Ever watched a player melt down in front of your eyes, walking eight batters in a row, or making three consecutive errors in the field? Of course you have! More and more in today’s high-pressure, win-at-all-costs climate of amateur baseball, … Read more >
As a youth baseball coach, I spend a significant amount of time shaking my head at easily taught aspects of the game that go overlooked. When youth pitchers begin throwing curveballs—somewhere between the age of 12 and 15, typically—they embark … Read more >
If you look around social media, you’ll see that more baseball pitchers are lifting “heavy.” This is, in general, a good trend – pitchers were coddled and treated with fragility for years.
But, pitchers are different – different than position … Read more >
It can be a challenge to get relief pitchers ready to enter the game. As situations rapidly change, the need for a reliever can go from mild to urgent in the blink of an eye. Yet, good communication and clear … Read more >
Many young pitchers struggle to get deep into games, instead racking up high pitch counts on long at-bats caused by ineffective pitch-calling strategy. In this article, we’ll discuss common pitch-calling mistakes that cause pitch-counts to inflate too quickly.
Mental skills in baseball are often overlooked and very undertrained. Today, we’ll cover four tips that can help any baseball player improve on-field performance and handle pressure situations like a champ.
The word … Read more >
The fear of failure—and the shame, embarrassment and ridicule that accompanies it—is a major hindrance of fluid, athletic motion and good performance on the field. It’s common wisdom that positive visualization and self-talk will enhance an athlete’s mindset, boosting confidence … Read more >
My elbow hurts a lot.
My arm feels really tight.
I feel great!
It was really sore the next day.
I had nothing on it – no movement and no velocity.
It started off good, then it started to hurt. … Read more >
It is well-documented that young athletes should not be specializing early in any one sport. Baseball is an often-cited culprit, as the repetitive stresses of throwing accumulate much faster with players who specialize and only play baseball. These players … Read more >
You’ve got the hitter 0-1 after a sharp first-pitch fastball for a strike. You then break off a nasty 1/7 curveball, and he swings and misses. The hitter is on the ropes and took an ugly swing, so the catcher … Read more >