When I go to watch a youth baseball game and even most high school baseball games I have to take a bag with me. A bag? Yes, because it usually only takes a hitter or two before I hear some well intending parent yell to his kid, "get that back elbow up!" That's when I start barfing. What a horrible thing to say to your kid. I would rather hear a parent yell , "take one for the team". Taking one for the team means, "hey, little Johnnie, you can't hit, so your only hope is getting drilled by the pitch."
I don't know if it started with Henry Aaron, but I think it did. From the late 50's into the mid 70's Hammer'in Hank Aaron was one of the two or three best right handed hitters in the game of baseball.
When I would watch him as a kid on TV I can still remember the Hammer standing at the plate in his stance ready to launch the first decent pitch he saw. Aaron stood at the plate with his back elbow up, almost on the same plain as the ground. In full motion the naked eye sees Aaron with the high back elbow and then in a split second when he would decide to hit the ball, he would explode and swing. What slow motion shows is Aaron bringing his elbow down and in as he begins his powerful swing.
Aaron isn't the only great hitter who starts in this position. Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Morgan would pump his back elbow up and down like he was a wounded grouse trying to pull a predator away from its nest. The most recent super star to start with the high elbow was Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey was an amazing player and athlete. For over a decade he one of the best the game of baseball has ever seen. There is a huge difference in Griffey's swing and Aaron's. 1st Griffey doesn't bring his elbow down as much as Aaron did. This gave Griffey what I would call a loop in his swing. Unlike Aaron who had what many people refer to as a level swing, where the bat stays in the hitting zone longer. 2nd, this loop in Griffey's swing caught up with him as he aged and his off the chart athletic skills came down to earth.
Even though I loved to watch Griffey hit, I would never try to develop those mechanics in a hitter.
So what should you teach your youngster?
The first thing you should do is go buy Ted Williams book, "The Science of Hitting". I absolutely love this book.
Since today we are discussing the "get that back elbow up" problem, I am going to explain where the hands and arms should be in respect to the body.
First, the hands should be slightly back and the top hand should be just below the plain of the hitters shoulders. If the hands are high kids tend to have a loopy swing. Many kids are trying to imitate Albert Pujoles who starts with his hand up, but he brings them down and he ends up with a long flat swing that stays in the strike zone a long time. Similar to Joe Dimagio and Alex Rodriquez's swings. But, thats not what parents and kids see.
Secondly, the elbows should be about half way between parallel to the ground and against the body. Or, at about a 45 degree angle from parallel to the ground. The arms and hands should be loose and ready to turn and strike the pitch.
I am going to have to start adding illustrations for technique posts. My advice to you as a parent is to go check out video clips of Mickey Mantle or Ted Williams from youtube. This is how I tried to teach my kid to hit. Pay close attention to where their hands and arms are.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Hitting: Bat Selection. Mistakes Parents Make Part 2.
What is the number one goal a parent should have for their young player? Again, all that matters is player development. And, you achieve this by teaching good fundamentals and solid mechanics from an early age of 7 or 8 depending on the kid.
This section is aimed mainly at the young men. Because girls can use ultra light aluminum bats all their careers in fast pitch softball. But, the boys have to use -3 bats when they get to high school. However, girls could benefit from this too because I am discussing the development of proper swing mechanics that start from the earliest age.
First, what does minus three mean? It means that the bat can only weigh 3 ounces less than its length. For example a 33 inch bat cannot weigh less than 30 ounces. Second, why does this matter? It matters because swinging an ultra light bat does not develop proper swing mechanics.
My favorite example of swinging an ultra light bat is when someone swings a wiffle ball bat. Anyone can swing one with just one hand. Try it. Which hand did you use? Unless you are an odd ball you swung it with your bottom hand. And, you took this swing without rotating your body and turning on the ball. Further, because the bat is so light the hitter extends his hands away from his body as he swings. Hitting coaches call this barring, casting, or Charlie Lau calls it full extension at contact. Sorry Charlie, but this isn't a good thing. Why, because it is a long slow swing with a -3 bat and when the kid has to move up to the high school level he won't have enough bat speed to hit average high school velocity.
With out naming any names I want to give you the best, but saddest example I've witnessed of a hitter not being able to hit with only a slight increase in the weight of the bat. Our son played with a kid who had poor swing mechanics but was extremely successful. In fact, this nameless kid was 2nd Team All-State as a junior in high school. And, even though he had a long swing and barred he hit some monster home runs that season. This kid wasn't very big, 5'11" and about 150 pounds, or very strong either. But, the next school ball year he couldn't hit at all! Why? Because the rules changed. With a -5 bat he crushed the ball and was an All State Hitter. But, when the rules changed to -3 he was a below average high school hitter. Just 2 ounces in difference turned an All-Stater into a below average hitter. Because he had poor mechanics. Mechanics he had developed swinging an ultra light bat.
Recently a good friend of mine proudly showed me the bat he had just bought his 7 year old son. I don't know the brand, but it was a -15!!! That's right. I told him to throw that piece of junk away. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. He had paid over $100 for it and it was going to help his son be one of the best hitters in his summer league. I told him who cares if your son is the best in his 7 and under coach pitch summer league. I'm sure his high school coach will be impressed when you tell him little Johnnie was the best hitter in his league when he was seven years old. That will surely impress him more than the freshman who is hitting rockets all over the park at tryouts who was just mediocre in that same league.
So What Is The Solution?
I'm going to tell you what I would do if I had a kid playing right now who was 6 years old. Because no one is manufacturing any aluminum bats for kids that are even -5 or -6 like the did when my son was that age, I would have him hit with a wood bat. The wood bat is heavier and because its heavier you can't swing it without using both hands properly. Plus you have to rotate when you swing.
A little over three years ago an acquaintance of mine asked me what I would do to help my son hit if he were 7 years old right then. I told him I would have him use a wood bat. He asked me why and I explained to him that swinging these ultra light bats didn't develop proper swing mechanics. He had his son use a wood bat for three seasons and just this year did he start using aluminum. The dad told me that his sons youth coaches insisted on him hitting with aluminum because they produced higher performance results. His kid is one of the better hitters in the area and he still uses a wood bat to practice with. The dad understands the benefits of wood, but goes against his beliefs during games to keep everyone (the youth coach) happy.
Using a wood bat all the time won't be easy.
Next Blog: Hitting- Generations of Bad Instruction. Mistakes Parents Make Part 3.
This section is aimed mainly at the young men. Because girls can use ultra light aluminum bats all their careers in fast pitch softball. But, the boys have to use -3 bats when they get to high school. However, girls could benefit from this too because I am discussing the development of proper swing mechanics that start from the earliest age.
First, what does minus three mean? It means that the bat can only weigh 3 ounces less than its length. For example a 33 inch bat cannot weigh less than 30 ounces. Second, why does this matter? It matters because swinging an ultra light bat does not develop proper swing mechanics.
My favorite example of swinging an ultra light bat is when someone swings a wiffle ball bat. Anyone can swing one with just one hand. Try it. Which hand did you use? Unless you are an odd ball you swung it with your bottom hand. And, you took this swing without rotating your body and turning on the ball. Further, because the bat is so light the hitter extends his hands away from his body as he swings. Hitting coaches call this barring, casting, or Charlie Lau calls it full extension at contact. Sorry Charlie, but this isn't a good thing. Why, because it is a long slow swing with a -3 bat and when the kid has to move up to the high school level he won't have enough bat speed to hit average high school velocity.
With out naming any names I want to give you the best, but saddest example I've witnessed of a hitter not being able to hit with only a slight increase in the weight of the bat. Our son played with a kid who had poor swing mechanics but was extremely successful. In fact, this nameless kid was 2nd Team All-State as a junior in high school. And, even though he had a long swing and barred he hit some monster home runs that season. This kid wasn't very big, 5'11" and about 150 pounds, or very strong either. But, the next school ball year he couldn't hit at all! Why? Because the rules changed. With a -5 bat he crushed the ball and was an All State Hitter. But, when the rules changed to -3 he was a below average high school hitter. Just 2 ounces in difference turned an All-Stater into a below average hitter. Because he had poor mechanics. Mechanics he had developed swinging an ultra light bat.
Recently a good friend of mine proudly showed me the bat he had just bought his 7 year old son. I don't know the brand, but it was a -15!!! That's right. I told him to throw that piece of junk away. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. He had paid over $100 for it and it was going to help his son be one of the best hitters in his summer league. I told him who cares if your son is the best in his 7 and under coach pitch summer league. I'm sure his high school coach will be impressed when you tell him little Johnnie was the best hitter in his league when he was seven years old. That will surely impress him more than the freshman who is hitting rockets all over the park at tryouts who was just mediocre in that same league.
So What Is The Solution?
I'm going to tell you what I would do if I had a kid playing right now who was 6 years old. Because no one is manufacturing any aluminum bats for kids that are even -5 or -6 like the did when my son was that age, I would have him hit with a wood bat. The wood bat is heavier and because its heavier you can't swing it without using both hands properly. Plus you have to rotate when you swing.
A little over three years ago an acquaintance of mine asked me what I would do to help my son hit if he were 7 years old right then. I told him I would have him use a wood bat. He asked me why and I explained to him that swinging these ultra light bats didn't develop proper swing mechanics. He had his son use a wood bat for three seasons and just this year did he start using aluminum. The dad told me that his sons youth coaches insisted on him hitting with aluminum because they produced higher performance results. His kid is one of the better hitters in the area and he still uses a wood bat to practice with. The dad understands the benefits of wood, but goes against his beliefs during games to keep everyone (the youth coach) happy.
Using a wood bat all the time won't be easy.
Next Blog: Hitting- Generations of Bad Instruction. Mistakes Parents Make Part 3.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Hitting: Mistakes Parents Make Part I.
Ted Williams once said that the hardest skill in all of sports is hitting a baseball. That you are taking a round bat and hitting a round ball squarely. I am paraphrasing what he said. But, the point is made. Hitting isn't easy.
We began this discussion stating that things had changed from the old days. That is an understatement. Today parents are participants in this process more than ever. For example, coach pitch. An adult or parent pitches to the players. That was unheard of in my youth and has changed the mental development of young hitters.
In my opinion parents fail to recognize and prepare their kids for the change from coach pitch to player pitch. And, how to deal with facing hard throwers and then hopefully later hitting the curve ball.
I have witnessed young players who had the potential to become top high school players quit baseball at the age of 10 because they went from the safety of facing a parent pitch to player pitch. I have witnessed kids quit when they had to face a hard thrower and got hit by a pitch. And, being hit as a youngster can have a profound effect on how they deal with hitting the curve ball later in high school.
Here is what turned out to be a positive example. My son was playing in a fall league and we needed a player. So he asked his best friend to play. I'll call him Johnnie. So we picked up Johnnie and as we were driving to the game Johnnie said, "Brad, I've never played player pitch before and I'm a little scared of being hit by the pitch." I responded, "Johnnie when we get there I bet that the pitcher doesn't even throw as fast as your coach in coach pitch. And, also remember Johnnie, he doesn't want to hit you because then you will be on base and he doesn't want base runners."
During the game Johnnie batted three times and hit the ball hard ever time and had two nice hits. On the way home I told Johnnie that he had two nice hits and Johnnie said, "Brad you were right the pitcher didn't even throw as fast as my coach." I helped Johnnie get comfortable and have a positive experience that game. That's what you as parent need to try and do consistently with your player.
Things to avoid:
1. Telling your kid that the pitcher they will be facing is real good, throws real hard, has no control, hits a ton batters, or anything that could affect his approach at the plate.
2. Making a big deal about facing player pitch. Its just another step in his pathway to a good high school career, not a life threatening event.
3. Discussing how much it hurts to be hit by a pitch, or any stories about other players who have been injured.
How to prepare for player pitch:
First, you need to discuss the change before hand. And, use the three points above as guidelines to how you discuss it.
Second, point out the one on one competition between the pitcher and the hitter with each one trying to beat the other one.
Third, take your player into the backyard and with tennis balls throw at him/her. Show them how to turn their back to the pitched ball to avoid being hit in the face or front of the body. Have them practice avoiding being hit. Throw the ball pretty fast too. Its not everyday you get to bean your own kid. But, make it laughs and keep it fun.
Next Blog: Picking out the correct bat.
We began this discussion stating that things had changed from the old days. That is an understatement. Today parents are participants in this process more than ever. For example, coach pitch. An adult or parent pitches to the players. That was unheard of in my youth and has changed the mental development of young hitters.
In my opinion parents fail to recognize and prepare their kids for the change from coach pitch to player pitch. And, how to deal with facing hard throwers and then hopefully later hitting the curve ball.
I have witnessed young players who had the potential to become top high school players quit baseball at the age of 10 because they went from the safety of facing a parent pitch to player pitch. I have witnessed kids quit when they had to face a hard thrower and got hit by a pitch. And, being hit as a youngster can have a profound effect on how they deal with hitting the curve ball later in high school.
Here is what turned out to be a positive example. My son was playing in a fall league and we needed a player. So he asked his best friend to play. I'll call him Johnnie. So we picked up Johnnie and as we were driving to the game Johnnie said, "Brad, I've never played player pitch before and I'm a little scared of being hit by the pitch." I responded, "Johnnie when we get there I bet that the pitcher doesn't even throw as fast as your coach in coach pitch. And, also remember Johnnie, he doesn't want to hit you because then you will be on base and he doesn't want base runners."
During the game Johnnie batted three times and hit the ball hard ever time and had two nice hits. On the way home I told Johnnie that he had two nice hits and Johnnie said, "Brad you were right the pitcher didn't even throw as fast as my coach." I helped Johnnie get comfortable and have a positive experience that game. That's what you as parent need to try and do consistently with your player.
Things to avoid:
1. Telling your kid that the pitcher they will be facing is real good, throws real hard, has no control, hits a ton batters, or anything that could affect his approach at the plate.
2. Making a big deal about facing player pitch. Its just another step in his pathway to a good high school career, not a life threatening event.
3. Discussing how much it hurts to be hit by a pitch, or any stories about other players who have been injured.
How to prepare for player pitch:
First, you need to discuss the change before hand. And, use the three points above as guidelines to how you discuss it.
Second, point out the one on one competition between the pitcher and the hitter with each one trying to beat the other one.
Third, take your player into the backyard and with tennis balls throw at him/her. Show them how to turn their back to the pitched ball to avoid being hit in the face or front of the body. Have them practice avoiding being hit. Throw the ball pretty fast too. Its not everyday you get to bean your own kid. But, make it laughs and keep it fun.
Next Blog: Picking out the correct bat.
Monday, July 2, 2012
The Draft. The 5 Tools Scouts Look For.
The draft is a fascinating event. Major League Baseball has an amateur draft early every year in June. Unlike football and basketball the draft includes all the high school and college players that are eligible.
I could write a book about our experience during the fall and spring leading up to the 2004 draft. It was interesting, insightful, and stressful for us as parents. For our son it was just something he was going to go through to get to professional baseball. After all these years I am still amazed by his confidence and worry free attitude that year. For example, when a team would send him information packets to fill out he would just let them sit and not even open them. He would just tell me that if they wanted him they would draft him and all the other stuff didn't really matter. Well my wife and I didn't take any chances. We made sure all the forms were filled out and all information requests were promptly mailed in.
But, on to what will really help you as a parent and hopefully the development of your young player. The 5 tools: Hitting. Hitting for Power. Arm Strength. Speed. Glove.
Its very rare that a player has all 5 tools. A young Micky Mantle had all 5. As did Willie Mays. But, Barry Bonds had a below average arm. Mark McGwire was not blessed with foot speed. Rod Carew lacked power. All of these are all-time great players and if not in the Hall of Fame should be someday.
Then you look at pitchers. All they need is the ability to throw the ball. And, when it comes draft time the guys with the cannons like Nolan Ryan get picked first. Unless you are a lefty and those guys sneak in the back door because being left handed is somewhat magic. But, some of the most successful pitchers in baseball history were NOT flame throwers. Greg Maddux comes to mind. Whitey Ford. Randy Jones. These guys got hitters out with location, movement, and deception.
My point is you don't have to be a 5 tool player to excel and to maybe make it to professional baseball. And, the best part about baseball is that it is a skill sport. If you develop the correct skills/mechanics and are lucky enough to grow and physically develop your body you can have a chance.
Let's take a look at the 5 tools.
1. Hitting: Hitting a baseball is one of the funnest things I have ever done. It is a blast to watch the ball soar over the fence, or fly over an outfielders head. It is also one of the most difficult skills in all of sports to acquire. And, you do acquire it. Its not given. There is no "Natural".
So hitting is a skill and it has to be developed over time by learning and trying to perfect the correct mechanics. The biggest problem with hitting is the bad instruction kids get when they are young. This bad instruction comes from their dads most of the time. But, sometimes their youth league coaches too.
I've worked with some athletic kids who were taught the wrong mechanics when they were young and most of them were unable to change. This meant they were limited to just being recreational players and when they got to high school they either got cut or were below average hitters.
So hitting is a skill. Not something that you just wake up one morning and are great at.
2. Hitting for Power: This is sort of a part "B" to the skill of hitting. Because if you can't hit, you can't hit with power. So the same proper mechanics have to be developed to hit for power.
Two factors usually affect hitting for power. Size and strength. And, a third factor that doesn't get the ink it should is the hitters approach at the plate.
Usually the big kids and adults have an advantage when it comes to hitting for power. But, this doesn't always hold true. Henry Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Hack Wilson are old timers who hit the ball out of the park who weren't huge guys. But, Ted Williams is a guy who was skin and bones who crushed the ball. I've seen pictures of him when he was just getting started with the Red Sox that have his ribs sticking out like he was half starved.
So its not impossible to hit for power if you aren't bigger than average and as strong as an ox.
3. Arm Strength: I am convinced that about 75% of velocity is God given and 25% is mechanics. Enough of it is mechanics that it can't be ignored. We will discuss developing throwing mechanics and arm health in the future. Remember. Your kid has one arm. If it gets ruined so does his chance to play.
4. Speed: This is more God given than mechanics, however, I have been to the Olympic Training facility in Colorado Springs and watched adult runners working on their mechanics to get that competitive edge. But, this is an area where most parents need to seek help and instruction for their kids due to the lack of information that is out there. And, you need someone who knows what they are looking at too.
5. Glove: This is definitely a skill and it can be perfected with work and a few simple mechanical tips.
Next Blog: Mistakes Parents Make Teaching Hitting, Part I.
I could write a book about our experience during the fall and spring leading up to the 2004 draft. It was interesting, insightful, and stressful for us as parents. For our son it was just something he was going to go through to get to professional baseball. After all these years I am still amazed by his confidence and worry free attitude that year. For example, when a team would send him information packets to fill out he would just let them sit and not even open them. He would just tell me that if they wanted him they would draft him and all the other stuff didn't really matter. Well my wife and I didn't take any chances. We made sure all the forms were filled out and all information requests were promptly mailed in.
But, on to what will really help you as a parent and hopefully the development of your young player. The 5 tools: Hitting. Hitting for Power. Arm Strength. Speed. Glove.
Its very rare that a player has all 5 tools. A young Micky Mantle had all 5. As did Willie Mays. But, Barry Bonds had a below average arm. Mark McGwire was not blessed with foot speed. Rod Carew lacked power. All of these are all-time great players and if not in the Hall of Fame should be someday.
Then you look at pitchers. All they need is the ability to throw the ball. And, when it comes draft time the guys with the cannons like Nolan Ryan get picked first. Unless you are a lefty and those guys sneak in the back door because being left handed is somewhat magic. But, some of the most successful pitchers in baseball history were NOT flame throwers. Greg Maddux comes to mind. Whitey Ford. Randy Jones. These guys got hitters out with location, movement, and deception.
My point is you don't have to be a 5 tool player to excel and to maybe make it to professional baseball. And, the best part about baseball is that it is a skill sport. If you develop the correct skills/mechanics and are lucky enough to grow and physically develop your body you can have a chance.
Let's take a look at the 5 tools.
1. Hitting: Hitting a baseball is one of the funnest things I have ever done. It is a blast to watch the ball soar over the fence, or fly over an outfielders head. It is also one of the most difficult skills in all of sports to acquire. And, you do acquire it. Its not given. There is no "Natural".
So hitting is a skill and it has to be developed over time by learning and trying to perfect the correct mechanics. The biggest problem with hitting is the bad instruction kids get when they are young. This bad instruction comes from their dads most of the time. But, sometimes their youth league coaches too.
I've worked with some athletic kids who were taught the wrong mechanics when they were young and most of them were unable to change. This meant they were limited to just being recreational players and when they got to high school they either got cut or were below average hitters.
So hitting is a skill. Not something that you just wake up one morning and are great at.
2. Hitting for Power: This is sort of a part "B" to the skill of hitting. Because if you can't hit, you can't hit with power. So the same proper mechanics have to be developed to hit for power.
Two factors usually affect hitting for power. Size and strength. And, a third factor that doesn't get the ink it should is the hitters approach at the plate.
Usually the big kids and adults have an advantage when it comes to hitting for power. But, this doesn't always hold true. Henry Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Hack Wilson are old timers who hit the ball out of the park who weren't huge guys. But, Ted Williams is a guy who was skin and bones who crushed the ball. I've seen pictures of him when he was just getting started with the Red Sox that have his ribs sticking out like he was half starved.
So its not impossible to hit for power if you aren't bigger than average and as strong as an ox.
3. Arm Strength: I am convinced that about 75% of velocity is God given and 25% is mechanics. Enough of it is mechanics that it can't be ignored. We will discuss developing throwing mechanics and arm health in the future. Remember. Your kid has one arm. If it gets ruined so does his chance to play.
4. Speed: This is more God given than mechanics, however, I have been to the Olympic Training facility in Colorado Springs and watched adult runners working on their mechanics to get that competitive edge. But, this is an area where most parents need to seek help and instruction for their kids due to the lack of information that is out there. And, you need someone who knows what they are looking at too.
5. Glove: This is definitely a skill and it can be perfected with work and a few simple mechanical tips.
Next Blog: Mistakes Parents Make Teaching Hitting, Part I.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
The Worst Position on The Field For Player Development
There are some interesting dynamics that come into play concerning where kids get placed on a baseball field on youth teams.
First, you have the coaches kid. For some reason the number one position youth coaches put their kid is second base. They don't realize it but second base is the worst position on the field for their kid to develop proper throwing mechanics and arm strength.
Next, parents ego's come into play and many don't want their kid to play in the outfield, since it is normal to put the weaker kids there. By weaker I am speaking of the less mature kid and the kid who usually doesn't have an average to above average level of skill development. It seems that by putting a kid in the outfield the youth coach has insulted the entire family and berated their kid.
Finally, and this reason does make some sense. There just isn't as much action in the outfield in youth baseball and it can and does get boring out there. And, when a ball does finally come their way it isn't unusual for the kid in the outfield to be day dreaming and not make the play. In my opinion when this happens it shouldn't be a big deal because we are talking about kids here. You shouldn't get on your kid when he is playing right field and after a hour out there he finally gets a ball his way and he isn't ready for it. He will know he messed up. He will learn from it. He doesn't need you yelling at him about it. By the time he's 11 or 12 he will make the play.
All of that said to lead into why second-base is the last place on the field you want your kid to play.
The answer is simple and I have experience trying to over come this problem. At second base the player makes a short throw. The throw to 1st base doesn't require a strong arm or even average mechanics at the youth baseball level. Since its such a short throw the player doesn't have to point the front shoulder at his target, step, turn, and throw. He doesn't have to put much behind this throw either. So as time goes by he doesn't develop any arm strength. But, worse the kid playing 2nd can successfully get the job done with poor mechanics. In his mind he his doing everything just fine.
So by playing 2nd base all the time this player develops poor throwing mechanics and a lack of arm strength and doesn't even realize it. I've worked with several kids trying to develop arm strength that have been stuck at 2nd base growing up. And, its tough. They haven't trained themselves to make a long strong throw. The type throw that you make from every other position regularly with the exception of 1st base.
Tips on how to develop proper mechanics and arm strength:
1. Throwing a football is very helpful. You can't throw a football without pointing your front shoulder at the target, stepping, and turning. Always warm up close with easy tosses and gradually move further apart until you are at the players maximum throwing range. Throw 5 or 6 at maximum distance. Don't over do this. Less is More. To much can cause an arm injury. And, you only need to do this a couple of times a week. Also, have fun with this, you are playing catch with your kid.
2. If you are out in the backyard pitching and hitting grounders, the very last thing you should do is throw 4 or 5 long tosses to finish up the day. These throws don't need to be maximum effort throws. Just nice long throws to ingrain arm speed in the muscle memory.
3. Pitching really helps too. Don't over do this. After warming up, just 15 or 20 fastballs a couple of times a week in the backyard during the off-season is good. During the season it will depend on how often they pitch. You don't have to be the teams pitcher to work on pitching in the backyard and develop some good mechanics and arm strength.
Playing 2nd some is ok. But, don't let your player get key-holed into this position. If it happens a lot work on arm strength at home in the back yard.
Next blog: The Draft. The 5 tools scouts look for.
First, you have the coaches kid. For some reason the number one position youth coaches put their kid is second base. They don't realize it but second base is the worst position on the field for their kid to develop proper throwing mechanics and arm strength.
Next, parents ego's come into play and many don't want their kid to play in the outfield, since it is normal to put the weaker kids there. By weaker I am speaking of the less mature kid and the kid who usually doesn't have an average to above average level of skill development. It seems that by putting a kid in the outfield the youth coach has insulted the entire family and berated their kid.
Finally, and this reason does make some sense. There just isn't as much action in the outfield in youth baseball and it can and does get boring out there. And, when a ball does finally come their way it isn't unusual for the kid in the outfield to be day dreaming and not make the play. In my opinion when this happens it shouldn't be a big deal because we are talking about kids here. You shouldn't get on your kid when he is playing right field and after a hour out there he finally gets a ball his way and he isn't ready for it. He will know he messed up. He will learn from it. He doesn't need you yelling at him about it. By the time he's 11 or 12 he will make the play.
All of that said to lead into why second-base is the last place on the field you want your kid to play.
The answer is simple and I have experience trying to over come this problem. At second base the player makes a short throw. The throw to 1st base doesn't require a strong arm or even average mechanics at the youth baseball level. Since its such a short throw the player doesn't have to point the front shoulder at his target, step, turn, and throw. He doesn't have to put much behind this throw either. So as time goes by he doesn't develop any arm strength. But, worse the kid playing 2nd can successfully get the job done with poor mechanics. In his mind he his doing everything just fine.
So by playing 2nd base all the time this player develops poor throwing mechanics and a lack of arm strength and doesn't even realize it. I've worked with several kids trying to develop arm strength that have been stuck at 2nd base growing up. And, its tough. They haven't trained themselves to make a long strong throw. The type throw that you make from every other position regularly with the exception of 1st base.
Tips on how to develop proper mechanics and arm strength:
1. Throwing a football is very helpful. You can't throw a football without pointing your front shoulder at the target, stepping, and turning. Always warm up close with easy tosses and gradually move further apart until you are at the players maximum throwing range. Throw 5 or 6 at maximum distance. Don't over do this. Less is More. To much can cause an arm injury. And, you only need to do this a couple of times a week. Also, have fun with this, you are playing catch with your kid.
2. If you are out in the backyard pitching and hitting grounders, the very last thing you should do is throw 4 or 5 long tosses to finish up the day. These throws don't need to be maximum effort throws. Just nice long throws to ingrain arm speed in the muscle memory.
3. Pitching really helps too. Don't over do this. After warming up, just 15 or 20 fastballs a couple of times a week in the backyard during the off-season is good. During the season it will depend on how often they pitch. You don't have to be the teams pitcher to work on pitching in the backyard and develop some good mechanics and arm strength.
Playing 2nd some is ok. But, don't let your player get key-holed into this position. If it happens a lot work on arm strength at home in the back yard.
Next blog: The Draft. The 5 tools scouts look for.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
When Do You Start Teaching Your Kid How to Play?
A question that I get quite often is "how young was your son when you started teaching him how to play baseball'?"
First, that is really the wrong the question. The question should be when did you teach your son how to love the game of baseball. Love the game? What exactly does that mean? How do you do that? Doesn't a kid just naturally love the game or not?
Before really getting started on the answers to these questions you should take a minute and think of all the kids who became doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, teachers, coaches that had parents that were also the same thing. This isn't always the case, however, it does happen frequently. The reason seems to be that if a kids parents have the ability, both mental and physical, along with a passion for a field, that enthusiasm and interest can and does get passed on to the child.
If you love football and watch it on Sunday afternoon your kid is probably going to sit there with you and learn to enjoy football. Or, if you take him to the local high school basketball games and also shoot hoops with him in the drive-way he will likely be a basketball fan.
So the question of teaching "The Love of the Game" is just a natural thing that happens between the parent and most kids. If you do it right.
When my son was just a baby (9 months old) I would sit him in my lap and with a big fat red wiffle ball bat and my wife would pitch us balls and I would hit them and I laugh and carry on "that ones long gone" and the like. It is interesting that when he did pick up a bat he swung it left-handed, and that is also the way we hit those early wiffle balls. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was programming him to bat left handed.
When was old enough to start throwing a ball I just gently showed him to point his left shoulder in the direction he was throwing the ball and then just step, turn, and throw. Pretty simple right? I see high school players who don't close up right and turn and throw like they should.
Same goes for hitting. Point the lead shoulder at the pitcher and step at him, then turn and swing.
These are the first steps. They are critical to developing correct mechanics.
But, what if little Johnny doesn't do it right? No big deal. Just remind him once in a while when you are playing with him to point his shoulder at you, step, and throw. Same for hitting. But, its not a big deal if he doesn't do it right. But, when he does do it right you should get excited and say things like, that looked like Nolan Ryan or Ken Griffey or whoever. Don't even acknowledge when they don't do it right. You don't want your kid thinking about making mistakes, you want him thinking about what he/she just did right.
These first steps are critical. They start the learning and teaching process. They have to be positive. They can take a long time to develop. There's no hurry, just keep reminding him/her.
Warning: If you handle these early years wrong and get on your kid all the time, you can forget your kid ever wanting to play baseball or whatever. Keep it fun. Play with them. The more time you spend with your kid having fun the better they will become.
Next Blog: The one position on the baseball field you don't want your kid to play growing up.
First, that is really the wrong the question. The question should be when did you teach your son how to love the game of baseball. Love the game? What exactly does that mean? How do you do that? Doesn't a kid just naturally love the game or not?
Before really getting started on the answers to these questions you should take a minute and think of all the kids who became doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, teachers, coaches that had parents that were also the same thing. This isn't always the case, however, it does happen frequently. The reason seems to be that if a kids parents have the ability, both mental and physical, along with a passion for a field, that enthusiasm and interest can and does get passed on to the child.
If you love football and watch it on Sunday afternoon your kid is probably going to sit there with you and learn to enjoy football. Or, if you take him to the local high school basketball games and also shoot hoops with him in the drive-way he will likely be a basketball fan.
So the question of teaching "The Love of the Game" is just a natural thing that happens between the parent and most kids. If you do it right.
When my son was just a baby (9 months old) I would sit him in my lap and with a big fat red wiffle ball bat and my wife would pitch us balls and I would hit them and I laugh and carry on "that ones long gone" and the like. It is interesting that when he did pick up a bat he swung it left-handed, and that is also the way we hit those early wiffle balls. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was programming him to bat left handed.
When was old enough to start throwing a ball I just gently showed him to point his left shoulder in the direction he was throwing the ball and then just step, turn, and throw. Pretty simple right? I see high school players who don't close up right and turn and throw like they should.
Same goes for hitting. Point the lead shoulder at the pitcher and step at him, then turn and swing.
These are the first steps. They are critical to developing correct mechanics.
But, what if little Johnny doesn't do it right? No big deal. Just remind him once in a while when you are playing with him to point his shoulder at you, step, and throw. Same for hitting. But, its not a big deal if he doesn't do it right. But, when he does do it right you should get excited and say things like, that looked like Nolan Ryan or Ken Griffey or whoever. Don't even acknowledge when they don't do it right. You don't want your kid thinking about making mistakes, you want him thinking about what he/she just did right.
These first steps are critical. They start the learning and teaching process. They have to be positive. They can take a long time to develop. There's no hurry, just keep reminding him/her.
Warning: If you handle these early years wrong and get on your kid all the time, you can forget your kid ever wanting to play baseball or whatever. Keep it fun. Play with them. The more time you spend with your kid having fun the better they will become.
Next Blog: The one position on the baseball field you don't want your kid to play growing up.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
The Time Table For Developing Your Players Skills
As a parent the only thing that should matter to you is developing your player into the best player he/she can be. Not winning or losing. Development.
This is sort of scary turf. If I would have known this when my son was this age, I'm not sure if I would have had the same approach with him. Which may have helped or hurt. Who knows? But, looking back in retrospect I'm just glad that I worked hard at researching and learning the game I love. I have a small baseball library and video collection. It was fun learning and fun teaching it to my son. Let me make it clear that he has passed me by long ago in his professional career. I'm talking about the kid and playing with him in the backyard and teaching him the game as best I could. Not the professional today.
Both my son and I have worked with kids and at about 8 or 9 many of them are ready for some basic instruction. My experience with kids between 13 and 16 has been poor. And, what's sad is those older kids are really wanting to learn and become better players. Unfortunately they have performed bad mechanics over and over. They have etched the wrong movements into their brains, or into their muscle memory. And, they just can't get these bad habits out of their systems.
A book that made me feel that I was right about this fact is, "Why Michael (Jordan) Couldn't Hit, and Other Tales of the Neurology of Sports", by Dr. Harold Klawans. This is an interesting read and I will be mentioning it again latter. His knowledge of the development of the brain and nervous system tells us that by 12 years of age, players with bad mechanics and kids who haven't played are unlikely to develop proper mechanics. Or, they won't be able to develop the mechanics that will make them successful as baseball players.
I've had parents ask me since my son was 6 years old how he had become a good player. At the age of six I just told them the truth. When he wants me to play with him in the back yard I do it ever chance I have. As he got older I'd just tell them we have a batting cage and he loves to take grounders. Basically he liked to hit, throw, and field. I never felt comfortable talking like I was some baseball guru because I wasn't and I'm not. But, I found what worked for my son and numerous other young players too.
So the window in time to develop proper mechanics is from 8 to 11 years old. Maybe a little younger depending on the kid.
The biggest hurdle you are going to face is instructing and keeping it fun. Remember when you are playing with your youngster in the backyard he/she doesn't need to understand proper mechanics, they just need to do them.
Next: Where and when to start teaching your son proper mechanics.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)