Mastering the craft and art of pitching is no mere stroke of luck or genetic advantage. It demands unwavering commitment, relentless practice, and an unwavering determination to refine each and every pitch. To truly become an exceptional pitcher, one must immerse themselves in the discipline of pitching, honing their skills in what is commonly referred to as a "bullpen" session.
“Control what you can control” (Shannin Hislop). He wasn’t the first to say it, and none of you have ever heard of him, but when I heard those words come out of his mouth in 2010 it changed my life. Before that, my passion for baseball and my desire to be the best clouded my ability to do so. I was in my own way, trying to reinvent the wheel to get the edge, so angry at everything. Then I heard those words, like a switch turning on a light, those words altered my reality on how to have success in the game and how to be a better man.
According to the publication Popular Science, "Hitting a baseball is the hardest skill to pull off in sports" as it is (scientifically speaking) "a unique blend of physics and neuroscience [which] makes the skill astronomically difficult." Now, take the hardest skill in sports and apply that with youth baseball players; it takes time, practice, and understanding of how to break down & teach to a young player what to do to be a good hitter.
At DREAM Team Baseball, we use "old school" hitting fundamental techniques and combine them with "new school" optical technology (with Rapsodo Hitting Technology) including measuring Exit Speed, Total Spin, Spin Access, Launch Angle, and Exit Direction. One may say that gathering this intelligence is going "over the top," but what Rapsodo data does show is what happens when a player makes contact with the ball (which is obviously the result of their bat path and overall hitting mechanics). More than anything, this helps pinpoint simple adjustments that can be made and then see results (when adjustments are made) of better back spin (which produces line drives as opposed to top spin which produces ground balls). This is just one application of using software to get feedback from this type of swing analysis. With all of this intelligence, we can track and make necessary adjustments, but again there's a balance of using the "new school" software with traditional (old school) hitting fundamentals. From a development standpoint, the main question (as instructors) is "why would you guess when you can assess (with measurements)?" DREAM Baseball will incorporate these measurements into hitting fundamentals and (by putting it all together) make every hitting session a learning session and overall produce greater results.
As a part of our continuous efforts to provide our athletes with top-tier training and development resources, we are thrilled to introduce our new initiative, the "Pitch Lab". Designed with the specific needs of young pitchers in mind, the Pitch Lab offers targeted workouts and in-house training to improve pitch mechanics and enhance performance on the field.
Baseball is a game of skill and strategy that demands a high level of concentration from players. Whether you're a pitcher, batter, or fielder, staying focused can help you to make better decisions, stay more consistent, and ultimately improve your overall performance. We'll explore how staying focused can help improve baseball performance and why it is essential for players to master this skill. The side that isn’t always talked about is how we can improve these important traits off the field while staying focused is a key element in achieving success, whether it is in life or in sports like baseball. Being able to maintain concentration for extended periods of time can help you perform better, increase productivity, and achieve your goals faster. In this blog, we'll explore some effective ways to improve staying focused and why it is essential for both life and baseball players.
As a catcher, you have a lot of responsibilities. Not only do you have to be able to hit, but you also have to field your position well and have a solid arm to throw out runners. The most critical responsibility of a catcher is to manage the pitching staff. A big part of that is knowing when to call for specific pitches and being able to receive them properly. That's where your stance comes in. The way you position yourself can have a significant impact on the way you receive pitches and the way you manage the pitching staff. This article and this accompanying YouTube video will introduce you to primary and secondary stances and explain why they're essential for catchers. We'll also give tips on finding your proper posture and how to perfect it.
1. Transition from a passive state to an active one; “feeling ready!” Per Driveline Baseball, "In amateur baseball, starting pitchers generally transition from lengthy spans of time sitting – whether in a classroom, car, bus, or on a couch – before arriving to the field before the game. The pre-game routine serves as a means of getting out of this sedentary state and into an active one." Muscles that are dormant for a long car ride or by prolonged sitting must be "woken up" to help the pitcher get into an active state in "controlled, progressive manner."