This week I would like to discuss visualization.
If you have played baseball at any level, you more than likely have heard Yogi Berra's famous words once or twice: "Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical."
Although this famous Yogi-ism seems to stump the mathematicians of the world, there is something to be said about its meaning. To be more specific, it really stresses the importance of the mental game while not diminishing physical preparation. This obvious attempt at hyperbole has succeeded in getting the attention of the entire baseball community.
The mental side of baseball is the most important aspect of your game. How do you think today's professional athletes can preform in front of 40,000 people? The answer is simple. They have already played the game in their heads. Also, they have imagined every possible situation and having done so, gained tremendous confidence in themselves.
Before your next game, whether you're a starter, closer or anywhere in between, try this:
1 - Go somewhere quiet and where you won't be disturbed for at least 10-15 min.
2 - Lay down with you arms at your side, close your eyes and begin taking deep breaths. Relax.
3 - Now imagine the field you are playing on. Imagine the mound, the smells and the sounds.
4 - When you have a complete mental image of your surroundings you can start visualizing your performance. Start with your warm-up in the pen. Every detail counts. Imagine throwing your warm-up pitches on the field. Then visualize facing a few batters. Righty-Lefty-Righty or Lefty-Righty-Lefty, you choose. By not giving the batter an identity you can prepare for every situation. If there is one batter that you struggle against you can visualize facing him. Remember that every detail is important.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
-Start small. Maybe three or four pitches to each batter and one inning.
-Use all of your pitches.
-Practice makes perfect. The more you do this, the more comfortable you will become.
If you continue to do this, I guarantee you will see results.
Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, needs individual instruction please contact me via email at graigwhelan@gmail.com for more information.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Long Toss
There is quite a debate in the baseball community about long toss. Some people swear by it and others say it's unnecessary. I am 100% for it. But when it is done incorrectly in can have undesirable results.
We don't want to get into bad habits, so the first issue we need to address is form. A lot of people long toss just to see how far they can throw it. As a pitcher we only need to worry about making it 60'6"; however, we can strengthen and stretch the arm by long tossing a predetermined distance with proper technique.
By long tossing, the muscles used to throw are strengthened as well as the muscles used to slow the arm down. What does this achieve? Well, a simple analogy would involve sprinting. When sprinting in a large open field you can run as fast as your ability allows. If you try to sprint inside of a small room your body needs to slow itself down before hitting the wall. In this case you will never reach top speed. Long toss trains the muscles that slow your arm down so that they can support more arm velocity, thus increasing pitch velocity. In addition, it also stretches out the arm to help you recover faster.
Now let's discuss form. We want to get as close as possible to recreating a pitching motion. The way this can be done is to start in the stretch. Crow hop crossing your back foot behind the front foot and then pushing off your back foot (drive leg) to complete pitching motion. Use a 4-seam grip and make sure to exaggerate the follow through. The baseball should stay on a line and not with a huge arc. This will allow the pitcher to stay on top of the baseball helping keep everything moving downhill. The video below will demonstrate proper technique.
This technique should be used throughout the entire throwing session, form warm-up to long toss. Mixing in a few change-ups will allow you to get used to throwing them at full arm speed.
Next is distance. Obviously a great warm-up is needed in order to proceed but this is another topic. For long toss, there is really no reason to throw any farther than two times the distance between bases. For example: if your bases are 90 feet apart then 180 feet is the maximum throwing distance. I prefer about 150 feet. Little League pitchers probably shouldn't exceed 100 feet. We are trying to get maximum distance without sacrificing form.
One thing to keep in mind here is that your body needs time to recover. You should not do long toss everyday. In fact, twice a week is more than enough to start seeing results. If you can't throw these distances right away it is okay. Form is more important that anything. Keep working and you will get there in no time.
Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, need individual instruction please contact me via email at graigwhelan@gmail.com for more information.
We don't want to get into bad habits, so the first issue we need to address is form. A lot of people long toss just to see how far they can throw it. As a pitcher we only need to worry about making it 60'6"; however, we can strengthen and stretch the arm by long tossing a predetermined distance with proper technique.
By long tossing, the muscles used to throw are strengthened as well as the muscles used to slow the arm down. What does this achieve? Well, a simple analogy would involve sprinting. When sprinting in a large open field you can run as fast as your ability allows. If you try to sprint inside of a small room your body needs to slow itself down before hitting the wall. In this case you will never reach top speed. Long toss trains the muscles that slow your arm down so that they can support more arm velocity, thus increasing pitch velocity. In addition, it also stretches out the arm to help you recover faster.
Now let's discuss form. We want to get as close as possible to recreating a pitching motion. The way this can be done is to start in the stretch. Crow hop crossing your back foot behind the front foot and then pushing off your back foot (drive leg) to complete pitching motion. Use a 4-seam grip and make sure to exaggerate the follow through. The baseball should stay on a line and not with a huge arc. This will allow the pitcher to stay on top of the baseball helping keep everything moving downhill. The video below will demonstrate proper technique.
This technique should be used throughout the entire throwing session, form warm-up to long toss. Mixing in a few change-ups will allow you to get used to throwing them at full arm speed.
Next is distance. Obviously a great warm-up is needed in order to proceed but this is another topic. For long toss, there is really no reason to throw any farther than two times the distance between bases. For example: if your bases are 90 feet apart then 180 feet is the maximum throwing distance. I prefer about 150 feet. Little League pitchers probably shouldn't exceed 100 feet. We are trying to get maximum distance without sacrificing form.
One thing to keep in mind here is that your body needs time to recover. You should not do long toss everyday. In fact, twice a week is more than enough to start seeing results. If you can't throw these distances right away it is okay. Form is more important that anything. Keep working and you will get there in no time.
Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, need individual instruction please contact me via email at graigwhelan@gmail.com for more information.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Changing Speeds
I often notice that a lot of pitchers try to blow a fastball by every guy they face. There are times when they can get away with doing this, but the difference between a pitcher and "a thrower" is knowing that there are other ways to get batters out.
When you hear someone talking about changing speeds, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Naturally we think that means you have to throw a change-up or a curve. That's not always the case. Most times, back-to-back fastballs in the same location at different speeds will yield the same results, even if you're not a flamethrower.
The best pitchers have two different speeds for every pitch. That doesn't mean you need to overthrow one to compensate for another. It means that you need to be in control of your body and stay within your ability. Taking a little bit off of a fastball WILL mess up the timing of the batter. It is the difference between a batter squaring a pitch up and dribbling a ball to first base. It's a matter of a fraction of a second. That's all it takes!
Here is a tip: To change speeds on your fastball try spreading out your fingers slightly. A fraction of an inch makes a huge difference.
Remember, you don't need to strike everyone out. When you stop trying to get guys to swing and miss and start making them put the ball in play, you will have longer, more successful outings..
Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, need individual instruction please contact me via email at graigwhelan@gmail.com for more information.
When you hear someone talking about changing speeds, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Naturally we think that means you have to throw a change-up or a curve. That's not always the case. Most times, back-to-back fastballs in the same location at different speeds will yield the same results, even if you're not a flamethrower.
The best pitchers have two different speeds for every pitch. That doesn't mean you need to overthrow one to compensate for another. It means that you need to be in control of your body and stay within your ability. Taking a little bit off of a fastball WILL mess up the timing of the batter. It is the difference between a batter squaring a pitch up and dribbling a ball to first base. It's a matter of a fraction of a second. That's all it takes!
Here is a tip: To change speeds on your fastball try spreading out your fingers slightly. A fraction of an inch makes a huge difference.
Remember, you don't need to strike everyone out. When you stop trying to get guys to swing and miss and start making them put the ball in play, you will have longer, more successful outings..
Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, need individual instruction please contact me via email at graigwhelan@gmail.com for more information.
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