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Archive for the ‘Baseball’ Category
Mon, June 30, 2008 12:52 pm By James Coolridge  Printer friendly version
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 Baseball is a game that runs in the blood of the young and old in the US. It is a sport that keeps millions of sports lovers across the country hooked up. The Baseball Leagues- major and little- are cherished by the fans. It is a team sport that requires highly passionate players who are committed to the game and their team. In this article, we provide you some of the essentials that make a great Baseball team, ‘coz great players make a great team and great teams give way to memorable matches! Read on.
• Team spirit: A Baseball team works as a single unit. The Baseball players should have team spirit and devotion to the game. The team must live and breathe Baseball.
• Support system: Baseball requires full support system, a system that is completely dedicated to the sport. The support system for a Baseball team includes the team owner, sponsors, the coach, and the school and college authorities. They must understand the psyche of the team. The support system should be very strong and impermeable.
• The coach: It is the coach who trains the Baseball players to give their best performance in the game. It is the coach who leads the team in every way. He/she is the backbone of the Baseball team. The coach should be tough, at the same time, adorable. He should understand the team and its players better than anybody else.
• Mental strength and balanced diet: Apart from physical strength, the members of a Baseball team should be very strong mentally. Mental strength training and a balanced nutrition should be focused. The health and nutritional aspects require special attention in order to build a strong foundation for the team. Routine exercises (including breathing exercises) and application of meditation techniques are other important aspects that help to create a great Baseball team.
Tags : Baseball, coach, mental strength, team, balanced nutrition
Fri, June 20, 2008 1:31 pm By James Coolridge
 One of my favorite sports is baseball. (I know so is yours!!) But how it becomes an aggressive sport? The answer is simple- the players run aggressively, slide, dive and never worry about their clothes getting dirty! If you want to become a hard-hitting baseball player, all you need to do is focus in the drill. Here is how.
The first step is to start at home plate, take a swing, round first and then take a wide and aggressive turn and then dive back into the first base bag. If you are a good runner, then quickly take your lead to steal the 2nd sliding into the bag. Now you fall. So, get up, take the secondary lead and dive back into the bag. This you should repeat while taking the third lead.
Make sure that the third base lead is in foul ground and that the dive back into the bag is coming back on the foul line in line of the catcher’s- throw.
The last step is to get up and sprint home. When the previous runner completes his dive into first and touches the bag, the next runner starts from the home plate.
Tags : dive, slide, runner, throw.
Fri, June 20, 2008 8:58 am By Dennis Hays
 A pitcher in Baseball can improve his pitching speed by applying direct force to the back of the ball. There are various other ways to improve the pitching speed. Here are some of them.
When you are firing the ball, pitch your elbow down and around toward first base. This will increase the pitching speed.
Another way to increase the pitching speed is by giving a solid push and by having stability in the lead leg. For this, you should have strength and stability in the lower half of your body. In addition to this, you should have a good leg drive for an effective throw.
There are different exercises to improve the lead leg stability and have a good solid push. Do these exercises regularly to have a good pitching speed, especially against good hitters. Squats, leg presses and calf raises are some of the beneficial techniques.
The third way to improve the pitching speed is by improving your torso rotation at the time of acceleration. The torso rotation can be improved by strengthening the torso. Major league baseball players adopt the medicine ball technique to strengthen their torso. Abdominal workout is also recommended for the pitchers to improve their pitching speed.
Tags : Baseball, Tips, rotator, cuff, skill, pitching
Wed, June 18, 2008 1:28 pm By James Coolridge
 The drill in baseball is a great help for the coach of a baseball team. The coach checks the running procedure and helps build stamina. The drill allows the players not to merely circle the bases. Instead, the runner scoring from second often chases the runner tagging from the third home. This makes a good game-type situation. Here is guidance for the coach.
First of all, split your team in half and thereby form two lines at home plate, one which is spread out ahead and is inside the other. Then stand at the pitcher’s circle. Carry two bats. Show the signal for the lead runners in both lines to take off by hitting the bats together. One of the runners should run straight through the first base and other makes a turn and continues into the second base. Meanwhile two lines of runners are still at home. At the next hit of the bat, continue the process in the same manner provided the runner on second now rounds third and scores and the runner on first takes the third. Thus, every base is occupied.
Now the runner on the third tags up and scores. Each time the bats are hit, two runners are supposed to score. Make sure that the bases are always occupied.
Put an end to the drilling process when the last player on line crosses home.
Tags : runner, home, base.
Thu, May 15, 2008 5:27 am By James Coolridge
 A bold statement made two years ago has now grown into a full-scale Baseball tradition. We are talking about the pink bats which again will be swung by the Major League Baseball players on Mother’s Day this Sunday. Major League Baseball granted permission for players to use baby pink colored bats as a way to celebrate Mother’s Day. Pink bats are part of fund-raiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.
It was begun two years back, driving massive proceeds to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation to fight breast cancer.
Bidding at the MLB.com Auction for seven signed pink Louisville Sluggers is under way. Three of the pink bats bear the autographs of Yankees stars Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera while the other four bats are each signed by ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” crew members Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts, Sam Champion and Chris Cuomo.
The Louisville Slugger Company produced a limited supply of more than 400 pink baseball bats in 2006 for use by more than 50 professional baseball players on Mother’s Day. Major League Baseball authorized the use of the specially dyed bats — temporarily suspending the regulation that restricts players to using black, brown, red, or white bats — as part of a weeklong program to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Tags : Major Baseball League, baseball bat, pink
Tue, May 6, 2008 1:13 pm By James Coolridge
 A recent survey by a sports business journal has brought to our notice that Major League Baseball players are getting the lowest percentage of leaguewide revenue when compared with the other major U.S. team sports. Although his has been a thought that has been lingering in my mind for quite sometime, especially when I see my brother-in-law working overtime, even after playing for a MLB team.
2003 has listed the MLB players as earning 63 percent of the revenue, which has dropped to about 53 last year. That is weird, considering the popularity and the money this game produces in USA. Although players have never made a hue and cry about their payments, this has become quite evident recently. As the survey said, the highest percentage was pouring in the bags of the National Football League players.
As pointed out by Rob Manfred, the league’s executive vice president in charge of labor, the reason for the drop in payments was because of the luxury tax and revenue-sharing provisions.
Tags : Baseball, More Pay
Sun, May 4, 2008 4:45 am By James Coolridge
 The most important element of Baseball is, of course, a Baseball bat. Whether you are an amateur or a League player, Baseball bats are designed to suit different needs. They are basically made out of some specialized woods, alloys, composites and aluminum. The raw material for crafting out a Baseball bat depends upon the League.
Talking about the wooden bats, the most popular is maple. However, aluminum bats are the trend nowadays. Debate is going on which one is superior in quality- wood or metal.
Meanwhile, some research says that aluminum bats smack the ball faster because they are hollow and therefore lighter and easier to swing as compared to wooden bats. Most of the bats used in Little League, Senior League and college level Baseball matches are made of aluminum. Wood bats are meant to be mandatory for professional Baseball players.
As far as the choice of a Baseball bat is concerned, there are two types of people. One set think that wooden bats are classic and are more or less equal to their metal counterparts. The other category thinks that aluminum is supreme because of the quickness they get while hitting with aluminum bat.
Now that was about other people. What is your choice? Want to get some tips? Read on.
First of all, consider in which League you are going to play and decide the size. Consider the length, weight, circumference of your bat and of course, how much you can afford for your bat.
Another thing to keep in mind is the “special spot” of your bat, that is, the upper-mid section of the bat which punches the ball with maximum power.
If you want your Baseball to be more classic in its looks and don’t actually consider the weight, go for wooden bats. If ease in swinging is your priority, go for aluminum bats.
Tags : baseball players., League, Baseball bats
Sat, May 3, 2008 4:44 am By Matt Davis
 You may have acquired enough of live batting practices and the practices done using pitching machine to improve your batting performance. But, there is still something lacking… what is it? Any guess? Yes, it is the way you handle your bat to hit great shots on the field. Here’s how to achieve it.
How to grip your bat?
It is always recommended that you don’t grip your bat at the tip of it. Leave some space at the end of the bat, say an inch or two. The way you fix your hands is also very important. Always make sure that you leave an inch’s space between your hands. Doing all this, you will be able to get more control of your bat and will be able to hit the ball hard!
What should be your position while batting?
Take a position at the back of plate. To be precise, stand at the back line of the batting box and then try to hit to right-center. Start practicing to hit your right handers to the opposite field.
What should be the speed?
Striking at full speed is a strict no-no. Start hitting firmly.
What about the plate?
Stand away from plate as to hit the ball that curves on inside corner, to center. This distance allows you to hit the outside ball to right.
The placement of your foot:
It is ideal to keep more weight on your front foot than on the back. This way, you will be in a position to give maximum drive. Keep your back leg straight.
The position of your elbow and hands:
Make sure that your hands are always well away from your body. If you feel that your hands are coming closer to your body, keep pushing them out either with your body or back. Keep your left elbow cocked on level with your hands or even higher.
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Fri, May 2, 2008 1:36 pm By Matt Davis
 It is very important to tell your players to detect if the ball is in dirt during the base-running session. Here is a tutorial for you, the coach, to train your players how to read the trajectory of a pitched ball that will bounce in the dirt. Here’s how.
Players’ positioning is very important. Set up the players at all the three bases. Remember, different bases have different rules for a ball in the dirt so; different rules apply for the players at each base.
Now mix in strikes and balls in the dirt to the catcher. If the ball is about to bounce, ask all your players to uniformly say “DIRT” in a high pitch. This ensures that all the players of your team are paying attention to the session. Guide the base-runners as to instantly go when they get to know that the ball is about to bounce.
Tell the runners on the second base to react to the ball in the dirt and then decide whether they would be safe or not. Ideally, if the ball kicks away from the catcher, they should have gone and tell the base runners to stay if the catcher blocks the ball in front of him. Meanwhile, the runners on the third base should follow the same procedure as done by the second base runners.
Always highlight the point to your players each base is independent of each other, so that the players don’t get confused.
Tags : base., players, ball, dirt
Thu, May 1, 2008 11:36 am By James Coolridge
 Strength training is essential for every sport. To mould great players in your team you need to give them good dose of exercise for their physique and mind. Generally there are four phases of strength training program in any sport, including baseball. The four phases of baseball strength training program are named as off-season, early pre-season, late pre-season and in-season. Here is a brief description about the four phases of strength training program.
• Off-Season – This time period is also called as the “closed season” wherein baseball is not played in a competitive mood.
• Early Pre-Season – The level of training in this session starts from general ones to intense training sessions
• Late Pre-Season – During this season, the training session becomes more intense because the competitive baseball season begins here.
• In-Season – Now that the players have entered the season, it is the time to maintain the gain developed during the pre-season sessions.
Each phase can also be subdivided into micro-cycles which are training lasting for one week. All these four sessions help the players of your team to concentrate into the sport seriously.
Tags : training, strength, baseball players.
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