Welcome to the BatAction Baseball Training Blog

The BatAction Blog presents baseball batting training tips, baseball hitting drills, and other information to help Bat Action owners produce unbelievable results from working out on the BatAction Baseball Trainer. Baseball coaches, players and parents will find this information very interesting and extremely useful. The Regular posts include new and innovative training drills and techniques to increase bat speed, improve power, improve hitting skill, and increase batter confidence.

Friday, October 29, 2010

How to Pitch a Baseball : Breaking Ball Baseball Pitch Demonstration



How to Pitch a Baseball : Breaking Ball Baseball Pitch Demonstration
expertvillage See a demonstration of a breaking ball baseball pitch in this free sports instruction video.

Expert: Mike Lumley
Bio: Mike Lumley is the President and head instructor of Lumley School of Baseball and has a very extensive back ground in baseball and baseball camps; two years Scholarship at Eastern Michigan University,
Filmmaker: Melissa Schenk

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Joe Mauer Commercial



Joe Mauer Commercial
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Watch a commercial of 2006 Major League Baseball batting champion and Minnesota Twins starting catcher Joe Mauer demonstrating the Quickswing batting training aid.

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

How to Hit a Baseball Farther - Conditioning


How to Hit a Baseball Farther - Conditioning
By Jeffery A Wise

In a previous article, I discussed several major areas that will help you know how to hit a baseball farther. Those areas were the right mindset, confidence, proper hitting mechanics and lots of practice. But there is another area I did not mention that I would like to talk about now.

Health is critical if you want to hit a baseball farther. We need to keep our bodies free from injury and able to play a full season of baseball. If you play back to back seasons, your body can suffer some wear and tear so it's important to take care of yourself.

The best way to do this is to participate in an ongoing conditioning program to help you maintain a strong body. I used to wake up at 5 a.m. during high school baseball days and participated in conditioning drills for an hour. We were drenched in sweat by the end. Then after school we participated in a weight training program for at least an hour.

This was all done in the off-season and proved to be beneficial because it enabled us to be one of the most conditioned and strongest teams in our district. Because of this we went deep into the playoffs each year of my high school career. You will find that the most successful teams are the ones that are strong and conditioned.

For young players I only recommend running, stretching, and other basics like pushups and sit-ups; at least until the age of 12. After that, if your doctor and parents clear you then I would start engaging in supervised strength training to build key muscle groups that are used in baseball. You don't need to bulk up. If you do, it will be hard to even swing the bat properly.

Your heaviest strength-training program should be in the off season where you're exercising six days a week. Always take a day off during the week. The part that many ballplayers miss is that you should continue a light conditioning and weight training program during the season to maintain and continue to build your strength. High schools and colleges should have programs in place that will help you out. For Little Leaguers and youth you'll most likely do some running with your teams and maybe even pushups and sit-ups. Remember to always consult your parents, coaches and trainers before starting any program.

The following muscle groups should be targeted so that you can have assistance in hitting the baseball farther: calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, and upper body muscle groups such as chest, shoulders, back biceps and triceps. Target the core muscles in your abdomen. Don't forget to warm up, cool down and stretch each time you lift weights.

To know how to hit a baseball farther, continue practicing the most important parts of hitting mechanics. This is what allows you to hit the baseball well in the first place. Every part of baseball, including conditioning, should be fun.

Jeffery A Wise invites you to learn more about how to hit a baseball farther so that you can get on base and score for your team. Start learning today at http://www.baseballhittingtipsonline.com by reading our information, watching our videos and participating in our blog.

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

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Monday, October 11, 2010

How to Create a Baseball Practice Plan

How to Create a Baseball Practice Plan
By guest author: Jack Perconte

There are basically two things to consider when talking about how to create a baseball practice plan. The first is the pre-season practice plan and the second is the in-season plan. Of course, for teams that may play or stay together year round, there may be an off-season practice plan, too.

First, let's consider the pre-season plan. Coaches should decide how many practices a week they are going to have, which is usually based on the age of players and the philosophy of the level the team is playing. For example, travel baseball teams should practice more often than recreational teams, especially before the season. It may become more difficult for travel teams to practice as much once the season begins because of the greater number of games. With that in mind, travel teams must take advantage of their preseason practices more.

Additionally, coaches will base how in-depth strategic instruction they are expected to provide based on the level of play. For instance, recreational coaches should devote more time into the basic fundamentals, where as travel coaches should go into advanced detail on the finer points of the game, like pick-off plays, etc...

Following are suggestions that coaches should consider when drawing up their pre-season practices:
1. Write down every phase of the game including the fundamental skills of hitting, throwing, fielding, pitching and base running.
2. Write down every strategic game situation elements of the game like cutoffs and relays, run downs, pick-off plays, bunt plays and double steal situations, etc.
3. Decide on the length of practices and then begin to plug in the amount of time that will be devoted to a) fundamentals, b) strategic elements. After allowing a 15-minute warm-up period at each practice, below is some examples based on two-hour practices.

****** Fundamental Skills - Strategy, Game Situation
Practice 1 - 45 minutes --- 1 hour strategic
Practice 2 - 50 minutes -- 55 minutes
Practice 3- 55 minutes -- 50 minutes
Practice 4 - 1 hour -------- 45 minutes
Practice 5 - 1 Hour -------- 45 - Simulated Game
Practice 6 - 45 minutes--- 1 Hr - Simulated Game
Practice 7- 45 minutes -- 1 Hr - Intra -squad
Practice 8 - 45 minutes --- 1 Hr - Intra squad

Of course, this is just a basic model that coaches can go by with the goal of dividing practice time between the fundamental skill work and the strategic game work. Initially, less skill work is recommended until players get their arms and bats in shape, before devoting more time to this skill work. Coaches can adjust and vary their plan to meet their teams needs.

Other points to consider:
1. Homework on skill work should be given at the end of each practice.
2. As practices progress, coaches should gear more time towards the areas of baseball that are needed most. For example, extra base running work for teams that show bad base running skills.
3. Simulated games are when coaches set up certain game situations with regular pitcher, hitter and fielders, etc...
4. Attention to detail during warm-ups should not be neglected.
5. Keeping kids as busy as possible with small group stations and rotations is good when coaching help is available for the various stations.
6. The advantage of simulated games is that certain situations can be worked on over and over again. Reenacting plays that are done incorrectly until players do it correctly is crucial to improvement.

In season practice plan:
1. As games begin, periodic reviews of all strategic game situations should be done.
2. Coaches should use their pre-game time wisely to stay on top of skill work.
3. Practices can now be geared towards the areas of the game that teams need the most based on their recent game deficiencies.
4. Coaches are responsible for protecting pitchers arms at practice, especially as the season progresses.
5. Skill work should not be taken for granted as the season progresses. It is common for hitters to get off to a good start after working on hitting drills in the off- season only to have their hitting deteriorate when they neglect the hitting drills as the season progresses.
6. Cutting down on the length of practices may sometimes be necessary during the hot summer months so players do not get run down physically.
7. Coaches should take notes during games as to what their team should concentrate their next practice on.

Of course, being organized and prepared for every practice is important for successful baseball practices. Finally, a major sign of a good coach is that their team is better at the end of the season than at the beginning. This may not always show up in the win column, but definitely in how teams execute the strategic aspects of the game.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball playing lessons, books and advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball.

Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his positive parenting advice and books can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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

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Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Baseball Drills & Conditioning



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Friday, October 1, 2010

Advanced Hitting Drills

Advanced Hitting Drills
By guest author: Jack Perconte

There are numerous hitting drills and all have specific purposes. Good hitting drills address a specific area of a hitter's fundamentals. When hitters have practiced basic hitting drills for a time they may be ready for more advance hitting drills. Additionally, these drills can serve to break up the monotony of performing the same drills over and over.

Some drills will actually address a few different fundamental areas at the same time, making them even more valuable. One such drill is the back knee pickup drill that I have written about before. This drill where the hitter swings, picks up the back foot and allows the knee to rotate towards the pitcher is a good multi-use drill that works on using the front side and keeping a firm front side without collapsing the lower half on the swing. It also serves to have hitters transfer their weight and maintain leverage through their swing. This is only a drill and is not the way a hitter will hit in a game, but a drill that reinforces the correct fundamentals for hitters who have specific hitting deficiencies. This drill helps hitters who "step out" with their stride and for those who open their hips or front shoulder too early.

Other advanced hitting drills include the following:

1. The self flip drill is very valuable for advanced hitters. It will force hitters to develop quick hands and strong forearms. To perform this drill the hitter will hold the ball with their top hand as their lower hand grips the bat. The hitter flips the ball up no higher than eye level into the hitting zone. At this time, the hitter will grab the bat with both hands and hit the ball. Obviously, the goal is to hit line drives and in the direction of where the ball was flipped, (middle, inside or outside). Hitters will notice that very quick hands are necessary to hit the ball consistently solid.

2. Another advanced hitting drill is to have the hitter stand a foot or so away from a net, where the hitter is facing away from the net. The goal is to swing and miss the net with the bat going forward, but to hit the net slightly on the follow through with the bat. This drill will reinforce a compact swing and "staying back" at the same time. Hitters should keep their head in throughout the entire swing and not pull their front shoulder out in order to hit the net on the follow through. Once again, this is another drill for advanced hitters only. This drill can be done with a ball on the batting tee or with flip drills for even better results.

3. The two ball flip drill is another advanced hitting drill that is very good for teaching hitters to wait on the ball and to develop a quick, compact swing. Hitters will need the assistance of a coach to flip balls from behind a protective screen for this drill. The coach will hold two balls in the same hand at once and flip the balls into the hitting zone. When the ball approaches the hitter, the coach yells out which ball they want the hitter to hit, either high/low, or even inside/ outside. Obviously, because the hitter does not know which ball to hit until the last moment, they cannot cheat with their swing too early or they will hit the wrong one or miss altogether.

These are a few advanced hitting drills that will help advanced hitters. Many more like these are contained in my hitting book.

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