passionforpitching

Championships

2012-02-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Just this afternoon I was sitting in the middle of my daily meditation and an inspiring thought jumped into my head. I have been wanting to create more ideas to write more blogs and be inspired to do so. I don't want to just write because I feel like I have to. I want to write because it feels good and the words jump into my head and into my fingertips and then on to this little box you're reading right now. Feels much better to do things that way then to struggle to sit down and make yourself do it.

Anyways, that is not the point of this blog so let me get back on track. When I was sitting in my meditation I got the inspiration to write about championships. What a cool word that is, CHAMPIONSHIP. Feels so strong and powerful when you say it. Like you are the best and you know it. Like nobody else could ever take that away from you. Like a whole bunch of things lined up along the way for you to create this accomplishment. Like you are on top of the world and plan on being there a while. You get my drift, right!!

Well, the thought that popped into my head while I was meditating was, "you know how you win championships? You don't talk about championships" There are many things that go into a team winning a championship and for the level I am at in Advanced Rookie Ball that is the last thing on our mind. Now, I am not going to lie to you and say it doesn't pop in there from time to time because it is a great thing to daydream about, but what I mean is that the true focus is the process, not the championship (end result). This can be a bit contradicting because in professional sports at the highest level the media are all over the players. They ask questions all the time about winning and if they feel they are ready to win a championship or become back-to-back champs. And for those "big boys" that may be so. They are at a level where championships are expected and wanted by the fans, the media, the ownership and of course the players. They don't have control of what goes on outside of their facilities. But if you are at the level where I am and just starting along your journey to the big leagues, then championships are really the least of your worries.

Ok, so now you ask me....So how do you win championships then? And I say, by getting lost in the process and building momentum. There is a really cool story I am about to tell later in this blog so just hang with me for a bit. Let me start with the process and building momentum first.

During this last season we had just come off of winning a championship in the Appalachian League. Something that had not been accomplished by the Cardinals affiliate at that level since the 70's I believe. So when the season started there were thoughts of "what if we could do it again" but that was always talks the coaching staff had together, not from the coaching staff to the players. The players need to learn that in the this tough mental game of baseball there is a way to survive the Contrast that shows up on a nightly basis. The way to survive that 0 for 4 night or that 5 run first inning is to understand that it is a long season, a long process and you are fine tuning along the way. ALWAYS fine tuning along the way. So when you get into slumps or have a few tough outings in a row, you always can go back to the process and putting your focus where it needs to be. This last year it just so happened that we had the same coaching staff as the year before and therefore were able to keep the same approach to the players as the year before. The intricacies inside the process may change because of the personalities and such, but not the blanket process. The process stays consistent and encompasses the entire season.

So not only were we able to win a championship the season prior, but now we had the same staff and were able to create an ever building momentum on what we felt were ways to become successful. As you are in the middle of creating a championship season there is an underlying feeling that starts to poke around and you can't help but notice. It is like a quiet confidence where everyone knows what is going on and nothing needs to be said. We need to stay on track and stay focused and not get caught up in anything else. But this is the best part of this story. When it got down to the last few days of the playoffs I KNEW we were winning the championship. I didn't know how or in how many games, but I knew it. The day of the clinching game it was rainy all day and we didn't even know if we were going to play. I brought the pitchers together in the outfield prior to us doing our work because I just wanted to make sure everyone stay settled and kept a solid focus on what we were about to do. It can be a bit nerve racking for pitchers, having all that time at hand and nothing to fill it with. But what I said to the players was simple. I told them we had already won the championship (yup, I swear I said it) Now, to most people that sounds crazy. They would say that I did the one thing you should never do before an important game. Kind of like telling a pitcher in the 8th inning that he is throwing a no hitter and good luck in the 9th...LOL!! That is the cardinal rule of baseball and you are not supposed to jinx anyone. But for me, there was no jinxing in this process. To me it felt like a done deal, it felt like we were the champs and it was just a matter of time. And I truly felt like the players felt the same way. What I continued to tell them is that it is now time to just show up and play. If your number is called on at any part of the game there is no reason for panic or worry or concern. Just play out your part and the rest will take care of itself.

Needless to say we won the game 4 to 1 to become back-to-back champs in the Appalachian League. Not sure how long it had been since that happened but it was a long time.....trust me....LOL!!

Thanks for reading....see you all soon....and happy pitching!!!

Developing Young Pitchers

2011-12-29T17:16:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, the weekend of Jan 21st and 22nd to be specific, I will be speaking at the National Baseball Expo in San Diego. The topic I will be addressing is Developing Young Pitchers. For about a month or so now I have been stewing on how I want to present the information at the expo. Sometimes when you are talking to an audience it can be a little goofy trying to get the info out the way you want to, with the message you are trying to send. I always look for a nice opening to get the attention of the crowd and set the tone for the talk.

So today when I got out of the water from a fun and peaceful surf in Encinitas, it hit me. I know exactly how I should start the talk and the angle I will take to share the information I have learned and loved since I started playing baseball when I was 6 years old. Guess what that angle is.....wait for it....I HAVE NO ANSWERS!!! LOL...how does that one feel audience?? It is the truth though and here is why. (I am fast forwarding some of the background info so give me some leeway on this one)

Let's all pretend that there really are no wrong or rights in this game of baseball and how to teach pitching to young athletes. And since there are no wrong or rights the individual needs to decide what is best for them. What is wrong or right for them. But since there are no wrong or rights we will call it, what FEELS best for them. Now here is where I come into play. Since I have no answers what good am I??? Well, the experiences I have been having over the past several years as a coach has assisted me to come up with guidance and suggestions on what pitchers should do to train themselves and reach the goals they are striving for. I am not giving them right or wrong answers, I am having experiences along the way that FEEL good and as I continue to have those experiences I choose to bottle them up and pass them on to the clients that choose to work with me. But the funny thing about all this is that it doesn't mean that since it worked for some of the kids I work with, that it will work for all of the kids I work with. So now my job is to identify what works for which athlete and curtail a program that works for them.

Now the athletes part is really simple. They must first take ownership for what they are doing. They can't just go to a lesson and wait for me to tell them what they need or do not need. This process takes them further away from who they really are and now we are both going to be lost. The reason why something a coach tells a kid to do actually works is because the coach and kid believe in what the coach is saying. Either the kid really trusts the coach and then the underlying feeling from that kid is a good one and so he proceeds or the coach is so good at inspiring the kid to believe in him (the coach) and in himself (the athlete) and now the suggestions work.

But I want everyone to understand the underlying points here:

   Coach has ideas....athlete listens....coach believes in ideas....athlete responds to the belief....coach continues to see the athlete as a success....athlete holds that same belief and now succeeds....

So is it really about right or wrong answers??? Or is it more about believing and having a feeling behind the actions that are taking place, the actions that the athlete takes to become better???

This is why it is soooooo important for the athlete to be present when these "lessons" take place. It can't be an excuse that a kid is too young to understand or to care about what they are doing. It can't be an excuse that the kid is too young to understand the process of how the body works to throw a ball and that they must be aware of how their body moves in space to create an efficient and powerful throw.

   This is also why the parent should be present in this process as well. To support the young athlete and continue to believe that their young pitcher can and will turn into something great if they so choose, no matter what the situation!!!

   That is just about it for this blog....just wanted to write a little about my slant on the topic of Developing Young Pitchers and share that with you. Now, to get the rest of the info, as in, the suggestions I have for these young kids.....well.....guess you are going to have to come to the expo to find out!!! LOL....at least for now...I'll shoot out another blog after the expo for all those who were not able to be present to let you all know what we discussed.

        Ok, that's all for now....happy pitching!!! Hope everyone truly enjoyed their holidays!!! I know I have!!!

Want and Believe

2011-12-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

So I went to a workshop this weekend, one that I normally attend at least once a year. This workshop is for my personal growth, but then again everything in life really is. But I use the workshop as a way to evolve as a person which in turn will always allow me to evolve as a coach. My job as a coach is to not only research, watch film, gain knowledge in my sport, but it is also to get better as a person so I can have better relationships with the players I work with. In the end that is what it is all about because I could have all the answers and the best information in the world, but if nobody wants to listen because I am the worlds biggest jerk, then none of that really matters.

The message I wanted to talk about and get across to the lovely athletes who actually read this thing is a little thing called Want and Believe. This is something that stuck with me this weekend. In order to manifest anything you want in life there is always a process of creation that is going to take shape. But before you can move forward in the process you must bring along two very specific things, Want and Believe. Seems pretty simple right. This is the starting point and basis to everything you go for in your life.

Now in my line of work this is a HUGE deal. To want and to believe is really what it is all about. The thing is though that the wanting has to be through the roof. You have to want so badly that you will do anything to get what you want out of this profession. You have to want so badly that there is no real sacrifice because you don't care about anything else. You have to want so badly that all the workouts and the games and the traveling and all that other stuff you could throw into the bag is never called work or a job. You have to want so badly that you eat, sleep, drink... (you know the rest)...this sport. To be a professional pitcher in the biggest of stages your wanting needs to consume you. Yes!!! Consume you!! I understand I am on the verge of sounding cultish and insane and overdone but it is the truth. There is always perspective that comes into this as well. So when I mention all these crazy sentences you must realize the perspective that you must have on all this. The perspective is coming from a passion and a love. Not from a lack or a longing for. This means that sacrifice doesn't exist because your perspective on what you are doing is clean. This means that work or a job type focus is not in your vocabulary because it is just your life and what you love to do. This means that the choice to have baseball consume your life is a choice of joy and not insanity. It just means you love the sport so much and you choose to succeed so you practice at your craft and you study your craft and you love your craft. That is the "consume" that I speak of.

The next step is the Believe part. If you have this ever-burning desire or wanting to be a major league pitcher you must then have the belief in yourself, no matter what the situation brings, to back that wanting up. You have to believe so clearly and confidently that you never hear the doubters, the naysayers, the people who tell you that you are too small, too short, too fat, too slow and whatever else the critics think of. The perfect example of belief right now is Tim Tebow. Look at that guy. You think he believes in himself?!? He believes so strongly in himself and he wants to succeed at quarterback so badly that he has convinced his entire team, his entire organization that he can win, no matter what. No matter how bad it looks or how bad he throws or how bad the game goes into the 4th quarter. Nothing matters, nothing shatters his belief because he knows he is capable of anything. Just think of the belief he has in himself when week after week he has to hear the critics and the opposing teams continually criticize the way he looks on the football field. But yet he wins and has been highly successful solely based on his wanting and his belief.

So the next time you go to practice or to your game and are wanting to have results that are satisfying, just think about how much you want it and then believe that it can happen. You could go as far as measuring on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being the low and 10 being the high. If you go home each night and answer the question honestly to yourself you will know exactly why you get what you are getting out of your sport right now. Increase the wanting, increase the belief and see the performance in your sport flourish!

Ok, that's all for now folks...hope all is well in your baseball world and keep throwing!!!!

How I Conquered The Impossible cont...

2011-11-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

I wanted to clarify some things on the recent Blog I wrote about my troubles with BP. I wanted to let you know why I really ended up deciding upon writing that Blog. You see for me, I believe there is a process to this life we all live. There is a consistent path there to assist you in times of contrast. A path that never leaves you, never strays, never goes off into the woods. A path that you may not be able to see all the time, but it is always there.

I wanted to share this Blog with you because I wanted to tell you that you all have the answers you want in life. You all have the answers to what you think you need in life. I say this because I know of this now. I needed this contrast in my life to prove to myself that I could trust the process, trust the path, and simply walk down it. I didn't need a drug, a sport psychologist, a shrink, nobody. All I needed was to learn how to trust myself, love myself, listen to myself and have confidence in myself. In no way am I saying that people don't need assistance or that assistance is not a good thing. Not true, assistance is an amazing thing along the path of life, but it is not supposed to be a dependency.

When I truly decided I was going to get over this "Yips" thing, I finally made the decision that I didn't care what others thought about me. I didn't care that I may have looked funny or people were laughing at me or whatever else was going on behind my back. I even remember one day about a year or so ago, having a conversation with a well known man on this topic. You know how sometimes you feel like you have nothing left to give a subject you are trying to fix. You have been working for years and years and it just isn't helping. So you have given up on yourself and you go to anyone in the industry you think can help. You read articles, go to classes, workshops, seek guru's on the subject. Anything to shake the situation you are currently in. Well I did all that. I went to the guy people were all paying money to to help them on the subject. Do you know what he said to me??? He told me that if it is as bad as I am describing it and I was not able to pay the thousands of dollars it would have cost to go through his program, then I should simply quit. He told me there is nobody who can get better from the position I was in and it would be best to just quit trying.

That is why I wrote the last Blog and am writing this one. There is no impossible, there is just you thinking it is impossible and that is all. I am living proof!! This doesn't mean I am the best BP thrower in the world or that I still don't have thoughts of "OH SHIT" go through my head about the subject. But I found my path, I trusted the process. Each one of you can do the same thing, no matter what the task. The trick is though, you have to do the work.

Now I know I just said you have to do the work and that everyone who just read this Blog said "Yes, hard work is the answer. Determination, motivation, grit, sacrifice" That is not the work I am speaking of. The work I am speaking of is not physical at all. The work I am speaking of is inside yourself, it is emotional work, it is evolving work, it is growing work, it is wanting to be all of who you can be type work. There are all sorts of things out there in this world to "fix" you or "help" you or "solve" you. But the problem I have with most of these things is that they leave you reaching outside of yourself. Again, they give you a drug or an antidote or whatever it is they are offering. But there is one thing they are all missing, they never teach us how to be us. How to be all of who we are. How to trust our intuition. How to trust our emotional guidance. How to build our foundation and knowledge from the inside out. That is why I wrote this Blog. I wanted people to understand that this life is an inside job, not an outside job. All you have to do is have some patience and trust the process, learn the process. And nobody can tell you ultimately how that is for you. That is your job. Nobody truly knows how you feel or where you are on certain subjects, you are the only one who truly knows. That is why we need to start looking at things from the inside out. Stop fishing for the quick fixes and learn yourself. Sure, it may take a bit but it may not. And once you truly figured out your own process to make things work for you, it never changes. You will have that forever no matter what you do in your life. To me, that makes it worth the "work".

Ok, no more soap box for now. Hope all is well in your pitching world and I am sure we will talk soon. Keep pitching!!!

How I Conquered The Impossible

2011-10-31T11:30:00.000-07:00

Who knows who Steve Sax is??? Who knows who Chuck Knoblauch is??? Or, how about Rick Ankiel??? (the pitchers version) What do you all remember them most for? Most people reading this blog would say their issues with throwing at one point or another in their career.

One of the most infamous and mind boggling topics in sports these days is getting "the Yips" when it comes to throwing a baseball. Most are terrified of this subject, especially if you are currently playing the game, because nobody really understands the how or why of it all. So for the first time ever, I am going to let the world (or at least the people reading this blog) in on a little secret. I had "the Yips"!! Yup, little 'ol me. It actually happens more then most know about. There are professional coaches all over the globe who can't throw a baseball. Professionals who at one time could put the ball wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. And now, all they can do is cringe at the sight of a baseball, especially when somebody asks them to play catch or better yet, throw Batting Practice.

That is really the issue at hand for most professional coaches, batting practice. Most people out there would laugh at this but it is true. When certain coaches are asked to throw BP in their organizations, the emotion of "OH SHIT" quickly runs through their veins. It is quite a frightful feeling that I am well aware of. Your stomach crawls, your heart drops and you start sweating on the spot. Your heart beat rises and there is nothing you can do to run or hide from it. "The Yips" it's called. Not really sure who came up with that name but the person should be rich by now.

So this is how it goes. When I was towards the end of my playing career I was going from workout to workout trying to get picked up by independent baseball teams. My whole life was fixed around gaining velocity. I couldn't throw the fastball like I wanted to and was utterly obsessed by it. Night and day I searched for a pitching coach or a baseball god who could show me the way. I wanted velocity!! I knew that if I could just throw a faster fastball I could be that big league pitcher that little kids are in awe of. The more obsessed I got, the closer to disaster I was getting. As I went to these workouts I started a make believe world in my head. I thought up every scenario in the book to the point that I believed people were making fun of me because of my velocity. Here I was, I pitched in college, I pitched professionally but still was slowly creeping towards self destruction. I remember at one workout I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. The ball wouldn't even cross home plate. I was everywhere and felt no reason of why it was happening, but boy was I scared. Little by little towards the end of my career it got worse and worse. I wanted to continue playing but by this point it wasn't worth the stress I was putting on myself. All that I wanted was a couple more miles per hour on my Fastball and what it turned into was a complete panic. I really didn't know how bad it was until I got my first professional coaching job.

It was with the Montreal Expos. I was 25 years old and ready to roll. This was my first experience inside a true, Major League Organization. I was so excited and ready to conquer the world but I forgot one thing. I didn't believe in myself in some ways. There were things I could do as a coach and I felt very confident and aware of my ability. But when it came to some on the field stuff I felt I was inferior. That is where BP came in to the picture. The time I spent towards the end of my career, making up a story in my head that I wasn't good enough or people were making fun of me because I didn't throw hard. All those stories were right where I left them when it was time to throw BP. I felt judged and quite inadequate when really there were no facts whatsoever to support my made up story.

So there I was in the middle of the action and really no understanding of how I got there or better yet, how the heck I was going to get out of it. This was the first time in my life where I knew I was in trouble and didn't realize what the solution was. Stuck in a problem I saw no way out of. Fast forward to January of 2011 and I was finally ready to move on from this nightmare of a situation. That's right, 2011. It had been about 8 years or so that I hung on to this made up belief, that I wasn't good enough and people were laughing at me and that I don't belong because I have trouble with BP. It took years of seesawing back and forth until I finally was fed up with it all. For most of the viewers out there I am sure you are wondering why it took so long for me to finally get fed up. I can't really answer that, it is different for everyone. But for me, I just couldn't handle the fear of throwing BP in front of the team I worked with and having everyone know how bad it really was. I did that over and over and I really let it tear me up inside. Until I finally started understanding perspective and also growing up on the inside. Until I realized this issue had nothing to do with anything else but how I thought about myself. The thoughts I practiced were debilitating, so I just started to work on creating different thoughts.

I worked on BP for two months before the 2011 Spring Training opening day. I threw well all the way up to that point but still had not been in front of professional ballplayers and professional coaches who knew about all the trouble I was having. It takes a lot to shut out all those people watching and wondering what is going to come out of that arm when you start throwing the ball. Some are supportive, some don't care at all, and of course some want to see you fail. But again, that has nothing to do with me. No matter how anyone felt about me, that didn't and doesn't matter, it all had to do with how I felt about me. So when I got to Spring Training it was time to get in there and prove to myself I could finally get past all this bullshit I put in my head. For the first couple weeks I threw quite well but man was it tough to keep my focus and get prepared to throw each day. I was so nervous each time I threw and had to concentrate so hard on keeping my focus and thoughts in a healthy place that it was almost not even worth the throwing.

Then it happened....the breakthrough. I was having a couple difficult days of throwing and looked pretty bad during BP. One time I actually had to step outside the cage because it was that bad. But in the past I would let that defeat me and I would go back in my cave for weeks at a time and sometimes months before even trying to throw again. But this time something felt different. I didn't care about what it felt like or looked like, I just cared that I wanted to feel better and that was more important than anything. So the next day I got back in the cage and started throwing. The start of BP was pretty brutal again and I was a bit worried at first. This time though, I started to loosen up. I started to tell the hitters coming into the cage that they better put their hard hat on because I am not leaving this cage. I started to make a joke of it and have fun with it each time I threw the ball and it missed the target by a mile. But as I loosened up more and more and took away the serious tone to BP that I was putting towards it, things started to get easier and easier. The next thing I knew I was throwing strike after strike and really started having some fun. I was talking smack to the guys and just living it up. The rest of spring training and extended spring training I was fine and threw every day. When my short season started in Tennessee I even threw all 3 groups some days. The big bosses would come in and it would rattle me some but I wouldn't let it take me over. I knew who I was and how I could accomplish what I wanted to accomplish and it all came together.

Now this is not to say I still don't have thoughts of fear or get nervous at times. And this is not to say I won't have any more bad days. But what it does mean is that I know the process to get back to where I want to be. I will never be lost any more. I got back on the road I wanted to travel and now am familiar with that feeling. Once you can get to the feeling place of where you need to be to accomplish something, the rest is easy. You just follow the road and enjoy!!!

More to come on this topic soon......

Perspective is Power!

2011-10-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

Everything in life is perspective. The way you choose to perceive experiences in your life is how you get what you want out of your life experiences. If each experience is just perceived as a way to move forward with more clarity, then each day should become richer, more lively, and better.

The easiest example of this is the current player you are watching in the World Series, right now, Albert Pujols. Sure, I could really mention any of the current players on either roster because they all come equipped with stories of how they made it to the 2011 World Series. But when people mention Albert Pujols, you listen. His presence is obvious and powerful and how he got there was through an amazing perspective. I partly say this because I have listened to him talk in the past several years I have been with the Cardinals Organization. I also say this because look at his life, look at his manifestations, look at how he creates, listen to how he talks, look at how he carries himself, listen to the words he speaks, listen to the clarity of his voice. It is oozing from every pore in his body. And once again it happened the other night. What happened you asked, well, perspective happened.

Albert Pujols was just another hitter in the first two games of the World Series, actually he wasn't even average at that time, when you look at the numbers. I believe he started 0 for 8. If he carried that 0 for 8 into game 3 he would have probably finished that game 0 for 12. Especially after the way the media was tearing him up for the defensive mishap he had in the ninth inning of game 2. But again, listen to how he talks. The media interviewed him the next day and asked him about the defensive play. Their perspective was that he let the team down, could have had an easy out at third base if he would have caught the relay throw. Then the media was giving it to him a little more about the 0 for 8 start.

Now for Albert's perspective. His response to the botched relay throw was simple. He lost focus for a second, the ball cut on him and he wasn't able to make the play. His response to the 0 for 8 start was just as simple. Albert said he was making great swings and hitting the ball hard it was just not falling for him. You see, this game of baseball is goofy. Timing is everything. It just so happened that Albert had a defensive mishap at a key time in the season. But does that make the decade and more that he has played and won gold gloves defensively just disappear? Not at all, in fact, that is why Albert can have the perspective that he has. He is trained that way. He knows who he is, the results don't control his mind, he does. The same goes for the hitting side of things. Albert is one of the best hitters who has ever played the game of baseball. He knows there are going to be times that he will go 0 for whatever, but he also knows how to view the game. His perspective is with each current AB. The result can't matter because nobody gets on base or gets a hit with every AB. If Albert got fixated on each AB the game would be a roller coaster and there is no way he would have ever been Albert Pujols. Instead, Albert takes the perspective of putting a good approach or process to each AB. If the result comes then great, if not, he goes back to the process and clears his mind. So he was able to take all that information from the first two games and then made sure his perspective was in the right place, then he went to work. The result.....3 homeruns and a 5 for 6 night!!

Perspective is a beautiful thing. It can always work for you and work in your favor, all you have to do is practice. Practice making perspective your best friend. Practice your points of view in life and in baseball and things will start to roll your way more and more. Don't be so impatient with all this. Take your time, take a step back, take a look at your life and how things are going for you. Learn about how you look at things more and more. Stop blaming the guy next to you. Who cares, just keep practicing and little by little things will come around, I promise!!!

Ok, all for now...enjoy your week and keep it moving!!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

2011-09-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Passion for Pitching Family,

Back in beautiful San Diego I am!! Just got back from another amazing season and am now ready to move on to other things during this off season.

During a baseball season you learn not only so much about the game and how to perform but also about yourself and what you must get better at. Each year I get more clear of a picture on what it takes to become a professional and better yet, what it takes to stick as a professional. I feel as though the more clear that picture gets, the more clear my message becomes and therefore the guys on my staff also benefit from it. There were so many pitchers on the staff this year that got better, that showed themselves how to get better and how to compete. I am very proud of this years staff and the work we did together. We deserved to be back-to-back champions!!! Wouldn't replace them with any others for the world!!!

So what's next? Well, I would like to get more Blogs going and would love to get more emails from you about what things you would like discussed or would like my opinion on. I also am going to be working on a series of manuals. Not sure how many I will be getting done before next season but the topics will be arm care, grip strength for pitchers, general strength for all ages and maybe one or two more if the ideas come along. I just feel as though I want to share the knowledge I have gotten about arm care and general strength from all the years I have been around the game and actually training myself. I feel that people forgot how to train the basics and have gotten so far out there that they forgotten simple things such as a pull-up or push-up. Everybody these days are looking for the next best thing when they have had all the info they have needed the whole time. So I am going to see if I can simplify some things and get them out to the pitchers seeking this type of info.

As far as the grip srtrength goes, I am going to be working on developing a grip strength program because I want to see for myself whether it will assist in velocity gain or not. I figure the best way to find out is to pick some clients and go to work. Then I will take the info and put it into a manual so everyone can test it out for themselves. I am super excited about it!!!!

That is about it for now....just wanted to say hello and let you know what I have in store for the coming months. Oh, before I forget, I have been selected to speak at the National Baseball Expo in late January in San Diego, so if you are in the area come on by and enjoy the festivities.

Bye for now!!! Happy pitching!!!

Pitch Selection vs. Pitch Execution

2011-07-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

A lot of people out there love to talk about pitch selection and what to throw where and when. All that is great but for most people in the baseball world that is nearly impossible. Do you realize how tough it really is to command all of your pitches in and out of the strike zone? Most professionals can't do that on a regular basis. Yes, I just said that and I will say it again. Most professionals do not truly command all there pitches. I am talking about all the kids in this world in the Minor Leagues trying to become big leaguers. I am not even mentioning all the kids in college and high school attempting to take a crack at their dream. So why is it that there is so much emphasis on the proper pitch selection during a game?

I definitely do not take myself out of this equation. I still have days where I get lost in the process that pitch selection rules. But the more I am in this game of baseball and I watch these young pitchers work through a game, I see that execution rules and at least for now, pitch selection takes a back seat.

Lets look at this in a couple different ways. First, from the younger players perspective, let's say high school and younger. How well do they truly command all their pitches in a game or even in a bullpen? How well do they truly throw the pitch like it is supposed to be thrown? With the proper spin and velocity to the fastball, change-up, curveball, slider, splitter and whatever else you could think to throw? Not that often would be my answer. Because if they did, they would all be number one picks!! So, if this is true, if we know that most kids who are younger have, not only a tough time making the pitch do what it needs to do, but then also have a tough time locating the pitch, how can we talk to them about pitch selection? Our entire focus should be solely on developing the proper movement and feel to all their pitches and nothing else. Results will take care of themselves if the focus is put on the subject in the proper way.

Now, if we look at the second vantage point, let's say college and higher, it is time to believe in what you throw and execute those pitches in a game. If you did the proper work as a youngster, develop the proper movement, spin, feel, deception, arm action to your pitches then now it is time to go execute them. And if you are able to execute pitches when you throw them then the hitter is going to have problems whether you selected the proper pitch or not.

Through years of study and research, a man by the name of Perry Husband developed a program called Effective Velocity. It is a study on what the hitter truly sees out of the hand of the pitcher and all the intricacies of what needs to happen or not happen for the hitter to be on-time and develop hard contact consistently. If you have time to look this guy up and his program you should immediately. Part of the study talks about what the batter sees out of the pitchers hand and that if we, as pitchers, can do a few things well we will be able to throw the hitter off his timing. None of the few things he talks about is pitch selection, they all have to do with spin, direction and speed. The selection of the pitch comes after all that. Now I am not going to go into this in depth, you are going to have to look up Perry Husband and buy his books for all that....but you get my drift.

So, if you are a young pitcher working towards your dream, make sure and put all your energy and emphasis on producing quality pitches first!! Pitch selection will come with time and experience and plenty of repetition, but for right now EXECUTION RULES!!!!

Have a great week everyone!!!!

Top Two On My List

2011-06-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

It is June 10th and I am three days away from completing my fourth extended spring training with the St Louis Cardinals!!! This has been the best extended spring by far and it only seems to be getting better and better. It is like each year I ask for more stuff whether it be better living arrangements, better players (lol), better relationships with coaches and players, and every year that is exactly what happens. I am super excited about the young group of pitchers I get to work with in Johnson City, TN this year. We may only have one or two kids coming with me that are 21 years of age, the rest are 20 and 19. So we may have our days where we get our asses handed to us but these guys compete and they aren't afraid so I am ready to sit back and watch!!!

That brings me to the subject of this new blog. The more I am around the game the more I realize what it takes for someone to make it in this game, besides the obvious answers such as talent and ability. More and more I realize how you must believe in yourself and also how damn competitive you must be. That's why I called this blog, "Top Two On My List".

I was speaking with some of the pitchers today and I was giving them a goodbye speech and all of my precious words of wisdom!!! LOL! I shared with them what I thought were the two most important things a player needed to have to make it to the big leagues. After listing belief/confidence and the desire to compete everything else just falls under that umbrella for me. Mechanics, knowledge of the game, preparation, focus, etc....it all falls under the belief you have in yourself and the desire to compete. All things will come to you in this game if you practice those two things first.

The reason why I wrote this blog though was to really talk about competition and competing. There is soooooooooo much that goes on during a season for these young athletes that the competitive nature is really what makes you or breaks you. Just think of this, you get up every morning at about 5:30am. You go to the field, eat breakfast and then start early work about 7:30 until 8am. Then you come back inside, take a breather and head back out to the field for an 8:30 meeting before you start the day. From about 8:35am to 10:30am you go through a routine of stretch, condition, throwing, fundamentals, and BP. Then you head back inside for some food. By about 11:35am you head back out to the field for a Noon game that lasts until 3pm on most days. Don't forget this is Florida so it is humid and hot all day, everyday!! Picture this day and then repeat it from March until the middle of June. That is exactly what the kids down here do, the kids who are not able to make a full season club and leave right after a month of spring training.

Be honest, do you think you could handle that??? It is not an easy thing to do at all. That is why if you don't have the desire to compete you will never make it in this game. The story of guys going from college to the big leagues in less then a year is far and few between. It may have only happened a handful of times in the history of the game. Most guys spend year after year in the minor leagues just hoping for a chance. Now, I am not trying to make excuses for anyone here I am just pointing out to you out there in computer land that if you really want this dream you better be one competitive son of a gun or this game will eat you up and spit you out. There are a lot of good players out there in minor league baseball that come to play each and every day. Those are the guys who make it, the guys who love to compete and can inspire themselves to perform each day. The guys who don't depend on anyone else to tell them they need to be ready to play or wake up before it is too late.

I take my hat off to these young kids down here because they are doing things I really don't know if I would have been able to handle when I was their age. It takes some real desire to hang in there and keep battling like these guys do, back on field 75 where nobody comes to watch. So if this is something that calls you, then great!! But make sure you start to practice that competitive drive right now. Don't let anything get in your way, compete, compete, compete!!!

Ok, all for now....wish us luck this year and every now and again check in on the Johnson City Cardinals up in the Appalachian League!!!

Special Guests

2011-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Spring Training has unfolded very well this season. Just when I have been writing blogs on consistency we have had the perfect guests to come in and reiterate the thoughts I have been writing down. This month we have had Tony LaRussa, Albert Pujols, Bob Knight and Mike Matheny come and talk to all the young minor league players. The best part of it was that not one of them talked about mechanics or talent or ability or anything that relates to physical capabilities. The focus to all their talks was mental toughness. Being able to understand that to be good in the game of baseball and to achieve the highest level of success you must be mentally tough.

For this blog I thought it would be nice to share with all of you what the main points of each of their talks were. Some more serious then others but all equally pleasing and beneficial.

Mike Matheny was first. He spoke to us at the beginning of Spring Training because he is not around as much as everyone else. Matheny works with the big leagues and minor leagues as a catching instructor. Matheny played for a few major league teams and won a couple gold gloves while he was there. I got to meet Mike Matheny last year when he came to work with the catchers in Johnson City. He has a wealth of knowledge and a big time character guy to back it up. Matheny spoke about the other things in baseball that are more in a persons control. Such as being a good teammate. His message was that to be able to be a guy around the clubhouse who sets a good example, who works hard and does his job quietly, who picks up guys when they are not going so well, who doesn't take their performance out on someone else or blame someone else when he is struggling, that that is what truly matters. His point was that if you are able to do these types of things then the successes will come based on your attitude alone. Your job is to come in and be a professional and truly understand what that means and to embrace it for all it is. Learning to be a professional takes care of all the other stuff.

Bob Knight was next. He came down about two weeks ago and had some amazing stories to tell about his time as the head coach of the 1984 summer olympics Gold Medal winning basketball team. Again he talked about more then just having the physical attributes to play the game of baseball. Knight spoke about how much he loved coaching guys who were mentally tough. He was always trying to find ways to challenge his athletes and get the best out of them. Bob shared a few amazing stories on his time with Michael Jordan during the summer of 1984. The way they would banter back and forth, it really seemed like there was something special there between himself and Jordan.

Then came Tony LaRussa. Tony has spoke to the camp each year that I have been with the Cardinals. Each year he speaks in detail about what he looks for in a player that he wants to play for him in the big leagues. Tony has a list of three things when referring to a player he wants on his team: you must be mentally tough, you must be a good teammate, and you must be a professional (on and off the field). LaRussa is not worried too much about all the physical things because he is aware that most of the kids here in this camp have those attributes already. But to play for a team and compete for a championship, that is a different thing. It takes a different type of player to win in the big leagues and that difference is much more mental then it is physical. I got to ask Tony a question while he was speaking to all of us. I asked him what the younger pitchers could do to make themselves better. To be able to learn about the game more. His answer was simple. Tony said, while you are on the bench or in the bullpen during the game, you must watch the game. Watch the game and see how the game shows you all you need to know. The experiences that happen during the game will show you the answers. That is so very true.

This brings me to the last speaker but of course not the least. Mr. Albert Pujols, La Maquina (the machine) Man, what a treat. Every year I am here I get to speak with and hear from the best hitter/player in the entire world. It is great to hear his story each year. But I don't care about his story of how he got to the bigs because it wasn't really that big of one. What I love the most about his talks are how much confidence he exudes when he speaks. There is no question in the world of why Pujols is Pujols when you get to hear him speak and watch him go about his work on a daily basis. The amount of focus, concentration, confidence, consistency that goes into his approach is why he is who he is. It radiates from him. Talk about habits of thought. I remember Albert answering a young man's question about being positive with himself. Albert said that for every time he says something negative to himself in his head, he counters that with five to ten positive things. He has trained himself into his success and there is no two ways about it. I also got to ask Pujols a couple questions. The first one was about how he deals with the failures of the game and how he is able to turn those failures into successes. People forget, even though he is the best player in the game, he still fails 7 out of 10 times when he walks to the plate. His answer to that was to focus on the bigger picture. Going 0 for 4 is not a bad thing if his approach at the plate was good and he hit the ball hard. Sometimes the results won't be there but that doesn't mean his approach or preparation was bad. He also said he does the best he can to turn the page and look forward to the next day if he happened to have a bad one. The second question I asked him was how he created the consistency in his results. Albert answered that with being able to keep his focus and concentration on a day to day basis. He has his off days just like everybody else, but he doesn't let that get in the way of his work. Being able to concentrate and focus his the reason why he is as successful as he is.

Well, that is the wrap up of my fourth spring training experience with the St Louis Cardinals. The next step for me is extended spring training. I get to work with guys who are rehabbing and then all the young pupps who are working on their process to make it to the big leagues. I love how each year brings me more clarity so that I can convey a clearer message each year to these young players. If I can get them to see the bigger picture, to disregard results and get lost in the work, then I have done my job. Until next time Passion for Pitching family!!!!! Hope all is well and you are pitching your butts off!!

Consistency-part 2 Habit of Thought

2011-03-28T16:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so last time I wrote about Consistency and just laid down the foundation for some future blogs on the topic. I touched a bit on how consistency is really just a thought away. I also touched on emotions and that is really where it all starts. So what I wanted to rap about this time is habit of thought and how to go about creating the habits of thought that are going to head you in the direction of what you want in your baseball career or life for that matter.

Your thoughts and emotions basically go hand and hand. They are like best buddies. Your thoughts don't want to go anywhere without their partner, Mr. emotion. This is how it all starts: you have a thought, during these thoughts that you have there will be an emotion that comes with it. If you can be aware enough of your emotions and what you feel like while these thoughts go in and out of your head, you will know where you are heading in your career and life. For example, Johnny is ten years old. He has trouble throwing strikes when he is on the mound. Parents are screaming at him to throw strikes, the coach is screaming at him to throw strikes and his teammates are doing the same. The next day Johnny is relaxing by himself and playing some video games. As he is playing the video games he remembers what happened in yesterdays baseball game. The thought comes through his head that he is not a very good pitcher. Immediately after thinking that thought he felt a weird feeling in his gut. It felt like failure, pain, maybe even guilt. Well, in that moment his emotions are letting him know that the thought he is currently thinking is not serving him. The thought he is thinking feels bad because it is not really true. Yes, Johnny had a bad outing the other day and couldn't throw strikes, but this doesn't make him a bad person or even a bad player, it just means he has some work to do to get better.

Ok, so what work does he have to do to get better? Well, right now I guarantee everyone who is reading this blog is saying he may need mechanical work or maybe he should get a pitching coach or maybe he doesn't practice enough during the week. Each of you would probably be very right in all of those answers except I want to play devils advocate here. The physical work is definitely a part of the process, but what should really come first? The emotional/mental process or the physical process? For most everyone, especially the kids, the process would always start with the physical work and then somewhere down the line the kid would be good enough or not to continue playing. But what happened if the kid started realizing that his habit of thoughts and the feelings that come with those thoughts are leading him closer or further away to the goals he wants to accomplish in life? Would he want to know this information? And wouldn't it be better to have this information sooner then later in their life's journey?

This brings us to the purpose of this blog, habit of thought. As soon as we wanted to or would be inspired to, we should start to take care of our habit of thought. We do that by being more aware of how we feel and then making statements or creating thoughts that assist us in feeling the way we want to feel. The Universe is a very powerful place, I think we could all agree on that even without getting to deep into this. But if we can believe, as I mentioned in the first "consistency" blog, that our thoughts create our success, then we need to address this as soon as we can. If you are a parent reading this blog you could do many things for your kids to create a positive and uplifting environment for them to succeed and get better. If you are an athlete reading this blog then you have the inside route to success and a long, healthy career that most would never know about. Now, this doesn't mean others will not have success if they don't know about this, they will, many do!! The point is that if we can learn about our thoughts and emotions and practice the mental/emotional game we want, then we can deliberately create a career we want instead of thinking we are at the mercy of politics.

The next step is pretty simple, be aware of how you feel. So after reading this blog sit for a second and try this exercise. Make a statement that makes you feel a fulfilling emotion inside your gut. A feeling like appreciation, love, joy, anything like that. It can be a statement about yourself, a friend, a family member, whatever creates that good feeling emotion. Now, on the flip side, think of something that makes you feel an emotion like anger or frustration. Do you see how your thoughts are creating emotions inside you? Which statement made you feel better? Which statement do you think would better serve you in your career or in your life? This is what habit of thought is all about. As we practice good feeling habits of thought that is what we get back in our life. The success/consistency can come immediately, it really doesn't take long. But, if you have been (for the lack of a better word) a negative thinker for a while, it just may take a little bit to tip the scales and see the consistency on a normal basis. Trust me, you will see a difference in your performance immediately, you just have to be patient to gain the consistency based on how good you are at practicing the thoughts you want to have in your life.

So get to work. Start being aware of how you are feeling and if you don't like it, then make a better statement to get you on track. More to come on this soon.....pitch well everyone!!!

Consistency

2011-03-17T13:27:00.000-07:00

I continue to get some great ideas for blog topics from friends and interested Passion for Pitching followers. This blog is going to continue with that theme and so I took this idea from my good friend Christine Meyer. She happens to be a tremendous life coach in the lovely state of Pennsylvania. We have great conversations on a regular basis and she is able to challenge my thought process over and over. The topic she wanted me to discuss was consistency. So this will be blog #2 in the series of blogs I am responding to from you guys out there. How can a pitcher become consistent?

Consistency is the key to pitching success, bar none. At any age, if you can produce consistent results on an outing to outing basis you will be a big league pitcher, no question. Seems easy, right?? Produce consistent results and POOF, there you are, in the big leagues. Ok, so if it seems so easy, why is it so tough? Why can't kids create consistency in their outings over and over and over?

I am going to try and make this as easy as possible, as clear as possible. But what I am going to need from you is a little trust, a little leeway. I want you to all understand that this process of success and consistency IS easy. It is only a thought away. Here is what I mean by that, the body is controlled by the brain. The visual information that we take in from a moment to moment process is taken in, received by the brain, translated by the brain and then carried out via commands from the brain. (more or less, this is not a perfect description, but you get my drift) If this is true (and it is) couldn't we add our thoughts to this as well? Couldn't we say that the thoughts we think are being computed by the brain and then carried out through our body? If you can get your head around this and start to believe it, then consistency is truly just a thought away. The more we are able to think thoughts that are success thinking thoughts, consistency thinking thoughts, then that is exactly what we will get.

Think of it this way. If our thoughts can construct our reality then the more I can train myself, the more I can make good thoughts a habit, then a consistent reality is what I will create on the mound. The more I realize that my current experience is being formed by the thoughts I am thinking from moment to moment then I will be more aware of my thoughts and the reality they are creating. I then can realize how important my NOW moment is. My NOW moment is all I have. It doesn't matter what type of failures I have had or inconsistencies I have had in the past because my thoughts RIGHT NOW are what is creating my experience now and in the future.

This is big time information if you can believe in it and really embrace it. Just think of the power you can have in your career, life, relationship, anything! So what do you need to do to get started? Well, I could make this into a long series of blogs and may do just that, but let me give you the first clue. Start being aware of how you feel on a daily basis. You don't need to get too crazy right now, just be more aware of how you feel day to day. This is where it all starts. Emotions are the key. If you can begin to understand what your emotions are telling you and then how to direct your thoughts to improve your emotions, then you will be well on your way to the consistent career you are looking for.

I am going to leave you with that...I swear we will continue this discussion very soon but I think this is a good start for us. So go back through and read this blog a few more times so you can truly understand the message. Then I will come back and get more specific and paint a clear picture on the topic of consistency. It may take a few blogs but it will be well worth the read. Until then hope all is well and hope everyone is pitching their butts off this Spring!

New Year...

2011-03-09T16:54:00.000-08:00

It's that time again. Spring Training is in full swing and that means the minor league systems are getting revved up and ready to roll. I'm back down in Jupiter, FL and participating in my fourth spring training with the St Louis Cardinals. It is very exciting to see the pitchers you had in the previous years turning themselves into productive players and perhaps future big leaguers. The start of the spring and new year of baseball has inspired to my first blog of the season!!

For this blog I wanted to be very quick and to the point. I wanted to share with all of you, what I think it takes for a young athlete to evolve and hopefully mold themselves into successful professional pitchers. So what I am going to do is create a list of things I feel are important and fundamental to the process: (in no particular order)

      1. Belief...you must have an amazing amount of belief in yourself and not necessarily need physical proof of that at all times. There are going to be plenty of times in your career where things will not go well. Your belief must grow and stay true throughout.

      2. Desire...you have to have an amazing amount of desire to want to be better, to want to be a big leaguer and not care about what anyone else thinks, says or does.

      3. Evaluation...you must be able to evaluate your level of play in an honest manner. This doesn't mean you have to beat yourself up and say your no good. But you must be able to be honest in the fact that if you need to get better at something, you can't be in denial about it or not be able to recognize that you need to be better. Then once you realize what you need to get better at, you must be able to know if the work you are doing is worth a damn. There are a lot of guys here in this camp thinking they did a whole lot of good in the off season but really nothing has changed.

    4. Focus...you must be able to understand what focus is and what it can do for you. If you are not able to understand and use focus to your advantage it will be very tough to have any sort of a lasting career.

5. Preparation...you must know how to prepare yourself MENTALLY and physically for what you are about to do. If there is no preparation to your work it will be a waste of time. Know what you are going to do and why you are going to do it in all situations.

      6. Perspective...you must understand the word perspective and how powerful it is for you. What you perceive will eventually become your reality. Do your best to eventually make everything come from a perspective, a point of view, that will be beneficial to you.

7. Contrast...understand that contrast is shaping your future. It is giving you clarity to show you what you need to be better at and how to go about it. If you can take the contrast and perceive it as a good thing, as "showing you the way", then you can use it to fuel your desire and help inspire you to bigger and better things.

8. Stubborn...you must be stubborn enough to be your own man. Not stubborn enough to where you never listen or you are not open to information that could be helpful, but if there are things that you have done over the years that have made you the player you are now, you must be able to stick to your guns no matter who is in front of you asking you to change or do something different. If your gut is telling you that you are on the right track, then you probably are and shouldn't be persuaded by people who have no clue about how you feel inside.

9. Fun...you must have fun!! This process must be perceived as fun. No matter how tough it may seem at times or how many hours you will put into training or no matter how bad it may hurt at times you must look at it as fun. All the different emotions you will feel and all the different experiences you will have, do your best to see the bigger picture. Nothing matters, it is just the game of life. Have fun, smile and don't take it so seriously.

Alright, that is it for today. I am sure there are many more items to add to the list, but this is a pretty good start for now. I was just thinking of where I was and how there are so many guys here working on their dream and thought I would offer some guidance before you get to the same place. There are just too many athletes here who will not make it and it won't be because they weren't talented enough. It will be because they don't have an awareness of some of the things on the list above. So much easier to see these things being a coach and being on the outside looking in, but it is so true.

See you down the line!!!!

Posture

2011-01-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome Passion for Pitching Family. This is a momentous occasion. The first blog since requesting some ideas from the Passion for Pitching Family!!! I wanted to acknowledge and thank the first person who submitted a topic to be discussed on my blog. His name is Ryan Williams and he is the Head Baseball Coach at Peoria Notre Dame in Peoria, IL. So thank you Ryan and congrats on being the first!!! Ryan asked a question about posture and head position during the pitching delivery. I am going to do my best to answer in blog form of what posture really means in regards to pitching.

Before I start we need to all understand how I am attempting to explain posture in regards to the pitching motion or delivery. There are many different "styles" to pitching and if you watch a major league game you will be able to witness those different "styles" firsthand. But while I am explaining posture for the sake of this blog we are going to think about phase 1, a young pitcher who is first learning how to deliver a baseball from the mound across home plate. When I refer to specific positions of the body for the set-up and then delivery of the pitching motion, make sure you understand that this is what I would be suggesting to an athlete or coach learning about posture. Once the athlete has a good hold on the concept of posture and what it feels like to maintain their posture during the throwing motion, they can make it look any which way they choose. The "style" will be their own and the "technique" will be universal.

When we talk about posture in relation to the throwing or pitching motion we need to first think about locking in an initial position. Even though "locking in" may be too deliberate of a term, it is really true. I don't mean this in the way that you must be stiff and immobile in your movements but if you can maintain an initial position once you go into leg lift, it will assist you in maintaining your energy for the duration of the throw, as well as allowing your levers the freedom to set-up and move like they want to.

Let's start out by visualizing a right-handed pitcher in the stretch position. The first thing I want us to picture is a pitcher staring into the catchers mitt prior to leg lift. They should be taking a stance that allows for athletic movement. What this means is the pitcher should have some flex or bend in their knees and a slight lean or bend at the waistline (where the hip and spine create an angle). This is very similar to hitting. When a hitter sets their body up to see the pitch out of the pitchers hand, there is a specific angle they want to be setting up. It is a specific hip and spine angle that allows them to rotate powerfully. The same goes for pitching. If you can create a specific position to start that enables you to feel powerful and athletic and then maintain this position basically until foot plant, you will be in a great position to rotate and finish the throw.

Let me reiterate this here for everyone. I want everyone to really know how important the initial set-up/posture position is for pitching. Think of it this way, if you can start well, you should be able to finish well. Now I know many of you are reading this blog and saying, "Gee thanks for the breakthrough Doug, really helpful." But think about this for a second. If we set our body in motion properly to begin with, our bodies levers will do what they need to do to perform the task at hand. I am very serious about this. If any of you at home have ever watched a major league pitcher throw in slow motion you will know what I am talking about. The bodies levers (arms, legs, etc...) work very well if the body is positioned correctly from the start and then maintained through the movement. If the powerful and athletic position is locked in, then there are only a few ways the levers can actually move. The joints function in specific manners, such as external and internal rotation, they can only do so many things. So again, if positioned properly your body will work for you, not against you. The issues pitchers have all over the world aren't mechanics, it is the belief that their body won't do what it needs to do. They don't realize that the functions the joints, muscles and bones are making are very normal and natural if you get out of the way.

Ok, so off my soapbox and back to work. Once the initial position is set and the pitcher is ready for leg lift, now the pitcher just needs to perform a leg lift that will allow them to stay with the posture they have already set up. If the leg lift takes them off course it is because it is too violent or high and they just are not able to handle the movement. So just back off a bit until you can get the feel for a powerful leg kick while maintaining an athletic posture.

Now we can fast forward to foot plant. The pitcher should be able to maintain the initial hip and spine angle until landing into foot plant. There are always shades of gray when referring to angle and degrees of angle but you get my drift. When watching film of a pitcher from behind home plate you should be able to see a very similar position at the hip and spine from pre-leg lift, to leg lift, then into foot plant. If there is any drifting or movement out of that initial hip and spine angle you will be able to notice it and make the corrections.

The video clips that come to mind for me on this topic are Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens. If you can youtube or find some video of these two pitchers, watch them, but make sure the view is from home plate. You will notice that once they perform their leg lift, they lock in a posture and don't deviate from it until foot plant. The other thing you will notice is how their levers (scapula, arms, thoracic spine) move independently of their posture and it doesn't effect their posture. That is because their bodies understand how the separate parts of their body work to sequence the whole movement. The reason the younger pitchers can't stabilize their movement patterns is because they are not mobile in the areas of the body they need to be to make the corresponding movements. For example, what I just mentioned above about Clemens and Ryan. When you watch the film you will see the scapula, thoracic spine and then arms act as they are supposed to. That is because their body is aware of how to move. This can be taught if needed.

Once at foot plant it is time for the front side to stabilize so the back side can deliver the pitch and follow through. At this point in the delivery you will get very different looks from many different pitchers. It is all about the individuals arm slot from here on out. The posture created during rotation is to support the arm angle/slot that the pitcher throws from. Most of the time you will see pitchers clear their head so their arm can come through and be delivered. The cases where you see pitchers heads really start to pull of the target can be from many different reasons but I will cover a couple major ones now.

The first could be from poor initial momentum. If a pitcher starts their motion but doesn't gain the proper momentum/tempo/direction that they would like to produce a sufficient amount of velocity, they have to make that up somewhere. Most pitchers (definitely the younger and weaker pitchers) will try to pull their upper body through in one violent pull to try and create some velocity. This will definitely show up in film as someone who pulls their head off target too soon and ruins their posture.

The second could be from poor front-side arm stability. If a pitcher starts to rotate after foot plant but they are not aware of how their front arm is supposed to act, you will see a lot of east to west action with their shoulders. (chicken winging) You will see the front shoulder pull off target too soon and therefore the head needs to go with them.

The third example ties in with the second example. When a pitcher does not know how to properly use their front side, they do not know how to finish their throw with more north to south movement then east to west. What I am referring to here is understanding the movement of the upper body when going into release point and through to the finish. The upper body (more specifically in the thoracic spine area) must have some angle to its finish. The example I always use, which I got from a friend, is the ferris wheel. Picture your upper body as a ferris wheel. Or more specifically, picture your spine as the ferris wheel. So when you rotate your chest towards home plate and it is square to the plate and you are ready to release the baseball, their must be some ferris wheel to your movement. Your upper body or spine, needs to finish with some tilt, not east to west rotation. If the pitcher is not behind the baseball and working through the baseball into finish it will show up with the head pulling off the target too soon. It is kind of like the pitchers head is running away from the hand and we obviously don't want that.

In the end, if you can create a healthy and powerful starting posture prior to leg lift, then continue with that same posture into leg lift and then have that carry you all the way into foot plant, you will be 3/4 of the way there. The rest is rotation, pronation and a finish. Watch film of the best in the game from the home plate view. See what they do and how long they are able to maintain their posture into foot plant. Show your young athletes what they look like and what the best look like and start copying them. In no time at all you will see a huge difference in their perfomances!

That's all for now...if you have any questions feel free to email or call me on this topic. Lots of information in this one...LOL!! Good luck Passion for Pitching family and happy pitching to you!!! Stay tuned for the next requested topic....coming soon!!!

Do You Know Your A,B,C's???

2010-11-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

There are so many different ways to train out there these days it can make your head spin!!! There are so many coaches, trainers, specialists, organizations, etc...how do you keep it all straight and not get overwhelmed?

This can be directed towards players, coaches and parents. Everybody can be thrown into the mess. If you are a parent trying to obtain the best possible information for your son or daughter how do you keep everything in order and know what is best for your child? If you are a player working on your craft, which road do you go down? If you are a coach and you want to make your players better and have parents like you or at least get off your back (lol) who are you supposed to trust? Well, I don't need to go that far, it is not as crucial as trusting the person in front of you, really it is just about feeling good about the information you are paying for or passing on to your players.

Well, let's look at it this way...do you know your A,B,C's? Really, I could take this blog session in a million different ways after asking this question, but let's see if I can get a bit more specific. I want to just focus on the player for a minute. When I ask, do you know your A,B,C's, I am referring to proper movement patterns in relation to the players. I can't tell you enough how crucial it is for athletes to learn proper movement patterns in ANYTHING they do, not just in their specific sport. The better the movement pattern, the better the result, at least 9 times out of 10. I would think that I could get most of you to agree with this statement. Haven't you heard the best players, trainers and coaches make a statement very close to this before, "if I can just get into this position when my foot touches the ground, everything else will happen for me." It is so true and I here it all the time. If we just focus on baseball, most would agree that the swing and the throw happen on its own as long as you can get your body to a specific position at foot touch. The issue with this is that there are better, more efficient ways to get to this crucial point in the movement. So if we are talking about pitching, there are many ways a pitcher can get to the "power position" (for lack of a better term), but when it is time to now rotate and throw, if the pitcher got to this "power position" in a non-efficient manner, there is no way they will be able to produce what they want to produce to gain results.

This all goes back to knowing your A,B,C's. If I am an athlete and I took the time to educate myself on proper movement patterns in basic things like running, rolling, bounding, skipping, jumping, striking then I am going to be prepared to compete in almost any sport. My body will line itself up the way it needs to in order to perform the movement efficiently. If I do not know my A,B,C's how is my body aware of what it needs to do for anything???

So, let's try to bring this all back and include players, coaches and parents in this manner. If I am a parent and I have a young athlete I want to know that the coach I am providing for them knows his A,B,C's. I want to know that this coach is willing to break down the movements made to throw a ball, hit a ball, catch a ball, whatever it is I am trying to get better at. If I am a parent and I go to observe the workouts and I see that there is no work being done on breaking down movements and introducing the A,B,C's to my son or daughter, I know this is someone I may not want to use at this point in my young child's career. There are basic developmental stages that kids should go through as they grow up and blossom from young kids to young adults to mature men. If there is a stress put on the basic movement patterns to athletics early on in life, this process is made much easier and you will see how successful the athlete can be.

Now, is this to say that the only way a young athlete can learn is to break down every movement pattern and then build it back up again, not at all. There are many different ways to do this. The first suggestion I would give a parent with a young athlete is to sign them up for as many different activities that make their kids move in many different ways. For example, dance classes are great for balance, coordination, agility, proprioception, and general strength. Or how about martial arts, gymnastics, or any sport that a young child could play, like soccer, football, basketball and of course baseball. By allowing your young athlete to participate in these different activities, it allows them to learn movements that their body would not be aware of if they only played one sport all year around at a young age. That is why travel ball is not something I am a big fan of. Kids play baseball all year around while juggling other things. They never own their craft by training, they just play. Not to mention the pitchers who throw during the weekend but never pick up a ball during the week because it is not baseball season. That is an injury waiting to happen, but that is a conversation for a later date.

To wrap this up, basically it is important for all interested parties to know their A,B,C's. Know the basic subjects an athlete should be fluent in as they build their athletic career. Understand that this is a process and it is long term when we are referring to these young athletes. Rome wasn't built in a day and it didn't need to be. Take your time, don't rush it, enjoy the process and work your A,B,C's!!

Ok, that's all for this one....hope all is well!!!! Talk with you soon!!

Metronome

2010-09-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest subjects when discussing pitching and the wind-up is being able to create a repeatable delivery. For me, that means everything needs to be timed up, work in proper sequence, flow, be smooth, fluid, and of course under control.

That is a lot to cover when you are a young pitcher trying to figure things out. It is even a tough task for some of the professionals I work with in the Cardinals Organization. So how can a pitcher make sure he is repeating his delivery and that it will be the same the next time he comes out to practice? The Metronome is my answer to this question.

Does everybody know what a metronome is? It's a device that maintains a specific beat with a ticking counter so you know if you are maintaining a certain rhythm and tempo. Mostly they are used for musicians to make sure their timing is right for a certain song. What the metronome allows a pitcher to do is stay on rhythm, maintain a certain timing to the delivery and then it also makes sure the pitcher repeats the delivery on the same timing each repetition. Each time the metronome clicks or tick-tocks, it gives immediate feedback to the pitcher of whether or not they are in rhythm for that specific delivery. After a while the pitcher will not need the metronome, it will be cemented in their bodies timing. But what do you do before you get to that point in time? Again, that is why the metronome is such a helpful tool. You will be able to repeat the same timing over and over until it becomes natural to you.

The other thing the metronome does for you which is so great is that it lets you feel whether you are moving too slow or not. When I use the metronome with my professional pitchers they always ask me if they are truly working that slow or not. I usually get them on the mound and have them do THEIR normal motion. Then when I set the metronome to what THEIR current, natural rhythm is, they always feel like they are working too slow. I love that about the metronome. It is not me telling them they are too slow, they need to get moving, it is the feedback they get from the metronome that lets them know. Now, as we start to speed the rhythm of the metronome up, the pitcher themselves can decide on how fast or slow they want to move and they will always have that feedback to see if it is on time or not.

Look out for a youtube clip on my personal channel coming very soon on the metronome. I will show you exactly how to use it and how to time up your feet with the rhythm of the metronome. This is a great learning tool for all ages of pitchers, little league to the big leagues!!! Ok, gone for now, hope all is well with you out there in the pitching world!!!

Welcome Home

2010-09-14T21:15:00.000-07:00

It is September 14th at 8:55pm. I am back in San Diego and I am sitting in my friends apartment with nobody around and nothing but quiet surrounding me. The off season has definitely arrived. I have been in the water twice already and looking for more surf tomorrow. Although, there really isn't much surf now anyways so I am really just showing off. I found a place to live but can't move in for a couple weeks so I am couch surfing until the move in day. Ahhhh, the life of a professional coach! It is like I am a rolling stone...lol!

I know I keep saying this, because it is true, but it has been a while since I wrote on here. There will be much more opportunities for me to write now that I am back home and in the calm of the off season so we can all look forward to some more insightful writing by yours truly!!

I'm sure you are all wondering what the heck happened from July 19th to now, seeing as that is how long it has been since I have been on my blog page. Well, we kicked a whole lot of butt in the Appalachian League. We ended up with the best record, won the division and then swept through the playoffs and won the chamionship!! This goes down as my second in three years with the Cardinals Organization and to be brutally honest, I am very proud of the work I did this year. We had a couple pitchers make the all-star team, one of which also won pitcher of the year. We had a blast!

One of the things I am learning more and more about in my life and also in this game of baseball, is that you must sit back and congratulate yourself every once and a while. It is ok to be tough on yourself at times and it is also ok to praise yourself. There is no growth unless you allow yourself to feel it and self praise or self appreciation is the best way to accomplish that.

There were many great times and memories during the course of our season but nothing feels better then when I think about the relationships I shared with the guys. That is why I coach. I coach to have relationships and to be there for the pitchers when they need me. This year was better then the year before, which was better then the year before. The relationships I was able to create with the guys this year is something I will never forget. What is so great about all this is that it is only going to get better because that is how the world works. The better it gets, the better it gets!! The amount of growth I have had from day one with the Cardinals to now has been huge and it is something I look forward to getting better and better.

So, thank you Passion for Pitching family for hanging around. It is going to be an amazing off season and I can't wait to get things started!!

Rainy Days

2010-07-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!! Currently I am in Johnson City, TN where it is cloudy and rainy. We are waiting around to do team pictures for the year and seeing as how we may not be able to get onto the field at all today, I thought I would spend my down time giving you guys an update and then of course my fabulous words of wisdom...LOL.

So we are twenty games into the season and recently have been on a tear. We are 14 and 6 with the best record in the ten team league. Not bad seeing as how 8 days ago we were just 6 and 6...lol! The guys are playing better baseball and we are making fewer mistakes. Starting pitching has been solid and the relievers have been keeping our leads when it is their time to throw.

It is always interesting to me how there is always something to learn in this game, every day, no matter if you are winning or losing. Just the other day I had to have a conversation with the pitchers about how to pitch with a lead. We were really not accustomed, in the early part of this season, to be pitching with big leads. The past two games we have played, we have had leads of 8 runs or more. I actually think it is tougher for pitchers to throw in a game that is a blow out where we are the team that is ahead, rather then pitching in close games or games that we are way behind. When you are ahead and your team is scoring a lot of runs, it leaves a lot of time in the dugout to lose focus or add pressure to yourself because guys don't want to lose the lead for the team. Being able to maintain your focus in all situations of the game is a big asset to have. It is easy to be involved in a game where the innings are quick, the pitchers are throwing strikes and everyone is competing because the game is tied or very close. It's the games that have gotten away where you must maintain your professionalism and your drive to always succeed.

Okay, a quick update and something to think about today....enjoy and we will talk soon!!

Update Time

2010-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I haven't been as good as I promised on this blog site and I am no longer going to apologize because that doesn't seem to fix it anyways...LOL!! But since I am sitting in the waiting area at the local Honda Dealership while my car gets tuned up I figure I could give everyone a quick update on what is going on so far this season...

We are 8 games into the season and sit at 5 and 3 so far. We have a pretty solid team with what seems to be a solid group of guys. They seem to care about what they are doing and can't wait to get on the field each day to play. It is funny how each year I have a group of guys and as I go through the year I speak to myself and say, "wouldn't it be nice if..." and magically the next year it appears! This year I wanted to have a group of guys who pay attention, are low maintenance, and who want to be ballplayers...so far so good!

There are some quality arms on the staff and there are some quality guys who show some pitchability. Overall this year we have more guys in this group that will be able to help out and pitch the innings they are asked to more then last year. There are some fine tunings to be done with the bullpen thus far but as a whole I think we have a pretty quality staff. But ask me again in a month...LOL!

I have been here in Johnson City, TN for the past 2 weeks and will continue here until the beginning of September. The town of Johnson City has about 60,000 people in it and is a very nice town. There are plenty of places to go eat and they have set us up with a beautiful facility to workout at. The field is ok, nothing to write home about but it has some character. There is a hill in the outfield that spans from the right field line all the way to center field. Somewhat like the Astros ballpark but much steeper...lol! I have seen some amazing plays made on that hill the last year, let's just hope that continues and more for us then for the visitor.

The league itself is very competitive, most teams are evenly matched and like always in baseball you can get beat anytime if you don't show up to the field to play hard. This year the league expanded the playoff roster to four teams instead of two, so we should have a good shot at getting in this year. Usually the toughest teams in the league are Danville Braves and Elizabethton Twins. We play both of those teams a whole lot coming in July so if we are ok after the month of July we should stay in the race all the way through. Of course, a lot of that depends on staying healthy and whether or not the organization higher-ups keep the kids together. A lot of the times there are fill-ins needed and promotions granted at the higher levels and so that comes directly from our rookie league teams. In the past few years I have been with the organization we have moved a lot of guys quickly so we will see what happens this year.

Hope everyone is doing well and we will talk to you soon!!!!

Joints, Nerves and Muscles

2010-06-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

I was in the gym in Johnson City, TN today and doing my usual Z-health neural warm-up. This is a program I have become more and more familiar with over the past couple years as I have been taking their courses to increase my knowledge on the body. Anyways, this man came up to me and asked me what type of program I was doing because he had never seen the type of movements I was making. So we started chatting a little bit and from our conversation he thought I should write an article about the information I have come upon. It just so happens I have this blog and thought that wasn't such a bad idea!

Don't want to make this too complicated so I will explain it this way:
Muscles are dumb, they do nothing unless told to. Joint mobility is everything because if the joints don't move well, the signals from the nerves to the muscles do not get transferred properly. The key to working out is letting the muscles know they are about to get a workout in and to be ready to receive the information. The best way I have learned how to do that is working through the nervous system and the best way I learned how to do that is to learn how to move the joints.

Inside the joints, when you move them correctly, a liquid called synovial fluid is released into the joint to lube the area and fill it with good feelings (for lack of a better term). The receptors you have in the joint area are called mechanoreceptors and they receive this good feeling signal which helps the nerves which helps the muscles. All this together is allowing your body to be more aware of itself and where it is in space (proprioception). If you are more aware of yourself and how your body moves in space the better you are able to perform, naturally. Did you get all that? LOL... Makes perfect sense once you understand the concept and how the nervous system works.

The question is how does a person begin to learn how to move better so that the cycle can begin? Well, there is a company called ZHealth who has created courses and DVD's for people to become more familiar with this information. The great thing about this information is that it has been around since the beginning of time. The body and the nervous system works in a certain way and there is no way around it. If you are able to grasp the information and then use it, you can create your own program for you because in the end you should know yourself better then anyone else.

If this blog catches your attention at all and you would like to hear more about it check out Lou McGovern at www.essentialstrength.com or go to the Z Health website at www.zhealth.net

Good Luck and we will talk soon!!!!

The Draft Is Here

2010-06-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Passion for Pitching Family

It has been a while so I thought I would force myself to sit down and write a bit!! The last few days I have been back in San Diego and that can mean only one thing, the amateur baseball draft is here!! Every season thousands of kids who have been scouted through the past several months or even the past couple years go onto a giant board for all major league clubs to see. They sit for hours upon hours and choose out of those thousands of athletes, college and high school level, who can potentially help their club at the highest level.

For any young kid out there reading this blog right now, I want you to know you can be one of the athletes chosen when you are old enough to become draft eligible. The real question is do you want to be one of those kids chosen in the baseball draft??

Life is a journey, we have all heard that before right!?! Life is a journey that truly never ends. More and more continues to happen as we roll along through our lives. More and more asking, more and more wanting. But when we are preparing ourselves for something like professional sports there is one thing you always want to make sure of, ask for it all!! Are you paying attention? Did you just read what I wrote? ASK FOR IT ALL!!

This is what I mean by this statement. So many times in life people ask for something that they want to have happen in their life but don't really ever stop to think about what happens once it comes. For example, if you are a young kid right now thinking of being drafted one day and how great that would be and how bad you want that to happen, don't stop there. The asking of being drafted is just one little dot on a very long line called, your life. Ask for the being drafted part but don't let that be the end of your story. Make sure that the asking to be drafted part is right around chapter 3 and then the rest of the book is about the amazing journey of how you got to the big leagues and then all the success you had once you were there. But if you stop at the drafted part, how are you going to know what is next.
When you dream at night or when you day dream during the day, GO BIG!! The more you are able to fill in the entire story line and feel good about it while you are doing it, the better chance you will have in fulfilling that story.

The other part I wanted to add to this soap box of a blog is the preparation part. And in professional baseball there is a whole lot of preparation that goes on for most people before they ever get to think about the big leagues. I don't want to make this point to scare anybody but besides dreaming big and asking for it all instead of just a small part, you also must do your research. There is a lot that happens to young athletes once they get drafted and most of them are nowhere near prepared for what is going to happen. The early mornings of extended spring training, the 12 dollars to eat every day, the long bus rides, the rigors of a full season, the late hours, the long hours, etc.... Do you get my point? Again, I am not trying to scare anyone because I truly believe the game of baseball is an amazing sport and is second to none when we talk about how it can develop you as a human being. But you also must be honest with yourself and ask how bad do you want it. Do you realize what is on the other side of that draft day? The asking is the easy part, it is getting what you asked for that can be the tough part sometimes.

To wrap this one up I just want to tell everyone reading this blog that you should always ask for what you want, but make sure that you ask for all of what you want and make sure and research what that truly consists of. Know what it all entails, not so you can be discouraged and realize you don't want something, but to prepare yourself for what is to come so you can handle it as it comes to you.

Thanks again for reading my blog and I hope all your seasons are going well!! Enjoy your summer, it is coming right around the corner!!!

Quick Update

2010-04-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!! Just wanted to send a quick update on what is going on down here in Jupiter, FL and Extended Spring Training. I know I said I would keep you posted on all the happenings around here but got a little lazy...oops!! Just what I tell all my pitchers down here not to do, right?? LOL

Things have been going well! We started games on Monday the 19th and now will play every day (except Sundays) until June 5th. The daily schedule goes like this:

8:00am coaches meeting
8:35am on the field to greet the players and go over the days schedule and whatever we want to discuss from the day before
8:45am stretch, condition, throw
9:30 team fundamental (bunt defense, first and third defense, cut-offs and relays, etc...)
10:00am Batting Practice
11:00am LUNCH!!! lol
Noon Game time!!
Off the field by about 3pm or so

So after the game for the day I go back inside and fill out a report for the days work and this allows the hire-ups and other instructors to see what is going on and if there are certain players they should be focusing in on a little more closely. That is the schedule from here on out. Nothing changes that much. A lot of the process is about finding a routine that suits you as a player and this is one of the ways to make that happen. The only real issue is the kids don't have much freedom to choose their own process or schedule because it is layed out for them. That is good for some and not so for others. But it has to be done that way and most of the young kids here need it because they would not be able to set up a proper process on their own without the discipline and guidance we have here.

That is all for today. Just wanted to pass on the daily schedule to you so you could see what it would be like to be a professional down here in Extended Spring Training.

Attention to Detail

2010-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

As I spend more and more time down here in Extended Spring Training there is one main focus these kids are missing and that is attention to detail. Being specific and having attention to detail is a major factor in whether people become successful at whatever the endeavor. When you go out and work on whatever it is you want to do in life there must be some sort of attention to detail. Some people would say sense of urgency, some people would say desire, some people would say motivation. But in the end you can have all the desire and motivation in the world but if you don't have an approach and a way to direct that desire and motivation then it is going to be tough to evolve into the professional you would like to be.

The examples for attention to detail are fairly simple when you are a coach in Extended Spring Training. Each day I walk around and observe the pitchers I work with, I focus mainly on their approach. If these pitchers got drafted and were able to be good enough to have someone notice them and give them a shot to make it to the big leagues, then you would think there shouldn't be a reason why they struggle so much when they get into an organization. But then as you walk around and watch these young guys you can see why they do struggle. There is no real direction to their process and their workouts. The attention to detail is lacking. This is not saying that it is a fault of anyone because if you haven't been exposed to these type of experiences in your life then how would you pick up attention to detail. If you are the best in your city all of your life and you really are never challenged on a daily basis in competition, then one could understand why there would be a lack of attention to detail. But now, since you have a chance to read this Blog, there should be no excuse and you should read these words very carefully.

Ok, so let's get into it then. Attention to detail is having an awareness of what you are doing during your workouts and that you are not just going through the motions. An example of this is when pitchers do their flatground work or especially their bullpens. A lot of the time pitchers start throwing and have no real focus to their process. They start throwing and don't have a consistent direction to the fastball. It is up in the zone for most of the workout. Then they move on to another pitch even though they never really accomplished anything with the fastball. Now they start throwing the change-up and they slow down their motion to take speed off of the pitch. Or perhaps they throw four or five in a row and never hit the strike zone with it and then switch to another pitch and just continue on like they are getting quality work done. I am sure while you are reading this at home you are thinking to yourself, "yah right", but trust me, it is true. Some of these younger pitchers never really ever threw bullpens or flatground work before. Some of the kids out of high school threw on Tuesday and Friday night games and that was their work. Add in a little long toss in between and they were golden. When you are blessed with an arm and are not challenged as a young pitcher there really is no reason for these kids to have a clue about the process. To be honest, I guess that is a good thing or they wouldn't need any coaches...lol!

I really didn't want to make this a long, drawn out blog but I did want to get a certain point across. Know what you want to accomplish every day you are working on your craft. If you are a pitcher and it is your day to throw long toss, then before you start, know what you are trying to accomplish in that specific workout. And once you start the workout, be in the moment and focus on what it is you set from the beginning. Do the best you can to not jump ship from the plan you. Also, do your best to stay present and not forget what you are doing. The attention to detail part kicks in while you are performing the actual workout. So, again, if it is long toss that day and you want to work on the overall rhythm and movement of your body, then focus on that and make sure that that is what is happening. The attention to detail is focusing on each individual rep and accomplishing what it is you are working on.

The game of baseball is a very tough game. The higher up you go the more guys that are there who look just like you and perform just like you. You have to start establishing yourself as the one who works harder, who is more focused, who is more composed, who is more intelligent on the field, who self motivates and stays present from moment to moment. In the end that is what really gets you a chance and it will create you more opportunities then the next guy.

Ok, done for now...hope everyone is enjoying the baseball season thus far!! Go Cardinals!!!

Contrast

2010-04-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

What is the definition of Contrast? For this blog the definition of contrast will be anything that happens to you in your career path for baseball that is deemed negative. A quick example of that is when you are a pitcher and you are the starter for your team that day. You get all warmed up and ready to go for the game. Your bullpen felt great and you feel you are prepared and set for a great outing. The next thing you know the game starts and you can't throw a strike. You are walking guys, guys are getting hits off of you and you don't ever make it out of the first inning. That would be a great example of Contrast.

Now that we have a pretty clear idea of what Contrast is, the next step is to figure out how to deal with Contrast. The first thing we need to know about Contrast is that it is there for our assistance. Contrast is there to guide us so we know what parts of the game we need to improve upon. But the most important thing we could learn from Contrast is how it grows our desire. The more Contrast we have the more desire we should have. Think about that for a second because this is a pretty tough pill to swallow sometimes, especially when we are in the middle of the Contrast. The more Contrast we have, the more desire should grow inside of us.

The best way I know how to relay this information to the players I work with is perspective. If you can look at Contrast as your friend, then it won't beat you up so much. Think of it this way, what if by having Contrast we also at the same time got better in our minds and our bodies. What if every time you threw a bad game or hit too many batters or threw too many balls or gave up a game winning home run, what if at the same time you experienced this Contrast you knew that your mind and your body were learning from the experiences and they were fine tuning themselves for you even if you were not aware of it. Now, if you could wrap your head around this belief, would you feel a little bit better about Contrast? Would you allow yourself to feel better about the situation and not beat up on yourself because things did not go your way?

You see, I am going through that same thing right as I am typing this blog to you. I have had an ongoing battle with Batting Practice. Over the years I have trained myself to feel a certain way about batting practice and what it represents. I have twisted the story in my head so badly that it is tough for me at times to even go play catch with the guys out here. But let me explain to you what really is going on. The more I beat myself up and talk down to myself and feel unworthy, the more that comes to me and the worse it gets. But the minute I am able to switch my focus to what is I want and then keep my undivided attention to that, things get better. The Contrast I have experienced through the years have ultimately set me up for a lifetime of great batting practice!! But to tap into that energy and create that good BP, I must also be able to understand that Contrast is a good thing and it is nothing to be scared of. Contrast is there to help me grow my desire and get me to a point of where I really want to be. My job is to continue telling myself that. My job is to do the best I can to not discourage myself from throwing but to understand things are ok and it will get better. In no way am I telling you that it is that easy. Trust me, I have wanted to quit many times because of how badly it felt. But when I look at the bigger picture and understand that me not throwing good BP right now does not make me any less of a person. It does not make me a bad coach. In my opinion, it makes me a better coach because I know exactly how it feels to battle through confidence issues. I know how it feels to fail and I need to be able to communicate to my players how they can push through those setbacks.

In the end, this all ties back into Focus. Step one is experiencing the Contrast. Step two is identifying what you do not want, which allows you to now know what you do want. Step three is taking your focus to what it is that you want and being so stubborn that you won't allow yourself to think any other way. For example, what I need to do better is take all that energy and focus I have on not wanting to fail while throwing BP and pivot my thoughts to the other end of the spectrum. I need to focus on succeeding and throwing well and sitting with the feeling of how great it will be and is when I throw great BP. The more I can take my focus and put it on where I want to be and not what currently is, then I can start to tap into the energy I have stored up through all the Contrast. So, if there are ever any times you experience Contrast in this game of baseball, and there will be (trust me on that one...LOL)just make sure you remember that Contrast is your friend. It is setting you up for a world of future success. Just take your focus to where it is you want to be and continue to dream as big as you can.

That is all for now...enjoy your weekend Passion for Pitching Family!!!

Spring Training is Winding Down

2010-03-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

So today started the last week of Spring Training. The teams are getting closer to their final rosters. We have made two rounds of releases so far and may have two or so left. There are some pretty darn good competitions left for the pitching side and there are sure to be some upset people as camp breaks.

You see, the competition for the younger guys is to not be left back in Extended Spring Training. Everyone who is invited to Spring Training has the goal of making a full season club. Now, for the older guys that is a given, unless of course they are getting close to the end of a career and may be released. But for the younger pitchers who are coming to Spring Training for their first or second time, they are hoping they make a squad so they don't have to stay here in Florida and work through the Extended program.

The Extended program can be quite tough. The games are in the early afternoon, under the lovely Florida sun and unforgiving humidity...LOL!! It is the same routine every day. They have to get up early, there are no crowds to watch them play, they play the same two teams for 8 weeks and they get paid next to nothing. For the athlete who is left behind here, in the little picture, there is nothing good about being in Extended. But from the coaches view and the bosses view, looking at the bigger picture, they are lucky to still have a chance to compete and develop. A lot of kids get caught up in the fact that they are in Extended when really they need to be focused on the fact they still have a chance to play professional baseball. I am sure some of you readers out there are saying, "gees Doug, these kids should be grateful for the opportunity. I would switch places with them in a minute." Well, you are right! And to be totally honest with you, that is why SOME of these guys, not all, but some of these guys are going to be down here in Florida for Extended. It is all about their focus and where it is at.

When you play professional sports the thing that separates the men from the boys, besides belief in self, is the focus. Focus is huge in any sport, especially baseball and especially in pitching. These players sometimes don't understand what type of opportunity they have here. They are only focused on what is happening to everyone else and how everyone else is getting special treatment and they are not or others are moving up and they are not. But the funny thing about all that crazy thought is it is all make believe in their own head. The players really never know why they get left in Extended or why things happen to them. There are many different reasons why a certain decision gets sent down from the big bosses. Reasons that these players sometimes never know about. But they spend half their day, pissed off, acting like victims, when they could choose to change their focus on the subject and move on. The biggest thing these young professionals don't understand is the more they focus on the politics of the game and the negative parts of this profession, the more that comes to them. You see it every day in anything you do. I am sure every one of you who is reading this blog can remember having friends who could just let things go and focus on the more positive parts of their day and stuff always seemed to work out for them. Then, on the other side of that, I am sure you all remember having friends who constantly bitched and complained about everything and then bad stuff just seemed to continually happen to them. They were always the "victim" in every circumstance. Well I am here to tell you that that is not the case. You get what you focus on no matter what. That is sometimes tough to hear but true. What these young professionals need to start doing immediately is taking their focus to what they can control and that is themselves. They can't control their teammates and their teammates career. They can't control their boss and what they decide to do with everyone else. They can't control the catcher they get stuck with in each game they pitch. They can't control the umpire and how tight or inconsistent the strike zone is. Do you see what I am getting at?? But what can they control? You can control your thoughts, emotions and how you want to feel on a day to day, moment to moment basis. And if you just start with that little bit, working on you and only you, things will slowly start to turn around for you and the next thing you know you are the kid that everyone says, "man, things just seem to always work out for that guy!"

Alright, I'm getting off my soap box for now. I understand sometimes these blogs seem a little scattered but what I am attempting to do is bring up subjects like focus and belief in these smaller, quick ways so that I can touch on them in more complete ways down the road. So hang with me and enjoy!!!

Belief Conquers All

2010-03-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

A lot has been said this Spring Training, as is always the case when you get into a room with 20 coaches and bosses and roving instructors and all the rest. Each morning we go into a meeting before we head out to the fields and each morning a coach or boss or whomever is assigned a topic for the day so we can debate and discuss different things. Yesterday it was my turn and I discussed the word "startle". In short, "startle" is basically what happens to the body when it feels threatened in some way, shape, or form. The body is built for survival and it goes into survival mode when it feels the need. That is basically the definition of "startle"

So, who cares, right?? Well, basically it doesn't matter at all if you are a person who is not competing against 150 other professional players for a job in the big leagues. But, if you are one of those guys fighting for your livelihood and your life in professional baseball, then it does matter. "Startle" is something you can get in many different ways by doing many different things. For me, I go into "starle" each time someone mentions Batting Practice!! LOL...right now I am pretty bad with that!! But for these young pitchers on the mound "startle" is something that can be very serious and very real. Basically it is when you are on the mound and you feel as though you have no chance in getting anybody out. Or it comes up when the catcher drops down a sign to throw a curveball and you feel a shortness of breath because you have no feel for the pitch that day. Or it comes up when the manager walks out to the mound and points to the bullpen and the umpire runs over and says, "you're in!" However it comes up it all comes down to one thing and one thing only.........BELIEF!

The bottom line of all things in life is belief. If you truly believe in who you are, in what you are doing then "startle" is not an issue for you. "Startle" is just another word that some fancy shmancy coach uses to explain what goes on in the nervous system when the body feels threatened. And for those who do believe in themselves and their abilities that is what the word "startle" will always mean to them. But for the pitchers out there who do get freaked out when it gets tough on the mound or when a big time hitter comes to the plate or when there are too many people in the stands watching your every move, you need a way to deal with this so called "startle".

Well, belief is the way to go. Belief needs to be something you practice daily. Now I am not talking religion here and going to church and all that stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this is not a blog on religion. The belief I am writing about is the belief, the knowledge in yourself and your abilities that no matter who is hitting or what the situation is or who is in the stands watching, none of that matters because you believe in you!!

People all the time debate on talent vs. hard work. I realize that talent and hard work are both equally important, but when it comes down to it, if you don't believe in what you are doing and in your own abilities, all the talent and hard work in the world will not mean a thing. In professional sports especially, you must be so locked in to who you are and what you are capable of or the game will eat you alive. The game is not forgiving, don't forget that. I compare it to the ocean and the waves in the ocean. Riding those waves out there the ocean seems so beautiful and fun, but you lose your focus on a big time wave for a second and that beauty can turn into pure fear in an instant...LOL!!

I guess what I am trying to get at with all this blabber is that belief can be learned. Belief is something that you can train yourself into and it is not just given to those who are gifted. Belief is something we all have in our bodies right from birth, it is just that some of us get trained out of that along the course of life. That is ok too, you just got to get back on course and realize who you really are and what you are capable of. I know I am giving a lot of eyewash now but don't worry, the belief sermon is not over yet....stay tuned!!!!!

Pitching Inside

2010-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of minor league games in Spring Training. We played intersquad games where the AAA team matched up against our AA team and the High A team matched up with our Low A team. There were some great arms on the mounds today and it is nice to see some of the guys I had last year start up the new season.

Every morning before we head out to the fields for the day the coaches have a meeting to go over whatever is needed to prepare for the day or get the focus for the day that is about to begin. One of the portions of the morning meetings is saved for special topics. Today the topic we had a coach bring up was pitching inside.

Pitching Inside is such a taboo conversation because it is talked about a lot but performed very little or very badly on the field of play around baseball as a whole. It used to be where guys got knocked on their ass on a daily basis and nothing was thought of it. The pitcher tried to establish that he owned the inside half of the plate and the batter was not to disrespect that. "Old School" guys like Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and I am sure there were many more, made sure of it that hitters never got too comfortable in the box. But if you really want to be a successful pitcher and pitch for a long time, you need to learn how to throw inside.

Whenever discussing any sort of topic there are usually two sides, the problem, or issue, and the solution. So, we know that the problem is that a lot of pitchers have a tough time pitching inside. Now, instead of going too far into it and figuring out when should I pitch in side and to who and in what situation, let's go right to the solution and let the rest of that stuff take care of itself as you gain more experience along the path.

The first step to pitching inside is understanding that it is something you are going to accomplish. You are understanding why it is necessary and that it is a great part to the game of baseball. This is a game and part of being a competitor is owning both sides of the plate. Remember, as the pitcher you are the one who is supposed to be intimidating the hitters, not the other way around. You are the one throwing the baseball, they are the ones standing there hoping to see the ball well enough to hit it. You can't be worried about hitting guys when pitching inside. Understand that it is part of the game and that you are not intentionally trying to harm anyone. But if you learn how to throw inside at an early age, this will never be an issue for you.

The second step to pitching inside is understanding the lane you can throw the baseball down. You must be able to see the path the ball should take to end up at the spot and through the spot you want it to go. Ignoring the plate at this point would be a smart idea. Understand that as a pitcher you want to throw the baseball to a glove, not to the plate. The plate is just there as a reference for the umpire but your job is to hit the glove. So if you can see the lane that your ball should go down to hit the glove and be on the inside part of the plate, you have come a long way in this process.

The third step to pitching inside is understanding the angle that the fastball needs to take as you throw it to the plate. A lot of pitchers stand on the mound and look to the inside part of the plate and don't see the angle the ball should take to throw properly to the inside part of the plate. Do your mechanics need to be pretty solid to make this happen? Well, of course, but we wouldn't want it any other way, right? So, what does the angle look like? If I am a right handed hitter, facing a right handed pitcher, I should see the ball working from the middle/inside part of the plate and continuing further inside as the ball travels towards me. The look of a 4 seam fastball should be constantly bearing down on a hitter. You do not want the baseball starting on the inside part of the plate and then working back towards the middle. If you work with the wrong angle it will make it a lot tougher to stay in on hitters and to not make mistakes over the middle of the plate when you are trying to go inside. Also, if the ball works back over the middle and the hitter hits the ball out in front of the plate, it will be a lot easier for them to keep the ball fair down the line.

The fourth step to pitching inside is going out and doing it. Take your Dad, your friend, or whoever you can get to the field and practice throwing inside. You could even purchase some padding for your buddies to wear. Anything you need to do to not worry about hitting someone while you are working on pitching inside is what you should do. If you have your friends there and they know you are throwing inside and they are ready for it then there should be no issue. They could even just stand there with a glove on so just in case you miss they can protect themselves. You are going to hit batters on your path to the big leagues. That is a definite. But the more you work at it now, the more comfortable it will become, the more you will recognize the arm path and arm stroke to use to that inside pitch. Practice with the understanding that you are working for the feel of the inside lane. You want to be aware of how it feels in your body to own that lane, angle and placement.

Owning the inside part of the plate and having the confidence to throw it there is a big part in becoming a successful pitcher. Stay positive, understand the process, and then go after it! Enjoy and we will chat soon!!

Process, Process, Process...

2010-03-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Life is a Process...

What does that mean? Well, since this is a blog for baseball let's relate it to that. Baseball is all about the process. You either have one and when you enjoy the process and follow it and believe in it and don't stray too far from it, the game will bring you success. But when you float around aimlessly and don't have a process and don't focus yourself on a daily basis, the game beats you up.

Take the professional season for example. It doesn't matter if you are in Low A or the Big Leagues, there is a process to each day that the manager and organization lays out for you. Everyday you come to the park you get into the locker room and sit down. There is time to say hello to your teammates or for the coaches to review the prior days work or what will go on for the current day. Then the players will dress for some early work and get some hitting in or perhaps watch film or do whatever they feel they need to get better each day. Then the team will meet together on the field and go through a warm-up, long toss session, fundamental for the day, BP, and bullpen sessions for the pitchers. After all the pre-game work is through the players and coaches will have a bit of down time to relax before the game. At about 30 minutes or so before the game the pitcher will go out with the catcher and pitching coach and start to throw and get loose for the start of the game. Usually all the games will start at 7:05pm right after the Star Spangled Banner. After the game the guys get into the locker room, they shower and then head out for the night hopefully getting something to eat on there own and then going to bed. The coaches will do their reports for the night and then go eat and replay the days workings in their heads to see if they could do something different or improve upon what they did the day before. Then it is off to bed for all so that we can all do it again the next day.

You can see from this brief description of a day in the life of a professional player or coach that the process is long and repetitive. But this is a great thing. What this does is, it allows the players a chance to get comfortable in their environment and surroundings so they can focus on what they need to focus on. What happens sometimes though is the players don't ever wake up and realize what their own process needs to be. What I mean by that is there is a routine layed out each day just like what was mentioned above, but the kids don't seem to realize that is not the exact process for them as an individual. You don't want to just be sucked in by the schedule and not know what you should be doing inside of that bigger schedule. Most players get caught just rolling along with the herd and doing the same old thing not understanding that each day is passing them by and there is no real work going on.

We all do the same type of drill work and the same type of preparation each day, so why are there some players that are soooooooo much better then others? Well, that's because they have a process of their own, inside of the overall process that is provided for them by each organization. The point of all this jabber is that you must be present when you do your work. And even before that you must have a process of your own that you follow each day. Then when you follow the process each day you must be awake and present and focused as you perform this process. The amount of repetitions, types of drills, skill work, physical training workouts, whatever it is that you are deciding to do that day, you must be present and focused for the session. The trick to training is not doing more then the next guy, the trick is to do it more focused then the next guy. Being more deliberate, more concentrated, more focused, more intense, more passionate then the next guy is what really matters. The physical work matters, but the mental and emotional approach to the physical work is much more important. This is something that is easily talked about and at times easy to understand, but tougher to actually do. Not that many people choose to want to be that aware of what is going on or be that focused on a daily basis. That takes much more effort then physically running through the process and performing a series of exercises. It is much easier to just shut your thoughts down and run on auto pilot through the workouts. That is the true reason starting pitchers need 5 days in between starts. Of course they need to recover from the physical workload, but even more so they need recovery from the mental focus they hopefully were using for the nine innings they were pitching in the game.

In closing, the process you choose in your daily life should be something you do with a trained focus that continues to make you better as a person and player everyday. You create the process, you decide what makes you tick, you go after it the way you want to go after it. But just don't forget that while you are in this process be aware, be present, be in the moment and take advantage of the process. Don't let the process take advantage of you!!

Spring Training rolls on. Games for the minor leagues start in two days. Talk to you soon!!!!

First day in the books!

2010-03-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

It is 4:44pm here in wonderful Jupiter, FL and I am sitting in the lobby of the local honda dealership so I can take care of my trusty automobile and continue to depend on it to take me wherever I go next down the road to the big leagues!!

Today was the first day we were on the field. The first two days were spent in meetings going over the entire minor league personnel, covering organizational philosophy, and getting reacquainted with all the staff. Today we got on the field with all the pitchers and catchers. It is nice to see all the guys you have had over the past years and see them grow more successful and also more appreciative of our relationship. It has taken me a bit to get to the level where I can be more of myself and really enjoy making relationships with some of the players. I don't mean buddy, buddy type of relationships either. I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher understands what I am there for and they are not threatened by me offering information. Also, I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher actually respects what you say and there is a mutual respect with what we are both working to accomplish. That is really what is so great about the game of baseball, and for me, the professional game of baseball. I love working with the best of the best and hopefully guiding them a bit to get even better. I would like to think I have something to do with some of these pitchers successes, but I also am fully aware that they are the true creators of their reality and they are going to determine, in the end, what happens to them in the game of baseball. But it sure is fun to watch the players grow and get better and reach the level of success they are aspiring to.

I did want to talk a bit about success today and why I feel it is no accident why guys get what they want and what they work for. Every year I get to come back to this Organization, I am reminded of the process of being a successful major league player. I get to see guys like Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, and of course, Albert Pujols. People want to know out there how they are so good at what they do. To me it is very simple, they understand focus and they can keep it for the periods of time that it is most needed.

As I get older and have more experiences in my life I can see more clearly why certain guys fail and others succeed. But not only that, I can see it coming before it happens. Now, this is nothing new to a lot of coaches, especially the ones that have been around a while. But if you watch more closely you can see the ones who "got it" and the ones who don't. There is a presence, an aura, an energy around the players that "got it". But even more then that, the players that "got it" are the same ones that have a routine, who trust the process, who work hard at their craft, who understand focus and how powerful it can be. If you could have the opportunity to come down here and see Albert Pujols work in the batting cages you would clearly understand what I am writing about. This guy is just so darn good at focusing and knowing what he wants to accomplish with each workout and not settling when he works. He doesn't waste any of his time. He doesn't quit on his repetitions. He doesn't just go through the motions and hurry through his workouts. Everything he does has a focus and intention to it and that is why he is Albert Pujols. How did he get like that?? Not sure, that you would have to ask him. But if I had a guess at it I would say he got it from experiencing contrast at different points of his life and never wanting to feel a certain way again. He took all his focus and energy and put it towards what he wanted to accomplish and what he wanted to feel like in the game of baseball and then he did it. He never wasted his time sulking, feeling sorry for himself or being afraid. He spent all his attention and focus on turning into the player that he knew he was capable of being. Man is he good!!

More on this to come folks...hope all is well!!!!

Spring Training

2010-03-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!! Hope everyone is doing well out there in the baseball world and that your seasons have started out as you would have liked them to. Currently I am in Jupiter, FL for the start of Spring Training with the St Louis Cardinals. I thought since this is the first year I have been doing this blog and it just so happens that I am starting the professional season, that I could change up the format a bit. For the next 6 months I have decided to let you the viewer in on what it is truly like to be a professional baseball player and coach in the minor leagues.

The daily work, the processes, the rituals, the long bus rides, the extended spring training season, the new draftees, the daily fundamental work, the sandwich lunches, the early mornings, all of it I will share with you!!

So, let's get started!! On March 3rd I started a long trek, 2600 miles cross country, to get from San Diego, where I live in the off season, to Jupiter, FL, where I will be for the next three and a half months. It took me three full days of driving to get here and now I am "home" for a while. The drive felt unusually quick this year. The days were sunny and clear, the mornings were exceptionally crisp and it was very nice to see the sunrise for the first time in a while. I never really get to see the sunrise when I am in San Diego, although I can't really complain because the sunsets make up for it!! Either way it was a nice change of scenery and it makes you remember how many different reasons there are to love this earth we are living on. Driving cross country gives me a chance to think a whole lot. There is nothing like being alone in a car for ten hours a day with nothing but your thoughts rolling across your mind. Sometimes it is nice to have that alone time to ponder on some subjects in your life and to gain a new perspective on things.

I arrived on the night of the 5th at about 10pm. The hotel we stay at here in Florida is a beautiful place. All the coaches get there own rooms and have plenty of room on the big King size beds to spread out!! Whenever I get to a new spot I immediately like to get unpacked and organized. I rolled the luggage carrier about a half mile around the hotel building until I finally arrived at my car for the unloading process. With all the "stuff" I bring I feel like a woman. (no offense to the lite packing ladies out there) I piled all my stuff about 5 feet high on the roller and then headed to the elevator and then on to my room. About 30 minutes later I was all set up and ready to get into my big, comfortable bed for the night.

The next morning came and it was March 6th, one day from the start of meetings and the first official day of Spring Training 2010. This is my third year with the organization so I am already familiar with the area and know exactly where all the best places are to eat. Breakfast is great, it is right across the street from the hotel and is only about 6 bucks to fill my stomach. It is a neat little spot. The owner is definitely from the northeast because he has banners up from the Yankees World Series win, the Patriots last Super Bowl victory and the Boston Red Sox championship from 2004. It feels good to be back in a place that is familiar to me although I can't lie that it is tough to leave San Diego. After breakfast it was on to the clubhouse to get set up for the start of Spring Training. It always feels good to first walk into the clubhouse and see all the coaches again and get reacquainted with everyone. We all look at each other in wonderment that we made it through another season and that we are crazy enough to do it again!! I don't mean that in a bad way because the experiences are well worth the grind, but it is funny what us coaches go through each year during a season. There are so many different emotions that come into play during a season and so many different personalities that you come across that it is definitely one of the most challenging professions a person could choose. The growth you take as an individual is truly amazing, as long as you allow yourself to take the growth of course. There is so much to learn on and off the field from the players, other coaches, the game itself that each year at the end of it all you are left in amazement at what you have been through and made it out alive...lol!!

Well, that is it for me tonight, it is time to make some phone calls to friends and family and then hit the sack. Tomorrow's day begins at 8am and it is another full day of meetings. I'll fill you in later!! Goodnight Passion for Pitching Family.

The Process of Long Toss-Part 5 (Wrap Up)

2010-01-29T23:49:00.000-08:00

We have now arrived to the final blog in the long toss process series. The time has come where we can put this all together and get to work. The goal of this long toss process is to ultimately make you a better thrower on the mound. There are many kids out there that can throw a baseball over three hundred feet but then get on a mound and can't hit 80mph. In order to maximize these workouts, never get away from the intent and goal of the program. The intent and goal is to throw harder and more accurate. We want to create both and not compromise one for the other. If this is so, then you must be able to create the athleticism you have when you throw a baseball as far as you can, onto the mound. Once you are ready for mound workouts be aware that you are feeling the same amount of freedom on the mound as you are during the long toss portion. One way to be able to experiment with this is "blending" long toss work with mound work. When you are finished getting loose during a workout and are ready for the mound, transfer the feeling to the mound. If you do not feel as athletic and aggressive with your body as you felt when you were throwing a long toss, step off the mound, throw some long toss, then get back on the mound. Continue this process as long as it takes to create the same type of feeling during both types of throwing. Long toss and mound work need to be associated as one and not trying to throw a ball as far as you can and then getting on a mound and turning into a robot.

Have fun, be easy about it, and let it go. The body will accommodate what you are telling it to do. Tell your body you want to be athletic, you want to throw hard, you want to be accurate. Believe you can make this happen and then go after it. Use this long toss program for at least three months and see what it can do for you. I will guarantee, if done properly, you will be an entirely new pitcher in no time at all.

The Process of Long Toss-Part 4

2010-01-27T13:49:00.000-08:00

So we have already discussed what makes up the process of long toss, how far you should be throwing the baseball, how often, and for what specific amount of time. The next area we need to discuss is varying the workouts.

There are an infinite number of ways to workout or train your arm as a pitcher. People use bands, weighted balls, medicine balls, tubing, etc...but in my opinion there still is only one way to train your arm as a pitcher and that is to throw. So the next topic of "varying workouts" is a great topic to be discussing. Instead of using all the products that are out there on the market today, why not just take it back to the good old days and use your arm. That is not to say that there is no need for those products, but they should not replace the real work of throwing in any way. Those products should be used as a way to prehab or rehab a pitcher's arm.

During your off season throwing program, once you are back into shape and ready to test yourself, challenge your arm by varying your workouts. What I mean by this is making up certain goals for specific workouts and not just throwing a normal long toss program each time you go out to throw. The options are obvious but you can get as creative as you like. Perform distance workouts, velocity workouts, accuracy workouts, or even combine all three.

Distance workouts are just as it sounds. Throw a baseball as far as you can (using efficient mechanics of course, don't just let your hard work go to waste) and make sure you mark your distance. This way you will be able to test yourself each time you throw for distance and watch firsthand how much your arm has been able to extend itself.

Velocity workouts may be tough if you don't have a partner or a radar gun. If you do not, basically throw into a designated area at a distance of 60 feet or whatever your mound of competition is placed at. Then let it rip. This workout is not for accuracy or consistency. You want to throw hard and let things loose. Remain athletic and free and see how hard you can throw a baseball. If you happen to have a radar gun you can test yourself. Try different tempos and other mechanical processes to see what is working best for you. If the radar gun reading goes up, continue to pinpoint what it is you are doing to make that happen. If the radar gun is going down, try something else. Filming these sessions would be smart if you are able to do so.

Accuracy workouts could be quite beneficial if you make sure and work at a consistent output level. What this means is do not try and slow things down just to attempt to hit a target. Maintain the athletic movements and intensity level you will need to succeed at higher levels. The accuracy will come as long as you continue to push yourself and not give in. When first starting these types of workouts you could have an oversized zone to throw in. Allow yourself to feel the freedom of your body and its movement and how easy it is to hit the zone with those types of mechanics. As you begin to feel comfortable and easy with this zone, tighten it up a bit and repeat the process. You could even designate small areas inside the strike zone to hit as you become more accelerated in your accuracy workouts. Take your time with this step. Remember, the goal is to be accurate with freedom of your delivery. If you don't feel free and aggressive moving to your target, stop where you are and make it easier on yourself. Move forward accordingly.

Varying your workouts and being creative will assist in making this process of throwing more fun. Remember, don't be too serious about all this but be focused in your workout process. Challenge yourself and see how great it feels to set a goal and accomplish it. Varying your workouts is a great arena to start developing confidence while keeping things fresh. Enjoy your long toss!!!

The Process of Long Toss-Part 3

2010-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

We are now on the third post in regards to the long toss process. How far you should throw a baseball during your long toss program and how much time you should spend throwing during a long toss program have already been discussed. So let's move on to the next process...

How Often Should I Throw?

The question you really want to ask is how often should I not throw. Becoming a successful pitcher in baseball is obviously a very tough thing to accomplish. The amount of work that needs to be put in over the years is truly astounding. Of course, it is never truly work if you love the game and are enjoying the process, but time spent is definitely needed. Whether you are a young athlete in little league or a more established pitcher at the college or professional level, you should be throwing at least four to six times a week during the off season and five to seven times a week in season.

Now, this is where an individual pitcher and maybe even their parents, depending on their age, need to monitor what is going on. Even though I say you basically need to be throwing everyday of the week in season and off season, there needs to be a complete resting period as well. After the end of a season there should be an extended period of complete rest. This means do not throw a baseball at all. The amount of time a pitcher should take off is really up to them. The questions you could ask yourself are how long was the season, how many innings did you throw during the season, and how long do you have before the next season begins. A rule of thumb would be somewhere around three weeks. For a young little league athlete, taking time off could be easier because they usually are playing different sports throughout the year and so time off of baseball virtually takes care of itself. However, if you truly want to become an outstanding pitcher, don't wait until the next baseball season to start throwing again. Take your needed time off after the season is over but then work in throwing sessions while you are still playing the other sports.

What I am referring to when I list the amount of days during a week a young kid or adult athlete needs to throw in the off season is when they are gearing up for a season. A high school, collegiate or professional athlete may need two months or longer before a season begins. A little league aged athlete may only need a couple months or less prior to a season. For a little league athlete it really depends on how serious they are at becoming a prospective collegiate or professional athlete. If so, they may want as much time to prepare for a season as a professional. I have heard stories of kids throwing all year around from very early in their lives. However, if you have taken some time off between seasons and from your throwing schedule, take your time as you first start out working back into throwing shape. Start with a smaller amount of days that you throw during the week and work up to more. Also, make the workouts less intense at first until you know you are in shape to handle more. Once you get back into the flow of things and you know you are in top throwing shape you could add in mound sessions to work on things for the upcoming season.

The Process of Long Toss-Part 2

2010-01-17T22:00:00.000-08:00

In the last blog I introduced the process of long toss and discussed how far a pitcher should throw the baseball during their long toss program. In part 2 we are going to discuss how much time should be spent during your long toss workouts.

How Much Time Should I Spend Throwing?

Time spent for each throwing session is going to depend on the individual and what the circumstances are for that week. A good rule of thumb is at least a ten-minute session during the season and however long you would like to throw during the off season, each time you throw. This will allow the body enough time, as long as your movement is good, to flush itself of any unwanted soreness or tightness as well as give you enough of a workout to further instill proper movement patterns into your body's map.

During the season, throwing sessions may not go much past a ten minute time period. This would of course depend on whether you are a starter or a reliever, when you pitched last, when you are going to pitch again, and how your body feels that specific day. However, my suggestion is to at least attempt the ten minutes each and every time you throw. On a longer distance day it will be easier to throw past the ten-minute mark. The days where you are not moving back that far are the days you want to make sure you are still getting the repetitions in that are needed. For example, if you are only going to throw 90 feet on a certain day and it only takes you five minutes to back up that far, stay there and continue throwing at whatever intensity level works for you that day for at least another five minutes.

My experience with this type of program at the professional level has really opened my eyes to how well this truly works. It does take a bit of getting used to and changing your mental mind state to make this work. But once you have done so this will work great. On several occasions I have had professional pitchers tell me how much they doubted the ten-minute program, combined with throwing at least 6 days a week, if not everyday. However, after attempting the program for at least 2 weeks the players immediately changed their pattern of thought. Their arms felt stronger, they were less sore between outings, they recovered faster, and they fatigued less quickly.

During the off season, workouts should extend much past the ten-minute time frame. This is the part of the year where there is no rush to get through your workout. The purpose is to take your time and sooth your arm. You should treat this like an aerobic workout for your arm. It is not uncommon to throw at least thirty minutes if taking the proper time to back up and throw a baseball as far as you can.

Make sure and use your entire body when throwing long toss. Try standing sideways to your target before you start and allowing yourself a couple of steps or shuffles prior to throwing. Remember, it is all the body, all the time when you pitch. Make the entire body move aggressively and smoothly as you move to throw the baseball. Have fun and make it a relaxing and joyous experience, try never to just go through the motions. Enjoy, part 3 is on its way!

The Process of Long Toss-Part 1

2010-01-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

There are several approaches to a good long toss program. Through my own personal experience of performing a long toss program when I was playing, witnessing the long toss program I implement for my clients, and from viewing the same type of long toss program for the five years I have coached in professional baseball, I have become very confident in the program I currently implement. The following blog series about long toss will delve into all aspects of a long toss program and how to implement it during the season and also the off season.

How far should I throw a baseball?

The first topic discussed in a long toss program is how far the athlete should throw a baseball. During any given day that number could vary. How many days a pitcher throws during the week, whether it is off season or in season, how intense the workouts were during the week, and much more all go into deciding how far a pitcher should throw on a given day during a long toss program. Don't let the name fool you. Just because it says "long toss program" doesn't mean you need to throw as far as you can and ignore what your body is telling you.

A good answer to the question of how far should a pitcher throw in a long toss program is however long your body allows you to throw for that specific day. Normally a pitcher should try to throw the baseball as far as they can each day that they throw. However, there are plenty of variables one should be aware of. If you are in the off season and working on creating more arm strength and endurance, then I would suggest consistently throwing a baseball as far as you can and then try to match or better that distance each workout. If you are in-season and you are pitching on a five day rotation you may only see fit to throw a baseball as far as you can once a week. The rest of the week would be set up based more on amount of time throwing a baseball (which we will discuss in the next blog) and what needs to be addressed prior to the next start. If you are a reliever during the season you may want to throw a baseball as far as you can quite often depending on the amount of game work you are getting. I understand this may vary from time to time during a season, but usually you can get a feel for how you are being used and when. Also, if you are a reliever you probably want to spend more time on throwing then actually pitching off a mound. Normally relievers will use a lot of flat ground work to keep their pitches sharp and use long toss as a way to keep their arm strength up during a season.

Overall, the distance you should throw a baseball is going to be different for each individual. Age, arm strength, arm endurance, in-season, off-season, etc...are all factors that will go into the answer of how far you should throw a baseball. Do what is best for you at the time. Remember to always listen to your body and it will let you know what you can handle on that specific day. Good luck and enjoy your long toss! Part 2 is on its way!

How to Identify a Good Coach

2010-01-07T14:28:00.000-08:00

There is so much information available in the game of baseball that it is often difficult to decipher what information is the best for your child. Many parents want their children to receive private instruction and understand that it can be costly. If you are a parent who is willing to invest in private instruction for your pitcher, it is important to know what to look for when deciding on the most effective private coach for your child.

Here are a few tips to help you spot out the best from the rest when it comes to private coaches:

Video, Video and more Video
You want to choose a coach for your young athlete who uses video in their instruction. Video should be taken of your child in almost every session so that the coach can consistently see if there are any improvements being made. Additionally, video allows the parent to take a look and start to learn about the movement as well. At the very least the coach should be showing your child a video of a professional who does things very well in their sport. This way the child can have someone to pattern their movements after and have a visual interpretation in addition to the words of what the movement should look like when performed well.

Assessments
It is important to choose a coach who assesses their athletes prior to starting them on a program or series of lessons. If the coach does not have a solid background of the athlete or at least a very good idea of where they are currently in regards to development, then they cannot truly know where to start. Assessments, if done properly of course, are great tools for the coaches and parents to understand their young athlete. With assessments, parents can discover information about their children that they may not have previously noticed or have been ignoring and the coach will be better informed before beginning a program.

Background
Be sure to investigate the background of the coach that you are looking to hire. For example, how much playing experience does the coach have? How much coaching experience? What efforts have they made to learn more about their craft? Do they have specific physical education classes that will benefit your athlete? Can they analyze film and break down movements? Do they understand how the body works and what type of information the body will react to? Just because a coach has major league experience doesn't make them a great coach. There are plenty of big league performers who never really understood how they got things done from a mechanical standpoint, they just knew how to get things done. Of course there will be pluses and minuses to all coaches but don't be fooled by their background and don't forget to check on it.

Clients
Check to see what type of clients the coach has been working with. What age group does the coach have most of their experience with? How have the clients that they have worked with in the past evolved? What do their former clients say about them? We all know that it is really exciting to take your athlete to a coach who has worked with major league players. But not every good coach you see is going to have that type of clientele.

What you really want to take a look at is how this coach is developing the clients they have. For example, is the coach able to assist in developing young athletes who are average or below average athletes when they started instruction? Can the coach take these young athletes and help guide them to have experiences that they would have never had unless they found each other? The real coaches are the ones who can get those physically challenged athletes and take them to a place they would have never thought they could go. No matter if that place was JV baseball to JC baseball or back-up Varsity to small college athlete. Any coach can coach an All-American, but can they coach the kid who nobody thinks has a shot?

Approach
Last but certainly not least is a positive approach. You want a coach who is positive, upbeat and energetic; a coach who loves what they do and it shows. Be sure to pick the coaches who have a smile on their face but know what to say, how to say it and when to say it to get the best out of the athlete. A coach who has an approach from the positive end of the scale will go a long way in inspiring your young athlete to perform at their very best.

So for now on when searching for a coach to assist your young athlete in private instruction keep these tips in mind and it will help you identify the best coach possible and may save you a whole lot of money and wasted time.

Throwing vs. Pitching

2009-12-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Often I receive emails from prospective clients who have children that are 8 and 9 years of age asking what they can do to help their kids become pitchers. The answer I always give them is, "don't make them pitchers, make them throwers."

If you have a young athlete at home (ages 6-9) who wants to become a major league pitcher someday, enable your athlete to be a thrower first and a pitcher second.

It is very important to develop the athlete's throwing ability before ever thinking about the actual pitching process. The most important activity to practice with a young athlete is how to properly throw a baseball. Here are a few key components to becoming an effective thrower:

Being athletic and using your body
Rhythm, tempo and timing
Grip
Long toss

Being Athletic and Using Your Body

Being athletic and using your body to throw a baseball is very important when learning how to throw a baseball. 'All the body, all the time' is a great phrase to explain throwing. Always moving your feet to throw and not just taking one step, being aggressive with your steps towards the target, and remaining sideways as you move towards your target are simple ways to explain this process. A lot of the time pitchers make themselves into robots, thinking they need to look a certain way and be very controlled while on the mound. But when you are young, if you learn to throw the baseball with aggression and with your whole body moving with you, it will be easier to make that a part of your pitching process later on.

Any young athlete should be able to notice the freedom they have when throwing with a friend and using all of their body. Guide them toward feeling that same type of freedom when they get on the mound and see what they can come up with. Most times the kids will be able to figure out what is best for them all by themselves.

Rhythm, Tempo and Timing
Rhythm, tempo and timing are three very important parts to the throw and can be learned at very young ages. Try doing any type of drill but make sure the athlete is focusing on the fluidity of their movement––their rhythm––and how easy they can make the movement.

Running or skipping is a great way to illustrate tempo. Show them examples of moving too slow, too fast and then a happy medium. Let them figure out the right tempo while they throw a baseball. If they move too slow or too fast they should be able to recognize that and feel what that is like. Then help guide them towards that happy medium and ask them how their body and arm feel when they are throwing; they will be able to tell you exactly what worked and didn't work in each instance.

Timing refers to the process of taking the ball out of the glove and the time the athlete actually commits to the throw. Taking the ball out of the glove too soon is a big problem young throwers seem to experience often. Most people would think that taking the ball out of the glove early is better for young athletes to throw; they feel it helps get their arms into position to throw the baseball on time.

Watch your child throw and see what happens. If you are looking at rhythm, tempo and timing, you will be able to determine the right time for the athlete to take the ball out of the glove. The athletes will also be able to tell you whether they are on time for the throw. Too early will feel slow and heavy, too late will feel rushed and out of control, but on time will feel just that. It will feel smooth, easy and fluid and be very easy to notice.

Grip

Always work with a traditional four-seam grip when developing a young athlete's arm strength. If the athletes hand is too small you can always try a three finger grip. Just make sure the thumb is underneath the baseball and cuts right through the middle of the ball.

If the athlete can do a traditional grip and has a big enough hand, make sure the thumb is directly in between the index and middle finger on the bottom part of the baseball. Simply point the baseball at yourself to check and see if your grip is correct. Rotation is the key when using the four-seam grip. Your throwing partner should see nothing but white coming at them if you are throwing the ball correctly with proper spin and rotation.

Long Toss

Long toss is one of the most important components to becoming an effective thrower. Long toss is also the key to creating the arm endurance and strength that every pitcher needs. Some people would say that long toss creates arm endurance but not arm strength. Long toss creates arm endurance AND it can also increase arm strength. However, if an athlete never increases the distance of their throws through long toss, they may never have the opportunity to throw with quality velocity on the mound.

In addition to getting the arm in shape, long toss can also be used to steadily increase the distance a thrower can actually throw a baseball. If an athlete can throw a ball farther and farther as they use the long toss process, and is also able to use the athletic components in long toss and transfer that type of freedom to the mound, then the long toss will convert and the athlete will be able to throw the baseball harder when on the mound. This explains why athletes can gain plenty of distance on a long toss throw but for some reason are not able to throw with any type of real velocity on the mound (they are not able to maintain the athletic movement and freedom they have in a long toss throw on the mound).

In other words, if an athlete never learns the ability to throw a ball far (master long toss), they most likely will never be able to throw a ball with significant velocity on the mound. But if we can assist the athlete in creating as athletic of a throw on the mound as they use in long toss, it will transfer to the mound and the young athlete will be grateful for their long toss work.

Long toss is the most important technique that a young thrower can have. The ability to throw the ball far and understand the importance of long toss is invaluable. Avoid going too far into explaining the process; help them to understand the importance of using the entire body aggressively to throw the baseball and throwing the ball as far as you can when doing long toss. There is a complete art to long toss and it is a very satisfying and fun workout once the young athlete truly understands what long toss is all about.

Learning to be a Thrower
No matter the age, athleticism rules when you are an athlete and learning any type of sport. The most athletic kids will almost always be the best players at a young age, but that won't always be the case. Provide your young athlete with the proper knowledge and time in order to learn how to be a thrower. Young athletes at ages 6-9 have plenty of time but also need to start throwing and developing their craft at an early age. Remind your athlete that they don't need be in any rush to be the strongest, biggest, fastest kid on the field of play. No need to be discouraged; just have fun and start the process to success.

The Complete Pitcher's Workout

2009-12-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

Often parents ask me, "What should my son be doing for workouts to prepare for the season?" It's a great question for every young pitcher to ask himself. Every time a pitcher goes out to train they should know what they are going to do that day and what the focus of the workout is going to be. With a simple program, pitchers of any age can get the most out of their training time. There are several throwing programs that a pitcher can utilize in their training. The first is for a throwing workout.

The throwing workout program normally includes:
Body preparation
Long toss
Focused throwing
Arm care
Body work

Body Preparation
The first part of ANY throwing program or workout should be body preparation. A normal body preparation consists of three things: visual work, balance work and joint mobility work. The whole point in preparing your body for the training it is about to do is to wake up the nervous system. You want the body to respond to the work it is about to do and you also want the body to accept the work. This includes visual work, balance and joint mobility. The body preparation portion of the training session will assist in waking up your nervous system and will allow you to get the most out of your training for the day.

Long Toss
Once body preparation is finished it is time to move on to the throwing part of the workout. Long toss is what most people, including myself, like to call it. I will go into the particulars of long toss in later blogs, but the basis of long toss is to throw as far as you can for that specific day, nice and relaxed on the way out and then more intense on the way back in. A normal long toss period during off season training sessions may last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how far that particular pitcher can throw a baseball. With long toss, there should be no rush to back up to the farthest distance; the pitcher should take their time. As for younger kids, naturally their long toss session may not be as long because they will not be able to throw the ball as far.

Focused Throwing
Immediately following the long toss portion of the training session there should be some sort of focused throwing. There can be several ways to use this portion of the workout including velocity work, command work, bullpens, flatground, working on off speed pitches and many more ideas. Whatever the pitcher chooses to work on that day is not as important as the focus they bring to the process.

Arm Care
Now we move on to the arm care portion of the session. For this part the pitcher should have a handful or so of exercises that assist in keeping the arm healthy. Scapula movement and rotator cuff exercises should be the focus. Making sure the body knows how to move the scapula properly and also doing maintenance work on the rotator cuff muscles in and around the shoulder should go a long way in keeping the pitcher's arm healthy.

Body Work
Last but not least in the training session should be some sort of body work. How many and the type of exercises the pitcher chooses depends on what type of weight training work they do during the week. All of the week's schedules, weight training, throwing, conditioning, etc. should all work together and be thought out before the week begins. This way the pitcher will know exactly what they need to be doing each day and how hard to push themselves depending on what type of training and intensity level they are using for the week.

Normally it is recommended to do some sort of cardiovascular work at the end of each training session. I usually have my guys doing short bursts of speed with small rests in between drills. If the pitcher is going to do strength exercises with cardiovascular work for that session, make sure to do the cardiovascular work first and then do the strength exercises. (There are all sorts of different point of views on this particular subject that also will be discussed in future blogs.)

Once the pitcher gets a feel for the workouts it is very easy to follow the program and plan out the workouts before they go to the field to throw. Remember to make the workouts as specific as possible but also make them as fun as possible. Try adding in fun games that are challenging and will also help with developing you into the pitcher you are wanting to become. We will discuss the individual parts of the entire training session in later blogs.

For now, have fun and enjoy!

Passion for Pitching Says Hello

2009-12-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it? Doug White and Passion for Pitching has started a blog. I remember when CD's first came out, it took me a full year before I even thought about buying something other then a tape cassette. Now the kids these days don't even know what tape cassettes are. I have over two hundred tapes of music sitting in storage right now collecting dust. Not to mention the VHS tapes I also have after refusing to buy this thing called a DVD player. I thought there was no way CD's and DVD's would be the mainstream thing. Plus, they were always so expensive compared to tapes. Look at me now, I own my own business, I work for the Cardinals Organization as a Minor League Pitching Instructor, I have my own website, youtube video clips, and now my own blog. What a world we live in huh? A place where they allow all sorts of people from all sorts of walks of life to get on the internet and share whatever it is they want to on their own blog.

For weeks now I have been wondering what I could write about on a blog. Should I talk mechanics? Should I discuss pitching strategies? How about workouts and the million different ways there are to prepare your body for competition? Well, all that is great stuff and we will cover it all as I get a hang of this blog stuff. I am absolutely positive that one idea after the next will come to me and I am also positive that everyone out there who will be reading and supporting this blog will have a hand in that creative process. But first I wanted to use this first blog to give everyone the ground rules for this Passion for Pitching blog.

The Ground Rules

Ground Rule #1 - The blogger is always right! Not really, but I always wanted to say that. There will be topics discussed and passed along this blog that not everyone is going to agree with or believe in and that's okay. I started this blog to allow for a creative outlet and pass on some things that I feel strongly about. But I also started this blog to learn some things as well. The more people that get involved here and share their thoughts and ideas to what is being posted, the better we can all get in our quest to enjoy the game of baseball more. Let's use this outlet to create some great things and broaden our horizons so more athletes and coaches can improve and enjoy the game of baseball.

Ground Rule #2 - This blog is for entertainment purposes! That is not to say this blog is for laughs only and should not be taken seriously, but at the root of all this information that one can absorb in the game of baseball, it should be for the joy of it. That is also not to say that the game isn't tough and built on failures because it is. But that is where the enjoyment comes from. The enjoyment comes from going 0 for your last 7 and then going 3 for 3 in your next game and scoring or driving in the winning run. That is what baseball is all about. You have to take the good with the bad and that is so much more true in the sport of baseball then any other sport you will ever participate in. So lets enjoy and not take it so seriously, we will have plenty of time for that when we get on the field of play!

Ground Rule #3 - Your participation is wanted! I can't wait to interact with the individuals who will come across this blog. Let me know what topics you are interested in on the subject of pitching. I will do my best to answer any questions you have or reply to any thoughts or comments you give to my blog posts. There will be a lot of talk on this blog about other sides to pitching then just mechanics, we may even talk about life from time to time, but either way this blog won't work without your participation so come and enjoy!

The second post is coming soon! Check out my website at passionforpitching.com and sign up to be on my email list to keep up to date on all the latest!