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Post
Date: 4/6/07
Sergio, 16
Question: Do
you think there is a way to becoming a great
baseball player if your always getting put
down by teamates and coach's?
Coach Thomson: Sergio -
I truly believe that anyone can do anything
if you really put your mind and effort into
it. However, being a great baseball
player is a daunting task that requires
an enormous amount of work and a lot of luck
along the way. My suggestion to you
is to work as hard as you possibly can at
the things you love (sports, arts, music
etc.) without ever letting these things
get in the way of what is really important (school
and family). By the way, if you work hard and
give your best effort, it doesn't matter
what anyone says about you. Remember, you
can only control your actions, you can't
control what other people think or say
(believe me, a lot of us have gone through
what you are going through). Do your
best, that's all you can do.
Post
Date: 4/6/07
Michael, 18+ coach
Question: on
my sons little league team the managing coach
has all the players pointing the bat toward
the backstop including my son. at the beginning
of the season he was an on base at every
at bat. now he constantly stricks out. should
i let him keep batting this way or change
him back? he was pointing the bat toward
the stands and more up.
Coach Thomson: Michael -
As a parent, sometimes dealing with coaches/teachers
can be an awkward and a delicate situation.
Teachers and coaches take valuable time
out of their lives to nurture and help our
children grow and they should be treated
with the utmost of respect. However,
at the end of the day we are responsible
for the well being of our children. So, my
suggestion would be to communicate with the
coach and just talk about the situation and
your concerns. I would do it without
your son knowing and making him feel uncomfortable.
Maybe you and the coach can come up
with a plan together to help your son develop.
Make it a team effort.
Post
Date: 4/6/07
Pablo, 15
Question: i
havent been hitting really good lately and
i dont no wat is wrong all i no is that i
have been popping the ball up to the right
side and i am a right handed batter also
i have been hitting weak ground ball what
should i do; i am 15 years old and i have
been playing shortstop for high school well
lately everytime i through i have had a sharp
pain in my shoulder what should i do to make
it feel better
Coach Thomson: Pablo -
Your arm is a key component to your success.
My sugestion for all injuries is to see your
team trainer and or your doctor and let them
deal with this very important issue.
Your hitting problem is very common. It
sounds like you have lost your contact point.
My suggestion is to do some tee and toss
work on the field. Set the tee in the middle
of your stance and focus on hitting line
drives over the second baseman's head. This
will get your body in the proper position
and if you are hitting line drives into the
RC field gap it tells you that your stroke
is short and you have your contact point
back (the ball doesn't lie). Good Luck
Post
Date: 1/5/07
Brogan, 16
Question: I
am a high school ball player and have trouble
with pulling my head while batting. This
prevents me from being a good hitter. Do
you have any suggestions on how I can work
to keep my head in while batting?
Coach Thomson: Many
young players have this problem and it usually
stems from a balance issue or the simple
fact that the hitter is too "pull happy". Make
sure you have a good hitting base... strong
on your legs so that when your stride foot
lands it is direct to the pitcher, shoulders in
line to the pitcher and your head should
be directly above the inside part of your
back knee. If you don't have a good
base then a lot of things can break down
during your swing.
Make sure that all your tee and toss work is
directed to the middle of the cage or from
left-center field line to right field line if
you are hitting on a field (this will help
you stay closed and on the ball longer).
You can put a baseball on the ground just
in front of the plate to give you something
to focus on after you make contact (it will
help from lifting your head up to watch the
flight of the ball). Remember... stay back,
stay closed and keep your head down even
after contact!!
Post
Date: 1/5/07
Josh, 15
Question: I
have trouble beating out the throw to first
on an infield hit. I'm fast but, I don't
have good acceleration. Do you have
any workouts or tips to help improve my acceleration?
Coach Thomson: My
first suggestion would be to talk to your
track coach at school and ask him/her to
set you up with a stretching/strengthening/running
program. He/she knows your size and
body structure and should be able to
put you on a strengthening program to
help with quad, hamstring, calf development.
He/she will also be able to give you a sprint
program to help with acceleration and proper
running form.
From a baseball standpoint, as you make
contact with the baseball, explode out of
the box in a straight line to 1st base (don't
watch the ball!!!). On your third step
out of the box, take a quick glance to find
the baseball and if the ball is still in
the infield then look back to 1st base and
continue running in a straight line toward
the bag. Then accelerate thru the bag
touching the front edge (closest to home
plate) with the ball of either foot.
Post
Date: 12/13/06
Mike, Youth Coach
Question: My
7 year old hits and throws well but seems
to be afraid of the ball when catching. What
can I do to help him feel comfortable catching
the ball?
Coach Thomson: Start
at short distances... Let's say 5 feet apart
with a tennis ball or another type of soft
ball. Throw the ball below the shoulders
until he feels comfortable and can catch
the ball clean without flinching. This may
take some time but that is OK. When you feel
he is comfortable start increasing the distance
until you get out to about 60 feet. When
you feel comfortable at 60 feet then start
incorporating a baseball (again starting
at short distances and moving back). Remember,
nobody likes getting hit in the face and
that is what most kids fear.
Post
Date: 12/13/06
Bill, 15
Question: I
have trouble "staying back" on
an off-speed pitch. Any advice for "seeing" or
recognizing (the pitch) earlier and making
the appropriate adjustments?
Coach Thomson: "Staying
back" is a common problem for players
at all levels. I have 3 suggestions:
- When you do your tee work make sure
the tee is placed in the middle of your
stance. Most players place the tee too
far out in front of them and it creates
a drift just to be able to make contact.
Keeping the tee in the middle of your stance
will force you to maintain balance and
keep your head still.
- If you do soft toss, have someone toss
the ball from the side into the middle
of your stance creating the same principle
as the tee, forcing you to keep your weight
back and not get on your front side.
- If you have access to a curve ball machine
take pitches off the machine using your
regular load and concentrate on maintaining
balance, keeping your head still, getting
proper pitch recognition and being in a
strong position to hit. When you feel that
you have achieved this then start taking
some swings and understand that when you
feel that you are losing you balance, not
seeing the pitch properly or just feel
not right then revert back to taking pitches
until you are comfortable again. Remember
muscle memory is the key and sometimes
it takes many repetitions.
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