I'm doing everything wrong

BaseballsMyGame,

You have stated that you think your coach is pretty good so that is a big plus. I know you think his time is limited but it is his responsibility to help his players improve, especially the ones who are asking for help. Tell him you are very interested in becoming a better baseball player and that you know it will take lots of work and time but that you are willing to do what it takes. Ask him to give you an honest critique of your biggest weaknesses and then work on those areas of your game. If you can get your coach to just give you a couple of pointers with hitting I would get a tee and practice them over and over again. Also believe it or not another good hitting exercise is to throw baseballs up in the air and practice hitting line drives to different parts of the field. Also find a friend and play catch moving the distance back to your limit and then back in again. It will take a lot of work but if you love baseball don't give up.

Also, I am not familiar with your Middle School or High School teams but I would like to let you know High School Teams usually do carry more players than a Middle School team and some players end up with grade problems and become ineligible. At our high school at least three players made the freshmen team that did not make the middle school team.

Thanks for the suggestion. You see, the thing is, this coach coaches for 2 different leagues at once. He coaches for the year long Babe Ruth league and for a local spring league (which is the one I'm in.) All the kids on my team, except for me and 2 others, also play in the Babe Ruth league (our spring league didn't have enough sign-ups, so they combined leagues.) So I think the coach got the impression that the Babe Ruth league is more important than the spring league Also, the other 2 kids that I mentioned before aren't too good either but the coaches honestly don't bother to help them.

I'll try asking him or one of the other coaches for help, but I'm not sure I'll get much. I'll start hitting from a tee and doing other things once I find out what's wrong with my mechanics. Thanks again.

BaseballsMyGame,

The other league may very well be more important to the coach but that does not mean he won't be willing to help you out with some instruction. The best advice I can give you is don't be shy about asking for help. Just tell the coach you want to improve your throwing and hitting mechanics and ask him for his help. If he turns you down he really should not be in coaching but I don't think that will happen.

I'll make sure to ask our next practice. But until then, what do you (or anyone else) think I should do to help my swing and throws? Any drills?

There are many drills. Your local library will have books on how to hit, pitch trow, run bases etc.

It sounds like you have several areas that you need to catch up with your peers. I suggest that you start with focusing on the hitting. If a kid can hit the ball, the coach will find a way to get him in the line-up regardless of his defensive deficiencies.

If you have to do this yourself, I suggest that you start with a batting tee and a colapsible net. ( Will cost a little up front unless you have access to the equipment.) Take what you do know about how to swing a bat, along with any suggestions or help that you are able to squeeze out of your coaches busy schedule, and start hitting balls off of the tee at he rate of 150 to 200 balls per day. Within a few days you will begin to sort out what works and what doesn't. It is a learning process that takes time. Keep at it. You can do this successfully.

Every two weeks try to get your coach or somebody knowledgable to watch you swing and offer suggestions. Spend the next two weeks trying to incorporate these into your swing. After a few weeks of this you will recognize a generally good swing from a bad one by how it feels, how well you stay in balance and the response of the ball when you hit it.

Don't get frustrated, be patient, stay positive. You impress as a kid with the kind of attitude this game demands.

thanks WheelHouse

Great advice by Wheelhouse also look at the eteamz tips and drills section. Several of the drills require two people but some can be done by yourself. Here is the link.

http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/instruction/tips/index.cfm?m=1,2,3,4,5

Concentrate on the piano!

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Originally posted by SBK:
Concentrate on the piano!

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?

Hey kid. I had the same problem before HS. Try checking out www.batspeed.com They have a great hitting site backe up by tons of scientific research. It might be a bit scientific when you read the research at first, but just keep reading it over again till you understand it. Then when you get it all, you see that the whole site is just a couple simple concepts. And their discussion board is free, no registration or anything. I should warn that when you first post there your message won't show up for a while, so don't repost. Another warning is that some people there seem to think that the rotational swing is the ONLY swing that good hitters use and that it's the only swing that'll bring success. Which obviosly isn't true. Ask Tony Gwynn. But try the technique and see how you do. If not, try another technique.
I'd also suggest getting some books, like Williams' Science of Hitting, and Gwynn's The Art of Hitting.
As far as throwing do you know what it is you're doing wrong?

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Originally posted by Underground:
Hey kid. I had the same problem before HS. Try checking out http://www.batspeed.com They have a great hitting site backe up by tons of scientific research. It might be a bit scientific when you read the research at first, but just keep reading it over again till you understand it. Then when you get it all, you see that the whole site is just a couple simple concepts. And their discussion board is free, no registration or anything. I should warn that when you first post there your message won't show up for a while, so don't repost. Another warning is that some people there seem to think that the rotational swing is the ONLY swing that good hitters use and that it's the only swing that'll bring success. Which obviosly isn't true. Ask Tony Gwynn. But try the technique and see how you do. If not, try another technique.
I'd also suggest getting some books, like Williams' Science of Hitting, and Gwynn's The Art of Hitting.
As far as throwing do you know what it is you're doing wrong?

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Great link. Thx man. As for the throwing... I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm guessing it's something with my feet because I dont really feel as if I'm using them. But when I throw, it's just so weak compared to EVERYONE else on the team. It's not like I'm trying to throw it slow. Anyways, when I try and give it some oomph, it completely loses its accuracy. Most of the time it takes a slide to the left (I'm RH.)

I take it you don't pitch, so you obviously play the field somewhere. Are you crow-hopping? The crow-hop is meant to give balance as well as momentum into the throw. It also uses your feet. Also find a mirror. Then you can see what you're doing wrong. Honestly before and after a shower, I'd do a practice throw in the mirror so see if my arms and everything is lined up right! Get creative!

I haven't pitched yet this season, but I'm capable to. My pitching mechanics are much better. I play OF. I don't crow-hop because I don't really have a chance to. My coach only wants us to hit the cut-off man, so why throw it as hard as I can? But my throwing messes up when we take infield practice and when I have to move, get the ball, and make a quick throw. I also never make a perfect throw during warm ups. And looking in the mirror won't help because I live in the smallest house so there honestly isn't room to throw in front of a mirror.

You don't have to do an actual full throw in front of the mirror. You think I have room in my bathroom to do that? I just do slow motion throws and pause in certain positions to see where my body parts line up. I can see at your age that you don't really need an arm of any kind to play the outfield if you can only throw to the cutoff. But in the infield the crowhop or shuffle is the most important part of fielding a ground ball. If you just walk up to a ball and crouch down, wait for the ball, catch it, throw, you don't get any fluidity, no smoothness. Your feet always have to be moving. If you don't the result is "hard hands", bobbled balls, and no momentum into the throw. Also if you just catch it and throw it quickly like that, that sounds like rushing to me. You don't give yourself enough time to get a good grip on the ball, which could be why you don't get the zing, and any accuracy. Does it feel like the ball is slipping out of your hand when you throw?
A simple rule to remember is "Be quick, but don't hurry."
Don't expect to be Rafael Furcal overnight. It take time. Ask your dad, or your friends to play catch. That's another thing. It's like a forgotten practice. Just playing catch is one of the most important and easiest baseball drills there is. And you don't even need anyone. If your house is brick, try bouncing a rubber ball against a wall and practice grounders like that in your backyard. And focus on getting a firm grap on the ball, and don't screw around when you throw. Don't cheat yourself. Don't sidearm it, or overhand it. No knuckleballs until you know you can throw right. Just a balanced, 3/4 deliver, put a shuffle step in it to and you'll see there's more zing when you throw it.
As for accuracy you could find a piece of chalk or something and put a mark on the wall and practice hitting it. See what you can do for now. Good luck.

Ah, that could be where I mess up. Arm angle. My dad always told me to throw overhand, but you know, he was never in the Big Leagues and I don't even think in HS ball. And yes, sometime it feels like it slips out of my hand. I'll try working on throwing 3/4 instead of directly over the top and I'll see what the coaches say.

That's another thing. Infielders throw 3/4 ,OF throws overhand, but at your age it should all be 3/4 until you can throw consistenly at the target. Then you can experiment with different arm angles. My arm didn't really come throguh till I was moved to the outfield 2 years ago when I was 17. First tryout at college made the team, first player to introduce himself says I have a cannon. That's when I changed from 3/4 to overhand.
So go for a consistent 3/4 throw, and see how that comes. Don't forget the mirror! They practice there karate or whatever in front of mirrors in Japan, it works in baseball too.

Ok, now I'm really getting pissed. Someone just say the ideal way to throw a ball and I'll see if I'm doing it right. IT's so incredible, I cant throw a god **** ball

OK I'll try again, in a bit more detail. After you crow hop, you stride. Both feet are planted and glove is out front, arm is up and back, ready to go forward.

Now, when both feet are planted your head should line up with your belly button or belt buckle, and your belly button should be right in the middle, centred between both feet. You can call it the power triangle, and is taught the same way with pitchers. The hips and shoulders should line up pointing at your target. Got that so far?
Now, as you stride and break your hands, break your hands with the thumbs down, this will force your elbows up. When the stride foot lands, all else should be lined up in the last paragraph, and your arms should form a football referee's field-goal sign. If you pause in that position in front of a mirror you'll see what I mean. And when you get to that position the palm of your throwing hand should face away from you, knuckles facing your neck.
All of that forms the launch position. And after your stride foot lands, then you start to twist your hips and shoulders. Your front knee should stay bent, and your back knee will be on its way to pointing at your target. The back foot can come up off the ground, or be dragged, personal preference.
Let your shoulders start to bring your throwing arm forward at first. This will form a 90 degree angle at the elbow-if you look at your throw from the side. Then at the last minute, snap your wrist and forearm forward right at your target, the ball should roll right off gthe middle finger. Keep following through. Your upperbody should go forward a little bit too, along with the throwing arm. Your chest should end up over your front knee.
And that kid, is how you throw a baseball. Once you have the right technique in your muscle memory, it'll be the easiest thing in the world to do. For now just focus on one thing first. Like, start with your feet first. The move on to the knees and work your way up.
And don't expect the Braves to call you to replace Rafael Furcal right away, I got cut almost every year from my local rep team cause of no arm. Then all of a sudden one summer I started gunning lots of baserunners out.

Now THAT's what I was looking for. Thanks a lot Underground. 1 question: Is it important which direction the feet point?

Honestly I haven't really noticed what I do with my feet till you asked. I don't think the back foot has any part in the throw. I land with my front foot slightly closed, not quite as much as when I hit. But I don't think it matters as long as the foot is somewhat-pointing at your target. I actually learned to throw by reading a pitchers book The Pitching Edge. They had a section about just plane throwing and using a crow-hop to get the feel of balance and positioning. After that I just made a few adjustments to get an outfielders throw. Throwing is the same thing as pitching, minus the mound and windup, plus the crow-hop when fielding, and a higher arm angle in the outfield.

Hi,
One more thing I don't think was mentioned about throws, is that you should always have a four-seam grip when you throw. Wherever you pick the ball out of the glove at, you're only a quarter-turn at most from a four-seam grip. Any other grip will probably cause the ball to sail, drop, curve, etc., and when or if it hits the ground, it won't bounce true. It's very important. Of all people, Johnny Bench wasn't even taught that when younger and when he got to the majors found he was required to (should be required from age 6 on). He took a mitt and ball to the movies and while watching the movie, kept throwing the ball into the mitt and finding the proper grip in the dark. He had it "nailed" after a couple of movies. Just watch TV and do the same thing. I see a lot of kids come up to my teams and no one has bothered to teach them the importance of this and how to get it quickly (nano-second), and the first baseman suffers as throws from players who just "grip and rip" bounce all over the place or curve or drop at the last minute.

Also, I'm sure someone has told you you have to have your fingers "on top of the ball" right? And to have flexion in your wrist and elbow? Also, remember your glove hand is important. Draw it back sharply as you throw. Try throwing with your glove hand in your back pocket and you'll see how important the glove hand is for power!

A hint for hitting. Get a tee, but don't put a baseball or softball on it. Instead, put a volleyball or basketball on it and try to drive it. The problem with baseballs on tees at young ages is that many times the player wants a dramatic result and consequently ends up with an uppercut swing. If you try a volleyball or b-ball, I think you'll find you'll almost instantly "figure" out how to keep your weight back and drive the ball, etc. Give it a try and lemme know how it worked, okay? Good luck!

Hope this helps.

Blue skies

HI,

Bit more on hitting. Many people mistakenly assume hitting is a "handed" activity, i.e., if you're right-handed, you should bat right, left-handed, bat left. This couldn't be more incorrect. Batting absolutely isn't a handed thing. Throwing is, but batting isn't. It's very similar to chopping with an ax. The thing is, there are more advantages to batting left than right. For one thing, most batters are right-handed and usually your dominant eye is the side of your handedness. That means that if you're right-handed and your dominant eye is the right, you have an even more decided advantage to batting left... simply because you can "see" the ball leave the pitcher's hand sooner than a left-eye dominant batter. Most players should bat with their dominant eye closest to the pitcher. One simple and quick way to see which is your dominant eye is to make a triangle with your hands and look at an object 15-20 feet away. Center the object with both eyes (in the triangle). Then, close one eye and then the other and the eye that keeps the object centered is your dominant eye. That's what should determine what side of the plate you bat on. About 85% of people's dominant eye will be on their "handed" side, which means most people should bat left.

If you've always batted right, it takes about 10,000 swings from the other side to bring your left-batting skills up to the same degree of skill. After that, you begin to improve dramatically.

Couple more things:
1. Notice most coach's kids bat left. Tell you something?
2. Those who bat left almost always progress one level higher than they would if they'd batted right.

Hope this is helpful.

Blue Skies

P.S. Don't let others rent space in your head...

Im right handed, so if my dominant eye is my right eye, are you saying its best if i learn to bat lefty instead?

I'm a dominant righty. I started switch-hitting when I was 8. Now I hit harder RH but make better contact LH.
How's the throwing coming kid? Gun down any runners from deep in the hole yet?

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Originally posted by BaseballsMyGame:
Im right handed, so if my dominant eye is my right eye, are you saying its best if i learn to bat lefty instead?

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Hi BaseballIsMyGame,

Exactly. First, if batting is truly not a "handed" activity (and it isn't), then think about it. If you're right-handed and your dominant eye is your right one, then when you bat left, your dominant eye doesn't pick up the ball clearly when it leaves the pitcher's hand until it's up to 1/3 of the way to you. Make sense? Now... if you bat left, you see it clearly all the way and gain valuable time to make a decision. Not to mention, you're a step closer to first base and all the other advantages a left-handed hitter has. The first thing is to accept batting isn't a handed thing. It absolutely isn't--we just assume it is. It's an action very close to chopping a tree with an ax. Picture that? No difference, right?

If you've batted on one side, then when you switch, it's going to feel "unnatural." Expect that. You've batted however long you have on that side, so a change won't feel "right." If you want to get better though, it's never too late to switch. A player, say 10 years old and up, will need to take about 10,000 swings from the left side before his muscle memory is trained and allows him to hit as well as from the right. After that, the hitter just gets better and better. The rule of thumb is, a hitter batting left will almost always progress one level higher than he would have batting right. (Just wish throwing was the same(!)... alas, it's not... it is a handed thing.) It takes a lot of hard work, hitting off the tee, etc., to switch, but it really will pay off.

Another misconception is that it's better to switch-hit--in my opinion, the player is much better off to hit exclusively left. You'll get some opposite opinions on that, but remember, you lose the dominant eye advantage and I can't see how that would make it better (to switch), no matter what the pitcher is. That dominant eye advantage is a huge advantage, believe me.

Hope that helps.

Blue Skies

I recently had a convo. with my coach and he told me to just "play the game". We all have weaknesses and strongpoints, don't let your weaknesses or ANYONE for that matter ever bring you down. If you truely love the game, then let yourself play it, and not worry about what might happen, control what you can control. Just my 2 cents worth.