It’s been a little longer coming than I wanted, but we are ready to go with our video baseball pitching and hitting tips. 

My first one? Well, I’ve had a lot of emails and requests from readers how to use their own video clips from home to evaluate their pitching or hitting mechanics. 

So, I’ve put this video clip together using my video evaluation software and posted in on a page within the BioForce Baseball website. 

I’ve also included a couple of special offers on this page. You can download the free home version of our software and you can take advantage of an offer I made to the Jugs Sports customers for a video evaluation completed by BioForce. 

So, click on the link below and watch my tip on how to use video to help with your pitching mechanics and hitting mechanics. 

www.bioforcebaseball.com/jugs.shtml 

I’d love to hear your feedback or questions. Let’s get a dialog going on this subject! 

Train Like a Champion Today! 

Coach Bill Mooney 

P.S. Check us out on Facebook now! Type in BioForce Baseball and become a fan today! 

www.bioforcebaseball.com/jugs.shtml

Do you ever sit on a bench at the mall and watch people go by? How about when you are waiting for a plane at the airport? Do you people watch?

I suppose you are like me and everyone else… we create assessments of people as they go by. “Gee, that person looks like they are in a good mood.” “That person looks like a lawyer.”  “That person probably shouldn’t be eating those French fries.” Am I the only one that does this?

I doubt it.

What about your coach….or if you are the coach? What about you?

I’d like to share a couple of stories about my two boys during their baseball careers.

First, my oldest son Bryce, was pretty good during high school. After a great first game on JV as a freshman, the head coach pulled him up to varsity to pitch. This was at a large high school that actually made the playoffs that year, so it wasn’t a slouch team. Bryce was only 14 at the time. I didn’t think about the social ramifications of him playing with some 18 year olds. Oh well, he seems to be ok now.

What does this have to do with assessments? You can imagine a young, physically immature 14 year old playing with 18 year olds. He was small, ran slower, and didn’t have the power at bat like some of the other kids. But he could play.

What happened over the next couple of years was very interesting. His sophomore year, the coach let him hit a little, but not a ton. The coach pinch ran for him when he had the opportunity. But was it justified? I don’t think so, but I’m the dad and have my own filters. But does a .375 batting average sound too bad? That summer, Bryce got pulled in a tournament game as he was 6 for 10 in the previous 3 games with 9 RBI’s. At that point, the team scored a total of 11 or 12 runs. Yes, he had the bulk of the teams RBI’s.

Why was he pulled? I believe it was the coach’s filters toward him. His perspective of Bryce was that he was slow and didn’t hit well. He even told Bryce that after the series that he pulled him to put in a stronger hitter. The team was batting about .150 that series by the way.

The next year, his junior year, Bryce led the team in doubles and was one off for the home runs lead if my memory serves me. About half way through the season, Bryce asked the coach if he could steal him more. He told him he was too slow. After having enough of that, Bryce called him on the foot speed.

Bryce asked for a foot race with the team. So, after all the guys ran, he ended up being the second or third fastest on the team. What do you think happened? Bryce started stealing a lot more bases.

Do I fault the coach? Is he a bad coach? No. It’s just what happens. We all have filters about other people. It takes a lot to change the coach’s filter of you.

Another example is my younger son Craig. His freshman year in college went very well. Hi ERA was .150 I believe. Among the best of the returning pitchers. His strike out to walk ratio was very good too. The opponent’s batting average against him was very low as well. And he wasn’t given the garbage innings either.

Fast forward to the fall of his sophomore year. He fully expected to participate in a sophomore showcase to help players move on to larger colleges the next year. But when it came time for the showcase, he was the only sophomore pitcher to not be on the roster. He was crushed. He had been looking forward to that for a year. He was wondering why.

I encouraged him to talk with the head coach about his concerns and he eventually did. What was the coach’s response? He told Craig that his numbers last year weren’t very good. We all thought his numbers were excellent and looking at the year-end totals, they were very good. I asked him if he talked to the coach about his numbers, and he did not.

What was it then? Well, Craig isn’t the hardest thrower on the team. But he is one of the better pitchers on the team. Again, I think a coach’s filter may have been a factor in the decision to not put him on the roster. We’ll never know, but a lesson learned.

I encouraged him to go over his numbers last year with the coach to help change the filter. He is reluctant to do that. He wants to just come out this spring on fire like he did last year and try and “re-filter” the coach. It could take a long time to change the coach’s filter though without sitting down and talking about it.

If this is you, then I think that’s what you need to do though is “re-filter.”

It’s tough to change a coach’s perspective and opinion of you, but it can be done.

You do need to talk with the coach. Keep communicating with him. Make sure he is involved in your learning and progress.

And for you coaches that might be reading this… challenge your status-quo. Work hard to remove your filters.

Like President Reagan to Gorbechev, “Tear down this wall!”

Coaches, work on tearing down your filters. We all have them. You’ll be a better coach for it.

Please write to me and share your experiences with filters.

Until next time…

Train like a champion today!

Coach Bill Mooney  

P.S. Look for a special Christmas and Holiday special for our BioForce Online Academy video analysis. It’ll be an offer you can’t refuse.

Anyway, after a talk with the doctor about my nose, sinuses, etc, the next thing I know, I’m going in to get a sleep study at a local clinic. Weird.

I was reluctant at first, but after it was done, I was so glad I did the test. I won’t bore you with all the details, but I am now getting a great nights sleep and I’m full of energy the next day.

What I have learned along the way is how really important proper sleep is to every function of our body. From your brain, your immune system, the ability to handle stress, your mood, and a lot more. I’ve copied some benefits of good sleep below from a website on the subject.

Sleep and Concentration

When people do not have enough sleep, they cannot concentrate well the next day and have problems forming memories. Researchers believe that during sleep, neurons can shut down and repair any damage done during the day. Without these repairs, the neurons may not function correctly due to a buildup of waste products. Sleep also seems important for the formation of memories.

Growth and Repair

Important hormone production is regulated during sleep; in children, human growth hormone (HGH) is released during deep sleep. Insufficient sleep can affect hormonal balance in adults as well. Tissue repair also occurs during sleep, including repair to the daily skin damage done by UV light. Getting enough deep sleep will help your skin repair itself.

So, how does this relate to the youth baseball player? Well, all the repair from your workouts, competition, and whatever else you are doing happens during the quality sleep. If you haven’t repaired properly, then you will always be in a deficit. Not to mention you won’t make the gains with the workout you have done.

It’s like taxes, you make $100, and end up with $70 in your paycheck. You think, man, I’ve worked hard for the $100, I would like all the benefit.

You work hard in the weight room, or doing drills, or running, and you want all the benefit. Not getting proper rest will result in not getting all your benefit.

So, listen to your mom or dad, get your rest, eat right, and work out hard!

Until next time…

Train and Sleep Like a Champion Today!

Coach Bill Mooney

Yesterday I was working with one of our more dedicated athletes. I’ve been working with Willie on his pitching and hitting for a couple of years now. He’s got an absolute beautiful left-handed stroke. During our hitting session yesterday, we had a great conversation about hitting and pitching mechanics. Or the conversation went more towards the absence of mechanics.

Over the years, I’ve made the typical coaching mistake by over-coaching mechanics. Let me explain….

Willie had an amazing spring and summer season for hitting. I believe he hit over 600. Yes, 600. And this wasn’t in a slouch league either. He absolutely crushed the ball against every pitcher. Fast pitchers, slow pitchers, junk-ballers…. All of them.

This fall Willie decided to play fall ball. Surprisingly, he flat-out struggled with his hitting. What was different? He stepped up from 8^th grade ball to a high school fall league. The league used only wood bats. His struggles were popping up more often, ground out way too much, and striking out much more often then he ever had. Willie handled the frustration and disappointment well and is working harder than ever but was searching for answers. We hadn’t been together much during the fall, so I hadn’t had a chance to watch him.

Towards the end of his fall season, Willie met his new high school coach started working with him and other players from time-to-time. And what’s the first thing this coach and assistant started to do with his swing? Of course they went to do a wholesale change of his hitting mechanics. To say the least, this fall has been frustrating for Willie between the changes in the league, and the changes the coach was trying to make.

I had a day or so to think about our training session before meeting with my student. How as I going to approach his frustration? What should we work on?

My first thought was to try and get away from talking mechanics and get back to hitting.

So, my strategy on our session was to review what he accomplished last season then listen, ask questions, and let him come to some conclusions. I first asked him about his success this past spring and summer. Of course Willie’s eyes lighted up, and was very proud of his accomplishments. I then asked what changed during the fall. After some thought and a few stabs at it, he came up with a great answer, that the pitching was consistently faster, and the bat was different, and the coach wanted him to make some big changes in his mechanics.

And what did he and the high school coach do when he struggled? They attempted to put band-aids on the problem by shortening his stride, landing on the toe, staying back…. A ton of the old-school teaches. And it just cluttered his brain.

So what did we do?

We talked about the definition of pitching or hitting mechanics. Simply put, your body needs to work in a certain order, or sequence, the hit or throw the ball with consistency, power, and accuracy. That is mechanics. When your sequencing gets out of order, then you struggle.

The underlying factor to this out of order sequencing is rhythm, tempo, and timing. We spent most of the session working on his timing and not talking about mechanics. I believe timing is different than mechanics. Especially if you are an accomplished athlete, your mechanics are probably just fine. Sometimes we get out of whack. Stay focused on your timing mechanism, not necessarily the mechanics of the swing.

So that’s what we did. And you know what? Willie stroked the ball all session….with a wood bat no less. We got rid of the clutter in his head, and focused on being on time. And what that means for hitting I’ll leave for another day.

So, what is your timing mechanism? Spend some time on that, and you will reap the benefits.

Train like a champion today!

Coach Bill Mooney

Here’s what Coach Elliott has to say…

“Hey Coach…I am Toby Elliott, the head baseball coach for Blacksburg High School in Blacksburg South Carolina. We have a teams sports class that some of my players are taking. It is basically a weight lifting class. From my understanding the lifting coach (he is a football coach at our school) is going to make players lift on game day (circuit training with light weight). Before I ask you your opinion as in to “corner” you for your opinion…I believe it is a bad idea. I have lifted weights all of my athletic career, even now at age 39 I lift five days a week, twice a day. I try to keep updated on the latest information, techniques, etc. Our program is a very competitive program. I worry about fatigue (if not early, at the end when momentum is crucial for playoffs or regions championship) and of course I worry about injury. I can’t see where it will actually help us win games, but I can see the potential of hurting us. I can’t dictate who should and shouldn’t b/c most are pitchers and the guys not starting may end up pitching relieve…I worry about refueling the body with the proper carbs/protein and recovery factors. I am not asking for them to sit….They can wipe down weights, spot other lifters, walk, I have some solo drills they could do, stretching, a number of things they could do and be graded on…What about the day after? Lower body only?…I understand the concept of going light during the season (to preserve muscle built during off season) What about days of bull pen work during practice? I am asking several people that I respect in the game of baseball and I need your thoughts before I go to the lifting coach, administration, and whoever else I need to go see to protect what we have built at Blacksburg. Basically what does your baseball team do….thanks…toby Elliott”

Coach, this is a great question. My short answer…don’t do it.

I feel you are correct in your judgment with the fatigue issue. I also agree with you that the off-season is the time to get into better shape. In-season, the player is trying to maintain.

Also, it takes time to recover from a great lifting session. More than a day. Especially with pitchers. I would say they should have two days of rest in their shoulder area before throwing heavily or competing. Probably even three days rest during the season.

I agree with you that working on some great flexibility exercises early in the day might be ok, but you still run the risk of fatigue as well as getting tight all over again.

I say game days are for competing. Off days are for recovery.

I wonder, does this football coach have the kids to a full workout on game days during the football season?

Coach Elliott, good luck with talking with the football coach and administration. Let me know if I can be of any help.

Remember, come from what they care about first. Then it should open up the conversation and they should ask what you care about.

Your players are lucky to have you as a coach.

I would also pay attention to the type of lifting they are doing. Traditional football lifting isn’t necessarily the best for baseball players.

Good luck and…

Train like a champion today!

Bill Mooney

If you’ve never experienced this as an athlete, or pitcher, be thankful.

I’ve battled tendonitis a few times in my life, once in high school and college as a pitcher, more recently as an adult, playing in an adult baseball league of all things.

This experience really helped me better understand the challenges of an athlete. Several years ago, I was asked to play on an adult baseball team. It was an over 28 age league and I was a little reluctant to do it. Not that I was afraid of competing after 20 years away from the field, but I was very busy at the time with four young kids, all busy with school and sports. But the tug to play got me curious to get out there and give it a try.

Well, I got the bug. I actually competed very well. Had a lot of fun. I was even clocked throwing in the low to mid 80’s. Not bad for a guy who had been away from competing for a while. I guess working with kids on helping them kept the game close to me.

My first season went well. The next year I was asked back to play with the team. After a few games, my patellar tendon (just below the kneecap) started hurting me. Even to the point where it was tough going up and down the stairs. I had to play third base and short and couldn’t pitch.

After talking with my neighbor who’s a physical therapist about why this happened and how to avoid it, he said that my legs were out of balance in strength and essentially the tendon was working overtime to support my knee. To avoid it, I needed to get my legs in better shape and in better strength balance.

Why do I talk about this? Here’s a great email from a BioForce Faithful reader….

Dear Mr. Mooney:

“I have read many stories where fathers are telling you about their sons.  I would like to share the same about my son, Jordan Pacheco.  He is a sophomore this year but was very fortunate to make Varsity as a freshman last year.

He was a starting pitcher for most of the year and led them to a Play Off game, which they did not win, but he got recognized for Top Newcomer of Dist. 27 5A, Top Pitcher of Memorial High School and was averaging anywhere from 85-89 mph during all of his games.  He pitched two – 1 hitters and had 11 strike outs in a couple of his games.  He really has a gift that I’m hoping will take him to one of the top Division 1 schools.  He was very privileged to receive a hand written letter from UCLA after his freshman year through his coach.  This was very exciting for all of us, esp. Jordan.

At this time Jordan has been experiencing some pain in his elbow and the Dr. said it is “only” tendonitis.  He was advised to take it easy and/or take time off from pitching.  I am wondering if you may have some advise on how long a break he should be taking and/or how to treat his tendonitis w/out medication?  Do you think it should require some physical therapy?”

Any advise you may have would be greatly appreciated, Alex Pacheco

First, Alex, my congratulations to you and Jordan with his success in high school baseball so far. Jordan should be very proud of his accomplishments.

Now about the diagnosis of tendonitis in your son’s elbow. I’ve got to be crystal clear here that I’m not a doctor. I’m not trying to give medical advice here. I’m not qualified to do that. Here’s the advice I can give you from a father of two college baseball players and a coach.

I would make sure the doctor is 100 percent sure that the discomfort is tendonitis and not something else. The “only” part of his comment is a little concerning. I believe tendonitis for an athlete should be treated beyond rest only. There are a lot of treatments available today beyond popping pills. There are studies out there that are even looking into how some foods we eat can contribute to some of these itises. These food can create an environment within the body that promotes there existence. Something to think about.

I would find a physical therapist in your area that is experienced with throwers and have him/her give you an opinion and look for any strength and flexibility deficiencies Jordan might have. There might be some needed strength and flexibility needs there. Make sure they look at his shoulder and other parts of the body too. Just because the problem is in the elbow, that weak link might be hurting because of another area in the body is even weaker.

You also need to find out the source of the problem. Was he throwing too much with not enough rest, is he working out specifically to be a pitcher? How about looking at his mechanics? Is he being efficient enough, or are the mechanics adding to the problem.

I suppose you are already looking at some of these issues, otherwise you wouldn’t be writing.

Rest? Of course. But you need to do more than that too.

I hope this helps a bit. Alex, keep me posted on his progress.

For all the rest of you out there, please check out this tip on our website. I’ve got Rob, my website guy installing a blog function on BioForceBaseball.com. We are doing this for all of you to be able to sound off on my tips. To deepen our conversations out there.

In coming days, we will have better links on to the site to get you to the blog, but for now, check out the tip on the left side and click to read more. That will get you to the blog page.

Until next time….

Train Like a Champion today!

Today, I would like to answer a couple of questions from a BioForce Faithful, Tom S. and share a great story about his son. I hope he doesn’t mind I share this touching email I received a couple of days ago

“Bill I appreciate the newsletter and the simple manner in which you approach the info.

What gives the ball sink? What makes it late movement? I think the late movement is velocity related but I would love to understand the power sinker.

One other note. I was reading your thoughts on velocity this morning about how it gives you more chances. I wanted to relay a story.

I have a 16 U son that is a great kid. He has been sick for most of the last 8 months and really hasn’t pitched any since April. He is feeling better recently and wanted to get out and do some baseball stuff before the cold weather. An old coach of his was going to a local college to have a showcase style event for his players. He was short guys and wanted my son to come out. Although my son was not much in playing shape he went. He had played some catch and in the past we had done a lot of work on velocity both from a conditioning standpoint and an understanding of how to get it. My 16 U son could probably tell more to coaches about velocity than they would ever know. AS the showcase began, I watched just happy to see him on a field again. I could tell he was worn out but he showed pretty well.

I was shocked when I heard the coach tell him that the next inning on the mound was his. I didn’t know how good of an idea it was but I also knew my son knew what he was doing and after all he had been through he probably just wanted to compete. I watched. He did not have much command but the ball exploded out of his hand. All the college guys took notice. He was smooth, explosive and confident. They couldn’t hit him when he did throw a strike. He started to work out the kinks of his location issues just about the time his inning was over. I notice the coach being called over to talk to the college guys. When the hitting half of the inning came and went I heard the coach say for my son to go back out there. The college guys wanted to see more. One more inning of the same..not much command and a explosive fastball. Didn’t matter…they really liked him.

At the end of the day, the coaches talked to 2 seniors and one junior which was my son. They wanted to know who he was and where he came from. Other parents there were not happy. Afterall, their son had thrown strikes by God!! This kid was wild..even dangerous!! They didn’t get it at all. It was the pop they wanted to see.

One other thing. IN my baseball life I have run in to many great people.

The game seems to take care of those that love it. My son has really struggled. He has been sick and lost one of his best friends to a suicide in July. His grades have suffered and he has been hard to deal with. His dream of playing college baseball seem to be fading. Having 2 college coaches talk to him and compliment him was a wonderful thing. All he wanted to do on the 90 minute ride home was talk about throwing 85 as a junior and 90 as a senior. Completely different kid than had got in the car just 4 hours before.

This game does take away a lot at times, but in my book it gives back to those that really are willing to give it the commitment it needs to be good.

Have a great day.”

Tom S.

Tom,

You’ve made my day a lot brighter. Thank you.

First, I’ll talk briefly about the movement of the fastball. It’s physics really. When you release the fastball further out front of your body, the later the movement will be on any pitch. Period. If you change your posture and release the ball early, then the break will be earlier simply put.

Your level of fitness, your mechanics, and your body make-up will contribute to movement as well.

Probably the biggest factor in making the fastball sink is the angle of your arm. If you are a side arm pitcher, the spin of the ball will make the ball move. Pitchers that are completely over the top throwers have a more difficult time making their fastball move late.

The grip has a little to do with movement as well. The four-seam grip has a tendency to be a little straighter, probably because the friction with the air is more uniform on the four-seam. The two-seam moves a bit more. The sides of the ball are smooth and tend to create less drag.

A two-seam with some scuffs on the sides can be an interesting pitch. Especially for those who throw a little harder.

Hope that gives you a little better insight Tom.

Your son’s story is a great one. I wish him well in his future endeavors. His story will show what persistence can do. It also shows what the scouts are looking for…athleticism Throw harder, run faster, jump higher. In your son’s case, sounds like the rest did him well as he matured a bit. He’ll need to work on getting his endurance back, that’s for sure.

What puzzles my mind are the coaches and scouts that tell me pitching velocity doesn’t matter, that’s not what get’s kids out. Movement and location do. And I would agree. But the next time you see these guys out at the field what do they do? They bring out the radar gun. I know, I know….they need to justify their jobs to someone.

Moral of this story? Work on all aspects of your game. Gotta work on velocity. Gotta work on control. Everything.

Until next time…

Train Like a Champion Today!

Bill Mooney

P.S. Check out our Velocity DVD, and the Pure Power Training DVD’s on the website. www.bioforcebaseball.com

Dear BioForce Faithful,

Your questions really are the lifeblood of our online community and I thank you very much for them.

This week, a fellow BioForce faithful asked about how often you should do the pitching drills in our videos.

Here’s the email from Max…

Dear Bill,

“I recently purchased 3 of your DVD’s (How to Become a More Explosive, Athletic, & Powerful Pitcher and Level 1-3 of the shoulder & elbow conditioning). Last night I had a chance to watch the How to Become a More Explosive, Athletic, & Powerful Pitcher DVD. My question relates to the 6 steps in the reverse regression training. How often should the player work on this and how many reps of each step should be done, you do not cover this on the DVD. If you could give me some guidelines for this it would be greatly appreciated. Also both my 13 & 15 year old sons have started the Level 1 shoulder and elbow conditioning, they both say they can really feel the burn and are finding muscles they didn’t know they had. Thank you in advance for your time.”

Sincerely,
Max W.

Max, I’m very glad to hear that you have watched the DVDs and they are working the program. My goal is to get a companion manual published this summer to help plan the workouts, both in-season and off-season. This email should help give you some insight on how to use the program in-season.

In-season, it is time to maintain what we have gained over the off-season in both strength and mechanics. The goal is to stay sharp and enhance your timing mechanism (a great drill for timing is pitching drill 3 in the DVD.)

Last night (Tuesday), my younger son Craig came into our academy to do a tune up and prepare for his next start on Friday. His high school team doesn’t do a lot of pitching preparation in between starts. Sometimes that is a good thing if you like working your own system. There isn’t anyone to get you off course and try to put band aids on the bad curve you just threw.

I can’t believe his high school baseball career is coming to an end in a few short weeks. The bright side of the equation is that he is following his brother to go play college baseball. Still not sure where yet, but I think he is ready to make a decision very soon. It’s been great for him that he has some options right now and four schools are interested in him. He’s feeling very good about all the hard work he has put into his game. But, I digress. Back to the subject at hand.

Three weeks ago, he did the same thing on Tuesday in preparation for a Friday start, a short bullpen working all his pitches, fine tuning his pitching mechanics, and getting his timing down. The result? Well, a two-hitter against one of the best hitting teams in the state with maybe one or two walks. The following week? Didn’t do the bullpen and the result? He got a win, but couldn’t get the curve over very well. He walked a few more batters than he should have. Craig certainly didn’t have his best stuff, but competed through it well. Last night he was feeling good working on his timing. Something came out of his mouth that put a huge smile on my face….well inside at least. Couldn’t show him I was jumping up and down for joy! He said he better get back to doing his mid week workout because he noticed a difference in his performance between the two games.

I’ve seen a phenomenon with both of my two boys. They work real hard preparing, have a great game and feel…ok, now I’ve got it….found the groove. And then take a little step back and relax a little. Less drills, the routine changes, and BAM, have trouble finding the strike zone again.

Then they get frustrated and can’t figure it out….

DUHH…

Develop a working routine and stick with it. Every day. Every week.

What did he do last night? After a good warm up, like some of the physio ball circles in the 12-Minute Shoulder and Elbow Endurance Solution dvd Level 1, and a few choice other warm up drills like the internal and external rotator cuff band exercises, he threw a few drill 4 step behinds until his shoulder felt good and loose.

He went right into about 10 to 12 pitching drill 2’s to work on waking up the body and getting the glove side active and ready to work. He was also focused on his posture at release point too, keeping his head over his knee and foot at release.

After that, he went right into drill 3 from about 45 feet or so. His focus on the first 5 to 10 was to get his equal and opposite timing down at foot strike and making sure his glove side was working as we talk about in the DVD.

Once he felt comfortable with his timing and tempo, he broke off a few curves to wake up his release point, then a few change ups too.

At this point, he felt ready to progress to pitching. He got up on the mound and threw about 10 to 12 fastballs from the stretch. He was only throwing about 50 to 55 feet at this point. We didn’t want him to over throw and stress the arm and shoulder too much. The purpose of this session was to enhance his timing and keep his touch and feel going.

He proceeded to work all his pitches from the stretch and wind up making sure he took a little break after about 15 pitches…because that’s what we do in a game. We certainly don’t crank off 40 to 60 pitches in a row in a game right?….hopefully not.

Overall, he didn’t throw more than about 30 or so off the mound. He was throwing about 70% effort too. He did cut loose on a few at the end, but the purpose for this session was to stay sharp.

What will he do the rest of the week? Today he has a game, and will play a position. So he’ll throw a little as usual. Not a bad idea to keep the arm loose. He might do a few of the pitching drills with a partner as part of his warm up routine. He plays catch with a purpose. Tomorrow, the day before his start? He’ll take it easy with the throwing. He might do a few towel drills with pitching drill 2 and pitching drill 3 as well as some with the stretch and wind up just to enhance his timing, but for the most part, he’ll rest the arm and shoulder. He might spin a few curves and change ups to feel it coming out of his hand, but not too many. He needs to be physically fresh for Friday.

Pre-game. More drill 2’s and pitching drill 3s to a catcher at a short distance. And then on to the mound.

Then go out there first inning and kick some arse.

By the way, if you own our How to Become a More Explosive, Athletic, & Poweful Pitcher DVD, my younger son Craig is our athlete performing the pitching drills in the DVD.

You might be wondering about why he doesn’t do our pitching drill 1. I use that drill primarily for kids who have trouble with the active glove side. Once they get that part of their game down, we focus a lot on the other drills. For some people, that drill 1 can actually promote an open shoulder while throwing. I would use it with the sole intent of working on stacking and an aggressive glove side.

Max, I hope this helps you. Thanks for the great question.

Until next time….

Train like a champion today!

Ever notice that? Many of the teams score in the first inning; the then the game gets a little out of hand in the fifth?

If not, watch for the trend this year.

Why does it happen

I have my theory. I believe it’s part mental, and part physical. I don’t think it’s a mechanical phenomenon.

Today, I’m going to talk a little on the mental aspect.

I received a great email from a concerned dad the other day and it’s a timely one as most of us are beginning our season very soon, if it hasn’t already begun.

Bill,

“What do you recommend to help my 15 year old with first inning jitters (ie confidence)?”

John

John, the first inning jitters is certainly not a new phenomenon. If you look at the scores of Major League baseball (MLB), you’ll see a trend. A lot of runs scored in the 1st inning, and the 5th inning. Why? Probably a million reasons. But the few that I observe are jitters, fatigue and complacency.

Just about every pitcher I know gets jitters in the 1st inning. It’s natural. But what causes it? What about the higher scores in the 5th inning? I think it’s because the pitcher is closing in on an official game, if he can only get through this inning with the lead, I’ll get a win. I imagine there is some mental and partial physical fatigue too as well as the pitcher possibly not adjusting to the hitters, but I suspect most of it is mental.

But what about those 1st inning jitters? Why does it affect some pitchers more than others?

Simply, I think it has to do with the pitcher accepting the uncertainty of what’s about to happen, or not accepting the uncertainty.

In our book by Christy Mathewson, Pitching in a Pinch, Mathewson talks about the pressures pitchers face in becoming a major league player. Why some don’t make it…because they don’t learn to Pitch in a Pinch.

A lot of us don’t accept the uncertainty of an upcoming event. And, we talk ourselves out of success. Players sabotage their own performance a lot of times. The amazing thing is that a lot of pitchers will do that before they even step on the battlefield.

Our self-talk kills us. “Will I get shelled in the first inning? I hope I don’t walk a lot of guys. Boy, that’s a pretty good team I’m facing.”

What’s the affect on us not accepting that uncertainty and the negative self-talk? We become very anxious. We worry about the outcome…..we don’t want to fail. And what do we do? Focus on what we don’t want.

Simply put, anxiety is the distress or uneasiness of the mind caused by fear. In this case, the fear of not succeeding. The fear of what I don’t want to happen just might happen. Apprehension. I don’t think anyone can compete at a high level consistently if they play with apprehension.

Do you or your pitcher focus way too much on what you don’t want to happen?

What’s the fix if you do?

Here’s my opinion. Focus on what you want. Wonder about the great outcomes that can happen. Focus on what you want to happen. Your anxiety can turn into wonder. The uncertainty turns into something better.

Wonder is the acceptance of the uncertainty ahead. I certainly would like to operate in a state of wonder as opposed to anxiety.

The first step is to become aware of what you are thinking. Write down your thoughts during the game when you get home. Pick up your writings the next day or two and it should help to better understand what you have been thinking about and then make the decision to not go there.

Even hoping for a hit at bat is a bit negative. When you hope to get a hit, the message you send to yourself is a bit of a band-aid. You are trying to mask the real belief that you don’t have confidence you will get a hit.

Focus on what you want. Be specific too. “I want to hit this 0-2 pitch on the outside of the plate over the 2nd baseman’s head.” And you’ll know how to react to the inside pitch. That’s a little more specific than, “I hope I get a hit.” When you are more specific, I think it will take your mind off what you don’t want.

Give this a try and let me know how it’s working for you. Your BioForce Family would love to hear the success stories.

I’ll tell you, I’ve been working behind the scenes lately on a couple of new baseball instruction products to be pre-released very soon….first to you, our BioForce Baseball online family.

The first is a book on pitching principles. Been in the works for some time now. And it’s not the same ‘ol science book, and dry text book kind of stuff. I guarantee you the title won’t be “The Science of…” It will be a more interesting read, and I’ve been working real hard to make it a simple read too. Just like the old saying K.I.S.S. I’m keeping it simple.

Simple because that’s what we need to do with baseball and mechanics, keep it simple.

My other project? It will be the ability for you to upload video clips to me, and we can provide an analysis of your pitching and/or hitting.

I’ll be like your cyber pitching coach, or hitting coach.

I’m looking forward to that very soon. I hope you will be too. I’d love to hear your thoughts on these two projects.

Until next time….

Train Like a Champion Today!

I received this email from a long-time BioForce faithful. A.S. (I’ll use initials to protect the innocent). I have been working with A.S. since he was in little league. A.S. is now a division 1 pitcher. An incredible accomplishment for any athlete to compete at that level. But as you’ll see, the progression through baseball isn’t without some bumps in the road.

Coach Mooney, “I thought I’d turn to you with this dilemma. I know you’ve heard from me about my coach’s stubbornness. We’ve been in season for a few weeks now. Now, first let me state that I understand that as a freshman PT (playing time) is hard to come by, and I really need to earn it. That being said, I’ve had 4 outings so far in 13 games. My coach has expressed to me that he is reluctant to pitch me until I change my mechanics to what he likes. I’m torn between what to do. I’m yet to give up a run, and hitters are hitting less than .200 against me. I understand that these stats don’t mean much through only 4 games, however, I’m merely using them to illustrate my point that I’ve been getting the job done.

How do I deal with a coach like this? Obviously, I want to pitch – but I’d rather do well. Two of our Coaches “model pitchers” have ERA’s of 8.03 and 6.75, not sure how well these mechanics are working for them… Obviously, I feel that my mechanics are much more suited for me, and that I get results with them. However, how do I express this (to my coach) without seemingly disrespecting him?”

-A.S.

A.S., my heart goes out to you on your struggle and dilemma. I see two issues here.

First off, I would focus on the great numbers you have put up so far as a freshman. That’s nothing short of phenomenal. You obviously feel very good about that as you should. I wouldn’t play it down. How many freshman pitchers out there don’t even get 4 innings all year?

The season is young, and so is your career. Playing time is tough to come by and it will come if you keep putting up numbers. I would focus on earning the playing time as you mentioned. How do you do that? Be the most prepared pitcher you can be. And I know you work very hard. I also know you well enough that patience isn’t your strong point. You want things now!…Which isn’t all that bad. Because it motivates you. It keeps things exciting for you. Hold on to that. Bottom line, put up numbers.

I do hear a “but” in your email to me. That “but” is that you aren’t satisfied with the four innings and you feel you are better than a lot of the other pitchers getting more innings. Again, put up numbers, the innings will come. Just like the classic movie “Field of Dreams”, build it and they will come. Put up some kick-b*tt numbers, and they will pitch you. And I know you are capable of putting up some great numbers.

The second issue here is the communications with the coach. You say he is stubborn and doesn’t feel comfortable pitching you until you do things his way. He is likely looking at you as being a stubborn freshman. Both of you are being a bit stubborn. You are both into certainty. Certain that you perspective is right and the only correct solution. You both want to convince the other side that your perspective is correct and change the others mind.

The coach has you a bit over the barrel doesn’t he? He puts your name on the lineup card and you have to take it. Doesn’t that just tick you off? It is the game though. That’s why he is the coach. Unfortunately, you are not his customer. It a sense, he is your customer.

I believe poor coaches like using this quarry slave and boss leverage. Used to work in the old days of the military and the business world. Why? Because it’s easy. It doesn’t take a lot of extra thought, time, and effort. Just tell someone what to do.

Even the military and business world has changed though. More toward the customer relationship. A great coach will work towards more possibilities in the relationship, not the quarry slave approach. A great coach will be a great communicator. A great communicator will move towards connecting with the player. They will not try to change your mind, body, spirit, and being.

How should a great coach do this? It’s simple really. He should work towards finding out what’s important to you. And work towards helping you achieve your goals.

Sounds great doesn’t it? But it’s NOT gonna happen with the “my-way or the highway” type of coach. The quarry slave type of baseball coach.

What should you do?

In my opinion, you should approach the coach and maybe go over your performance to-date. You should not focus on mechanics or anything else, but pure performance. Then ask the coach what’s important to him. What does he want? I imagine he will focus on results. Not many pitchers walking guys, getting ahead in the count, and a fairly low opponents batting average. Simple really. If he goes there, and ask how you are doing in relation to his desires. If the conversation goes to mechanics, try to get it back to results.

After a little bit, ask him if he is interested in knowing what’s important to you. If he says yes, he is open to the conversation, and then you let him know. Again focusing on the results you are looking for and how you want to help the team. Stay away from mechanics at this point.

After that conversation progresses a little, let him know where you struggle sometimes (like throwing the curve low and away from a right handed hitter). Ask him to help you watch your front side, or ask him to help you watch your posture. Or that your tempo getting down the hill is inconsistent. Whatever the issue might be.

You are now asking for his help, and you are demonstrating your knowledge of your own mechanics. You’ve also connected with him on a deeper level. If the conversation goes a way you don’t like, get back to what’s important to him and what’s important to you.

This is a start. Stay away from trying to convince him of your point of view. You can’t change him. He is trying to convince you and change your point of view. You need to discover alternative possibilities. Do that through finding out what’s important to each of you first.

Remember, ask…what’s important in performance for you coach? Then go to “are you open to hearing what’s important to me?” Let’s see where this goes.

Good luck AS and let me know how it is going.

Train like a Champion Today!

P.S. For those of you parents out there, check out the blog for sports parents. http://www.dearsportsmom.com. A great place to work on the communication skills.

P.P.S. Got a great message from A.S.’s dad last night about a recent outing for A.S. here are the highlights… went 3.2 innings, giving up three hits, one earned run, one walk and three strike outs.” Great job A.S.!!! That’s the way to earn more innings.