From the Dugout of Coach John Peter Bad Days Happen 1.  Baseball is a game of adjustments. If you continue to do the things you do, you should continue to expect the same results, both good and bad. Quit fooling yourself into thinking this is not true! 2.  Take positive lessons learned from bad days or bad games. What's done is done. Now work to not repeat the same mistakes! 3.  Use the lessons learned from bad days and bad games to drive you to work harder on the field! The lessons learned serve to remind you of where you are and what you haven't done in the gym or on the field! 4.  You know that lousy at-bat, pitch, baserunning mistake or coaching move you keep playing over and over in your head? Stop looking for reasons and begin looking for lessons learned and solutions. It's much healthier and will help you become a better player, teammate or coach. 5.  Learn to deal with failure, but don't give in or learn to accept it! 6.  The great thing about this game is that they give you 3 strikes, not one, 3-5 at-bats each game, not 1, many games, not just 1, many seasons to learn from mistakes, not only 1. 7.  Are you really going to remember that last lousy at-bat or game next season? The lesson learned is to not repeat the same mistakes. ALOW YOURSELF TO FEEL BAD... THEN GET OVER IT! Remember, Babe Ruth probably popped out to the first baseman and struck out more times than you have even had at-bats! 8.  You really can, GET 'EM NEXT TIME - Just focus on THIS TIME! 9.  ADJUST! Those who don't are those players and coaches who end up getting a real job, real quick! (Adjust this thinking for youth level and amateur play too!)

Baseball Bytes:   Practice Preparation
Excerpts from the book Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills by Bragg Stockton

Creating a Learning Environment at Practice Recommendations to give coaches a base from which to construct their practice sessions: Coaches need to understand how to use positive reinforcement. If they use too much or not enough, players' development can be slowed. If coaches find it necessary to use negative reinforcement or punishment, they should reward or positively reinforce at the next opportunity. Proper reinforcement facilitates learning and helps develop a closer rapport between coaches and players. Players must "overlearn" in order to perform successfully consistently. To be able to perform under pressure, players must repeat skills over and over and must concentrate on the skill the entire time. Because baseball skills generally require players to react instantly, they must make the reactions habits and retain those habits throughout the season. Practicing a skill three times during a practice for 10 minutes each time is more effective than practicing the skill once for 30 minutes. Coaches should develop a season plan and workout schedule to make sure that all necessary skills are being covered each week. When players are standing in the outfield watching batting practice, they aren't learning. Game Plan for Effective Coaching Some key points of a coaching framework that can help direct a team's progress throughout the season: Design some of the drills to become skill contests. This will be fun for the player and will encourage home training. There are numerous effective practice plans a coach can implement when there is only one coach administering the workout. Use a shadow system with everyone going through the same drills simultaneously, each one simulating the action or movement. Also, use skill contests for each drill to increase the players' interest and productivity. Use pictures of Major League baseball players caught in the skill patterns you are teaching. These photos will help reinforce your coaching efforts and highlight the common denominators of all successful players. Send this page to a friend   Prior excerpts from Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills available in Baseball Tips Newsletters: Characteristics Needed to Become an Effective Hitter Two Basic Absolutes of Pitching Physical and Mental Conditioning For Pitchers Stance and Stride: Distance From the Plate Conditioning: Running and Sit-Ups Shaping Your Glove Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills A great book for anybody involved in youth baseball. You'll learn in-depth aspects of hitting, pitching, defense, and planning, plus baseball-oriented conditioning drills and a team practice chart. Coaching Baseball Skills & Drills is considered by many to be the most comprehensive baseball skill development book ever published.   264 pages, includes over 600 illustrations "I firmly believe that the ideas and drills presented in this book will benefit both players and coaches alike."   - Woody Williams, St. Louis Cardinals All-Star pitcher Send this page to a friend   Featured Product at Baseball Tips.com Order online in our secure shopping cart or call us toll free at 1-800-487-7432 (9-6 EST). Wheeler Dealer Automatic Soft Toss Machine Hit Whenever You Want For Under $300 The Wheeler Dealer is the only soft toss machine that can electronically control the height and frequency of the pitch! All other machines force the hitter to wait 5 seconds to swing at a ball at a fixed height. The Wheeler Dealer Controls the rate of the toss from one to six seconds Controls the height of the toss from one to six feet Holds 28 baseballs and 17 softballs Can use tennis, dimple, whiffle, and real baseballs or softballs Requires no set up time & needs very minimal space for storage Is lightweight (19 pounds) & fits in the trunk of most cars Has a 5 year guarantee Comes with a training video featuring numerous drills Cordless rechargeable version has a 12-hour battery life Coach JP: The Wheeler Dealer is a great hitting station for a team and the ideal machine for individual practice in the backyard. You have two choices of models for the Wheeler Dealer: the 120 volt plug-in or the popular cordless rechargeable model. Both have new prices for 2004! Model 2003 2004   Includes Plug-In $359 $295   Training Video Cordless     $389     $295   Training Video Package $478 $425   Wheeler Dealer & Hurricane Catch Net, Training Video   For more information, frequently asked questions, drills, to see how it works, or to purchase, visit our Wheeler Dealer page. Featured Articles:  Tryouts For Players Tips For A Successful Tryout by Bruce Lambin Want to know how to catch the coaches' eye at your League tryouts? The obvious answer is to play well. But there are a few things players should do to insure an eye-catching performance...    Read the full article For Coaches Tips On Running A Baseball Tryout by Joseph Pero If you need a tryout format for your league or for an individual team, here are some good guidelines that are flexible and give coaches a good idea of the players' abilities...    Read the full article

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Featured Drill

Correcting The Sweeping Swing Wall Drill From Gordie Gillespie's Baseball Drill Book Purpose: To develop a quick swing and to get away from sweeping the bat. Players and Equipment Needed: The player, bat, and a wall. Description: Hitter assumes his batting stance, facing the wall, with his feet only 36 inches from the wall. He then practices his batting swing, trying not to hit the wall with his swing. He will have to be very careful in the early going because his "sweeping swing" will drive the bat into the wall. He will soon learn to keep his hands inside and tight to his body. His bat will speed up and he will soon be able to hit the inside pitch on the fat part of the bat instead of the handle, which is the result of a sweeping swing. Gordie Gillespie's Baseball Drill Book - Only $24.95 More than merely a drill book, Gordie Gillespie, college baseball's all-time winningest coach, has included his winning philosophy and love of the game into a 150-page manual. Gain insight into the mental aspects of the game. Learn how Gordie runs his practices, his drills, his concepts behind the drills, and his philosophy of maximizing performance.   150 pages "The great teachers are the most receptive students. Every coach and player interested in baseball or softball should own a copy of this book. It is the 'Baseball - Softball Bible' for practice and drills. "   - Gary Ward, Oklahoma State University

Baseball Quotes, Wit & Wisdom

If you dwell on statistics, you get shortsighted. If you aim for consistency, the numbers will be there at the end.   Tom Seaver I became a good pitcher when I stopped trying to make them miss the ball and started trying to make them hit it.   Sandy Koufax It all looks so easy from the dugout. It's called the 'dirt rule'. The farther you get away from the dirt, the easier this game looks.   George Brett Think. Don't just swing. Think about the pitcher, what he threw you last time up, his best pitch, who's up next. Think.   Ted Williams

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