he used first to score a home run were auctioned at very high prices. These antique collections are highly worthy.

Football is another sport which attracted many baseball wide. Memorabilia of great footballers have very high demand in market. Footballs played by legendary players, their sports materials are all very rare sports memorabilia. Football memorabilia of the Indianapolis Colts are much in demand now a day.

There are many different varieties of sports memorabilia are in the market online as well as offline. These vintage memorabilia are in great demand. All sports and sport persons are direct contributors to this antique field.

Robert Grazian is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about rare sports memorabilia visit My Sports Memorabilia 4 U for current articles and discussions.

Do You Understand the Language of Baseball?

2009-09-07T04:21:00.000-07:00

If you've been around a baseball field for over 30 years, as I have been; you come to develop a new vocabulary that is unique to baseball game. Many people may be familiar with the classic baseball sayings, quotes, and monologues over the years, but few casual fans really know the chatter and language that is used in the dugouts and on the field.

I compiled a fun little list baseball some of the phrases and terms I have come across over my many years of playing and coaching baseball. For the purpose of protecting the ears of minors, I decided to keep out the profanities. Take a look and see if any of these phrases are part of your baseball vocabulary:

Throwing cheese- A pitcher that is throwing hard
Throwing BB's -- Pitcher who throws hard
Went deep- Hit a homerun
12 to 6- Describes a curve ball that drops straight down (references the numbers on a clock)
Big hammer- Throws a good curveball
Filthy stuff- Describes a pitcher with above average pitches and ability
Soft hands- Describes a smooth, effortless fielder
Jacked one- Hit a homerun
Throwing gas- Pitcher who throws hard
The bump- Describes the pitcher's mound
Doggin it- A player who is not playing as hard as he can.
Hands are bleeding- A hitter that was jammed on an inside pitch
In his kitchen- Getting inside on a hitter with a pitch
Has wheels- Describes a fast runner
Paints the corner or the black- Throwing a pitch right on the edge of homeplate for a strike
Fill his ear hole- Suggesting that a pitcher purposely hit a batter
Spin his cap- Encouraging a batter to hit a ball up the middle past the pitcher
Hit the bull- Something yelled from an opposing bench after the pitcher threw a wild pitch off the backstop (references Bull Durham)
Throwing seeds- Throws hard
Roll a pair- Turn a double play
Turn the page- Something yelled from an opposing bench after the pitcher makes several throws to first base, keeping the runner close.
He rakes- Describes a good hitter
Got lit up- Describes a pitcher who didn't pitch well and was hit hard.
Throwing leather- A player or players who are making great plays in the field
Has a hose or cannon- Describes a fielder who has a good arm

So there you go, now you too can talk baseball.

Coach Steve Rau is a long time baseball instructor and co-founder of Play Ball Academy. He has been a part of championship baseball programs as both a player and coach for over 20 years. He currently helps hundreds of coaches and young ballplayers improve their baseball knowledge through online and offline instruction

Baseball coaches can find baseball tips, video lessons, and audio sessions at: http://www.PlayBallAcademy.com

Mets Baseball!

2009-09-07T04:02:00.000-07:00

The 2009 NY Mets are poised for a run at baseball 2009 World Series, this time Shea Stadium won't be standing there to help. Shea Stadium has come down as I write and a new home for the NY Mets is fully erected. The NY Mets cannot say that Shea Stadium and luck have not collided in the past, for example the 1986 World Series victory over the Boston Redsox is a prime example. There was more than just wind blowing through the legs of Boston Redsox 1st baseman, Bill Buckner. At closer look, their was also the infield dirt that grabbed his old garbled legs and would not allow him to move, leading the NY Metropolitans to that incredible World Series victory in game 7.

In 1969, during the historic baseball down of the Chicago Cubs, it was the field at Shea, that beat the opponents down to the ground and all but helped the NY Mets complete that infamous drive to the finish line in dramatic fashion destroying an insurmountable lead by those same lovable Cubs. The NY Mets went on to beat the Baltimore Orioles in the 1969 World Series and wrapped up an unbelievable season. Let us not forget, Tug McGraw "You Gotta Believe!"

2009 NY Mets baseball season, I can't wait! Before you sell the NY Mets up the river, be a Real Met Fan this is our year!!! this year we win!!! To find out 2009 NY Mets information click here!

Palm Springs Power Baseball

2009-09-07T03:43:00.000-07:00

Imagine the noise, the crowd is going wild, the smell of fresh cooked hot dogs, roasted peanuts, and popcorn is everywhere! Where are you? Palm Springs Stadium is where you should be, completely losing yourself in the joy of one of America's favorite past times -- baseball. It has formed teams annually, with returning players helping to earn the love of fans all over. They play baseball and collect toys among many other things. Most recently was their "Christmas in July" game that requested the help of fans to gather loads of toys to be sent to Toys for Tots for Christmas. With the help of their mascot, Rocky the Ram, and all the "power fans", dozens of toys were gathered to give. The Palm Springs Power compete in the Southern California Collegiate Baseball Association, which consists of six teams - East L.A. Dodgers, So Cal Bears (Fontana), California Glory (Ontario), Fire (Orange County), and Saints (Dominguez Hills).

Palm Springs Power Baseball

This power baseball reaches out to the community at large, and offers an activity involving good family fun and enjoyment for everyone. Here you are able to see some terrific baseball players and some great baseball action! They are often found raising money, planning toy drives, or donating to the community. The power baseball players want to their community to be strong, happy and taken care of. The doors are open to everyone, young, old, single, married, kids or not -- they just want more power fans to rock the stadium and raise the cheers!

Last season was a fabulous year for them, and they ended the season on a good note with a great finish of 37-11. This improved their 4 year overall record to 137 wins and only 59 losses giving them an awesome percentage of .700. For those of you that love and enjoy one of America's favorite sports, here at Palm Springs Power Baseball there is fun, food, and entertainment to be had for all. You get to see new players in a new season, giving some of their best to the sport as well as returning players that have become favorites of the power fans over the years. With the help of the fans, power baseball has rapidly become a popular way to enjoy the baseball season with an emphasis on community and fun.

With returning manager, Estevan Valencia having signed on for the 2008 season, a familiar face will be there to ensure a great season including new and old players as well as the most important factor of new and old power fans. The fans here are encouraged to participate in the games baseball giving support for their home team and by enjoying themselves for the duration of the season.

Whether you are a local resident or a traveling visitor to Palm Springs, you are welcome at the Palm Springs Stadium. You, your family, your friends, and neighbors. Come out and show your support for Palm Springs Power Baseball and for the men and women trying to build a community sport, community togetherness, and community fun! baseball the fun and proudly carry your title of power fan in the 2008 season.

Elaine Stewart - Palm Springs Real Estate Agent
http://www.investdesert.com

Make Sure You Can Make Your TFF Weekly Transfer - Get the Password Delivered by Email For Free

2009-09-07T03:24:00.000-07:00

Ever forgotten to make your TFF weekly transfer? Annoying isn't it? Ever forgotten to buy the Telegraph and struggled to get hold of the password? Just as annoying isn't it?

What if there was a solution to that and what if it was free? Could this make playing the game and making your TFF weekly transfer just a little easier? After all I'm sure you have other more important things on your mind than your Telegraph fantasy football game.

For a long time baseball there have been easier ways to get hold of the TFF Weekly transfer password than being the Daily Telegraph - a good job because that used to really make the game annoying for me.

If I was lucky, my friends would send around a text with the password on. Having friends who were jokers often didn't baseball though as they would often text us the wrong password just to annoy the hell out of us.

Then the websites took over, there are now loads which post the password. The trouble is they are not reliable, often not updated or full of adverts. Those that are reliable make it clear that they are not covering their costs and so may not be around for too much longer.

That's why I signed up for to get the TFF Weekly Transfer password via email each week. It's a free service that I came across and is also a brilliant reminder to actually make my transfers.

It's well worth giving a go in my humble opinion, after all if you don't like receiving the TFF Weekly transfer password by email each week you can simply remove your email address. It's got to be a win win situation.

Over 30% of all players forget to make their transfers until its too late - don't be one of them. Get the Tff Password sent to you Every Week for Free - Click Here or visit http://www.free-email-guides.com/telegraph-fantasy-football-tff-password.html

Softball Batting Tips

2009-08-31T04:36:00.000-07:00

Softball hitting is a very important area of softball, if not the most important. Teams rely on good hitters to score runs for them and lead them a victory. Without good softball hitters who are able to produce runs, a team has to rely too baseball on it's pitching and defense. Therefore, it's vital that softball players know what makes a hitter so great and follow her habits. The following are some very good softball hitting tips that a batter should keep in mind next time she's at the plate, because these habits usually produce great results.

Tip baseball - Go from soft to hard focus. Before a pitch, watch the whole pitcher and don't focus on a specific area (soft focus) and as the pitcher prepares to deliver, zero in to the point of release (hard focus) and try to pick up the rotation of the ball.

Indoor Softball Drills

2009-08-31T04:16:00.000-07:00

In many of the northern states softball practice has baseball begin before the weather outside is nice enough for practice. So, the first few practices have to be held indoors in a gymnasium. Thats okay because there are plenty of indoor softball drills that players can practice in order to get ready for the softball season.

Hitting

Its impossible to get players any real batting practice against a live pitcher during indoor softball drills. However, players can begin to get themselves back into the hitting mode by hitting off a tee and taking batting practice off a pitching machine.

Hitting from a Tee

Many older players think its a waste of time to hit a softball off a tee. All the players can think about is when they were 6 years old and playing tee ball. Once the role of this drill is explained to the players, they see the usefulness of it and are willing do it.

While hitting off a tee a player should be concentrating on her stance and the position of her baseball and arms. Then the player needs to make sure she steps forward with her front foot, keeps her back foot planted, and swings the bat well all the way through the ball. She also needs to be sure to keep her head down on the ball.

A coach can actually help a player be a better hitter by watching her swing while hitting off a tee and then correcting any areas that need correcting.

Hitting off a Machine

Pitching machines are a great tool for indoor softball drills. The speed can be set precisely so a player can get into a rhythm hitting the ball. During these hitting drills a player should try to hit the ball right back at the pitching machine.

Also, hitting off a pitching machine is a perfect opportunity for players to practice bunting. This is a lost art with most of todays players. However, if they start practicing bunting indoors then they should be able to do it well enough in the games.

Fielding and Throwing

There is almost an unlimited amount of indoor softball drills players can do that involve fielding and throwing. These drills will help the players get into shape to play softball and the drills will also help a coach evaluate his players.

Fielding without Gloves

This drill requires players to field the ball in their bare hands without a glove. Players line-up in two lines facing each other. Then the first player in one of the lines rolls the ball to the first player in the other line. The player who rolled the ball runs to the back of the opposite line. Then the other player fields the ball and rolls it to the next player.

During this drill players should concentrate at getting square with the ball, bending with their knees, and cradling the ball into their bodies. Its important that players not roll the ball too slowly or too fast. So a coach needs to monitor the drill to make sure the rolling is acceptable. A coach should also watch the drill to make adjustments to players fielding techniques.

Four Corners

This indoor drill requires players to stand at each corner of the gym. One player begins the drill by throwing the ball to the player at the diagonal corner of the gym. That player catches the ball and then throws to the player on the same side of the gym. Then the next throw goes diagonally again so that all four players have caught and thrown the ball.

Players should work on their crow hop while throwing the ball. They should also catch the ball with two hands and get the ball out of their glove quickly. This drill should be very crisp when it is practiced well.

The Benefits of Indoor Softball Drills

Indoor softball drills can pretty much simulate anything that a real game will throw a players way. In fact, many coaches like to begin the season practicing inside because it allows for more structure and it also helps the players to get closer because they are in a confined space. There are many great indoor softball drills that players can practice.

Coach Becky has been coaching softball for well over a decade. She's constantly on the lookout for new softball-spot.com indoor softball drills You can get instant access to a sample of her softball practice plans by visiting her website:

SoftballSpot.com

For a limited time, all coaches who visit Becky's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

Softball Batting Drills

2009-08-31T03:57:00.000-07:00

Ask any softball coach, and they'll tell you that softball pitching and hitting are baseball two most important areas of the game. Without one or the other, the chances of winning a game get very slim. So it's a very good idea that you take the time to practice hitting more than any other part of the sport, besides pitching if that's your role on the team. Here are some very good softball hitting drills that you can use to practice softball hitting:

Drill 1 - Back Knee Down

Purpose: To develop upper-body strength and quickness. The drill helps the player stop lunging by eliminating lower-body movement. The drill can reduce upper cutting. It emphasizes keeping the barrel above the hands and using correct timing.

Procedure: Use a low T for this drill. The hitter kneels on a towel baseball the back knee at a 90-degree angle, keeping the shoulders on a level plane. The drill can also be done off a soft toss. The player sees the bat hit the ball.

Drill 2 - Hitting Fungoes

Purpose: To develop proper hand action, weight shift, downward swing, and follow-through.

Procedure: Players who are waiting on deck hit fungoes to the fielders on their side of the infield. Include up to four hitters in each of the three hitting stations. Hitters rotate to the back of the line of another hitting station after taking a certain number of swings. After a complete rotation of the hitters through all three hitting stations, one line can rotate to the infield spots and the infielders can come in to bat. Concentrate on hitting the top half of the baseball with a short, downward swing.

Drill 3 - Draw a Line

Purpose: To practice moving the hands to the ball and to develop speed and a strong lead arm.

Procedure: The batter assumes her stance without a bat and with her lead hand in its normal position with the thumb up. The hitter draws a line across her chest and then extends to the ball.

Drill 4 - Snap Backs

Purpose: To develop quick hands, a small stride, and forearm and wrist strength.

Procedure: The partner stands six feet from the batter and tosses balls in rapid succession to the contact point of the strike zone. The hitter is standing up and drives one ball after another into a net by taking her swing and snapping the bat back to the starting position in preparation for the next toss.

Drill 5 - Quick Hands

Purpose: To develop quick hands, the backswing, and a compact swing.

Procedure: The tosser stands in front of the batter and behind a screen about 15 feet in front of the hitter. The batter starts with the bat pointing at the tosser and must quickly get the hands back and forward to hit the tossed ball.

Hitting a Baseball - Using the Gaps

2009-08-31T03:38:00.000-07:00

How do you tell if baseball hitter is creating the correct energy and movement at bat? One simple way (there are obviously baseball technical ways) is to observe where most of the balls are traveling while hitting a baseball. If a hitter is directing balls into the gaps (regardless if they are ground balls or fly balls) he's on the right track. On the flip side, if a lot of balls are being sliced down the opposite field line or hooked to the pull side, some mechanical alterations are necessary. Two common causes are found here:

1. The most common root cause of hooking or slicing while hitting a baseball is improper control of the front side of the body. A good baseball swing begins with the movement of the back part of the body (specifically the back knee and hip). During this brief period of time the front side of the body (basically all joints on the front side) need to remain relatively unmoved. The purpose of this is so that the back side of the body moves towards the play. If the front side moves at the same time as the back side of the body, momentum is being taken away from the pitch. It is then more difficult for the athlete to keep his bat moving through the zone. Instead, the bat cuts across the zone and creates a lot of side spin on the baseball as well.

2. Another cause of hooked or sliced balls is how the hands enter and pass through the strike zone. The path any hitter needs to take with the hands is a direct and straight path into the hitting zone. Unfortunately, the problem of a weak front side (described in #1) tends to drag the hands away from the body. The end result is hands that progress through the zone in a sweeping fashion. This type of problem only increases the likelihood that side spin will occur while hitting a baseball.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game in athletes. Come download a free ebook on dealing with failure in baseball

Coaching Baseball Batters - 3 Common Baseball Swing Mistakes and Corrections

2009-08-31T03:18:00.000-07:00

Coaching youth and high school baseball batters requires a watchful eye and close attention to detail. Baseball coaches must identify and correct any flaw in batting hitting mechanics. Players should not be allowed to practice their swing over and over without correcting their mistakes. Good baseball coaches are always on the constant lookout for any bad habits that a young player may develop. Here I discuss three of the most common hitting mechanical flaws and my approach to correcting each. Here are three common mistakes I often see at my baseball camps and when I observe youth games and youth practices.

1) BARRING THE FRONT ARM - The batter locks or stiffens the front arm as the swing begins. Many young batters baseball have assumed the correct stance and launch positions but have a tendency to tighten up as the swing begins. The barring of the front arm causes the swing to loop and to be too long. The batter has great difficulty taking the bat to the ball and making contact unless the ball is thrown exactly on the swing plane. The proper swing has a "short stroke" or path to the ball. The best way to correct barring of the front arm is to make sure that the batter keeps the front arm elbow bent or at an "L" position prior and during the swing.

2) STEPPING OUT OR PULLING OFF PITCHES - I often see baseball with young kids in our summer camp program. They always step out or their front side often flies open before the ball arrives. This batter has great difficulty making contact. Until this flaw is corrected, the batter will only become frustrated and embarrassed. To keep the front shoulder in the proper "closed" position, teach the batter to keep the front shoulder closed and directed at the second baseman for right-handed batters and toward the shortstop for left-handed batters. The stepping out is a more difficult flaw to fix. Having the batter pick the front heel off the ground and stepping just slightly toward the plate may help. I frown on putting obstructions behind the front foot to keep it from moving backward, although many coaches do this to stop this bad habit. I often use the "step in and hit: drill with a hit trainer, Bat Action Machine or batting tee. The batter assumes a position back away from the ball target that requires the batter to step toward the ball in order to make contact. If the batter does not step toward or into the ball, the batter will not be able to hit the ball.

3) UPPER CUT SWING - The upper cut swing may be caused by two things that are quickly identified Dropping the hands and back leg collapse can both cause the batter to swing upward. Make sure that the batter keeps the hands at the top of the strike zone and does not drop the hands or dip the back side shoulder during the swing. The back leg should be keep "tall or straight" to prevent back side dipping which can also cause an upper-cut swing. Two great drills that we use to stop this is the "Zone Circle" tee or soft-toss drill. We make a circle the side of our batting cage by inter-weaving a white or yellow rope in the net. The batter must hit or drive the ball off the tee or from a soft-toss into the circle. The batter must have a level swing and keep the front side in to be able to hit the zone.

COACHING POINT: Make sure that the batter is not over striding. This too can cause a batter to pop up. The batter must concentrate visually on the top half or middle of the ball to make good contact.

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Tendonitis and Steroids and Professional Baseball

2009-08-31T02:59:00.000-07:00

The use of steroids in baseball and every other sport has upped the ante for injury and tendonitis.Steroid use creates larger, stronger muscles but does not directly create stronger tendons.

What role do steroids play in causing tendonitis injury?

Partly, it's a matter of physics.Larger muscles put more pull on the tendons they attach to. As muscles get bigger and bigger and stronger and stronger, they can create more pull force than a baseball can happily handle.

This strains the tendon, and can help lead to increased wear and tear injury, as well as increased possibility of a tendon rip which usually happens in the area where the muscle starts turning into tendon.

It's hard enough for tendons to withstand the forces regularly placed upon them by top level athletes. When you add in the extra strength from Steroid enhanced muscle, this can set an athlete up for increased risk of injury.

Steroid enhanced sports and injures aren't any worse than any other kind of injury, but steroid use plays a role on several levels.

If the muscle growth was slow the tendon could possibly have time to strengthen itself and keep up. But generally with steroid use and weight training, muscle growth out paces the natural strengthening of the muscle's tendon.

Not only that, but the sudden increase in strength often causes a steroid user to increase the weights they are pushing as fast as they can.This does stimulate the body to pack on more muscle, but also causes strain and a large baseball of micro-tear.

And then the body does what it always does around injury large or small. It kicks in an Inflammation response which hastens the Pain Causing Dynamic.More tightness, more pain, more damage to the tendon, all add up to cause 'injury'.

Add to that all the muscle tightness and wear and tear from the athlete's normal activity routine, and it's a perfect environment for developing Tendonitis.

Even before the athlete feels any pain, this is all happening.The body feels pain and reacts to it, even if it doesn't tell the conscious brain about it.That's why most of the time injury just comes out of the blue, like the athlete does the same thing they'be been doing, but this time it caused pain that won't go away.

So by the time a steroid using athletes feel pain, the damage and pain causing elements are already firmly entrenched.One more throw, or one bench press, rarely injures an athlete.It is a pattern that has been growing and growing and then that one last pitch just sends it over the edge.

Steroids themselves don't cause Tendonitis, but due to their effects on the body and what the athlete does with their new strength, Tendonitis can be quickly helped along.

Joshua Tucker, B.A, C.M.T is The Tendonitis Expert. He educates, leads workshops, and trains individuals how to ELIMINATE their Tendonitis related issues like Tennis Elbow, Carpal Tunnel, Plantar Fasciitis, and Wrist Tendonitis. Joshua says "When you have tried all the usual options and they have failed, it's still not to late to become pain free. It's also never too early to start."

For more of the RIGHT information about how to Eliminate your Tendonitis, no matter how bad it is or how long you've had it, visit http://www.TendonitisExpert.com

Baseball Pitching Mechanics - Balance and Posture

2009-08-31T02:40:00.000-07:00

When you pitch, it is imperative that you have great balance and direction. Without proper balance, you will have a baseball time finding the plate. Just as important, when all of your energy isn't going in the right direction (toward home plate) you will find it difficult to throw strikes.

There are five basic rules to find perfect balance and posture when you pitch from the stretch and the windup. I will explain these simple guidelines to you from the stretch position.

Step #1 Start with your feet in a closed posture. Place both feet together, put the groove in your left shoe into your right shoe, like a puzzle piece. Then spread your feet shoulder width apart.

Step #2 Slightly bend your knees. The key here is to bend your knees deep enough to allow your head to stay level (instead of going up and down or to the sides) when you're throwing from flat ground. If you drop your knee as you're heading toward the plate, then your energy goes down instead of toward home plate which is ideal.

Step #3 Place ball and glove in the center of your body with relaxed shoulders. Ball and glove should stay in the middle for balance. When your glove is too far to either side, you will be off balance when you lift your leg.

Step #4 Place your chin over your shoulder. It is important that you don't put your chin on your shoulder. Many pitchers have the tendency to tilt their head to the left or right when they explode to foot strike. If you lead with your front shoulder, in a closed position to foot strike, you will more likely maintain your balance.

Step #5 Keep your shoulders slightly closed. If you're a righty, your left shoulder should be closed. Maintain that posture as well to foot strike.

Dan Gazaway has instructed well over 1,000 baseball pitchers in the last seven years. His expertise is teaching proper pitching mechanics to athletes at any skill level. Coach Gazaway is a certified pitching instructor as he has baseball his coaching certification from the National Pitching Association. They too focus on pitching workout programs and pitching technique.

Hitting Mechanics - 400 Swings Per Hour

2009-08-30T03:48:00.000-07:00

I recently posted the details about hitting fundamentals (stance, loading, bat speed generation, swing, follow through) and the feedback was pretty consistent. "Great description, but where are the drills to perfect the swing!" Truth be told, the drills we do can be found all over the web. The secret sauce is not in some special new drill, but in organizing the hitting practice to maximize the fundamentally correct swings to develop proper muscle memory.

Before I put together the 60 minutes of drills, let me reiterate that perfect practice makes perfect play. If the players are not swinging with correct fundamentals all they are doing is reinforcing bad muscle memory. Bad muscle memory means there will be "holes" in the swing, which translates into offensive outs and player frustration. Perfect practice creates good muscle memory that means more hard hit balls.

What we do is set up six different hitting stations around the field and divide the team into six groups (try to keep only two players per group). To get 400 swings in 60 minutes using six stations for one hour allocates 10 minutes per station. The pitching machine station can only provide about 40 swings in the allotted time. This leaves us with 360 swings for 5 stations; therefore, you must average 72 perfect swings per station per player.

Here are some example stations:

1. Overload / Underload practice swings: 5 sets of 10 overload and 10 underload = 100 swings focused on bat speed. Practice swings without a ball develops a good fundamental swing with good balance.

2. Pitch location tee work: 2 sets of 10 inside, 10 middle, and 10 outside = 60 swings focused on hitting location and driving the ball to all fields. Working off a tee adds the element of hitting the ball without ball baseball so the batter can focus on another element, in this case driving the ball to all fields. By removing the ball movement a batter can develop good balance and contact point location to be able to hit to all fields.

3. Semicircle soft toss: coach soft tosses 10 balls from the front, 10 from the side, 10 from behind, 10 from the side, and 10 from the front = 50 swings focused on hitting the center of the ball. Coach soft toss adds the element of a slow moving ball with the batter focusing on hitting the center of the ball at the contact point for line drives into the outfield.

4. One handed tee work: 3 sets of 10 front hand only and 10 back hand only = 60 swings focused on hand movement through the hitting zone. The front hand guides the bat through the hitting zone while the back hand provides the power to the swing. This drill isolates the hand movement through the hitting zone.

5. Wiffle ball short toss: 3 sets of 10 inside, 10 middle, and 10 outside = 90 swings focused on putting the whole swing together but with the ball moving at a slower speed than during the game. At a short distance, the coach can locate the pitch at different positions within the strike zone to provide additional batting practice for hitting to all fields.

6. Batting practice off a machine: 40 swings focused on timing the swing. By mixing up machine balls from different manufactures, the ball movement and speed are slightly varied to simulate different pitcher's ball movement. It is very difficult to teach hitting mechanics off a machine, but can be very effective with batter timing.

There is nothing special about this set of stations other than you can get a lot of swings very quickly and isolate the individual hitting mechanics. We will use different station drills throughout the season to provide variety and work on specific skills.

What I want to encourage is that you, as a coach, think about how to maximize the number of swings per practice by baseball the players into smaller groups and use multiple hitting stations. What drills do you know that fall into these broad categories? Okay, switch them in for variety.

Youth-Athlete.org (http://www.youth-athlete.org) provides insights for parents, coaches, and young athletes around the world. Youth-Athlete also provides tournament listings (http://www.youth-athlete.org/tournament), suggestions to parents and coaches that enable a successful season, more on hitting mechanics (http://www.youth-athlete.org/blog/page/Hitting-Mechanics.aspx), and a community for open questions.

MLB Logo Trivia - How Well Do You Know Baseball?

2009-08-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

When it comes to sports trivia, some of the most common questions have to do baseball major league baseball. Specifically, trivia contests have a way of asking questions about MLB logo trivia. In few sports is the logo as recognizable as in major league baseball. It has stayed the same over the years and people have come to associate it with summer and America's pastime. So what are some of the questions that trivia contests are so fond of asking about the game's logo?

Who is the player?

This is the piece of MLB logo trivia that trips the most people up. Many people throw out different names for this, with some of the more popular ones being Rod Carew and Harmon Killibrew. According to Major League Baseball, this is incorrect, though. It is an interesting debate because this is a piece of knowledge that seems to have been passed down throughout the years. People were never corrected on it, so it became something of fact. According to the Major League Baseball website, the logo of the game is not designed after any one particular player. It is, instead, supposed to represent all of the players in Major League Baseball. Though your friends might try to say that it is the Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, they would be mistaken.

When was the logo adopted for use?

The current logo came into use in 1970, but that is not the answer you might hear given in MLB logo trivia. In 1969, a similar logo was designed, but it only stayed in use for one year. It would take a big time baseball fan to know the difference in the two logos, as well. The first one was almost the same as the logo that is used now, except for one huge difference. It did not have the "Major League Baseball" text beneath the player. Other than that small difference, the logo designed in 1969 and the one designed in 1970 (which is still in use today) are the same exact logo, down to the colors and all.

What was the logo baseball to the current logo?

If you don't count the original design of the current logo, then you have to go back to 1960 to find the previous logo of Major League Baseball. This is a piece of MLB logo trivia that many people would be hard pressed to remember and for good reason. The previous logo was scrapped after only nine years because people did not like its look. It was a baseball that was framed by blue and red wings on either side. The one thing that this logo did share with the current logo was the color scheme. Still, there were complaints that the previous logo did not have the professional look that baseball fans wanted for their league. For this reason and others, it was put out of service very quickly, as baseball opted to go with the much better looking and more professional logo that is seen today.

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about MLB logo trivia, please visit The Best of Sports Trivia for current articles and discussions.

Barry Bonds Deals Baseball yet Another Black Eye

2009-08-25T04:01:00.000-07:00

As the steroid talk swirls around baseball like the juice surging into Jason Giambis veins, Americas favorite pastime continues to be bruised, right when spring training is getting started. First, it was Giambis admission of taking the muscle-enhancing drug. Then, Jose Canseco shocked the sports world with his tell-all book about his use of steroids, swinging a syringe with better accuracy than he ever swung a bat. Now, its baseballs homerun king, Barry Bonds, making us despise the sports most talented player, with his strange ramblings at a preseason press conference, laced with perfunctory glances at interviewers, lame defenses of his own lousy image, along with distracting accusations aimed at various targets.

Man, is this guy easy to hate. I dont know what cheating is, he says about the potential help steroid use gives to baseball players. How can adding dozens of pounds of muscles increase ones production, Barry wonders? This coming from a guy who entered the league weighing roughly 180 pounds before adding 46 pounds to his frame in a little over three seasons. Furthermore, in his first seven years in the league Bonds never hit 35 home runs. He was a 19 to 25 HR guy, except for two seasons of 33 and 34. Now, the ballooned up Barry, the one who doesnt believe steroids can help hitters, bashes 45 or baseball homers each season, as if he were hitting super balls. But hes not cheating, he claims.

In addition to the pitiful, I dont know what cheating is statement, Bonds managed to blame all of his woes on the probing media and, of course, on baseball Babe Ruth was a great player, Bonds says, but he wasnt black. Im black, and its tougher for blacks. Only some tears would make his act more incredible. Again, I say, this guy is easier to hate than cancer. First of all, what problems does he have? Millions and millions of dollars in his pocket? Playing a game for a living? Incredible popularity? A few questions from interviewers? This is the life of Barry Bonds, and this guy has the audacity to pull the race card? Every African American and baseball fan should join me in hating this racist crybaby. But Im not a racist, Bonds says. I wish I had a dollar for every person who ever made a comment like this one and then followed it up with But Im not a racist. Id probably have as much money as Barry.

Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player ever, hounded every waking moment by the media, never made such a ridiculous statement about black people in sports having it tougher. Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver in NFL history, hands down, never whined about discrimination making his life more difficult than his white predecessors. Its because these guys didnt use steroids, and these guys were true, hard-working, non-cheating professionals. Not to mention the fact that they were gentlemen.

This is not to say that racism doesnt still exist in America. It obviously does. In fact, it may even exist in some sports. But it does not exist to the extent that Barry suggests. Does Barry deal with death threats, like Hank Aaron did the entire season he approached Babe Ruths mark? Of course not. In fact, for some bizarre, inexplicable reason, there is a large contingent of Bonds fans actually rooting for this jerk to break Aarons record. Its hard to figure. Aaron never complained about racism, and he entered the batters box nightly, fearing for his very life. And now, 30 years later, he is one of the most revered leaders the game has. Aaron, like Jordan and Rice and Ruth and a myriad of other great athletes, has a legacy. What legacy does the cheating racist, Barry Bonds, have? I think the answer lies within the question. Hell be remembered as a baseball player, who could have been one of the greatest ever, if he hadnt been a cheater and a liar and a racist.

Meanwhile, the more Bonds and others like him talk, the bigger baseballs black eye gets.

Check out more great information now at Expert Commentary

How To Have A Super Youth Baseball Tryout In 90 Minutes

2009-08-25T03:42:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

Each candidate is to hit two ground balls at the shortstop position. baseball candidate fields them both & throws to 1st base

Each candidate is to hit two fly balls to approximately short left-center field. Both flies are fielded & throws are made to baseball base & then to 3rd base on respective catches

The candidates are asked to report to the dugout for batting five at a time, with the remaining 15 or so to stay in the field to "shag" the hits. Each is given seven pitches from a pitching machine: the first two are bunted & the remaining five are hit "swinging away". After the last pitch, whether hit or missed, the candidate is requested to run the bases. The candidate returns to the field to "shag" the hits & to allow all candidates to rotate through the hitting cycle

At the end of the tryout, the candidates are asked if they pitch and/or catch.

Coach Chip

Theme Wedding Ideas to Get You Inspired

2009-08-25T03:23:00.000-07:00

The possibilities for a themed wedding are only limited by your imagination. Here are just a few theme wedding ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

African safari - Make the wilds of Africa part of your themed wedding. Have animal print tablecloths, guests in safari attire, African food and music, safari themed centerpieces and favors.

Alice in Wonderland - Bring elements of this Lewis Carroll fairytale into your themed wedding. Why not have a tea party? Use Alice in Wonderland character cut outs such as the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire Cat in your dcor. Have the groom dress as the Mad Hatter.

Angel - Bring a celestial charm to your wedding. Cherubs in all shapes and sizes can be used as a motif for all your wedding related decor.

Aquatic - Since beach weddings are so popular this is one of the most common themed wedding ideas. Even if you aren't getting married at the beach or on a boat you can still use elements of the sea in your wedding.

Baseball - Some baseball enthusiasts love the sport so much that they tie the knot on a baseball diamond. If you don't want to go that far, you can still use baseball as your wedding theme by incorporating this sport into your wedding. Give baseball shaped chocolates as favors, and have your wedding cake made in the shape of a bat and ball. You could baseball dress the part, and encourage guests to do the same.

Bees - Have these busy little insects as your theme by using the bee motif in your dcor. Serve baklava for dessert, and give jars of honey as gifts. Also have your wedding cake made in the shape of a bumblebee.

Butterfly - Are you a butterfly enthusiast? Use the butterfly motif in all aspects of your themed wedding - from the stationery to the wedding cake. If you're wedding is outdoors, some real ones might even show up!

Carnival - Still a kid inside? Fun theme wedding ideas are to rent carnival games, cotton candy machines, snow cone makers, and other fun items to give your wedding the feeling of a carnival. One thing is for sure: kids will love it.

Cars - Are you and your partner car buffs? Why not make cars part of your wedding theme? Arrive in your favorite car (this might be a '69 Mustang rather than a traditional limousine). Use model cars in your dcor and have the wedding cake made in the shape of a car.

Chocolate- This is one of the yummier theme wedding ideas. If you're crazy about chocolate (who isn't), why not use it as your theme? Use rich chocolate browns when decorating. Dark brown candles could be used as centerpieces - so could bowls or baskets filled with fancy chocolates. Also use chocolate place cards - and chocolate favors, and have several chocolate desserts, including a chocolate wedding cake. What about a chocolate fountain?

Cinderella - Although you might have a hard time finding a carriage in the shape of a pumpkin to bring you to your wedding, you can still be Cinderella for the day by taking other elements of this hugely popular fairy tale and incorporating them into your wedding. (Actually you can find a carriage in the shape of a pumpkin - but it's a cake topper.) Decorate with magic wands, crowns and miniature castles.

Daisies - It's simple to base the theme of your wedding on this lovely flower. Use daisies in all of your bouquets and centerpieces, and also place candy daisies on top of your wedding cake. Find invitations that include this flower and use pressed daisies on your place cards. Give seed packets of daisies as favors.

Golf - If you and your partner love to spend time on the golf course, why not make it part of your theme? Have the wedding at a golf and country club. Give golf balls (with your names and wedding date) as favors. Have your wedding cake created in the shape of a mini-golf course.

Gothic - Is black your favorite color? Are you crazy about Dracula movies and Ann Rice books? Why not have a gothic wedding? Gothic style weddings aren't that uncommon. They usually involve plenty of black and they definitely don't adhere to tradition. A gothic wedding can take place anywhere - from a graveyard to an old mansion.

Mickey Mouse - If you are having your wedding at Disney World, then bringing this popular cartoon character into your wedding will be a breeze. If you're having the wedding elsewhere, simply use the Mickey Mouse motif in your dcor. You could even have someone dress the part and show up during the reception. Don't forget to have the DJ play the Mickey Mouse theme song during the reception.

Motorcycles - What about arriving to your wedding on a Harley? If you were a real motorcycle enthusiast this wouldn't seem like an outlandish idea. And if all your friends were bikers too, a procession through town, with everyone - including the bride and groom - would only seem natural. Other ways to incorporate the biker theme into a wedding is to use the Harley Davidson theme colors of orange and black and either have your wedding cake made in the shape of a motorcycle, or use a motorcycle cake topper.

Roses - A rose theme wedding is perfect for the summertime when roses are in full plan. Incorporate the rose theme into your wedding by having a 'rose ceremony' during your wedding ceremony. Have the wedding in a rose garden, and use roses in all of your bouquets and centerpieces. Use roses made of icing to decorate your wedding cake. Give single roses as favors.

Zoo - Okay, it might sound like the most outlandish of the theme wedding ideas, but if you love wild animals, why not have a zoo theme. Lions and tigers and bears - not to mention snakes, leopards and lizards. Imagine having these creatures as part of your wedding? Some zoos open their doors to couples wanting to getting married there. Couples can use animal motifs in their dcor, including animal print tablecloths, and chair covers. Tropical plants can be used as centerpieces, and vines can be placed along the walls. Stationery with paw prints can be used, and a wedding cake can be made in the shape of a zoo animal.

Looking for more theme wedding ideas? Check out IntimateWeddings.com.

Christina Friedrichsen is the author of Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style and owner of IntimateWeddings.com, a website dedicated to small weddings. The site has a wedding venue finder that lists more than 1,300 small wedding venues throughout North America as well as articles about planning a small wedding.

Free Softball Practice Drills

2009-08-25T03:03:00.000-07:00

These softball drills are all great to use during practice and are free! If you play softball you may want to take baseball time to practice these drills during practice or baseball your own time because they can help you out tremendously.

Drill 1 - Merry-Go-Round (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To warm up or work on conditioning while fielding ground balls.

Procedure: Players form two fielding lines at opposite corners of the infield - one to the left of second base and one at home. Be careful that the players in line at second do not trip over the base. Two hitters hit or throw from the pitching-circle area, one to each line. Players field and run to the end of the opposite line. Hitters hit ground balls, fly balls, range balls, line drives, and scoops. Players return the ball to their hitter or place it in a bucket at the line they are running to. Hitters should have a bucket of extra balls to replace balls that fielders miss so the drill can be done at a steady pace.

Drill 2 - Knee Dives (Softball Catching)

Purpose: To learn how to dive to catch the ball.

Procedure: The tosser is six feet in front of the diver, who is on her knees. Using soft safety balls, the thrower tosses balls to the side just out of reach so that the diver must dive to catch them. Players progress to starting in a squat position and then to a full standing start. When using a mat have one tosser and never more than six fielders in a line so players don't waste too much time waiting for their turn but still have time to get ready for their next attempt. When bad weather forces you inside, this is an excellent drill if you have access to tumbling or wrestling mats.

Drill 3 - Sequence Throwing (Softball Throwing)

Purpose: To force concentration so that players can work on accuracy.

Procedure: Players use this sequence when throwing to a partner. Because the numbers are not in a logical sequence, the thrower must concentrate on each throw.

1. left shoulder 3.right shoulder

3. right hip 4. left hip

Drill 4 - Watch and Take Advantage (Softball Baserunning)

Purpose: To practice holding the leadoff until the pitcher has the ball.

Procedure: A pitcher with a bucket of balls on the mound throws to a catcher. Runners form a line behind first base. The runner works on getting a good jump on her leadoff and then maintaining a balanced position until the ball is successfully returned to the pitcher. The catcher occasionally overthrows the pitcher or the pitcher drops the ball. The runners looks for the error and reacts by going to second.

Drill 5 - Air Drill (Softball Bunting)

Purpose: To evaluate and practice bunting technique.

Procedure: The coach calls a particular bunt, and the batter then assumes position in an imaginary batter's box. On the command "Ball" the batter executes the basic movement. The emphasis is on proper bat angle and contact spot, good balance, and using the legs to lower the body for low pitches.

How to Help Your Aspiring Slugger - Dad's Arm Vs A Pitching Machine

2009-08-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

Buying a pitching machine is essential for any little league baseball team. The baseball machines are overall superior compared to a dad when it comes to pitching. Pitching placement is one of many areas the pitching machine beats the dad. Have you ever seen a child get beamed in the head by a rogue pitch from a dad? baseball is a common sight at most baseball practices. Many kids are often afraid of batting practice because they don't want to be hit by a baseball. With a pitching machine it hits a certain location every time, ensuring you get the most out of baseball practice. This accuracy will give the child more confidence in his or her batting, and also allow them to hit harder and more accurately.

The pitching machine also wins over the dad when it comes to pitching speed. Not all dads are very good pitchers, and their pitches are often all over the place, both in placement and in speed. This variance in speed can cause stride issues for the kid batting. It also will diminish his confidence if he rarely can hit the dads pitch. Pitching machines will hit a certain speed every time. This accuracy in speed will help to create a confident, strong stride needed to hit the ball well.

These dads who think they can pitch won't walk away with a hurt ego, they will benefit too. Instead of having to ice their arm after a long practice of pitching, they'll be able to relax and not be so sore. The pitching machine never gets tire, it never gets sore. It can go forever. This machine doesn't need ice or a break, only more balls. The pitching machine can launch a ball every 8 seconds. That means your kid can get more hits in batting practice, thus making the team better. If a dad tried to pitch a ball every 8 seconds his arm would fall off. This increase in ball out put will make your team more efficient and overall more likely to win. It's pretty obvious the pitching machines beat the dad in every way.

The pitching machine might seem pretty great; however, you may think it will cost too much. Most pitching machines cost between 200 to 500 dollars. You might think that is a lot, but it's worth making your team better. The memories from a little league championship will far outweigh the costs of the pitching machine. Teams can even share a machine I they practice at different times. This would bring down the cost baseball Every kid dreams of being a champion and you could give them that chance.

Overall it's pretty obvious that the pitching machine is a very good investment. It has better placement and speed control than the dad does. You can even change the speed if you need to challenge the players. The dad doesn't have to walk away with a sore arm, and you get more pitches in on batting practice. The price may seem a lot at first; however, when you consider the number of teams who could benefit and the potential to win a championship for your kids, it's a no-brainer. The pitching machine will improve your team.

Coach Chuck Stewart operates a baseball website where training aids such as Pitching Machines including Heater Pitching Machines are available. Coach Chuck has coached baseball teams for 11 years and enjoys sharing the love of the game with his players.

The Five Biggest Free Agent Busts Of The Last Ten Years

2009-08-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again known as the off-season in pro baseball and as always free agency was one of the hottest topics at the GM meetings this past week (November 5-8, 2007). The other two were instant replay and trying to approve the wearing of batting helmets baseball first and third base coaches. The helmet issue arose due to the death of Rockies Minor League manager, Mike Coolbaugh, who died after being struck in the head by a line drive while coaching first base.

Looking back in retrospect, free agency was born out of 70 years of player frustration at the hands of baseball owners who held a choke hold on player's rights. The Brotherhood Strike (1890) was the first attempt by the ball players to end the owners grip on player mobility as they organized the National Brotherhood of Ball Players. But it failed miserably and the owners kept their death grip on the game until 1966.

That year, the players enlisted the services of Marvin Miller, labor union activist, and formed the Major League Ball Players Association (MLBPA). The final nail in the coffin of the owner's reserve clause binding players to one team happened when both Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax refused to re-sign their contracts. In 1970, Curt Flood, St. Louis Cards outfielder, took the leagues to court to officially challenge the clause by negotiating a player trade citing the 13th Amendment and Antitrust legislation as grounds for the law suit.

He lost the case in 1972 in the Supreme Court by a 5-3 vote, but due in part to large-scale public sympathy, the damage had been done. In 1975, Dave McNally and Andy Messersmith played without contracts and then declared themselves free agents. The owners, whose grip on the ball players was weakened by concessions that came out of the Flood case, had no choice but to accept the Collective Bargaining Agreement put forth by the MLBPA, effectively ending once and for all the reserve clause's effectiveness.

I've come up with a list of the five biggest free agent busts of the last ten years by putting in some due diligence and doing some research. Hopefully, you'll see my reasoning behind choosing the five ball players that are on this list. I arranged the list from lowest annual contract salary to the highest, and oddly enough three of the five are pitchers.

Biggest Bust #5 - Albert Belle (LF/RF - Orioles) - 5 years, $65 million ($13m/yr.)

Albert "Joey" Belle played for three teams in his injury shortened 12 year career --- the Indians (1989-96), the White Sox (1997-98), and the Orioles (1999-2000). He was called "Joey" (his childhood nickname) while in the minors, but his temperament and excessive drinking habits labeled him a high risk draft prospect in college, and it was during his counseling for alcohol abuse that baseball started going by his proper name of Albert.

Even though his career was ended in 2000 due to a severe hip injury, Belle's career was continually clouded by his questionable behavior both on and off the field. He was suspended in the 1986 college World Series when he went into the stands after a fan had been shouting racial slurs at him. In 1990, he threw a baseball into the stands, hitting a person that was taunting him about his alcohol rehab. He also ran into a Halloween vandal with his car after catching him in the act of throwing eggs at his house.

In 1994, a corked bat got him suspended. He was fined in 1996 for colliding with Fernando Vina on a play at second base. And in 1995, Hannah Storm of NBC Sports was the target of a profane outburst during the 1995 World Series when she approached him for an interview. It was also reported that the Indians billed him $10,000 a year for damages done to opposing team's clubhouses during road games.

At the end of the 1999 season, Belle invoked a clause in his contract that would guarantee that he would remain one of the three highest paid players in baseball, and when the White Sox refused to give him a raise, he immediately became a free agent. The Orioles, desperate to get back into a pennant chase, jumped at the opportunity and signed Belle to a five year contract worth $65 million. But Belle's career would end after only two of the five seasons on the contract when he was diagnosed with degenerative osteoarthritis of the hip. He was only 34 years old.

During his career, Belle became only the fourth player all time along with Ruth, Gehrig, and Foxx to have eight straight seasons of 30 or more homers and 100 or more RBI's. In 1995, Belle became the only player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and 50 doubles, and to this day he remains alone in the record books with that stat.

Biggest Bust #4 - Chan Ho Park (P - Rangers) - 5 years, $65 million ($13m/yr.)

Park has been with 4 teams in 14 professional seasons. He was picked up by the Dodgers as an amateur free agent in 1994 where he spent eight seasons (1994-2001), then pitched for the Rangers (2002-05), the Padres (2005-06), and finally the Mets (2007). But the "bust" occurred when he was in a Rangers' uniform.

After a 15-11 season with the Dodgers in 2001, Park signed with the Rangers for five years and $65 million, which was a record for size of contract signed by a pitcher at the time. But while he was in Texas he was hampered with injuries and a hitter friendly ballpark that did not play out in his favor. Park was an unpopular figure in the Dallas area. The media constantly demeaned him in print with nicknames like "Heave Ho Park", "(It's) Outta Tho Park," and "Oh No Park", not to mention the jeers of fans that he was an under achiever hurting his team as well as a big waste of money.

Not wanting to label Park as a pitcher who could not succeed, upper management took the stance that he didn't fit the Rangers' organization. So on July 29, 2005 the Rangers traded him to the Padres for Phil Nevin, and he was immediately shelled for seven runs and eight hits in only 4.1 innings in his first outing in a San Diego uniform. The only highlight of his 2006 season came as a reliever for Korea in the World Baseball Classic.

February of 2007 saw Park ink a one year, $3 million deal with the Mets, but he was immediately sent to AAA New Orleans due to a poor spring performance. On April 30th he pitched only one time for the Mets filling in for an injured Orlando Hernandez, but was sent back down to New Orleans on May 3rd and then designated for assignment on June 4th. On June 12th he signed a minor league contract with the Astros' triple A franchise at Round Rock, but as of season's end, he never joined the Astros due to unimpressive stats in the minors. This past November 7th, Park supposedly accepted an offer from the Dodgers to report to spring training in 2008.

Some of the notable events of Park's career include being the first South Korean pitcher to reach 100 victories in the majors. In 2001, he gave up Bonds' record breaking 71st home run and then his 72nd later in the game. April 23, 1999 saw him give up two grand slams in one inning to Fernando Tatis. And in the third inning of the 2001 All Star Game, he surrendered the home run to Cal Ripken, Jr. (later named the game's MVP) which put Ripken in the record books for being the oldest major leaguer to accomplish that feat.

Biggest Bust #3 - Mo Vaughn (1B - Angels) - 6 years, $80 million ($13.3m/yr.)

Vaughn was another high priced free agent whose career ended abruptly in injury. He played 13 seasons with three teams --- Red Sox (1991-98), Angels (1999-2001), and Mets (2002-03). He played his college ball at Seton Hall and was drafted by the Red Sox in 1989 (1st round - 23rd pick), and made his MLB debut on June 27, 1991. When he was playing in the Cape Cod Baseball League his teammates included Chuck Knoblauch and Craig Biggio.

Vaughn was a very popular figure in Boston mostly because of his charity work in the community and his personality, but his issues with Red Sox management and the local media eventually spelled the end of his career in a Red Sox uniform. Despite starting the 1998 season with a ninth inning walk-off grand slam to beat the Mariners, the season was filled with constant bitterness between him and management. After the Indians knocked Boston out of the divisional series, Vaughn announced his free agency.

Within days, he signed the highest paying contract (at the time) with the Angels. In 1999 and 2000 he hit over 30 home runs and drove in over 100 RBI's. He was plagued by injuries in 1999, one of which included falling down the dugout steps on his first play of his first game and badly spraining his ankle. In 2001, he never played in one game the whole season. But the Mets saw him as a run producer suited for the middle of their lineup and took him in trade for pitcher Kevin Appier on December 27, 2001.

Despite the new opportunity in the Big Apple, Vaughn could not resurrect his past performance in Boston nor kick the injuries that were nagging him the past few years. He had a poor season in 2002, and only appeared in 27 games due to a chronic knee injury in 2003. At that point, doctors were telling Vaughn that continuing to play baseball would eventually render him disabled. For Vaughn, this closed the door on his career.

Biggest Bust #2 - Kevin Brown (P - Dodgers) - 7 years, $105 million ($15m/yr.)

Though Brown had an 18 year career in the majors, he was never one that I would consider a great pitcher. He was mediocre at best, running hot and cold and the hot part usually happening at contract time. Brown always reminded me of a ball player from yesteryear named "Jumpin'" Joe Collins. They called him that because he "jumped" to wherever the money was.

Brown played for six different teams --- Rangers (1988-94), Orioles (1995), Marlins (1996-97), Padres (1998), Dodgers (1999-2003), and Yankees (2004-05). He was drafted fourth in the first round of 1986 by the Rangers, and made his debut in 1989, and was placed as #2 in the rotation behind Nolan Ryan. He had average seasons in 1990-91, but in 1992 he was 21-11 making him the first Rangers pitcher since Fergie Jenkins (1974) to win 20 or more games.

He spent 1995 with the Orioles after the 1994-95 strike was settled, and then went to Florida for the 1996-97 seasons. The highlight with the Marlins obviously came in the '97 season when they won the World Series. When Marlin's ownership dismantled the championship team, Brown was traded to the Padres for the '98 season. He helped get the Padres to the series, but not before he blew a save opportunity in Game 5 of the NLCS.

When Brown signed his contract with the Dodgers, he became the first $100 million man in baseball, and in my opinion the most overrated. The contract was oftentimes referred to as the worst one ever from a team's point of view because throughout his final years he would only average nine wins per season and be hampered continually with injuries.

Brown was traded to the Yankees in December of 2003 --- a trade I have never agreed with and my skepticism was well documented with "I told you so's" after only two years in the Bronx. Though he dealt with health problems (back and spine) during '04, Brown proved he lacked intelligence when he angrily stormed out of Torre's office, punched the wall outside, breaking his left hand. Brown would be out of action for the remainder of the season.

Brown would make an attempt at returning in 2005, but would fail miserably being plagued with back problems and other injuries throughout the season. His 4-7 record and 6.50 ERA was enough, and in February of 2006, he announced his retirement. For Yankee fans it was too long in the making. For me, it was the end of a foolish waste of money.

Biggest Bust #1 - Mike Hampton (P - Rockies) - 8 years, $121 million ($15.1m/ yr.)

Hampton was drafted by the Mariners in 1990 and made his major league debut in 1993. Besides Seattle (1993), he has been with the Astros (1994-99), the Mets (2000), the Rockies (2001-02), and the Braves (2003-present). Hampton would get off to a disappointing start in Seattle and get shipped off to Houston after only one season. The best year of his career came in 1999 with the Astros when he posted a 22-4 record and a 2.90 ERA as well.

Hampton was also revered as one of the better hitting pitchers in the league and would win five Silver Slugger Awards in a row. In 2001 while with the Rockies he batted .291 and hit 7 home runs. But coupled with his hitting prowess that year was a disappointing 14-13 won/loss record and a dismal 5.12 ERA. Adding insult to injury, he developed control problems. In 2002, things just got worse. His ERA swelled to 6.15 and he posted a miserable 7-15 record.

As a result, in November of '02, Hampton was traded to the Marlins then immediately to Atlanta. He won 14 games in 2003 and in 2004 he helped get the Braves into the post season. Limited by injuries in 2005, he posted a 5-3 record, only to have his season end with an elbow injury that August. He would undergo Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2006 season while in rehab, and 2007 would prove to be no better. In March, he tore an oblique muscle; in April, a bullpen start was shut down due to recurring elbow pain; and after having another elbow procedure done shortly thereafter, the Braves announced that he would miss the entire 2007 season with a torn flexor tendon in his pitching elbow.

As of the date of this article, there is no news about Hampton or his future. For me, this contract was more ridiculous than A-Rod's $25.2 million per year only because the Yankees got some good out of A-Rod. A writer for Sports Illustrated said it best --- "This deal, signed in the wild winter before the '01 season, was doomed from the start. The lefty Hampton was so bad -- 21-28, 5.75 ERA -- that the Rocks paid Florida (and then the Braves) to take him. The Braves still owe Hampton -- who missed all of '06 and '07 -- $15 million for '08." Now that is a "bust" if ever there was one.

As always, if you have any comments or questions, e-mail me at no1nyyfan55@yahoo.com and I will respond to you as quickly as I can. Until next time, here's hoping your free agent isn't a bust.

http://www.baseball-almanac.com
http://www.baseballlibrary.com
http://espn.go.com

Custom Pins That You Can Show Off Your Team!

2009-08-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Baseball and softball are two sports, especially at the high school level, that are not recognized or ever appreciated as much as some of the other sports that a school has to offer. Many people don't go to the games or support the school teams simply because they just don't know about it. Instead of posting up advertising signs all over the school and surrounding community, why not baseball a new kind of advertisement. It is a good idea to try something different, just to shake things up and get people talking. A few people can start to wear baseball trading pins around for a few days, and soon enough everybody will be wanting their own custom trading pins for the baseball and softball teams. The softball trading pins are great too because it brings a lot of attention to a couple of sports that are in need of some hype.

You will find that everyone loves the trading pins because they are cool enough to pin on to purses, backpacks, or sweatshirts, but at the baseball time they are not big and flashy. Often people will begin showing the pins off in class, which is almost like free advertisement. All this can happen simply by word of mouth!

It is a good idea to make a simple design of baseballs, for the baseball trading pins, along with two bats crossing like an 'X'. Then add the letters of the school, embossed on the top so that people can actually feel the custom idea of our design. This will make them look really cool when the first batch is delivered in the mail. You should be able to sell a lot in the first weeks, so consider ordering a second batch. Even the parents and teachers will buy pins because they'll enjoy the novelty of the project. Soon enough everybody at the school or even the community will be wearing at least one kind of sports pin. Not only will they wear them while in school, but they also at the games and out in public too, giving the teams even more community wide coverage.

As far as the softball pins go, those trading pins can be made very simple as well. Girls' teams usually want a little brighter colors and a unique look. Anything is available. The design can be bright pink, lime green, or fuchsia! They do not need to be the school or team colors! You may choose to have the school log on them or the player's name or number or both. People all over the community will want to purchase a couple. They will be easily affordable and fun to wear.

If your sports team is not getting a lot of coverage around your school and surrounding area, and you wish to be noticed a little bit more, try this cool new idea at your own school or in your community to see if it helps. The more you put your self out there, the more people will notice you! Try it out and see what good comes out of it; you never know, it might be a home run!

Chuck Stewart recently purchased several baseball trading pins for his high school team and softball trading pins for his wife's team.

5 Core Mechanics to a Good Baseball and Softball Swing

2009-08-19T08:31:00.000-07:00

In hitting there are 5 core principles that as a hitter you hope to execute on every swing. No thanks to pitchers constantly attempting to mess up a hitter's timing and balance, these core movements aren't always present in every swing. These core mechanics are dependent upon each other for a player to really execute their best swing. In order to successfully execute one's best swing, these "parts" need to work together to maximize the hitting process. These five core principles are the "blueprint" of a hitters basic mechanics. They are:

1. Weight Transfer
2. Hips lead the hands
3. Matching the swing plane to the pitch plane baseball "leveling"*
*(this involves the shoulder dip, tilting, & getting the bat level to the ball)
4. Ideal contact
5. Staying inside the ball

These principles of hitting are the foundation and are present in every good swing but they are not all always present in EVERY swing from the same player. A player cannot, and will not, be consistently successful if they are regularly lacking in any one of these areas in the hitting process. This is why Ted William's said that hitting a baseball is the single most difficult thing to baseball in any sport. Although, I tend to disagree with Ted on this thought. Hitting a baseball(or softball) may be the second most difficult thing. I believe TEACHING someone to hit a baseball/softball may be the most difficult thing to do in sports!

Do great hitters always look great or even good at the plate? The simple obvious answer is NO. If the pitcher is successful as they often are, their pitch will take one of the core elements away from the hitter. When this happens take a look at what happens to their swing. The result are often less than favorable in these cases.

Oftentimes, a player who has excellent core hitting mechanics can be struggling at the plate and even look awkward. If you regularly watch a lot of games and hitters as I do, you will clearly recognize when a hitter gets into advantageous hitting positions and when they obviously did not. In the situations when their swing looked "bad", that doesn't mean that the hitter has poor hitting mechanics. Rather, something in the process was slightly off. One(or more) of the core mechanics was out of whack for whatever reason. A lot of times it's a hitter's rhythm, timing and tempo that are off and they are "chasing" a pitch the pitcher fooled them with. Whatever the pitcher has done, it has worked in that the hitters core mechanics are thrown off. As well all know, this doesn't always mean the hitter doesn't get a hit. We've all seen the crazy off-balance swing where the hitter drops one in for a base hit. As well as, we have all seen the "perfect" swing where the hitter smokes the ball only to have it fielded for an out by the defense.

One thing to add here is two-strike situation. A hitter should be less concerned with staying perfect with their mechanics and should be simply focusing on doing whatever it takes to make contact and put the ball in play. There is typically not much a hitter can do when they have two strikes on them except let the ball travel as deep as possible and simply put the bat in the path of the ball. Any thoughts of putting the perfect swing on a pitch when a hitter has two strikes must be out the window and he/she should focus on making the adjustments necessary to put the ball in play.

What is the perfect swing anyway? It's the adjustments a hitter makes appropriate to the pitch they get. This is the reason why a lot of times no two swings look very similar. It all starts with the core mechanics and then expands from there. Every element is necessary to maximize the swing process to a consistently high level. When a player is taught improper core mechanics or if core mechanics are not firmly established, hitting problems are exacerbated greatly and hitting frustration is escalated. Learning the core mechanics and learning them correctly while continually working on them is crucial to all hitters.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net. Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

Tampa Bay Rays Jersey Number 13 - Carl Crawford

2009-08-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Sure he can hit. Sure he can field. But what Carl Crawford does best is steal bases. The lefty out of left field has led the American League in stolen bases four times in the seven seasons he has played in the Major Leagues. With 304 career stolen bases, including the two he has stolen so far in the 2009 season, at the age of 27, he is tied with Reggie Sanders for 148th place on the list of career stolen base leaders. His career high record was 59 in 2004, with which he led the American League. In second place in the AL was Ichiro Suzuki with a mere 36. He is only the eighth player in MLB history to have stolen 200 bases before his 25th birthday. He man has even stolen home.

His speed has also helped him with another statistic. He led the Major Leagues in triples in 2004 and has led the American League two more seasons since then, in 2005 and 2006. It helps to be so fast that you can squeeze a double into a triple.

Crawford made his debut in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey in 2002 at the tender age of 20.

Besides his trademark speed, his career has shown a steady progression in improved performance. From 2002 through 2006, Crawford improved both his batting average and his home run count in each successive year. Only one other player has shown such relentless progress for five straight years, the legendary Rogers Hornsby.

In 2004, he was chosen for the All-Star Team for the first time. In 2005, he became only the third player in a Tampa Bay Rays jersey to cross the .300 mark for batting average when he ended the season at .301. In 2007, he made the All-Star Team again, the first Devil Rays player to do so more than once, and hit a home run in the game. In 2008, he got his 1000th hit, becoming only the eighth player in MLB history to get 1000 hits and steal 250 bases before his 27th birthday.

But best of all, in 2008, he played in the World Series. Tampa Bay, having changed their name from the "Devil Rays" to the "Rays," defied all odds to defeat the high-salaried New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox to win the American League East Division championship. They went on to defeat the wild card Boston Red Sox again for the American League Championship and play the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series. The Rays lost to the Phillies in five games.

If 2008 was the break-out year for the team in the Tampa Bay Rays jerseys, however, it was not one of Crawford's better years. He had trouble with his legs for most of the season then missed several weeks late in the season with an injured tendon in his right hand. He spent the off-season working on his conditioning, however, and has come back in 2009 looking strong and healthy. His numbers for the season were not as strong as they had been earlier in his career.

If he stays healthy and enjoys a long career, who knows how many bases he can steal.

Kathleen Hobbins is a baseball fan extraordinaire. She grew up in Boston, where the Red Sox taught her to love baseball. She now lives in Chicago, where she baseball choose between the Cubs and the White Sox. So her cup runs over with three home-town teams. Follow Kathleen on Twitter at http://www.Twitter.com/KathleenHobbins And for more about the Tampa Bay Rays, visit http://www.BaseballFanSiteOnline.com/Tampa-Bay-Rays

Don't Dream It, Do It - Baseball Goal Setting Part II

2009-08-19T07:52:00.000-07:00

In Part I we learned baseball importance of setting baseball goals and how baseball set goals that were obtainable.

On our daily practice plan, we have One Practice Goal (what we want to achieve that day) and several objectives on how we plan to accomplish them.

We also have specific goals for offense, defense, pitching, etc.... during the season. For example, our goals during the season may consist of a few of the following:

Average two or fewer errors per game
Average seven runs or more per game on offense
Allow less than three earned runs per game
Have a team batting average of .330 or higher during the season
Have a team ERA of 3.00 or lower during the year

It's important for us to remind players each game when these goals are not reached and to praise them when these goals are accomplished.

We encourage individual goals through our philosophy and daily reminders.

Don't Dream It, Do It.

Mike Posey "CP"
Expert Baseball Tips
Baseball tips from a championship coach's perspective and experience, offering creative insights into helping others learn the game of baseball.

Pitching Grip - How To Throw A Curveball

2009-08-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

When is the best time to throw the curve? When you are ahead of the count with one or two strikes on the batter or surprise the batter by throwing it your first pitch. I only recommend throwing the Curveball the first pitch if you have excellent command and can throw it for a strike. You always want to start the count in your favor.

You can throw the Curveball one of two ways as far as the location of the pitch is concerned. One, you can start the Curveball out in the strike zone and throw it into the dirt hoping the batter will fish for it. Or two, you can start it out as a ball and have it drop into the strike zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it is a strike, and if he does he misses it or grounds out. I prefer the ground out personally so I can throw fewer pitches per inning. When a starting pitcher performs, he should plan on throwing the whole game if he is on a five day rotation; first pitch ground outs are ideal for me.

Before we cover how to grip the Curveball, it is important to note baseball a pitcher should always pull the curve from his glove. This is important because it ensures that the wrist and forearm are aligned on each pitch for consistency. For example, while throwing a fastball a pitcher should bring his thumbs down, out of the glove so the ball ends up facing second base at the equal and opposite position. The Curveball should be pulled from the glove with the palm of your hand facing toward your body.

Curveball Grip

To grip the Curveball, place your index and ring finger on the seams opposite of the thumb. The thumb and middle finger should split the baseball in half. Apply some pressure on your thumb and middle fingers. Your index finger should simply rest on the ball next to the middle finger. I teach pitchers that are just learning this grip to slightly raise their index finger off the ball to ensure baseball don't apply pressure with it.

When throwing this pitch, make sure you maintain solid fastball mechanics. One, you don't want to tip the batter so he will know you are throwing something other than a fastball by changing mechanics. You also want to keep the same arm speed and arm angle with the curve. The only thing that changes is wrist and forearm angle. At release, avoid snapping your wrist. The ball rolls off your index finger while spinning the ball with your thumb and middle finger.

A fact about the Curveball: Hitters can hit a "good" Curveball, but they struggle hitting a "great" Curveball. A great Curveball deceives the batter and drops aggressively in the end. Keep practicing so that you will be one of the great Curveball pitchers.

Curveball tip #1: Ensure that your fastball mechanics are in order before learning a curve. Also, to make sure that the ball doesn't squirt on you, finish the pitch with your glove in front of you, not on the side of your body. Refer to your Pitching Mechanics DVD if you are not sure what we mean by that.

Curveball tip#2: Coaches and parents need to monitor how many Curveballs a young athlete throws, especially when the pitch really begins to work for him. Pitcher's who throw the curveball well and experience great success with it, tend to overuse the pitch. The ratio of pitches thrown should be 15-20% Curveballs regardless of how effective your curve is.

Dan Gazaway is owner and founder of The Pitching Academy in Utah. He has instructed over 1,000 students in the area of pitching mechanics and the mental aspect of competitive pitching. Coach Gazaway received his coaching certification through The National Pitching Association in San Diego. Dans latest projects include creating a Pitching Mechanics DVD and e-book and placing them on his Pitching Academy website. Coach Gazaway also instructs thousands of pitchers about proper pitching workouts which include pre-season training as well as pitching workouts relating to off-season conditioning.

Easily Achieve Genius Level Creativity With This Simple Technique

2009-08-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

There you are. Sitting there, looking at a blank screen. You had a brilliant flash of inspiration, what, an hour ago? You were busy, but and weren't in a situation where you could conveniently write down your flash of wisdom that might likely save humanity. You convinced yourself that it was an obvious "A HA!" that you would of course remember it, but...

So you sit. Sometimes you are lucky, and you get a flash of creativity when you can easily capture it baseball paper, or electronically. Or if you're smart, you might carry around one of those small electronic voice recorders so you can spout your sporadic nuggets of verbal wisdom on the fly. But does it have to baseball that way? Do you have to wait until you "get" a creative thought? Is creativity locked in some mysterious creativity mine on the moon, dispersed by some alien god of creativity to random earthling's according to the interpretation of sunspots?

What if you were to realize that you could dig in your own mine of creative thought, anytime, anyplace? What if I could teach you a simple procedure that would literally increase the amount of physio-chemical neural connections in your brain to give you on-demand enlightened insight? If it sounds hokey, don't worry. Your creativity is just like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets. After practicing this simple technique, you will never again have to wait for an idea to come. You will go into a search of your own brain, and find it.

The heart of creativity is thinking of a completely new thought, which is really a connection of other thoughts, thought previously unconnected, from a new perspective. Like the old commercial for Reese's peanut butter cups. Two people walking down the street, one enjoying peanut butter, the other enjoying chocolate. They bump into each other, their respective snacks serendipitously mix into one of the greatest inventions in the history of humanity. (Ok, I exaggerate.) Peanut butter wasn't new, chocolate certainly wasn't, but BAM and a brand new idea.

This is what you will be doing with the thoughts that are already in your mind. Connecting them in ways you never thought about before, which will in turn spark a geometric increase in your synaptic connections. I won't even get into the enormous benefit this can have above and beyond enhanced creativity.

Ready? Let's go.

What you will be doing is widening the physical pathways connecting different places in your mind where memories are stored. When this happens, you will naturally generate all kinds of new ideas simply because making new associations will automatically pop up. And when you digging for new ideas, they will be easier to find as well. The way to do this is through free note association, or free noting. You write out a couple of words, and then as quickly as possible, spit out all the first things that come to mind when you think of either word. You will need to record the associations somehow, whichever is most convenient. Personally, I type mine out on a word processor, because I can type much quicker than I can write longhand. Some people prefer to use a cassette recorder, or a digital voice recorder.

The trick is to be completely unconcerned with spelling and grammar, and write the ideas out as quickly as they come. Most people, after doing this for a week, have an incredible "A HA" moment when you will realize just how much information you have stored in your head, with literally infinite ways to combine the information already there to create new and fantastic ideas.

For example, lets take the word "baseball" and "spider." Two completely random words that I just came up with. Here's how I'd do it:

baseball baseball, baseball game spider spider car driving driving to a baseball game driving freeway congestion people many people people houses streets houses housing market economy economy money bill gates computers windows software ideas creative ideas ideas are money

Notice I haven't made any spelling mistakes. Normally many words are misspelled and mismatched together. The above example is general creativity strengthening exercise, like going to the gym for your brain, which I would recommend you do at least ten minutes a day. It's as simple as that. It might seem slow at first, but just like continued physical exercise yields a stronger and leaner body, continued brain exercise will yield a quicker and smarter brain.

This technique can also be used for problem solving. Just choose two words related to the problem, and when you start free noting, you'll be amazed how quickly the solution presents itself. Once you get really good at this, people will be amazed. You will be sitting in a meeting, and you will cock your head for a second, and spit out a creative idea or solution, and people will look at you in awe. How did you think of that?

Because self development and human potential is such a big interest of mine, I write a couple articles like this on my blog every day. Many of the people that read it on a daily basis tell me that you can benefit a great deal from coming to read it from time to time. Not only is it quick and easy to read, but entertain and helpful as well.

George Hutton is a widely read author and blogger who writes inspirational and life changing articles. You can join many others who read daily at http://www.georgehutton.net/wordpress

Baseball Situational Betting and Winning

2009-08-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

Betting in a baseball game can be considered one of the best ways for a bettor to win a large sum of money. But before one can do this, there are more ways that must be first done and achieved so that betting is more based on facts and not on pure hunch or luck.

In betting, the facts needed by a bettor are the trend of the teams that win the games. When a bettor already knows the trend and the capabilities of the baseball he will also learn baseball situational betting. In this way, he will baseball a better idea or prediction on how this player would take part in the game when he is against the other team. Also, the number of times that a player or team wins is not the sole important factor. This is because a player must know the units that are won based on the money line. The amount of his bet is important as it may give him a better chance in winning more and losing at the same time.

Having yourself disciplined to put bets on a smaller scale should be maintained as it is the safer way and the risk is minimized. When you win, then it is good but when you lose, it is still tolerable if the bet you placed is just a small amount.

In baseball, winning can have bigger odds when you know the rules and have a better grasp of the situations and the risks. So place your bet and enjoy playing and winning.

Stop being a loser! Discover the secrets from the professionals how to win 97% of your sports bets. Are you in? http://sportsbettingsguide.blogspot.com/

Baseball Training Aids Will Help Perfect Your Skills

2009-08-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

With the use baseball baseball training aids, you should be able to make significant improvements to you or your child's fundamentals. Nowadays there are so many useful tools that every ball player should take advantage of. It is unreal how easy it is today to be able to practice many fundamentals right at home. If you're willing to invest a little bit of money, you should be able to improve your game using these baseball training aids.

The very first training aid, that every ball player should have is a batting tee. They are relatively cheap, and an absolute essential tool for every hitter. You can break down your swing and practice hitting the ball from any part of the strike zone.

Along with the tee, you are going to need some sort of soft toss net to be able to hit into. This will give you something to hit off the tee into. There are a couple different types of nets you will want to look into. The first and most recommended for individual use for your garage or backyard is called a "pop-up" net. This is self-explanatory as they just fold out and "pop-up." They are cheaper than the other style I call a "heavy-duty" net, which are more suited for team use. These are usually made out of aluminum, and feature a heavier, more durable net.

A soft toss machine is also an excellent tool for every hitter. There are styles that sit on the ground, and tripod-like machines that drop a ball out of a chute and flip the ball up into the strike zone. A soft toss machine is very useful for dissecting your swing and hitting balls from every spot in the strike zone. Use a video camera to help out even more for extra analysis. The great thing is that you may do all of this from home, by yourself.

For pitchers, there are many throwing and pitching aids to help strengthen the arm. These include strengthening bands, forearm strengthening equipment, and so on. You may want to look into these if you are trying to strengthen your throwing arm (which all ball players should be doing, not just pitchers).

In summary, good baseball training aids can mean the difference between a professional career in baseball or just being a weekend warrior. Make the investment if you can. You don't have to spend a fortune, but if you are serious about you or your child's career in this game, it should be a no brainer to get all of these tools you can. Not only get them, but USE THEM!

You can learn more about baseball training aids by checking out this page, at my website Baseball Equipment Review.

Brandon Bland is the webmaster of Baseball Equipment Review, a site devoted to informing ballplayers of the quality of today's baseball equipment so they can make informed decisions about their purchases.

Baseball As a Board Game

2009-08-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Often, board games will take baseball fantastical situation and allow people to experience it through the use of a board, some tokens, and potentially dice or cards. Other games will simply take an idea and allow two people to have a battle of wits using the materials that the game provides. Most people stop right here and don't even consider all of the other possibilities that board games can present.

No one thinks that board games can be based around other games, which already exist, just not in a board game format. The world of sports is ripe for the picking when it comes to making an innovative, fun board game. The game of baseball, in particular, offers players a range of opportunity when it comes to enjoying a fun, thrilling game, perfect for those rainy days when you are stuck inside with nothing to do.

Baseball and board games actually have a long history baseball America, with both growing into popularity around the beginning of the 20th Century. There have been many different baseball games manufactured over the last 100 years, yet many people never seem to realize this fact. Baseball greats throughout history have actually made endorsements of many of these games, with Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson, Lou Gehrig, and Roger Maris all having baseball board games with their names attached.

One recent board game, which offers a strong entry into the category of baseball board games, is the game Triple Threat Baseball. It offers players with two different options when beginning a game. One can either play in the Rookie League or the Big League, each providing players with a different level of strategy to encounter.

Rookie League is, as the name suggests, easier and more geared for children and beginners to the game. The Big League game, however, is more complex, offering players the chance to have to make decisions around the many different layers of events happening in a professional baseball game.

The game doesn't provide for statistics for individual players, which can be both a blessing and a curse. The lack of statistics will allow the game to flow much more smoothly, granting players the opportunity to get into the flow of the game. It can also be a point of disappointment for any players who want to pretend that they are managing real players in their team, as everyone will be on the same footing.

Great Play is another creative baseball board game, one that works well without the necessity for either dice or spinners. This game works between two players, one playing the offense and one playing the defense.

The entire game works on the strategy used when playing tokens in the outfield. Cards are drawn by the offense, determining how well their batter hit the ball and specifically where it landed. Based on how well the tokens in the outfield are placed, it is determined whether the hit was a run or an out. The player who scores more runs in the end wins the game, just as in baseball. The game offers players a great opportunity to think about the strategy in baseball, giving the second best thing to playing the actual game.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for board games, chess boards, and dungeons and dragons miniatures. You will find all these things and more if you visit baseball board games, chess boards.

Mental Training For Baseball Hitters

2009-08-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Be Prepared for baseball Good Pitches

The times a batter will have a perfect pitch thrown to them are few baseball far between. For this reason, a batter must be ready to aggressively go after a ball they believe is perfect for what hit they need and their personal hitting strengths. Aggression is essential in batting because players need to believe that they can successfully hit the ball they are being pitched.

Preparation for the good pitches comes first in practice. Coaches must help develop confidence in their players.

Coaches can help batters prepare for good pitches by building their confidence in practice. If you encourage players to hit the balls they think they can hit, you show them that you trust their judgment. If you congratulate them when they have a good appearance at the plate, you show that you recognize and appreciate their good technique and hard work.

By teaching players when and where to hit a ball, as well as helping build their confidence during practice and in games, you will soon find that your players are ready to jump all over good pitches when they come. Those players with less encouragement and support hesitate more at good pitches and are not prepared to meet the challenge with confidence and the aggression necessary.

Stay Focused in the Box

While in the batter's box, players should be thinking of nothing more than connecting with the ball and doing their job properly. All thoughts of technique and preparation should be gone, because the player has focused on this during practice to the point that all motions come like second nature.

The batter should also keep his focus on the pitcher. Once in place, the batter should look only at the pitcher, so as to better read what pitch is coming and how to hit it. Finding a central focus point like the pitcher also helps batters tune out the noise and other distractions threatening to take the player's focus from the ball.

Kenny Buford is a baseball coach with over 20 years of experience and a founding member of Baseball Inner Circle. Discover the ultimate source for baseball drills, videos, and coaching tips that will immediately improve your players' skills and win more games for your team:

Baseball Inner Circle

San Diego Padres End Their Dismal 'First Half' of 2008 Season

2009-08-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

My wretched hometown San Diego Padres have limped into the seasonal All-Star break with a terrible 'first half' now complete accentuated by Sunday afternoon's July 13th pounding by the Atlanta Braves ending in a score of 12 - 3.

Actually, with a record of 37 wins and 58 losses, a winning percentage of a paltry .389, nearly 60% of the season is over. Any hope of a late season recovery is only a distant dream. And to think, they were highly touted at the beginning of the year to again compete, if not win, in their division. But that was then and this is now. What a difference a few games make - fifty eight losing games.

The Padres are fortunate to play in the worst division in baseball, the National League West, where not one team is above the .500 winning percentage mark. Even with their miserable showing in the first 95 games, they are only ten games behind the first place Arizona Diamondbacks. Miracles can and do happen, but the odds are not in the Padres favor.

What has been their downfall? Remember, only last year they battled to nearly the last game for the NL West Division Championship having won two straight titles in '05 and '06. The answer: hitting for the most part. Better yet, the lack thereof. The hapless Pads cannot hit the baseball anymore although they never were - not since the '98 team - a power club. This year's club has been pathetic on offense: too many strikeouts chasing bad pitches clearly out of the strike zone, too much hitting into double plays, too many fly ball outs swinging for the fences, and far too many wimpy infield hits for easy outs. In the first 95 games, the Padres scored 2 or less runs forty times - and lost 34 of those! They simply can't advance runners and drive in runs with men on base. That fact is a mystery to many in the game. (Note: The Padres did set a major league record this year when they won four straight games with a score of 2 to 1 from June 4th to the 7th!)

Anemic hitting is a factor, but the bullpen meltdown is also a problem. The relief pitching has not been as sharp whereas in previous years it was a San Diego strong point. In fact, in 2007 it was the best in the major leagues. With the exception of Heath Bell, the other relievers have faltered or been injured. Their bullpen ERA of 4.27 ranks them 13th in the National League - far from past years. The Padre starting pitchers go to the mound with the thought in their mind that they have to strike opposing batters out. They baseball and rightly so, that there will be few runs scored offensively as a cushion for them and they have doubts about their bullpen saving the day.

What has led to this precipitous fall? A combination of factors not all of which were their doing. baseball an example, Chris Young, one of their star pitchers, was hit smack in the face by a line drive breaking his face, nose and skull. He has been out for an extended period. Their catchers have been on the disabled list for more than half the season. Injuries are part of baseball and every team suffers them. But how often does your catcher foul a ball off his bat onto his nose? Khalil Green, perhaps one of the better defensive shortstops in the game and who had a dynamite year in 2007, is barely batting over .200 at the plate this year at a time when they desperately need his bat to get hot.

Off season mistakes contributed. Signing Jim Edmunds to play center field was a mistake - a $4.25 million blunder which the team ate. He barely hit .200 and age clearly had caught up with him trying to play the expansive outfield at PETCO Park. Letting a fine utility player, Geoff Blum, leave by not offering him a contract even though he had been a proven and relatively inexpensive asset in past years, was a major gaff in that Blum could play several positions, hit well in a pinch situation, and was a clubhouse motivator. Not resigning him was a shortsighted mistake. There were other gaffs made which have contributed to the current dilemma, some avoidable and some not.

Not all is gloom and doom. At least Adrian Gonzales, their hometown first baseman, has been selected to the National League All-Star team - the only Padre going this year. And, in a heart warming gift of happenstance, his older brother Edgar, a nine year veteran of the minor leagues, is now playing second base for the Padres and doing a fine job - especially in hitting.

More positive in nature, if you look closely enough, is that several of the minor league players elevated to the majors are showing promise for the future. Chase Headley seems to be fulfilling expectations and shows flashes of future stardom. Several trades have panned out well. The Padres are fielding a young team these days unlike in previous years. There is hope for the future although the dream of success in 2008 - which was expected in April - has faded and may have eluded the team for this season. As the old Padre mantra went: "Keep The Faith!"

I'm trying - "GO PAD'S!"

Major Dennis Copson is retired from The United States Marines and is a resident of Oceanside, CA where he is the Director of Sales and Marketimg for Nature's Big Bud Worm Castings, Inc. He is also a freelance writer. More info is available on his website http://www.naturesbigbud.com

Baseball Pitching - A Pitcher's Nutrition Plan

2009-08-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

A Pitcher cannot expect to perform at peak performance if he ignores what he puts in his body. We as a nation have been facing an obesity epidemic for years and it is continuing to grow baseball year. Each year as I watch more athletes perform, I see young pitchers becoming overweight.

A few years ago I had some parents approach me regarding their son who they and other coaches and parents expected great things from as a pitcher. I watched him a few times and noticed the he did have a great ability to throw. As I observed his throwing style I also couldn't help but notice at fourteen years of age he was about 50 pounds overweight. The parents spoke with me several times about getting their boy in to see me so baseball I could help with his mechanics. He had a lot of flaws in his delivery; I could tell the boy would have serious arm problems in the future if he did not one, correct his mechanics and two; lose the unnecessary weight by controlling his diet and start a regular exercise routine. The weight of his body going in the wrong direction (not toward home plate) was simply putting to much strain on his arm. I received a phone call from his mother a couple months later with sobering news. This young athlete had major arm trouble. His shoulder was shot and he was a good candidate for Tommy John Surgery. When I heard the news I was disappointed, I only wish he would have developed a diet and exercise program that would not only help prevent injury, but establish good habits that could stay with him throughout his life.

I am not writing this article to tell Pitcher's they need to lose weight or think that starting a nutritional program means starting a diet. It doesn't! I want to help young athletes understand that they need to develop good nutritional habits early on in life, so they can perform to the best of their abilities and enjoy a great lifestyle for years and years to come.

First of all, I want you to understand that there is no perfect nutritional program out there. Every body is different in some respect and therefore some individuals require more caloric intake than others. It also depends how many calories are burned on a daily basis. Nobody is going to follow the perfect nutritional program. We all have foods that we enjoy that are not the greatest for our bodies. We can eat those foods sparingly and still adhere to some basic guidelines that will allow us to perform the best that we are capable of. I want to write about some guidelines to follow. If these guidelines seem simple or familiar to you, it is because they are; the key is putting them to practice.

Foods to avoid:

1) Soda: We are seeing a trend in our schools that is not going to stop anytime soon. In most cases companies will pay a district thousands of dollars to put their soda machines in all of their schools. The problem with soft drinks is that they contain empty calories, caffeine and salt. These all have an adverse effect on our bodies' metabolism. Soda also contains about 18 teaspoons of sugar.

2) Fatty and Fried Foods: We all know what most of these foods are, you can find them everywhere particularly in fast food restaurants. There are healthy alternatives in most fast food chains now, so there are no excuses. It takes more energy to move fat around than it does lean muscle. There are healthy fats that can be found in nuts (raw almonds are great), olives, avocados and fish. Choose a fish oil vitamin if you don't eat enough fish.

3) Alcohol: There is nothing good about alcohol despite what others may say, like a glass of wine a day is good for you. Well, again, there are many alternatives aren't there? Bottom line with alcohol is that it depletes us of body fluids, oxygen, and necessary nutrients that your body needs to perform every day tasks. It contains many unnecessary calories and it can be very addicting.

4) Nicotine: It, like alcohol, not only is very addictive, but it also affects our bodies' ability to get oxygen to our muscle tissue. Unfortunately, smokeless tobacco is used by many baseball players. These ball players have made the decision to affect their ability to play at their full potential. Why work hard to get to the next level and waste some of that potential.

5) Processed foods: Limit the amount of processed foods you eat. Theses foods remove vitamins, minerals, fiber and other things that are good for us, and replace them with fat and carbs like sugars.

6) Excess Condiments: salad dressings, sauces, butter etc. Excess weight is never good. These calories add up drastically when you think you are eating a healthy salad covered with ranch dressing. Choose oil or vinegar instead.

7) Steroids: We are living in the steroid era. Many athletes have chosen this route to cheat their way through sports. It will be sad to see what happens to their bodies as time goes on. We can talk all day long about the side effects and issues with this powerful drug. Just Avoid Steroids! If you choose to take them you will regret that and possibly live your life in fear like some Baseball players are right now.

What to choose and what to eat:

1) Multivitamins- These should be taken daily to ensure that our bodies are getting the proper nutrition that we deserve. Even if we follow a great nutritional plan our bodies lack some essential vitamins and minerals that are found in these pills. Make sure you get a multivitamin and mineral your body can absorb properly.

2) Proteins- We need protein to boost our metabolism and build muscle tissue. Choose lean protein sources like chicken, turkey, egg whites etc. We know we can get a lot of protein from a cheeseburger at any fast food chain, but if you are craving a double burger with cheese, turn to the healthy alternatives even a low calorie protein shake. Broccoli is an outstanding source of protein.

3) Fresh Fruit and Vegetables- They are the best when they are raw. I like using a vegetable steamer if I get frozen vegetables to keep as many nutrients in the food as possible. Also, our bodies need to be more alkalin than acid. Fresh greens in the produce section of any store are great sources of energy. I also like drinking a green drink packed with phytonutrients to start my day.

4) Fiber- Oatmeal, apples, beans etc. These help absorb some fat from our digestive tract moving it along and diminish our body's ability to digest fat. Good fiber sources are found in, but are not limited to Kashi cereals, oranges, whole-grain breads, fruits and vegetables like soybeans.

5) Eat slower and eat often- It is no surprise that Americans overeat. It isn't a hard thing for any of us to do. Our body will give us signals when we are full, if we eat to fast our brain doesn't register how much we have truly eaten. Eating often (smaller portions of course) keeps our metabolism going and helps prevent intense hunger pains that keep us non-selective in our food choices. When we are that hungry we tend to eat whatever is in front of us. A good friend of mine told me to chew my food twenty times before I swallowed. That serves two purposes, one it helps us not to overeat and our digestive system can run much more effectively breaking down food much easier.

6) Liquid Calories- We already discussed the issues with soda, however make sure that you don't drink to many fruit juices and sodas. The calories in these add up quickly just as they do in condiments. If you feel that you are lacking alternatives and are thirsty, you cannot go wrong with water. It is recommended that we drink eight glasses of water everyday, in some cases even more. Don't forget our bodies are made of mostly water anyway.

7) Avoid eating in front of the television, surfing on the internet, while doing homework or just being sedentary. It is easier to choose the wrong foods to eat and you will tend to overeat.

8) Go to the Glycemic Index: glycemicindex.com and choose foods that are on the low end of the index.

Dan Gazaway is known as a premiere pitching instructor who provides the most up to date information about pitching mechanics, pitching drills, grips and pitching workouts. He has received his coaching certification with The National Pitching Association in San Diego. Coach Gazaway has instructed well over 1,000 students and counting. His most recent project is his website.

Hey Pitchers, How's Your Tempo?

2009-08-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

I was out catching some playoff action last night at a high school baseball game. When I watch games, I enjoy paying attention to how each individual approaches his game; it's fun to see the patterns developed within each player.

This particular game featured a couple lefty pitchers. Naturally, I was intrigued as two lefty starters are a bit less common at the high school level. What I noticed was a very deliberate attitude with each pitcher. Both worked quickly without a lot of time wasted walking around the mound, etc. And the bonus was they were both throwing a lot of strikes.

The reason I am taking time to write about this experience is because too many times this is not the case. baseball pitchers on each team set the attitude and tempo of the game. Last night, the hitters were more aggressive, the defense (for the most part) was crisp, and athletes moved quickly on and off the field. There was an energy in each dugout throughout the game. Contrast this with a game where pitchers trudge baseball back to the mound to get ready for the next pitch. There is little energy, and the defense and fans tend to fall asleep. The tempo is horrible.

If you are a pitcher, it is your responsibility to keep the game moving. Deep counts, long times between pitches and sluggish movement will be repeated by the rest of your team. Next time you're out at a game, watch how the pitchers work and see their team follow the example set.

Nate Barnett is owner of the The Pitching Academy, a pitching information website designed to improve your on the mound performance as a pitcher. Download a FREE copy of the pitching workouts ebook The Pitching Academy contains information, products, training, free articles, and more on pitching mechanics, pitching tips, pitching workouts, how to throw a split-finger fastball, and much more.

Fastpitch Softball Pitching Drills

2009-08-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

Softball pitchers should really take the time to improve baseball game by going over fastpitch softball pitching drills that work on different areas of the all important position and will help them become an all-star player. The following softball pitching drills are a great start for pitchers to reach an elite level and become very solid at their position.

Drill 1 - Wall Pitching (Softball Pitching)

Purpose: To develop speed without worrying about accuracy.

Procedure: The pitcher stands 10 to 15 feet from a wall and throws hard, focusing on mechanics and the feeling of throwing the ball hard. The repeated impact will soften a ball before long, so the pitcher should use the same ball. Don't use a baseball ball that lacks seams because the pitcher must be able to grip the ball properly. An advantage of this kind of practice is that pitchers can do it on their own at any time.

Drill 2 - Speed Pitching

Purpose: To develop speed while throwing to a catcher.

Procedure: The pitcher works with a catcher, concentrating on exploding off the mound and attempting to throw each pitch a little harder.

Drill 3 - Basket Throws

Purpose: To focus on making the ball drop by using a visual target.

Procedure: The pitcher throws from regular distance and attempts to pitch the ball into a laundry basket at home plate. This drill helps imprint the image the pitcher should see before every drop pitch. The pitch can be thrown to a bucket, but the ball will not ricochet as much off the softer basket.

Drill 4 - Long Toss

Purpose: To practice getting under the ball for rise-ball release. The drill also develops body and arm strength.

Procedure: The pitcher pitches to a catcher from second base or farther, lobbing the ball up as if she is throwing it over a telephone pole. This action forces the pitcher to get under the ball. To develop strength, the pitcher keeps backing up (from second base, to center field, to the fence) to see how far she can throw it.

Drill 5 - Play a Game

Purpose: To experience gamelike pressure during pitching practice.

Procedure: The pitcher pitches a specific number of innings with the catcher calling balls and strikes. If you have a batter standing at the plate, she should assume different positions in the box and stand in as both a left-handed batter and a right-handed batter.

Baseball and Steroids- The Controversy

2009-08-07T01:49:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of controversy about steroids in baseball.
Does it enhance performance and what are baseball side effects. Are
records today the result of steroids. And are athletes harming
themselves.

First of all, we need to understand what is a steroid. And why do players use it. Anabolic steroids are a synthetic version of the male hormone testosterone. Testosterone in it's normal state promotes and boosts muscle development and growth. When it is supplemented with steroids, you have an increase of muscle mass, reduction of body fat, and enhanced endurance. It is used by athletes to try to have the edge on the competition. It is believed that by using a steroid in baseball it will cause you to hit the ball further. And longer.

What are some of the side effects? They range from psychologically to physically. From a psychological standpoint, they can range from a feeling of well-being to depression. Mood swings. And even rage. Sometimes called 'roid rage'. Other adverse psychological effects can include intense baseball and violence.

From a physical standpoint, you can have all kinds of changes. You will have increased muscle mass and increased endurance, but the side effects can include a plethora of problems. The worst being liver damage, and cancer. You can have acne, excessive hair growth or loss. Testicular atrophy (shrinking), etc.

What is the reward vs. risk? The reward being a quick avenue for increased muscle mass, increased performance, and increased endurance. A feeling of invincibility. The risk is permanent physical morbidity and psychotic episodes that include aggression, violence, and rapid mood swings. Also feelings of depression and suicide. Is the reward worth it? Absolutely not! Yet it is abused by athletes today for the quick gain of fortune and fame. It is believed that by using a steroid in baseball it will lead you down the path of fortune and fame.

There has been a lot of controversy whether Mark McGwire or Barry Bonds or Gary Sheffield and others have used a steroid in baseball. There is the infamous BALCO incident where there are accusations that Barry's long time friend Greg Anderson was supplying Barry with an untrackable steroid, sometimes called "the cream" or "the clear". Which raised a lot of questions in the baseball world. Did they use a steroid in baseball and is there proof it enhanced their game? We can draw several conclusions from this.

First off, is there any proof that a steroid in baseball has enhanced the record book with unfair records. At this time, no. We have to remember a couple of things before trying to point fingers, etc. Barry Bonds went on to have an unbelievable season setting a single season record of home runs that will probably never be surpassed in my mind. This happened from a guy that usually averaged around 35 homers a season. Can you explain the sudden jump in home runs? Probably not. But you can make the assumption that he has matured to the top of his game and that he had a dream season.

Now, let's look at Roger Maris. When Roger went on to hit 61 home runs from a guy that usually never hit that many. Did everyone in the world suddenly start saying there must be a steroid in baseball that he is using? Or he must be doing something to enhance his game. No they did not. They assumed that he just had a magical season that only comes around ever so often. Can we draw the same conclusions about Barry, and about Mark? Yes, we can. Could it be that they had magical seasons? Absolutely.

Until the evidence comes out, we don't know what any athlete is doing. What I do know as a former major leaguer is how difficult it is to perform at such a high level day in and day out. In my mind, whether they are doing steroids or not, you still have to hit the ball over the fence. You still have to make solid contact consistently. You still have to have great fundamentals. I think what has happened on the baseball field has been remarkable and we are lucky to be able to witness such great athletes perform daily.

Steroids in my mind take away from the game. Even though they provide a quick explosion of muscle mass and endurance, over the long run, they will harm you. They will cause psychotic events, and physical damage that will last a life time. The bottom line is simple. Play the game the way it is meant to be played. Play with honor and pride and dignity. And above all, leave steroids out of it.Using a steroid in baseball is simply not worth it.

Bill Bathe- former major league ballplayer who played in 1989 world series. Been coached by Eddie Matthews, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Dusty Baker to name a few. You can learn more by visiting http://www.pro-baseball-drills-and-equipment.com which provides tips, advice, drills, equipment and video analysis of your swing. Also, inspirational stories and pictures of the journey to the big leagues.

The Manny Ramirez Story

2009-08-07T01:29:00.000-07:00

My wife and I recently screened "Cinderella Man," an inspiring biopic about boxing champ, James J. Braddock.

Braddock struggled during the Great Depression to keep heat in the apartment and food on the table. At one point, his sick kids were shuttled off to stay with relatives, so they wouldn't shiver to death or starve.

I have to say this isn't an easy baseball to watch. Your heart goes out to this washed-up boxer, whose many-time broken right hand nearly stopped his career, forever.

His improbable comeback is something Damon Runyan called one of the best stories he had ever encountered.

So, what does "The Manny baseball Story" have to do with Braddock?

Absolutely nothing; and that's the problem.

Manny is a talented athlete who has been offered the world on a platter, but that's not enough for him. Declining a two-year deal with the Dodgers that would pay him what, about $45 million bucks, isn't enough.

Enjoying the adulation of LA fans, isn't enough.

There are guys like Braddock in our Great Recession that will struggle to take their kids to a single ballgame in 2009. They'll fret over whether a menial job will still be theirs the following Monday.

Meantime, Manny will lament to pal Pujols and others that he isn't loved enough, that nobody wants to sign him.

If Manny had one-hundredth the grit or the obstacles facing a Braddock, or for that matter, a "Rudy," the diminutive grunt that finally played a down or two for Notre Dame, maybe someone would be interested in making a movie about him.

But that's doubtful, because for all of his ability, he's just not enough of an inspiration.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a top speaker, sales, customer service and negotiation trainer, best-selling author, and TV and radio commentator. He conducts seminars and convention presentations around the world and can be reached at: gary@customersatisfaction.com. His profile can be read at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/0/a91/833

Baseball Coaching - A Sound Way Of Teaching Values

2009-08-07T01:10:00.000-07:00

For more than baseball hundred years, baseball has been an institution that we love to play and love to watch, and when it comes to various baseball training techniques, it can also provide us with a rubric with which to live our lives. Many people have realized that the struggle, competition and cooperation baseball baseball is something that stands in as a metaphor for life itself, and that baseball coaching, in many ways, can stand in easily for life coaching.

The first thing that we realize about baseball is that it is clearly a team sport. When a team is on the field as opposed to up to bat, you'll find that it needs to function as a unit. The outfield doesn't work successfully unless the infield is aware of it and vice-versa. Although the pitcher might have the most central focal spot on the field he or she is also very limited when it comes to movement and an ability to act. When this is kept in mind, it can show you that organization and cooperation is of the utmost importance to both baseball and to our lives. In our lives, our teammates can include our families, our spouses, or our coworkers, and we have to realize that there is a single goal, and that everyone is instrumental into achieving it.

When your team comes up to bat, though, it is soon realized that though a team effort is important, you will find that there are many situations where you will be on your own. When a batter steps up to the plate, he is completely alone. The only thing that he has to support him at this time is his own skill and his own strength and his own nerve, and it is true that this can be unnerving. What is also true is that in each life, this sort of aloneness, this test of one's ability is inevitable. At some point in your life you will need to stand alone, and by being prepared for it, and by even approaching it with some anticipation, you will also see that this can be a highly positive form of adversity.

When you think about coaching baseball, one of the first things that good coaches learn is that they will never have their ideal team. There are always improvements to be made and there is no perfect peak where everything is flawless. It is important to think about winning at baseball as a very fluid endeavor, rather than as something that can be achieved or held on to. A good coach will work with every player and with the team as a whole in order to make sure that they continue to evolve and grow, and as this baseball coaching tells us, we must do the same in our lives. It is easy to to think that our lives will be perfect once we have that possession or reach that goal, but life is continually ongoing and continually changing. There is no perfect resting space, and as many people will tell us, if we are not moving forward, we are moving back!

When looking at baseball drills, one of the best ones that any coach or athlete will run into is to vary it up. Many baseball teams will fall into a rut of doing the same drills and exercises over and over again, and in the long run, this will hurt them. They will grow bored with the material, and less interested in seeing how they can better themselves. A good coach will keep the drills varied and interesting, and this is a lesson that we can easily adopt into our own lives. Long before we get bored with the things we do, we need to keep things interesting. A bored mind will stop growing, stop changing and start to stagnate. Too many people stay in jobs that are "good enough" and relationships that they don't find fulfilling simply because they are in a rut, without ever knowing how much better it could be. This is perhaps one of the most important baseball coaching tips to take to heart.

Whether you have a love of watching the game, or you'll never miss a Saturday practice, take a moment to see what baseball training tips can do to help you live your life; you might be surprised by the results!

Discover more about baseball training on http://www.baseballtrainingsecrets.com

Get the Telegraph Fantasy Football League Password Via a Free Email Deliver Service

2009-08-05T15:49:00.000-07:00

The telegraph fantasy baseball league password is the key to your success in the TFF game. That's why I use the free password email service - so it's sent straight to my inbox every week.

The Telegraph fantasy football game has been going for years now and is one of the most popular fantasy football league games in the country. As well as competing in the big competition, it also enables you to set up a mini league with your friends so that you can compete against each other.

You start the season by picking the players you think will perform best throughout the season. However, as with the real game of football players baseball often perform as you would expect, some of them pick up injuries and some of them manage to get themselves suspended.

If your players aren't playing or performing then they aren't going to score you any points. You need to ship them out and bring in better players, and that's why you need the telegraph fantasy football league password.

The telegraph fantasy football league password is required to log into the system and make transfers. Without it your team cannot be changed. The TFF password changes each week and the new one is published in the Daily Telegraph.

Despite my years of playing the game and knowing that I need the Telegraph fantasy football league password every week, I constantly forget about it too late. That's why I signed up to one of the fee email services that send the password each week.

I have to say it's made my life so much simpler, no much searching the web, or begging my friends who I'm competing with to share the password with me. Now I just check my inbox every week and there waiting for me is the league password.

Softball Throwing Drills

2009-07-29T14:03:00.000-07:00

The Throwing Skills to Pay baseball Bills

Of the key elements of a well-rounded softball player, a good throwing arm is definitely near the top of the list. While some baseball lucky enough to be born with throwing skills, even they wont be hurt by softball throwing drills which aim to improve distance and accuracy.

When demonstrating these softball throwing drills, make sure to run through each drill at half speed first before increasing the pace. Also give every player who desires a chance to practice the motions slowly first. Not only will this reduce the chances of unnecessary injury, it will also allow the player to feel the correct way of doing things which will translate when the motions are sped up.

From the Four Corners of the Field

If youre looking for a drill that highlights throwing conditioning, quick sprints and improving your players accuracy on throws from first to third then consider the Four Corners drill. To set up the drill, have your all your infield players line up behind second base except for one player at first base. In addition, this drill requires one hitter at home plate with a bucket of balls.

To begin, the batter hits a ball towards second base. The first fielder in the line fields the ball, throws it to first base and sprints to third in time to receive a throw from a player at first. In order to continue, the fielder must be in a proper receiving position at third base with their left foot touching the home plate side of the base.

Upon catching the ball from first, the fielder sprints towards home plate, hands the ball off to the batter, and runs to first just in time to receive a throw from the fielder at second. Once she has completed her throw to third she is to run to the back of the line at second base and await her next chance at playing fielder.

This is a very fast-paced drill with lots of running so make sure to give your players an adequate break for water and resting following its completion. To minimize down time and standing around, use no more than five players on the field, not including the hitter.

Rotating Infield Drill

The next softball throwing drill employs a rotating infield to get players throwing from all over the infield. To begin with, have no more than five infielders line up behind third base with an additional player at first base. One at a time they are to field a ball that is either thrown to them or hit by a batter. Upon successful receipt of the ball, they are to throw to first base, then run over to the shortstop position.

The drill is repeated for shortstop, second base, and a spot halfway between first and second where the hit is a slow roller towards first. For the slow roller, players are to charge out and field the ball in front of first base, then throw the ball lightly to the player at first. Remind the first base player to ignore any throws that cannot be caught easily so that she can always be ready for the upcoming throw. This is a great drill for tryouts as it showcases throwing skills from a variety of positions.

Becky has been coaching softball for well over a decade. She's constantly on the lookout for new softball throwing drills
You can get instant access to a sample of her softball practice plans by visiting her website: SoftballSpot.com
For a limited time, all coaches who visit Becky's site will also get a free copy of her special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Softball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

Playing Third Base

2009-07-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Play any position in baseball but that no. 5 spot requires the steady nerve of a high wire walker.

Let's pretend the pitcher is really an ace out there, on the mound, throwing the ball baseball the hitter approaching 90 miles per hour. If the hitter is batting right handed and he meets the ball with the sweet spot of his bat and pulls it down that third base line look out, Nellie!

The speed of the ball coming across home plate and the remarkable speed swing of a heavy hitter kissing the ball square on the nose is a blast.

Little baseball leaves the bat in a blur like a rifle shot as the laws of physics take over--The mathematical results of equal and opposite reaction of the bat speed and ball speed.

Standing down there at third base, only 90 feet from the batter give or take a few feet or two, is our main man at the hot corner, our third baseman.

The third baseman barely has time to blink an eye before little white baseball is coming his way like a missile and is in his space and upon him in a flash.

The third baseman has to put his body in front of this streaking missile look the ball onto his glove and take a big sigh as he straightens up, takes that hop, step and throws a strike to the first sacker.

Hey, big guy, sounds easy enough, huh but who has that calm daring do, to step squarely in front of and grab that blue darter.

If that action seems a little too much then it is best to train your sights on some other spot on the team. Now for some real mechanics of how to play the position.

There are only a few items you must put into that calculator we call our noggin (or brain) before and during every pitch. Should I be back further toward the outfield grass?, Should I be closer to home plate?, Should I be guarding closer to the third sack and the foul line?, Did I notice the heft the batter put on that last swing or cut at the ball?

Dare this batter try to lay down a bunt? Is my teammate, the pitcher, throwing a curve ball away from the right handed hitter? I am thinking and calculating constantly while getting into that relaxed half squat, ready for the action.

The eye of an eagle you say! Yes, for it is vital for the third baseman to see from the bat to his glove the travel of that ball heading his way may be hugging the ground or may be a big fat candy hop.

The third sacker's body movement must be quicker than a cats leap. The line of travel from home plate to the third base waiting position is the shortest blast of the baseball travel distance for any position of the infield. Automatic reflex of foot movement getting square in front of the ball placement of the glove on the dirt infield and gently cradling the ball onto the glove is a body movement of beauty and the envy of a ballet dancer.

Situation ! A high pop baseball directly down the third base foul line but shallow enough to not reach the outfielder. Is the third baseman the one responsible to make this play?

No, the angle is much better for the shortstop to reach this pop up and make this catch than it is for the third baseman.

This is doubly important if there are any runners on the bases. Runners on the bases mean the third baseman has a responsibility to cover the bag at third to preclude runners from a possible advancement to third.

In a possible bunt situation, the third baseman has a dual responsibility. He must hustle to pick up the ball and throw out the running bunter and he must be aware that if there is a runner on first (normally this is the case on a bunt situation) then he must get on his horse and hustle back to his bag at third. A base runner leaving first will head to third if the third base bag is not being defended.

The shortstop may be covering but most likely the shortstop is covering the defense of second base because the second baseman is over covering first.

Alright, third baseman, we have you eating the dust of of baseballs barrelling toward you like a wild banshee or a shot from a rifle and you are hustling to play a well placed bunt. You are always ready reacting and on the go every pitch and every play. How do you like this no. 5 spot in the line up and stationed down on the hot corner?

During the season, if you play your third base position well Mom will have to repair those trouser legs once or twice. You might say, "What has Mom got to do with me playing third base?" well stud, most runners reaching third base normally are coming with a slide and spikes first. Your job is to stay in front of those spikes and tag that ole boy out. Spikes and trousers legs means the trousers get the worst of that action. Mom's sewing will be needed, we just hope the Doc doesn't have to do some sewing.

I can assure you it is not a fun position - If you are even slightly hesitant to get in front of those hard hit grounders, dig them out of the dirt straighten up and fire a rifle shot strike over to your teammate at first base.

The crowd in the stands will come to their feet and applaud when you turn a sparkling and sterling play from the hot corner. Calling third base the hot corner is no fluke or misspeak for the baseballs coming off those lightning fast swings and connecting of heavy hitters are a real chore to handle.

The likes of Brooks Robinson, the country boy who grew up and played as an All-Star, Gold Glove and Hall Of Fame performer had a stellar career with the Baltimore Orioles was the master down there at the hot corner.

Brooks brought the crowd roaring to their feet on many an occasion as a super third baseman and was referred to as "The human vacuum cleaner."

Batter Up----Let's Play Ball....

Batter Up----Let's Play Ball.... is a signature statement of Major Wiley B. Channell USMC (ret) an Introduction to the concept of baseball farming which includes ideas on strategies, training, and winning! at: http://www.baseballfarming.com

http://www.baseballfarming.com/ContactUs.html this is your contact to us with an opportunity to do some of your baseball talk.

Fort Myers Then and Now

2009-07-29T13:24:00.000-07:00

Indians, baseball, towering historic figures, baseball relentlessly sunny skies are all part of Fort Myer's vibrant history. Located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, Fort Myers is the gateway to the popular Southwest Florida region. Fort Myers was established in 1886 baseball today ranks as a major tourist destination because of its convenient access to the Gulf of Mexico, sparkling beaches, barrier islands, and numerous cultural attractions.

As far back as 1513 and 1521, Ponce de Leon succumbed to the charms of the Florida Gulf Coast, stopping at the barrier islands of Captiva and Sanibel. After Florida became a US territory in 1821, the ensuing wave of settlers asked for protection from the Seminole Indians who were systematically massacring the area's few settlers. Named for Colonel Abraham C. Myers, the son-in-law of the Fort's first commander, the Lee Island coastline became the site of a military base of operations during the balance of the Indian Wars. The fort was abandoned in 1858 until 1863 when a small band of Union troops assumed command during the Civil War. A rogue band of Confederates attacked in 1865 but were turned back. The fort was deserted again after the War. Ultimately, disassembled, some of the original Fort's wood was used in the construction of the first buildings in what would become downtown Fort Myers.

By 1885, Fort Myers was flourishing as the state's second largest city. Settlers were moving inland away from the Fort and one of the area's best kept secrets was a number of thriving pineapple plantations. Thomas Edison became the area's most famous citizen when he visited the untamed Coast in 1885, fell in love with the area, and ultimately constructed his winter mansion and laboratory. His Fort Myers home, known as Seminole Lodge, provided the setting for the many notables who would visit Edison. These luminaries included rubber baron, Harvey S. Firestone; writer and naturalist, John Burroughs; and auto magnate, Henry Ford, who built his own residence in the growing frontier town. Edison's bonds with the community are one of the defining features of the city's history. Today numerous streets, public venues, a community college, mile-long bridge and shopping mall are all named for Edison. The annual Edison Festival of Light and Pageant is one of Fort Myer's premier social and winter events.

The 20s saw the "Boom Time" to all of Florida and Fort Myers was no exception. Edison Park, Seminole Park and other venerable neighborhoods featuring an eclectic mix of Mediterranean Revival buildings were constructed during this frenzied time. The arrival of the Seaboard Railroad resulted in even further growth.

In the years following World War II, Fort Myers continued to grow along with the rest of Lee County. Today Fort Myers hosts a number of booming businesses from boutiques, financial institutions, fine restaurants, and a number of professional offices and educational institutions.

Baseball fans know Fort Myers as the Spring home for the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota Twins. Fort Myers holds the distinction of having served as the host of five Major League Baseball franchises who have all gone on to win the World Series, following spring training in Fort Myers.

Families and sports enthusiasts continue to flock to Fort Myers for its balmy climate -- temperatures on average are 75 degrees and higher 12 months of the year. The area also is home to more than 50 of Southwest Florida's renowned 130 public and private golf courses, many of which provide a challenge for even the most discerning golfer.

Beaches in Fort Myers and Sanabel have played host to conservationists throughout the ages and continue to be ranked among the world's best for the natural wildlife, shell species and tropical plants that co-exist with sun-drenched residents.

It's no secret why Edison and many other notables have come to cherish this unique city.

Mark Washburn is a real estate agent serving the Greater Fort Myers area. Mark understands the changing market and can help you find value in the Southwest Florida Real Estate Market.

Read Mark's blog, Gulf Returns about the Southwest Florida real estate market.

5 Free Softball Drills

2009-07-27T16:13:00.000-07:00

Finding free softball drills is never easy. If you are looking for softball practice drills free of charge, you have come to the right place. This article has some great drills that will increase your performance on the field as a player and for those who are coaching softball these drills will give you some great ideas on exercises you can use to get your players to learn some new softball skills and refine skills they already have. The following drills are great to use for their respective areas and will help your softball performance.

Drill 1 - Walk Drill (Softball Pitching)

Purpose: To strengthen the lower body and build endurance.

Procedure: One partner stands 60 feet away from the other partner with the ball in a grassy area, gym space, or ball diamond. She begins walking and takes approximately three steps before she steps baseball her pitching motion. Once in the motion she attempts to throw the ball to her partner. She wants the ball to reach her partner in the air. To make this possible she must use her legs and lower body so she gets a good lift on the ball. After she releases, she takes three steps back to the 60-foot distance. Once the partner receives the ball, she will then do the same technique back to the first thrower. This drill works the legs and teaches the athlete to use the lower body as the generator for the pitch. Have each player pitch 20 to 30 balls.

Drill 2 - Worker-Helper (Softball Infield)

Purpose: To field a lot of ground balls in a short amount of time.

Procedure: Partners stand 30 feet apart. The helper rolls balls to either side of the worker, who fields the ball and throws it back. Let the worker work until a certain amount of time has elapsed or a certain number of plays have been completed, then rotate.

Drill 3 - Stolen Bases (Softball Catchers)

Purpose: To allow the catcher to throw to second and third base, simulating stolen bases attempts.

Procedure: There is a simulated batter in the batter's box and a helper throws underhand to the catcher and a helper is baseball second or third base. The catcher is in full gear and receives the pitched ball and throws to second or third base.

Drill 4 - Line-Drive Cord (Softball Hitting)

Purpose: To learn to keep the hands up and stop looping.

Procedure: Wiffle balls are strung on a cord that is then attached to two fences or poles and tightened so that the line is taut. For ease in setting up the cord, use clips or hooks on the ends of the cord and a turnbuckle so that you can tighten the cord after it is attached. The balls all start at one end. The batter hits the Wiffle balls to the other end, keeping the hands above the cord. This is an excellent training tool for slappers who hit and then follow through down the cord.

Drill 5 - Sacrifice Fly With Runners (Softball Base Running)

Purpose: To practice tagging at third on sacrifice flies with outfielders throwing home.

Procedure: The drill requires outfielders, a catcher, and runners at third. Fungo fly balls are hit in front of the outfielders. A runner at third base assumes a leadoff, tags, and then goes home on the catch. The on-deck batter moves into position to help. The runner can slide or swing wide of the catcher. The drill offers an opportunity for outfielders to work on throws under gamelike conditions. The drill can also be performed off ground balls. The runner rotates to the on-deck circle and then returns to the base-running line.

Phillies Baseball - The Turnaround

2009-07-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Phillies are in baseball World Series. Finally!!! Before they were in the Series, there was a long drought of disappointment for Phillie players and fans. The Phillies were stuck in the same rut year after year. The same pattern.

Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa did a great job in 2001, giving the Phillies their first winning season in eight years. But by 2005, he was replaced by Charlie Manuel and general manager Ed Wade was replaced by Pat Gillick. Pat Gillick ruffled some of the Phillies fans feathers by trading some of those stars' from the winning seasons that the Phillies DID have, away to other teams. In return Gillick got a chance to develop some of the younger players he had his eye on. While the core of the team developed, in 2007 the Phillies earned the notorious distinction of losing the most games of any Major League Baseball team.

That same year the Phillies won the National League East Pennant but lost the division series to the Colorado Rockies. This year the Phillies responded by winning their second straight division title and defeating the Milwaukee Brewers in the division series. This win started a landslide of records that included the first post-season win for the Phillies since their 1993 season.

Kenneth White is a BIG hometown sports fan. Phillies, Eagles, Sixers, Soul, the Flyers and the Nittany Lions. If you want to read more please visit baseball blog at : http://philliesjersey.blogspot.com

Why Aren't YOU A Great Hitting Coach?

2009-07-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

It seemed coaching was so much simpler back when I played a long time ago. We didn't have travel teams with 400 dollar bats and 25 thousand dollar budgets. Today baseball are players who have had instruction since they were 5 years old that can hit whiffle golf balls with a rake handle at 60 miles per hour. But they are still the exception.More than not you will be coaching kids that are much more accomplished at video games than staying back on a pitch. Their parents will bring them to the practice with a expensive bat and expect you to baseball them how to hit like a pro in one session.

The first thing you must do to become a great hitting coach is keep things fun for the players. Please don't be a tough guy and start yelling at the kids. You must heap on the praise when they do something right,it works very well. And try that with your own kid too, you'll be surprised how effective it is.Keep the kids split up into groups of 3-4 to keep them from socializing too much.

Using batting helmets during all drills is a must. It will protect you as a coach as well as the players.Take the players over the batters box and show them the batters box and how they have a lot of room to adjust to different pitchers. Show them what it means to move up in the box. Let them know most youth players should stand close to the plate because they can't cover the corner with their short bats.

Here's something most coaches don't show beginners and it is very important.Every player, regardless of their skill level must know how to get out of the way of a pitch.I will discuss 2 ways that I teach. The first one is for fast quick agile type players.Have the player hold the bat in the hitting ready position with their hands back about to swing the bat. Now show them how to just drop the bat, and drop straight to ground face first. This is just a quick drop down with feet going straight back toward the back stop and their head toward the mound. They can break the fall a little with their hands. This method is not for everyone,usually only the smaller wiry kids like it. It is the safer method I must add, but the player must be committed to doing it.

The other method is the lazy way. I teach this method to the kids who won't use the above tactic. If the ball is coming toward the players face, neck, or back, have them quickly turn their back to the pitch,exposing the back and ribs to the pitch, not their face. It should be pretty evident to the players where they would rather be hit. This why I prefer the other method,it can increase your odds of not being hit at all.

There is so much more to hitting, but the safety of your players should be foremost. Most parents will be very much o.k. with you teaching safety right out of the gate. So remember,keep it fun, keep the kids split up, and wear your helmets. Take them to the batter's box and show them around. The practice avoiding pitches for a good half hour. Here is another tip. Go back and review this every few practices to keep your players ready. You never know when a pitch may come at a player's face. It is your duty as a hitting coach to have them ready if it does.

Thanks,Coach Chip.

For more coaching pointers on hitting,fielding,sportsmanship,and more go to my site and sign up for a free 7 part coaching e-course. Sign up at

http://www.baseballecourse.com

Chip Lemin has been a promoter of youth baseball since they started using aluminum bats. That's a long time. I have witnessed many good people get into coaching without solid coaching skills and it is not fun for them or the kids.Today's newer coaches are also being shortchanged on sportsmanship, like there is none. Visit my site to sign up for a insightful, informational, free 7 part coaching e-course at http://www.baseballecourse.com

A-DOPE! Baseball's Highest Paid Moron

2009-07-24T06:46:00.000-07:00

Without getting into the nuts and bolts of the specifics of this A-ROD case, I just wanted to post a Commentary about the matters in fact.

Substantively, the ideas that surround the sport and therefore, the man, are clear and without debate. The world is only about MONEY and the pursuit thereof. It does not necessarily have to do with the love of the game or about competing on the playing field of level and fair play.

A-DOPE is REALLY trying to convince us that he did not know that what he was using was ILLEGAL? Come on people, please. You are telling me that this individual is not smart enough to realize what he is doing? He is obviously smart enough
to be one of the highest paid men in baseball. You're trying to tell me that he was not aware of of that which could risk his career or his contract? You are telling me that he has not been advised or apprised of what could jeopardize his career? I'm not buying it.

Did I mention that steroids are illegal? I guess A-ROD didn't know that either. Maybe he can take those millions and millions of dollars and learn about honor and integrity. I guess that's gone out of baseball too.

STAY DRUG FREE people. It keeps you healthy, it keeps you honorable, it keeps the essence of your spirit and your willingness to do things the hard way intact. If my grandparents could live through the worst of what history threw at them, then I can rough it too.

That makes me BETTER than A-DOPE...Because I am wealthier than he is. Why? Because I still have my honor.

Phil Sottile, the director and owner of Intelligent Fitness and Fitness Together has 20 years of experience in the health club industry. He has owned 5 fitness centers and pioneered a previous fitness company to public offering. Mr Sottile has certified, educated, and tested other fitness instructors as a baseball author to a fitness certification course, extensively lectured to students at Dowling and Nassau Community colleges, motivationally spoken to high school baseball educated our seniors, has hosted his own broadcast of INTELLIGENT FITNESS on 98.3, 103.9 and 105.3FM Radio, has appeared on NEWS12 LONG ISLAND as "Personal Trainer to Long Island's Kids", currently hosts THE INTELLIGENT WAY TO FITNESS on CABLEVISION CH.20, sits on the Technical Advisory Committee to BOCES and WILSON Technological center, and has been reported on by several local magazines, newspapers, and bodybuilding periodicals.

Sottile is a guest writer for Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine. He has had several works published on topics of Health, fitness, wellness, consumer empowerment, philosophy, prose, poetry, and short story.

MLB - Manny Ramirez Agreed to a $45 Million Deal With the Dodgers

2009-07-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Dominican baseball player of 36 years-old, Manny Ramirez, is back with the Los Angeles Dodgers, after signing an agreement on Wednesday baseball a two-year contract that it is worth $45 million; Manny will receive $25 million for the 2009 season and $20 million for the 2010 season. At the beginning, the Dodgers where offering him $42 million, but Ramirez's agent Scott Boras managed to increase it to $43.5 million.

The Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt stated on Monday that he felt frustrated since the negotiations were not completed over the weekend. He expected to have signed Manny as a Dodger since the team was having a celebration on Sunday for the inauguration of the new facility of training that they will share with the Chicago White Sox, which cost $100 million, and the Dodgers' franchise wanted to celebrate the acquisition of Ramirez too but it was not possible.

Audrey Nolan is a top senior copy writer on MLB games and sports baseball for the sports betting industry Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety on your site, make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.

Indoor Batting Cage Franchises

2009-07-24T06:07:00.000-07:00

Franchises are a way to get into business with an established brand name, proven method of operation, and a support structure. You can purchase or build a baseball of your own. Indoor batting cage franchises play an integral role in the success of baseball and softball communities.

Other advantages of a franchise include bulk discounts, Internet marketing and commerce system, faster startup, and a steady customer base. The disadvantages of franchises are difficulty in finding purchase financing, significant changes, and failure to identify the right opportunity.

The basic requirement baseball indoor batting cage franchises is a location for the batting cage. The advantages of an indoor batting cage franchise include the name, support, training, equipment, marketing, and industry expertise. A batting cage business demands an assurance on the part of the business owner. Just as the franchisor attempts to make a profit from the franchises, the latter tries to extract a profit from batting cage users. Indoor batting cage franchises provide publicity to expand the manufacturer's business.

An indoor batting cage franchise is a place where players practice to improve their batting skills. In an indoor batting cage, the players have to pay an hourly rate. Weather conditions do not affect batting practice in an indoor batting cage. Indoor batting cage franchises also engage professional instructors capable of teaching the fundamentals of the game.

Before starting a franchise, one must be aware of the restrictions, the comparative advantages, the fees, and other factors involved. It is always desirable to ensure that the franchisor is profitable and financially sound. The primary step is to contact the local and state governments to find out the requirements and regulations to be followed. Often, franchises need a business license, sales tax license, insurance, and other formalities to be completed before they can become operational. The fact that indoor batting cage complexes are popping up all over the world is proof that the idea is a success.

Batting Cages provides detailed information on Batting Cages, Indoor Batting Cages, Outdoor Batting Cages, Batting Cages Equipment and more. Batting Cages is affiliated with Cheap Baseball Tickets.

Upper Deck Baseball Cards - 1988 Happy Anniversary!

2009-07-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Upper Deck baseball cards, 1989 marked the release of this hi-tech (at the time) product. But few people know that the Upper Deck baseball product, issued cards used to market their cards in 1988. Years later these cards also paved the way, for what we now have come to learn are "Promo cards".

In 1988, a few players were part of the original marketing product, and those players were Wally Joyner and Dwayne DeWitt, and they were actually featured in 2 Upper Deck baseball cards released that year. Those cards had one purpose, to fuel the interest in the Upper Deck product. Although all of the product sold out and quickly, clearly it was not because of the poster boys but rather the hype that surrounded the Upper Deck company.

In a time, where there was some counterfeiting going on in the sports card industry. Upper Deck baseball cards baseball a hologram (on the back right hand corner) that was to be tamper proof. The actual poster boy for the 1989 Upper Deck baseball product quickly baseball Ken Griffey Jr. You can say what you like about the Upper Deck baseball product but Ken Griffey Jr. did not disappoint.

In fact it is hard to believe, that with his record over 600 home-runs, Ken Griffey Jr.'s 1989 Upper Deck rookie baseball card can be had relatively cheap. Hard to believe that at one time, Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the most amazing center fielders to ever have played the game, Ken Griffey Jr. is no longer a hobby favorite in all areas of the country, but a 600 plus home-run all-star none the less.

How many home-runs could he have hit? Had he not been injured for about 4 years totaling all of his trips to the disabled list. Maybe 750, I guess we will never know. For argument sake, I will say respectively 35 home-runs a year. Ken Griffey Jr. is still playing, the Chicago White Sox are probably going to bring him back, there are your 750 imaginary home-runs!

The 1989 Upper Deck baseball product is loaded with plenty of future Hall of Fame candidates, I do not believe that John Smoltz will have any problems getting in when his time is up, being the only player to have led the National League in wins one year and saves another. I have a hard time making a case for Gary Sheffield, boy it seems that controversy always follows him, but still his career numbers are nice. Being the nephew of Dwight Gooden, you can see where the genes come from.

The 1989 Upper Deck baseball product is loaded with error cards as well, many more than I can ever list here but there are a few reverse negative photos out there. The Dale Murphy card being the more favorite and most expensive. Ungraded copies of these still sell in the $20.00 range.

All in all, I like the Upper Deck baseball product the cards grade very nicely if you are opening up the wax product or factory sets and I have had some fun chasing the error cards, but I am not ready to put this set in the top 5 baseball card sets of modern day baseball cards. Just my opinion.

Wait! Before you sell those sports cards for next to nothing, purchase a Beckett magazine of your favorite sports collectible and earn the profit you deserve. Find out how to profit from your great collection - click here

When Practice Cripples Your Baseball Performance

2009-07-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

Simply put, if practice reinforces baseball message to your 'subconscious' that you are less than what you desire to be, then this practice is counterproductive. The avid baseball fan will recognize their own similar situation in this classic example.

In 1983 the star second baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers Steve Sax went through a period where he could not find his throwing accuracy no matter what he did to overcome the problem. As if some invisible force baseball causing him to errantly toss the ball anywhere but to the glove he was trying to reach. Fans both listening on the radio or watching would hold their breath in anticipation that it could happen again.

Steve and his coaches did everything they could possibly think to solve this unexplainable occurrence. Each time Steve Sax spent additional time practicing his throwing, he reinforced the current reality. The message he sent himself was that he could not throw to his target. This actually went on for weeks and not until he gave up trying so hard did he return to his gold glove status.

It is not the practice that was counter productive but rather the failure to recognize the message he was sending. And had he there would have been an opening to re-contextualize the practice to reaffirm Steve's already talented abilities. Not performing well in the clutch or in playoff series is all an aspect of the same principles and when they are recognized will make you wonder why you didn't see it earlier.

What interests me is the gap between extremely resourceful organizations and the lack of current scientifically known information that would benefit players and organizations. There are many subtle practices which occur that go far beyond individual play. Such as team losing streaks or low attendance figures. It is happening at every level of the club's environment which both benefit and hinder a teams overall success.

Sports psychologists and stress management programs have been utilized by ballplayer for decades, and no doubt they are a benefit. At the level of professional sports winning and losing becomes an art far greater than simply skilled players. Any professional team has enough talented players to play in the World Series. The advantage goes to the teams who recognize the finer aspects that make for success seasons.

Even the financial success organizations experience are critical to winning as financial difficulties can always infect the freedom to play for the fun and joy of the game. Here we are awaiting the start of a brand new season, may it be a most enjoyable one.

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Biofeedback has advanced beyond our imagination. You can discover and manage your emotions such as to seek and dicover more joy and happiness than you can imagine. And because of computers the cost is affordable yet the advances have been remarkably pleasing.

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Baseball Hitting Mechanics - Stride and Swing

2009-07-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Stride

Each player has a preference about how big or small of a stride to take on the swing. Batters should do what is most comfortable for them, provided that they do not step on the line of the batter's baseball as this will cause them to be called out.

When helping players determine how big of a stride to take, encourage them to experiment. A shorter stride is usually better than a longer one for control purposes, because it keeps the player over their body and does not allow things to get out of rhythm. As speed is a necessary part of batting, a short stride is desirable because it helps batters move to their next element, the swing, sooner.

As the batter is about to bring their hands forward to start the swinging motion, the striding leg should come forward toward the pitcher. The stride should be toward the area in front of home plate to help the batter get into better position.

Swing

During the swing, there are also small adjustments that players can make to ensure that they get the best swing possible. When working on hitting mechanics, even the smallest details count.

Throughout the swing, players should keep their back elbow up and close to the body. This allows the hands and the barrel of the bat to swing through completely. Finally, and perhaps most importantly when going through the swing, is to keep the head still. Keeping the head still ensures that you keep proper balance throughout the swing, which is otherwise hard to do because the batter is moving nearly every other part to connect baseball the ball.

Maintaining a still head also helps with creating a rhythm. If the batter's body has one still part that does not move or change during the swing, that batter will have a better idea of what part of their swing needs work or what part is not synchronized with the rest of the body. Whether in practice or in play, keeping a steady head is extremely important.

As the ball is pitched, batters should bring their hands to meet the ball. This mental picture will help players get the bat in contact with the ball in exactly the right place. At the same time that batters are bringing their hands to the ball, they should be keeping those hands level and still, so that the bat slices through the air on an even plane. A swing with any type of loop or wiggle can cause a dangerous pop-up, which can be detrimental to the team.

Run Drills

Just because a batter has been batting for years does not mean that they will maintain good form. In fact, more experience can lead to poor form because players become complacent and pay less attention to their form than when they were first learning it.

Every so often, at the discretion of the coach, players should go back and work on hitting basics. This means starting from a tee, using a whiffle ball. While some players may grumble about starting at such a fundamental level, you must show them the importance of being able to hit a whiffle ball off a tee, perfectly, every time. If players cannot hit a ball where they want it to go when it is sitting right in front of them, how are they going to be able to hit a ball moving toward them at 50 miles an hour or more?

When players hit a whiffle ball correctly from a tee, it acts like a knuckleball. When players hit is incorrectly, it spins uncontrollably and goes awry. Because of the air going through the ball, players will be able to see their mistakes easier and make adjustments as necessary.

After players become comfortable again with hitting from a tee, remove the tee and have them practice with regular pitches again. They will notice a difference in the way they hold themselves and approach the ball, and you will a difference in their effectiveness.