Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Useful Training Tool: "Practical Use of Pitching Tool off Flatground"
Above is an example of a tool we started using on flat ground to simulate downhill throwing. It seems like a lot of Asian players (from an internet deep dive) train with the wedge to they eliminate the "hip hike" that a lot of flat ground throwers develop from over training. It has worked really well for catch play, short boxes, and even medicine ball throwing.
The example is just one style, any wedge works. We ordered four of the most affordable ones!
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Fall Goals: Attacking the Off-Season
Fall Goals- "Establishing Realistic and Achievable Goals Using Clear Language and Short Term Duration."
Generic Goal: Hit 90MPH on radar gun.
Specific Goal: Increase fastball efficiency rate by 5% on the Trackman or Rapsodo by experimenting with different grips during catch-play while observing the feel and carry of the ball and taking those adjustments to the mound for weekly tech documented bullpens.
Generic Goal: To run my 60 under 6.8 seconds.
Specific Goal: To implement jumping rope 3 times per week for 10 minutes focusing on speed and activating fast twitch muscles.
Generic Goal: Achieve an 100MPH exit velocity reading off machine pitch.
Specific Goal: With a Pocket Radar to measure 3 times per week, improve 8LB Medicine Ball Side Toss greater than 3MPH over a 5-week period using the same batting stance and forward move performed in the game.
Just some real simple examples of how my idea of goals have changed over the years:
Problem-Solving vs. Number Chasing
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Most Recent Work
Dear Readers:
Sorry for the long delay between posts. Here is an article that I authored that was included in the most recent Coaching Management (Baseball Edition) Magazine.
Look for more posts soon.....
Best,
Coach Kreber
An Assistant Coach's Perspective
Look at almost any successful baseball program and you will see a good head coach. Look behind those good head coaches and you will usually see a stable of assistants who work tirelessly to make the program the best it can be. At the same time, though, these assistant coaches are also trying to learn their craft and maybe even climb the coaching ladder.
It’s easy for a head coach to take these assistant coaches for granted. After all, a head coach has a roster full of players to think of, and assistant coaches can take care of themselves. But with a little bit of thoughtful care and well-timed words and actions, head coaches can turn their assistant coaches into valuable partners who grow and develop with the program.
As a long-time assistant coach who has worked under several head coaches with different approaches and styles, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on how head coaches can help their assistants better help them. Assistant coaches who feel valued are more likely to take the extra steps needed to make the program better, and thus help the head coach look better. Of course, as they develop and grow, some may leave the nest and take over programs of their own, but even this can help a head coach establish a legacy that extends beyond his own program.
Looking for Input
Every organization has a person at the top—the one who makes the final decision on the most important matters. These are the people held accountable for the organization’s success or failure. In baseball, this is the head coach. He is the one who faces the criticism after a loss or collects the glory after a big victory.
However, most head coaches don’t make big decisions by themselves. Each of the head coaches I have worked under had their own way of making decisions. Some valued their assistant coaches’ input more than others, but they all wanted to hear what their assistants had to say. Over my coaching experience, I have found that head coaches who truly consider on their assistants’ feedback and opinions generally make the best decisions.
Maybe it’s a matter of two heads being better than one. An assistant coach can see another side of an issue or recognize ramifications that the head coach couldn’t. Often the best solutions were a mix of ideas from the head coach and the assistants.
But even when a decision was made that I didn’t agree with, I always felt good if I believed my thoughts mattered. When the head coach listened to what I had to say, I figured they must put some significance into my opinion. Even when they completely disagreed with me, the simple act of listening created an atmosphere of respect.
That being said, assistant coaches may need help is seeing things from a head coach’s perspective. Early in my career, a common area of disagreement I had with my head coaches was roster selection. Tryouts are always a tense time for coaches. Working in a cold weather state, like Nebraska, spring baseball tryouts generally took place indoors, which is not optimal environment for properly evaluating players. Nevertheless, we were often forced to make roster cuts based off players’ indoor performances.
In addition to sometimes disagreeing on a player’s performance level, I found my basic philosophy to building a roster was in direct conflict with one of my head coaches. This very successful head coach believed in giving older players, especially seniors, the roster spot unless a younger player was clearly better. I, on the other hand, believed in playing younger kids with comparable ability.
In retrospect, my preference of playing younger kids instead of the more experienced players was easy to have as an assistant. I wasn’t the one breaking the news to a senior that he didn’t make the team and fielding calls from angry parents. I was oblivious to the fallout of these decisions. Once the head coach explained this to me, I was able to better help him with the preseason selection process.
Sharing Success
Fair or unfair, coaches are judged by their team’s performance during games. Wins and losses are the measuring stick for head coaches and assistants alike.
Although it’s not fair, the best head coaches share the credit, but take all the blame when things go bad. It is not equitable, but it is part of being the leader. One of the easiest ways to turn an assistant coach against you is to criticize him in public. As an assistant coach, I was always appreciative of constructive criticism from my head coaches, and I understood that I would be accountable for any mistakes I made. However, if a criticism was made in public, I would be left with no opportunity to defend my actions or ask questions that would help me learn how to avoid future problems. Head coaches who keep these discussions in private will earn and maintain the respect of their assistants. Those don’t will find themselves regularly looking for new assistants.
Conversely, when things go well, head coaches have a golden chance to publicly recognize their assistants. There are several occasions when a head coach I worked for mentioned my name during interviews with the local media, and they still mean a lot to me today.
One example occurred when our team performed well offensively. Our hitters banged out 15 hits, including four home runs, against a highly ranked opponent. When talking with a reporter after the game, the head coach explained that I had helped these players develop their swing technique to generate more power and force.
Another time while I was working as a pitching coach, our pitchers recorded three consecutive shutouts. In talking about these performances, the head coach emphasized they were due to my instruction and teaching methodology. He stressed my effectiveness as a teacher and thorough knowledge of pitching research and instruction.
On both occasions, I was surprised and flattered to see my name mentioned in print. These two examples inspired me to work harder and try to do my job at an even higher level. I also felt a stronger sense of loyalty to the head coach for putting my name out there. It might have just been a few words, but they went a long way to motivate me.
However it’s not just dealings with the media that matter. At the high school level, parental criticism is much more likely than media criticism to have an impact on a team or coaching staff. Writers or commentators rarely go after a coach’s job, but parents have been known to run for school board for the sole purpose of having a certain coach fired. In these cases, the head coach and the assistants must stand together.
Over the years, several parents have grumbled about my style and instructional methods. Some mentioned my rigid approach on discipline, while others have complained about the demanding practice schedule. To avoid disagreements, it might seem easier for the head coach to just go along with what a parent is saying, but effective head coaches need to combat these arguments head-on so there is no division within the coaching staff. I have no problem answering a head coach’s questions about how I do things, and I will make whatever changes he deems necessary. But I will always support my head coach when parents bring complaints (and believe me, they do) and I expect him to do the same for me.
The Personal Touch
There are stretches of time where coaches spend more time with their teams than they do with their families. But since coaching is only part of our lives, the demands of the family and jobs don’t go away during baseball season. Thus it is important for head coaches to develop personal relationships with their coaching staff. By getting to know their assistants, head coaches can understand what is going on in each coach’s life and how it could affect them.
How can managers develop these relationships? First, it is imperative for head coaches to at least know the names of each assistant’s wife and children. Next, there must be a level of understanding about where each coach is in his life. Are they buying a house? Getting their Master’s degree? Going to have a new baby? All of these things, and many more, could impact the assistant’s performance and are important for head coaches to know.
Getting together socially is another good way for a staff to develop relationships. When I was a member of one coaching staff, the head coach made sure that our families met the night before the team’s first practice to have dinner together. Since those practices took place early in the morning, it was a nice way to spend the evening before jumping into the season. These dinners gave us a chance to see how each family had changed over the last year. I was sad to see that tradition end as my coaching career changed course.
It’s also important to be prepared for life to suddenly get in the way of coaching and be understanding when it does. For example, several years ago, my wife had an emergency appendectomy just as the season started. Being so sudden, I missed several practices due to her surgery. On her second day in the hospital, to my surprise, she received a plant from our head coach. It is hard to express how thankful that small act made my family feel. I know my absence made his job more difficult, but that little gesture showed that he cared about me as a person, not just as a coach.
Promote From Within
As time moves along, a coaching staff seldom stays the same. As the dynamics of people’s lives change, so do their priorities. Some assistants move on to different positions while others may get out of the business altogether. When these things happen, head coaches must have a plan to fill the void. One of the best ways is by continually developing their assistants coaches and then promoting from within.
One natural way to help assistants grow and develop is by increasing their responsibilities as their experience and abilities grow. That way, as the coaching staff naturally turns over, there is a knowledgeable, capable replacement to transition efficiently into a new role. For me, this happened after my third season as an assistant. That’s when my head coach assigned me to create an off-season conditioning schedule and lifting routine. The task required me to research all the possible options and decide which one was best for our team. I had to review and revise the calendar several times before it was implemented.
The whole process helped me grow as a coach because it forced me to seek out information and explore new techniques. Also, it required me to be organized and thorough with small details. I remember being very excited and determined to create the best possible system. Successfully completing this project gave me a new confidence in my abilities and helped me as I took on additional responsibilities throughout my career.
Why is internal promotion a big deal to an assistant coach, even if it’s a different assistant who gets a promotion? First, it illustrates that the head coach has confidence in their abilities. And, if they perform with an increased level of proficiency, they, too will have the chance to move up to more advanced positions. Not only is an assistant’s motivation level elevated, but it helps to create a professionally rewarding environment.
Also, players benefit from continuity of instruction, especially if they have experienced success under a specific coach. If players are continually forced to learn a new system or teaching style when a coach leaves, it may upset their balance and flow of development. This can spell trouble in a baseball where player improvement relies on consistency and repetition.
Moving Out
Some assistant coaches enjoy their role and have no desire to become a head coach. Others aspire to run their own program down the line. While it may hurt to lose a trusted and experienced assistant coach, it behooves a head coach to help his assistant achieve his career goals.
First, their selection shows that people are impressed with an assistant’s philosophy, motivation, instructional methods, and values. These qualities are seen as a reflection of the head coach and his efforts to develop his assistants’ skills and attitude. The acorn usually doesn’t fall far from the coaching tree and administrators are often drawn to a certain assistant coach because of the head coaches he has worked with.
There also comes a point when it’s time for an assistant coach to spread his wings and fly out on his own. He may get restless waiting for his chance to become a head coach. Should he see his head coach as an obstacle instead of a helper in getting a head coaching job, resentment could begin to build. For many head coaches who have watched their assistants move on, it gives them a sense of parental-like pride to know they helped someone reach a career goal.
There are several other practical benefits to having assistant coaches move to the next level. First, it helps programs earn respect among its peers by producing leaders. Players and parents are drawn to schools with this type of reputation.
It can also help attract accomplished and capable assistants to the program. Assistant coaches talk to each other a lot, and if a head coach has a reputation of leading their assistants to the next level, it is definitely noticed throughout certain circles. Assistants who are looking for work often flock to these types of head coaches.
Helping an assistant with his career goals usually means supporting their candidacy for open positions and being willing to support them if they get a new job. However, sometimes the best career advice a head coach can offer an assistant is an honest appraisal of a job opening, even if the assistant doesn’t want to hear it.
Sometimes, assistant coaches get a feeling of just wanting to be the head coach somewhere, which leads to looking at jobs anywhere. However, getting stuck in the wrong spot has ruined a lot of coaching careers. When looking at a position, it is easy for aspiring head coaches to view things with rose-colored glasses. Veteran head coaches should give their assistants some straight talk about a program’s reputation and their positive or negative interactions with the school’s administrators.
Ultimately, assistant coaches are a reflection of their head coach. Their abilities and skills are dependent upon a head coach taking a personal and professional interest in their development. With that approach, there is a good chance that one day a head coach will look across the diamond to see a former assistant leading his own team and know his legacy will carry on even after he’s done coaching.
Sorry for the long delay between posts. Here is an article that I authored that was included in the most recent Coaching Management (Baseball Edition) Magazine.
Look for more posts soon.....
Best,
Coach Kreber
An Assistant Coach's Perspective
Look at almost any successful baseball program and you will see a good head coach. Look behind those good head coaches and you will usually see a stable of assistants who work tirelessly to make the program the best it can be. At the same time, though, these assistant coaches are also trying to learn their craft and maybe even climb the coaching ladder.
It’s easy for a head coach to take these assistant coaches for granted. After all, a head coach has a roster full of players to think of, and assistant coaches can take care of themselves. But with a little bit of thoughtful care and well-timed words and actions, head coaches can turn their assistant coaches into valuable partners who grow and develop with the program.
As a long-time assistant coach who has worked under several head coaches with different approaches and styles, I’d like to share some of my thoughts on how head coaches can help their assistants better help them. Assistant coaches who feel valued are more likely to take the extra steps needed to make the program better, and thus help the head coach look better. Of course, as they develop and grow, some may leave the nest and take over programs of their own, but even this can help a head coach establish a legacy that extends beyond his own program.
Looking for Input
Every organization has a person at the top—the one who makes the final decision on the most important matters. These are the people held accountable for the organization’s success or failure. In baseball, this is the head coach. He is the one who faces the criticism after a loss or collects the glory after a big victory.
However, most head coaches don’t make big decisions by themselves. Each of the head coaches I have worked under had their own way of making decisions. Some valued their assistant coaches’ input more than others, but they all wanted to hear what their assistants had to say. Over my coaching experience, I have found that head coaches who truly consider on their assistants’ feedback and opinions generally make the best decisions.
Maybe it’s a matter of two heads being better than one. An assistant coach can see another side of an issue or recognize ramifications that the head coach couldn’t. Often the best solutions were a mix of ideas from the head coach and the assistants.
But even when a decision was made that I didn’t agree with, I always felt good if I believed my thoughts mattered. When the head coach listened to what I had to say, I figured they must put some significance into my opinion. Even when they completely disagreed with me, the simple act of listening created an atmosphere of respect.
That being said, assistant coaches may need help is seeing things from a head coach’s perspective. Early in my career, a common area of disagreement I had with my head coaches was roster selection. Tryouts are always a tense time for coaches. Working in a cold weather state, like Nebraska, spring baseball tryouts generally took place indoors, which is not optimal environment for properly evaluating players. Nevertheless, we were often forced to make roster cuts based off players’ indoor performances.
In addition to sometimes disagreeing on a player’s performance level, I found my basic philosophy to building a roster was in direct conflict with one of my head coaches. This very successful head coach believed in giving older players, especially seniors, the roster spot unless a younger player was clearly better. I, on the other hand, believed in playing younger kids with comparable ability.
In retrospect, my preference of playing younger kids instead of the more experienced players was easy to have as an assistant. I wasn’t the one breaking the news to a senior that he didn’t make the team and fielding calls from angry parents. I was oblivious to the fallout of these decisions. Once the head coach explained this to me, I was able to better help him with the preseason selection process.
Sharing Success
Fair or unfair, coaches are judged by their team’s performance during games. Wins and losses are the measuring stick for head coaches and assistants alike.
Although it’s not fair, the best head coaches share the credit, but take all the blame when things go bad. It is not equitable, but it is part of being the leader. One of the easiest ways to turn an assistant coach against you is to criticize him in public. As an assistant coach, I was always appreciative of constructive criticism from my head coaches, and I understood that I would be accountable for any mistakes I made. However, if a criticism was made in public, I would be left with no opportunity to defend my actions or ask questions that would help me learn how to avoid future problems. Head coaches who keep these discussions in private will earn and maintain the respect of their assistants. Those don’t will find themselves regularly looking for new assistants.
Conversely, when things go well, head coaches have a golden chance to publicly recognize their assistants. There are several occasions when a head coach I worked for mentioned my name during interviews with the local media, and they still mean a lot to me today.
One example occurred when our team performed well offensively. Our hitters banged out 15 hits, including four home runs, against a highly ranked opponent. When talking with a reporter after the game, the head coach explained that I had helped these players develop their swing technique to generate more power and force.
Another time while I was working as a pitching coach, our pitchers recorded three consecutive shutouts. In talking about these performances, the head coach emphasized they were due to my instruction and teaching methodology. He stressed my effectiveness as a teacher and thorough knowledge of pitching research and instruction.
On both occasions, I was surprised and flattered to see my name mentioned in print. These two examples inspired me to work harder and try to do my job at an even higher level. I also felt a stronger sense of loyalty to the head coach for putting my name out there. It might have just been a few words, but they went a long way to motivate me.
However it’s not just dealings with the media that matter. At the high school level, parental criticism is much more likely than media criticism to have an impact on a team or coaching staff. Writers or commentators rarely go after a coach’s job, but parents have been known to run for school board for the sole purpose of having a certain coach fired. In these cases, the head coach and the assistants must stand together.
Over the years, several parents have grumbled about my style and instructional methods. Some mentioned my rigid approach on discipline, while others have complained about the demanding practice schedule. To avoid disagreements, it might seem easier for the head coach to just go along with what a parent is saying, but effective head coaches need to combat these arguments head-on so there is no division within the coaching staff. I have no problem answering a head coach’s questions about how I do things, and I will make whatever changes he deems necessary. But I will always support my head coach when parents bring complaints (and believe me, they do) and I expect him to do the same for me.
The Personal Touch
There are stretches of time where coaches spend more time with their teams than they do with their families. But since coaching is only part of our lives, the demands of the family and jobs don’t go away during baseball season. Thus it is important for head coaches to develop personal relationships with their coaching staff. By getting to know their assistants, head coaches can understand what is going on in each coach’s life and how it could affect them.
How can managers develop these relationships? First, it is imperative for head coaches to at least know the names of each assistant’s wife and children. Next, there must be a level of understanding about where each coach is in his life. Are they buying a house? Getting their Master’s degree? Going to have a new baby? All of these things, and many more, could impact the assistant’s performance and are important for head coaches to know.
Getting together socially is another good way for a staff to develop relationships. When I was a member of one coaching staff, the head coach made sure that our families met the night before the team’s first practice to have dinner together. Since those practices took place early in the morning, it was a nice way to spend the evening before jumping into the season. These dinners gave us a chance to see how each family had changed over the last year. I was sad to see that tradition end as my coaching career changed course.
It’s also important to be prepared for life to suddenly get in the way of coaching and be understanding when it does. For example, several years ago, my wife had an emergency appendectomy just as the season started. Being so sudden, I missed several practices due to her surgery. On her second day in the hospital, to my surprise, she received a plant from our head coach. It is hard to express how thankful that small act made my family feel. I know my absence made his job more difficult, but that little gesture showed that he cared about me as a person, not just as a coach.
Promote From Within
As time moves along, a coaching staff seldom stays the same. As the dynamics of people’s lives change, so do their priorities. Some assistants move on to different positions while others may get out of the business altogether. When these things happen, head coaches must have a plan to fill the void. One of the best ways is by continually developing their assistants coaches and then promoting from within.
One natural way to help assistants grow and develop is by increasing their responsibilities as their experience and abilities grow. That way, as the coaching staff naturally turns over, there is a knowledgeable, capable replacement to transition efficiently into a new role. For me, this happened after my third season as an assistant. That’s when my head coach assigned me to create an off-season conditioning schedule and lifting routine. The task required me to research all the possible options and decide which one was best for our team. I had to review and revise the calendar several times before it was implemented.
The whole process helped me grow as a coach because it forced me to seek out information and explore new techniques. Also, it required me to be organized and thorough with small details. I remember being very excited and determined to create the best possible system. Successfully completing this project gave me a new confidence in my abilities and helped me as I took on additional responsibilities throughout my career.
Why is internal promotion a big deal to an assistant coach, even if it’s a different assistant who gets a promotion? First, it illustrates that the head coach has confidence in their abilities. And, if they perform with an increased level of proficiency, they, too will have the chance to move up to more advanced positions. Not only is an assistant’s motivation level elevated, but it helps to create a professionally rewarding environment.
Also, players benefit from continuity of instruction, especially if they have experienced success under a specific coach. If players are continually forced to learn a new system or teaching style when a coach leaves, it may upset their balance and flow of development. This can spell trouble in a baseball where player improvement relies on consistency and repetition.
Moving Out
Some assistant coaches enjoy their role and have no desire to become a head coach. Others aspire to run their own program down the line. While it may hurt to lose a trusted and experienced assistant coach, it behooves a head coach to help his assistant achieve his career goals.
First, their selection shows that people are impressed with an assistant’s philosophy, motivation, instructional methods, and values. These qualities are seen as a reflection of the head coach and his efforts to develop his assistants’ skills and attitude. The acorn usually doesn’t fall far from the coaching tree and administrators are often drawn to a certain assistant coach because of the head coaches he has worked with.
There also comes a point when it’s time for an assistant coach to spread his wings and fly out on his own. He may get restless waiting for his chance to become a head coach. Should he see his head coach as an obstacle instead of a helper in getting a head coaching job, resentment could begin to build. For many head coaches who have watched their assistants move on, it gives them a sense of parental-like pride to know they helped someone reach a career goal.
There are several other practical benefits to having assistant coaches move to the next level. First, it helps programs earn respect among its peers by producing leaders. Players and parents are drawn to schools with this type of reputation.
It can also help attract accomplished and capable assistants to the program. Assistant coaches talk to each other a lot, and if a head coach has a reputation of leading their assistants to the next level, it is definitely noticed throughout certain circles. Assistants who are looking for work often flock to these types of head coaches.
Helping an assistant with his career goals usually means supporting their candidacy for open positions and being willing to support them if they get a new job. However, sometimes the best career advice a head coach can offer an assistant is an honest appraisal of a job opening, even if the assistant doesn’t want to hear it.
Sometimes, assistant coaches get a feeling of just wanting to be the head coach somewhere, which leads to looking at jobs anywhere. However, getting stuck in the wrong spot has ruined a lot of coaching careers. When looking at a position, it is easy for aspiring head coaches to view things with rose-colored glasses. Veteran head coaches should give their assistants some straight talk about a program’s reputation and their positive or negative interactions with the school’s administrators.
Ultimately, assistant coaches are a reflection of their head coach. Their abilities and skills are dependent upon a head coach taking a personal and professional interest in their development. With that approach, there is a good chance that one day a head coach will look across the diamond to see a former assistant leading his own team and know his legacy will carry on even after he’s done coaching.
Tuesday, July 05, 2011
New Book
Friday, September 03, 2010
A Blast From the Past
Attention coaches looking for some off-season reading..... I found the gem that every coach needs in their library. It is called Baseball Coach's Guide to Skills and Drills by Danny Litwhiler. The former coach of Florida State and Michigan State wrote a wonderful book that was published in 1963 by Prentice Hall. I was walking through an antique shop in Kansas City, MO when this book caught my eye. I whole-heartedly recommend this book to coaches looking for out-of-the-box drills and practice organization techniques. It is awesome!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A Coaches Best Friend
Two brothers , Mike and Sam Welsh, have come up with an answer to the question as old as America's Pastime, "How do you clean a dirty baseball?" They have created an innovative product that answers this question and them some - it doesn't just clean one baseball, it cleans an entire bucket of baseballs at one time. Their product is called "The Oyster" since it makes "pearls" out of dirty baseballs. The idea behind this product is to give teams across America the capability to practice like the pros while saving cash in baseball expenses. Its a win-win.
Since both Mike and Sam grew up with baseball in their blood, they understand the power of practicing with clean, white baseballs. Mike and Sam both started playing ball in Southern California in the William S Hart Pony League and they both played at Hart High School. Mike played at Hart High all four years, tuned his game at College of the Canyons for a year, then headed to Nicholls State University in Thibodeaux, Louisiana to be a starting Division I pitcher. Sam played one year at Hart High, then finished up his last three years at Coppell High School near Dallas, Texas, where he was on the 1995 Texas State Championship 4A team. He headed to East Texas and played SS/3B for Tyler Junior College for two years.
Since the glory days of playing ball, Mike and Sam continue to play organized baseball in various leagues off and on, but are now committed to creating baseball cleaning solutions. Mike and Sam created their Texas-based company, Between the Lines LLC, in 2009 and have been working hard with NDH Design to perfect The Oyster's design. NDHdesign is a full service industrial design company located in Texas that specializes in product design and development. The Oyster will be hitting the market in the Fall of 2010 with the hope to change the way teams practice, ultimately enhancing the game. Not to mention, saving programs cash in baseball expenses - we all know baseballs aren't cheap!
You can check out more information at www.baseballoyster.com and take a look at their blog at http://blog.baseballoyster.com/.
Since both Mike and Sam grew up with baseball in their blood, they understand the power of practicing with clean, white baseballs. Mike and Sam both started playing ball in Southern California in the William S Hart Pony League and they both played at Hart High School. Mike played at Hart High all four years, tuned his game at College of the Canyons for a year, then headed to Nicholls State University in Thibodeaux, Louisiana to be a starting Division I pitcher. Sam played one year at Hart High, then finished up his last three years at Coppell High School near Dallas, Texas, where he was on the 1995 Texas State Championship 4A team. He headed to East Texas and played SS/3B for Tyler Junior College for two years.
Since the glory days of playing ball, Mike and Sam continue to play organized baseball in various leagues off and on, but are now committed to creating baseball cleaning solutions. Mike and Sam created their Texas-based company, Between the Lines LLC, in 2009 and have been working hard with NDH Design to perfect The Oyster's design. NDHdesign is a full service industrial design company located in Texas that specializes in product design and development. The Oyster will be hitting the market in the Fall of 2010 with the hope to change the way teams practice, ultimately enhancing the game. Not to mention, saving programs cash in baseball expenses - we all know baseballs aren't cheap!
You can check out more information at www.baseballoyster.com and take a look at their blog at http://blog.baseballoyster.com/.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Playing Whiffle Ball: A Youngster’s Best Tool to Improve
“Little Fenway” is probably the nicest whiffle ball field in the United States. Built in 2000, the field was constructed as a replica of the Boston Red Sox famous stadium. From pictures, the place looks absolutely awesome. The field, which opened on July 2, 2001, has been used by charities to help raise money for worthy causes. According to their website, the field has helped to raise almost 1 million dollars in charity donations.
Though many kids won’t get the chance to play at “Little Fenway” that should not interfere with their love of a long standing tradition….backyard whiffle ball. It is a game, played by family and friends, which has helped millions of kids fall in love with baseball. Not only that, but the game has helped propel players to pick up the small nuances that baseball has to terms of rules and regulations.
Baseball is a game that is peppered with rules. Playing whiffle ball help to assist younger players to learn the rules on the game. In their own backyard, players pick up the difference between a force or tag out. To start, they may even learn the simplest rule---what is a foul ball? These things can be tricky especially to someone new to the game. Baseball’s rules are complicated (aka…tagging up) so younger players have a large learning curve. Making mistakes in their own backyard provide kids with a safe, comfort zone.
Baserunning is another positive element of youngsters playing whiffle ball. Remember getting stuck in a pickle or having ghost runners? These learning tools are exactly what the kids need to make the game fun. Also, it let’s kids play without a full team letting them hit multiple times while running the bases. These adjustments help the game move fast, not allowing kids to get bored.
Moreover, playing defense against these baserunning situations require fielders to think quickly by mentally rehearsing the situation. Over time, players start to learn the difference between outs. They are able to read the spin and judge a flyball These real, game-like situations are the only methods that really encourage true development.
What about hitting? Developing proper swing mechanics is very important for young hitters. Whiffle ball participation allow players the chance to produce multiple repetitions at a varied ability level. All the characteristics of solid hitting mechanics should be incorporated like weight transfer, effective swing tilt, and extension into finish.
Pitchers may chose to pitch using an underhand or overhand delivery depending on the hitter’s skill level. Underhand pitching allows players time to incorporate good hitting mechanics. As players get more comfortable, an overhand style may be more appropriate. Using the overhand model, players receive less reaction time to the pitch making them swing harder and quicker at the ball.
In addition, older players may take on the challenge of varied speed pitching. Off-speed pitches are not part of basic hitting concepts, but more advanced levels. Also, pitchers may also choose to throw at multiple arm angles. Both of these methods greatly enhance a young player’s ability to learn some advanced hitting concepts.
Another major attribute backyard whiffle ball gives young players is there ability to handle failure. Baseball is a game immersed in failure where quality professional hitters only get on base 3 out of 10 times. One big concern at every level, especially youth baseball is how kids deal with striking out. Today, it is not uncommon to see helmets or bats thrown after a player strikes out. That type of behavior is not acceptable. Being able to handle failure should lead to improving overall sportsmanship concept.
Finally, being outdoors and having fun with friends naturally helps kids fall in love with the game. After everything is stripped away like techniques, mechanics, and rules having players love the game is the most important lesson these backyard games can teach. You are never too old to play!
Though many kids won’t get the chance to play at “Little Fenway” that should not interfere with their love of a long standing tradition….backyard whiffle ball. It is a game, played by family and friends, which has helped millions of kids fall in love with baseball. Not only that, but the game has helped propel players to pick up the small nuances that baseball has to terms of rules and regulations.
Baseball is a game that is peppered with rules. Playing whiffle ball help to assist younger players to learn the rules on the game. In their own backyard, players pick up the difference between a force or tag out. To start, they may even learn the simplest rule---what is a foul ball? These things can be tricky especially to someone new to the game. Baseball’s rules are complicated (aka…tagging up) so younger players have a large learning curve. Making mistakes in their own backyard provide kids with a safe, comfort zone.
Baserunning is another positive element of youngsters playing whiffle ball. Remember getting stuck in a pickle or having ghost runners? These learning tools are exactly what the kids need to make the game fun. Also, it let’s kids play without a full team letting them hit multiple times while running the bases. These adjustments help the game move fast, not allowing kids to get bored.
Moreover, playing defense against these baserunning situations require fielders to think quickly by mentally rehearsing the situation. Over time, players start to learn the difference between outs. They are able to read the spin and judge a flyball These real, game-like situations are the only methods that really encourage true development.
What about hitting? Developing proper swing mechanics is very important for young hitters. Whiffle ball participation allow players the chance to produce multiple repetitions at a varied ability level. All the characteristics of solid hitting mechanics should be incorporated like weight transfer, effective swing tilt, and extension into finish.
Pitchers may chose to pitch using an underhand or overhand delivery depending on the hitter’s skill level. Underhand pitching allows players time to incorporate good hitting mechanics. As players get more comfortable, an overhand style may be more appropriate. Using the overhand model, players receive less reaction time to the pitch making them swing harder and quicker at the ball.
In addition, older players may take on the challenge of varied speed pitching. Off-speed pitches are not part of basic hitting concepts, but more advanced levels. Also, pitchers may also choose to throw at multiple arm angles. Both of these methods greatly enhance a young player’s ability to learn some advanced hitting concepts.
Another major attribute backyard whiffle ball gives young players is there ability to handle failure. Baseball is a game immersed in failure where quality professional hitters only get on base 3 out of 10 times. One big concern at every level, especially youth baseball is how kids deal with striking out. Today, it is not uncommon to see helmets or bats thrown after a player strikes out. That type of behavior is not acceptable. Being able to handle failure should lead to improving overall sportsmanship concept.
Finally, being outdoors and having fun with friends naturally helps kids fall in love with the game. After everything is stripped away like techniques, mechanics, and rules having players love the game is the most important lesson these backyard games can teach. You are never too old to play!
