Importance of a strong arm

What do you base this thought process on?

Savannah, you are only looking at one aspect of the game. I agree if hitting is your strength the coach needs to be aware of it. I think it would be better to say that you need to work as hard as possible on all the workout, but also make sure that the coach is aware of your best assets, whether it be arm, hitting, speed,etc.

Savannah,
My approach has always been the opposite...I have always said: "Let your bat do the talking"....I have always felt a coach has the ability to pick up on talent in just a few minutes. Five minutes of observing a player at his position taking ground balls, one round of BP, and a couple of timed runs from home to 1b will tell a lot about a player.
Fungo

Savannah,

That is an interesting observation/statement.

But one coach's trash is another coach's treasure. I think you will find that a coach is looking for skills or skill sets. If a players is lights-out (unbelievable) with his fielding and throwing, he may make the team as a "fielder" and be DH'd for. If a player has a major set of wheels, that player may make the team strictly as a courtesy runner, in key situations during the season. If a player has a hose and thats all, he may not be on the team. If a player can field and thats all, he may not be on the team. Coaches have that luxury when you are carrying 25 to 28 players on a roster.

If a player can mash/rake, and can't do nothing else, at the very least he will be DH'ing for that player who is lights-out with fielding and throwing.

If the player can mash and field, he probably will be in the starting line-up.

Not saying I am right, it is just my opinion.

Orioles42

Have to agree with orioles42 on this one. Arm strength is great, but that is a very small piece of the puzzle defensively, regardless of position.
We look at skill sets. We grade our kids on their ability defensively, NOT simply on one miniscule area of defense. Same with hitting. Nice to be able to do a few things well, but you need complete players to win championships.

Listen, I totally agree with what everyone is saying here. I just wrote this out of frustration upon hearing another kids story recently. I hear it all the time, "some" high school coaches don't take the amount of time needed to evaluate players properly. I know, it is ridiculous but true. What I am trying to say, if your a kid with an amazing offensive game, don't get all cozy with the idea you are all set. Get out there and hustle, throw hard, show that you do it all.

Maybe in a tryout situation there is not a lot of emphasis on hitting. A fielding tryout gets a coach a look at the arm, glove, footspeed, defensive game knowledge (backing up ect...), and also is more time efficient. Batting tryouts should be done but in games you don't get to bat unless you can get off the field.

The one quality that is seldom discussed is not an inmeasureable to some degree, ie., slugging pct., etc, but can you deliver in the clutch.

If you can hit for power and average but can't deliver when the game is on the line in extremely high pressure situations then to me you're an average player no matter how good you are at the bat otherwise.

When I was coaching my son and throwing him batting practice it was never without a hitting situation, ie, move the runner over, hit opposite field behind the runner, man on second punch the ball down the lines to score the runner, bases loaded--two outs--score tied--count three..two. He never took batting practice without these mental conditioning exercises. The purpose to program the memory to deal with the pressure and hit with a relaxed attitude.

Ever since then, after I stopped coaching him, I have never seen a coach use this approach. My son use to be deadly in the clutch, but as he just "took batting practice" using the usual technique that all coaches use he became just average like most all other ball players. Now he just pitches and doesn't bat anymore.

I say this not to toot my own horn but to offer it as something that coaches might consider.

pic,

My 11u team always takes situational BP.

Are you trying to connect your son's lack of execution in the clutch to a lack of situational BP?

It is something you cannot teach or practice.

I always loved it when the "tools" guys had to pack up their bags and go home.

All the scouting reports - all the "grades" - all the other BS.

Bottom line - did you or didnt you get it done when it counted? LOL

Simple answer - Yes or No.

quote:

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Originally posted by redbird5:
pic,

My 11u team always takes situational BP.

Are you trying to connect your son's lack of execution in the clutch to a lack of situational BP?

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I'm glad to hear that your team gets situational BP.

No, to your question about my son, just making note that BP most of the time is a rote exercise without any "clutch" training.

quote:

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Originally posted by itsinthegame:
It is something you cannot teach or practice.

I always loved it when the "tools" guys had to pack up their bags and go home.

All the scouting reports - all the "grades" - all the other BS.

Bottom line - did you or didnt you get it done when it counted? LOL

Simple answer - Yes or No.

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Disagree with you as your statements shows a real lack of understanding of how the brain works.

Dude - I'm just glad my brain - and my keyboard - dont work the way yours does. LOL

PiC

What does that have to do with a throwing arm and its importance ? Slugging Pct that is !!!

Also=== perhaps you should visit more BP sessions in your area because I know a lot of coaches who do situation BP including our own team.

Let's keep the post on the thread topic and not brain function.

HV

you have a PM

quote:

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Originally posted by HiwasseeVol:
Let's keep the post on the thread topic and not brain function.

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Copied from original post
I can't emphasize enough to you high school kids that are transfers or are new to programs. If the new coach at try-outs hasn't seen you play, he is going to evaluate you heavily by your fielding and throwing abilities. If hitting is your strength, be vocal about it. You may not get as many opportunities to hit as you think. Do it with humor, but get the point across that you can hit!-(if that is your strength).
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The title of the thread is Importance Of A Strong Arm

Help me understand how I'm off topic from the original post.

Are we not talking about your strong points in hitting? Would you then not consider the ability to hit in the clutch a strength?
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The mind works with GIGO...and it can have a good outcome, or a bad outcome depending on what it is fed over a long peiod of time.

Clutch training is extremely important in developing relaxation skills...and yes relaxation is a learned component of stress training. In example, Astronauts go through intense training with stress simulation to gain a level of complete relaxation to accomplish the same task completely relaxed.

Baseball plyers learn to relax in stressful situations by how much they get to play. But in lieu of that batters can be "simulated" into learning how to deal with stress in a batting situation that has tremendous stress and allows them to function totally relaxed even though they don't get to play that much. As an add-on to rote practice in hitting, this would be optimum for young players but could be very useful for DH's for example.

Hey, you know how I feel about a strong arm and don't forget speed to really impress those coaches. In BP most of the players look the same anyway...

Pic, give me another good movie to watch. I know The Natural showed a good arm.

"In BP most of the players look the same anyway"

LOL

Go watch a MLB BP and then tell me that or watch a good HS/Travel team/ College Team and then tell me that !!!!

And your husband played Division I ball ??? Better not let him see you posting this stuff

If you watch BP and all the hitters look the same to you, you are admitting that you have no clue what to look for. Ive been around the game my whole life and I have never seen a team take a round of bp and said all those guys look the same to me. I dont care what level it is. I can close my eyes and at least one of the kids will make me open them because I will hear that distinctive sound of a kid making solid contact consistently.

quote:

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Originally posted by limom84:
..In BP most of the players look the same anyway...

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limom,

I know you are a troll but I'll respond anyway...

The above quote tells me all I need to know about you. After evaluating talent at a few HS showcases, I can honestly say that there are no 2 hitters who look alike in BP. There is more that goes into evaluating players/hitters than watching the distance the ball travels.

redbird---

Shame on you!