Selected Reading Material 8-8-12

Tips On How To Handle Setbacks by Mike Jacobs, Evansville Courier & Press  -  How yo move on and plan for future success.

Long Term Baseball Development: Attention to Detail Matters by Eric Cressey, Cressey Performance  -  Focus and get something out of your warm-up throwing and flexibility exercises.

Dan Duquette On the Young Pitchers and Their Struggles by Steve Melewski, MASN Sports  -  Some insights on how one Major League organization places a priority on biomechanical analysis and developing a repeatable correct delivery.

Good & Bad Baseball Mechanics on Display at the Olympics

Baseball is unfortunately not an Olympic sport anymore. They had to make room for trampoline and women's wrestling, I guess. But that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of good examples of some of the most important mechanics that go into a good baseball swing or pitching motion.

I use a various Olympic sports on a regular basis as a way to teach how a baseball player's body should or should not move in order to gain more power, quickness and consistency. Here are some examples that are currently being broadcast from London:

Diving.  A baseball player's core is his main source of power. How quickly and powerfully he is able to rotate his core has a direct effect on how much energy is transferred to the baseball. Hitters are able to rotate quicker by pulling the bat through the zone with their hands and elbows close to the body. A compact swing is a quick swing. Similarly, pitchers are able to rotate quicker by tucking the lead arm back into their body. This is like a Olympic diver controlling the rate at which his or her body turns during a mid air twist. When the arms are in, the body twists quickly with little resistance. When the arms are extended away from the body, the additional weight outside the diver's center of gravity slows the rate of rotation. This type of twisting can also be seen in gymnastics or the aforementioned trampoline. If this were the Winter Olympics, the best example would be figure skating.

Tennis / Table Tennis.  A good tennis stroke is an example of how not to swing a baseball bat. A topspin forehand where the wrist rolls over through contact creates a shot where the ball dives back to the playing surface before reaching the base line. This is somewhat like a pulled ground ball in baseball - if the top hand rolls over as contact is being made, the barrel is raised up and around to the upper outside corner of the baseball, likely resulting in a grounder to the shortstop. A backspin drop shot in tennis is achieved by chopping down through the bottom of the ball with an abbreviated finish - the equivalent of an infield pop-up. In order for a hitter to get maximum carry on the baseball, he must avoid the early rolling of the wrists. Keeping the top hand under the handle at the point of contact as he pulls the knob of the bat forward and up through the ball into a high finish will result in backspin line drives with some distance. If the batter continues down through contact into a low finish, he will end up with that drop shot he does not want.

Shot Put.  Unlike the shot put, a pitcher's delivery is more of a pull than a push. As he separates his hands and strides toward home, the ball should be turned away from his body. He then uses his front side - hip, elbow and shoulder - to pull the ball forward with power and velocity. If the pitcher separates his hands into a position where the ball is shown toward third base, he will end up pushing the ball more like the shot putter, with much less velocity.

Javelin.  There are several similarities among the mechanics of pitching and javelin. Most noticeable is the firm front leg, which sends the energy created by the stride up into the core rotation, and ultimately the javelin/baseball. With hitting, we call it "putting on the brake," like in a car, and the stride leg is completely braced like the javelin thrower. Another mechanical similarity on display is the lead arm. As the javelin is being released, the lead elbow is pulled into the body for efficient rotation and more power from the front side. This is nearly identical to a top level pitcher.

Baseball Doesn't Have To Be So Expensive

There's been a lot of web chatter about how much money parents spend on youth sports these days, baseball included. There are $200 bats, snazzy gear bags, brand new cleats, tournament fees, travel expenses, heat gear, cold gear, etc., etc.... so much to spend to help your kid keep up with the Joneses.

But it doesn't have to be that way. We don't have to always hand the best products and experiences to our children on a silver platter. It wasn't all that long ago that we swung cheap hunk-o-metal bats while wearing Toughskins and sneakers. I'm not against modern improvements to the game, but there are ways to do youth baseball without dipping into that home equity line. Here are some:

1. Buy last year's bat model. It may not have this year's paint job, but it's the same bat and it's $100 less. www.CloseoutBats.com.

2. Or better yet - just use the team gear. Most youth teams have their own bats, helmets and catcher's gear. If they don't, they should.

3. Shop online for discount clothing and cleats. Baseball pants, sliding shorts, undershirts, gear bags, gloves... You can find it all at clearance prices just like anything else. www.BaseballSavings.com.

4. Play Little League Baseball. No child is turned away because of an inability to pay.

5. Play on one team at a time. Playing for (and paying for) two teams during the same season can lead to overuse injuries anyway. Save your money and your kid's elbow.

What I Have Learned This Year

Spring, summer and fall... coaching youth baseball can be a year round business. The past year in particular has been a learning experience is several ways. Here's what I know now:

1. Having your son on the team is tough. No matter how well you handle it at the ballpark, the emotional aspect is stressful.

2. There are a lot of head cases in youth baseball - kids and adults.

3. You can't over-value smart, confident players. Give me the experienced, confident kid that can be molded into a reliable ballplayer.

4. Having someone else coach your son can be a great experience for all involved.

5. The list of people you can really trust and rely on is very small. Appreciate them.

6. This game takes its toll physically. It is not for 39-year-olds.

7. Your catcher's blocking skills can make or break your season.

8. It's hard to do much with a choppy swing.

9. You may think you know your defensive lineup at the beginning of the season. But you don't.

10. Taking a season off can be the best move you make.

Selected Reading Material 5-30-12

How Efficient Pitching Mechanics Can Produce More Velocity With Less Stress To the Arm by Dick Mills  -  Great analysis about keeping your mechanics simple and eliminating unnecessary movements.

10 Reasons Dad May Not Want to Coach a Youth Baseball Team  -  Not just the obvious reasons.

How To Deal With the Sports Parents Social Pecking Order by Bob Cook, Forbes  -  You don't have to be friends with the other parents on the sidelines.

Local Man Brings 'Hoosiers' Back to Life by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star  -  Because this is the best sports movie ever and there can't be a real sequel.

Advice From the All-Time Hit King

ESPN has announced another 30 for 30 volume of films set to begin this fall. Beginning this week, Bill Simmons and Grantland.com will stream "30 for 30 Shorts" on a monthly basis. The first short film is called Here Now, an eight minute look into the current life of Pete Rose, the all-time hits leader banned from baseball for gambling.

The story of Pete Rose is a sad one, but you have to respect the way he played the game: "all out," as we are currently seeing from Bryce Harper. And in the middle of this short film, Rose offers some great advice for young players:

1. Be aggressive.
2. Be more aggressive.
3. Never be satisfied.

I love that approach to baseball and would love to see my team playing like that right now. We've been saying it all season: "Go for it." You have to plan on ripping the ball, or the ball being ripped to you in the field. And when it happens you have to go for it, not even considering the possibility of failure. If you play the game trying to avoid mistakes, you'll never accomplish anything. Play aggressively and there should be no regrets after the game, no matter how many times you fail.

Selected Reading Material 5-14-12

How Much Training Is Too Much for Young Athletes?  by Jill Barker, Montreal Gazette  -  More on specialization, overuse and mental burnout.

Game's Top Two Pitching Prospects May Be Igniting a Revolution  by Albert Chen, Sports Illustrated  -  Dylan Bundy and Trevor Bauer will be prominent test cases for or against extreme long-toss, depending on whether or not they have healthy careers.

Rocket Science Alert: Strength Training for Pitchers STILL Improves Throwing Velocity  by Eric Cressey, Cressey Performance  -  A new study shows that any type of strength training is beneficial to pitchers.

Little League Approves 50/70 Division for 2013

Little League International has announced voting results from its Regional Round Table agenda items. As was expected months ago, a permanent 50/70 baseball division was approved for play in 2013.

Since two thirds of voting District Administrators supported the measure, it was automatically approved by Little League's Board of Directors. Complete voting results on all agenda items are posted here. Among the items that failed was a proposal to ban the slash play (fake bunt / swing away) in Majors and Minors. This and any other items can be revisited in the future.

While the specific rules of the new 50/70 division are yet to be determined, the approved agenda item dictates that it will be for ages 11-13. Should leagues choose to do so, it appears that it can co-exist with the Major League division. It will include a postseason international tournament and World Series.

We'll have to wait and see about some important details.... Will big barrel bats be allowed? I hope not. An additional four feet of pitching distance is not enough to safely allow big barrels. Will the fences have to be backed up to beyond 200 ft? Perhaps, with 13-year-olds playing, but many leagues will be unable to do so. Will there be any restrictions on stealing bases? I hope so. If the base runner can take a lead of any distance and steal before the pitcher releases the ball, and the catcher has a longer throw, then an additional 10 feet of base path is not enough. It will be a flawed game with way too many easily stolen bases.

It will be interesting to see what the rules end up being. That will help determine how many leagues choose to participate. But judging from the voting results, I have to think that this is the direction that most leagues will go. I wouldn't be surprised if within 3-5 years, the Williamsport/ESPN show is a 50/70 game. It's just a matter of hammering out some details that work.

Bryce Harper Swing Mechanics

The "Chosen One" has arrived and is here to stay. Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 MLB Draft, is the most exciting player in the game. Watch the guy play, kids. He makes great catches. He throws laser beams. He turns singles into doubles. He steals home. He even wears his socks well.

Bryce Harper plays the game the right way. All out, 100% all the time. He is electric on the field and it's going to be contagious in the Nats dugout.

His swing generates an amazing amount of power. He loads his hands to the max. His braced front leg sends every bit of energy into his hip rotation. And he hits to all fields, pulling his hands and staying inside the ball. Check it out:

Selected Reading Material 5-3-12

The 8 Most Annoying Sports Parents by Kevin at Sports Dad Hub  -  Some familiar characters to watch out for here.

Roundtable: Is 155 Pitches Too Many? at ESPN Boston  -  A lengthy discussion about when to say when, in response to a recent high school game with very high pitch counts. I attended a game this season where a high schooler threw 120 pitches in a meaningless game, and it was uncomfortable to watch.

Youth Sports Are Expensive? by Rick Wolff  -  Yes, we all know youth sports cost money.