Having a baseball offseason pitching program is crucial for injury prevention. After a long season of pitching, the arm and shoulder muscles need time to rest and recover. Baseball pitching tips for an offseason program should focus on allowing pitchers to employ strengthening and conditioning exercises that can help prevent overuse injuries. By incorporating exercises to improve flexibility, strength, and overall arm health, pitchers can reduce the risk of injury and prepare their bodies for the next season. 

However, this doesn’t mean that a pitcher can’t improve during the offseason. It just means they should be throwing with less volume than they would during the year. In fact, proper mechanics and technique can be emphasized during the offseason, which can contribute to injury prevention during the regular season. 

Every pitcher and pitching coach should know the basics of a proper offseason program: 

A structured strength and conditioning program should be implemented to build overall strength, endurance, and power while also addressing any muscular imbalances. 

Arm care exercises, such as tubing and resistance band work, are essential for maintaining arm health and preventing injuries. 

A gradual return to throwing program should be followed to gradually build up arm strength and throwing volume in preparation for the upcoming season.

But players and coaches need the specifics of exactly what workouts, drills, and pitching volume to utilize in order to set themselves up for (healthy) success during the season. This is why Chans Chapman’s ‘Reagan Pitching, September to June’ course should be a must for everyone within the pitching community. 

Chapman is the head baseball coach of Reagan High School. Since coming to Reagan in 2004 as the Head Baseball Coach, Coach Chapman’s teams have won 9 District Championships, 11 Regional Finals trips, and State tournament appearances in 2014, 2017, and 2018. The 2008 team was ranked as high as #5 in the nation by Baseball America. 

Coach Chapman’s aforementioned course takes us through his goals and routine to ensure that his pitchers will become better in the offseason, all while keeping their arms as healthy as can be. 

Goals

Baseball demands a lot of mental training because it is a game of failure and adversity. Unlike sports like basketball or soccer where a player might have multiple opportunities to score in a game, in baseball, even the best hitters fail to get a hit more often than not. The most common anecdote baseball players and coaches share to illustrate this is how a hitter who gets a hit around 30% of their at-bats as a professional will likely make it to the MLB Hall of Fame. 

This means that players have to deal with a lot of failure and learn to cope with it mentally. Additionally, the game can be slow-paced, with periods of inactivity followed by intense moments requiring split-second decisions. This requires players to stay focused and mentally sharp throughout the game, which can be mentally taxing. 

However, teaching mental toughness in baseball can be, well, tough for these reasons: 

1. Many players come from a background where physical skill and talent are often emphasized over mental resilience. 

2. Some players may have never been taught how to cope with failure, pressure, or adversity, so coaches and instructors face an uphill battle of not just imparting technical skills, but also reshaping players' attitudes and mental approaches to the game. 

3. Each player may respond differently to various mental training techniques, so it can be challenging to find the right approach for each individual. 

While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to cultivating mental toughness within your baseball team, a good place to start is by heeding the wisdom that successful baseball coaches have utilized. This is why we’ve pulled three tried-and-true mental toughness tips from well-respected baseball coaches that they’ve used to win the mental war that every baseball player must battle. 

Winning Mindset - Daily Affirmation

Baseball is often described as a sport that is rooted in failure. Even the best hitters fail to get a hit more often than not, and pitchers inevitably give up hits and runs. In fact, a .300 batting average, which means a player gets a hit 30% of the time, is considered excellent. This emphasis on dealing with failure is unique to baseball and requires players to develop resilience, a short memory, and mental toughness. Learning to cope with failure is a fundamental aspect of excelling in baseball and is a valuable life lesson that the sport imparts to its participants.

And because this isn’t easy to do — especially for youth baseball players, who don’t even have fully developed brains — playing baseball requires a great deal of mental strength. In addition to it being rooted in failure, the game can be mentally challenging due to its slow pace and the need to stay focused for long periods. Players need to be able to handle the pressure of performing in high-stakes situations and bouncing back from failure. 

Additionally, they must be able to stay disciplined and maintain their focus throughout the entirety of the game, even when they are not directly involved in every play. Developing mental toughness is essential for success in baseball, and it can have a significant impact on a player's performance on the field.

And if there’s one person who knows how to develop mental toughness among youth and college baseball players, it’s Bob Morgan. 

Coach Morgan is the former head baseball coach at Indiana University, where he directed Indiana’s baseball program for 22 seasons. Morgan led his teams during his career to a 1,070-586-6 (.646) record, making him one of 30 NCAA Division I baseball coaches in history with 1,000 career victories. In addition to serving as IU’s head coach, Morgan also worked as a professional pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. 

Coach Morgan knows that getting athletes to consistently play to the best of their abilities is one of the fundamental goals of baseball coaches at all competitive levels. That’s why his ‘Motivate Your Team With These Philosophies’ course points out 3 different types of motivation, details how individuals can set and attain their goals, and also reviews the 7 principles that are essential to success in life. 

Don’t Let Fear Control You

The baseball offseason is a crucial period for players to enhance their skills and develop their game. This time away from the rigors of the regular season allows athletes to focus on their individual strengths and weaknesses without the pressure of games. It’s the perfect opportunity to implement baseball drills that can help improve specific aspects of their performance. 

Players can tailor their training regimens to address areas that need attention during the offseason. Whether it’s working on swing mechanics, improving fielding footwork, or increasing arm strength, the emphasis is on refining skills in a controlled environment. This focused practice can lead to significant improvements by the time spring training arrives. 

However, one challenge that arises during offseason training is finding drills that effectively simulate the experience of actual game competition. 

While many drills are beneficial for skill development, they often lack the dynamic nature and decision-making elements present during a live game. For instance, while batting practice can help hone swing mechanics, it doesn’t replicate the pressure of facing a pitcher with varying speeds and styles, nor does it mimic game situations where players must quickly react to unpredictable plays. 

Fielding drills might focus on catching and throwing mechanics, but they do not fully emulate the fast-paced actions of a game where players must anticipate plays and communicate with teammates under pressure. Base running drills, while essential, may not capture the strategic decision-making involved in reading pitchers or reacting to game situations. 

The offseason provides a valuable chance for players to implement focused drills — but the challenge lies in finding effective ways to mimic the competitive nature of actual games. 

This is why we’ve taken three drills from veteran baseball coaches that they used specifically in the offseason to give their players a feel for competing when the meaningful games are still months away. 

Jake Davis - 21 Outs Drill

Good baserunning is crucial in baseball for various reasons. It enables players to advance bases and score more efficiently, thus enhancing the team's chances of success. Strategic baserunning can also exert pressure on the opposing team, which often leads to defensive errors. Furthermore, it showcases players' awareness of game situations and their ability to make quick, impactful decisions. In essence, proficient baserunning is a vital element of the game that can significantly influence the outcome of a game. And that’s why having baserunning drills that you can utilize to help improve your baseball team is of paramount importance. 

Yet, coaching baserunning in baseball is challenging for several reasons. It requires teaching players to make split-second decisions while considering various factors such as the game situation, the speed and location of the ball, and the capabilities of the opposing team. Plus there’s the fact that baserunning involves a combination of speed, agility, and strategic thinking, making it a complex skill to coach effectively. Baserunning techniques can vary depending on the player's position, making it necessary for coaches to provide individualized instruction. Overall, coaching baserunning demands a deep understanding of the game and the ability to effectively communicate and demonstrate these intricate skills to players.

And Steve Nicollerat has the perfect techniques to help you increase your understanding of the game and improve your players’ baserunning prowess. 

Coach Nicollerat is the Founder of Coach Baseball Right! Which provides baseball organizations with dozens of resources available to grow and elevate their current programs and deepen their kids' experiences. In addition, Coach Nicollerat has about 40 years of experience coaching varsity baseball at St. Louis University High School, as well as playing collegiate ball at St. Louis University.

Coach Nicollerat’s ‘The 10 Base Running Drills Every Coach Needs’ course gives coaches the foundational set of fundamental and progressive base running drills that they can build from to take their teams to a new level. 

The Lead Off

Learning to produce solid, consistent hitting mechanics in baseball might be one of the toughest things to do in any sport. 

Not only does a successful swing demand perfect timing, hand-eye coordination, and body mechanics but the hitter must synthesize a complex series of movements in a split second to make solid contact with the ball. Not to mention how factors such as pitch speed, movement, and location further complicate the task. Additionally, hitters must constantly adjust their mechanics to adapt to different pitchers and pitch types. 

And because there is so much nuance to a swing that many coaches who haven’t played the game at a high level can struggle to comprehend, it's easy to develop bad habits with a swing without adequate baseball hitting instruction. 

Without proper guidance and attention to detail, hitters can easily fall into patterns that hinder their performance such as lunging, casting the hands, or an inconsistent stride. Plus, given how predicated modern baseball is on hitting home runs, the natural desire to overpower the ball can lead to a breakdown in mechanics, resulting in poor habits for youth baseball players. Over time, these bad habits can become deeply ingrained, making them difficult to correct. 

It's crucial for players to receive regular coaching and feedback to prevent the development of detrimental swing habits. And who better for these lessons to come from than a former MLB player? 

Gary Joseph Gaetti, is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins, California Angels, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Boston Red Sox. He won the 1987 MLB World Series with the Minnesota Twins and was the 1987 ALCS (American League Championship Series) MVP. Across his career, Coach Gaetti won the 1995 Silver Slugger Award, was a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, and was inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame when his career ended. 

Coach Gaetti’s ‘MLB`s Gary Gaetti Hitting Course’ shows the secrets to how he became one of baseball’s elite hitters during his playing days. He lays out a comprehensive, easy-to-follow hitting success blueprint that will help any player or coach learn the correct mechanics at the plate and unlock their team’s batting average. 

Bat Toss Drill

Many aspects of hitting will always remain timeless. 

Hitters will always want to shorten up and defend the zone with two strikes. They’ll be looking for a fastball or sitting on something else specific during a hitter’s count. And they’re sure to assert that they’ve checked their swing even if it’s clear they didn’t. 

Yet, many components of youth baseball hitting (especially about how it’s taught) have evolved in the modern era. For example, most hitting coaches have come around to having their hitters try to launch fly balls instead of trying to smack ground balls. 

But there are still some coaches who are struggling to adapt their lessons to the new generation of hitters. And that’s where Jerry Weinstein comes in.

Coach Weinstein is a legendary baseball coach who most recently served as the Catching Coordinator for the Colorado Rockies. Coach Weinstein also managed Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic qualifier, and returned as the head coach in the main tournament, managing Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic in South Korea and Japan in March 2017, where the team was 4-2 overall in the tournament. He has also served as the Rockies Offensive Coordinator and the manager of the Rockies Class A affiliate. 

Before joining the Rockies, Weinstein, who has over 40 years of coaching experience, was the pitching coach for the Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo) baseball team from 2001-05. Prior to his coaching stint with the Mustangs, Weinstein was the Los Angeles Dodgers Director of Player Development in 2000 and 2001 and also served as the Dodgers' catching coordinator in 1999. 

Coach Weinstein’s ‘New Age Hitting With Jerry Weinstein’ course is a masterclass on instilling modern offensive concepts into any team. We’ve pulled a few of the course’s most pertinent lessons to give you an understanding of how Coach Weinstein’s wisdom can propel your offense to a new stratosphere of success. 

Hitting is Balance, Rhythm and Timing

The role of the catcher in baseball cannot be overstated. It's not just another position on the field—it's the heartbeat of the game. 

From calling the perfect pitch to thwarting the opposing team's base runners, catchers are the ultimate game managers. Their ability to form a tight bond with pitchers while reading and reacting to game situations gives them a level of influence that extends far beyond their defensive duties.

A good baseball catcher possesses a unique set of skills and qualities that set them apart on the field. These players have exceptional defensive abilities, including framing pitches effectively, blocking wild pitches, and throwing out base runners with precision. They need to be leaders who can effectively communicate with the pitching staff and read the game situations to make strategic decisions. 

Additionally, mental toughness and resilience are crucial for a catcher, as they are constantly in the thick of the action and face physical demands throughout a game. 

In essence, catchers are the unsung heroes who hold the key to a team's success on the field. This is why the ability to develop good, defensive-minded catchers is of paramount importance. Luckily, Danny Scheaffer has a few excellent training drills for catchers that all coaches can glean from. 

Coach Scheaffer began his career with the Boston Red Sox after being selected in the first round of the 1981 Major League Baseball Draft. During his 18-year playing career, he spent 8 seasons in the Major Leagues with the Red Sox, Indians, Rockies, and Cardinals. Since then, he spent 19 years as a manager or a catching coordinator in the Cardinals, Astros, and Rays organizations before deciding to retire from coaching in a professional capacity. Danny has managed every level of Minor League Baseball and created a developmental catching program for the St. Louis Cardinals and then the Houston Astros. During his years in player development, he has won awards in each of the organizations he has been a part of. 

Coach Scheaffer’s ‘Firm Foundation Catching’ course conveys the most crucial fundamental components a catcher must know if they’re to effectively lead their team’s defense. Regardless of what level you or the catcher in your life is currently at, this course will include many great lessons. 

Plays at the Plate

A phrase that we’ve all heard hundreds of times by now is that baseball is a game of inches. And while that may be true, there’s also an argument to be made that baseball is a game of 90 feet. 

A team’s ability to win the battle on the basepaths — especially as it pertains to baserunning, as well as giving and taking free bases — can often be the difference between winning and losing a close game.ases — can often be the difference between winning and losing a close game.

Not to mention the benefits that applying pressure to an opposing team’s pitcher might provide, in terms of a mis-executed pitch or other costly mistake. Which is why all teams should strive to be lethal on the bases. 

And although stealing bases might require fast runners, being a good baserunning team does not. A combination of solid coaching and disciplined players can turn a team into a threatening force that wins by makes the most out of all 90 feet. 

Below are three tips by three proven baserunning coaches that will allow your team to scamper to success. 

1. Tony Vitello - ‘Incorporating Base Running into Practice’son/incorporating-base-running-into-practice-with-tony-vitello/moving-up-on-balls-in-the-dirt/13712913">Incorporating Base Running into Practice’

Developing your outfield doesn't stop in the offseason.  Continuing to work on new drills with your team during the season is crucial as injuries and fatigue begins to set in. 

Implementing new drills in practice will keep your players on their toes and constantly improving as the wear and tear of a grueling multi game week starts to affect their performance. 

Let's take a look at 5 outfield drills you can put your players through when getting ready for a big game. 

Jake Boss Jr. . was appointed the 16th head coach in Michigan State baseball history on July 1, 2008, and has quickly become one of the most successful coaches in the program’s 131-year history. Coach Boss is constantly coming up with new drills to keep his outfielders prepared for any type of ball that comes their way. In the clip below, check out his different drills including diving for fly balls and tracking angles. (click image for video).

“Who's their catcher?” This is the first question many Major League pitchers ask when they are being traded. The pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to the success of a ball team, which means it’s vital to train your youth catchers the art of working with their pitchers. 

Catchers are constantly thinking about the best way to get a batter out. Just like with pitchers, it is always an advantage if a catcher knows the scouting report on the batter or at least pays attention during each at-bat.

Noticing whether a player tends to hit for the fences or pull the ball to left field can make all the difference in a catcher’s performance at calling pitches.

In addition to having strong balance, agility, glove work, toughness, hand and foot speed, and strategic thinking, catchers need to have incredible interpersonal skills. When your catcher can properly communicate with your pitcher, your team can improve its success. 

Tell the Pitcher What He Needs to Hear

Your catcher needs to know his pitcher. Without an understanding of the personality of the pitcher, the catcher will have a hard time knowing what to say. Many pitchers need their catchers to be soft and caring, while others want someone direct.

“He pitches better when he’s mad, so I try to make him that way,” Jorge Posada said about Orlando Hernandez, according to an ESPN article. Certainly, kids shouldn’t be mad on the field, but a little bee in the bonnet can cultivate that competitive spirit.

No matter a pitcher’s preference, they all need to know the truth.

A catcher shouldn’t tell a pitcher he is doing great when it’s clear he’s had much better days. Telling the pitcher the truth is essential, but most pitchers prefer when a catcher does so kindly. Rather than just saying “You need to work the inside of the plate,” catchers must tell the pitcher the way they execute better. Pitchers can often clearly see the areas where they are not effective, but they need to know what they should do to become better. Some kids have this down “naturally,” and others can gain this skill from an understanding parent who doesn’t coddle but suggests guidelines.

Treat Practice Like a Game

Rather than simply placing the glove in the strike zone and merely going through the motions during practice, a catcher can treat practice like the real game. Working all corners of the plate, as well as up and down, will have your pitcher familiar with the way you set up during a game.

Visiting the Pitcher

Paying a visit to the pitcher typically results in an effective partnership. Taking trips to the mound to talk to the pitcher and calm him down can help build his confidence. Effective catchers can make pitchers smile in tough situations, and this can relax them.

Communication Is Key, Too

Certainly, the pitcher-catcher relationship is critical to a team’s success. This makes it vital for coaches to train catcher in this art of social interaction. Certain catchers are simply on the same page as their pitchers, and these relationships often result in a low ERA. Ultimately, overall improved relationships on your team boost morale and improve performance.

Winning consistently in youth sports, particularly in baseball, is more about learning how not to lose, as opposed to learning how to win. Sure, you can focus on hitting line drives, stealing bases, effective bunting or any number of other things, but more often than not, wins and losses will come down to throwing strikes and playing good defense.

At all levels of baseball – even college and professional – far more games are lost than are won.

This means that teams usually do more to cause their own losses than the opposition does to win them.

Throwing Strikes

It seems simple enough, but so many pitchers and coaches focus more on improving velocity than improving location. What good is an 80 MPH fastball that’s always out of the strike zone? You’re better off throwing 40 MPH and consistently locating for strikes.

Before worrying about how fast a player throws or how much hook his curveball has, worry about them getting complete command of the strike zone. This means a pitcher can locate his pitch anywhere within the four quadrants of the strike zone at any time. For younger-level pitchers, this requires that they dial back the velocity a bit. Pitchers are better off focusing on command with a moderate fastball than trying to throw the heat.

Your average youth and high school baseball lineup isn’t stacked with sluggers who can make you pay dearly for leaving a meatball over the plate. In most situations, the worst that will happen is a base hit.

But the nature of baseball (.300 hitter is Hall of Fame material) dictates that even the slowest pitch will generally result in an out. When pitchers realize this and learn to trust their defense, they will find they have a lot more success, without the need for a blazing fastball or deceptive curve.

Remember that pitches off the plate lead to walks, which almost always come around to score. Make players earn their way on base by consistently throwing strikes.

Play Good Defense

One of the worst things you can do in baseball is give a team extra outs through bad defense. Each team is supposed to have three outs per inning – when defensive errors are made, the team is essentially given an extra out to put more runs on the board. It doesn’t take a baseball genius to realize that this eventually leads to crooked numbers on the board against you.

A defensive error not only gives the other team an extra life, it also demoralizes the pitcher and everyone else on the defense. You were about to get out of an inning and get back in the dugout to bat when a routine grounder rolled through the shortstop’s legs. Now, you have to work to get another out, naturally leading to a mental let down. It also invigorates the other team, which now has another chance to do some damage.

Conversely, a great defensive play excites your team and your pitcher. You were about to give up a run or an extra base hit until the centerfielder made a diving catch to get you out of the inning. Now, instead of having runners on base, you’re back in the dugout getting ready to put some runs on the board. On the other hand, robbing a team of surefire runs is a great way to kill the opposition’s spirit.

At worst, you want to have a baseball team that makes all of the routine plays and some of the great ones.

It has been said many times that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all sports. While this is usually a reference to the physical task of connecting a round bat squarely with a round ball and sending it somewhere that the nine fielders aren’t, equally (if not more) difficult are the mental hurdles that come with taking on such a failure-centric task.

A hitter can have all of the physical talent in the world. But if they haven’t mastered the mental game of hitting, they’ll never reach their true potential. And the same goes with the other way around, as well. This is why baseball offense mental training is a fundamental component of learning how to hit. 

Coach Bob Morgan is an expert on hitting’s physical and mental sides alike. Coach Morgan served as Indiana’s head baseball coach from 1983 - 2005, boasting a record of 782 - 496 with the school. This is the most wins of any coach (in any sport) in the history of Indiana University. He led the IU baseball team to a Big Ten Championship in 1996, was named NCAA Regional Coach of the Year in 1996, and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1993.

While Coach Morgan is now retired, his coaching proteges at Indiana have helped instill his teachings with current teams; which is a big reason why Indiana’s baseball team made it to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. 

Coach Morgan’s ‘Offensive Theory of Baseball’ course dives into topics such as mental concentration, small ball, base running, coaching concentration, and much more. We’ve taken some of his crucial insights and included them below, so all baseball coaches can help their players improve their physical and mental skillsets. 

Building Relationships (Introduction)

Learning how to be a good baserunner in baseball can be much more difficult than it initially seems. While base running relies heavily on instincts, these instincts can only be developed and fine-tuned through repetition. And because baseball coaches don’t want their players making endless base running mistakes during games, these repetitions can only come during practice. 

But the problem is that there’s only so much time a team can be practicing on the field. And since baseball is such a cerebral, repetition-intensive sport, many coaches feel like they can’t dedicate practice time to base running.

Luckily, high-level coaches like Tony Vitello have created ways to kill two birds with one stone by weaving base running into their other parts of practice. 

Tony Vitello became the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team in July 2017. Since then, Coach Vitello has helped establish Tennessee baseball as an SEC and national power, leading the program to five NCAA regionals (2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), four NCAA super regionals (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024), and three Men's College World Series appearances (2021, 2023, and 2024). Vitello has also won two National Coach of the Year Awards during his Tennessee tenure.

Vitello’s Volunteers are also fresh off winning the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament, marking the first NCAA National Championship in the history of the University of Tennessee's baseball program.

In Coach Vitello’s ‘Incorporating Base Running into Practice’ course, he reveals how he makes baserunning a priority during practice time, without sacrificing any time for another crucial component to winning games. 

Speed Work

T-ball serves as the launching pad for most aspiring baseball players' careers. It is often where youngsters first experience the thrill of hitting a ball running the bases, and fielding balls alongside some of their best friends. 

This introductory level of baseball sparks their passion for the sport and lays the foundation for their future endeavors on the field. The valuable skills and love for the game that players develop during their time in T-ball often propel them toward successful and fulfilling baseball careers as they grow and progress through the sport. And for coaches (who are usually parents experiencing coaching their kids for the first time), having a T-ball coaching guide will help them set their kids up for success. 

Having a plan when coaching T-ball is crucial because coaching T-ball poses several unique challenges due to the young age and varying skill levels of the players. Patience and creativity are essential when working with children who are just beginning to learn the basics of baseball. Keeping the players engaged and focused during practices and games can be a challenge, requiring coaches to find innovative ways to teach fundamental skills while ensuring that the experience remains fun for the kids. 

Additionally, effectively communicating instructions and maintaining a safe and positive learning environment are crucial aspects of coaching t-ball. Balancing the development of individual players with the overall progress of the team can also present its own set of challenges. Despite these difficulties, coaching t-ball can be incredibly rewarding as coaches witness the growth and enthusiasm of the young athletes under their guidance.

And Marty Schupak has a few great drills that blend fun and instruction that all T-ball coaches can utilize. 

Coach Schupak has been coaching baseball for 25 years. He has coached over 1,600 kids in various youth sports. Many of his former players have gone on to play in high school & beyond. He has served on many leagues' boards of directors and is a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He is the founder of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to improving youth baseball practices, as well as the author of ‘Baseball Coaching’.

His ‘T-Ball Skills & Drills’ course is the perfect entry into basic yet effective drills that any T-ball coach can employ with great results. 

Hit the Tee

Baseball pitchers have cultivated a reputation for being high maintenance over the years. 

This is owed to a few reasons. One is that because pitching requires contorting the arm in such a way that’s unnatural to the human body, pitchers are more injury-prone than a position player would be and are therefore talking about their injuries more often.

There’s also the fact that only one pitcher can be in the game at a time, which means that all of the other pitchers must spectate from the dugout of the bullpen. This also lends itself to pitchers complaining about them not being the ones pitching.

While this is certainly not true for any pitcher or every pitching staff, everybody who has coached or played baseball has met a pitcher who is objectively high-maintenance, and potentially difficult to deal with.

This is why having a strategy to manage a pitching staff — and everything that comes along with that — is of paramount importance. 

And John McCormack has created a blueprint for how to do that. 

Coach McCormack completed his 16th year atop Florida Atlantic University baseball as head coach in 2024, and his 34th season with the program. He had previously served 11 years as associate head coach and seven years as an assistant coach, beginning in 1991. 

Other accomplishments under McCormack include tying a national record for consecutive games won (34), and winning the Tuscaloosa Regional by defeating the nation’s No. 3-ranked team, Alabama, in 2002. McCormack was recognized with the AFLAC National Assistant Coach of the Year Award in 2003.

While Coach McCormack isn’t a pitching coach, his ‘How to Manage Your Pitchers & Bullpen’ course is perfect for pitching coaches and managers alike, when it comes to navigating your pitching staff from top to bottom and turning them from complainers to compliance. 

Introduction

Hitting a baseball is an incredibly demanding skill that requires a remarkable blend of precision, split-second decision-making, and physical prowess. 

The sheer velocity of the ball, often exceeding 90 miles per hour in college and at the professional level, adds an intense level of difficulty. Batters must not only track the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand but also anticipate its movement and type within a fraction of a second. This rapid decision-making amidst high-stakes scenarios adds an exhilarating complexity to the art of hitting a baseball. 

Furthermore, external factors such as wind conditions, the pitcher's unique delivery, and the unyielding mental pressure of the game only amplify the challenge. Professional baseball players dedicate years of labor and determination to mastering this demanding skill, partaking in endless hours of baseball hitting coaching. Even then, the unforgiving nature of the sport ensures that success is never guaranteed.

Despite this, some hitters have overcome these challenges and gone on to craft incredible careers for themselves due to their hitting abilities. And Ivan Melendez is undoubtedly one such success story. 

Melendez is an American professional baseball infielder for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization and is currently the No. 23 ranked player in Arizona’s farm system. He played college baseball for the Texas Longhorns, winning the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy, and National Baseball College Player of the Year in 2022. In this historic season, Melendez started in all 67 games and had a .387 batting average, a 1.371 OPS, 32 home runs, 94 RBIs, and an on-base percentage of .508. 

Prior to that iconic Texas season, Melendez had an incredibly successful career at Odessa College. After being selected in the 16th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Miami Marlins, Melendez chose to return to Texas for his junior year. Then he produced the historic 2022 season and was selected by the Diamondbacks in the second round, with the 43rd overall selection, of the 2022 MLB draft.

Melendez’s ‘Hitting it out of the Park with Ivan Melendez’ contains some fascinating insights about how he managed to become one of college baseball’s most impressive hitting prospects and a future MLB player.  

Increase Explosiveness, Distance and Aim Through Changing Bats

Being able to throw strikes is the most important part of youth baseball pitching. We have all seen youth baseball games that drag on forever because the pitcher can’t put the ball over the plate. 

While most kids are worrying about trying to throw the ball as hard as possible, or asking when they can learn how to throw a curveball, actual success on the mound stems from throwing consistent strikes.

And because a kid’s enthusiasm for baseball is strengthened by succeeding, teaching kids how to be accurate while pitching is a paramount part of increasing their enthusiasm for the sport. 

Coach Scott Shepperd knows a thing or two about properly teaching pitchers. Shepperd recently served as pitching coach at the University of Texas, San Antonio for two seasons. Prior to that, Shepperd was the pitching coach for Hallmark at Incarnate Word the previous two seasons. Under his tutelage, the Cardinals pitching staff lowered the team's ERA by more than three runs per game. His nine years of coaching at the Division 1 level have taught him a ton about what it takes to build and maintain a successful pitching staff. 

And while succeeding in Division 1 baseball requires much more than succeeding at the game’s lower levels, the first and foremost part of the equation is throwing strikes. 

Shepperd’s ‘Developing Strike Throwers’ course takes coaches through all of the different components of teaching accuracy on the mound. He details the various mental and physical aspects that go into this endeavor, and we have pulled a few of our favorite lessons from Shepperd’s course, and distilled them into easily digestible sections that should provide you with a better idea of how to make your own pitching staff throw consistent strikes. 

‘How Many Pitches Get to The Edges?’ Edges?’

Very few youth baseball players want to play the outfield. They would rather play shortstop (because shortstops receive all the glory), pitcher (because pitchers are standing in the middle of the field with the ball in their hand), or even catcher (because catchers always get to be a part of the action). 

In fact, a common conception about the outfield in youth baseball is that it’s a place to hide a team’s most sub-par defenders. 

But that could not be any different from the truth when it comes to the sport’s upper levels. 

The three outfield spots are perhaps the most sought-after positions in the high school and professional levels. They are much less stress-inducing than anything closer to home plate, and allow the fielder to play reactively, which is the purest (and most enjoyable) playing experience). 

This is not to say that playing outfield is easy, or can’t be taught. It can actually be one of the trickiest positions to coach because so much relies on instinct. 

Hence why it pays to have access to knowledge from coaches like Darren Fenster. 

Coach Fenster is currently an assistant coach at the University of Miami, who specializes in working with outfielders. Prior to his time at Miami, Coach Fenster spent 12 years with the Boston Red Sox. During his time with the organization, Fenster groomed the next crop of major-league stars, working as the minor-league infield coordinator and minor-league outfield and base running coordinator.

Fenster has also worked with the United States National Baseball Team since 2021. He was named a coach for Team USA during the club’s final efforts to qualify for the Tokyo Summer Olympics and was the third-base coach for the Olympics, helping the U.S. claim the silver medal.

As a player, Coach Fenster was selected in the 12th round of the 2000 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals and played five seasons in the Royals’ farm system.

Few coaches have the wealth of experience and knowledge that Coach Fenster has about the outfield. Hence why his ‘Isolating the Outfielder’ course is an excellent resource for any outfield coach to not only develop their players but also get them attuned to and excited about the many benefits of playing outfield in baseball’s higher levels. 

Throw

Although much of success in baseball comes down to natural talent, any player who wants to improve can maximize their natural ability on the field by working hard. Yet, players can only take so many swings or throw so many pitches before their body begins to fatigue. 

Therefore coaches must come up with ways to help strengthen their arms to perform for longer periods. And these types of drills also contain another benefit: they will increase their players’ arm and bat speed, which will make players more powerful, more intimidating, and more appealing to prospective scouts. 

But coaches need to be careful in prescribing arm strengthening drills to their baseball players because doing too much of an exercise (or doing that exercise the wrong way) can cause injury, and have the opposite effect that arm and bat speed strengthening training is meant to have.

Luckily, there are coaches like Steve Zawrotny around, who can set coaches and players alike on the right path.

Coach Zawrotny is one of just a handful of individuals with experience as an NCAA Division 1 pitcher and coach with the CSCS credential. His baseball and softball-specific training programs combine solid clinical research and Steve's 30 years of playing, coaching, & training.

Coach Zawrotny’s ‘Arm and Bat Speed Training’ course will give you precise and well-research exercises that you can implement to any baseball player’s training regimen, in order to get them throwing and hitting as far as their genetics will allow.

We’ve pulled some of our favorite methods that Coach Zawrotny teaches, so you can get a taste of what his exercises can do for your players.

Medicine Ball Drill

Creating efficient, effective baseball practice plans can be more difficult than it sounds.

There are many moving parts, and because all players need something specific and  specialized to what they’re working to improve, coaches can easily feel overwhelmed with ensuring that their program is making the most of their practice time. 

Thankfully, conducting a productive baseball practice can be easier than it sounds. The way to do so is by establishing a practice atmosphere where the players are excited to be there, and are eager to hone their skills and perform well on the field. And the best way to cultivate this type of practice environment boils down to one word: competition. 

Jake Davis, Rich Maloney, and Craig Rainey are three high-level baseball coaches who have successfully created competitive practice environments, and are willing to share their methods to help baseball coaches run practice that prioritize winning.  

Jake Davis -‘High Intensity Practice: Why and How’/baseball/high-intensity-practice-why-and-how/12692341?a=3c0163cc491c4419a436f6413">High Intensity Practice: Why and How’

Bunting is often deemed one the most boring things about playing baseball. Not only does just about every baseball player hate doing it, but their aversion to learning the art of small ball makes it difficult for a coach to get these players to improve their bunt game. 

Yet, even though players may not want to admit it, bunting is a crucial component of a team’s offensive repertoire; especially in the game’s lower levels, where players can’t rely on massive power or sheer talent to bring runners across home plate. 

And while it’s unlikely that your players will ever get excited about getting a bunt sign during a game, teaching them how to get hits (and increase their batting average) via the bunt is a great way to at least get them to not pretend like they missed your sign from the third base coaches box. 

Longtime high school baseball coach Brandon Bibbert has turned bunting into something of an art form. Coach Bippert just completed his eighth year as the head baseball coach at Warren High School and has 121 career wins. Other coaching stops include William H Taft, Odessa High, and Lytle High School.  Bippert is member of the executive committee of the San Antonio Area Baseball Coaches Association and is a Region 4 Director in the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association. 

In his ‘Improving Offensive Production Via Bunt’ course, Coach Bippert details some excellent tips on how to maximize the bunt’s effectiveness in multiple facets of the game.

Some of his specific instructions include offensive bunt strategies for securing sneaky singles, fundamentals behind the suicide squeeze (which, despite what we wrote earlier about bunting being unsexy, may be the least boring play in the game), and discusses how to make bunting a part of your practice. 

Offensive Bunt Plays

Every youth baseball infielder that’s right-handed wants to play shortstop. Heck, even the left-handed players want a chance at shortstop, too. And while every baseball coach should give each deserving player a fair opportunity at the position there can only be one shortstop on the field once the game begins.

But that doesn’t mean the rest of your infield players can’t have the ability to play shortstop. It’s any coach's dream to have multiple capable players in the infield, who are versatile enough to play multiple positions and willing to play any position to help their team win games.

In addition to catchers, it always feels like many of the best baseball coaches are former infielders. This might be why there’s a plethora of excellent knowledge about how to develop elite infielders, both at the youth baseball level and up through the game’s amateur and professional ranks. 

We have compiled a few of legendary infield coach Perry Hill’s courses on this subject, which will give you all the info you need to turn your current crop of infielders into above-average players.

Perry Hill - The 6 F’s of Fielding

Playing the infield in baseball is different from playing any other position because it requires players to be quick on their feet, and be able to contort their body in seconds. This is just one of the reasons why infield positions are often considered the most difficult defensive positions on the field. This means a team’s best infielders are often their team’s best — and most important — players, because of the various tasks they must take part in. 

There are many baseball infield drills that can help improve a team’s overall infield play. While many of these drills seem simplistic and utilize the same basic fundamentals like keeping a wide base stance, butt down, and hands out, it’s practicing these rills repeatedly which is going to sharpen an infielder’s skillset and minimize any risk of errors during the game. After much repetition, the players' confidence and ability to make big plays will grow. 

And a set of drills by Ed Servais are as good of confidence builders as any. 

Coach Servais has been the head coach of the Creighton University baseball program for the past 21 seasons and has guided the Bluejays to five NCAA Tournament appearances (2005, 2007, 2011, 2012 & 2019).

Known as a coach who emphasizes team defense, Servais’ teams have consistently been among the nation’s best in fielding percentage. In his first season (2004) the Bluejays’ .982 fielding percentage led the country. Creighton has repeated that impressive feat two additional times (2009 & 2014). During Servais’ 21 seasons at Creighton, the Bluejays have finished in the NCAA’s top-10 in fielding 11 times (including fifth in 2019). Since the Servais era began, Creighton has committed the fewest errors in the nation (758), while also leading the country with a .977 fielding percentage.

All of which is to say that Coach Servais knows how to coach infield. His ‘Infield Play With Drills’ course presents some of the favorite drills he has practiced during his two-plus decades as a Division 1 baseball college coach. In this course, Coach Servais talks about the importance of having good defense in the infield and breaks down everything from positioning to the correct glove, and is perfect for any infield coach who’s looking to get the most out of their infielders. 

Activate Your Feet

The art of pitching contains many components that could spell the difference between seeing success and getting shelled.

Because so much goes into pitching, coaches can get overwhelmed by what to focus on when teaching their baseball pitching lessons to their players. Every coach seems to have a different approach on how to improve their pitching staff and will conjure different claims about the reason for their team’s low ERA. With so much information and insight already out in the world, how are coaches supposed to find the right tools to suit their needs?

Luckily, coaches like Fred Corral are always a safe bet to learn from. 

Coach Corral is currently a pitching coach in the Cincinnati Reds organization, a position he started in 2022. Before that, Coach Corral served as a pitching coach in Division 1 for nearly two decades at schools like the University of Tennessee, the University of Georgia, and the University of Missouri. 

In 2019, Corral led Missouri to become one of the premier pitching staffs in college baseball. The Tigers’ collective 3.24 ERA put them 5th NCAA, while their 7.35 hits per 9 IP were 8th. And three years running, their pitching staff broke the program’s single-season record in strikeouts, K'ing up 559 total batters. 

As of 2019, 86 former players of Coach Corral's tutelage have signed pro baseball contracts; all of whom benefitted from Coach Corral’s simple, streamlined, and effective coaching techniques. 

Coach Corral’s philosophy relies on three keys: Command, Bullpen Options, and Pitching Delivery. We have pulled the most pertinent bits of wisdom from his ‘My Big 3: Simplify Command, Bullpen Variations, & Reading The Delivery’ course to help you on your way to crafting the coaching lessons that will lead you to wins. 

Introduction

A baseball player can have the quickest hands, keenest eyes, and most perfect mechanics in their league. But if they never develop a proper hitting approach while at the plate, they’ll never reach their true ceiling.at the plate, they’ll never reach their true ceiling.

On the surface, developing an effective hitting approach can sound simple. Yet, we all know that baseball — hitting, specifically — is a game of failure. And if a player is going to adjust their hitting approach after every time they get out, or even after every hitless game they have, they’ll never reach their true potential. 

Thankfully, there are hitting coaches who are generous enough to share their wealth of wisdom and create courses that can teach you exactly how to develop a consistent hitting approach for your players.

Brandon Matthews - 2 Strike Hitting: Approach, Philosophy, & Strategyke-hitting-approach-philosophy-strategy/control-what-you-can-control/11811851"> 2 Strike Hitting: Approach, Philosophy, & Strategy

Among the most commonly used baseball adages is that the sport is seeped in failure. And while that statement may be cliché, it’s also unequivocally true. 

Learning how to deal with inevitable failure while playing is one of the most fundamental aspects of playing baseball. Yet, just because it’s something all players grapple with doesn’t make it easier to handle. 

This can be especially difficult for pitchers. Not only are they standing on an elevated mound in the middle of the diamond, but if a pitcher (especially a starting pitcher) has a poor outing, that alone might make it nearly impossible for their team to win. 

While this will never change, getting pitchers to cultivate confidence is a ready way to minimize the failure they experience on the mound and teach them to get over that failure quickly, so that it doesn’t affect their next outing. 

And Brent Kemnitz has a few great techniques and lessons to instill this confidence within pitchers. 

Coach Kemnitz is in his ninth year as Assistant Athletic Director for Outreach and Staff Development after serving the previous 38 years as pitching coach at Wichita State for the baseball program. 

In Kemnitz’s 38 years as Wichita State pitching coach,  WSU led all NCAA Division I teams in ERA two times. The Shockers’ 1982 team established an NCAA record with 46 complete games while leading the nation with a 2.53 ERA and the 1991 staff led the NCAA with a 2.91 ERA. In 2011, Kemnitz was honored as he was named one of the top three pitching coaches in the country in a poll done by College Baseball Insider. During his time, the Shockers made seven College World Series appearances and won the 1989 National Championship.

Not only could Coach Kenmitz spot elite physical talent in his prospective pitchers, but he also knew how to cultivate mental strength with them once they arrived on campus—and mental strength starts and ends with having confidence. This is why his ‘Pitching: The Mental Game CD - Remastered’ course should be a must for any baseball coach who wants to maximize their pitchers’ confidence and their team’s success. 

Comfort Zone 

Catching is one of the most physically taxing positions in baseball. Spending 9 innings in a squat can be tiring, but it is also incredibly important. You must always be posed, aware of your surroundings and ready to jump into action every pitch. In this article I will talk about 5 drills that take a total of about 20 minutes that you should practice every day that will help you develop habits of extremely good catchers.

#1 Slide and Block

Every passed ball or wild pitch leads to a free base for the opposing team. As a catcher, the number one responsibility you have is to keep the ball in front of you. The slide and block drill can be done with a fellow catcher or coach every day and takes just a few minutes.

The drill is simple in that as the catcher, set up in your receiving position and have another person throw a ball in the dirt and to one of your sides. Use your body and slide to get in front of the ball and play it off your chest protector. Remember; always keep the ball in front of you.

Some keys to focus on in this drill:

Start in a good receiving position. Keep your posture solid so that the feel becomes natural in a game.

Don’t reach or stab at the ball with your glove. You’ll miss more than you catch

Slide on your leg protectors to the ball and get as much of your body in front of the ball as possible.

At all costs, keep the ball in front of you

Here’s a good example of a catcher sliding to block a ball.

#2 Field and Throw

Fielding your position as a catcher is more than just catching pitches and throwing out would be base stealers. One of the hardest plays to make in baseball is when a catcher has to get their crouch, field a dribbler in front of the plate and make a throw to a base.

This drill can be done as part of team infield drills. As always, start the drill in a good catching position. Have a coach or teammate toss a ball out in front of the plate. You should jump out of your crouch, field the ball cleanly with you’re throwing hand and make a quick, accurate throw to each base. 

For 1st and 3rd base, practice making throws on both the inside and outside of the bag, verbally letting your teammate know which side of the bag you are throwing on. 

This is a skill that takes practice. You come across this situation most often in bunts which means 1 of 2 things: 

It is a sacrifice situation in which the other team is giving you an out. Take it! Take your time, field the ball and make a good throw and take the free out.

It’s a bunt for hit in which the runner is fast. You need to be quick here and make a good, strong, accurate throw.

#3 Popups Behind Home Plate

Fielding a popup behind home plate may be the hardest pop up to catch in the infield. There are so many variables to account for: get rid of the mask, locate the ball, locate the dugout or wall, read the ball flight correctly. This play may only happen once every few games, but it could end up being a big out.

As usual, begin the drill in your normal catching position. I encourage you to practice this drill with your mask on, so that you mimic what you will have to do in a game. Have someone else stand behind you and throw the ball high in the air, straight up. They should also yell ‘Up’ or something to let you know they have thrown the ball. 

Once the ball is in the air, the first thing you should do is remove your mask, keep it in your hand and try to locate the ball. I encourage you to keep the mask in your hand until you locate the ball so that you don’t drop it somewhere you need to run and trip over it. Once you locate the ball and determine its flight path, throw the mask out of your way and get in the best position to field the ball. Use two hands to catch and secure the ball as catching popups with a catcher’s mitt is difficult.

Now, the biggest thing to practice here is learning how popups straight in the air fly. This just takes practice and repetition.  The more you practice, the more confident you will be in determining the ball flight.

A curveball has the potential to be a huge weapon for pitchers. If thrown effectively, it can keep hitters on their toes and guessing. Many of the great pitchers in Major League Baseball have perfected their curveballs to know exactly when and where to throw them. However, all of this is easier said than done. Learning to throw one takes plenty of practice, but it is vital to have the fundamentals down to make this practice time worthwhile.

Grip

With a curveball, the grip is vital. This image to the right should be used as a baseline. First, notice the middle finger. It must feel some resistance from the seam in order for the curveball to get the tight rotation that makes it so deadly. Next, your thumb should be placed on the seam on the other side of the ball. The last key point is that the pinky finger shouldn’t be touching the ball. Holding the ball like this may take some time to get used to. I recommend you feel comfortable and knowledgeable of the grip before getting ready to throw.

Quick Tips: Proper Grip For Throwing A Curveball

Keep in mind there are other forms of curveballs, but this is the most basic. After you effectively have this one down, then you can begin experimenting with other grips. 

Decrease the Stride Length

After you feel comfortable with your grip and wrist being relaxed, it is time to alter some of your pitching mechanics. Many recommend that you shorten your stride length by a couple of inches. This will make it easier to come out high with the curveball. Once you come to the point where your foot strikes the ground, your elbow should at least be at the level of your shoulder. All of this becomes much easier when the stride length is shorter than what it is with a fastball.

Release

The release of a curveball is something that takes some time to learn as well. As you release the curveball, your hooked wrists allow your hand to pull down in the front. With this said, it is very important to release the ball closer to your body to avoid throwing a hanging curveball. A hanging curveball means improper mechanics were utilized and is usually a pitcher’s worst nightmare. The Ultimate Pitcher provides some great tips on the release portion of the curveball. “Snap your wrist and arm downward, letting the ball tumble out of your hand off of your middle finger if you’re using a beginners or knuckle curve. Your elbow should be at your belt buckle at the follow through position, and your back should be flat over your landing leg.”

Former Major Leaguer Dennis Eckersley once described the bullpen when he stated, “When I first came up, the bullpen was pretty much where they put the guys who couldn’t start.” While that might of have been how Eckersley thought of the pen, the truth is this description is not always the case. Yes, sometimes guys are tossed in the pen due to trouble pitching deep into games, but other times player’s skillsets are just designed for 1 or 2 innings at a time. In this article, I’ll look at the different pieces needed in a pen.

Quality of Starting Pitching

When examining a team’s bullpen, you need to first look at the starting pitching. If the starting pitching is horrible, chances are it can turn a good bullpen into a poor one. This is because when the starters only throw three or four innings each game, the bullpen starts having to throw more and more innings. As a result, their effectiveness falls due to fatigue and more runs cross the plate. Conversely, if a team has a starting rotation that can consistently pitch deep into games, the bullpen isn’t used as frequently. If this is the case, then the manager also has more flexibility in choosing who to put out on the mound in late-inning scenarios. Though starting pitching isn’t always a determining factor in the performance of a bullpen, it can definitely affect it.

Closer

On any particular baseball team, the closer can be an integral part of the success of the club. With this importance also comes the possibility to be a scapegoat because your job is to pitch one inning. For this reason, some baseball experts think closers are overrated due to the fact that they’re just pitching one inning, it just happens to be the potential final half-inning of the ballgame. As a result, some people encourage the use of closer-by-committee, which implements a few pitchers as possibilities for 9th inning duties. 

In terms of the player you’re looking for to be a closer, he or she should be a pitcher with dominant swing-and-miss stuff. While pitchers that pitch to contact can be effective as a closer, it often isn’t recommended among coaches. You also want a player that has thick skin, someone that won’t let one bad outing affect future performances. 

Check out this video on CoachTube ttp://coachtube.com/course/baseball/pitching-to-win-with-your-fastball">CoachTube about utilizing your fastball early and often to rack up the strikeouts as a closer.

Set-Up Man

With the set-up man, the name practically gives it away. The player holding this position pitches the 8th inning and attempts to hold the lead before handing the ball off to the closer. In a way, you could think of the set-up man as being the closer in-waiting. If the closer were to have a couple slip-ups, future save opportunities could be passed to the set-up man.

For a set-up, I recommend looking for similar qualities as your closer. If you’re lucky enough to have two relievers with closer-type stuff, then the 8th and 9th should be lockdown innings on most occasions. However, for most teams, the set-up man might not have the elite swing-and-miss pitches as the closer, but nonetheless is a reliable arm in the latter innings.

Left-Handed Specialist

Pitchers that are considered left-handed specialists are those that throw left-handed and come in to primarily face left-handed hitters. If needed, they can come in to potentially pitch an entire inning, but that is not generally their primary role. Over the years, statistics have proven the point that left-handed hitters generally have more trouble with left-handed pitchers. Part of this is due to how the curveball breaks. The unique aspect with left-handed specialists is that they generally come in to face just one batter in a late inning to preserve the lead. This position leaves little room for error and requires a pitcher that is a model of consistency. Due to the diminished role, managers need pitchers they can trust to deliver in the few pitches they throw on the mound.

Long-Relief

Remember that quote from Dennis Eckersley in the introduction? Well, it actually comes into play with long-relievers. Pitchers in the long-relief role are usually ones that intend to be a starting pitcher, but either due to a lack of talent or crowded rotation are forced to pitch out of the pen. Their main times on the mound are when the starter has to leave early, like in the 3rd through 5th inning. Whether this early departure is the result of ineffectiveness, injury or ejection, the long reliever comes in to mop up some innings and prevent the other relievers from wasting pitches on a possibly already lost game.

For pitchers in the long-relief role, I recommend using this opportunity as a chance to prove something to your coach. By pitching effectively over a few innings as a long reliever, coaches might begin to reevaluate whether you should be a starter. Additionally, long relievers usually come in when the starter isn’t getting the job done, so a spot in the rotation might be on the verge of opening up.

Middle-Relief

Middle relievers offer a few similarities to long relievers. They’re often going to be entering the game in the middle innings, from the fifth to the seventh. These relievers are also capable of throwing multiple innings, so they might have some starting experience in the past. The primary difference between middle and long relievers is the fact that games are still going to be relatively close when they enter the game. While they could come in as early as the fifth, there is a chance this entrance is just the result of a pitcher throwing too many pitches, rather than a blowout being in the making. Coaches looking for middle relievers should look for guys that have starting stuff. At the same time, the manager should have confidence that this player can pitch with a lead and maintain that differential as well. 

Group Unity

A good bullpen can help win games. This bullpen construction becomes much easier when you have the right players personality-wise and the talent in terms of pitchers for each role. This idea of ‘group unity’ defines a bullpen where every player knows their own designated role. You don’t want set-up pitchers that are hoping for the closer to hiccup just so they can steal the 9th inning role. It is ideal to have pitchers in place that feed off the energy of their teammates and are excited each time they get a chance to get on the mound, no matter the situation.

Great Bullpens Top-to-Bottom

Throughout history, there have been a few bullpens that single-handedly help get teams through the regular season and postseason. One in particular is the 2015 Kansas City Royals, who have utilized their pen to help follow up their 2014 American League pennant. Here is what their bullpen is comprised of:

Closer: Greg Holland – The 5-foot-10 closer has been one of the most elite stoppers during his time. The ERA’s over his previous four seasons read 1.80, 2.96, 1.21 and 1.44. At the same time, he’s proven the ability to strike out over a batter per inning.

Set-Up Man: Wade Davis – The set-up man on this Royals squad is actually a former starter, but has been much more effective out of the pen. When given the opportunity, Davis has proven he has the ability to get a save. Were the Royals to trade away Holland, Davis could easily take over.

Left-Handed Specialist: Franklin Morales – The Royals only have one lefty in the pen and that man happens to be Morales. Even though he can pitch to more batters, the depth of the Royals’ pen allows them to mainly pitch Morales to lefties.

Long-Relief: Chris Young and Kris Medlen – The long relievers include two former starters. Young has been in and out of the rotation and Medlen is coming off an injury. Both pitchers have the ability to be starters, but at the time, can’t crack the starting rotation.

Middle-Relief: Luke Hochevar, Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera – The unique part about the Royals pen is that all of these middle relievers have the stuff to be elite set-up men. Their strikeout numbers and low ERA’s warrant this recognition. Right now, they all take turns in pitching in tight games, from the 6th inning on.

Piece-by-Piece

The way I look at assembling a bullpen involves getting numerous pitchers in place. Just having a shut-down closer doesn’t mean much if the rest of the pen is weak. This is because the closer will never get in there in a save situation if the other guys are blowing the lead earlier. So, in essence, you must look at every piece and the personnel available before defining roles. Taking it on a piece-by-piece approach will get the pen to shut-down status quicker than going after one top closer.

Former Dodgers great Sandy Koufax said, “I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.” Although Koufax was known for his knee-buckling curveball, this quote applies perfectly to the art of a sinkerball. The sinker isn’t designed to be a major strikeout pitch. It doesn’t have the coolness factor of a 100mph fastball or a 12-6 curveball, but it does do one thing effectively: get hitters out.

Primary Use of the Sinker: Ground Balls

The sinker is effective because it consistently forces hitters to turn over on the ball and induce a ground ball. Keeping the ball on the ground in the infield provides a number of ways to record outs. For example, take a situation where there are runners on the corners with one out. If you want to get out of this jam without anyone crossing home plate, you have two strategies to work towards. If you possess a dominant strikeout pitch, then you can go for the strikeout and then attempt to get the final hitter out. However, not everyone has nasty strikeout pitches they can lean on in jams. In this case, you try to get the hitter to turn over into a ground ball double play. In essence, this is the core use for a sinker.

Understanding the Grip

The nice thing about the sinker is that it isn’t a difficult pitch to learn the grip and release for. In fact, you can start out with the same grip as the two-seamer. Helpful Baseball Drills Provides a terrific narrative on how to get this grip.

“Place your index and middle fingers over the seams where the seams are closest together. With the sinker you could try placing the index and middle fingers on the outside edge of the seams. And the thumb rests directly underneath these two fingers in the open area on the baseball.” The more pitches you learn how to throw, the more you’ll realize the importance of mastering the grips before even learning how to throw the pitch.

Base running has always served a major role in every baseball game. Coaches are consistently intrigued to have players on their roster with the speed necessary to change games. Anyone who has followed last year’s playoff run from the Kansas City Royals remembers outfielder Jarrod Dyson using the line, “That’s what speed does!” However, players must realize there’s more to it than just stealing bags.

Yes, stolen bases are intriguing to many, but you can still be an effective base runner without a ton of stolen bases.

 Know the Value of Your Run

Be Mindful of the Situation. No matter what level you’re playing at, it is vital for players to be aware of what is going on in the game. This includes the inning, score and place in the batting order. The base running strategy will vary depending on these characteristics, no matter how fast you are on the base paths. It doesn’t make much sense for a player to attempt a stolen base when their team is down by 5 runs in the 7th inning. This is because that player’s run isn’t very valuable. Yes, it will be needed to complete the comeback, but a stolen base alone isn’t always worth the risk. Not only could it take a runner off the bases and cost the team an out, but it can be mentally draining for a team. Teammates may have some hope after the leadoff single, only to be let down due to a mental error.

Home to First

The thing coaches always want to see in this route is hustle from their players.

Obviously, you can get down the path quicker if you’re a faster player, but there is no reason for a player to be doggin it. Immediately after contact, you must drive your back foot and get out of the box with pace. Only after this is done should you look where the ball is going and decide whether extra bases will be a possibility. Even if it’s a routine grounder to short, you never know when an error will occur. As a side note, on grounders in the infield, run through first base even when it may seem sliding will be quicker

First to Second 

Due to the distance between first and second, it often witnesses the most stolen bases because of the difficult throw it places on the catcher. However, knowing proper base stealing techniques is only part of the trick. Upon getting to first base, players need to get the signal from the third base coach and then prepare to lead off the base. A couple of useful tips include staying in an athletic position and keeping an eye on the pitcher the entire time. Don’t let the pitcher catch you day-dreaming and be a victim of an easy pickoff. Another critical concept is the secondary lead, also known as a shuffle. Try to take a second shuffle as the ball crosses the plate, thus allowing you momentum in case the ball is hit.

A player with the strength to hit for the fences is something any coach lies awake at night hoping for. During those intense, close games in late innings, nothing is better than having your number one power batter step to the plate with a confident and determined look in his eyes.

While having a few power baters is not necessary to be a winning team, it certainly helps clinch a few of the tighter contests.

Developing a slugging average in young players can be tough because at this age many youth ball players typically grab the most comfortable bat…which is usually also the lightest bat. Sure, it’s easier at first to swing a light bat much faster than a heavy bat. But getting your players used to heavier lumber will likely improve your team’s overall performance.

Understanding the optimal bat weight for each player

Choosing the right bat is a top component to ensuring your player hits for the fences. However, it can also be the most difficult factor to determine.

According to research from Penn State University, optimal bat weight depends on the league in which the player competes. Hmm, well, what if there were a handy rule of thumb a coach could use? There is! Those great researchers at PSU have come up with just the equation: For junior leaguers aged 13 to 17 years, the bat weight in ounces is the player’s height divided by 3 plus 1.

Determining detailed weight

PSU researcher Terry Bahill even takes this general formula a step further in determining optimal power potential.

Along with his team, Bahill studied the relationship between bat weight and bat speed. His data reveal that players are not able to swing heavy bats as quickly as lighter ones, but the specifics vary considerably from player to player. The specific bat speed is also determined by the player’s abilities.

He determined that the measurement of bat speed among junior leaguers is made clear by a straight-line equation, also developed by the team at PSU. Now, this equation is for math geeks and maybe those who take finding the perfect bat weight a bit too seriously, so don’t be dismayed if you can’t capture the essence of this equation immediately.

This calculation assumes an average height and weight of the player, as well as an average pitch speed. Essentially, it is important to measure your player’s bat swing with a device like the Bat Chooser. This device is like a radar detector for your bat. Knowing your player’s bat speed with a given bat is a major factor in the equation.

Here’s what Terry writes: “[B]atted ball velocity initially increases as the bat weight increases until the bat swing speed drops below a certain level after which the batted velocity begins to decrease again.” The result is choosing a bat that allows your player to have the optimum bat swing.

So, only by looking at the more complicated calculation can make choosing the right bat weight complicated. However, the section “Understanding Bat Weight for Your Player” simplifies the equation. [this previous sentence is a bit clunky and awkward…rephrase.]

Calculating the specific optimal bat speed will never be easy without conducting a full-scale bat velocity test on your players. However, just follow the more straightforward equation of the bat weight (in ounces) of the player’s height divided by 3 plus 1. This will give each player on your team the best bat weight, in turn most likely leading to a better slugging average for each player and for your team as a whole.

If you don’t have a reliable arm on the mound, every game is going to be difficult to win.

You might not have ever been a pitcher, but that doesn’t mean you can’t coach the proper mechanics and techniques to help your hurlers improve and stay healthy.

Help your pitchers master these 8 fundamentals of pitching, and you’ll watch your team’s ERA drop and their confidence skyrocket.

Number 1: Grip

Let’s start with the basics: how a pitcher grips the ball can dictate accuracy, movement, and speed.

For most youth pitchers, you’re going to want to stay away from throwing curveballs, so start them off with a 4-seam fastball, a 2-seam fastball (which will give you more movement than the 4-seam) and some sort of a change up.

Remember: a grip doesn’t mean a squeeze. Your players should have a comfortable, strong grip, but they shouldn’t be getting a forearm workout in!

Number 2: Arm Angle

Let’s kill this misconception: there’s not one arm angle that’s perfect for every pitcher.What’s important to remember here is that each pitcher should have his own consistent and natural arm angle.

●Using a consistent arm angle allows players to better control and utilize their pitches. It’s simple: if they know how a “good pitch” feels and how the ball is going to move, they’ll turn into a better pitcher. If their arm angle is always changing, it will be much tougher for them to find consistency… and the strike zone.

●A natural arm angle is even more important. By changing how a kid is throwing, a lot of times you’re going to be putting him in more risk for an arm injury.

Not every pitcher throws the same way! There are may examples if you just watch any MLB game.

We can’t stress this enough:

Coaches, do NOT force arm angles to change!

Fix the other mechanics of a pitching motion, and allow the pitcher to throw the ball naturally.

Number 3: The Windup

Just like a batter’s stance, the most important aspect of a pitcher’s windup is comfort. If Hideo Nomo can be successful with his wild windup, you can be sure that there is no perfect windup.

Aside from comfort, there is one similarity that every successful windup has: balance.Even Nomo was balanced all the way through his windup. If you start off-balance, you’ll end off-balance. If you end off-balance, you’ll never be able to locate.

Number 4: The Pivot

As the windup concludes, the real pitching motion begins.

To finish the pitching motion properly, you have to start with a good, strong pivot. At the pivot, the back foot becomes parallel with the pitching rubber, and gives the pitcher a strong foundation off which to throw. The pivot should leave your pitcher in an athletic position, with his knees bent, and with his lead hip aimed towards the plate. His hands are still together, and he’s preparing to lift his leg to drive to the plate.

If your pitcher is throwing from the stretch, the pivot should be his first position after taking his sign.

Number 5: The Leg Lift

Now that your pitcher has prepared his grip and readied himself for the delivery, he can begin to drive toward the plate.

As the pitcher begins his leg lift, here are some key things to remember:

●Keep the hips completely closed- The pitcher’s hip bone should be pointing to the plate. The body will follow the hip, and the ball will follow the body.

●Lift the knee- The purpose of the knee lift is to generate force “behind the ball.” When lifting the knee, have the toe point down very slightly, but without flexing the calf.

●Hands- Keep the hands in the middle of the body for optimal balance. If your pitcher is more advanced, his hands can drift towards his back leg slightly- giving him a little extra forces.

●Eyes- Stay focused on the catcher’s mitt. Your head will help lead your body (and the ball) to the strike zone.

●Stay balanced- You don’t want fall flat on your face, do you?

Number 6: The Stride

The stride is the most important fundamental in a pitching delivery. A good stride can give a pitcher extra velocity and better location, but a poor one will completely throw off a game plan.

Here are the basics:

●Length- In general, the stride length should be about 80-90% of your pitcher’s height. Overextension will lead to bad timing and control problems, and underextension will lead to the ball staying up in the zone and a decrease in velocity.

●Hands- The pitcher’s hands will come apart, with his throwing arm being extended back and his glove hand aimed towards the plate. 

●Hips- The pitcher’s hips are still closed during the stride. As their front foot lands, the throwing motion will demand they the explode open, which will generate velocity.

●Timing- The biggest problem most young pitchers will have is trying to “rush” through their delivery. Even through the stride, the upper body should remain in synch with the lower body- with the head in line with the belly button. 

Number 7: The Delivery

At the end of the stride, the pitcher’s front foot will land pointed in the direction of the catcher.

As he lands, his hips and his throwing arm will begin to open- forcing the core of the pitcher’s body to face towards the plate.

The back foot will follow the hips and the arm, causing the foot to come of of the ground around the time the pitch is released.

The glove hand should come into the body of the pitcher, allowing extra velocity and keeping the pitcher’s momentum going towards home plate.

Number 8: The Follow-through

A pitcher’s follow-through is important for velocity, control and for fielding his position. A great follow-through should continue the allow the pitcher’s arm to continue the path it took to release the ball, helping him “finish” over his knee.

Remember how we mentioned that the back foot will follow the hips and the arms and come off the ground? This helps during follow-through, because it allows the pitcher to land in a fielding position just in case a ball is hit back at him.

So what now?

Now that you’ve got the basics, check out this in-depth video course on pitching mechanics.

Continue to watch the masters of the craft in the MLB, and pay special attention to the pitcher’s mechanics during every pitch. You’ll start to notice that every pitch consists of these same fundamental elements.

Master the fundamentals. Master your pitch.

As a pitcher, one of your key responsibilities is to make the hitter feel uncomfortable at the plate. They shouldn’t step up there with the feeling that they can easily get a base hit. One way to achieve this is to work both sides of the plate. Another method is to utilize a variety of pitches. Possessing speed on your fastball is nice, but it is even better when matched with reliable off-speed pitches. These are what force a hitter to start guessing.

• The Purpose

 For years, the changeup has been one of the predominant off-speed weapons for pitchers. It should be thrown to look like a fastball, but actually come in slower as it approaches the plate. The key concept behind this is deception. In doing so, the hitter’s timing will be disrupted. As for the speed difference between the changeup and fastball, the changeup should be approximately 10-15 miles per hour slower than the fastball. While the purpose is to keep hitters off-balance, pitchers throw it in varying frequencies. Some pitchers rely heavily on it, while others will toss it out there at a 15% clip just to surprise hitters. It is entirely up to you when it comes to how comfortable you feel throwing it.

• The Grip

As with many pitches, there has been adaptation on how the changeup is thrown. Pitchers have consistently tinkered with the grip to something that they feel comfortable with. For beginners, I recommend using the 3-Finger Changeup. This is also best suited for younger pitchers, as it works well with individuals with smaller hands. The grip for this starts with the middle three fingers (ring, middle, and index) being placed on the top of the baseball. Then, your thumb and pinky should be directly underneath the baseball on the smooth leather. To get a better idea of how it should feel, the thumb and pinky should touch each other.

For more advanced pitchers, it might be time to try the circle changeup. Simply put, you’ll want to make a circle with your index finger and thumb. Once you have that set, then center the ball between the final three fingers and place it comfortably against the circle. The images below provide a nice example of how the circle change should look in your hands.

Your outfielders are your last line of defense. You'll rely on them to keep singles from turning into doubles, and doubles from turning into triples. Playing bounces correctly, making accurate relay throws, having high game-situation awareness and making routine catches are just a few of the things you'll need from your outfielders.

Use preseason training time to work on the basics so your team will develop the right habits.

On both the youth and high school levels, a fundamentally sound team wins a lot more often than they lose - even without an all-star player.

Here are three drills to work on with your outfielders:

1. Hard Charge Ground Balls and Crow Hop 

When the opponent dunks in a base hit, you need your outfielders to charge the ball and be ready to throw as quickly as possible - especially with men on base.

Start this drill with two players lined up about 20 yards apart. Have them chuck hard ground balls to each other and practice aggressively charging and fielding the baseball, making sure to get in front and get the ball low.

The next move is for the outfielder to make a quick hop onto his strong-arm side and stride forward with the other leg for a throw back to his partner. This is a crow hop throw, and is a quick way for your outfielders to get rid of the ball. Have the partners switch sides after about five throws, then have them practice throws to the left and right.

2. Drop Step Drill

Outfielders should never backpedal to chase down a fly ball, always take a drop step, turn and run.

First of all, most people don't run backwards very quickly, secondly a backpedaling player is more likely to trip than make a play. But for youngsters who haven't been taught, this will likely be a natural reaction to a hard hit ball their way. Instead, practice the drop step.

The first phase of this drill involves two players - one who is throwing "fly-balls," the other is tracking and catching. Standing about 10 yards apart, have the thrower point to the right or left, and the outfielder takes a small drop step in that direction. When the fly ball goes up, the outfielder either runs and chases the ball down or gets behind it to make the catch.

Have your outfielders practice this over each shoulder multiple times so they can get used to drop stepping in either direction. To take this drill to the next level, hit some line drives at them.

The old saying that “defense wins championships” doesn’t just apply to the gridiron. Last year, the Houston Astros led the MLB in Defensive Wins Above Replacement. Not surprisingly, they made it all the way to the World Series. Your team isn’t playing in front of thousands, but the games are still important. In big games, every play counts, and your infielders have to be able to field their position. Defensive excellence starts in practice, and here are 5 tips to get your infield ready for the big game.

1: Game Speed Matters

If you practice with low energy, you’ll play with low energy. As a coach, the level of intensity starts with you. Are we saying that you need to scream when your second baseman boots a two-hopper? Of course not, but fielding routine ground balls every day never helped anyone. Add a little “umph” on those grounders and give your fielders a challenge.  What’s the most important fielding drill you can practice with your players? Making them play each practice ground ball like a game ground ball.

2: Work The Backhand

 It’s simple: the ability to field a ball backhanded allows a player to quickly get to more balls. Keep an eye on how many balls your infield boots next practice. I’d bet that most of them were hit to the backhand. If you don’t practice it, your players will never make the backhanded play. It takes flexibility and a weight-shift that’s unique in the game. When your shortstop can go to his right, backhand a ball, and make the throw, that’s when you know your infield is clicking.

In baseball, especially youth baseball, the outfield is the position where most coaches place a player they want to hide from the action so as to not cause a weakness for the team. As you progress through your baseball career you will find that becoming an elite defensive outfielder makes you invaluable to your team. Mookie Betts has made many heads turn over the past few years with his excellent play in Right Field, with many GM’s and scouts believing he can secure a contract of over $150M despite having average offensive numbers. Here are some key principles to becoming an elite defensive outfielder.

1. Run On Your Toes

 Run On Your Toes, Not Your Heels

This is a principle I cannot stress enough. If you are going to become an elite defensive outfielder there are plenty of times when you are going to need to get on your horse and go get a ball deep in the gap. As you run down a ball in the gap your coaches will teach you to always keep an eye on the ball as you track it into your glove. Many times when I was younger I would run a long way to get a fly ball and be right there to catch it only to have it deflect off the side of my glove. The problem was that I was running on my heels.

When you run on your heels, your eyes can’t stay steady and the ball tends to bounce in your vision. If you are landing on your heel right as the ball gets to your glove, the ball will bounce in your vision and increase the potential for a misplay.

Practice running on your toes when you go to get the ball in the gap or anytime you are running in general. This allows you to steadily track the ball into your glove. Players like Mike Trout, Alex Gordon, Mookie Betts and Adam Duvall are great at running on their toes and make it look like they are gliding to the ball.

2. Develop A Feared Arm

 Develop A Feared Arm

Every pregame fielding routine for an outfielder ends with the same throw; catch a fly ball and fire it home on a rope to catch a guy trying to tag from 3rd. When the opposing team is in the field, you are watching each outfielder to know which one you can try to take the extra base on and which one you know to hold up and not risk being thrown out.

Developing a feared arm takes more than just arm strength. Flexibility and conditioning play a major role as well. Every day you should be doing shoulder and elbow stretches and exercises so that your arm stays healthy. Long toss is your friend. Spend the extra 10-15 minutes warming up each day and extend your range and be sure that you are completely warmed up before trying to launch a ball from the wall.

How To Hit A Curveball

There goes the old saying that when life throws you a curveball, hit it out of the park. However, as easy as that sounds, hitting a curveball is one of the toughest tasks that every batter will face over the course of the game. The movement on a curveball differs from pitcher to pitcher.  The way the pitcher grips the ball, and their delivery of the pitch has an effect on the trajectory, and the aerodynamics on the way to the plate. The 12-to-6 curve is one of the most common curveballs fans are familiar with, which references the vertical movement from starting high and ending low. Another breaking pitch is the 11-to-5 curve, which entails more horizontal movement but not as much as vertical. There are also curveballs called “slurvy” curves, or sliders, that do not have much vertical movement, but have a strong amount of horizontal movement. One of the hottest pitchers right now who throws a nasty 12-to-6 curve is Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zach Greinke, who has completely left batters stone cold and motionless at the plate. One memorable at bat came against White Sox second-baseman Yomer Sanchez, where he threw his 65mph eephus curveball, which is defined as a very low-speed junk ball. The end result was Sanchez completing his swing before the pitch even got there. Click here to watch to admire this devastating and demoralizing pitch.

Do you want to become the next person who looks as lost as Yomer Sanchez at the plate against someone who has an outstanding curveball? I doubt anyone wants to look like a fool at the plate and this is why I have produced my top 5 steps of hitting a curveball.

1. Study the pitcher: While he is throwing in-game, or in the bullpen, analyze the pitcher’s movements in his windup. See if the pitcher changes up his release points depending on the pitch he is throwing. It is essential to find out if there are any potential tells in his windup of when he will throw a curveball. For example, a twitch in the glove or an adjustment in the windup. Every advantage will count because batters have under a second to determine the pitch, whether the pitch is a ball or strike, and the speed of the pitch. Watch the pitchers arm and observe whether or not it snaps downward, this is an indication a curveball.

Last week hundreds of families and MLB, NFL, and NBA legends came out to join CTX Ability Sports and MLB Players Alumni for their Inclusion Baseball Clinic in Pflugerville, TX. Every year this event gives kids with all abilities the opportunity to get out on the field, learn life lessons, and have fun.

It was incredible to participate and witness the joy of sports this program gives to children who wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience. This is something that we at CoachTube believe in whole-heartedly, and we were proud to help capture the amazing things CTXAS and their partners are doing to promote inclusion in sports.

Watch this video to see for yourself!

Here are a few tips that can help pitchers throw more strikes in those big games:

Utilize records, data and video from previous games to better understand the hitters you will be up against and learn how best to pitch to certain batters. For instance, if the hitter likes to extend on the ball, it makes sense to pitch to him inside. Similarly, if a hitter has trouble with a fastball, the pitcher may want to rely on this basic pitch.

Diversify your pitches. Pitchers can benefit from mastering four or five pitches. While this is not a physically easy task, having a variety of pitches can keep batters guessing and consequently off balance.

Throw more strikes. Throwing strikes is very important. In addition, focusing on throwing strikes can help to remove mental clutter from the pitcher’s mind and can help to simplify the task at hand for many pitchers.

Stay ahead of the hitter. At the major league level, staying ahead of the hitter can actually turn at .300 hitter into a .210 hitter as found by the sports statistical researchers at Carlton Chin. This ninety-point swing can be a huge advantage for the hurler. Pitchers need to have an appreciation of this simple mathematical fact.

Build relationships. Pitchers need to have a good working relationship with their pitching coach, their head coach and their catcher.

Develop a positive self-talk. A Pitcher needs to know what kind of self-talk allows them to “enter the zone” on the mound. It is all about how you communicate and drive yourself when it comes to getting positive outcomes.

Clear your mind. Some pitchers benefit from knowing how to empty their minds of all distractions before each and every pitch. This empty mind helps them to allow their athleticism and years of training to take over when they are on the pitching mound.

Visualize your target. Some pitchers think in terms of hitting the catcher’s mitt. Others try to hit portions of the plate. Pitchers need to choose a target that gives them the right amount of focus, without creating too much anxiety for them. The right target can very from pitcher to pitcher.

Disrupt the hitter’s timing. While location of pitches is very important, pitchers need to remember that good pitching is also about disrupting the hitter’s timing. Varying speeds can be a very useful skill for baseball hurlers.

Limit self-inflicted pressure. Some pitchers put too much pressure on themselves by forgetting that they have teammates on the field that can help them win games. A ground out or fly out is as good as strikeout much of the time in baseball.

Focus on one thing. Some baseball hurlers do well by focusing on a simple part of their mechanics. For example, a pitcher might focus on the follow through or their leg maneuvers. Another pitcher might repeat a short phrase to himself like “easy does it.” Find what works for you to simplify your pitch.

Develop a pre-pitch routine. Having a consistent pre-pitch routing helps many pitchers to perform well.

Find your pitching habit. Knowing the pace that you like to pitch at is also important. Some pitchers like to work rapidly. Others need more time between each pitch. Pitchers who are struggling may want to adjust their pace of pitching accordingly. Experiment with less time or more time and see what works best.

Focus your mind with mental training exercises. Pitchers can benefit from mental toughness training to show them how to be relaxed, confident, focused and resilient when the pressure is on. Hypnosis, visualization and meditation can help pitchers to maintain the right mindset in the dugout, in the bullpen and on the mound.

Jay P. Granat, Ph.D. is a psychotherapist, author and founder of www.StayInTheZone.com

Learn more about how you can start pitch in the zone in Dr. Granat’s full course on CoachTube:How To Throw More Strikes With Sport Psychology & Self-Hypnosis

Simply put, you can’t describe a leadoff man with just one skill. Analysts

will typically say they prefer certain attributes, but the truth is they

need to possess a little bit of everything. Legendary leadoff man Kenny

Lofton once said, “You can’t put your shoes on without your socks.

Everything works together – shoes, socks, pants and shirts. If one is

missing, you’re in trouble.” This analogy is referring to the varying

skillsets needed to effectively be the man at the top.

Baseball is a constant game of adjustments. In the 1940’s, Ted Williams

essentially forced opposing managers to enact a shift because it was the

only way to slow him down. It worked for a little while until the Red Sox

slugger made an adjustment to hit more to the opposite field. This is just

one of many examples on how teams have implemented the shift to

serve as an adjustment to get more hitters out.

Basic Positioningitioning

In terms of the actual positioning, we have seen more varieties arise in

recent years. However, for the sake of this article, I’ll give the most

general one that’s been used. Here is how it looks: The third baseman

will move over to where the shortstop normally is. The shortstop will

slide over to the right of second base. Meanwhile, the second baseman

will move back into the grass and in-between second and first. The first

baseman will slide over closer to the line. As for the outfield, the right

fielder can get closer to the line and the center fielder will move into

right-center. This is the most commonly used shift, but it is still

important to gauge the hitting abilities of the player at the plate and

adjust appropriately.

Advantages of Using the Shift on Defense Defense

Before even starting this section, I want to make it clear that merely

shifting a lot is not always an effective strategy. There is a substantial

difference between shifting a lot and shifting effectively (recording

outs). For younger levels, it might be hard to determine when to shift. If

it’s a team you’ve played before or one that you can watch the opposing

players take batting practice, then this might be a little easier. However,

there are plenty of advantages that can arise from implementing a shift.

The most prevalent one is limiting a hitter’s ability to pull the ball.

Obviously, baseball players love to pull the ball to nab extra base hits. It

is much more difficult to be a consistent opposite field hitter. In fact,

we’ve even seen some players dominate throughout the minors only to

struggle in the majors once managers start shifting against them. The

shift also benefits pitchers. When there defense is aligned appropriately,

they can limit hits against them and basically have to throw less pitches,

thus allowing them to go deeper into the game. In addition, they can

focus solely on the inner half of the plate to force the hitter to pull it.

These are two of the primary advantages that can be brought about by

shifting effectively.