Simple Tips For Becoming A Better Pitcher

Becoming a successful pitcher is much more than being able to throw 100 miles per hour. To get better at pitching you need to develop mental toughness, arm strength and leg strength. Here are three simple tips to succeed on the mound.

Developing Mental Toughness
Baseball is a game of constant failure, batters strike out and fielders make errors and pitchers. But pitchers give up balls, base hits, walks, stolen bases, hits, runs and home runs. So being a successful pitcher takes more mental toughness than other baseball positions.

Just think about, a pitcher must overcome adversity every single game. A pitcher is constantly fighting adversity. He must be able to control his emotions, regain his confidence, forget his recent failure and get back to focusing on the job at hand, whenever he gives up a hit, run or home run.

Pitchers can build mental toughness for baseball using positive thinking and visualization. Developing mental toughness is essential to succeed as a pitcher.

Developing Arm Strength
The best exercise for anyone wishing to develop arm strength is the long toss exercise. It is especially beneficial for pitchers looking to increase their arm strength and increase pitching velocity.

The Long Toss is exactly what it sounds like, tossing a baseball with another teammate over distance between 100 to 150 feet. The distance can be increased over time. The long toss will stretch the arm muscles, add arm strength and increase pitching velocity. For maximum effect, the exercise should be done on a daily basis. Developing arm strength is key to becoming a better pitcher.


Developing Leg Strength
Anyone who knows about pitching will tell you that successful pitching is all in the legs. However, many have the misconception that jogging long distances is the best leg exercise for pitchers. Nothing can be further from the truth. Running sprints, like the 60 yard dash, is the optimal exercise for pitchers. Not only does the 60 yard dash help build up leg muscles, it builds stamina and closely resembles the act of pitching. Developing leg strength is essential to pitching.

If you heed these simple baseball instruction tips, you're on the road to being a successful pitcher.

Baseball Tips To Improve Your Game

Because baseball is game of skill, the top athlete isn’t always the better baseball player, especially if he or she doesn’t possess the multitude of skills that can help them become a complete player. Baseball is a game of throwing, fielding, pitching, catching, base running, and hitting. To improve all of these areas, you must practice using drills and get appropriate baseball instruction.

However, practices can be fast, jumping from one drill to another. As a player, you must always focus on getting the most out of every drill session.
Don’t just “go through the motions” as you will develop bad habits. Don’t just go through the drills to get as many opportunities as you can. You have to focus on getting quality out of your drills. Focus on getting top form with as many opportunities you get while in practice. The following information will provide you some tips to keep in mind while you drill that will help you improve your game

Baseball Tip 1: Throwing the ball
Grip the ball with your index finger and middle along the long seams of the baseball with your thumb underneath to give support. When you throw square up your shoulders with your target, move towards the target and throw with a ¾ arm action. Remember to follow through.

Baseball Tip 2: Fielding the ball
Make sure you have good balance by having your feet spread and get down. You don’t want the ball to go between your legs. Always have your glove in front so you can block the ball and see it go into the glove. Bring the ball up to your midsection and throw.

Baseball Tip 3: Catching Fly Ball
If you’re in the outfield and want to be striding towards your target, you want to be behind the ball. First, you can see the ball and secondly, you can quickly get into your stride to throw to your target. Furthermore, catch the ball above your shoulder with a bend in your elbow. That will help cushion the catch.

Baseball Tip 4: Batting Stance
Generally, you want a parallel stance with your feet shoulder width apart. Your toes should be pointed inward slightly. This will help your balance. Look at the pitcher with your head level.

Baseball Tip 5: Pitching
Focus on consistent strikes with good mechanics. This will reduce the changes or arm injury. Don’t throw each pitch with the same speed. Keep the batter confused and their timing off. Learn to locate the ball inside, outside, up and down. Learn to get late movement in your pitches.

Baseball Tip 6: Base running
You always want to run in a manner to give yourself the best chance for top speed. For instance, if running more than one base, time your steps so you hit the base with your right foot as you get less arc and can keep a more consistent stride losing less speed towards the next base.

Baseball Tip 7: Baseball Instruction Ebooks
You can get a lot of baseball instruction help right off the internet. Don't be afraid to get help from baseball sources.

Although these baseball tips are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to skills for playing baseball, they will help in your effort in becoming the complete baseball player.

How To Score A Ground Out On A Baseball Scorecard

In order to score a ground out on a baseball scorecard you need to know the number assigned to each defensive position. This numerical assignment is an essential basics to learning how to score baseball.

Most ground ball outs involve more than one defensive player. The out is entered by recording each defensive player in the sequential order in which they handled the ball.
The outs are entered into the hitter’s cell for the inning in which they batted. The out is recorded using the Defensive Position Numbers of the fielders involved.

The entry into the baseball scorecard above illustrates the ground ball out of the First Baseman, Jones in the First Inning. He hit a ground ball to the third baseman who caught it and threw the ball to the first baseman for the first out of the inning.

It is recorded in the scorebook as a “5-3″ ground out; where “5″ represents the third baseman catching the ground ball and “3″ represents the first baseman catching the throw from the third baseman for the out (notice the sequence of the play is repeated in the scoring).

The number “1″ with a circle around it is used to help keep track of the number of outs in an inning. This is a good habit to get into!

The boxes in the upper left hand corner of each cell represents balls and strikes. You can keep track of the batter’s count and count the number of pitchers by entering a dot after each pitch. The top three squares are to track balls, the bottom two for strikes. The ball that is hit in play is not recorded.

Going to the Ballpark With My Baseball Scorecard

I don't really care whether we win or lose, but it's always nicer if we win. The walk back to my car after a winning game is a lot more fun. When we lose, just about everyone is down in the dumps, and it's hard to engage any fans in conversation after a loss.

What I like about going to an Orioles game is being at the ballpark. I look forward to buying my peanuts, sodas, and other munchies for the game from the outside vendors. Outside the ballpark you can get a soda for one or two bucks, but inside you're looking at four bucks for a soft drink.

Same thing with peanuts. Outside you'll spend a couple of bucks. Inside, a small bag will cost you three bucks or more. It's not that I can't afford the extra money inside. But I know the vendors outside the park are trying to make a living and working hard. I usually buy from the same people each time.

I'm one of those baseball score-keeping fans. I used to pay $5 or so for a program, but Outside Pitch sells their newsletter outside the ballpark for only $2, and that includes a stapled-in scorecard and a pencil. I regularly buy the newsletter for the articles, but I don't like their baseball scorecard, so I print out a few before I leave for the ballpark and use my own.

After the ballgame I look forward to a couple of musicians who always play outside the game. Yes, they're looking for some money ... the hat is always out front when they're playing. The trumpet player, though, is good enough that I'll stand and watch/listen to him play for ten minutes before I walk away. Both my son and I generally add a buck or so to the pile in the hat.

We used to have a drummer outside the park who played upbeat rhythms as we walked to our cars. I haven't seen him for about a year. I hope he's back this year. He was worth a buck or two for the entertainment. Instead of a drum set, he was using upturned plastic tubs. And he was good at it. He usually drew a crowd. Again, I hope he's back this year.

I also have a favorite place to park. It's a few blocks away, but by the time I get to my car, all the traffic is gone and I never have a wait in traffic (except maybe a wait to get out of the parking lot). Once I leave the lot, I'm home in 20 minutes (I live about 10 miles away).

Oh, yeah, I enjoy the game too. Keeping score of a baseball game means I don't worry so much whether we win or lose. I'm keeping score on my baseball scorecard. That's the important part of the game for me. I hope that there's more high numbers on the Orioles' side of the card. But just keeping score alone keeps me interested in the game, no matter what happens.

Hope to see you at the game.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Stoler

Where Can I Learn Baseball Scorekeeping Basics?

One of the important duties of a youth baseball coach is to educate the players about the game of baseball. Sure, you can teach them to hit and throw, but it really doesn't teach them about the strategies of baseball or baseball scorekeeping basics.

As a young kid I remember my dad teaching me how to score baseball while watching the Yankees games on TV. Learning how to score baseball opened me up to the complexity and strategies of baseball. By keeping score at a baseball game I was able to learn the tendencies of players, how they performed in clutch situations and recognize unique baseball situations.

Learning how to score baseball made me passionate for the game and it helped me to build cognitive abilities. It taught me to think ahead and exploring all options before making a decision. I took these learning experiences and applied them to every aspect of my life. I know that learning how to score baseball was the foundation for my professional successes.

Now I have two children and coach their youth baseball team. I challenged my kids and the players of the youth baseball team to learn more about baseball scorekeeping basics by going to the how to score baseball tutorial website, a site I created for the baseball youth of the world.

If you share my passion for the game of baseball and you want the complete guide on to keep score at a baseball game, the How to score baseball advanced edition is for you.

Things A Hitting Coach Needs To Know

A good batting average in the major leagues is 300 or above. What does it mean to hit 300? To hit 300, a hitter gets a hit 3 out of every 10 at bats. That also means a 300 hitter makes 7 outs for every 10 at bats. In other words, a 300 hitter fails more than twice the amount he is successful.

In what other sport can we consider 30 percent successful? If a quarterback completes 30 percent of his passes, he will not be starting. A basketball player shooting 30 percent from the foul line may not make it in the NBA. A goalie who stops only 30 percent of the goals will be looking for a new position. A coach who wins only 30 percent of his games will be fired. However, in hitting, 30 percent, or.300, is considered successful.

Successful hitting coaches need to understand that every hitter will fail more than they succeed, and they need to consistently relay this message to their players. Once a player realizes this reality, hitting will become much easier for them.

Good hitting coaches make sure that their players do not become agitated from making outs. Often times, we see players have a bad at bat, a strikeout with the bases loaded or a pop up in the infield, followed with a few errors in the field because they were still upset about their poor performance at the plate. As a coach, you cannot let your hitters compound one mistake with another. After a bad at bat, calmly sit down and analyze the previous at bat with your players. What did the pitcher throw in certain counts? Do your players feel weak today in a certain location? What is the plan next time? Coaches who ask these questions are now taking a proactive approach towards helping their players become successful the next time around.

Instead of analyzing hits and batting average, focus on Quality at Bats instead. A quality at bat could be ground ball to the right side that moves a runner over, a sacrifice bunt, a walk, a hard hit line drive to the shortstop, or even a strikeout in which the hitter fouled off numerous pitches just to stay alive. Focusing on quality at bat instead of batting average conveys a more positive message - that is, just because an out was made does not necessarily it was an unsuccessful at bat.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Pohl

How To Master The Mental Game Of Baseball

There are many philosophies on the mental game of baseball and there are some really good baseball videos and baseball books about the subject. However, some these mental baseball videos and books leave it up to the reader/viewer to implement the concepts discussed.

What you want to look for is a mental baseball ebook or baseball video that provides a step by step program on the "how to'" of the mental game. The material should be appropriate for your level of play, been field tested and come highly recommended from respected names in baseball.

The mental baseball video that I recommend is The Cognitive Advantage Program (CAP) by Rick Harig. It focuses on the process required to maximize mental toughness. That process is the same mental toughness program that has been used by elite military commando groups that have a zero tolerance for failure under the most extreme conditions and stresses.

The CAP process narrows in on building up your mental attitude in 5 areas: ability to play in the moment, your focus, your confidence, your competitiveness and your overall mental toughness.

Baseball Instruction Videos

Baseball is America's pasttime and it takes a lot of practice and guidance to become a good baseball player. That is why it make sense to purchase baseball instructional videos or baseball ebooks to help those who want to maximize their time in becoming a better baseball player.

Baseball hitting videos and baseball pitching instruction videos can be inexpensive and available online. There are many baseball related sites to go to but bestbaseballebooks.com provides potential customers with an unbiased opinion of the best baseball instruction video and baseball instruction ebooks available today. The site provides detailed information on the author, an overview of the baseball instructional video and an in-depth analysis of what the baseball ebook or baseball video contains.

Another great website for learning the game of baseball is the How to Score Baseball ebook. It contains everything you need to know to learn how to keep score at a base ball game.

Mets Manager Jerry Manuel's "Mis-Decision"

The New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel stiffed the Mets fans by resting all their position starters in a Saturday afternoon homegame against the Florida Marlins. In making the decision to bench his stars, Manuel showed either blatant disregard or sheer arrogance towards the Mets faithful.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Flushing, Queens, excited Met fans, young and old, where mistreated to a D-League lineup that excluded David Wright and Gary Sheffield.

Just think of all the kids who were disappointed and letdown. Think of those who's visit will be their only one this season. Think of fans who shelled out big bucks to see a game to be mistreated to a bunch of minor leaguers!

But there is a lot more to the story then just upsetting the fans. Last year Jerry Manuel promised not to bench his stars on a homestand after he did the same injustice to the hometown fans - is senility setting in?

Get this. The Mets had an off day the previous day. But Manuel still went ahead with decision knowing that on the following Monday the Mets were starting a next road trip was against the weaker teams and lowest fan attendance in the National League (Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals) - a perfect time to rest the players.

But here is the kicker!! The Mets were facing the Marlin starter Josh Johnson. Johnson was undefeated against the Mets (6-0 lifetime) and Jerry Manuel made the conscious decision to concede the game before it was even played. The Mets front office should really question his decision-making and competitiveness.

But this is just another episode in the long history of the Mets front office and managers to completely disregard and disrespect all that is the Mets - it's history, some of it's former players and especially their fans.

I believe Mets fans will get over this, as long as the next Manuel "mis-decision" doesn't cost the Mets a chance at the pennant.

The MLB All-Star Selection Debacle

Major League Baseball's annual mid-summer classic sets the stage for showcasing the best talent the league has to offer. The integrity of the All-Star Game and MLB itself are in question, if changes are not made to the All-Star selection process.

Baseball fans vote on the starting positions for the All-Star Game on the internet. This method slights the small market teams because most of the starting players come from teams that have large fan bases, such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

Let's face it, the fan vote is a popularity contest and not a real assessment of who the best players are. MLB should revise the process by weighing in the votes of players, coaches and managers together with the fans votes. If there is significant difference between the fans and the players use the season's statistics to determine the starter.

Another change needed to the All-Star selection process is to prohibit players that violate MLB's drug policy from playing in the All-Star Game. It is unbelievable that Manny Ramirez (LA Dodgers), currently serving a 50-game suspension for violating baseball's drug policy, is eligible to play in the 2009 ALS. He is currently fourth among outfielders in the All-Star voting.

There will always be debates on the All-Star selection process but one thing is for sure, MLB needs to send a strong message and take action on violators of it's drug policy.

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.