Watch Your Emotions!

Emotions can have either a positive or a negative affect on your performance.  Let’s break down 3 components of emotion and how they not only affect you either in a positive or a negative manner but also how they interact with each other.

• Desire
• Fear
• Anger

Desire is present in every athlete.  It is motivating and relentless, it never gives up.  Desire positively affects athletes through motivation; it is the reason an athlete does not give up, despite any odds against him/her.  However, that same desire becomes a negative when it results in trying to do too much, or giving too much effort.

Fear can have a positive affect by improving your concentration, but it can also have a negative affect if you become too cautious, over-aggressive, or just “freeze-up”.

Anger can overpower all other emotions.  You can be very afraid of something, but if your anger is strong enough, you will forget your fear.  Anger can also motivate you and improve your focus.

Being the Best Player You Can Be

This post was written for baseball players, however you will find that it can be used for many life situations.  Becoming a student of the game.  Many young kids think they are a student of the game but they haven’t even walked in the club-house. I say this as I am just finishing up another Instructional League. Here we have the cream of the crop, the best young talent in the nation. Most of these kids don’t have a clue as to what their swing consists of, let alone the mental toughness to make the necessary changes. I don’t speak for all, I do however speak for most. One thing I want to instill in you is the fact that there is so much to this game, don’t hurt your chances to improve yourself by thinking you know it all. I deal with plenty of know it alls day in and day out. Guess what, most of them don’t make it. Why? Since they know it all, they don’t need anyone to teach them.

Unfortunately in their mind, there is nothing more for them to learn. Always be ready to learn. I spoke to Rudy Jaramillo, Hitting Coach for the Texas Rangers, and he told me that Rafael Palmeiro just learned two years ago what it took to be a consistent Major League hitter. This was not in the minor leagues, nor was it his rookie year, this was after 10 years in the big leagues!

I recently received an e-mail from a customer. He has been solicited by a recruiting service to help his son get a scholarship. The recruiter told this dad that college coaches don’t care much about a kid’s swing, they can teach a kid to hit – all they are looking for is a good arm and glove. I was taken back by this advice. That is just another example of mediocrity and miscon-ceptions that circulate in this game. First of all everyone in professional baseball knows that the guys that hit – play – the gloves come in for late innings if necessary. Secondly you better not wait till college to learn how to hit because it will be too late. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let anyone, or anything take you away from becoming the best you can be. Not everyone will make it to the big leagues. However, having a solid work ethic, having the ability to make adjustments, not being afraid to fail, and becoming a student of the game are all qualities to take you as far as your abilities will take you, but more importantly, they will allow you to make it in the real big leagues – life.

SwingAway vs. Solohitter

A Secret to Hitting

Recently I was at a scout game at ASU that my son Jordan was playing in. Sitting next to me was Mark Verstegen, elite sports trainer to many local amateur athletes in the valley as well as numerous professional athletes such as Nomar Garciaparra, Roberto Alomar, Lou Merloni, Jason Veritek, and Mary Pierce, just to name a few. Mark had come to see Jordan and a few other players on this scout team that he works out.

Although playing in this scout league has many benefits, one of the drawbacks is the fact that they don’t have umpires. The catcher calls balls and strikes. In this particular game, in Jordan’s first at bat, the catcher called an unbelievably high and away pitch a strike, strike 3 for that matter. Jordan, being the type A personality that he is, was not happy, although to his credit, he did control his emotions. His next at bat the same thing happened. Knowing that he couldn’t get thrown out of the game, Jordan drew a line in the dirt informing the catcher where the proper strike zone is. His next at bat he turned around and hit right handed. This time he had a terrible at bat. His balance was off, his effort level was sky rocketing, he was swinging at 110% of his max and you guessed it, he struck out. Rita sarcastically asked Mark, since he works with so many baseball players, if he could suggest any professional hitting instruction for her son.

After that at bat, Jordan went to the dugout and motioned for me to go down and see him. I asked him, “Jordan, what is your confidence in? You take great bp, you hit rockets left and right (literally and figuratively), you look great in the cage and on the field during practice. What are you doing in these games? You are a totally different hitter. Why do you practice so hard if you aren’t going to take your practice into the games? Be yourself, relax and let all your hard work pay off by believing in yourself and not trying to do too much. You have to have the confidence to know that what you practice day in and day out will be carried over into the game.” His next two at bats were quality at bats hitting hard line drives up the middle, one from the right side, one from the left. He made the adjustment.

When I returned to my seat, Mark then asked me what I thought were common denominators shared by great hitters. I told him that once a player has sound mechanics as a given, ( being able to repeat their swing) along with excellent hand eye coordination, there are certain critical aspects which set great hitters apart from the rest:

• Work ethic
• Ability to make adjustments
• Not being afraid to fail
• Becoming a student of the game

Proper Baserunning Tips

Baserunning is one of the most overlooked areas in the game. Players religiously work on their hitting and defense but more often than not once they get on the bases this seems to be an area often neglected. It is the responsibility of the coach not only to teach the fundamentals of baserunning but to also make certain the player concentrates once he gets on base.

Unlike hitting and defense which are both subject to slumps, bad calls, and pressure situations, baserunning is unique in that it is an area in which a player can exercise total command. He has control over his jumps, his reads, the decisions that he makes, and how hard he runs.

Although you always want to have the mindset of being aggressive on the bases, you want this aggressiveness to be under control. You can relate this to hitting. As a hitter I have taught you to be selectively aggressive. As a baserunner, you want to be aggressive under control.

In hitting, you want to think, “swing” at every pitch until you recognize that it is not your pitch. In baserunning, you want to think, “take advantage of every mistake the fielders make and be ready to capitalize on it.” You need to know when to be aggressive, when to force plays, and when to play it safe.

This requires the discipline of both players and coaches. The coach must always remind a player of the following:
•    When he is making mistakes
•    When he has a good read
•    When he has a bad read

There are two appropriate times for a coach to teach the whole team::
•    When a mistake has been made
•    When somebody capitalizes on a defensive mistake

Each player should run as hard as he is capable of in every situation. By running hard you put yourself in the situation to take advantage of a defensive lapse or a mistake. Players should always be anticipating the defense making a mistake. You can take extra bases without pos-sessing great speed. Good baserunners take extra bases on the defense. The baserunner:
•    Should never drop his head until the play is finished.
•    Should always be aware of where the ball is.
•    Should know the situation of the game – the outs, the score, field conditions, any defensive weaknesses such as a weak throwing arm in the outfield.
•    Should anticipate these situations before they happen and always be ready to take advantage.

Each player must take pride in his game if he plans to improve as a baserunner. He should have the attitude that he is going to take advantage of every mistake the defense makes.

Many games can be won and lost in this overlooked area and you can add many games to your team’s win column with intelligent baserunning.

It is the coach’s responsibility to meet with his club before each game to go over the playing environment. These conditions will change during the course of the game. Coaches need to constantly be reminding players of the changing conditions.
•    Wind
•    Sun
•    Fence
•    Ground
•    Layout of the field

Pre-Game and Dugout

Always watch your opponent take outfield & infield practice. Observe:
•    Strength of the outfielders arms
•    How well they charge the ball
•    How quickly they get rid of the ball

If an outfielder lays back on a ball in practice, he might do the same thing in the game. If he does lay back on the ball, take an extra base on him. This way you are letting the other team know that you will take advantage of every mistake they make, and every weakness they have.

When reading the throw from an outfielder, get in the habit of reading the first 30 feet of the throw to determine the height of the throw. Many times if the throw misses the cutoff man you can take an extra base. Every extra base you take is one base closer to scoring a run, and every time you take an extra base on a team because of their lack of intensity or a fundamental mis-take they will be demoralized.

When watching infield practice note certain habits of the infielders:
•    How do the middle infielders turn the double play?
•    How well does the catcher throw?
•    Does the first baseman move well?
•    Who has the strong and weak arms in the infield?
•    How accurate are their relay throws?

Coaches, make sure you have your team watch infield practice everyday. Your players should have a good idea of what you expect out of them, they should know when you like to hit and run, bunt, steal, etc. Meet with your club and let them know what you except concerning baserunning and how all of you need to work together in order to be successful.

During the game

As you walk to home plate for your at bat:
•    Check the defense, how are they playing you?
•    Is the first or third baseman in or back?
•    Does the pitcher have any patterns?
•    When does he like to throw his offspeed pitches?
•    Does he like to throw to first base?
•    How quick is he to first and to home?
•    What type of fielder is he?
•    Find a key off the pitcher so you can get the best jump possible

When the first runner of the game gets on base:
•    Force a throw from the pitcher
•    Watch the move
•    Everyone on the bench should be yelling, “back”

Switch Hitting – Yes or No?

Question:

When should a player start switch-hitting? What do you consider a good age to begin? How proficient should the hitter be from his strong side before he begins learning to switch-hit? Do you consider learning to switch-hit to be a big advantage for being recruited by college/pros? Just off the top of my head, it seems that many of the top hitters in the Majors are not switch hitters.

Answer:

My son and I started to work on switch hitting when he was about 10 years old, but he didn’t start switch hitting in games until he was 13. I wanted him to get a real feel for balance through his swing and develop more strength before I put him in a game situation. When he started switch hitting in games, he hit only left handed for the entire year (he’s a natural right handed hitter). This was the year he was going to go to the big field and I thought he might struggle somewhat switch hitting, but most kids struggle when moving up to the regulation size field anyway so I didn’t worry about it. He ended up having some success and has improved to the point to where he is a better hitter from the left side.

If you want your son to switch hit, you should have a reason for having him do so. Does he have some speed? If he has some speed, or potential to have speed, then there are some advantages to hitting from the left side. If he is going to be a power hitter with little speed, than I would say let him stay on one side. Most switch hitters are natural right handed hitters, there is a different advantage for left handed hitters. Most pitchers are right handed, hitting from the left side hitters will not have to deal with the offspeed pitch breaking away from them. Another big advantage to switch hitting is that players won’t be platooned if they are proficient from both sides of the plate.

If my son would have been a natural left handed hitter, I don’t believe I would have taught him to switch hit. But don’t hold me to that because I have a 2 year old and he hits off the tee lefty, I think because he watches his brother hit from the left side so much.

Getting Your Head in the Game

This post was written for baseball and softball players, however you will find that it can be used for many life situations.  Becoming a student of the game.  Many young kids think they are a student of the game but they haven’t even walked in the club-house. I say this as I am just finishing up another Instructional League. Here we have the cream of the crop, the best young talent in the nation. Most of these kids don’t have a clue as to what their swing consists of, let alone the mental toughness to make the necessary changes. I don’t speak for all, I do however speak for most. One thing I want to instill in you is the fact that there is so much to this game, don’t hurt your chances to improve yourself by thinking you know it all. I deal with plenty of know it alls day in and day out. Guess what, most of them don’t make it. Why? Since they know it all, they don’t need anyone to teach them.

Unfortunately in their mind, there is nothing more for them to learn. Always be ready to learn. I spoke to Rudy Jaramillo, Hitting Coach for the Texas Rangers, and he told me that Rafael Palmeiro just learned two years ago what it took to be a consistent Major League hitter. This was not in the minor leagues, nor was it his rookie year, this was after 10 years in the big leagues!

I recently received an e-mail from a customer. He has been solicited by a recruiting service to help his son get a scholarship. The recruiter told this dad that college coaches don’t care much about a kid’s swing, they can teach a kid to hit – all they are looking for is a good arm and glove. I was taken back by this advice. That is just another example of mediocrity and miscon-ceptions that circulate in this game. First of all everyone in professional baseball knows that the guys that hit – play – the gloves come in for late innings if necessary. Secondly you better not wait till college to learn how to hit because it will be too late. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let anyone, or anything take you away from becoming the best you can be. Not everyone will make it to the big leagues. However, having a solid work ethic, having the ability to make adjustments, not being afraid to fail, and becoming a student of the game are all qualities to take you as far as your abilities will take you, but more importantly, they will allow you to make it in the real big leagues – life.

The Hitting Preparation Cycle

We have established the value of routine. Routine – Set Behavior – Habit – Plan. Call it what you will, effective preparation is grounded in such behavior. Diet, sleeping habits and workout schedules are part of a hitter’s preparation. Important as they are, these off-field preparations, and the related philosophy, are too inclusive for these pages.

Before getting to those specifics, I must again note that baseball has been called a game of adjustments. The vehicle for this adjustment is your brain. The emotional system won’t allow you to learn from your mistakes. This has been discussed earlier. Its importance of the reminder is based on learning. The ability to make an adjustment implies the ability to learn from mistakes. When applying that learning, you are not preparing for the next pitch, or the next at-bat or the next game.

Keep it Simple: See the Ball – Hit the Ball

A baseball bat at its widest is three and three quarters inches in diameter.  A ball comes toward the hitter at the speed of 80-90 plus miles per hour.  A 90 MPH fastball reaches the plate in four-tenths of a second.  The hitter has just about one-tenth of a second to pick up the ball.  However good your mechanics may be, you won’t success if I blindfold you.  First things first, see the ball!

Your eyes tell your brain how to react, if your eyes aren’t seeing the ball well, you are not going to be able to react properly to the ball.  Since you only have four-tenths of second to recognize, react and execute the swing on an average fastball, you need to learn how to track the ball.

SwingAway Success Guaranteed Workout®

Full implementation of this 30-day hitting program for will clearly make you a better hitter – we guarantee it!  It will take self-discipline, but will also be fun.  First of all become familiar with the unit.  Learn how to move the ball to all pitch locations; inside, middle, outside, up, down.  Also, know that when you hit the ball, using the target to monitor each swing is critical.  If you hit it correctly the ball will hit the center of the target.  This should be your goal with each swing.  You will monitor this with this program.  This program is not simply about practice – it is about perfect practice.  Implement this program and join the legions of others who watch their performance soar!

This program will focus on five general pitch locations.  However, the SwingAway allows for infinite adjustment.  With each swing be sure to orientate your feet parallel to the plate, striding forward directly toward the pitcher.   Your hands need to learn to make proper adjustments to different pitch locations.  Repetitions on the SwingAway and consistently working to put the ball to the center of the target will naturally help you learn this.

Lastly, your goal is a volume of swings taken consistently.  You must be persistent in your practice and build up a volume of swings in the process.  Frequency of your practice is a necessary element of this program.  As you take each swing, visualize the pitcher releasing the ball, track it to the hitting zone and take your swing.  Each swing should be executed every 6-10 seconds – no faster than that.  Take your time and do it correctly.  You need to be honest with yourself with this program.  Write out accurately your results.  This will allow you to not only see progress but get an honest assessment of your work ethic.

The SwingAway Success Guaranteed Workout® is broken into three age-appropriate segments.  Follow the workout for your age range.  The workout is the same for baseball or softball.  Once this workout is finished you may also add other drills you like as well.

Print out the following pages and write down the results of each workout.  This program should be executed at least 5 times a week over a 4 week period. Done correctly, this workout will take between 30 to 45 minutes complete.  Once completed you can continue this workout with a combination of SwingAway’s more advanced practice products, The Sweet-Spot Bat/ Mini-Ball Focus Hitting Package, or the HAMMER Bat which are now available on www.swingaway.com

Locate the workout for your age range and progress down the workout in the order presented.  With younger ages, some drills are not included in the workout but certainly are optional.  Each exercise should be executed in sets of 10 repetitions.  If performing multiple sets, take a short 30-second break before beginning the next set.  This will keep you mentally sharp.  With each set of 10, count how many hit inside the target.  After each set write down your results on the chart provided here.

SwingAway Success Guaranteed Workout®

DRILLS

Drill 1 - Middle pitch, thigh-high location.  This pitch is hit perfectly should hit dead center on the target.  It should be the first one you master, but will take much practice.

Drill 2 – Inside pitch, knee-high location.  This is a pitch that can be driven.  You will not want your arms extended at contact.  Extend through the pitch.  This will keep your hands quick and keep the ball from drawing foul.

Drill 3 – Inside pitch chest-high location.  This is an overemphasis drill.  Set the ball as high as it can go.  Your hands will have to stay well inside the ball and very quick to get to this pitch and still have the ball hit the target.

Drill 4 – Inside pitch, waist-high location.

Drill 5 – Outside pitch chest-high location.  This is a pitch that can typically be driven to the opposite field and is considered by many hitters as a very good pitch to hit.  Mastering this pitch can be exceptionally helpful to your hitting success.  Most defense shade players to pull the ball.

Drill 6 – Outside pitch knee-high location.  For most, this is the most difficult pitch to master.  Be very careful on this drill that your feet stride straight forward.  Let your hands make the adjustment.

Drill 7 – Middle pitch, thigh-high location.  Hit from opposite side.  You are not trying to become a switch hitter.  This develops your non-dominant side, increasing strength and body control.  It also requires increased concentration – a key element for hitting success.

Chart for Players up to 11 Years Old

Chart for Players 11-14 Years Old

Chart for Players Ages 15 Years Old and Up

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