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Baseball Coaching Digest - What Are the 12 Most Common Ways That Pitchers Commit a Balk in Baseball?

By Nick Dixon

A balk is any action taken by the pitcher to deliberately deceive a base runner or base runners, to gain an unfair advantage. When a balk is called by the umpire, time is called, and all base runners are awarded a one-base advance. It is a judgment rule made by one of the umpires.

Here are what I consider to be the 12 most common balk calls in baseball at all levels of play.


The pitcher delivers from the set position without coming to a stop.
The pitcher causes an unnecessarily delay the game.
The pitcher fakes a throw to first base, without stepping off the rubber, and does not throw the ball to first base. (The pitcher is allowed to fake a throw to second and third base when a runner is occupying those bases. If the pitcher steps off the rubber, he does not have to make the throw.)
The pitcher does not step toward a base when making a throw to that base. The 45 degree rule applies in this case.
The pitcher makes his normal pitching motion but does not throw the ball to the plate.
The pitcher throws to an unoccupied base when not making a play on an advancing runner. The pitcher can throw to an unoccupied base if a runner is attempting to advance to that base.
The pitcher makes an illegal pitch. This may be a quick pitch or a pitch throw before the batter is judged to be set by the umpire.
The pitcher performs his normal or natural pitching motion used to deliver a pitch without being on the pitching rubber.
The pitcher fakes a pitch without the having the baseball while on or off the rubber.
While he is on the rubber, the pitcher drops the baseball. This applies whether the baseball is accidentally or intentionally dropped.
The pitcher delivers from the set position without coming to a stop.
The pitcher turns the shoulders toward first base after coming to the set position.

I am sure that you can name a couple more ways that a pitcher can balk. These are the 12 that I see the most from my point of view. I hope that you found this article to be informative and interesting. Thanks for taking the time to read it.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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

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The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!
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How to Prevent Hitters From Popping Out

BatAction Baseball Swing Trainer - BatAction.com
By Jack Perconte

There is only one way for hitters to pop a ball up and that is to hit the bottom of the pitched ball. The good news is that the hitter made contact but the bad news is that pop-ups are caught at least 90% of the time. Having said this obvious point, there are two causes for why players hit the bottom of the ball. The most common cause for the bat barrel going under the ball is commonly known as "dropping the shoulder." In actuality, with the correct baseball swing hitter's back shoulder will drop below the front shoulder in order to arrive at the correct palm-up, palm-down hands position. What causes the bat barrel to drop under the ball creating a popped up ball is an exaggerated drop of this shoulder due to a "collapsing" rear hip and leg.

To prevent hitters from popping out, they need to improve their weight shift into the ball. This action will prevent the hip and back leg from collapsing which will allow hitters' hips to remain level and allow them to square the baseball up more consistently.

Following are baseball hitting drills to prevent hitters from popping out - these should be done in sequence for best results, but repeatedly doing any of these drills should solve the problem.

Hitting Drill # 1 - Have hitters set their feet together without any knee bend and take swings at different pitches, from high to low. Hitters can turn their hips with this drill but will not be able to rotate their legs as with a normal swing. This drill will take the power out of their swing but will help hitters get the idea of staying tall when hitting and not collapsing. Players with good swings will still hit line drives, even on knee high pitches.

Hitting Drill # 2 - From there regular stance, have hitters swing and pick up their back leg as they swing. This will force a 100% weight transfer and force hitters to firm their front side while staying tall. The rear hip cannot collapse with this drill, which is the root of the problem.

Hitting Drill # 3 - From regular stance, set a batting tee even with hitters' rear hip and at hip high level. Hitters should practice coming over and missing this tee when swinging to any pitch level.

Hitting Drill # 4 - Set a batting tee in the hitting zone at letter high and have hitters hit balls at this level until they can hit consistent line drives. Players who drop their back side will have trouble hitting anything but pop -ups at this height.

The other less common way hitters pop balls up is by rolling their wrists at contact. This early roll causes the bat barrel to go down, resulting in a pop up. Often, this incorrect swing is only noticed by an experienced hitting coach and can be corrected with hip opening and lead arm extension drills like the following:

Hitting Drill # 5 - Have hitters choke way up on their bat and take some swings with their lead arm only. Their goal is to extend their arm and bat towards the pitcher, keeping their shoulder in and leading to a high, correct finish.

Hitting Drill # 6 - Set a ball on a tee in front of home plate and another ball on a second tee about a foot in front of that one towards the pitcher. Hitters stand in normal position and take swings with the intention of hitting through both balls. This drill forces hitters to open their hips and extend their arms without an early wrist roll. Hitting both balls solidly is the objective. A sign of an early wrist roll would be missing or continually grounding the second ball to the pull side of home plate.

It is important to understand that many young players drop their hands before swinging which can put them on the underside of the ball before they even swing. It is important that hitter--s break that habit in order to prevent hitters from popping out. Previous drill #3 will also help hitters break that habit.

Hitters with normally good fundamentals but in a "pop-up" slump may solve the problem with a couple of slight adjustments to their initial hitting position. Hitters can raise their hands slightly in their set-up and/or stand taller with less knee bend in their batting stance. These slight adjustments can cause hitters to hit a little higher up on the ball, preventing the popped up balls.

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

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

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Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game

Top 5 Baseball Drills to Improve Your Baseball Game
By Kendra L Fagan

Open professional baseball tryouts are designed to help scouts determine the physical talents and abilities of aspiring baseball players.

Though many of the drills that young MLB hopefuls are put through might seem random. This is because different drills are put to people to test their skills level. While one person trying out might have a killer pitch and he knows it, a scout might want to see what the person's skill level is with other types of baseball maneuvers.

Scouts look for speed, arm strength, glove skills, and hitting skills and overall mechanics. The tryouts are grueling and not like any version of American Idol you've seen. There is no "nice" judge. Instead, baseball scouts simply call out the names of those they like. The rest of the players go home, and many of theme eventually give up on their dream.

But not unlike any talent-based industry, hearing "no" is just part of the game. It is up to you and your trainers to make sure you are getting all the necessary drills and skill-building exercise to take you to your goal of becoming a professional baseball player.

I have compiled some of the best drills for cross-skill development that will give you a leg up in the competition and hopefully win you the interest of a baseball scout.

AROUND THE WORLD DRILL

The "Around the World" drill is a great conditioning exercise that will help any baseball player develop physically.

Here's how it works.

Take the players to the foul pole in left or right field. Then time them from foul pole to foul pole to get a good accurate base time. Then have a set time that they should complete each of the laps. Some choose seven laps, some others. The number should be based on the number of innings one would play professionally. A good hint is that coaches should remember to adhere to is to not let a lap count if it is under time. This will help the player push himself to get it right. There is no "almosts" in pro baseball.

DIVE BACKS

Besides basic conditioning, this drill helps to build the players speed and quickness back to the bag. Also, it is helpful to work on quickly leaving the bag as well as helping the players to recognize how big of a turn they can make around a bag to make sure that they get back in case of a throw. Here's how a good Dive Backs drill is set up.

The players start out at Home Plate and run around first base, making an aggressive turn, and then dive back into the bag. After diving back they get up as fast as they can and head to second base to do the same thing. They do this also at third then slide feet first into home plate to end their round.

A good way to prove the get back theory is to have an outfielder and a second basemen trying to get a player out every couple of times through. This exercise works wonders for agility and speed skills which is an absolute necessity to play in the major leagues.

THE GLOVE BASEBALL DRILL

Conditioning is a grueling task, so some fun elements need to be used as well. A good fun conditioning drill is great because you can make them the hardest and the fun elements makes it not so bad.

The glove drills starts off with separating players in groups of 4 or 5. (If you are just with yourself and your coach, find a friend or two to help.) Line the people up and put their gloves in the outfield at about 25 foot intervals apart, away from them. They start the drill with a ball in their hand and run to the first glove and set the ball on it and come back to the line and go back and get the ball and come back to the line and go to the second glove and set the ball down and go back to the line and so on and so forth, until all the players have gone through and the winners get out of laps at the end of the practice.

SPEED QUICKNESS AND POWER

In any good baseball training program, player development is a primary concern. As players get older they also raise their level of function in the game. One of the areas to try to improve is the physical or talent area. If you are at all seriously about playing professionally you must first be in the talent pool of players. If you can't do the physical levels, no one will look at the skill or playing abilities.

A well rounded pre-season conditioning program starts when the players get back from Christmas break. Work should be focused on 3 areas essential to playing baseball at a professionally competitive level - speed, quickness, and power.

The first day should be spent testing the components of each skills set that are vital to an overall skill matching assessment. Test items can include:

· 40 yard sprint
· 10 yard sprint
· Standing 2 footed vertical jump
· 30 second dips
· 30 second sit-ups
· Home to 1b
· Bench press
· Dot jumps
· Diamond push ups

After the testing is done, you should have a good two months dedicated to a program that incorporates exercises, running, and strength training. Once this part is done, practice the test points listed above again. This will help you accurately measure your progress and where to improve.

THE 60 YARD DASH DRILL

This is used to determine sheer sprint speed, and it is chosen to determine the athlete's ability to run from the length of two bases. If you decide to incorporate this for your child, do so sparingly and make sure that your child is warmed up. Also reduce the length from 60 yards to only twice the distance from home to first. Of course, make sure that your child is medically approved to do sprinting. Keep the number of such dashes very low and GRADUALLY build up over time.

Here is a good pointer:

When asked to hit, scouts do not look at the end result of whether the ball was a hit, home run, foul ball, etc. Instead, they look at mechanics in order to determine if there is a "loop" in a batter's swing, weight transfer, and the batter's overall approach to the plate appearance. If you are able to introduce your child to one of the scouts during a break at the tryout, ask the scout to give you a minute to understand what he likes to see in his ideal batter. You may learn quite a bit.

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

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Baseball Coaching Digest - Baseball Rules - Can You Name 5 Common Kinds of Baseball Interference?

By Nick Dixon

Can You Name the 5 Most Common Kinds of Baseball Interference?

If you coach, play or watch baseball, you should be familiar with the term "baseball interference". Baseball interference is described as any infraction or action by a person that illegally alters the course of baseball play. The five types of interference are covered by the rules and different rules are applied in each type of interference. The 5 kinds of interference can be committed either by an offensive player, a player off the bench, a catcher, an umpire, and a spectator. This article describes and explains the 5 most common kinds of interference called by umpires.



The 5 most frequently kinds of baseball interference that occur are:

Offensive Physical Interference

Offensive interference is when an offensive player causes a defensive player to misplay a hit ball. The offensive player physically interferes with the defensive player that is in the act of attempting to field a ball. This contact allows a base runner to advance or makes it more difficult for the player to get an out. This is the most commonly called kind of interference. When offensive interference is committed, the ball immediately becomes dead. If a batter or a base runner the commits the interference that player is called out. All runners must return to the bases they occupied at the time of the interference.

If offensive interference is committed by a runner with the intent of preventing a double play, both, the batter and the runner committing the interference will be called out.

Offensive Verbal Interference

Did you know that interference can be called on a player in the dugout? A player can commit what is called "Verbal Interference" from the dugout. Verbal interference may also be called on an offensive player. Calling out "foul" on a fair ball or "mine" on a fly ball, to confuse or hinder a defensive play is offensive verbal interference.

Umpire interference

Umpire interference is when a umpire interferes with a catcher attempting to make a throw. If the umpire`s action does not prevent the catcher from making the play, the play stands. If the action by the umpire causes a runner to be safe, the ball is dead and all runners must return to their time of throw bases. Umpire interference also occurs an umpire is struck by a fair batted ball before it touches or passes near an infielder other than the pitcher. The ball is dead, the batter is awarded first base, and all other runners advance only if forced.

Catcher interference

When a catcher physically hinders the swing of a batter, Catcher interference is called. Catcher interference is most commonly called when the bat touches the catching mitt during a swing. This most frequently occurs when a runner is attempting to steal and the catcher is too anxious to catch the ball. When catcher interference occurs, play continues, and after continuous playing action ceases, the umpire will call time. The batter is awarded first base, any runner attempting to steal is awarded that base, and all other runners advance only if forced. The catcher is charged with an error.

Spectator interference

Spectator interference most frequently occurs when a spectator in the first row of seats reaches onto the field to attempt to grab a fair or foul fly ball. Spectator interference occurs when If the umpire judges that the fielder could have caught the ball over the field. The ball becomes dead, and the umpire will award any bases or charge any outs that, in his judgment, would have occurred without the interference.

I hope that you found this article to be informative. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it. Have a great day, Nick.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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

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The Categories they have are: Baseball Training Equipment, Youth Baseball Training Equipment, Training Bats, Pitching & Throwing Trainers, Defensive Trainers, Batting Cages, Pitching Machines, Jugs Equipment, Game and Practice Baseballs, Protective Practice Screens and Nets, Portable Pitching Mounds, Baseball DVDs & Books, Clearance Items on Sales, BatAction Hitting Machines, Hurricane Hitting Machines, NEDCO Bataction Replacement Parts, SKLZ Hurricane Replacement Parts and Much Much More! Visit Baseball2U.com today!
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Simple Little League Baseball Drills

By Chris Campbell

I've never tried to hit a pitch from a seriously good baseball pitcher, but what I do know, is that it's one of the hardest things to do in all of professional sports. The combination of timing, and reflexes is pretty demanding.

Just look at how many players have a batting average over 400 in the history of professional. Only 8 players have ever done it (13 times amongst them), and no one has done it since 1941. So, any help you can give your little slugger in their early baseball years will be a definite advantage down the road.

While, you can read all day long, on the pros and cons of various hitting styles and swings, there is nothing better for a future hall of fame hitter, than just going out and hitting. The more hours they spend trying to knock one over the fence the better. Its also a great way to spend quality time with your kids, but grabbing a bunch of balls, heading over to the field, and pitch them a few to whack.

If your little ball player, really enjoys the game, then it shouldn't be hard to get them to put a little extra time in. If all they want to do is hit, that's fine, but they're probably bored to death at practice. Most kids just don't get much hitting practice with the team.

While, any hitting is better than not hitting at all, it could also be said that an effective hitting practice is better than just swinging willy nilly at whatever. There are a few pointers to keep in mind.

The Bat Has To Fit The Player

You wouldn't try to catch with a glove that was two sizes too small, or too large. So why would you do the same thing with a bat. Choosing a bat that is both weight and length appropriate for your son or daughter can make all the difference in their batting average.

Try having your little leaguer hold their bat out from their body, but parallel to the ground. If they can't do it for at least 15 seconds, then the bat is too heavy. If they can barely do it, or their arms start to wobble, then it's probably better to try a small bat.

Best Place For A Batter

As in any sports, where you put your feet is crucial to being successful. Hitting a baseball is no different. Too close, or too far from home plate can make it difficult to hit a lot of pitches. Make sure your kids understand the difference, and know where to swing from.

The lesson here is don't just head over to the park across the street for some informal batting practice, with only a bat, a glove, and some balls. Remember to bring home plate with you. Even if you don't have an official home plate, any old thing will work as a place holder.

These Little League Baseball Practice, are meant to make practice fun. If your a coach looking for Fun Baseball Practice Drills, you've come to the right spot.

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

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Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches

Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches


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Have a Great Weekend! Good luck to you and your team if you are playing. Here are some recommended baseball coaching articles for baseball coaches. Nick Dixon
Coaching Little League Baseball - Bad Habits Make For Bad Coaching

Article discusses 10 bad habits of bad Little League Coaches. These bad habits make it impossible for a coach to be an effective coach and role model.


Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Your First Baseman

Here are important points and skills that you must teach your First Baseman. Tips cover teaching the proper way to get to the bag, set up to receive the throw and how to stretch.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Stop and See - 1st & 3rd Double Steal Base Running Play

This 1st and 3rd Double Steal Play known as the Stop and See Steal. This play is used by offensive teams to score a runner from 3rd base by stopping the stealing runner short of the bag and tag.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Fake 3rd Out Defensive Trick

The Fake 3rd Out is a trick play ran by defensive teams to trick an unsuspecting base runner. If the base runner is not alert and aware, he may step off the bag and give the defensive team a cheap out to end the inning. Coaches should make their players aware of sure plays and tactics to prevent this trick from happening to their team.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Illegal Use of the Courtesy Runner Rule

Baseball coaches must be alert for one way that opposing offensive teams may illegally use the Courtesy Runner or Speed-Up rule. How does a team illegally use a courtesy runner? Here is the procedure outlined:


Baseball Coaching and the Importance of Goals For Team and Player Motivation

There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time.




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Baseball Instruction's 7 Essential Mental Skills

By Robert Bulka

There are many different methodologies for teaching baseball instruction. When most folks talk about baseball instruction they talking about three things: fielding, hitting and throwing. I often wondered why there isn't more importance put on teaching the mental aspects of baseball as well. What I've come to realize it that mental skills are learned, but it is an implied knowledge, meaning it's found it to be so important that I added my "7 Essential Mental Skills" to my baseball instruction program. Here they are:


How To Keep Your Cool
How To Use Visualization
Confidence and Positive Thinking
How to Eliminate Negative Thoughts
Stay Focused - No Distractions
How o Overcome Intimidation
How To Prepare in pressure situations (like a sacrifice bunt)

1. How To Keep Your Cool
One of the most important things you can teach your baseball players is how to act, both on and off the field. Another hot topic is arguing with an umpire, coach or another player. Arguing can result in immediate expulsion of the game and possibly the league.

To help players deal with frustration I teach the "10 second rule". This simply means they count to ten before talking. This is to let the rage pass. Believe it or not I have seen it work pretty well.

2. How To Use Visualizaion
Visualization is simply seeing things in your "mind's" eye before they happen. Let's say the hitter has a bunt sign. He can step out of the batter's box and visualize himself successfully executing the sacrifice bunt. Now, when he steps back in the box he has a mental picture, or a blueprint so to speak, to help him execute the strategy. This is a very effective tool.

3. Confidence and Positive Thinking
Positive Thinking and confidence are an essential part of baseball instruction. Think about the game in general, think about how many times you fail. I mean a .300 batting average is great but realistically it's being successful only 30% of the time. Think about how many outs we make, and the errors, and the mental lapses in judgements, etc. etc. There is negative and failure all around.

To promote positive thinking I use stories of incredible baseball comebacks of the past so the kids can see it's possible to comeback from a deficit and win. To boost morale and confidence players are encouraged to root and cheer for each other. It can makes all the difference hearing it from your peers.

4. How To Eliminate Negative Thoughts
Using the confidence building and positive thinking techniques also help to eliminate those negative thoughts. You can help visualize the release of negative thoughts by breathing in deep and exhaling. At the same time visualize that negatively exiting with your breath.

5. Stay Focused - No Distractions
This is so difficult to do, especially for kids. Here is a a great fielding drill that helps them focus and avoid distractions. It uses competition as it's catalyst.

With glove in hand, have four to eight players make a semi-circle around you. Yo will need a baseball glove and two balls. Now throw random ground balls and try to keep at least one of the balls active at all times. Any player who misses the ball or doesn't throw the ball directly back to you sits down and is waits for the next game. Last player left is champ.

6. How to Overcome Intimidation
Sometimes games are won before they even begin. This is because a team's appearance can intimidate a team so much that psyche themselves into thinking they have no chance. Before each game, pump your players up with accolades to boost their confidence. Another technique you can use is to huddle and give a real good pep talk.

7. How To Prepare In Pressure Situations (like a sacrifice bunt)
The use of the skills discussed above, combined, will help them prepare in pressure situations.

Robert Bulka is a former college baseball pitcher and current coach in the New York Metropolitan area. He has penned 2 books on Baseball Scorekeeping and he manages three baseball related sites. http://bestbaseballebooks.com

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

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Baseball Hitting Tips - How to Recognize a Curve Ball Quickly!

Baseball Hitting Tips - How to Recognize a Curve Ball Quickly!
By Larry Cicchiello

Recognizing a curve ball quickly is not an easy thing to do. Hitting a well located curve is not easy either.That's why you will hear the expression, "he's a good fastball hitter" ten times for every one time you will hear, "he's a good curve ball hitter." I'm well aware that part of that is because there are many more fastballs being thrown, so of course more fastballs will be hit harder. But I'm also well aware that the movement on the curve makes baseball hitting much more difficult and the slower speed disrupts timing. The quicker you can recognize that it's the curve that the pitcher is throwing, the better chance you will have of hitting it well. Like we've said many times, a fraction of a second is an eternity when it comes to baseball hitting and it most certainly applies here. That's why pitchers who have "late breaking" pitches are usually very successful, because the batter does not realize it is a breaking ball until it's a fraction of a second too late.

Ways to Recognize the Curve Ball Quickly:


Watch the release point of the pitcher very closely. The pitcher's release point may be slightly different from the fastball point of release.
Watch the trajectory of the ball as soon as it's released by the pitcher. It could very well have a slight arc to it that is not present on the fast ball.
Watch the pitcher's arm angle. There's a strong possibility that with the fastball, the pitcher may come almost directly overhand and with the curve he may drop down a little bit. This happens very often because many pitchers are in love with horizontal movement. (Personally, I'm in love with downward movement.)
Practice watching as many curve balls as possible.

Let's say you play three times a week and get about ten at bats per week. Out of those ten at bats, you see about one curve per at bat, which is about ten per week. I strongly suggest that to improve at recognizing a curve quicker, you must see more than ten per week. If you are serious about baseball hitting and having better at bats against the curve ball, here is what I highly recommend you do.

1. Whenever you have batting practice with your team, ask your pitcher to mix in some curve balls during your last ten or twelve swings.

2. If one of your pitchers is pitching batting practice, stand behind the backstop and practice trying to recognize his curve ball as quickly as possible.

3. If one of your pitchers is throwing a "bull pen," go stand nearby and watch him closely. Try to read the curve as quickly as you can.

If you're serious about your baseball hitting, you will find the time to do these things. By doing the things listed above, you may very well be seeing 50 curve balls per week instead of only 10 per week. I'm well aware that it's not as efficient as if you were up there hitting in the batter's box but it will still improve your recognition of the curve. How can it not help? It has to to help you.

Hitting the Curve Ball:


Quick hands are an essential part of successful baseball hitting. If your hands are quick, you can "stay back" longer. By staying back and not over committing, this is extremely useful when attempting to hit the curve ball. There is much less of a chance you will be fooled by it and be off balance and too far out in front. There is no substitute for having quick hands.
"Hit it where it's pitched." An old cliche but a tough low and away curve ball with very good downward movement is not an easy pitch to hit. I highly recommend hitting it to the opposite field. Very few well located low and away curve balls are pulled by a batter and hit well.Very few.

Larry Cicchiello is the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." His very user friendly eBooks cover 320 topics on playing or coaching excellent baseball. ANY players, coaches or parents who want to help their child improve will be fully equipped! Some FREE tips are available at http://www.LarryBaseball.com/product/all

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

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Thanks for visiting our BatAction Hitting Machine Blog. Your concern for your child's sports success is evident. Your child is fortunate to have a parent that cares so much about their success! I sincerely want your child to experience success, just like you!

Our company is founded upon the principle that every player is a winner when they reach their maximum potential as a player.

If you feel that your child has the potential to be a better hitter, I know that we can help! If you want to give your child every advantage possible when competing with the opposition or with peers for a team position, we can help! Our training equipment and training "Know-how" can help you help your child!

Maybe your job or work restricts the amount of time you are allowed to spend helping your child. If this is true, I want you to know that we offer the best home training equipment available today!
The best and most efficient trainer we sell is the BatAction Hitting Machine. It produces incredible results faster than anything else. It carries our "Success and Satisfaction or Money-Back" offer. You can not go wrong when you buy this great machine! We have thousands of collegiate hitters playing today that grew up hitting this fine machine! It has been helping young hitters improve for 10 years!

If you have questions about the BatAction Machine, please call our customer support, toll free number, 1-877-431-4487.

Happy Hitting,

Coach Nick
President
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Baseball Tips - This Problem May Be Causing That Hitting Slump

By Tom Read

Hitting the baseball is tough. You need to have a good batting stance, correct placement of the hands, good eye hand coordination, a good read on the type of pitch, and good body movement through the ball. And as the old saying goes, you are trying to hit a round ball square with a round bat. So when you go into a batting slump, which part of this equation is failing you?

This is a story I like to tell. My young son was in a bating slump like never before. He had gone from hitting the ball all over the field, to striking out at every plate appearance. Of course he was frustrated. This had never happened to him in his young career. So he and I started to take a look at each part of his swing.

His coach was also very helpful. He pitched extra batting practice to my son and gave us suggestions to try at the batting cages. We tried having him crowd the plate, back off the plate. We tried an open stance, then a closed stance. We raised his hands, we lowered his hands. We did soft toss and hit off the tee. We went ot a lighter bat, then to a heavier bat. I began to realize I was putting too much importance on this small part of his life. But to him it was very important.

Two weeks had gone by and I had decided that maybe this was his real hitting ability, and that his earlier success was just an unusual hitting streak. Then a thought came to me. At school they check every student's eye sight each year, but maybe he needed an eye exam.

My wife was able to get him into the eye doctor the next day. And can you believe it, his sight was 20-100, very bad. Surprisingly, we were all pleased with the news. Can you imagine that.? Happy that he had bad eye sight. Maybe this was his batting problem.

We were able to get glasses right away, and my son was amazed at what he could see. Leaves on the trees were now so much clearer. He was so trilled. He said let's get his ears checked. Maybe there was something he wasn't hearing. We told him his hearing was just fine.

Now the true test, the next game. I tried to prepare him for the worst, telling him it might take some time to adjust to this new sight. But that caution was never needed, he came out of the gate sending hits all over the field again. All those changes to his batting stance weren't needed. His eyes had changed very rapidly, but he had not noticed.

From what I understand, four other boys on the team had their eye sight checked within the next week. I guess you can say seeing is believing. So when you see changes in your player's ability be sure to consider their eye sight, as well as any other physical aspect. Kids grow up fast, and they make many changes during that time.

For other baseball tips and stories, please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info

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

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Baseball Fielding Tips Guaranteed to Help

10 Baseball Fielding Tips Guaranteed to Help
By Jack Perconte

Baseball players usually love to hit and getting kids to practice their hitting is usually not difficult. Getting ballplayers of any age to want to work on their fielding skills is often a different story. Subsequently, many kids reach the high school team and get cut from the team. They are perplexed when they do not make the high school team because they have always been good hitters, with many of them being top notch travel team ballplayers. The reason for their failure to make the cut is that they are one dimensional ballplayer who can only hit. At some point in their young careers they failed to recognize the importance of fielding, neglected that aspect of the game and fell behind to the point where their importance to a team was limited.

As baseball followers know, there can only be one designated hitter in a lineup and coaches need to have nine defensive position players. Because of this fact, coaches look for kids in a tryout who are multi-dimensional, meaning they can hit, run, throw and field. With this in mind, parents and coaches should stress the importance of being proficient in every aspect of the game so they are not left out in the cold come tryout time. Following are some tips for parents and coaches to help players work on their fielding skills with the understanding that the earlier (age) they teach these the better:

1. Use a softer ball - this allows the coach to challenge players with more speed and game like balls.

2. Repeat, use a softer ball - this gives players the assurance that they will not get hurt when hit by the ball and will promote good fielding mechanics of getting in front of ground balls and under fly balls for the above mentioned reason.

3. Like everything in sports, development of skills is dependent on correct fundamentals. With fielding this involves good footwork. Practicing the correct footwork from approaching the ball all the way through the throw is necessary, with consistency of action the key to success.

4. Begin fielding practice with hitting or throwing slow ground balls so fielders. This will promote aggressive fielders by having to charge the ball.

5. Teach kids to catch balls correctly - glove hand only (one handed) for balls they reach for and two hands for balls within their body.

6. Avoid practicing ground balls on a smooth surface (indoors) whenever possible. Players can get away with incorrect fundamentals on a smooth surface because hops are always true and predictable. If a smooth surface is only option, roll many balls very low to ground to promote keeping glove and body low for good fielding mechanics.

7. During team batting practice, position non-hitting players and have them play balls off bat as if in a game. This is especially helpful for outfield practice to get the real feel for judging fly balls.

8. Teach players to get into the correct "ready" position according to the position they are playing.

9. Try to devote at least half of practice time on fielding drills and game like situation practice. Knowing what to do in a game (i.e. where to throw ball, what base to cover) on defense is very important.

10. Remind kids of the importance of throwing, both arm strength and accuracy, to fielding success. A play is usually only half over with a catch, completing a play with a good throw is necessary.

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

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

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The Basics of Rotational Hitting

By Hunter Sendefer

Most of us that played baseball or softball as children were taught how to play like children do. We were generally taught linear hitting and/or extension hitting. This leaves the swing the majors use out of the equation. Very rarely as children are we taught how to swing like the pros, with the use of rotational hitting.

When we are talking about linear hitting, this is mostly just used to make contact with the ball, and pray that it makes it into the infield. This is usually only effective until the 4th or 5th grade, or until point infielders can pretty much make all the plays. Nowadays, there are very few players that use anything like linear hitting, since the turf has changed so much since the 80's.

Extensional hitting is what the majority of children are taught, and it involves learning how to make a V at the contact point. For the most part it has been misinterpreted to mean something else, so it is not as effective as intended.

Rotational hitting, on the other hand, whether in the field or with the help of a batting trainer, means using the whole body to power the swing- specifically the core muscles, not only the arms, wrists and hands. The main concept behind a rotational swing, is that the ball is struck firm and hard, since it is much more difficult to make a play on a ball that is moving with lightning speed.

For the greatest part, major league players are rotational hitters. Even for the few that use a different method as well, there best plays are generally made with rotational hitting. In this type of hitting, the hips move first and lead the hands and shoulders, and the hands rotate with the back shoulder and create the Power L Position at the point of contact, and the arms go into the Power V position only after the point of contact.

Rotational hitting can also be applied in fast pitch softball. This is due to the fact that each swing is essentially the same, even though there can be tremendous size differences in the hitters. Since rotational hitting allows you to use core muscles for strength, it is the best, and is almost always used in the highest levels of baseball and fast pitch softball as well.

To make rotational hitting work for you, whether you are in the field, or practicing with a batting trainer, there are some things that have to be in place. Every hitter has to get into an athletic stance before they hit the ball. This means that feet are apart, knees are bent, and the butt is sticking out slightly. This is to make certain that you can make contact with the ball. Connection occurs when a hitter's hands rotate with the back shoulder through the point of contact. Their hands and arms only extend after the point of contact. With a good hitter, their back elbow and back knee will be in the power L position, and bent around 90 degrees.

To get really good at rotational hitting, it is a smart idea to try out your swing with the assistance of a batting trainer before bringing it into your game, so that you can get a feel for the swing.

Hunter Sendefer is a former player and current youth baseball coach who consistently coaches his teams to the winners column including an active 26 game winning streak. He frequently contributes to http://www.Batting-Trainer.com where you can sign up for free baseball batting videos and hitting tips or learn about the revolutionary new Insider Bat batting trainer. http://www.Batting-Trainer.com/features

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



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Good Wednesday Morning to you. Here are 4 articles that I recommend.
Have a great day. Nick

Coaching Baseball - Two True Base Running Blunders That Teach a Lesson

We all know the importance of good base running. We know that "solid" base running scores runs and wins games. We also know that poor base running can easily cause a team to lose a game. The following two stories are true stories of base running mistakes that cost the team a win. All the team had to do to win was to have the base runner advance to the next bag. These two stories are great stories that you can tell to your players to teach young players two important rules of base running.


Coaching Baseball - Strategies For Facing Overpowering Pitchers

Every one of us has at one time or another, either as a player or a coach, had to face what is considered the "unhittable" pitcher. You know what I mean, the pitcher that is undefeated because he has an overpowering fastball, nasty curve ball, and a 3 pitch arsenal of potent pitches that intimidates the average team while he is just warming up. Coach Dixon discusses is strategies that can used when your team faces a dominating and overpowering pitcher. The main strategy in this situation is that you must have a "strategy" that you and your kids believe will work. The trick is have several scenarios and plans that you will apply as the game progresses.


Youth Sports Coach - Watch What You Say

Volunteering to coach youth sports can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. It is a privilege to spend time teaching, coaching and mentoring youngsters in one of the most critical stages of their mental and physical development. Many kids do not have positive role models in their life. Many kids do not get the attention and the discipline that they need and desire. The main thing I want to discus today is the importance of thinking before you speak and the fact that your words greatly affect the self esteem of your players.


Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Two Windup Variations Used to Disrupt a Batter's Concentration

There are two simple actions that a pitcher can use to distract or disrupt a batters concentration. The two actions are the "double pump windup" and the "start over" pitch deliveries that are done to change a pitchers regular windup. Both of these actions are used when there are no base runners on base. They both serve as effective ways to disrupt the concentration of opposing batters.

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YOU NEED THE BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ BATTING MACHINE

15 REASONS YOU NEED THE
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1. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE makes batting practice fun, entertaining, convenient and highly productive. This amazing new breakthrough in hitting technology makes batting practice so entertaining that it is often called the "Backyard Basketball Goal For Batters"! The reason for this "nickname" is that baseball and softball players love to hit as much as basketball players love to shoot. Having a hitting station in your yard 24-7 allows players to hit or practice on "impulse" when they are bored and looking for something to do. Wouldn't you rather that your player swing the bat for fun rather than play "Game Box", play "Horse" or watch TV?

2. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE allows players to practice under your watchful eyes or to practice alone when you are not at home. How many times has your player asked for your help in practicing, but you had other responsibilities that prevented you from doing so? You are a busy person. You just do not have the time to spend with him or her that you wish you did. Now, your player can hit or practice without your help because the BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE allows a hitter to practice alone.

3. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ can be used indoors or outdoors and it makes a perfect year-round hitting station in your home or backyard. Buying a BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ could easily give your player up to thousands and thousands of more practice swings a year! If you want your player to compete with other kids in the league, you must find a way to get as much practice as possible. The competition is tougher than ever because everyone practices and plays almost year round. Buy a BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ and give your player an edge over the competition! You will be glad you did when you see your player become one of the team's or league's best hitters! With the purchase of a BATACTION SELF-TRAINER that goal could be reached!

4. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ has height and speed adjustments for all ages and ability levels from Tee-ball to the college ranks. Thousands and thousands of high school players work out on this machine daily!

5. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE's patented design gives the batter instant feedback as to the power and quality of every swing. The player immediately knows if a line drive, ground ball or fly ball was hit. This instant feedback is vital for rapid skill and bat speed development! The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ is well known and respected for developing a powerful line-drive swing!

6. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ is fully self-contained and requires no outside power source. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE's power source is the patented powerband system. This allows you to use it anywhere you have ample space. Set it up at practice, before games or between games! It is a super pregame warmup!

7. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ is 100% Guaranteed to improve hitting skill and increase bat speed. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ carries a money back guarantee. BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ parts may be purchased if needed. What more could you ask for? Now you see why the BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ is one of the best selling training machines ever! It is one of the most popular trainers ever introduced to the marketplace!

8. The PRO-360BP BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ has a travel weight of only 37 pounds and it comes with a heavy-duty carrying bag. It packs easily into the trunk of your car.

9. BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ closely simulates real hitting conditions. The ball's speed and large path of circular movement requires the hitter to really concentrate. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ builds incredible levels of confidence, fast!

10. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ features heavy-duty steel construction and it features a weather-proof powder-coat metallic paint finish that is designed to withstand the elements in all climates.

11. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE's patented design allows righted-handed and left-handed batters to hit together without having to change or adjust the machine. A single player can practice "swith hitting" without having to stop and adjust the machine. This makes the BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ especially useful and convenient for team or camp workouts.

12. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ does not require nets, screens or other methods of ball containment. The ball is safely controlled at all times by the composite rod.

13. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ assembles in minutes without tools.

14. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE offers a wide variety of hitting drills and workout options. There is a drill manual included with each machine purchased. Players can select the drills that will help them overcome their weaknesses if they have one. The drill manual also outlines the highly popular "20 Minute BatAction Workout" that was designed by the machine's inventor, Nick Dixon, to provide the future prospect with a total workout that improves every known fundamental needed for hitting success! Should you have a question about a drill our staff is eager to help you. Call toll free, 1-877-431-4487.
15. The BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE is the most energy efficient and productive batting trainer ever invented. It produces incredible results! If you can find a better training system, at a better price, I sincerely encourage you to buy it! Because I know that there is absolutely nothing better than the BATACTION SELF-TRAINER™ HITTING MACHINE. Why would I say that? Because I know that this amazing breakthrough in hitting technology is the absolutely best that money can buy!



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Baseball Hitting Drills

Our latest ad in this month's Jr Baseball Magazine.

Baseball Hitting Drills
By Kenny Buford

That One's Outta There!

Nothing quite beats the sound of a bat cracking a pitch so perfectly that the batter barely even needs to look up to see it's out of the park. A satisfying smile creeps across the batter's face as they toss the vibrating bat aside, jogging the rounds of the bases with pride. The following baseball hitting drills aim to improve your team's batting skills so that more players can experience the joy of cracking one out of the park.

Have your players perform the following hitting exercise at every practice to help them build muscle memory in the crucial lower body region. Each hitter takes a bat, places it behind their back and while gripping the bat firmly assume their hitting stance.

Next, have players take a stride inwards, then remove the top hand and use it to pull the bat around their waist. At this time, players are rolling up on their back foot and their knees and abdomen should be facing outwards, towards where the pitcher would be situation. From here, have players resume their normal stance before repeating 10 times. Players will begin to feel the improvements in their lower body muscles after just a few practices.

Arm Isolation

The first of the baseball hitting drills can be used to strengthen arm muscles and improve hitter confidence by hitting the ball using only one hand on the bat. Make sure that batter begin with the lead hand choked very high up the bat. Weaker players may need to place the hand from their weaker arm in the armpit of the batter arm for extra power and support.

Before attempting to hit, have players swing the bat a few times with just their lead arm. Make sure approach the pitches with caution, staying back on the ball as much as possible. Allow each player 5 successful hits before switching arms and performing double the reps with the weaker arm to build additional strength. After adding this to your arsenal of drills, players will ideally develop equal arm strength in each arm, or at least build crucial muscle memory in their weaker arm.

Don't Hit the Chair

The next of the baseball hitting drills is perfect if you have a number of players on your team who cut too far upwards when hitting. To set up the drill, set up a batting tee at home plate and a folding chair behind the tee. The seat of the chair should be facing the tee and the tee should be slightly lower than the back of the chair.

Have your hitter approach the plate and assume their normal stance just behind the chair. Players are to swing and hit the ball through the hole in the chair, forcing players to accommodate a downward angle to their swing. I like to use metal folding chairs for this drill because of the loud sound made when players fail to add enough downward arc to their swing. This drill is great for players looking to develop their line drive hits as they are shown the ideal spot to hit the ball to produce such a result.

About The Author

Kenny Buford has coached nearly every level of baseball in a career that spans several decades. You can get instant access to his championship baseball practice plans and more baseball hitting drills by visiting his website:

http://www.Baseball-Practice-Plans.com/

For a limited time, all coaches who visit Kenny's site will also get a free copy of his special report: "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Baseball Coaches Make". Go get your free copy today!

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

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The Biggest Problem With Baseball Pitching - High Pitch Count & How to Avoid It

The Biggest Problem With Baseball Pitching - High Pitch Count & How to Avoid It
By Jack D. Elliott

An ace pitcher is like the golden goose for many high school baseball teams. He can produce a lot of gold or wins if his team uses him properly. However, over use him and you risk serious physical injury to him and/or reduction in the effectiveness in his baseball pitching at the end of the season at a time when you need them to be at their best. Over the last few years, the issue of high pitch counts has come up again and again as ace pitchers are used late in the playoffs to play the 1st and 3rd games of a 3 game playoff series. The desire to win seems to override any concern for the pitcher's health.

Why is this such a health risk to pitchers? The baseball throwing motion is an unnatural motion because you are bringing the arm over the shoulder to throw the baseball. In actuality, an underarm motion is a more natural motion. The over-arm motion puts a large amount of strain on a pitcher's arm. His rotator cuff, elbow, and whole bunch of smaller muscles are put under tremendous stress during each pitching outing. When the pitch counts rise, this creates additional strain on these parts which can lead to serious physical injury.

The challenging issue is how to best address this baseball pitching issue. Here, are a few tips to help ensure your pitcher's safety:

1. Preemptive Strike: Parents should voice their concern to the coach early in the season about high pitch counts. Ideally, a coach would already have his pitchers on pitch counts for their games. Unfortunately, this is more the exception than the rule.

2. Rally Support: Parents should win public support with the other parents throughout the season to make it known that the parents as a whole do not support high pitch counts. Essentially, you want to make it known that winning thru high pitch counts will not be acceptable.

3. Create An Arbitrary 100 Pitch Limit: Parents should not let this be a gray area for pitchers. Parents should voice concerns whenever a pitcher throws more than 100 pitches in a game. This should be raised as an issue every time this occurs in a game and voiced to the coaching staff and the other parents.

4. Encourage Staff Development: Coaches and parents can encourage others to pitch for the team. The development of a pitching rotation will decrease the opportunities for pitchers to get high pitch counts. The reason is simply that the coach will have the ability to put in other pitchers when the pitch counts start to rise.

5. Don't rely on players to make a case: Parents cannot rely on their sons to tell the coach when they are hurting or have thrown too many pitchers. Most competitive high school baseball pitchers will never want to be taken out of a game. They will be caught up in the prospect of trying to win the game and will risk their health in the process. Parents should step in and champion this case for their kids.

6. Treatment During Playoff Runs: High pitch counts tend to become the most significant issue in the playoffs when teams reduce their pitching rotation to put only their best pitchers out there. During this time, parents should make certain pitchers are taking care of their arms. At the very least, pitchers should be icing their arms after every game and not pitch for the next two days when possible. Make you're your team has the appropriate equipment to help sore arms. Proper equipment includes baseball jackets for pitchers and ice wraps. Pitchers should be wearing a jacket over their pitching arm when they are not pitching. Although these steps will not remove the risk of injury, they will help reduce the severity.

Remember high pitch counts are not a situation that has to be tolerated or even required for good baseball pitching. With a little pre-planning by coaches and parents, most high pitch count situations can be avoided or limited. Winning matters, but it really isn't the most important thing.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Pitching/

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