You might think pro baseball players do a lot of fancy drills to get where they are and to stay on top of their game. But you'd be surprised how many drills recommended by players and coaches are some of the same drills you learn as a kid. The key is repetition and using practice time to improve your form--whether it's throwing, fielding or hitting--and to eliminate any bad habits that could hamper you in a game.
Improving Pitching Velocity
Former major leaguer Dick Mills recommends a few minor adjustments to add a few miles per hour to your fastball. He suggests practicing a more comfortable and balanced weight shift, where you make sure you don't lean back too much in your windup. Mills also suggests practicing pitches in which you land in a straight line as you deliver the pitch and avoiding slow movements or hesitations during your delivery.
Doing Pepper Drills
A good old-fashioned pepper drill can teach you the importance of just getting the bat on the ball, says former major leaguer Bill Bathe. He suggests having someone stand about 20 feet away and toss you pitches. But rather than take a full, hard swing, you would focus on just getting the bat on the ball and putting the ball in play with a nice, easy, fluid swing. Bathe says all too often batters "over-swing," at pitches, which makes it harder to make contact with pitches that are a little high or low or on the edges of the strike zone.
Scooping Grounders at First
First basemen need to field balls hit in their direction and to field throws from the other infielders. Because many of those throws will be in the dirt, six-time Gold Glove first baseman J.T. Snow recommends practicing your fielding of ground balls and bouncing balls while keeping one foot on the base. Have someone throw you a variety of ground balls, some to the right and left of the base, and others that skip. Snow says to practice keeping your glove down when scooping up ground balls, and if a ball is bouncing toward you, try to lift your glove in synch with the bounce and keep the ball catchable or least in front of you.
Member Comments