Best of 2011

New content will return in January. But for now, here are some of my favorite posts from 2011:


Get Behind That L-Screen - It Could Save Your Life

The Simplest Way To Get Quick

The Importance of Proper Hand Separation

Offseason Training for Youth Players

Miguel Cabrera Swing Mechanics

The Violent Mechanics of Yu Darvish

Yu Darvish is the "next big thing" out of Japanese baseball. Bids have been posted by MLB teams for the exclusive rights to negotiate with the dominant pitcher. His generous assortment of pitches, including a mid-90's fastball, have convinced several Major League teams to try to sign him.

What strikes me about Darvish are his violent lower body mechanics. He is an athletic 6'5" and uses that frame to generate a tremendous amount of power. Watching this clip and the one below, there is a lot of energy dropping down and forward toward home plate. The torque created by the separation of his upper and lower halves is incredible. In the first video there is a split second (0:21) when you can see both the front of his upper body and the back of his lower body. And in the clip below, there is a moment (0:07) when you can see both Darvish's belt buckle and the name on the back of his jersey. That takes a lot of strength and flexibility - hurts my back just to watch it. The result is a lightning-fast trunk rotation and much more energy, none of which is lost in his legs. The front leg is braced so well, it sends every drop of power to the upper half and into the baseball.

Freakish indeed. I look forward to seeing more of Darvish and I hope he holds up.

Great Mechanics Lost To the Steroid Era

Federal prosecutors requested yesterday that a judge send Barry Bonds to prison for 15 months for obstructing a grand jury's steroid investigation. Sentencing for our alleged home run king is next Friday. Meanwhile, Roger Clemens continues to face charges that he lied to Congress about his own suspected use of performance enhancers. The seven-time Cy Young Award winner's second trial is scheduled for April 17th.

What a shame. When I started teaching hitting and pitching, Bonds and Clemens were among the primary examples I used for how to swing a bat and pitch a baseball. And as much as their credibility and success has been tarnished, their mechanics were exemplary.

This swing clip of Bonds, posted by Dan Gazaway at The Pitching Academy, is a thing of beauty. The legs are perfect - fully braced front leg at contact with a 90 degree back leg and back heel up. The swing is compact with a direct path forward to the ball, the back elbow in and forearm coming up under the bat. The hips are fully rotated and then some. Contact is made over the front foot, head is over the back knee, hands finish over the shoulder.



This pitching clip of Clemens is a clinic. Simple but powerful. Up, down, forward. Palms away at separation. Long stride. Elbows shoulder-high at landing. Chest to the glove and over the front knee. Follow through low.



But what a shame. Some of our best teaching examples are now more associated with steroids and questionable integrity than they are with being among the best ever. It's probably best to stick with the stars of today anyway - Pujols, Braun (narf), Justin Upton, Verlander, etc. There are many great examples for young players to learn from on a regular basis. You can learn a lot by studying the best. Even Bonds and Clemens.

Little League Eyes 2013 for Permanent 50-70 Division

Little League International has updated its 50-70 Pilot Program for 2012. This will be the third year of the trial program, which offers certain age groups the option of playing baseball on transitional fields with 50 ft. mounds and 70 ft. base paths. This year Little League will allow participating leagues to choose the make-up of their own 50-70 division from within the 11- to 13-year-old age range.

Most significantly, Little League has announced the possibility of a permanent 50-70 division to be offered worldwide as early as 2013, including an international tournament and World Series. The organization will continue to collect feedback from leagues participating in the pilot program during its third year in order to help establish the parameters of the potential new division. By most accounts, the feedback on 50-70 has been positive after the first two years, so it is expected to be implemented for 2013.

But there are several questions yet to be answered:  What will the age group ultimately be? Will the 46-60 Major League division continue to exist simultaneously? Will big-barrel bats be allowed in the 50-70 division?

My initial reaction to this inevitable change is positive. Little League is continuing a gradual change toward "real baseball" for its younger divisions. Just two weeks ago the organization announced that its Majors division will be playing "dropped third strike" rules beginning in 2012. With 50-70 baseball, baserunners will take leads and pitchers must hold them close.

More importantly, the safety impact of 50-70 should be immediate. A 46 ft. mound is too close for 11-12-year-old baseball these days. The kids are older and bigger than they used to be, and the bats are more powerful. Of course, the safety improvements would be negated if Little League decides to allow big barrels. Backing up the mound four feet does not warrant the use of bigger bats.

While many leagues, including our own, will experience a somewhat unwelcome reshuffling of age groups, the pros will likely outweigh the cons. Given the potential parameters, I am hopeful the new 50-70 division will be an 11-12-year-old league using 2 1/4" barrel youth bats. Keeping 13-year-olds in Junior League would reduce the need to back the fences up in the 50-70 division. This is an issue for many leagues around the world. I think 225 ft. is ideal, but 200 ft. is acceptable in the regular season. Maintaining the split between 12's and 13's would also avoid any increased conflicts with middle school baseball.

We'll have to wait and see what Little League decides after the coming season. Should be interesting.

Cyber Monday Bat Deals

In case the insanity of Black Friday wasn't enough for you, luckily today is Cyber Monday. There are tons of good deals out there on baseball products. I just did my own shopping at my usual spot for bats. Closeout Bats has some really good deals today and throughout the year. I tend to lean toward Eastons, and they have plenty of those and other models that are approved for Little League and other youth organizations.

Little League Rule Changes for 2012

Little League International has announced rule changes to be implemented in its various divisions of baseball and softball in 2012. These include administrative policy changes, regulation changes and amendments to its playing rules for next spring and beyond. Here are a couple of highlights:

As Little League continues to make a slow transition toward so-called "real baseball," its Major League division will now play "dropped third strike." This means that, as in older divisions of baseball, a batter in the Majors division may now attempt to advance to an unoccupied first base with any amount of outs, or an occupied first base with two outs, if the catcher does not catch strike three in the air.

Documents collected for proof of residency must now be dated or in force between February 1 of the previous and current years. This means that for the 2012 season documents must be from between February 1, 2011 and February 1, 2012. A driver's licence in effect during that time would be accepted. This rule mainly applies to the All-Star Tournament season, when these documents must be presented to Little League officials for player eligibility. Parents of potential All-Star players will be wise to plan ahead and get their documents in order before the summer season.

For additional details regarding these and other rule changes, read the full announcement on the Little League website.

Hardball Under Attack In Canada

The Earl Beatty Public School in Toronto, Ontario has banned hard balls of any kind on its playground. In the video below, there appears to be a backstop of some sort in the background, so I assume this means baseball is also a no-no for the little Jays fans. At least they staged a nice protest for the news cameras. Everyone but the kid eating the sandwich is pretty fired up.

AL Cy Young Award Winner Justin Verlander

It was no surprise that Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers won the AL Cy Young Award for 2011. He was a unanimous selection after a 24-win season in which he won his league's pitching triple crown.

Verlander has many strengths, one being his incredible velocity. He is a starter, but routinely hits triple digits in the late innings of games. How does he do it? Beyond simple arm strength, he has great mechanics that allow him to generate maximum power. He loads up with a very high leg kick, taking his knee well above the waist. That leg drops down into a long and aggressive stride down the mound. But he loses no energy in that leg after it lands. He braces the leg completely like a hitter would and sends all of the energy created by his previous movements up into his hips and shoulders and ultimately the ball. He also loses nothing out to the side in his lead arm. He pulls the left elbow in close to his body to quicken his hip and shoulder rotation and keep his momentum going forward to the catcher.

This is a pitching motion not easily duplicated by young pitchers. The aggressive stride and the braced front leg generate power, but can lead to trouble. The quicker the stride, the quicker the ball must be raised above the level of the shoulders. And the straighter the lead leg, the more the pitcher must work to get his chest and arm out to a proper release point. Rushing down the mound and a high release point can both lead to high pitches, especially at the youth level. But Verlander is a master of his craft and works hard to maintain correct mechanics.

Most guys with the velocity of Verlander throw one or two different pitches and close games. But as if his 100 mph fastball wasn't enough for batters to deal with, he also has a nasty curve and great changeup. Here is a good discussion on Verlander's circle change, a pitch that can be extremely successful at the youth level.

Baseball's Veterans

It's a shame that Veterans Day was nearly buried by media coverage of Penn State last week. But we all owe those who have served our country a big "thank you." Many such heroes were baseball stars who proudly gave much of their athletic careers to our military efforts overseas.

Little League Bat Regulations Announced For 2012

Little League International has announced its bat regulations for the 2012 season. Unlike last year, parents can now do their holiday bat shopping without the fear that their son's prized new stick will be outlawed before the season begins.

At the Little League Majors Division and below there appear to be no changes from last spring. The composite bat moratorium remains in effect, along with this list of approved composite bats that have been tested and proven to meet Little League's Bat Performance Factor (BPF) standards of 1.15 or below, both before and after a bat's break-in period.

At Little League's Junior League level and above, the updated rules fall in line with the anticipated BBCOR (Batted Ball Co-Efficient of Restitution) standards. There are also regulations regarding a bat's "drop," or difference between length and weight.