The Infield Fly Rule Explained

Did you see the Phillies - Rays game (Game 5). IT had to be suspended due to the wind and rain. It was so bad, that the infield umpires did not call the infield fly rule on a routine infield fly.

Well it wasn't routine. In fact Jimmy Rollins of the Phillies missed a easy pop fly earlier in the game. The umpire waived the infield fly rule because, in his determination, catching an infield fly ball was nothing but routine. I found it quite interesting.

Learn more about the infield fly rule and other interesting baseball situations. Even learn how to score the game.


The infield fly rule is a situational play that is ruled on by the umpire when the following conditions are met:

• There must be less than 2 outs in the inning
• There must be a force play at third base or homeplate
• There must be a popfly to anywhere in the infield. It must be in fair territory.

When all three conditions are met the umpire rules an "Infield Fly" or "Infield Fly Rule" Umpire.

Infield Fly Rule: Some Rules

• The batter is declared out and the runners cannot advance.
• The ball does not have to be caught by an infielder.
• The runner can run after the catch
• If the fielder drops the pop fly, it is still an out and the runners cannot advance
• Runners must tag up (retouch the base) before advancing. Failure to do so could result in a putout on an appeal play by the opponents.
• If the player drops the infield fly there is no need to tag up.

Infileld Fly Rule: Other Important Facts

This rule was added because fielders were intentionally dropping fly balls and getting double and sometimes triple plays.

Just to make sure you understand and there are no misconcepts ...

An infield fly rule CANNOT occur with only a runner on first base. The rule is for popflys in the infield only. No bunts! No Line Drives!

The player who catches the infield fly gets credited with a Putout. If the ball is not caught, credit a putout to the fielder closest to the ball.No error is charged to a player who drops a ball when the Infield Fly Rule is in effect. However, an error could occur after the Infield Fly Rule is in effect. It is in effect until the ball is caught or the ball is dropped.

8 Reasons To Keep Score in Baseball

Baseball is such as great game because the fans can participate by keeping score of the game. Scoring a baseball game isn't hard to do, it just takes good instruction and a little knowledge of the game. Here are 8 reasons why you should learn how to score a baseball game?

1. Get intimate with the Game
there is nothing like the nostalgia of baseball. You've got peanuts, cracker jacks, hot dogs, "Take me out the ballgame" and the baseball scorecard. Scoring the game of baseball gives you a feeling of being part of the game.

2. Following Your Favorite Team and Player
What a better way to follow your idol and your favorite baseball team than to record the events of the game in a baseball scoresheet. You'll become an expert on baseball statistics and the stats of your personal favorite ballplayers.

3. An Analytical Tool
If you are a youth baseball coach, you can use the baseball scorecard to gain a competitive edge on your opponents. The baseball scorebook contains a wealth of information that can be analyzed and used in specific game situations.

4. Get to Know Baseball Lingo and Terminology
Learn the weird and wonderful a baseball scoring terminology like Defensive Indifference, Obstruction and Suicide Squeeze. Educate yourself on baseball terminology and be "in the know" when the situations occur.

5. Performance Appraisal
If you are a youth baseball coach or just want to track the performance of your favorite players, the baseball scorebook is your source for your players' statistics.
6. Keep The Romance and Nostalgia of Baseball ALIVE
Hand down the magic and romance of baseball to your kids. They will remember it forever!

7. Baseball is our national pasttime
Baseball is America's game and it's great to get involved with discussions about it with other knowledgeable fans. Keeping score in baseball makes you more informed and more intimate with our national pasttime - Baseball.

8. It's Family Fun
Keeping score in baseball can be a family affair. Spread the knowledge and share the magic of a baseball game.

Learn more about the game of baseball!

Tampa Bay Rays - The Beast In The East

The Tampa Bay Rays are showing everyone exactly how good they are. The young talent of this team is amazing. The manager is doing an awesome job of leading these bright young stars to the World Series. He continues to show confidence in every one of his players.

The Rays are tearing up the Red Sox in this year's ALCS, making them look like a minor league club. Even my brother, the biggest Red Sox around, has conceded that the Rays are the best team in baseball. He hasn't given up on his Sox but it's obvious he knows the Red Sox can't compete.

It looks like the Red Sox time is up, just like the Yankees time was up after 2000. I look forward to watching the Rays playing at the highest level possible. I mean they hit homers, play outstanding defense, have 4 quality starters, finally have a reliable bullpen, don't make the mental mistakes, steal bases, have egos and basically intimidate all the teams in major league baseball. And finally, they are having fun, and that is something that I love to see - that tells the whole story.

Many of the Rays stars have been "farm raised", and they are so young - bad news for the American League teams, especially the Yanks and Sox.

Look out America - the Rays may become the next Evil Empire (not with money but with talent). My hat goes off to the Rays!

Now it's time for a new stadium!

If you want to show your youth baseball players what baseball is all about, just have them watch a Tampa Bay Rays' baseball game, the best team in baseball.

Great Baseball Instruction Sources

Where do you go to learn how to about baseball? Well, the obvious first answer is to watch the pros on television. Another way to learn is to join a league or organize a sandlot game. But don't be surprised that the best source of baseball information is available as baseball ebooks.

Baseball ebooks offer immediate access to different baseball topics at an affordable price. For example, you can learn about baseball tips and strategies or learn about the technique called rotational hitting.

Are you concerned about your rotator cuff or looking for shoulder exercises? Yet other books focus on bat speed and even the mental side of baseball.

One of the newest baseball ebooks out is a tutorial on how to score a baseball game. It includes a clever new technique that records the pitch in every conceivable way. It really will help in your game decisions.

Finally are also videos do a good job in explaining baseball instruction. Here's one that focuses on being a better catcher.

Baseball ebooks are a quick cheap way to learn about baseball!

The Squeeze Play

Are you a fan of the squeeze play in baseball?

The squeeze play is a sacrifice bunt with a runner on third and usually less than 2 outs. The batter bunts the ball hoping that the runner from third will score and that he will be thrown out at first base.

In a safety squeeze, the runner at third does not take off until the batter makes contact, waiting for more certainty that the ball will go to a location from which it will be difficult for the fielding team to make a play at the plate. In a suicide squeeze, the runner takes off during the pitch, even before the pitcher has released the ball.


A Very Dangerous Play

As the name implies, the Suicide Squeeze is a very dangerous play because the runner on third base runs full speed toward home plate as the pitcher starts his windup. If the batter fails to bunt and swings the bat, the runner can be hit by the bat as he's swinging or get hit by the ball being struck off the bat. In order to make this play less dangerous it is a good idea for the batter to signal that he has received the suicide squeeze. Usually a hand on the top of the helmet or grabbing a fistful of dirt is enough to signal the third base coach that the batter has confirmed the squeeze play is on.

Cudos To RBI Baseball

2008 is the 20th anniversary of the unbelievably successful Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program. This program, sponsored by KPMG, with the support of Major League Baseball has grown from a local kids baseball program for boys in South Central Los Angeles to an international campaign that includes more than 200 cities. More than 120,000 young kids participants each year.

This program ws the brainchild of former Major League Baseball player and scout, John Young. His idea was to provide disadvantaged youth an opportunity to learn and enjoy the game of baseball. John grew up ins South Central LA at a time when the area developed many professional baseball players. However, by the late 1970s, John noted a remarkable decrease in the number of skilled athletes coming from his childhood area.

Young made the decision to take on the task of reviving baseball in South Central LA. He introduced a comprehensive youth baseball program for 13 to 16 year olds.

Major League Baseball endorsed the RBI concept and financial support came from MLB, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the City of Los Angeles. While the youth of Los Angeles were initially a little skeptical -- only 11 showed up for the first tryout -- they gradually began to embrace RBI, and 180 kids participated the first season. It is now an international phenomenon.

The rest of the story is history. Cudos go out to John, Major League Baseball and KPMG for continuing to provide young people with a positive, team-oriented activity that would keep them off the streets and challenge them mon while challenging them mentally and physically.

How To Score Baseball: Runs Created

Have you ever heard of the runs created statistic in baseball? Well, it is really a concept to quantify the offensive player's position batting statistics to a team's total runs scored.

The theory is to assigno positive and negative values for each plate appearance result. For example: Hits, Walks, Steals, Homers, etc are positive values and outs, unsuccessful sacrifices, caught stealing and grounding into a double play are negative.

There are probably over thirty versions of the formula but there is no reason why you have to choose one them. Instead, create your own. Simply assign a value to every possible plate appearance. Tweek the formula until you get it right.

Here is the basic formula to start with:
(Hits + Walks) * (Total Bases)/ (At-Bats/Walks)

(H + BB) * (TB)/ (AB + BB)

Learn more about how to score baseball

Youth Baseball in America

It is really amazing how many kids in the U.S. participate in youth baseball. The media always appear to bring out the bad - because bad sells. But it may not represent reality.

When you look at the people involved in Youth Baseball Leagues across America you see that, in general. people are good and there a lot of good people volunteering their time and helping people they may not even know.

So maybe it's time to not only show the bad but also the good so that we don't get any misconceptions about our society. Yes, there is bad and always will be bad, but there is a lot more Good than bad.

It just takes a look at kids baseball leagues and the small town heroes who make it all happen. Learn more about youth baseball.

The Double Switch in Baseball

If you're a baseball fan you know that the double switch is. For those of us you who would like to know more about how to score baseball, a double switch is a substitution where a manager makes both a pitching change and a fielding change. It is seen alot in the National League but not in the American league because of the DH.

By executing a double switch a new pitcher and a new fielder and introduced. The the new fielder replaced the pitcher and hits in his position. The new pitcher replaces the fielder and bats in his spot.

The reason why this is done is to immediately improve his fielding and pitching and hitting lineup. And it's done all in one move.

Baseball Shoulder Pain Relief

Baseball is a lot of fun but can sometimes cause shoulder and rotator cuff pain. Believe it or not there are exercises and programs that are presented as videos, baseball ebooks and baseball books to address this concern.

If you are looking for a shoulder pain relief alternatives to surgery and/or medication, I recommend researching ebooks on the subject. The benefit of these ebooks is you won't have to wait to begin your way back to being pain-free.

Here is a great site that recommends baseball ebooks.

Baseball Scorekeeping

Some say that Baseball Scorekeeping is an art but I think it's more like a science. Either way, it's difficult to find a good ebook that provides a step by step instruction with plenty of pictures on how to keep score in a baseball game.

After searching and not able to find a good source, I wrote an ebook myself that teaches you how to score baseball. It starts with the basics and includes advanced baseball scorekeeping concepts. You will love the book and understand it all very easily!

Learn all you need to know about keeping score in baseball.

Baseball Ebooks On The Rise

Baseball ebooks are becoming the new hot thing for baseball instruction. The ability of the average Joe to create an ebook on any subject is a powerful tool.

However, you should read about what others thought of the publication. This is a good way to determine if the author is an expert or if it's an internet marketer using a private label content that lacks quality and can be out of date.

Be sure to review the baseball ebooks from an objective source before making a purchase.

10 Tips To Increase Your Mental Game

Here are 10 great tips for getting to the peak of your mental game in baseball:

1. STAY FOCUSED
"Oh boy! Top of the seventh... we're winning 8-0 ... gee wonder what's for dinner tonight?"
Ever catch yourself doing this? It's hard not to. Think about it, with all the distractions in our daily lives it's no wonder we have trouble focusing. Here you go ...

You sitting in chair watching one or more TVs while you're balancing the keyboard on your lap with th cell phone planted in your ear - all at the same time; and we do it like machines, not thinking about it. It just becomes the norm.

To combat this syndrome you need to increase focus on your surroundings, stay alert and pay full attention to what's going on.


2. CONTROL YOUR BREATHING
When we get excited, nervous or fatigued our breathing rate increases and it can become erratic. It is essential to keep your normal breathing patterns. Controlled breathing is needed to keep the flow of blood to the brain and the rest of the body. More blood in the brain means you're more alert. This is a great mental techniques of baseball that will help keep you at the top of your game mentally.


3. THINK AHEAD
At all time you must anticipate what scenarios are likely to arise from a specific situation situation. The ability to visualize is a great technique to, in your mind's eye, visualize what is going to happend.


4. BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
You must always keep believing in yourself to meet any goal. Many folks have a great support team rooting you on and some folks do not. Either way, we all need to find that extra within us to do what it takes to reach our goals. If you don't believe in yourself who will?.

5. SHOW CONFIDENCE
Don't be afraid to show confidence to your teammates. It should help boost the team morale. Always stay positive and never give up. Play 100% until the fat lady sings.

6. ELIMINATE SELF DOUBT
Oh boy! the last time I got up with the bases loaded I grounded into a double play." You can't think this way. Try this ... All Right!! I get a chance to do what I should have the first time. I'm gonna do it this time!!!!

7. POSITIVE THINKING
If you think the worse, at the very least, you bring other people down. Stay positive. Stay Positive! Stay Positive.

8. DON'T LET THEM KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING
You never want to let the opponent think they have mental superiority. The best advice is to control your emotions in the heat of a controversy and discussion. If you fly off the handle you display that you're not in control. This can cause a domino effect with the players on your team. So be very careful and always stay in control and nip it in the bud if you see the players exhibiting that type of behavior. Stay stoic!

9. CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS
You must take extreme caution not to get caught up in a heated argument and act in an inappropriate manner.

10. BEING AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME
If you follows the nine tips above then you will be on the top of your game mentally.


Click Here! for some great baseball ebooks dealing with the mental side of the game.

Mental Techniques of Baseball

Baseball is a mental game that requires focus and mental preparation. The mental part of baseball encompasses everything from how to stay positive after making an out, to staying positive when you're on a losing team.

There are many mental techniques to improve your mental baseball game. Learning how to clear the mind of all distractions, perform breathing exercises to remove anxiety before a plate appearance, encouraging the other players on the team. Other mental techniques for baseball include how to handle slumps and streaks during the baseball season.

Where can you find information on the mental techniques of baseball. You can start by going on line and finding books that deal with positive thinking, and at the same time, read a book on being a better baseball player or you can find a book that discusses the mental techniques in baseball and how to apply them. I recommend a baseball ebook that you can use within minutes of paying for it and downnloading it.

Why is the mental game of baseball so important
Having a mental edge over your opponents helps foster confidence and well being. By having the mental upper edge you get to be on top of your game. Many players are strong physically and very talented in the game of baseball. But how do you know if the player has a mental weakness? You need to learn tips and techniques you can use to evaluate the mental aptitude of your opponents

Click Here! for some great baseball ebooks dealing with the mental side of the game.

Learn how to score a rundown on a baseball scorecard http://ping.fm/6kQmt

5 Great Youth Baseball Safefy Tips http://ping.fm/pLlyp

Baseball's Appeal Play Now Explained! http://ping.fm/PiaNW

Do you know the top 10 Differences between Softball and Baseball? Visit http://ping.fm/O7R81

MLB Trade Deadline Ends With A BANG!

It's amazing how the Major League baseball deadline stirs up the baseball world. Everyone and their brother were waiting for a blockbuster deal with the featured talent being Manny Ramirez. There was a second huge deal consummated within 24 hours of the deadline - Ken Griffey Jr., a sure future Hall Of Famer, was traded from his "daddy's" team, the Cincinnati Reds to the Chicago White Sox. And don't forget Ivan Rodriguez to the New York Yankees for who? Farnsworth!

As a baseball fan the trade deadline is one of the most exciting times of the baseball season and for your favorite team. It provides plenty of fodder for your next water cooler discussions. Who got the best deal? Was it worth it? Are they giving away their future for a championship today? Great stuff if you like debates. And to make it even better, there is no sure winner.

Another great thing about the MLB trade deadline is it marks the last stretch to the baseball playoffs. Hopefully your favorite team's moves at the trade deadline puts in the games of September, and even better to the World Series in October.

Baseball Ebook Review: Renegade Mindset For Baseball

Title: Renegade Mindset Techniques For Baseball



Price: $37.00


Author:
Stephen Ladd

Version (only one):

Overview and Description:
To excel in the game of baseball we need the physical skills such as natural talent, extensive exposure to the game early in life, good coaching, strength and conditioning. However, arguably the most important skill is to master the mental side of the game of baseball.

This ebook combines the use of ancient Zen Master secrets with modern Physics to put you light years ahead of your competition in the mental makeup of the game. These techniques have been proven to be effective in baseball instruction, positive thinking and dealing with stress and anxiety. It provides tips clearing your mind of all distractions, to provide focus on the "here and now" and to exude confidence on the baseball field.

Audience:
Baseball players at levels, from Little League to the pros, can learn a lot from this book. It can be especially helpful to any player looking for an competitive edge.



Bullet list of benefits:
Why is the book so good?
This book is actually a teaching course that provides tips and techniques to excel on the mental side of the game. Here are some benefits:

1. Provides methods to remove frustration
2. Demonstrates techniques to clear your mind
3. Provides exercises for mental relaxation
4. Shows how to acknowledge negative thoughts
5. Exhibits step by step instruction for eliminating tension
6. Details how to handle anxiety
7. Shows how to handle the "inner critic"
8. Discusses how to avoid mental distractions for better focus
9. Gives tips to avoid self doubt
10. Teaches how to handle failure and how to come back with a positive attitude


Learn what people thought about other baseball ebooks!



Testimonials:
“Stephen Ladd is the future of sports psychology. Use his amazing methods or get beaten by those who do!”

Eric Serrano, MD
Physician with specialty in sports performance
Columbus, OH
Consultant to athletes worldwide




"Your RMT book is great! I'm a catcher for XXXXXXXX University. The competition is tough and the pressure to perform in every game is high.

In the pre-season I have played really well behind the plate and at bat. After 6 games I'm at 385 (ended last season at 220). I know its early to be excited, but there is a huge difference in my confidence and how I am always in the zone....


Name withheld due to NCAA regulations




“As a coach to elite athletes, and a competitor myself, I give my highest recommendation to the RMT methods of mental game conditioning. Stephen has laid out a simple to follow plan that will accelerate the performance and ultimate success of ANY athlete in ANY sport. It is required reading at Pilgers Training Systems, because any coach or player without these tools is at a severe disadvantage.

In the end it’s all about results, and RMT produces results in spades!”

Rob Pilger
Strength and Conditioning Coach
Founder, Pilgers Training Systems
www.PilgersTrainingSystems.com

Mastering The Mental Side Of Baseball

As a baseball coach and father of kids who play organized baseball I was looking for some help on the mental side of baseball. After visiting a few book stores, sporting good stores and surfing the web I found a great baseball ebook that will help you master the mental side of baseball.

Why is the book so good?
This book is actually a teaching course that provides tips and techniques to excel on the mental side of the game. Here are some benefits:

1. Provides methods to remove frustration
2. Demonstrates techniques to clear your mind
3. Provides exercises for mental relaxation
4. Shows how to acknowledge negative thoughts
5. Exhibits step by step instruction for eliminating tension
6. Details how to handle anxiety
7. Shows how to handle the "inner critic"
8. Discusses how to avoid mental distractions for better focus
9. Gives tips to avoid self doubt
10. Teaches how to handle failure and how to come back with a positive attitude


What Methods Are Used?
The book combines the use of ancient Zen Master secrets with modern day Quantum Physics to put you lightyears ahead of your competition in the mental makeup of the game. These techniques have been proven to be effective in baseball instruction, positive thinking and dealing with stress and anxiety. It provides tips clearing your mind of all distractions, to provide focus on the "here and now" and to exude confidence on the baseball field.

Why Renegade Mindset Techniques for Baseball?
The course will answer the following questions:
Why other positive thinking techniques and programs never seem to work
How to minimize anxiety before my at-bat?
How to eliminate tension from the entire body in just a few seconds
How to get in the mental "zone" and stay there
Why we always appear to make ourselves fail, and how to stop it
How to control your anger on the ballfield

Who Uses The Renegade Techniques?
Major League, former major league, collegiate, high school and even Little League players have utilized the techniques learned in this course to put them at the top of their game.

All baseball players know that what separates the good players from the great players - it is the mental side, or the sports psychology, of the game. We all know that skills such as natural talent, playing early and often in life, good coaching, strength and conditioning and attitude also are needed. But the vital skill is excelling in the mental side of the game is paramount.

Every player, from Little League to the pros, can gain a tremendous amount by taking the course. From the closing relief pitcher to your starting shortstop to the catcher, pitcher and clutch hitter.

Conclusion
These mental techniques are the fastest, most effective and easiest way to train your mind; the way you do to your body.

These mental tips will help prepare your mind to work in sync with your body, making it much easier to be consistent and on the top of your game, every game.

These sports psychology techniques transcend outside of baseball to real life. It will help you cope and address stressful situations.

Discover the quick and easy way to quiet your mind and relax your body…and go out and do it - you won't just think about it!!

Baseball Psychology

What Is Baseball Psychology?
Baseball psychology can be a broad term used to cover very different topics. Baseball Psychology can cover conditions such as superstitions, Obsessions, confidence issues, baseball lore and mental aptitude while also covering player mentality and decision making.

Of course Baseball Psychology also includes the mental side of hitting and fielding, scouting, mentality of pitchers, and finally; streaks, slums and momentum.

Superstitions?
Some interesting things in baseball psychology are the superstitions of the players. More than any other sport, baseball is known for some players possessing quirky good luck charms, routines and even dances.

For example, some pitchers and coaches would step on the foul line when running on and off the field and some players have this big production after every single pitch. Here's an example of what it would be like:

The batter has swung and misses the pitch, then he steps out of the batter's box, touches the top of the batting helmet with one hand, then he puts two hands on the bat and balances it between both knees why re-securing each batting glove (etc., etc. etc.).

Baseball Psychology of Individual Players
The game of baseball has been known to be superstitious, Wade Boggs (former Red Sox and NY Yankee) ate chicken before every single game. Many players have been very superstitious about the uniform number they wore. Some even going as far as paying tens of thousands of dollars to teammates in a "buyout" of a uniform number from one player to the other.

Baseball Psychology could also cover the beliefs, teachings, programs and practices, such as meditation, yoga and positive thinking. In the last 10 to 20 years baseball has crept into the mental realm for clues to mental superiority.


How Do I Take Advantage of Baseball Psychology?
We limit ourselves without even knowing it. There are ancient and modern techniques, used together, that help you to gain the mental edge against your opponent.
There are many groups out there searching for the perfect balance of old and new technologies to make the perfect.

Youth Baseball - Sneakers Versus Cleats

Do you have children playing in youth baseball leagues? Do they wear sneakers or cleats? As a youth baseball coach parents ask me which is better. My response always is what type of field are they playing on?

A good youth baseball tip is if the youth league plays on a grass/dirt field, plastic cleats are preferred. The cleats provide better traction in the dirt and grass and especially on a muddy field.

If the youth baseball league has a field turf or artificial turf field, I strongly recommend sneakers over cleats, especially for pitchers. The reason why is that cleats cannot "dig in" to the turf for traction. Think of it as trying to run on the living room rug wearing spikes.

My local youth baseball league plays on both fields. I see more and more kids wearing the cleats on both types of fields. So, I guess another factor in the equation is what your child is comfortable wearing.

What do you think?

Youth Baseball Tips: Get Out And Exericse

Here comes summer! I guess it's time for the kids to exercise their fingers (playing video games) while sitting in their air conditioned room.

Summer days are so different from the days of yore. Do you remember spending summer days playing baseball from sun up till sun down, going home to eat lunch and supper.

Things sure have changed, and I guess, we parents need to change some too. We need to stay vigilant in protecting our children (especially the pre-teens) but it doesn't mean the whole family can't get a little exercise and family time too by playing baseball with our kids.

Once a week, in the early evening, go in the backyard or to the park. Bring a ball and throw it around with the kids. You don't have to use a hard baseball. How about a wiffle ball, tennis ball or even the old Pensie Pinkie or Spaldeen rubber balls.

Get out there with the kids, the memories of these nights will endure and be revisited over and over again with the smell of the sweet summer night air.

Find more great Youth Baseball Tips by visiting http://TeachKidsBaseball.com

Making Youth Baseball Fielding Practice Fun

Do you have problems trying to keep kids interested in fielding practice? Maybe your making it too much like work and not like fun. There are some really good drills that will make the kids look forward to the next practice.

Batting Tips - What Not To Do

What is a good batting tip - for what NOT to do? Below I discuss a big NoNo you see everyday - not only at the Little League level but at the Pro level.

Swinging for the Fences
Each day you see the pros swinging as hard as they can, "for the fences", trying to hit that homerun. No doubt that homerun looks great on the highlight film but it may not have had any bearing on the outcome of the game. And it also doesn't necessarily make a great hitter. If you compare the homerun to strikeout statistics for many of professional "homerun hitters" you will notice that many have a significant amount of strikeouts (as high as 200 in one year). Why?
Over swinging (Swing for the fences).disrupts the synchronized ascending steps needed to hit a baseball consistently.

CORRECT STEPS FOR CONSISTENT HITTING
Hitting is hard to do! Trying to hit a small ball at high speed with a slender piece of wood. The fundamental steps described below will help prevent you from over swinging.

1) Stride directly toward the pitcher with your lead foot when beginning the swing

2) Keep the shoulder pointed toward the pitcher

3) Keep the chin on the shoulder.

4) Keep the head still

5) Follow the ball with your eyes until it intersects the ball and bat.

6) Swing the bat level, with controlled force

OVER SWINGING IMPLICATIONS
Over swinging causes the batter to "Step Out" (striding with the front foot to left field for righties and vice-vera for lefties)" in an attempt to get as much power behind the swing. This begins the inevitable uncontrollable sequence of events, including:

1. The shoulder "swings out" and follows the leading stride.


2. Next, the chin follows the shoulder


3. Which moves the head and inevitably


4. Results in the eyes not able to focus and follow the ball to the bat.

DON'T TRY TO HIT HOMERUNS
Homeruns will come natually with a controlled swing. Here's some tips:

1) Retain your balance when you initiate your swing - keeping legs and torso in line. Try not to lead forward. This will help you adjust your swing to hit offspeed pitches when you're not anticipating it!

2) Stride toward the pitcher with your lead foot. This will keep your leading shoulder from opening (swinging away from the bottom toward the left or right field foul poles)

3) Keep your head still, positioning you chin on your lead shoulder.

4) Focus your eyes on the ball and follow it until it meets the bat.

If you follow these tips you'll become a more consistent hitter and a critical situation hitter. It's the small things that win ballgames. Like hitting the ball to the opposite field to move over a runner; or hitting it between moving fielders on a "hit and run" play, and even getting an RBI with a sacrifice fly.

Remember: IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WIN BALLGAMES!!

Good luck and keep swinging - correctly!

For more Baseball Tips and Techniques, have a peak at my website, http://teachkidsbaseball.com/