About The Process
Fundamentals of Pitching
Fundamentals of Hitting
Fundamentals of Coaching
Strength and Conditioning
About Safety
Mom & Dad
Question & Answers

Even the fundamentals take years of refining to produce the polished look of a Major Leaguer. Therefore, be reasonable in your expectations. Strive for perfection, but be content with progress. Soon enough, you will be pitching, hitting, playing or coaching the game well if you continually focus on the quality of practice and not just the quantity. If the development process is to be accelerated beyond the pace of trial and error, or the information about fundamentals be best applied, it is strongly recommended that a qualified professional be utilized.

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Creating a fluid, balanced, powerful and repeatable delivery -- How is this accomplished? The fluidness stems from a series of coordinated movements, beginning from the feet and finishing with the release of the ball. If the series of movements, (Kinetic linking) transpire in proper sequence and rhythm, then the transfer of energy through the body appears graceful and fluid to the observer. The pitching delivery becomes like poetry in motion and the pitcher also creates the appearance of throwing hard easily, a great quality for a pitcher.

What is balance? By definition, it is “the ability to maintain bodily equilibrium.” In baseball, or any athletic endeavor, it is best achieved when the shoulders align over the feet with the hips back. When the head gets behind the body’s center of gravity, (the bellybutton) balance and leverage are greatly compromised. Therefore, posturing as suggested will optimize your chance of remaining in that state. Pitching (and hitting) requires even more to be successful. It is not enough to remain in stationary balance, you must remain in dynamic balance. As the pitcher travels toward home plate, he cannot compromise his balance otherwise technique and results will suffer greatly. Balance promotes better body control which enables a more repeatable delivery and also assists in better collecting the energy, often referred to as a balance point, so that the energy can be redirected toward the plate and delivered with full force. Balance drills are easy to do and can immediately improve results.

A repeatable delivery is self explanatory in many ways, yet very often lacking. As Einstein stated, insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different result. Therefore, if you throw a quality strike and replicate the same timing, intensity, and technique in the following pitch, you will throw another quality strike. This great result will continue to the degree and skill in which you repeat your delivery. Consequently, any variation, by choice or accident, will create a new result in terms of location. Therefore, it becomes obvious, if you desire better command, focus on a repeatable delivery. It is as important and sometimes more important than technique itself. If you ever wondered how the great pitchers generally throw a great pitch in a big game situation, now you have an idea. Through their years of practice, the great pitchers have developed solid mechanics which are consistently repeated under pressure. The better you are at this, the quicker you will gain confidence in your ability to perform well under pressure, an undisputable quality of all great pitchers. On a side note, repeating a delivery is not necessarily an indicator that you have a great delivery. Through practice, bad deliveries can be repeated as well, but generally speaking, it is a very positive demonstration of technique and body control.

Generating power in the pitching delivery has been debated dating back to the beginnings of baseball (or close to it). Essentially, it is the creating of energy (from the ground up) by the body which is transferred into the ball. The energy created by the body helps to give the throwing arm more elastic energy allowing the ball to be thrown with greater velocity. The science behind it simply states that you accelerate your body over a given distance to achieve greater velocity (V = mass x acceleration/ distance). The process of properly generating optimal force and energy in each pitch proves to be more difficult than the formula suggests, that is why there is not on overabundance of hard throwing pitchers. Nonetheless, it is doable. The pitcher’s ability to travel toward the plate in his best position of balance and strength is the first step in accomplishing this task, and that is why coaches are always saying, “stay back.” This expression is often misinterpreted. It does not mean stay still, but rather, it refers to keeping the head over the backside/hip while traveling toward the plate. This eliminates drag in the arm and allows for a stronger finish to the pitch. In understanding the essence of power in pitching, it is easy to see why focusing on one particular muscle or group of muscles is problematic. Instead, focus on the efficient transfer of energy from the feet up through the fingertips and out to the baseball. That is why the entire body must be properly conditioned, not just the legs, otherwise you will be only as powerful as your weakest link. Another contributing factor in an athlete’s ability to generate power (other than strength and efficiency of movement) is the range of movement of the muscles. Flexibility of the body is necessary, but in excess amounts can also lead to injuries. Because of the complexity of the pitching delivery, often times pitchers gain velocity when techniques improve simply because before that point, they were not playing to their full potential.


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Seeing the ball, selecting a pitch, acquiring precision timing, and taking a good swing

Seeing the ball refers to tracking the ball’s flight from release point to point of contact with the bat. The best hitters track the baseball in three phases. The first is as the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand. The next phase occurs while the ball is in flight. The last phase occurs at contact. Most hitters see the ball in two of the three phases. Seeing the ball in all three phases must be a goal of every hitter. The earlier a hitter sees the baseball, and the degree to which he sees the ball, the more accurately he can process the information about spin, trajectory and timing. That is why any hitter, Little League through Major League, while on a hot streak, will almost always say, “I’m seeing the ball great.”

(eyesight can also be trained, for more info, visit …Institute for Sports Vision ).

Selecting a pitch is a difficult task because you have to process a lot of information in a short amount of time. You choose whether to swing, take the pitch or move out of the way based upon visual feedback from spin of the baseball, trajectory of the baseball, how well you’ve timed the ball, and what game situation calls for from your at-bat. Sometimes the trajectory of the baseball appears to indicate it will cross the plate as a strike, but the spin causes the ball to deviate from that path, i.e. a curve ball. Learning to master the strike zone like some major leaguers takes years of practice and thousands of at-bats. That is why you see some very good hitters become great hitters a few years later.

Timing refers to coordinating the start of your swing with the delivery of the pitcher and speed of the baseball. The hitter must accurately assess the speed of the ball in relationship to the speed of his bat, and then determine when to begin the process to deliver a quality swing which generates maximum force into the baseball. When a hitter has mistimed a baseball, it does not always mean that he will miss the baseball, while that does happen, with good hitters, more commonly they mishit the baseball, resulting in an easy out.

Taking a good swing should be the goal of every hitter in every at-bat. However, in order to achieve this goal, it must be set prior to entering the batter’s box. It is the last element in the process, but vital for success. A good swing is a well-timed, well-located pitch (for the hitter) that is met with an aggressive swing consistent with proper mechanics and bat path. or simply stated, a good pass at the ball. Quality swings create better contact which results in more chances for hits.


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Lead by example; how you prepare is how you will play; incorporate as many teaching methods as possible and be positive but truthful

You reap what you sow. If you don’t give respect, don’t expect it in return. For example, if you berate a player at home plate for taking a called third strike, you’ve done nothing helpful. Rather, pull the player aside and give the necessary instruction. A winning attitude can be taught and it begins with you. The teams with a good morale play better, and it stems from a good leader. That is why you see managers getting fired on television when teams don’t perform to desired expectations. Almost every coach says to relax and have fun, but that only works when you make it possible. If you are too intense, then generally you get tense players in return.

Stress quality practice. Good habits are formed in practice as well as bad ones, so be careful to form the good ones. The degree to which you prepare the player/team is the only degree as to which level of play is fair to expect. No player/team starts a game with the hopes of losing, so accept your share in responsibility attached to the loss, not just in the wins. Lastly, just as gold is tested by the fire, so, too, are players. There must be some hard work and sweat involved to create winning players/teams.

People learn in different ways, some verbally, some visually, etc., so be creative. Essentially, you are a teacher, so learn about baseball. Just because you mean well doesn’t mean you do well by the players. Help where you can, but know your limitations. Even major league managers differ to other coaches. Be reasonable in you’re expectations. No player/team performs poorly on purpose to discredit you, so recognize more work needs to be done to achieve winning results.

Be a man of your word. For example, don’t say at practice that everyone is an equal part of the team, and then you play the same nine players all the time. Actions speak louder than words. When they stop believing in you, big problems occur. Give them a goal to believe in, to push them ahead. For example, “If you work hard, I’ll give you a chance to start”, and then give them that chance. Otherwise, qualify your statement. If you work hard, you will have a chance by the fall season to be a starting player. Find some positives to discuss as well as negatives about the practice or game. Honest evaluation helps everyone, however the truth doesn’t always have to hurt. Be thoughtful in your honesty. For example, we need to do more work is better than, you’re no good.


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Any parent can help, moms included. You don’t need to have a baseball background to be a positive influence. Technical skills and ability are not the only aspects of baseball, your support is important. For example, drive them to a practice or friend’s house if you are not comfortable being hands on. Observe whether or not other components of success are there, such as: attitude, body language, self-confidence, work ethic, nutrition, etc. , and then do what you can to help. Lastly, encourage your child to believe in himself/herself. It might be the best thing they ever learn, and it may begin with you believing in them first.


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Coming Soon




In order to enjoy baseball to its fullest extents, it is important to remain injury free. Injuries shorten careers and reduce opportunities for success, so here are some important guidelines:

Be attentive of your surroundings.

Errant throws or flying bats happen on a regular basis.
Make sure all safety equipment is used and is in proper working condition. For example, helmets are not cracked or missing interior padding, glove laces are not frayed or broken, and even shoelaces are tied, etc. For more information or to purchase equipment visit ifungo.com.

Build up to game requirements. Pitchers must throw regularly and build up their pitch count before attempting to pitch an entire game. Prepare in practice to be able to perform whatever task is required. In the same way, hitters must swing baseball bats. It toughens up their hands to minimize blisters and also strengthens/conditions the muscles used in the swing. Adult baseball players are not the only ones who get sore backs.

Be attentive to your body. The axiom, “no pain, no gain,” isn’t always true. When you feel soreness, recognize that it is the body’s way of telling you that it is overworked or not properly conditioned, so proceed carefully. Pain is different from soreness and requires immediate stoppage in play until otherwise advised by a health professional.

Make sure that you are in great physical health (as determined by a doctor). Even Major Leaguers don’t get to throw or hit a baseball until they pass all the physical testing at the start of spring training. That includes eyesight as well. Vision is a primary function in safety and performance (eyesight can also be trained, for more info, visit …Institute for Sports Vision ).

Properly condition the body. Weak muscles are more prone to injury. Tight muscles are also at risk of injury, so be sure to monitor flexibility. When strengthening/conditioning the body, always use proper form and try to do the workouts under the supervision of a qualified strength and conditioning coach.

Before any activity, begin with an active warm-up. A light sweat is a good benchmark that it is safe to begin activity. This is how the professionals do it, so learn from their example.

Nutrition and hydration are also critical for short and long-term safety. Cramping, dizziness, dehydration, and all other related symptoms of bad nutrition or improper hydration increase your chance of injury. In conjunction with other factors, it can also cause death, even for top athletes, so encourage and enable proper nutrition and hydration. In addition, be careful with supplements, while many are good, some can be detrimental and even lethal, so refer to a qualified nutritionist before adding any to your diet.

Finally, use common sense. Going for a run in 95 degree weather is not the best idea, try and find a more suitable time or place. Don’t rely exclusively on other people, i.e. trainers, coaches, teammates, etc. to take care of your health. While they may appreciate your feedback, it is important you learn to take an active role in procuring your own well-being.
 

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