Enhancing Baseball Skills: Mechanics, Defense, Hitting, and Pitching Fundamentals
Explore essential techniques for baseball players including catching, throwing, defense setup, hitting movements, and pitching basics. Enhance your skills by learning about footwork, hand positioning, coordination, and body mechanics for improved performance on the field.
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Presentation Transcript
Basic Baseball Mechanics Bob McCreary Baseball by the Yard .com http://www.baseballbytheyard.com/videos/ View the videos in conjunction with these notes for explanation of concepts and mechanics
Basic Catching and Throwing Palms Facing High five, above the waist Low five, below the waist Step to the Ball Gain momentum towards your target Step to the ball with glove side foot Front Side Closed Baseball eyes towards your target Less strain on your arm especially on larger fields Thumbs Down, Fingers on Top of the Ball Sets up arm for a proper path to grab the fence. Flexible wrist Elbow/Head Elbow at shoulder height or higher Eyes level, steady head
It All Starts with Defense Set Up 1-2 Baseball Ready at every pitch. Move to the balls of your feet Square up your feet Corner Infielders glove down, Middle Infielders glove in front Outfield, step, square up, hands on hips Infield Basics Two Triangles Feet and head, feet apart, good athletic position Glove and feet, glove out in front Head down, nose in the glove, should see button of cap Outfield Basics Drop step to side ball is hit Run on balls of feet Square shoulders and body to where the ball is going, not where it is Catching Basics Feet apart, establish a wide base, good balance Receive ball like you are steering a car Bury throwing hand behind your ankle or the glove if a runner is on Tag and Bag Basics Tag in a capital V, not sweep or U Straddle the bag, Tag to the bag, not the runner
Hitting.Movement Conservation Stride or Not? Depends on ability to make contact Stay balanced Load or Not? Slight shoulder turn, in and down Weight shift to back foot Hands inside Quickest path to the ball Promotes good hip turn Front Foot-Back Foot Only one foot moves at a time Balance and Direction Contact Point Most important T Work Drill-Start at point of contact, work back Follow Through Follow through is important for proper momentum
Pitching Basics Keep in Mind . Its not rocket science Pitching does not have to be too complicated Keep it to basic concepts One size does not fit all Ok for every pitcher to be unique in some way Good for your pitching staff to have different looks Quirkiness vs Health Hazard Coaches do not have to iron out the quirk but need to address the health hazard Pitching is not completely safe Very unnatural movement for an elbow of go above the shoulder, or shoulder to rotate forward Effective pitching and coaching takes time
Basic Pitching Mechanics Part one The set up Feet shoulder width apart Hands in front of the belly button Knee Kick Slight above parallel to the ground Good balance Foot under the knee Hands together Front Side Approach Hands separate when the leg starts to come down Front side is closed, baseball eyes on target Head is up, eyes are level The Landing Stride long enough for pitcher to land flat footed Land on a straight line to the plate Slight bend in knee at point of landing, allows momentum to continue Part Two Two E s. Elbows and Eyes Elbow at or above shoulder level Glove elbow at the hip Eyes are level. Don t tilt your head Rotation and Finish 180 degree turn, start to finish Glove at the hip Leg, up and over the bucket Bend, head, back, hips are parallel to the ground Don t emphasize defensive position too early, (only 90 degree rotation Common mistakes Pitchers go from tall to small Infielders go from small to tall Kids need to make that transition when they go from fielding to pitching
Roy Halladay: Baseball Eyes on target, leg kick parallel to the ground, grab the fence, finish Cole Hamels: Fingers on top of the ball, thumb to the thigh, bend and step over the bucket Steve Carlton: Using the lower body for torque and power, grab the fence, pitch tall to small
