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| at home batting practice: Hitting with Torque Paul F. Petricca, 2017-11-07 Paul Petricca draws on his experience as a coach, player, blogger, and student of baseball and softball to share what hes learned about hitting in this essential guide for players seeking dramatic results at the plate. The author presents easy to understand hitting mechanics highlighting how the engineering concept of torque can be applied to hitting and is often the difference between a weak groundball or a long home run. Topics covered include understanding where hitting power really comes from and the importance of increasing bat speed through the fundamentals of a repeatable and powerful rotational swing. Hitters of all ages who adopt his eight hitting keys will enjoy a dramatic increase in bat speed and power almost immediately. Hitting with Torque is more than a set of hitting mechanics---its a mindset. Readers will be challenged to look past the worn-out hitting theories and myths that have been holding back hitters from reaching their full potential. With an open mind and practice, all hitters can unlock the power and consistency that is Hitting with Torque. |
| at home batting practice: Baseball Hitting Drills for a Batting Tee Doug Bernier, Sarah Bernier, 2015-01-31 20 baseball hitting drills, accompanied by 20 streaming videos - one to describe and demonstrate each drill in the book. Illustrated with full color diagrams, and includes bonus material. Written by professional baseball player |
| at home batting practice: Catapult Loading System Joey Myers, 2018-02-14 My son at 10yo (90-lbs) is highly coach-able. I taught him the system in February and he hit well during the season but could only hit the ball around 180'. Then all of a sudden around June he started killing the ball. He was hitting home runs every game and hit a ball at least 250-feet - Michael Parillo (via email) Sick of struggling to help hitters drive the ball hard with more consistency? Dramatically increase power without sacrificing swing quality. Literally thousands of coaches across the nation are getting predictably positive results with hitters using the CLS system. How? By applying human movement principles validated by REAL science to hitting a ball, and NOT bro-science. THIS STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CONSISTENT POWER TEACHES: How to master a handful of human movement principles, so you can slice the teach hitting learning curve in half. How to effectively load the body, so your hitters can optimize their batted ball distance potential. How elite-hitters are revealing ways to hit balls with High-Exit-Speeds, swing after swing, using three elements a 4-year-old can understand. Why 'loading and exploding the hips' is bad for lower back, and how to teach hitters a highly effective but SAFE swing. THE NEW EXPANDED EDITION INCLUDES: 'How to practice' section at end of each movement principle Chapter. How to train a 2-year-old to hit a moving ball (proof that NOT only elite hitters can be taught these movements). Why pitchers are taught to pitch around ineffective swing paths, and how to turn their weapon against them. Why coaches MUST focus their hitters' efforts on targeting and elevating pitches low in the zone. How to teach timing and get hitters on-time more often in games. |
| at home batting practice: The Baseball Drill Book Bob Bennett, American Baseball Coaches Association, 2004 Offers 198 activities for baseball players' training. Covers drills for warm-up, throwing, catching, base running, hitting, pitching, and fielding. |
| at home batting practice: Youth Baseball Drills Marty Schupak, 2005 Youth Baseball Drills features helpful tips to make on-field practice more fun and can be employed to develop players' understanding, skills, and love for the sport. |
| at home batting practice: The Art of Hitting Tony Gwynn, Roger Vaughan, 1998 |
| at home batting practice: Baseball: Teach Your Kid to Hit...So They Don't Quit! Kevin Gallagher, 2020-06-08 Kevin Gallagher has written a book that provides a process to parents and coaches on how to teach children to hit a baseball or a softball. It is a process that will dramatically increase the chances of any child to make contact with the ball.Hitting a baseball is hard and very few people know how to teach children or young adults how to hit.Throwing batting practice to a child is not teaching them to hit.This book is designed to convince the vast audience of Parents that they, regardless of their background, can teach their child to make contact with a baseball/softball, by providing a simple process that will make sense to them and their child.If we don't teach our kids to hit, they will get frustrated and quit.The book is an easy read and is a story of the state of Baseball today, and takes us on a journey on how the length of Major League games, the late hour finishes, the Launch Angle Swing and the infatuation of the Home Run, as well as the amount of non-action during games, has all contributed to the games declining popularity in America and the disappearing participation of America's youth. It is a story full of anecdotes, quotes and eye popping statistics that makes the book enjoyable, but always leading to the inevitable conclusion that making contact with the baseball is the only way you will keep a child involved in the game?? and ultimately create more action inside the game.At the books conclusion, Kevin lays out a simple 8 Step Process to make contact with the ball.It is a process for the parent to learn, understand, and own. Then, and only then, the parent will have the knowledge and confidence to teach their child.In addition to the written process, and numerous entertaining illustrations, there are links to a 24 minute instructional video broken down step-by-step to help you visualize what is being taught. |
| at home batting practice: High Scoring Baseball Todd Guilliams, 2012-11-27 What is the definition of a high-scoring offense? How do you measure a player’s offensive productivity? How do you keep your team on track throughout the course of a long season? High-Scoring Baseball is the definitive guide for establishing an aggressive, opportunistic, and disciplined offense. Inside you’ll find detailed coverage of the four offensive team goals and the six ways to create offensive pressure that gives every team a chance to be high scorers. Then go inside the numbers for an in-depth analysis of run production. Discover the most common predictors for achieving a big inning, the importance of getting the lead-off hitter on, and the importance of collecting free bases. You’ll identify the most effective strategies based on specific game situations as well as the proper mental approach and physical adjustments to execute in those situations. Offense is more than a player’s batting average or a team’s ability to hit the long ball. It’s all about run production. It’s a player’s ability to achieve a high-quality at-bat and a team’s ability to create a big inning. High-Scoring Baseball will change the way you see and play the game. |
| at home batting practice: The Way of Baseball Shawn Green, 2012-06-05 Major League All-Star Green shares how his baseball career has taught him to live life being fully present in every moment. |
| at home batting practice: Winning Baseball Trent Mongero, 2011 From age-appropriate drills to motivation strategies, this step-by-step guide to youth baseball offers all the information parents and coaches need to help young players reach their full potential. |
| at home batting practice: Clean Your Cleats Dan Blewett, 2022-02-15 What Does it Take to Have a Great Baseball Career? You daydream about one day seeing your face on a baseball card. You live for pressure and the green grass beneath your cleats. But as your career progresses, the game gets harder. You slump and struggle. You get injured and overlooked. Your confidence plummets. Can you keep improving? Are your big dreams still within reach? A Handbook for the Dedicated Player Clean Your Cleats is filled with stories and advice learned the hard way, over a long career on the diamond. Develop better routines and improve your consistency. Handle the ups and downs with confidence and resolve. Strengthen relationships with teammates, parents and coaches. Learn mindset strategies to become the best version of you. Dan Blewett, in this practical guide, helps players understand all the little things in baseball that make a huge difference over a long career. Why clean your cleats? Because every detail matters. |
| at home batting practice: Coaching Youth Softball Babe Ruth League, Inc., 2019-01-22 Congratulations on your commitment to coach youth softball. If you’re new to coaching, you’ll find Coaching Youth Softball invaluable in making your first season a success. If you have previous coaching experience, you’re sure to discover tips and strategies that will help you improve on last year. Coaching Youth Softball will help you manage your team with confidence. This age-specific and field-tested coaching guide will prepare you to handle your responsibilities and establish proper priorities as a coach; communicate with players, officials, other coaches, and parents; teach softball skills and strategies using a combination of 27 drills and 39 coaching tips; minimize the risk of injury, establish a safe playing environment, and administer basic first aid; plan and conduct efficient practices; manage your team on game day; and keep it all fun. Written for coaches of players ages 18 and under, this book is a valuable component of the Coaching Youth Softball the Babe Ruth League Way online course, the official certification course of Babe Ruth League, the premier amateur baseball and softball program in the world. With this book, you will create and nurture an athlete-centered environment that promotes player development, enjoyment, motivation, safety, and sportsmanship—an environment that inspires players to perform at their best and come out for the team year after year. |
| at home batting practice: Softball Skills & Drills Judi Garman, Michelle Gromacki, 2011-02-14 Looking for the ultimate book to help you learn and master softball’s essential skills? Look no further than the guide that has helped develop the game’s top players and most successful teams. This new edition of Softball Skills & Drills is completely updated with more skills, more drills and strategies, and more of the stellar instruction that have made it the top-selling title on the sport. Judi Garman, one of the winningest coaches in NCAA history, teams with Cal State Fullerton’s Michelle Gromacki to share their secrets to developing and mastering every aspect of the game. With step-by-step instruction, full-color photo sequences, technique tips, and unique insight into the game, you’ll learn every fundamental skill: •Hitting •Bunting •Slap Hitting •Baserunning •Sliding •Fielding •Throwing •Pitching •Catching And with over 230 of the game’s best drills, coverage of team offense and defense, pitch selection, pitch recognition, and in-game strategies, Softball Skills and Drills is simply the most comprehensive and practical guide on the sport. Whether striving to become a complete player or preparing your team for another championship run, Softball Skills &Drills is the one book you cannot be without. |
| at home batting practice: T Ball Skills and Drills Marty Schupak, 2017-01-10 T-Ball Skills & Drills presents 37 creative drills that T-Ball coaches and parents can do with their team or with their own kids at home. Over a million kids participate in T-Ball every year. Hitting fundamentals, throwing, baserunning, and fielding are just some of the skills covered. Coaches need to be creative to keep kids stimulated in practices and during games. Many of the drills in T-Ball Skills & Drills use common household items as props. The drills give useful hints for skills like throwing and catching fly balls that will make it achievable for 5, 6, and 7 year old kids. Other important T-Ball issues are emphasized such as safety. This book is appropriate for all T-Ball coaches and parents. Children as young as four up to seven years old will learn useful skills should they continue playing baseball or softball. |
| at home batting practice: One Last Strike Tony La Russa, Rick Hummel, 2012-09-25 One Last Strike by legendary baseball manager Tony La Russa is a thrilling sports comeback story. La Russa, the winner of four Manager of the Year awards—who led his teams to six Pennant wins and three World Series crowns—chronicles one of the most exciting end-of-season runs in baseball history, revealing with fascinating behind-the-scenes details how, under his expert management, the St. Louis Cardinals emerged victorious in the 2011 World Series despite countless injuries, mishaps, and roadblocks along the way. Talking candidly about the remarkable season—and his All-Star players like Albert Pujols and David Freese—the recently retired La Russa celebrates his fifty years in baseball, his team’s amazing recovery from 10 ½ games back, and one final, unforgettable championship in a book that no true baseball fan will want to miss. |
| at home batting practice: Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way Cal Ripken, Jr., Bill Ripken, Scott Lowe, 2006-12-15 Coaching young players, developing their skills, and cultivating a love for the sport may be the most rewarding experience baseball can offer. Cal and Bill Ripken understand this like few others. From their father, Cal Sr., a legend in the Baltimore Orioles organization for 37 years, they learned to play the game the right way. Those lessons, paired with their combined 33 years of big league experience, helped develop the Ripken Way, a method of teaching the game through simple instruction, solid explanations, encouragement, and a positive atmosphere. In Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way, Cal and Bill share this approach to coaching and development. Whether you're teaching your children at home, managing the local travel team, or working with high school-level players, Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way will help you make a difference both on and off the field, with these features: More than 50 drills covering defense, hitting, pitching, and baserunning Age-specific practice plans for players ranging from 4 to 15+ Strategies for setting goals and reasonable expectations for your players and team Advice on communicating with parents, players, and staff Methods for creating a positive and fun environment in which kids can learn the skills and strategies of the game Bill Ripken was once voted by his peers as one of the big league players most likely to become a manager. Cal Ripken, Jr., known as baseball's Iron Man, is a member of the game's All-Century Team and a future Hall of Famer. Together, they are proof positive that the Ripken Way is the right way to teach the game of baseball. |
| at home batting practice: The Louisville Slugger® Complete Book of Hitting Faults and Fixes Mark Gola, John Monteleone, 2001-02-28 This step-by-step approach starts from the ground up, including: problems in the stance, pre-swing movements, hip rotation, the swing, and more. |
| at home batting practice: The Mental Keys to Hitting H.A. Dorfman, 2017-03-01 A must-have book by acclaimed author and expert H.A. Dorfman that highlights the crucial mental components involved in hitting a baseball and playing the game, components that are as important, if not more so, than the intense physical regimen of an athlete....helpful to hitters in little leagues or in the big leagues. The information is clear and to the point... -- Charles Johnson, former catcher, Florida Marlins |
| at home batting practice: The MVP Machine Ben Lindbergh, Travis Sawchik, 2019-06-04 Move over, Moneyball -- this New York Times bestseller examines major league baseball's next cutting-edge revolution: the high-tech quest to build better players. As bestselling authors Ben Lindbergh and Travis Sawchik reveal in The MVP Machine, the Moneyball era is over. Fifteen years after Michael Lewis brought the Oakland Athletics' groundbreaking team-building strategies to light, every front office takes a data-driven approach to evaluating players, and the league's smarter teams no longer have a huge advantage in valuing past performance. Lindbergh and Sawchik's behind-the-scenes reporting reveals: How undersized afterthoughts José Altuve and Mookie Betts became big sluggers and MVPs How polarizing pitcher Trevor Bauer made himself a Cy Young contender How new analytical tools have overturned traditional pitching and hitting techniques How a wave of young talent is making MLB both better than ever and arguably worse to watch Instead of out-drafting, out-signing, and out-trading their rivals, baseball's best minds have turned to out-developing opponents, gaining greater edges than ever by perfecting prospects and eking extra runs out of older athletes who were once written off. Lindbergh and Sawchik take us inside the transformation of former fringe hitters into home-run kings, show how washed-up pitchers have emerged as aces, and document how coaching and scouting are being turned upside down. The MVP Machine charts the future of a sport and offers a lesson that goes beyond baseball: Success stems not from focusing on finished products, but from making the most of untapped potential. |
| at home batting practice: Science of Hitting Ted Williams, John Underwood, 1986-04-29 Advice on how to improve your turn at bat and become the best hitter possible. |
| at home batting practice: The Matheny Manifesto Mike Matheny, Jerry B. Jenkins, 2015-02-03 St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny's New York Times bestselling manifesto about what parents, coaches, and athletes get wrong about sports; what we can do better; and how sports can teach eight keys to success in sports and life. Mike Matheny was just forty-one, without professional managerial experience and looking for a next step after a successful career as a Major League catcher, when he succeeded the legendary Tony La Russa as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012. While Matheny has enjoyed immediate success, leading the Cards to the postseason four times in his first four years−a Major League record−people have noticed something else about his life, something not measured in day-to-day results. Instead, it’s based on a frankly worded letter he wrote to the parents of a Little League team he coached, a cry for change that became an Internet sensation and eventually a “manifesto.” The tough-love philosophy Matheny expressed in the letter contained his throwback beliefs that authority should be respected, discipline and hard work rewarded, spiritual faith cultivated, family made a priority, and humility considered a virtue. In The Matheny Manifesto, he builds on his original letter by first diagnosing the problem at the heart of youth sports−it starts with parents and coaches−and then by offering a hopeful path forward. Along the way, he uses stories from his small-town childhood as well as his career as a player, coach, and manager to explore eight keys to success: leadership, confidence, teamwork, faith, class, character, toughness, and humility. From “The Coach Is Always Right, Even When He’s Wrong” to “Let Your Catcher Call the Game,” Matheny’s old-school advice might not always be popular or politically correct, but it works. His entertaining and deeply inspirational book will not only resonate with parents, coaches, and athletes, it will also be a powerful reminder, from one of the most successful new managers in the game, of what sports can teach us all about winning on the field and in life. |
| at home batting practice: The Mental Game Of Baseball H. A. Dorfman, Karl Kuehl, 2002 In this book, authors H.A. Dorfman and Karl Kuehl present their practical and proven strategy for developing the mental skills needed to achieve peack performance at every level of the game. |
| at home batting practice: Ballplayer Chipper Jones, Carroll Rogers Walton, 2018-04-03 Atlanta Braves third baseman and National Hall of Famer Chipper Jones—one of the greatest switch-hitters in baseball history—shares his remarkable story, while capturing the magic nostalgia that sets baseball apart from every other sport. Before Chipper Jones became an eight-time All-Star who amassed Hall of Fame–worthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day he’d be a major league ballplayer. With his trademark candor and astonishing recall, Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency. His journey begins with learning the art of switch-hitting and takes off after the Braves make him the number one overall pick in the 1990 draft, setting him on course to become the linchpin of their lineup at the height of their fourteen-straight division-title run. Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the Braves’ extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 “Baby Braves”; all the while sharing pitch-by-pitch dissections of clashes at the plate with some of the all-time great starters, such as Clemens and Johnson, as well as closers such as Wagner and Papelbon. He delves into his relationships with Bobby Cox and his famous Braves brothers—Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz, among them—and opponents from Cal Ripken Jr. to Barry Bonds. The National League MVP also opens up about his overnight rise to superstardom and the personal pitfalls that came with fame; his spirited rivalry with the New York Mets; his reflections on baseball in the modern era—outrageous money, steroids, and all—and his special last season in 2012. Ballplayer immerses us in the best of baseball, as if we’re sitting next to Chipper in the dugout on an endless spring day. |
| at home batting practice: Sixty Feet, Six Inches Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Lonnie Wheeler, 2009-09-22 Reggie Jackson and Bob Gibson offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to understand America's pastime from their unique insider perspective. Legendary. Insightful. Uncompromising. Candid. Uncensored. Mr. October and Hoot Gibson unfortunately never faced each other on the field. But now, in Sixty Feet, Six Inches, these two legends open up in fascinating detail about the game they love and how it was, is, and should be played. Their one-of-a-kind insider stories recall a who's who of baseball nobility, including Willie Mays, Alex Rodriguez, Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Billy Martin, and Joe Torre. This is an unforgettable baseball history by two of its most influential superstars. Bonus Material: This ebook edition includes an excerpt from Reggie Jackson's Becoming Mr. October. |
| at home batting practice: The Physics of Baseball Robert K. Adair, 2015-01-20 Blending scientific fact and sports trivia, Robert Adair examines what a baseball or player in motion does-and why. How fast can a batted ball go? What effect do stitch patterns have on wind resistance? How far does a curve ball break? Who reaches first base faster after a bunt, a right- or left-handed batter? The answers are often surprising—and always illuminating. This newly revised third edition considers recent developments in the science of sport such as the neurophysiology of batting, bat vibration, and the character of the sweet spot. Faster pitchers, longer hitters, and enclosed stadiums also get a good, hard scientific look to determine their effects on the game. Filled with anecdotes about famous players and incidents, The Physics of Baseball provides fans with fascinating insights into America's favorite pastime. |
| at home batting practice: Intangibles Geoff Miller, 2012-09-15 “Geoff Miller has devised a virtually flawless program to assist anyone who aspires to become a winning major league player.” —Roland Hemond, 2011 Baseball Hall of Fame Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award “One of the most remarkable books to come out in years is called Intangibles by Geoff Miller.” —Collegiate Baseball “Intangibles is filled with lessons and tools for helping baseball players in all stages of their development.” —Fredi Gonzalez, Manager, Atlanta Braves “Geoff Miller is insightful in explaining the mental aspect of baseball with real issues, simple terms and practical solutions.” —Dave Littlefield, Chicago Cubs, Special Asst. to the General Manager, Pittsburgh Pirates General Manager (2001-2007) “I am convinced that this book is one of the best compositions written on the mental aspects within the game of baseball.” —College Baseball Lineup “A must read for athletes looking to gain a mental edge or simply better identify their own strengths.” —Bryan Minniti, Assistant General Manager, Washington Nationals Foreword by Vince Gennaro, author of Diamond Dollars: The Economics of Winning in Baseball A must read for all baseball players, coaches, and fans… Mental skills coach Geoff Miller has spent years helping professional baseball players improve their mental toughness—both on and off the field. Now, he’s making these invaluable lessons available to everyone who loves the game of baseball. From high school to the Major Leagues, all baseball players struggle with competition, pressure, and their own personal challenges. This book, through inspiring stories about professional baseball players in various stages of their careers, as well as hands-on tips and questionnaires, will help players evaluate and improve the mental skills that are necessary for that competitive edge. In Intangibles, you’ll find stories, instruction, and practical applications that teach players and coaches how to put forth their best mental games—portrayed through the eyes of those who have experienced those learning moments firsthand in their quests to become Major Leaguers. From a local park’s baseball diamond to dusty minor league dugout benches to the musty concrete tunnels under Major League stadiums, Intangibles meets players where they are, offering specific ways to improve performance and outlook. Players features in the book include Brandon Moss, Nyjer Morgan, Nate McLouth, Ryan Vogelsong, Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche, Matt Capps, among others. Whether you hope to be a big league player someday, or whether you simply want to play your best game, this book is essential for all athletes who want to learn how to overcome fear, build confidence, and develop a mental framework for success. |
| at home batting practice: Positional Hitting Jaime Cevallos, 2010-06 Ted Williams once famously remarked, 'Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports'... Jaime Cevallos has made it his life's mission to conquer the unconquerable. - Fort Worth Star-Telegram Discover the hitting secret that is changing baseball careers. Positional Hitting offers a few simple steps to hitting with more power and consistency than ever before. The best hitters in the world make it look so easy, and the secret lies in the positions they achieve through the swing. With a camcorder and Positional Hitting, you can hit like you've always dreamed, in very little time. And be prepared, your teammates will likely ask, What has gotten into you? Positional Hitting will open your eyes to a whole new world behind the baseball swing. You will learn: - How Jaime first discovered Positional Hitting in college and went from a .488 OPS to .989 in one year and earned an athletic scholarship, just by changing his swing positions - How amateurs and professionals are achieving eye-popping results using the Positional Hitting method - The hitting myths and misconceptions that are currently holding you back from hitting your best - How the positions you achieve through the swing directly correlate to your results on the field - How to analyze your swing on video using precise measurements - How to train your swing positions to achieve instant results As a former Major League player and a youth coach for the past 13 years, I have seen hundreds of techniques and coaching systems. None of them have produced the results as quickly as what I have seen with Positional Hitting. Jaime has figured it out. - Pat Combs, former MLB player, Philadelphia Phillies To see the difference between before I started working with Jaime in 2007 and the season after working with him in 2008, the numbers speak for themselves. -Drew Sutton, MLB player, Cincinnati Reds Jaime is changing the way hitters analyze and train their swings - from the little leaguers all the way up to the pros. - Steve Moyer, President, Baseball Info Solutions Jaime is way ahead of the game with his knowledge of hitting mechanics. - Ben Zobrist, MLB Player, Tampa Bay Rays |
| at home batting practice: Dear Baseball Gods: A Memoir Dan Blewett, 2019-04-08 Dear Baseball Gods, Why didn't you look out for him? Didn't he deserve better? He hustled, competed, and played the game the right way. What happened wasn't fair. A Second Comeback Dan sat by a tree, staring at the ground trying to decide what he would do next. The doctor had just explained that everything he worked for was now ruined. A second Tommy John surgery? Does anyone come back from that? Is my career over? Is this it? A Winding Road to the Top As a walk-on in college, Dan had to earn everything. He pitched on three hours sleep, lived in the clubhouse, played for a team that collapsed mid-season, and endured more arm pain than any kid should. A Way to Move On When finally forced to hang up his cleats, Dan looked in the mirror and didn't recognize the man peering back. If no longer a ballplayer...what would he do? What had been the point of it all? Who was he? The Deeper Side of Life as an Athlete In this philosophical memoir, written as a series of letters, you'll learn that the pinstripes don't wash off so easily. |
| at home batting practice: Youth Baseball Practice Games Michael O'Connell, Ben Harley, 2022-01-14 Youth Baseball Practice Games: Skills that Scale is a book designed to bring fun and productive games to youth practices. The book is 47 games designed to plug and play into any practice plan covering pitching, hitting, defense, strength, and full team games. |
| at home batting practice: At Home and Away John Kuenster, 2003-01-01 Over the course of his long career of covering major league baseball, numerous players, managers, umpires, and games, as well as unexpected and humorous events on and off the field, have made lasting impressions on John Kuenster. This is a selection of essays Kuenster wrote for Warm Up Tosses, the Baseball Digest column he has written every month since he became editor of the Digest in 1969. He shares his opinions and insights on managers in columns like Casey Stengel Was One of a Kind and George Anderson Still 'Sparky' When Talking Baseball; history in President Kennedy, No Stranger to Baseball and Baseball's Brightest and Darkest Moments of 1900s; pitchers in Here's a Vote for Whitey Ford and Complete-Game Pitchers, A Disappearing Breed in the Majors; umpires in Umps, Love 'em or Not, They're Vital to the Game; infielders in Derek Jeter, Cornerstone of Recent Yankee Championships and Third Basemen, Crucial to Winning but Often Overlooked; outfielders in Please, No 'Soft Pitches' for Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds Had a Season for the Ages; and catchers in Many Catchers Struggling through Learning Process. Also included are some of Kuenster's columns about scouts and coaches, team executives, hitting, baseball in general, teams, ball parks, the World Series, humor, and Hall of Famers. |
| at home batting practice: SITUATION BASEBALL Steve Gelfius, 2012-12-12 Have you ever watched young ball players field A baseball and then hesitate? One of the coaches yells “2nd”, a team mate yells “go home” and where ever the player throws, there is no positive result for his team. Those developing baseball players from the ages of six to twelve need to have more “smarts” about the game. “If the ball is hit to me - what do I do with it” is the most fundamental area of the game following physical skills. Developing this skill can make the difference between a mediocre and a good baseball player. It can give them the edge, it can mean being a starter or a sub, it’s the little things that make the big difference. This book gives infielders and outfielders the basic solutions to every base running situation. It gives situations that make them think to develop that instinctive sense of what to do with the ball. This book can be used in the field by coaches, in the backyard by dads, between players on the way to the game to build confidence. It is a basic tool for every player. |
| at home batting practice: Rod Carew's Hit to Win Rod Carew, Frank Pace, Armen Keteyian, Joe Mauer, 2012-06-12 DIVIn the more than 40 years since Rod Carew debuted in the big leagues, he's watched thousands of great and not-so-great hitters while discerning the fundamentals of success at the plate. Countless hours spent experimenting, watching video, and refining his own techniques have helped transform Carew from one of the game's best hitters to one of its most revered teachers./div Rod Carew's Hit to Win teaches hitters how to develop their own swing, stance, and plate approach, all within the framework of solid fundamentals. Detailed photos and diagrams help students envision and execute success at the plate. Carew's hitting philosophy is featured here as well, with a focus on the mental and psychological battle between a hitter and a pitcher. Carew encourages his students to be creative and flexible in the batter's box, making Rod Carew's Hit to Win the ideal instructional tool for hitters of all ages and skill levels. |
| at home batting practice: How Life Imitates the World Series Thomas Boswell, 1982 |
| at home batting practice: Heads-Up Baseball Ken Ravizza, Tom Hanson, 1995-06-01 This book provides practical strategies for developing the mental skills which help speed you to your full potential.---Dave Winfield What does it mean to play heads-up baseball? A heads-up player has confidence in his ability, keeps control in pressure situations, and focuses on one pitch at a time. His mental skills enable him to play consistently at or near his best despite the adversity baseball presents each day. My ability to fully focus on what I had to do on a daily basis was what made me the successful player I was. Sure I had some natural ability, but that only gets you so far. I think I learned how to focus; it wasn't something that I was necessarily born with. -- Hank Aaron Developing and refining my mental game has played a critical role in my success in baseball. For years players have had to develop these skills on their own. This book provides practical strategies for developing the mental skills that will help speed you toward your full potential. -- Dave Winfield |
| at home batting practice: Baseball For Dummies Joe Morgan, Richard Lally, 2014-02-24 Play, watch, and understand America's favorite pastime Baseball continues to be a popular game both as a spectator sport and as a pastime. Since the publication of Baseball For Dummies, 3rd Edition, baseball teams have changed, new MLB stadiums have been built, and rules have been updated. This updated 4th Edition brings you the latest information on the players, the places, and above all, the game. Baseball For Dummies is for baseball fans at all levels, from players and coaches to spectators who love the game. Baseball Hall of Fame player Joe Morgan explains baseball with remarkable insight, using down-to-earth language so everyone from the casual observer to the die-hard fan can gain a fuller appreciation of the sport. Improve your hitting, pitching, and fielding Find a baseball team to play on, from Little League on up Evaluate stats, players, and records Coach baseball or umpire effectively Get more out of a trip to the ballpark The latest on baseball stats and sabermetrics Complete with Morgan's personal lists of top-ten toughest pitchers, smartest players, and most strategic managers, Baseball For Dummies gives you all the inside tips, facts, and stats so you can have Major League fun! |
| at home batting practice: Swing Kings Jared Diamond, 2020-03-31 The best baseball book I’ve read in years. — Sam Walker • An exhilarating story of innovation. — Ben Reiter • Swing Kings feels like a spiritual successor to Moneyball. — Baseball Prospectus From the Wall Street Journal’s national baseball writer, the captivating story of the home run boom, following a group of players who rose from obscurity to stardom and the rogue swing coaches who helped them usher the game into a new age. We are in a historic era for the home run. The 2019 season saw the most homers ever, obliterating a record set just two years before. It is a shift that has transformed the way the game is played, contributing to more strikeouts, longer games, and what feels like the logical conclusion of the analytics era. In Swing Kings, Wall Street Journal national baseball writer Jared Diamond reveals that the secret behind this unprecedented shift isn’t steroids or the stitching of the baseballs, it’s the most elemental explanation of all: the swing. In this lively narrative romp, he tracks a group of baseball’s biggest stars—including Aaron Judge, J.D. Martinez, and Justin Turner—who remade their swings under the tutelage of a band of renegade coaches, and remade the game in the process. These coaches, many of them baseball washouts who have reinvented themselves as swing gurus, for years were one of the game’s best-kept secrets. Among their ranks are a swimming pool contractor, the owner of a billiards hall, and an ex-hippie whose swing insights draw from surfing and the technique of Japanese samurai. Now, as Diamond artfully charts, this motley cast has moved from the baseball margins to its center of power. They are changing the way hitting is taught to players of all ages, and major league clubs are scrambling for their services, hiring them in record numbers as coaches and consultants. And Diamond himself, whose baseball career ended in high school, enlists the tutelage of each swing coach he profiles, with an aim toward starring in the annual Boston-New York media game at Yankee Stadium. Swing Kings is both a rollicking history of baseball’s recent past and a deeply reported, character-driven account of a battle between opponents as old as time: old and new, change and stasis, the establishment and those who break from it. Jared Diamond has written a masterful chronicle of America’s pastime at the crossroads. |
| at home batting practice: Living a King's Life John Leahy, 2024-02-12 Living a King's Life is the day-to-day story of a professional minor-league independent baseball team, the 2009 Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League of Professional Baseball. John Leahy, the radio broadcaster of the team, describes the team's season from his perspective in the radio booth. This book introduces the reader to the personalities of the team and the day-to-day experiences of a group of men as they compete for a league championship. |
| at home batting practice: Pitching. Isn't. Complicated. Dan Blewett, 2013-12 There are many complexities in pitching, but the complexities are the last ten percent, not the first ninety. The first 90% - the things every good pitcher does - are simple. Pitching. Isn't. Complicated. is a concise explanation of the pitching maxims that every pitcher must exhibit. Covered are mechanics, mindset, mental training, situational pitching, holding runners, and more. The author has combined his playing experience with innovative training techniques to become one of the most successful young pitching coaches in the country. The methods in this book are not sensational and there are no fads, no superfluous exercises and no gimmicks. Rather, the goal is to provide only the best drills, teaching methods and concepts that comprise the optimal dose of training. Pitching. Isn't. Complicated. is a concise, layman and actionable book written to give coaches, parents and pitchers a holistic understanding of elite pitching. With a mountain of conflicting information available on the Internet, the development of pitchers has become more confusing than ever; this book will change that. |
| at home batting practice: The Grand Old Man of Baseball Norman L. Macht, 2015-10-01 In The Grand Old Man of Baseball, Norman L. Macht chronicles Connie Mack’s tumultuous final two decades in baseball. After Mack had built one of baseball’s greatest teams, the 1929–31 Philadelphia Athletics, the Depression that followed the stock market crash fundamentally reshaped Mack’s legacy as his team struggled on the field and at the gate. Among the challenges Mack faced: a sharp drop in attendance that forced him to sell his star players; the rise of the farm system, which he was slow to adopt; the opposition of other owners to night games, which he favored; the postwar integration of baseball, which he initially opposed; a split between the team’s heirs (Mack’s sons Roy and Earle on one side, their half brother Connie Jr. on the other) that tore apart the family and forced Mack to choose—unwisely—between them; and, finally, the disastrous 1951–54 seasons in which Roy and Earle ran the club to the brink of bankruptcy. By now aged and mentally infirm, Mack watched in bewilderment as the business he had built fell apart. Broke and in debt, Roy and Earle feuded over the sale of the team. In a never-before-revealed series of maneuvers, Roy double-crossed his father and brother and the team was sold and moved to Kansas City in 1954. In Macht’s third volume of his trilogy on Mack, he describes the physical, mental, and financial decline of Mack’s final years, which unfortunately became a classic American tragedy. |
| at home batting practice: The Chrysanthemum and the Bat Robert Whiting, 1983-05-01 Explains the importance of baseball in the national life of modern Japan and the ways in which the Japanese have brought some of the traditions of Bushido and Kabuki to this American-born game |
Hitting Guide for Beginner and Youth Players - Coach Baseball …
Our Coach Baseball Right Hitting Basics Guide for Beginner and Youth Players is designed to help coaches and parents know what hitting fundamentals to teach their beginning youth …
Competitive drills to make you team mentally tough
Fly ball throw Home Infield Groundball throw to 1B Groundball turn 2 Groundball tag play at Home Pitcher Groundball throw to 1B Groundball turn 2 ... Coach throws batting practice Small hitting …
Practice Template with Free Drills* - Coach Baseball Right
Batting practice – try to have multiple players hit at same time. You could have 4 groups of 3 hitting in different cages. Throw batting practice from 30 feet using L screen. It is fine to use a …
Practice Routine and Drills - Dutzow Ball Park
Batting & Infield Practice *Team takes the field in various positions *10 pitches per player – run on final pitch **Player gets 10 pitches good or bad, remember they will see both in a game. It is …
Baseball Practice Plan Guide - SportsEngine
Baserunning - Home to 1st, Rounding 1st, Home to 2nd, 2nd to Home, etc. 2. Stretching 3. Jogging 4. Dynamic Warm Up - High Knees, High Kicks, Butt Kicks, Lunges, etc. 515 15 min 1. …
Batting Practice and Drills - SportsEngine
Be sure all players have a role during batting practice. For example, if we have 12-16 players, we’ll assign them as four small groups. Group 1 hits at home plate and shags foul balls. Group 2 hits …
Batting Practice Rounds that Work - Cornerstone Coaching …
Batting Practice Rounds that Work Plus count tee drill - The tee goes in the middle of the zone, the hitter swings as hard as they can trying to drive the ball in the middle of the “field” with a …
BATTING PRACTICE – 5 LOOSE - SportsEngine
BATTING PRACTICE – SAC BUNTS ROUND PURPOSE: Allows hitters to practice sacrifice bunts while infielders get reps fielding and throwing SETUP: • Infielders in regular positions • …
Batting Practice Drill - Baseball Sask
For many teams, batting practice consists of a batter hitting and players scattered throughout the field collecting baseballs. Batting practice can be much more beneficial by adding a few …
T-Ball Drills and Practice Plans - pdparks.org
Belt Buckle Batting Lining up the player in front of the tee so they are in the proper batting area. What you need – You will need to set up a tee with the ball on it. Batters should have a bat and …
Coaching Guide – Sample Practice Plans
Plan a day at the local batting cages to mix up the routine. Practice is your teaching time. Games times are for the kids and should be fun. Plan a fun activity as your last drill of each day. End …
Batting Fundamentals - SportsEngine
To practice to see if you have a balanced stance: Get in your batting stance, just like you would if you are batting. Close your eyes for a few moments and your body will take itself to a balanced …
Practice Plan: Hitting Progression - cdn1.sportngin.com
Hitting is everyone's favorite part of baseball, and it's a major aspect of the game. So it's no surprise that you're probably going to spend half your practice on hitting. That means it's …
HOME-RUN DERBY - openphysed.org
Home-Run Derby allows both teachers and students to focus on this critical content in a fun, small-sided game designed to provide low-pressure repetitions for both batting and fielding.
Homework Hitting Workouts Plans - Vernon College
Each of the below workout plans can be completed in 15 minutes or less. All can be done at home, in the garage, the back yard, the driveway, or on a softball field. You can combine these …
12 Week Interval Pitching Flat Ground & Mound Program
(Throw in Batting Practice if possible) (Breaking Pitches if 16 years or older) (Throw in Batting Practice if possible) Day 1: Warm-up Day1: Warm-up 20 fastballs on mound @ 90% 15 …
Equivalents for 60ft 6 inches (Rounded to the nearest mph)
) If your pitching distance isn’t 60 ft 6 inches and you’d like to find an equivalent pitching distance, you can use the following formula... (Distance from hitter) x (simulated velocity) / (actual …
NFCA Practice Plans and Drills - Year One Package
Part Batting Practice (on page 33). Drill 005 – Home or Second (on page 35). pitching their High & Low pitches followed by their Inside & Outside pitches. 3 of each, then 1 each – 3 times …
A baseball coach’s guide to KILLER indoor practices!
created this eBook primarily for coaches and parents who might be looking for help in creating productive practices that, because of bad weather, temperature, and/or poor field conditions, …
Hitting Guide for Beginner and Youth Players - Coach …
Our Coach Baseball Right Hitting Basics Guide for Beginner and Youth Players is designed to help coaches and parents know what hitting fundamentals to …
Competitive drills to make you team mentally tough
Fly ball throw Home Infield Groundball throw to 1B Groundball turn 2 Groundball tag play at Home Pitcher Groundball throw to 1B Groundball …
YOUTH BASEBALL INSTRUCTION AND PRACTI…
- Fielding: Position of feet, position of glove, footwork (fielding and around bag), reading ball off bat and hops. - Hitting: Selection of bat, proper grip, …
Practice Template with Free Drills* - Coach Baseball Right
Batting practice – try to have multiple players hit at same time. You could have 4 groups of 3 hitting in different cages. Throw batting practice from …
Practice Routine and Drills - Dutzow Ball Park
Batting & Infield Practice *Team takes the field in various positions *10 pitches per player – run on final pitch **Player gets 10 pitches good or …
