THE IMPORTANCE OF PITCHING AND DEFENSE

“When pitching is your strength, you want a good defense,” SF Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “That shows up every day. … Hitting sometimes, it comes and goes. But as long as you can stay in more games, the better chance you have of winning them, and that’s how we play.”

AMEN !!

Ray Lewis Inspirational Speech : Stanford Basketball @ NIT

ENCOURAGEMENT

“There’s nothing greater in the world than when somebody on the team does something good and everybody gathers around to pat him on the back.”

- Billy Martin

THE GRIND - Great motivational video

2 strike approach

Hitting with two strikes requires a different approach than hitting with less
than two strikes. With two strikes you must hit the pitcher’s pitch (if it is a
strike) and you cannot “sit on a pitch”. This type of hitting is know as
“reactive” hitting. You must see the ball and react to it. Two strike
hitting is much tougher than hitting with less than two strikes. Major League
hitters on average hit less than .200 with two strikes and above .320 on average
with less than two strikes. If you want to hit .300, you need to learn to hit
with two strikes. If you can get your two strike average up - you will improve
your overall batting average

Two strike hitting tips:

1. Keep your swing short. Some hitters shorten their stride or eliminate it altogether with
two strikes. The short stride or no stride approach starts with a wider stance
to begin with (you are essentially starting in a “pre-stride” position. The
longer you can look at the pitch (to identify it) - the better with two strikes.

2. Use an “inside out swing” with two strikes, going to the opposite
field will give you longer time to identify the pitch. This is a great time to
let the ball get deep and hit the inside half of the baseball.

3. Concede the long ball and just get the barrel on the ball - as Ted Williams used
to say. Don’t try to do too much, just hit a line drive (first choice) or ground
ball (second choice) somewhere ( to the opposite field if need be).

4. Crowd the plate a little bit. Make sure you have good plate coverage. Don’t let
the pitcher sneak a strike by you out there.

5. Widen your strike zone slightly. Don’t chase real bad pitchers, but don’t get “rung up” on a close pitcher either. The “two strike” strike zone should be slightly expanded in the
hitter’s mind to avoid being called out.

Playing the game the RIGHT WAY

*You often hear Erstad say he wants his players to respect
the game. What exactly does he mean?

"It's running on and off the field," he said.

"It's little things like actually picking up trash off the field. It's
playing catch the right way, respecting your opponent, just the way you go
about your business.

"It's not about any individual person. It's about this
game. You're here to honor this game and play it the way it's meant to be
played. I want them sliding, I want them diving and taking pride in what they
do.

"They're starting to grasp that."

The 3 I's

The "3 I's," as I like to say. Intelligence: the ability to make sound
decisions on your feet and to play smart. Immediacy:
the sense of urgency in accomplishing a task; the belief that now is the time to
act. Intensity: the emotion and passion that an
individual brings to his or her task. Do you have the burning desire to be the
best that you can be all at times? Not every player or employee has all three
to the maximum, but those who do stand out from the pact. The teams that have
individuals with the 3 I's are more likely see success.From
"How Good Do You Want To Be" by Nick
Saban

MOTIVATION

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."

- Jerry Rice

SIMPLE WINS

A lot of players want to make "big plays"; but you win more games
because of "basic winning plays" repeated over & over again. Simple wins
more! Focus on making the routine play every time. That will lead you to
success.

Having a plan at the plate

Study from NCAA Division 1 baseball:

Here are a few quick reminders to give you an advantage at the dish:

-For every 10 ground balls hit, 3 will fall in for a base hit, and the on base average is 42 percent.

-For every 10 line drives hit, 8 will fall in for a base hit, and the on-base average is 84 percent.

-For every 10 fly balls hit (including home runs), 2 will fall in for a base hit,a nd the on-base average will be 29 percent.

Working on your own- Great Example

Wasn’t that beautiful?
 Many players would probably look at that clip and not think “beautiful.” Boring might be a better fit for kids today. It may be boring to some but that would be a result of them not really “seeing” what is in the clip. Upon closer inspection, here are some key features of the clip that many would miss.

He is by himself.
Practicing by yourself is a must if you want to be great. A field, a garage, a gym, a basement, a batting cage, and/or a back yard are the places where good players become great. Waiting for your coach to call a practice will get you nowhere. There are a million things a player can and should be doing on their own if they want to continue playing baseball in the future. As Jean de la Bruyere (17th century French writer) said, “All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.”

Rhythm.
Watch the clip again and count the seconds that pass between the swings. Start counting (or just look at the clock) as soon as the bat hits the ball on the first swing and start counting again from the beginning when the ball is hit again. (Like this … 18, 19, 20, HIT, 1, 2, 3 … HIT ). Notice anything? When I counted, it was EXACTLY 16 seconds between both swings!! How did that happen and why would it matter? Many players hitting off a tee do not take their time. They rush. They swing, swing, swing without any type of rhythm. Joe Mauer takes his time and recognizes that the quality of the swing is much more important than the quantity of swings. Developing a systematic rhythm to your swings gives your body the proper muscle memory that allows it to go on autopilot in times of high stress or pressure. He would not even know it but his natural rhythm between swings off a tee is about 16 seconds. What’s yours need to be?


Game like.
This goes along with the rhythm piece. After setting the ball on the tee, Mauer goes through his exact, game-like procedure prior to the swing – he looks down to set his feet properly, he gives a normal practice swing, his eyes are forward on where the pitcher would be, he loads up, he strides, and he swings. He is practicing exactly what he wants to do in the game. The rhythm, technique, and timing are all the same.

Approach to the game

“You can't just beat a team, you have to
leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you
again.”

-Mia Hamm

3 terms that todays players need to understand

Great stuff from Kevin Eastman

Hard Work

-It is the price of admission

-If you don't work hard you don't get between the lines

-Everyone works hard, so hard work won't seperate you. It will get you in the door.

Competitveness

-Most are competitive once they seperate from a group

-Inside Determination

-Desire to win anything you are involved in

Committed

-This is an elite group (guys that put in the extra work and wont stop until mission is accomplished)

-People talk about it but don't understand it

-Think about what it takes to be great

-Everyday trying to get better, think long term, have the attitude that you never have arrived

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn't come before.

Focus on the present

Each at-bat is a new day.

We don’t just have the opportunity to start fresh each day. We have the opportunity to start fresh each moment.We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn’t get stuck there. We can keep future goals in mind, but we shouldn’t get stuck there, either.

The only way to reach our potential is to focus on what we must do now – this moment, the day – to perform effectively and to win.In baseball, a hitter mired in a slump can belt a home run on any pitch. A team on a prolonged losing streak can always win that day’s game.

From "Ground Rules for Winners" by Joe Torre

TCU Baseball 2012 - The Grind

It is time for the grind!

Good Stuff from new LSU Pitching Coach Alan Dunn

“I want pitchers to establish a mound presence so there is no question in anyone’s mind who is pitching on that particular day. This starts with their mound tempo, which is showing the ability to work fast and keep the pressure on the hitter. Body language is huge regardless of what is happening in the game. They have to show the ability to control the game and not the game controlling them.” Next he points to the pitchers attitude towards throwing strikes and attacking hitters, “It is a must that pitchers show the conviction in attacking the zone and pitching to contact. We want to make the action happen early in counts and to do this they must throw the ball in the zone.”

“The fastball is still the most important pitch a pitcher has in his arsenal. Whether it is 82mph or 98mph a pitcher must pitch off of his fastball to be successful. What I mean by this is that the pitcher must “command” his fastball. Commanding the fastball means he has the ability to make quality pitches with his fastball in fastball counts and get the hitter out. In this game if you are a hitter and you can’t hit the fastball and you’re a pitcher and you can’t pitch with the fastball you will never be successful.

Was today your best?

"At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, 'If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today.'”

-Muhammad Ali

Importance of preparation

"To this day, I consider preparation the most enjouable part of my work, and the most challenging. to the extent my teams have succeeded, I'd say that solid preparation -- not talent or strategy -- was the primary factor."

-Bill Parcells

Practice

This list was developed by Kevin Eastman:

Let’s take a look at some things that both coaches and players need to bring each day:

THE COACH

•must bring great energy and enthusiasm (and not just the first week, but every day)
•must bring the preparation needed to make sure that what he’s working on is what’s most needed for that day
•must bring a keen eye to spot the mistakes that will keep the team from improving that day
•must organize the practice so that he gets maximum work in the allotted time
•must know his system so well that he actually has the answers before the players ask the questions

THE PLAYER

•must bring great energy and enthusiasm
•must walk onto the floor “clutter free” — all outside distractions must be cleared up or at least put to the side for that time period
•must always seek to “get from” practice not just “get through” practice
•must bring great focus, as the first month is always filled with teaching and learning
•must have a “get in great shape” mindset for both physical conditioning as well as mental focus (being able to stay focused even through fatigue)
This is a short list of what all players and coaches must bring to make sure they’re holding up their end of the “practice bargain” and the “improvement bargain.”

One final thought — both groups must jump on every opportunity to help someone else get better, learn faster, go longer. That’s a sign of a great team!