Do You Know Your A,B,C's???

There are so many different ways to train out there these days it can make your head spin!!!  There are so many coaches, trainers, specialists, organizations, etc...how do you keep it all straight and not get overwhelmed?

This can be directed towards players, coaches and parents.  Everybody can be thrown into the mess.  If you are a parent trying to obtain the best possible information for your son or daughter how do you keep everything in order and know what is best for your child?  If you are a player working on your craft, which road do you go down?  If you are a coach and you want to make your players better and have parents like you or at least get off your back (lol) who are you supposed to trust?  Well, I don't need to go that far, it is not as crucial as trusting the person in front of you, really it is just about feeling good about the information you are paying for or passing on to your players.

Well, let's look at it this way...do you know your A,B,C's?  Really, I could take this blog session in a million different ways after asking this question, but let's see if I can get a bit more specific.  I want to just focus on the player for a minute.  When I ask, do you know your A,B,C's, I am referring to proper movement patterns in relation to the players.  I can't tell you enough how crucial it is for athletes to learn proper movement patterns in ANYTHING they do, not just in their specific sport.  The better the movement pattern, the better the result, at least 9 times out of 10.  I would think that I could get most of you to agree with this statement.  Haven't you heard the best players, trainers and coaches make a statement very close to this before, "if I can just get into this position when my foot touches the ground, everything else will happen for me."  It is so true and I here it all the time.  If we just focus on baseball, most would agree that the swing and the throw happen on its own as long as you can get your body to a specific position at foot touch.  The issue with this is that there are better, more efficient ways to get to this crucial point in the movement.  So if we are talking about pitching, there are many ways a pitcher can get to the "power position" (for lack of a better term), but when it is time to now rotate and throw, if the pitcher got to this "power position" in a non-efficient manner, there is no way they will be able to produce what they want to produce to gain results.

This all goes back to knowing your A,B,C's.  If I am an athlete and I took the time to educate myself on proper movement patterns in basic things like running, rolling, bounding, skipping, jumping, striking then I am going to be prepared to compete in almost any sport.  My body will line itself up the way it needs to in order to perform the movement efficiently.  If I do not know my A,B,C's how is my body aware of what it needs to do for anything???

So, let's try to bring this all back and include players, coaches and parents in this manner.  If I am a parent and I have a young athlete I want to know that the coach I am providing for them knows his A,B,C's.  I want to know that this coach is willing to break down the movements made to throw a ball, hit a ball, catch a ball, whatever it is I am trying to get better at.  If I am a parent and I go to observe the workouts and I see that there is no work being done on breaking down movements and introducing the A,B,C's to my son or daughter, I know this is someone I may not want to use at this point in my young child's career.  There are basic developmental stages that kids should go through as they grow up and blossom from young kids to young adults to mature men.  If there is a stress put on the basic movement patterns to athletics early on in life, this process is made much easier and you will see how successful the athlete can be.

Now, is this to say that the only way a young athlete can learn is to break down every movement pattern and then build it back up again, not at all.  There are many different ways to do this.  The first suggestion I would give a parent with a young athlete is to sign them up for as many different activities that make their kids move in many different ways.  For example, dance classes are great for balance, coordination, agility, proprioception, and general strength.  Or how about martial arts, gymnastics, or any sport that a young child could play, like soccer, football, basketball and of course baseball.  By allowing your young athlete to participate in these different activities, it allows them to learn movements that their body would not be aware of if they only played one sport all year around at a young age.  That is why travel ball is not something I am a big fan of.  Kids play baseball all year around while juggling other things.  They never own their craft by training, they just play.  Not to mention the pitchers who throw during the weekend but never pick up a ball during the week because it is not baseball season.  That is an injury waiting to happen, but that is a conversation for a later date.

To wrap this up, basically it is important for all interested parties to know their A,B,C's.  Know the basic subjects an athlete should be fluent in as they build their athletic career.  Understand that this is a process and it is long term when we are referring to these young athletes.  Rome wasn't built in a day and it didn't need to be.  Take your time, don't rush it, enjoy the process and work your A,B,C's!!

Ok, that's all for this one....hope all is well!!!!  Talk with you soon!!

Metronome

One of the biggest subjects when discussing pitching and the wind-up is being able to create a repeatable delivery.  For me, that means everything needs to be timed up, work in proper sequence, flow, be smooth, fluid, and of course under control. 

That is a lot to cover when you are a young pitcher trying to figure things out.  It is even a tough task for some of the professionals I work with in the Cardinals Organization. So how can a pitcher make sure he is repeating his delivery and that it will be the same the next time he comes out to practice?  The Metronome is my answer to this question.

Does everybody know what a metronome is?  It's a device that maintains a specific beat with a ticking counter so you know if you are maintaining a certain rhythm and tempo.  Mostly they are used for musicians to make sure their timing is right for a certain song.  What the metronome allows a pitcher to do is stay on rhythm, maintain a certain timing to the delivery and then it also makes sure the pitcher repeats the delivery on the same timing each repetition.  Each time the metronome clicks or tick-tocks, it gives immediate feedback to the pitcher of whether or not they are in rhythm for that specific delivery.  After a while the pitcher will not need the metronome, it will be cemented in their bodies timing.  But what do you do before you get to that point in time?  Again, that is why the metronome is such a helpful tool.  You will be able to repeat the same timing over and over until it becomes natural to you.

The other thing the metronome does for you which is so great is that it lets you feel whether you are moving too slow or not.  When I use the metronome with my professional pitchers they always ask  me if they are truly working that slow or not.  I usually get them on the mound and have them do THEIR normal motion.  Then when I set the metronome to what THEIR current, natural rhythm is, they always feel like they are working too slow.  I love that about the metronome.  It is not me telling them they are too slow, they need to get moving, it is the feedback they get from the metronome that lets them know.  Now, as we start to speed the rhythm of the metronome up, the pitcher themselves can decide on how fast or slow they want to move and they will always have that feedback to see if it is on time or not.

Look out for a youtube clip on my personal channel coming very soon on the metronome.  I will show you exactly how to use it and how to time up your feet with the rhythm of the metronome.  This is a great learning tool for all ages of pitchers, little league to the big leagues!!!  Ok, gone for now, hope all is well with you out there in the pitching world!!!

Welcome Home

It is September 14th at 8:55pm.  I am back in San Diego and I am sitting in my friends apartment with nobody around and nothing but quiet surrounding me.  The off season has definitely arrived.  I have been in the water twice already and looking for more surf tomorrow.  Although, there really isn't much surf now anyways so I am really just showing off.  I found a place to live but can't move in for a couple weeks so I am couch surfing until the move in day.  Ahhhh, the life of a professional coach!  It is like I am a rolling stone...lol!

I know I keep saying this, because it is true, but it has been a while since I wrote on here.  There will be much more opportunities for me to write now that I am back home and in the calm of the off season so we can all look forward to some more insightful writing by yours truly!!

I'm sure you are all wondering what the heck happened from July 19th to now, seeing as that is how long it has been since I have been on my blog page.  Well, we kicked a whole lot of butt in the Appalachian League.  We ended up with the best record, won the division and then swept through the playoffs and won the chamionship!!   This goes down as my second in three years with the Cardinals Organization and to be brutally honest, I am very proud of the work I did this year.  We had a couple pitchers make the all-star team, one of which also won pitcher of the year.  We had a blast!

One of the things I am learning more and more about in my life and also in this game of baseball, is that you must sit back and congratulate yourself every once and a while.  It is ok to be tough on yourself at times and it is also ok to praise yourself.  There is no growth unless you allow yourself to feel it and self praise or self appreciation is the best way to accomplish that. 

There were many great times and memories during the course of our season but nothing feels better then when I think about the relationships I shared with the guys.  That is why I coach.  I coach to have relationships and to be there for the pitchers when they need me.  This year was better then the year before, which was better then the year before.  The relationships I was able to create with the guys this year is something I will never forget.  What is so great about all this is that it is only going to get better because that is how the world works.  The better it gets, the better it gets!!  The amount of growth I have had from day one with the Cardinals to now has been huge and it is something I look forward to getting better and better. 

So, thank you Passion for Pitching family for hanging around.  It is going to be an amazing off season and I can't wait to get things started!!

Rainy Days

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!!  Currently I am in Johnson City, TN where it is cloudy and rainy.  We are waiting around to do team pictures for the year and seeing as how we may not be able to get onto the field at all today, I thought I would spend my down time giving you guys an update and then of course my fabulous words of wisdom...LOL.

So we are twenty games into the season and recently have been on a tear.  We are 14 and 6 with the best record in the ten team league.  Not bad seeing as how 8 days ago we were just 6 and 6...lol!  The guys are playing better baseball and we are making fewer mistakes.  Starting pitching has been solid and the relievers have been keeping our leads when it is their time to throw.

It is always interesting to me how there is always something to learn in this game, every day, no matter if you are winning or losing.  Just the other day I had to have a conversation with the pitchers about how to pitch with a lead.  We were really not accustomed, in the early part of this season, to be pitching with big leads.  The past two games we have played, we have had leads of 8 runs or more.  I actually think it is tougher for pitchers to throw in a game that is a blow out where we are the team that is ahead, rather then pitching in close games or games that we are way behind.  When you are ahead and your team is scoring a lot of runs, it leaves a lot of time in the dugout to lose focus or add pressure to yourself because guys don't want to lose the lead for the team.  Being able to maintain your focus in all situations of the game is a big asset to have.  It is easy to be involved in a game where the innings are quick, the pitchers are throwing strikes and everyone is competing because the game is tied or very close.  It's the games that have gotten away where you must maintain your professionalism and your drive to always succeed.

Okay, a quick update and something to think about today....enjoy and we will talk soon!!

Update Time

Ok, so I know I haven't been as good as I promised on this blog site and I am no longer going to apologize because that doesn't seem to fix it anyways...LOL!!  But since I am sitting in the waiting area at the local Honda Dealership while my car gets tuned up I figure I could give everyone a quick update on what is going on so far this season...

We are 8 games into the season and sit at 5 and 3 so far.  We have a pretty solid team with what seems to be a solid group of guys.  They seem to care about what they are doing and can't wait to get on the field each day to play.  It is funny how each year I have a group of guys and as I go through the year I speak to myself and say, "wouldn't it be nice if..." and magically the next year it appears!  This year I wanted to have a group of guys who pay attention, are low maintenance, and who want to be ballplayers...so far so good!

There are some quality arms on the staff and there are some quality guys who show some pitchability.  Overall this year we have more guys in this group that will be able to help out and pitch the innings they are asked to more then last year.  There are some fine tunings to be done with the bullpen thus far but as a whole I think we have a pretty quality staff.  But ask me again in a month...LOL!

I have been here in Johnson City, TN for the past 2 weeks and will continue here until the beginning of September.  The town of Johnson City has about 60,000 people in it and is a very nice town.  There are plenty of places to go eat and they have set us up with a beautiful facility to workout at.  The field is ok, nothing to write home about but it has some character.  There is a hill in the outfield that spans from the right field line all the way to center field.  Somewhat like the Astros ballpark but much steeper...lol!  I have seen some amazing plays made on that hill the last year, let's just hope that continues and more for us then for the visitor.

The league itself is very competitive, most teams are evenly matched and like always in baseball you can get beat anytime if you don't show up to the field to play hard.  This year the league expanded the playoff roster to four teams instead of two, so we should have a good shot at getting in this year.  Usually the toughest teams in the league are Danville Braves and Elizabethton Twins.  We play both of those teams a whole lot coming in July so if we are ok after the month of July we should stay in the race all the way through.  Of course, a lot of that depends on staying healthy and whether or not the organization higher-ups keep the kids together.  A lot of the times there are fill-ins needed and promotions granted at the higher levels and so that comes directly from our rookie league teams.  In the past few years I have been with the organization we have moved a lot of guys quickly so we will see what happens this year.

Hope everyone is doing well and we will talk to you soon!!!!