Get Ahead.....Stay Ahead

When coaches tell the pitcher to get ahead......stay ahead, this means to throw the first pitch for a strike. As long as you can stay ahead in the count, the hitter will be at a little bit of a disadvantage. It is easier to pitch with an 0-2 count, than it is to try to come back and throw three straight strikes because you got behind and let the count slip to 3-0.

MLB.com:
Do you have a favorite type of pitch?

Schilling: Strike one.

Source: Tips From the Pros

Bunting

Small Ball:
How College World Series Champions Utilize Bunting Offense To Win Games

An Interview with
University of Texas
Head Coach Augie Garrido

"The fundamentals of bunting are pretty simple. You keep your balance, see the ball and get the bat out in front and watch the ball off the bat. Get your angle early. Most guys who don’t bunt very well don’t get into the proper position prior to the ball getting to them. So they don’t track it very well, and they don’t get the angle because they are rushed. So there is a timing and a rhythm to it that needs to be followed. You need to keep it simple to be consistent."

Garrido was asked when his batters begin showing bunt."If the infield is back, I would rather have our hitters not show a bunt early if we are going to bunt for a base hit. If the infield is already in, you might as well just turn around and do it because it eliminates one of the elements of timing.

"It is important for the bunter to position himself in the front of the batter’s box prior to bunting the ball to allow for better bunting angles in fair territory. We have a batting cage that is set up for the bunting game and have targets that the bunters aim for. We also have targets on the field as well when they bunt. We try to bunt at specific areas and try to play games with it so they have fun with it.

"We don’t want our hitters attempting to deaden the ball because that is when hitters pop it up. So I just have them be firm with the bat and try to get the ball on the ground quickly. This allows the bunter to stay on top of the ball and let the ground deaden."

"There is no question that bunting helps a hitter’s tracking ability. When you bunt a ball, it is one of the few skills that allows a player to track it from the pitcher and see the ball come off the bat at contact."

Bunting - The Wrong Way

University of Texas
Head Coach
Augie Garrido

Coach Garrido was the first college coach to win national championships in four different decades.

"I like to see the top hand up on the bat to a point where the barrel is resting between the thumb and forefinger with those fingers out of the way of the ball striking the barrel. Those fingers are firm on the bat. Then you slide the bottom hand up a little bit as well so you have balance. When you have balance, it is easier for you to control the bat and see the ball.

"Another key teaching point is to keep the barrel of the bat in position so you have the proper angle prior to the ball hitting the bat. Then you can see the ball and the bat come together so that contact zone is out in front of the eyes and slightly off to the side so you don’t foul a ball off into your face."

Flying Open: A Common Pitching Flaw

Does your son "point his toe at the catcher when he is pitching?" A youth league coach may have even told your son to "point his toe at his target." When we open our hips too early in pitching, it is similar to a hitter swinging the bat with his arms and not using his hips.

By Bill Thurston

"FLYING OPEN"

Flying open early during the stride and cocking phase is a common fault experienced by all pitchers, no matter age or experience. Young high school and college pitchers have to learn HOW to stay closed, and experienced pitchers must FOCUS on staying closed until the stride foot plants.

"STAYING CLOSED"

Staying closed means that until the stride foot plants giving the pitcher a stable base, the lead elbow, the shoulders, and throwing arm stay aligned to the plate. The next action (sequence) is for the trunk to powerfully horizontally rotate to create angular velocity (torque), which is the major source of power, arm speed and velocity!

The fault of "flying open" occurs when upper body, shoulders, and arms open with the stride leg and front hip. "Flying open" causes the arm to drag because the stronger & larger muscles of the legs, hips, and trunk have already fired and are not available to create torque. Because of the lack of torque, most of the pitch velocity has to come from the shoulder and arm muscles, which will cause early fatigue.

Coach John Peter's Note: Coach Bill Thurston is one of the nation's foremost experts on pitching mechanics, working with such major leaguers as Mark Wohlers and John Cerrutti as well as coaching over 20 college players who have signed with major league clubs.

Major League clubs have called on Coach Thurston to fix broken pitchers... he is that good!

WELCOME TO THE CARY CHARGERS BLOG

Parents and Players:

This blog has been created to post announcements such as practice times, game times, skills and drills, action photos, links to baseball websites, and more. In addition to posting information for parents and players, this site will help players view their form such as hitting, throwing, and P-F-P!

Power "T" Position

Every Major League Pitching Motion moves through a "vertically balanced" pitching position. Professional Pitching Coaches call this a "Power T"; the Pitcher's front and back halves actually mirror each other from Elbow to Elbow. (Players can do this drill in front of a bathroom mirror).

a. The Power Position is the most important and consistent position in the game. No matter what you are doing on the baseball field…hitting, pitching, or playing in the field, every player uses this position during each of these processes.

b. The player with the ball will now point his lead leg toward his target (partner).

c. He will put about 60 percent of his weight over his back leg leaving about 40 percent out on his front leg, with a slight bend in his knees. Make sure the player is balanced and comfortable!

Things We Discuss At Practice:

1. Box Your Elbow!

2. Eyes on your Target

3. Flex Your Knees (hitting stance and throwing stance)

4. Front Knee, Front Hip, Front Shoulder should be pointed at target

5. Grip (Two Fingers and the Thumb)

6. The ball should be facing away from your partner (i.e., not facing your head/ear)

7. Throwing Elbow does not go behind the throwing shoulder

(This is a common ten-year old mistake).

8. Throw with your whole body (Not just your arm)

9. B-A-L-A-N-C-E (This is true in hitting and throwing)

The Towel Drill

In order to ensure proper set up for this drill you want to have the pitcher go through a game like wind up and hold their landing foot or stride position at the end. From there, the player needs to step off heel to toe about 4 to 5 steps from the point where their stride foot landed. This is where the coach will kneel down and hold out heir hand or a glove (you can also place a chair or bucket here if a partner or coach is not available). The player will then hold the towel around their middle finger and go through their motion trying to slap the coach's hand or glove with the towel.

The point of the drill is to simulate releasing the ball out in front as far as possible. Reaching out is a key to pitching, your pitchers throwing hand should be as close to their target as possible when they release the baseball.

Source:
http://baseballcamps.com