Baseball Thinking 101 - Fielding
Instinct is when anticipation meets opportunity. If you can anticipate the play before it occurs, your chance of being successful greatly increase. What exactly does this mean? Think ahead. Plays happen fast and knowing the situation ahead of time will allow you to execute the proper play.
How To Practice Swinging A Bat
We have talked several times about the bat path and its importance. It is one of the hardest parts of the swing to master because it is a reaction and hard to control. There a several moving parts that all need to be coordinated to optimize it. If one or more breaks down, the bat gets “offline” with the pitch and leads to inconsistent contact. It must be practiced over and over again to perfect.
How To Choose A Baseball Bat
Lots of different factors can go into choosing the right size bat for your player. The most obvious ones being height and strength. Bat manufacturers today do a great job of combining both bat length and appropriate weight for each age level.
How To Break In A Baseball Glove
If you find a glove that is not broken in, there are several remedies. Glove manufacturers make a variety of oils to soften the leather, shaving cream with lanolin, vaseline, etc. There are even wooden mallets specifically made to pound the pocket. A rubber mallet will also work.
How To Choose A Baseball Glove
Choosing a glove may be the most critical decision you make as a player. You can always use someone else’s bat if need be, only one person can hit at a time. But, you can’t use someone else’s glove, they’re using it. Also, by using someone else’s glove, your hand/finger size may alter the inside finger holes, making the glove feel uncomfortable or not fit right for the other person.
The older a player gets, the more persnickety he gets about his glove. That glove is now an extension of him as a fielder. There is not a better feeling than putting on a glove that fits your hand perfectly.
Fielding Footwork
While it’s safe to assume that the vast majority of major leaguers possess great arm strength, a closer look may reveal something you might not expect. Players seldom during a game “air it out.” Not every pitch or play requires a player to use 100% of his arm speed/strength. But when they have to, how do they do it?
Hitting Approach
I’m sitting here watching the Braves play the Giants in game 2 of their best of five series and something huge comes to mind... how to think as a hitter. It is the bottom of the first inning with two men on, Pat Burrell comes to bat. Braves starter Tommy Hanson has just walked Buster Posey on 4 pitches. Quick, if you are Pat Burrell, what are you thinking as you are walking to the plate?
Teaching points: Hitting
While not all swings are exactly alike, the most successful hitters all exhibit relatively the same traits at each point in their swing. As a hitting instructor or just a dad teaching his son or daughter to hit, here are a few key points to look for when instructing.
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