The Inside Pitch

A great warm up routine for pitchers AND position players to loosen up shoulders and elbows. From the National Pitching Association, www.nationalpitching.com

If you are like me, you will appreciate this swing analysis. Enjoy.

Below is a video from Jeager Sports. Alan Jeager has been a leader in pitching performance and mental training for some years and has been working with several major league baseball players and some college programs. Last July in Los Angeles, he conducted a training session for Baseball Canada’s Women National Team during their preparation for World Cup.

We’ve had a number of comments / questions about Pitch Counts. We’ve circulated the background paper but its 7-8 pages and people don’t always want to read and reflect - so we’ve separated out a couple of issues / comments for response. The full article can be found at #mce_temp_url#

1. The numbers are too low!

The numbers are not arbitrary. They are based on actual sport science & research that tell us what the safety thresholds are. When we started the process we used lower numbers and tested those numbers with the pilots. As a result of the pilots & discussions with the sport experts we increased the numbers slightly. We are still within the safety envelope but the focus is on arm safety and appropriate development.

2. We can’t compete in a tournament with these numbers!

The focus is on appropriate athlete development not on competition. Competition is fine but it’s not the highest priority. Safety and athlete development are higher priorities. You can still have plenty of competition but you will have to develop more pitchers and manage them properly. In some cases you will have to look at how your competition is structured and make changes if necessary. A double knockout tournament with many teams is not a very healthy format. AND it can be done our pilot in Alberta shows it. After 2 years they are very comfortable with our rules and able to compete at all divisions and levels. Little League is also moving to an arm safety focus and able to adjust their competitive structures.

3. We are not able compete with the big 3 provinces who have more depth!

Stop and think about this. The reason they have more depth is they have more players, more resources. Taking 1-2 kids and overusing them to try and beat a larger competitor does not make sense in an athlete-centered system. This is a systemic issue that we are trying to correct. The focus on gearing up a small core of players at a young age to compete on a National stage is not what we need to ensure the appropriate development and safety for our athletes. The sooner you narrow the pool, the fewer athletes you develop in the long term AND the more potential harm to the players affected.

4. The sport science is bulls…t!

Stop and really think about this. The original sport science by Andrews, Fleisig et al is now being confirmed by more recent and additional science being conducted by other researchers including Tom House etc. If you want to challenge our sport science do it on the basis of scientific challenge. We welcome the debate. But challenging on the basis of emotion or anecdotal stories is not going to move the discussion forward. We’ve heard it said that you don’t see Pee Wee aged kids with their arms hanging and sore. Most of the damage caused by improper use is going to be long term damage and may not appear until the player is in his mid to late teens. We welcome additional research and discussion based on sport science. It is what will move our programs forward.

5. Yes we are going to do Pitch Count but we’ll make a few changes that make sense to us!

This can be very dangerous. Any changes to the program we outlined should only be done on the basis of sport science. A number of provinces have decided to move to Pitch Count and then sit in a meeting room with dozens of coaches and administrators to tweak the system to meet the biases, opinions and competitive needs to what they see are more practical rules. As a result we can have 10 different regimes often more unsafe than the current innings pitched system - wholly defeating the purpose of pitch count arm safety. Try the system as we propose it - if it doesn’t work for you after a year, come back to us - with solid recommendations and we’ll look at it for the entire system.

You are now teacher, mentor, leader, authority figure.  Think you can handle all that?  Not to put pressure on anyone, but a team counts on their coach to lead them on and off the field.  Part of leadership is teaching and to do that you need to know what sort of training techniques actually produce results.  Below is a compilation of ideas that may lead you to some success.  Included with these ideas are reasons and examples to also help you.

          By the way, please never take your coaching responsibilities lightly.  You may have more impact on a young life than you realize or intend.  Coaching is something that offers great rewards to all involved.

Teach or Coach not Both - If it’s practice time teach; if it’s game time coach.

During the game you want your players to focus on the next out or next hit - so should you.  You can’t teach a pitcher a new pitch in the seventh inning.  No instruction during the game - instead, make mental notes for post-game talk or next practice.

Practice for Games - Put your emphasis in practice on situations you actually face in games.

During practices you want to work on situations that occur in games.  How much time should you spend in practice working on triple plays.  Time is precious and valuable, use it wisely.

Want it?  Teach it - You can not ask players to do something in a game that they have never worked on in practice.

If you expect a player to bunt then you better have taught him well.  No one wants to try something for the first time in a pressure situation with an audience.

Give them Rope - As players mature, they must learn to self-correct and learn from mistakes without pressure.

Better to have players be self reliant and recognize what they are doing and be able to correct it themselves.  Let them learn from their mistakes without the fear of making mistakes.

One at a Time - Players need to concentrate to learn - they can’t correct multiple things at once.

Decide the one thing that will improve the situation and teach only that.

Repetition - Repeat your one instruction until you and the player both seem ready to move.

Nothing improves performance more then doing things over and over.

Don’t say “Don’t” - Always affirm with a positive action

If you want a batter to keep his head on the ball, the instruction is not ‘Don’t pull out’ or ‘Don’t take your head off’ but more like ‘Keep your eye on the ball right to the plate’.

Be Credible - If a player doubts himself, he will doubt you too.

Coaches who call out to the batter after striking out “don’t worry you will get him next time” actually foster non-confidence within a player.  Sometimes it is best to let the bad moment slide.

Be Brave and Different - Be willing to try new things such as drills, players positions or new strategies.

Young players like to challenge themselves.  Coaches need to share in that enthusiasm.

Practice with Intensity - Players need to leave practice pumped with desire to test what they have learned in a game.

Plan every practice.  Keep things moving and focused.  It is the only way to build a team with the desire to improve.

A Little Praise, Please - Improvement however small, deserves a compliment

Coaching is seeing your players do better - individually and as a team.  Let them know it - praise even the minor accomplishments because they may only be minor to you but major to the individual.

          I hope that some of these ideas will help you in your future coaching endeavors.  Remember, coaching is truly a very prestigious responsibility and you should take great pride in it.

Speed training can be done at any age – and it should be done throughout the training year. Yet, there are times in an athlete’s development when it is critical. Speed is always trainable but declines with age. Train them early!

These optimum training windows are periods when there is an accelerated adaptation that you get enhanced development of the skill. An athlete that receives proper speed training during these windows will more likely reach their full potential. For speed there are two windows – hit both to get the maximum effect. Miss the 1st one and you don’t get the full benefit of the 2nd.

The 1st window of enhanced adaptability is ages 7 to 9 in boys and 6 to 8 in girls. The 2nd window runs from 13 to 16 in males and 11 to 13 in females. If you have both sexes on your team – you should be aware of these differences.

The first window is an ‘agility & quickness’ training period. Activities and exercises should be 5 seconds or less. They should involve change of direction, linear, lateral and multidirectional speed. Play games that require quick movements and direction changes – soccer variations, tag, dodgeball.
Window 2 is a power and capacity period. Training should be focused on linear, lateral, multidirectional and chaotic activities – typical SAQ (speed, quickness and agility routines) as well as sprints. The duration of the intervals (drills) should be 5 to 20 seconds each.

Speed training should be done year-round irrespective of where you are in the annualized plan. During the sensitive periods / windows additional effort and time should be placed on these activities. The speed training activities should be done at the end of the warm-up before starting other activities – when energy levels are high and the central nervous system has not been fatigued. Volume of activity should be low – however, during the sensitive periods the activity is longer and appropriate for the window.

What’s your routine when you’re coaching at 3B and have a runner reach 3rd?
The patter usually goes something like…
Coach…… ”OK, we have no outs now. Read the ball off the bat, make sure a ball on the ground goes through, tag up on a fly ball, and so on….”
Runner….”OK”.

Then they take off at the wrong time or try to score on a short passed ball…

Many games are won or lost on decisions made by baserunners during the play. Often as a coach you are simply a bystander.

How do you teach young players to anticipate what may happen? To make the right decision when faced with a developing situation? To read the play properly?

This decision-making starts with anticipation. And you can help develop this by ‘asking, not telling’. Ask the baserunner how many outs there are. Ask what he is going to do in a given situation. Make sure he understands and learns situational awareness. Don’t tell him. By asking, you make him think about the situation and what his response should be. You can discuss in practice what the situations are and what might be expected.

On defence, on a trip to the mound during a bunt situation – ask what they plan to do first – before giving out instructions as to what defence etc. Make sure they anticipate what may happen and have taken ‘ownership’ for potential responses to the situation. Develop anticipation and responsibility for your players.

So… the next time you are faced with a runner on 2nd only, less than 2 outs. What are you going to say?
…ask the runner what he plans to do on a ground ball. He should be able to respond – “if 3rd has to charge, I’m going over. If ball hit by the mound and behind me, I’m coming over. I’ll read the play.”
You can think of many other situations where this would help develop better ballplayers.

Quelle est votre habitude lorsque vous êtes entraîneur au 3e et qu’un coureur est présent à ce même but ? L’habitude doit ressembler à celle-ci…
Coach…… “OK, il y a deux retraits. Assures-toi que la balle perce l’avant-champ avant de quitter, reviens au but sur un ballon ….”
Coureur….”OK”.

À ce même moment, vous réalisez que le coureur quitte le but au mauvais moment ou tente de marquer sur une balle passée ne se rendant pas assez loin du receveur… 

Plusieurs parties sont gagnées ou perdues sur des décisions prises par les coureurs pendant le jeu. Comme entraîneur, vous agissez souvent comme observateur.

Comment enseigner à nos joueurs à anticiper ce qui peut se survenir ? De prendre la bonne décision au moment où cette nouvelle situation survient ? De lire le jeu adéquatement ? 

Ce processsus de prise de décisions débute avec l’anticipation. Vous pouvez aider à son développement en posant des questions et non en disant les choses. Demandez au coureur le nombre de retraits. Demandez-lui ce qu’il fera sur une situation très spécifique. Assurez-vous qu’il comprenne et apprenne à être conscient des différentes situations. Ne lui dites pas. En posant la question, il pensera à la situation et sur la bonne réponse à offrir. À l’entraînement, vous pouvez discuter des différentes situations et des attentes en ce sens. 

En défensive, lors d’une visite au monticule sur une situation d’amorti possible - demandez au joueur de 1er but ses intentions de positionnement et de déplacement – avant de donner vos instructions. Assurez-vous qu’ils puissent anticiper ce qui peut arriver pour qu’ils se sentent responsables de la réponse aux situations. Il est important de développer l’anticipation et la responsabilté chez vos joueurs. 

Donc… la prochaine fois vous serez face à une situation avec un coureur au e2 but seulement et moins de 2 retraits, qu’allez-vous lui dire ? 
…demandez au coureur ce qu’il compte faire sur une roulant frappé. il devrait être capable de répondre – “si le 3e but charge, je me rends au 3e. Si la balle est frappée à travers le monticule et à ma gauche, je me rends aussi au 3e but. Je vais lire le jeu sur les autres situations sachant très bien que sur une balle à ma droite, je dois être conservateur.”
Vous pensex sûrement à d’autres situations où cette approche aidera vos joueurs à se développer.