Drill: One Knee Hitting

For years I have believed in one knee hitting drills. Today I am going to break down why hitting drills off of one knee are so important for understanding rotational mechanics.

Watch this video through once, then watch it again. Pause the video at Pedroia's point of contact. This picture you are looking at looks exactly like the one knee hitting drill I have all of my players execute daily. The goal of the one knee hitting drill is to focus on getting your back hip and shoulder squared up to the baseball.

The reason one knee hitting drills are so important for  amateur players to execute daily is because it teaches you how to turn. Like I said in the last article, most 21st century hitters completely disconnect their arms from their lower half which produces slow, all-arm swings. The goal of hitting is to get your back hip, knee and shoulder squared up to the baseball. When we get our back hip and back knee squared up to the baseball we are using the big muscles in our body to produce bat speed.

Watch the Pedroia video one more time. Take a look at his frontside at the point of contact. His frontside is completely locked and solid in the ground. This solid frontside is what allows Pedroia to turn his back hip, back knee and back shoulder around to get them squared up to the baseball.

The one knee hitting drill is crucial for understanding how to turn and stay connected throughout. The back elbow should naturally tuck to the body for a tight turn. Figure skaters are a great example of how to stay connected throughout a turn. When competitive figure skaters are turning slowly, their arms are extended. When they want to get a high score or win a competition, they tuck their arms close to their body and can now spin a whole lot faster. The same is true in baseball. The back elbow must tuck to the body in for a tight, efficient turn to the point of contact. Take a look at the examples below. Stay connected so centrifugal force does not force you to just throw your hands.

When on a knee, hitters will find that if they just throw their hands they will produce no bat speed. After 15-20 reps off a knee, most amateur players begin to feel what rotational hitting is like. Usually amateur players start out by rolling over the first couple reps because they are used to going to get the baseball with their hands instead of turning their body as one. Variations of the one knee drill include just using a top or bottom hand.

The analogy I give all of my students is that of a boxer. A boxer's punch, if fully extended, is no where near as powerful as a jab (close to the body). I tell all of my players to let the baseball travel to "throw the jab". The power in hitting, just like in boxing, is close to your body. The farther out we reach to punch or swing, the less power and bat speed we will have. One knee hitting drills teach hitters to let the ball travel because if you go out and hit the ball with your hands you will have a 'ground ball' type round.

Source: http://www.coresavvybaseball.com/core-savvy-articles/csb-live-or-die-by-one-knee-hitting

Shorten Your Swing with One Handed Drills

Having a short, compact swing is vital to a hitter’s success. Among other benefits, having a short swing enables the hitter to start their swing later, which can lead to better two-strike hitting, better opposite field hitting and more success with off-speed pitches.

As players get older, they will face better pitching which will require sound hitting mechanics. The sooner youth hitters develop a consistent short stroke, the better positioned they’ll be for long term success at the plate. Here is one great set of drills to establish the proper muscle memory for a compact swing.

One-Handed Drills

One-Handed Drills are ideal for promoting a short swing because in order to perform the drills effectively, the hitter has to swing the bat correctly. This drill is just like any basic soft toss drill, but the batter will only swing the bat with one arm. The goal is make sure each hand takes as short a path to the ball as possible.

Have the hitter use a shorter, lighter bat than they are used to. If the bat is too heavy, it will put stress on the shoulders and it will be very difficult to do the drill. The hitter will assume his normal batting stance. Have the hitter start off with the bat in their lead (bottom) hand, with their other hand pressed against their chest for balance. For better control, have the hitter choke up.

The tosser should be positioned about six feet away, at an angle. The tosser should throw the ball right around the hitter’s front hip. The hitter will try to hit the ball right back up the middle, using their normal swing. Do three sets of five swings each . As a coach, look for the hitter to keep his lead elbow down and keep the barrel of the bat above his hands.

Next, have the hitter switch hands so the bat is in their top hand. The key here is to make sure the hitter is not throwing their top hand too far out, or “casting” the bat. Again, the focus should be on a short, direct path to the ball with no wasted movement. Do three sets of five swings each.

Variations - Isolate the Hands

Taking this drill a step further, have the hitter drop to one knee when swinging with the bottom hand. It helps to drop the front knee – this will keep the shoulder in proper position. By taking the lower body out of the drill, you will further isolate the hands to focus on a short path to the ball. Keep the repetitions consistent as before. For the top hand swing, have the hitter drop to both knees. This will make it easier to perform the drill. After completing the one-handed drills, work in some regular soft toss so the hitter can put it all together.

Practicing these drills on a regular basis will give the hitter a feel for the proper hand path and will develop muscle memory to be short and quick to the ball. And that will provide a foundation of good hitting for years to come.

Source: http://www.hittingworld.com/Shorten_Your_Swing_with_One_Handed_Drills_p/art32.htm

INSTANTLY "Jump Higher" With This "Vertical Jump" Warmup

Ever wonder what actually makes you "jump higher"...

In this video Jeremy Burgos and Jack Cascio (Head Twice The Speed Trainer) break down what you should be doing before your workouts if you want to activate the needed muscles for increasing your "vertical jump".

For this circuit all you are going to need is about 10 yards of space that you can walk forward and back with. You simple walk on your toes and heels putting different pressure on the inside and outside of your feet. 

Travel vs. rec: Baseball no longer a simple game

The end of the school year once meant something to boys. When textbooks were returned and summer vacation began, it was time for baseball.

There was never much of a fee to play and many spent their summers on the baseball field – competing against kids from their own area. It was the model that Washington Youth Baseball was built upon.

The league offered solace for boys looking to learn the game and keep active during the summer. Now, youth baseball has become a business and a lucrative one.

AAU leagues and travel organizations continue to increase in popularity across the country as players search for better training, competition and a chance to one day earn a collegiate scholarship. As a result, fewer kids are playing baseball, particularly at the recreation level.

According to the National Sporting Goods Association, a trade publication, the number of kids from ages 7-to-17 playing the sport in the country dropped from 8.8 million to 5.3 million from 2000 to 2013.

Several other studies found a similar trend, but Washington Youth Baseball president Rick Hernnberger said the organization has not been affected.

Though he could not provide participation numbers, Hernnberger said that the organization’s seven age divisions experienced growth in 2015. But Washington Pony had only four teams - down from six in 2013.

Its biggest competition seems to be travel baseball.

“You have to look at the parents’ view,” Hernnberger explained. “AAU provides more playing time for their kids and sometimes better competition. From our side and from what I’ve seen, a lot of the AAU isn’t better than rec ball and if is, it isn’t much better.”

Ed Skovron, the national baseball chair for the Amateur Athletic Union, said that the organization has grown an estimated 25-30 percent in the past five years. As numbers dwindle at local youth leagues, parents open their wallets to pay hefty fees for their children to compete on teams that travel across the country.

“The quality of our membership is one of the things that drives kids toward AAU,” Skovron said. “Parents and the player are looking for the best instruction. These coaches are usually former collegiate players or pro players, and they teach these kids the art of baseball. They get more training with AAU.”

That training comes with a hefty price tag. Though a membership with AAU costs just $14, joining a travel team can cost up to $2,000 or more per season, which does not include travel expenses. Some organizations in Western Pennsylvania travel every weekend to tournaments as far away as Florida.
Mark Saghy, who coached Mt. Lebanon High School to a PIAA championship in 1998 and is a co-founder of the Western Pennsylvania Elite Baseball League, has been told by some parents that they pay as much as $10,000 per summer for their child to compete on an AAU team.

That fueled him to help create the WPEBL 10 years ago. The league, which has AAU concepts and is strictly for high school students, does not travel to tournaments as frequently and has lower entry fees for its players. Like AAU, WPEBL’s goal is to still get athletes exposure to college coaches.

“I think AAU is built on false promises. These groups are telling kids and their parents that if you come play with us, we’ll travel all over and you’ll be amazed with how many scholarship offers you get,” Saghy said. “I give recruitment seminars and the first thing I tell them is it doesn’t make a bit of a difference who you play for.

“You can play for your local legion or Palomino team, or you can play for a team that travels across the country. The coaches will come and see you play if they believe you have the ability.”

Most teenagers and their parents are encouraged to join AAU organizations with the promise of earning an athletic scholarship, but NCAA Division I programs are only allotted 11.7 scholarships to fill 30 to 40 roster spots. Division II schools can offer nine scholarships, while Division III programs have none at all.

There are 300 NCAA Division I schools that offer baseball, while there are 264 in Division II. And many of those schools don’t offer their full compliment of scholarships for baseball.

On top of paying to join the team, players also are encouraged to seek professional instruction for hitting, pitching or other aspects of their game. Many baseball schools market themselves by how many former students were drafted or played in college and charge as much as $50 for a 30-minute lesson.

Between the price for a travel team and individual instruction, kids are often discouraged to continue playing a game that used to be seen as one of the cheapest.

It has trickled down to the youth level. Robert Swope – administrator for Little League District 9, which covers much of Washington, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties – attributes low participation in the eight leagues he supervises to several factors.
Travel baseball and kids deciding to specialize sit atop the list, plus more options are available, such as lacrosse – one of the fastest growing sports in the country.

“Our numbers are down in almost every league,” Swope said. “We have soccer we’re competing against and travel teams. Everyone thinks their kid should be an all-star or that they’re the best in the area. It’s a combination, plus you have video games and TV. Today’s kids have too much that pulls them away from little league baseball.”

It’s a trend that concerns Saghy. Not only are parents and kids walking away from local rec programs, but they are entrusting their futures and money in AAU coaches or organizations. Some groups advertise playing in front of college scouts every weekend and facing top competition, but Saghy believes some coaches do not always deliver on that promise.

“The delusion of talent comes from a simple fact: it’s a business and people can make money,” Saghy said. “It’s a huge money maker. I have no problem with people who do it, but I think the problem is everybody in this day and time thinks as long as I pay my money I’m going to get what I want. It doesn’t work that way with baseball.

“If you pay me $2,000 or $3,000 a summer, I’ll tell you whatever the hell you want to hear so you come back next year, and I truly believe that. That’s where we have the biggest dilemma.”

Skovron, who oversees AAU’s governing body, did not offer any solution to AAU coaches or organizations taking advantage of the big business of baseball. Instead, he passed the responsibility down to the local level.

“Whether it’s an AAU program or a Cal Ripken program, that’s evident in every place,” Skovron said. “It’s just a matter of how the district and the people running that district can combat that. That’s a real hard thing to rectify, to be perfectly honest with you.”

With no solution in sight and AAU continuing to grow, youth baseball numbers at the recreation level will likely continue to drop.

Major League Baseball and the players’ union announced this week that it would commit $30 million to youth baseball development with an emphasis on engaging minorities – one of many groups that has sought alternatives as baseball has outpriced families across the country.

“Kids growing up start to believe early on that they can’t achieve the same in baseball that they can in another sport like basketball because they can’t afford to do it,” Saghy said. “It’s almost like the old philosophy when I was growing up that you couldn’t be a great golfer or tennis player unless you belonged to a country club.

“A lot of people are starting to look at baseball that way. I don’t think that’s true, but that’s the perception.”

Source: http://www.observer-reporter.com/article/20150705/SPORTS/150709683

Soft Toss from Behind

Anytime you put a bat in your hand, and there is a ball, you're working on hand-eye coordination. In this baseball instructional video, Bill Ripken shares a simple yet effective hitting drill straight from The Ripken Way library.

How good is your hand-eye coordination? What if the pitch was coming from behind you? Move the soft tosser behind your hitters to enforce quick hands and improve hand-eye coordination.

Variations: 

Hitting 101 with the GREAT Tony Gwynn

Oregon State University Baseball Program T Drills

Oregon State University Baseball Program T Drills

1. Long T (hitting in space so that you can see what the ball does)
• Outside: back spin oppo gap
• Middle: back spin up the middle
• Inside: back spin pull side gap Purpose: When hitting off of T’s on the field or inside, you want to hit baseballs if possible. You need at least 20 yards inside hitting into a drop net. If you are hitting outside, the infield is a great area to set up this drill. Hitting in space allows you to watch what the ball is doing (top spin, side spin, or back spin). What the ball does off of a bat will tell hitters what is going on with their swing path. This is as great way to evaluate and teach proper swing mechanics.

2. Walk up T Drill Purpose: This drill focuses on teaching the hitter that the swing begins with the lower half (ballistic lower half). Posture must be maintained. Set up in a hitting stance approximately six feet back behind the T. Begin by stepping with stride foot, back foot back steps and crosses behind front foot, stride into firm front side and swing.

3. Hop onto back leg – stride – hit. Purpose: You want your weight to stay between your feet when you hit. The key: head over belly button between balls of feet. Keep your butt between your knees and your knees between your feet. When you load, you want weight to shift into the inside of your back leg. Feel the weight on the inside thigh (this will keep you athletic). Hopping onto your back leg with weight staying inside the thigh emphasizes the weight staying stacked inside your feet.

4. High Inside T Purpose: The high inside T forces the hitter to maintain posture from set up to finish. This drill is especially good for hitters who dive into the plate and collapse the back side.

5. Low Outside T Purpose: For most players, this is the hardest ball for them to hit. From a tracking viewpoint, it is furthest away from the eyes. You must maintain posture (you will hook the ball if you lose posture). The ball should be hit with back span into the opposite field gap.

6. Anti bat wrap (bat waggle vertical back and forth v. flat) Purpose: Learning to load with your hands and not your wrists. Also, loading vertically creates a short route to contact with your hands.

7. Inside – Outside – When striding, call outside or inside – hit the location called Purpose: Teaches hitters to take the same stride towards the pitcher. Hips will open in relation to the location of the pitch. The hands take the same route to the ball. 8. Energy to target – ballistic back side (put an object directly behind back foot Example: (helmet) – cannot hit the helmet) Purpose: Back foot should end up with shoe laces pointing towards the ground. You get good backside thrust towards the pitcher v. squishing the bug.

9. Double T – hit two balls off of tee (works on staying on plane and extension through the contact zone) Purpose: Short to the contact point and see how long you can stay in the area of contact with your swing plane.

10.Towel Drill T – Place rolled up towel under front arm pit. (towel must be thrown toward pitcher when hitting – keeps you short to the contact zone) Purpose: You want to keep your front side on line as long as is possible and be short to the contact zone. Towel will come out and should go towards the pitcher if a hitter has ballistic movement towards the pitcher.

11.Hit off a downhill slope – takes energy through the baseball. Keeps front side online. Purpose: The hitter will feel energy going into the baseball. It forces hitters to stay on line and not break down on the back side. You can use a portable mound or get on a mound for this drill.

12. Hit off an uphill slope – stay tall on the backside; hit into a firm front side. Purpose: A hitter who has a hard time staying between his feet and his front side comes off the baseball quick: this will force the hitter to stay between his feet and keep his front side on-line.

Source: http://jugssports.com/Coaches_Corner/various_pdf_files/Drills/T_Drills-OSU.pdf