INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEOS
Coach Blu's General Fallback Tips
KEEP IT SIMPLE, EFFICIENT, AND DIRECT
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Focus on eliminating unnecessary motion. Unnecessary motion equates to wasted power and additional points of failure.
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There are three major steps whether it be for pitching, throwing, or hitting: Start --> Load --> Finish. You'll hear me say "It's A, B, C, not A, B, C, D, E, F, G." The motion in between these steps should be simplified as much as possible and appear as a seamless transition.
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All motion and power should be directed forward, straight to the target. An easy drill is to draw a line in the dirt from the center of your back foot to the target (it's okay to have the lead foot off the line to start with), perform the pitch/throw/swing, and see where the front foot lands. If the lead foot is off the line, it indicates an inefficiency.
SHOULDERS, HEAD, AND EYES (SHE)
90% of mechanical problems start with the shoulders. Essentially, if your shoulders move, your head will move, and then your eyes will move, which leads to inaccuracy and inefficiencies. It's pivotal the shoulders remain level and move directly towards the target. "Opening up" is a very common flaw when it comes to pitching, throwing, and hitting. All this means is that the front shoulder is turning away from the target when you go to throw or swing, which ultimately forces your head and eyes to go along with it. A lot of times this happens because the player's stride is too closed (not on a direct line) and they have to compensate by opening up the upper body. Other times it's because they're trying to overthrow or overswing.
REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION, REPETITION...
Countless (quality) repetitions are the key to becoming a better hitter, fielder, pitcher, etc. Be mindful of your time and don't let words like practice, games, or travel ball fool you. Just because you're at practice, games, or travel ball doesn't mean you're getting repetitions. And if you are, it's still not nearly as many as you would get if you focused solely on a single drill or objective. For example, let's say two players, Player A and Player B, have the same goal of hitting 90mph fastballs. Each player has 3 hours a day to dedicate to this goal. Player A is a part of a travel team and spends their 3 hours a day traveling and playing a game. During the game, Player A gets 4 at-bats a sees a total of 8 fastballs. Player B, on the other hand, decides to buy a pitching machine and spends their 3 hours repeatedly hitting fastballs. Player B sees a fastball every 20 seconds for 3 hours, resulting in a total of 540 fastballs. Which player would you say is using their time more wisely towards achieving their goal?
REACTION TIME AND HAND-EYE COORDINATION
Reaction time and hand-eye coordination are essential skills and the foundation of success in baseball/softball, whether it be for hitting or fielding. All players entering this sport will be faced with the challenge of developing these skills. Think of it as a prerequisite that must be passed to even play the sport. Although these skills will naturally develop over time through practice and games, it's generally too slow of a process and will hold younger players back from developing and being able to execute more advanced skills. Luckily, these are skills that can be worked on easily and almost anywhere. From throwing a tennis ball against a wall and trying to catch it to chasing a rabbit in the wild, there are endless ways to improve these skills. My personal favorite is grabbing a football with a friend of about equal arm strength and coordination and separating about 30 feet apart. Spread your legs slightly with your chest facing your partner, and only using your arms and torso, throw the ball as hard as you can and as accurately as possible to your partner. Both feet should remain on the ground. If both of you can continuously catch the ball, then start to close the distance and repeat. Keep doing this until it becomes a challenge and then rep out as many as you can. This single drill develops arm strength, accuracy, reaction time, and hand-eye coordination.
PITCHING
PITCHER TO EMULATE
~~~ JENNIE FINCH ~~~
Jennie Finch is a great example of solid softball pitching mechanics. She was a former softball player for the Arizona Wildcats and a named collegiate All-American. She also led the United States to a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
PITCHING MECHANICS
Overall
Stride
Arm Circle
PITCHING WARMUPS
PITCHER FIELDING
PITCHING GRIPS
CATCHING
CATCHER TO EMULATE
~~~ J.T. REALMUTO ~~~
J.T. Realmuto is a catcher for the MLB and has won two golden gloves.
He holds the fastest pop time at 1.83 seconds!
CATCHING MECHANICS
Stance
Blocking
Framing
Pop Time / Transfer / Throwing
Catcher Pop Flys
Tagging
*CAUTION: Although straddling the base is more efficient, in youth leagues it's dangerous because inexperienced baserunners don't always slide when they should and it puts the fielder at risk of a collision. Get in front of the base.*
FIELDING
GENERAL
Ready Stance
Receiving
Transfer
Throwing
Pop Flys
1B - FIRST BASEMAN
Scoops
Footwork
2B/SS - MIDDLE INFIELD
Turning Two
Tagging
*CAUTION: Although straddling the bag is more efficient, in youth leagues it's dangerous because inexperienced baserunners don't always slide when they should and it puts the fielder at risk of a collision. Get in front of the bag.*
Cutoff
3B - THIRD BASEMAN
Tagging
*CAUTION: Although straddling the bag is more efficient, in youth leagues it's dangerous because inexperienced baserunners don't always slide when they should and it puts the fielder at risk of a collision. Get in front of the bag.*
LF/CF/RF - OUTFIELD
General
HITTING
OVERALL
All different swings, yet if you slow it down they're very similar when they load, make contact, and extend. Focus on their shoulders, head, eyes, back elbow, knob of the bat, hip rotation, and footwork.