This week I bring you some insight into hitting that may challenge your current ideas and contradict some of the things you are teaching to your players. I say this because I have become aware that some of the phrases and ideas I would tell myself have actually been a hindrance to my success. I…
The fly ball. It can be a pitcher’s best friend in a spacious ballpark or their worst nightmare if they have guys playing behind them who don’t have a clue. One of the biggest mistakes I see as a coach is when a player takes a bad angle to a fly ball. It happens much…
On this Independence Day weekend I thought it would be appropriate to acknowledge Rick Monday and his outstanding act of patriotism in April of 1976. I believe it is our duty as coaches to teach our players about being proud of the American flag and what it stands for. It was always one of my…
Many athletes especially baseball players are familiar with the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder and the importance of properly stretching these muscles. There are 4 rotator cuff muscles which function as dynamic stabilizers in the shoulder. They are the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and teres minor. These posterior rotator cuff muscles, specifically the infraspinatus and…
The Upper Body Step Up is a great strengthening and stability exercise for your shoulders. Two major joints help to create shoulder movement. They are your glenohumeral joint (ball and socket joint) and your scapularthoracic joint (aka shoulder blade). These two joints along with the sternoclavicular and the acromioclavicular joints must all work together to…
As promised in my last article I am going to talk about the proper way to get warmed up. Too many players go out to the field and start playing catch before they get their bodies stretched out. Some of it comes from youthful exuberance and the fact that some look at stretching as boring.…
Rice bucket? If you were to ask any Major League baseball player what a rice bucket is, they would all be able to answer you. And that is because they have all used a rice bucket in their baseball careers to strengthen their hands, wrists, and forearms. The rice bucket is very common in the…
The push-up one arm row is a great upper body exercise. This exercise is a combination of two exercises: the push-up which strengthens your chest and arms and the one arm row which strengthens your upper back. By combining these two exercises, the traditional push-up exercise becomes more challenging and the one arm row involves…
I tell my pitchers this all the time- “You are going to be so good with your accuracy that your mom will let you and your friend play catch in your hallway.” I almost always receive the same response- laughter from the players and rebukes from the parents. As much as I want them to…
Being comfortable behind home plate is essential for a catcher. It is also very important to know that during the course of a game, catchers will be squatting in different positions depending on the situation. Listed below are the three main positions that we have found to be the most effective. Remember, the catcher is…