How's Your Glove?
If it is borderline.or worse, it's time to replace it. Every serious player is breaking in his next glove because it will not be ready to use just because you are ready to use it. Breaking in a glove takes time, so don't wait!
I am extremely impressed with our two lines of pro quality gloves. All of our offerings are of great quality for their price and are built for specific position(s).
We understand that many players play more than one position (we always encourage this) so you will even find gloves that can be used for more than one position (called utility gloves).

Our Akadema Brand is the fastest growing glove line in college and pro ball. Our relationship with the manufacturer allows us to sell to youth players as well as pro players. Please check them out even if you have never heard of them! You cannot find better leather for its price.
WE GUARANTEE IT!

New for 2005, we are now carrying the Wilson A 3000 gloves. This limited series of 5 gloves is Wilson's top of the line and is now the game day glove of Barry Bonds & Kerry Woods! I suspect that many more big leaguers will convert to this line now that it is in full production. Another top flight offering from Baseball Tips!
WE GUARANTEE IT!

How's Your Bat?
Just because it is a new season, you do not automatically need a new bat though yes, metal bats do decline with age. They are expensive (there is little reason to buy a cheap bat other than the family budget and frankly, I would rather you save up a bit longer while using your old bat).

Get your bat and swing it just to remember that good feeling.
Get to a batting cage today if you can. Don't sweat it if your swing isn't as good as you remember. It just tells you what happens when your swing isn't in shape, so relax and get into a regular schedule such as M, W, F at 4:30 PM. Just get real about when you can stick to it! Being consistent is so much better than longer inconsistent sessions.

No Batting Cage?
Take your bat to the basement, garage or outside and especially anywhere where you can see yourself in a full length mirror.
Dry swing (imaginary swings visualizing a pitched ball) at half speed, then ¾ speed, then at game speed.
If you have a tee and/or a soft toss machine and a net.you've got it made. If not and it's within your budget, check out our training aids area.

I especially like the Wheeler Dealer cordless soft toss machine with our SportNet Catch Net. The Swingaway is one of the best built batting stations around and will last an entire career. (275 pro players personally own this swing trainer!)

Learning to Be Your Own Batting Coach
  Coach JP

Use checkpoints to stop at given points of the swing to observe & correct yourself. Learn to check yourself from the feet up.every time. This will keep you from missing certain parts of the swing and more easily allow you to remember all details.

Rest Position - How does it look, how does it feel? Are you comfortable? Is your weight about 40% front foot and 60% back foot? Are you on the balls of your feet with your weight bearing on the inside of your slightly flexed knees and again, the balls of your feet? Hands about 4-6" from your body? Tall back side? Head equal distant between both feet, eyes level, so both eyes see the ball?

Load Position - Take a negative move (this is when you "load" with your hands moving toward your back shoulder) and hands held high (at the top of the strike zone). Can you feel the slight pull of muscles from your torso and upper body.like the winding of a spring? Keep your stride shorter rather than longer! Hands go toward the back of your body while front foot strides toward pitcher (some coaches will call this 'walking away from your hands').

NOTE: Your body should now be 80% on the back foot and only 20% on the front foot with knees slightly flexed.

Contact position - Are you up on the toes of your back foot, is your front foot slightly open at a 45% angle with FRONT KNEE BRACED AND LOCKED?
Are your hands in a palm up and palm down position? Head still and between both legs like a stickman drawing? Are your eyes staring right at the point of contact?

Finish - Are you hitting off a firm front side with your front knee locked?
Are you still balanced with head between both legs so as not to be lunging forward?
Is the bat completely wrapped around your back? Is your head still?

Coach JP's Note
This is a generic list of checkpoints and should help most players. It is not designed to change any advanced players who now have a set schedule and their own way of doing things. This should supply you with solid information that will keep you in a good, strong hitting position throughout the entire swing.

If you need more direction or instruction, click here to take a look at our newest DVD series called Hitting For Excellence by Dave Hudgens. He is the Oakland A's hitting coach. This guy knows his stuff and how to easily teach it to just about anyone!

Hitting for Excellence DVD Series

The series covers numerous drills and other topics, such as: Proper Swing Mechanics, Power Hitting, Conquering the Curveball, Short Stroke & Overload Training, and Vision Training.
  Price: $99 with Free Shipping
Savings of over $75

These were the Top 10 most read articles and drills from 2004. We currently feature 116 articles covering every aspect of the game!

When and How to Throw a Curveball by Andrew Tinnish
The six key elements to the curveball that must be followed in order to throw the pitch properly.

Thrive on Throwing by Alan Jaeger
Arm strength and conditioning program.

Developing Outfielders by Greg Brons
Drills and principles.

Correct Pitching Mechanics by Playing Catch by Terry Mularski
Help young pitchers throw strikes by teaching them how to play catch correctly.

Team Oriented Practice Drills by Bill Hutton
5 drills reprinted courtesy of the National High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Different Pitches and the Reasons We Throw Them by Chris Cumberland
Chris is a professional pitcher and his dad has been the pitching coach for the Red Sox and Royals.

County Fair Drill by Randy Sullivan
Baseball defense.

Batting Fundamentals by Ty Cobb
Written on May 18, 1938 by the first player ever selected to the Hall of Fame.

Outfield Tips by Bernie Walter, Jr
Checklist for outfielders.

Infield Skills by Joe Ketchum
Checklist and drills for first base, second base, shortstop and third base.

Coaches, Pitchers & Parents of Pitchers:
Many of you have purchased Coach Bill Thurston's Common Mechanical Pitching Faults video. He is the head baseball coach at one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the country, Amherst College in Massachusetts. He also happens to be one of my very favorite pitching coaches! His concerns for a player's health runs parallel with his goals to maximize their abilities!

Now you have an opportunity to be analyzed by Coach Thurston at the Major League spring training facility of the St. Louis Cardinals and Florida Marlins in Jupiter, Florida on January 29 and 30!

For more information on this Pitchers and Catchers camp known as Head First Baseball, click the link to their site:
http://www.playheadfirst.com/sports_national_right_left.jsp

Click below for a direct link to the camp brochure:
http://www.playheadfirst.com/pdf/Programs_PitchingCatching_National.pdf

Head First Baseball has also camps on the same weekend for: