MORE ON FUNCTIONAL HITTING PART 3.

IF YOU HAVEN'T VISITED THIS SITE YOU SHOULD!

WWW.HITTINGISAGUESS.COM

ORDER THE E-BOOK "FILTHY"

Every pitching coach that has read this from the little league level to the major league level has reported amazing results. You can experience these results too!

Love you all and Merry Christmas!

90 Club's Newest Member

Way to Go Carmen! Newest member of the 90 Club. Carmen is a freshman at Coronado High School and has been training with me since July 2009. His exit speeds have increased 12 mph in five months of consistent persistent effort and lots of hard work. 90 mph of exit speeds will produce a ball distance of 360 ft.

Umpiring Is a great way to learn the game.

First of all I would like to acknowledge my high school friend Mike VanVleet for introducing me to umpiring. That is Mike behind Mark McGuire hitting a home run. We both came through the minor leagues together. I as a player and Mike as an Umpire. He made it to the Majors, which is a feat in it's self. Umpires At that level are a small elite group. I was a college student home for the summer and I got to see Derek Jeter play in a summer league game for the Kalamazoo Maroons at Lakeview High School. I just worked the game before and was hanging around for a minute. There I saw Derek go deep in the hole for a ball and make a play that I had seen very few college players make. Then he came up and hit that right center field home run with a wood bat. Minutes later he told the Yankee's scout he would sign to play for them. I don't remember the scout, but he could hardly get the words out of his mouth right. He was so excited. Heck we were all excited, we were in the presence of greatness. Today I have about 60 games under my belt all from 10 years old up to high school.

Being an Umpire has really given me another perspective of the game. As a player I mostly watched the ball. As an Umpire I rarely watch it, unless I'm behind the plate. And some people would argue differently. There is a dance that happens when the ball is hit. The base umpire moves and watches the runner while I move to watch the ball. When a single is hit with a runner at first I move up to take the lead runner making sure he touches second on his way to third. The player in me wants to watch the ball and the ump in me fights to stay with the runner. Then, bad throw to third and the runner races home as my partner slides in to position to make the call at home. It is a perfectly choreographed dance. All the while I staying out of the way of players, runners and errant throws. Do I make mistakes? I make them daily. Do I learn something new? I learn something new daily. Sometimes something happens and I don't even know what to do. Thank God I have a partner. What I have learned from umpiring are the rules and interpretation of those rules. Everything from a balk and that the pitch is still live to what bases the runners get on a throw that goes out of play. What is interference, obstruction, and a catch. Yes, a catch is when i player catches the ball then removes it with their hand. If they dive then hold up their arm for two seconds and the ball come out, then it is not a catch. This is according to the rules and they are written. I have to tip my hat to the umpires I have worked with that have taught me this game. They keep the game moving so the kids can actually play a whole game before the time limit. When I was a kid you played seven inning with a ten run rule after 5 innings. Today because there are so many teams, so few fields, and most likely money issues a lot of games never make it to the last inning.

It is 15 runs after 3, 10 after 4 and 8 after 5 inning. All the while the umpires manage pitches in between innings, coaches making trips to the mound to talk to players, and my favorite talking to the batter after every pitch. Oh an lets not forget my favorite coach that keep asking how much time is left because he really wants the game called due to time so he can sneak off with a win. To those coaches I just say, "Respect the integrity of the game and play like you have no concept of time. It all about the kids and not how many wins you have as a little league coach."

If you ever wanted to get involved and be a servant of the game, then by all means take a class in being an umpire. So Thanks Mike VanVleet, Art Clendening, Mary MacDonald, and Gary White for showing me the ropes.

BAT LAG AND LOCKING OUT.

Functional Skills by Perry Husband

There are some examples of the points I make about

foot down and hands back creating stretch and then getting off

the backside and locking out at impact.

How Do I Get into College on a Scholarship?

This is a frequently asked question I get from parents. Most of them realize that their child will probably never play professionally, but would love to see their college education either totally paid for or partially covered by a scholarship. So here are my top tips of how to get started in the right direction.

1. KEEP YOUR GRADES UP: Yes this is the most important key. So many times have large programs given money to a top high school player and then that player was not responsible to keep their grades high enough to be eligible to play. This makes everyone look bad, the coach, the program, and the player. If a student/athlete is a student first and and athlete second and can balance good grades with outstanding performance then a coach will be more willing to part with a scholarship if he knows that the investment is solid. If a coach has a choice over a .400 hitter with a C average and a .350 hitter with an A average they will take the A student for two reasons. he first is that coach could possibly get some academic scholarship money for the A student. This academic money will lower the amount of money that the coach has for their program. This allows a coach to give out less money to more players instead of a lot of money to a few players. My first choice for college was USC. I had a 3.85 GPA in high school. USC requires out of state students to have a 3.95 GPA for admission. So my application was rejected.
2. SCORE WELL ON YOUR SAT or ACT. This is self explanatory.
3. STAY CLEAN: Don't get messed up with drugs, alcohol, steroids, fighting, legal troubles, suspensions, and gangs. True story. When I was in college there was a very promising young athlete from Los Angeles. He also happened to be involved in a gang. In his junior year he was projected to be drafted in the top three rounds. He was stabbed in the stomach while at a party back home one weekend. He never played baseball again because the injuries were to severe. I've also seen high school players get involved with alcohol and get caught. After there suspensions were over they played out their seasons and did very well, but the damage was done. No college took them serious after that. How much did that beer cost them? Probably about $120,000 in education expenses. If you cannot be responsible in high school college coaches know from experience that you probably will not be responsible when you have no parents watching over you. So keep your nose clean.
4. KNOW THE COLLEGE'S ADMISSION POLICIES: Go to the college of choice's website and see what they require for admission to attend their establishment. Some colleges require you pay application fees to be considered. If you are being recruited by these schools then you have a fast track advantage and can even get around these fees. Ask your recruiter or coach if they can fast track you through. Don't assume that the coach will do all this work for you....They won't. Another side note is that if a college is considering you or your athlete for admission and scholarship and will not waive this fee then the program probably doesn't have a lot of money. Keep looking.
5. SEEK OUTSIDE HELP. www.cpoa.com College Prospect Of America is a reputable company that actually qualifies and verifies that you can play at the level that you are trying to play. This is becoming more and more main stream because the information super highway is putting coaches and player together. Today a coach can go on YouTube and see high school players game videos. Video email and live web broadcasting have changed recruiting also. Now a coach can send a scout to a game and via a wireless Internet connection actually watch a player play from thousands of miles away. CPOA will verify that a player really is 6'3" tall and throws 89 mph. Do they run a 6.6 second 60 yards dash. And even verify the students transcripts. Also they will qualify an athlete to see if they can really get into the school they are wanting to go to or do they need to consider a smaller school. This is a reality check. I want to put this disclaimer in. I do not work for or have ever worked for CPOA. There are many companies like this out there. I just chose this one based on results and reputation.
6. WORK YOUR TAIL OFF: The really serious kids are playing and training all the time, you should be no different. For baseball get on a traveling team, or a scout team, play fall baseball, and get as much exposure as you possibly can. In high school I worked part time at McDonalds so I would have batting cage money. When I wasn't hitting, then I was thinking about hitting. I later found out at the professional level that I wasn't alone. I never had a vacation in high school or college. If I wanted to hunt I did it before school at 4:30 am. Did I regret it? I'll admit I was a little jealous of other kids, but in the end they were a little jealous of me. I've traveled all over the United States at someone else expense. Met people I would have never had met. Got payed to do what I love. I'm currently not a millionaire, but when I lay my head down on my pillow at night I know I gave my best and I have no regrets. Peace of mind goes a long way.

I hope this helps a little bit. I heard a proverb once that said, "He/She who works the hardest is the luckiest." I tend to agree. I was not the best college player I just outworked everyone. I was never drafted, signed as a free agent a year after my last college season, and ended up playing 7 years of professional baseball. It was mainly due to consistent and persistent effort. I wasn't the best when I started, but I was very good when I finished. Robert Allen, a mutli-millionaire said success is failure plus persistance. A winner never quits and a quitter never wins. If you keep working at something long enough and don't quit then eventually you will be on top. Eventually you master your skill.

Consistant Persistant Effort

Chandler is one of my best students. When we started testing he was 82-84 mph.
On 8/13/09 he hit 90mph off a tee and 97 from a live pitch.
Way to go Chandler! Not a bad start for the class of 2013.

The Four Numbers That Flash are:

Distance in Feet : 360

Bat Speed: 87

Exit Speed: 90

Power Transfer Ratio: (Which is a combination of bat speed and forward body speed)

Best Dam Hitting Blog Site EVER!

Ok, I have to admit I'm a little biased. I think this is the best blog ever.
My students are getting amazing results. CJ just went 11 for 15 in Cedar City
with the 10-U Wildcats. Oh yeah he hit a home run too. Way to go CJ!
Chandler is also approaching the 90MPH mark at 14 years old.
Here is the bottom line....Is it feel or is it real?
Sometime I hit a ball and say that felt good, only to look at the radar gun and say,
"What happened?" Why wasn't the result what I wanted? So was the feel real?
Well it's not that simple. I look at film all day and slow things down and see things
that most people don't. I'll let you in on a little secret. I don't even have to look at the swing
to know what is going right or wrong. It's all about ball flight and Magnus Effect.
When a moving ball strikes a swinging bat then a rotation on the ball is created.
Ball flight is then in motion. If you hit a pop up to the catcher behind home plate the ball will go straight up but when it come down it moves towards the field of play. That's Magnus Effect and ball flight at its greatest. There is a lot of spin on a foul ball.
Question: What does a perfectly hit ball do when it is hit?
Answer: It knuckles. The ball strikes the bat at the center point stopping all rotation.
When I got my swing good (not perfect) I could be a little late or a little early and still hit the ball hard. When I guessed right or was on time that is when the ball hits the wall or even goes out of the park. The feedback is all in the ball flight. If the ball is slicing then my bat head is ahead or behind my hands. Hooking balls are the head is aead of the hands. Weak fly balls to off field is bat head below and behind. By knowing what I look like at contact I can correct it immediately. How? I know certain angles make certain ball flights. So from there I correct them. Just ask one of my students after a miss hit. They will diagnose their own problem and correct it within a couple of swings. After a while they begin to do it automatically. With most of my students 0-9 is a slump. They can usually correct mistakes in swing quickly and make adjustments fast. So can you. It's fun and really easy to learn.
Thanks for stopping by.

Intro to Effective Velocity

Some Fun! Babe Ruth Experiment.

Chandler Blanchard class of 2013

My friend and mentor Perry Husband did a swing test on Jay Bell a 17 year big league veteran.
Jay hit the ball on average 77 mph for 30 swings. A 17 year big league vet! I started working with Chandler and his old brother Jordan four years ago. They are a testimony that there is no one way to swing. A swing is like a finger print they are all different and personal. Some kids like their hands high some low. Some kids like a wide stance and some kids like to keep it short. Oh back to Jay Bell, after a few hours with perry they retested Jay. Put him in a more balance stance so he could move faster. Changed his load a little so he could get maximum weight transfer and lastly got him to push off his back side. The result was his exit speeds jumped to 86 mph and he hit more ball near the center of the swing target. So I have a 14 year old incoming freshman that is 40lbs lighter than Jay Bell and hits the ball on average about 82 mph with a high of 86 mph. Yes, I do think this young man has potential and not because he's my student but because of the numbers. Watch the Video.

Results? I Guarantee Them

Super Drill for teaching how to swing harder.

This is a simple drill that requires a tee, balls, and a bat.
If you have a radar gun to record exit speeds then you have a great
feedback drill. You can see where you start and train to improve.
Also heavier, longer, and lighter bats can be used increase strength and speed.

This is a great example of a level swing with a good weight transfer.
Jimmy is going to be an excellent addition to any junior college or large college team.
He has a very good swing and consistently makes solid contact.
He has never had any formal instruction. He is a natural hitter.
Watching other good hitter hit and just copying their moves.

Kinesiology and How it Affects Your Swing

I am fascinated by Kinesiology . Little did I know what I was getting into when I chose this a a major in college. I just knew after a few classes I was on the right track. I would always say I want to work with world class athletes and that is what I do today.

Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics, is the science of human movement. It focuses on how the body functions and moves. A kinesiological approach applies scientific based medical principles towards the analysis, preservation and enhancement of human movement in all settings and populations. Kinesiologists work in research, the fitness industry, clinically, and in industrial environments. Studies on human motion may be supported by computer vision, using stereo camera systems for pose recognition and motion modeling.

How do I use Kinesiology in my teaching? Well let say there are bio mechanical and kinesiology principles all through what I teach. Everything I show an individual or group can be scientifically proven to work. So let's look at the principles.

• Summation of Sequential Segments: I tried to find a good Wikipedia definition of this principle but there is not one that most people would understand so I will keep it simple. I have always understood this to be the unlocking of the joint segments in a specific sequence. The end result is speed, power, and strength. I would also throw in efficiency and fluidity. In baseball this would be a smooth swing that generates hard it balls. I will give some examples to hitter over the years that really had this. In the baseball swing I have broken down the correct sequence and it is big toe, ankle, knee, hip turn, spine turn, shoulder turn, Shoulder/ upper arm, elbows, wrists, bat. Most people at the higher levels have 9 out of 10 right and this is good enough to get them to a certain point then they get stuck. when they learn the missing piece then it adds 30 to 40 more feet of distance to the ball and about 7 to 10 MPH increase in exit speed.
• Distance of Force Application:
• Start PositionLaunch PositionFinish Position
• This is one of the simplest application to explain. The farther the hands go back from the center line of the body the harder the the force that can be applied. The Bigger the swing arc the harder the swing also. This principle is universal in all sports. The tennis serve, or a boxers punch, golf swing, and throwing a baseball. The farther the hand, or club, bat, or racket gets from the striking point the more time it have to accelerate and create speed producing max velocity potential. In baseball this how it works for you. If a pitcher is throwing 90 mph and the batters swing speed is 85mph + body speed of 10 mph. Potential exit speed if the ball is struck perfectly could be from 95 to 110 mph. The hands don't have to go back as far because of the speed of the pitch. The pitcher is supplying a lot of the power and the hitter only has about .38 of a second to make a decision to swing. Now here is where this really come in handy. Lets say the pitcher throws a 72 mph curve ball, who is supplying the power now? If the hitter is still in his balanced launch position and his hands keep going back he has increased his distance of force application so the swing speed increasing. So ball speed is 72 + swing speed of 88 mph = body speed of 10 mph exit speed with stay in the 90 to 110 mph area. I have tested this over and over in my cage by lobbing balls and recording the exit speeds. Then by interviewing college, pro, and high school players along with my own personal experience we all the said the same thing. We hit that slow hanging curve ball harder than anything. The reason is we were all just swinging harder. It is still easier to hit a flatter moving fastball because your guess is better on this pitch. I'll explain why in another blog.
• Rigidity Theory: Perry Husband brought this one to my attention in 1996. It made sense so I started talking about it in my teaching. It falls in line with sound bio mechanical principles. So this is Rigidity Theory as explained to me. If there are any bends in the joints then force with be absorbed into the body. So for max distance and exit speed the body must be lock out and rigid at impact. Since hitting is a guess this is very hard to obtain but if worked on it can be made more of an occurrence instead of an accident. An example of RT is when a boxer throws a punch and his wrist has a slight bend in it he will sometimes absorb the impact in the wrist and break bones. This is extreme. Thank God the bat will vibrate and sometimes the force will give the hitter a bone bruise on the thumb or palm. Sometime the hitter will break the hemate bone in the palm. Most of the time the ball just isn't hit as hard as it could possibly be hit. I have had all three of these things happen. Today I strive to be in lock out when I hit the ball. At 37 I can still hit the ball off a tee in the low 90's. I don't train like I used to and I'm not in world class athlete shape, but I can still hit a baseball over 400 feet. I have had recorded exit speeds of over 110 mph and I'm 6 feet tall and played at 220 lbs. Eric Cole was 6 ft and 195 lbs and could hit a ball off a tee 100 mph. He was consistently smoother with his swing and just more efficient. Bigger players could never figure out how he hit the ball so hard. Eric had the perfect swing. Speed+Power+Strength+Efficiency= Max Distance. It really doesn't matter how strong you are, if your body doesn't move in the correct sequence you will actually work against your strength and be counter productive. Better move equals better results.
  

AVAILABLE FOR PRIVATE LESSONS

I am currently taking new clients so call me if you are interested.
702.250.2678 or email me at thehitman@helloworld.com.

I guarantee that the child, high schooler and even pro will hit the ball harder or you don't pay.
Call Me for rates. I do Individual, Groups, Coaches, and Teams.
Also I'm available for speaking engagements.
702.250.2678
Lessons by appointment ONLY.

What are you waiting for?

1226 Wigwam Ave
Henderson, NV 89074
(Located in Brundage Electric Warehouse)
Put this address in the Yahoo Maps area to get fast directions.

Why I created this blog.

I have been treaching and coaching kids on how to play baseball for over 15 years now.
I have always had a passion for baseball and as a kid I was always saying I'm going to play professional baseball. People laughed at me and some told me I was a dreamer and some told me go for it. I did and played for 7 years, most of that in the Chicago White Sox farm system.
The players at the professional level are so good. I was good just not quite that good to make it into the Major Leagues. Some of my former teammates where Aaron Rowand, Joe Crede, Jim Abbott, Kipp Wells, Josh Paul and John Garland. Plus I got to play against many others that made it too. On of my coaches told me he would take me anytime because even though I wasn't the best player I made the team better. How did I do that? I always worked harder than others and I could see things in other players swings that they didn't. They would ask me to come and hit with them early and were constantly asking me questions. I never got drafted and I even took a year off after college. That is when I started teaching and improving my skills to the point that I eventuall got signed to my first pro contract. I kept on teaching as a way to suppliment my paultry income from minor league baseball. Then I met Perry Husband. He transformed my swing and my life in some ways. I teach a swing based on biomechanical principles that work.
Bottom line, my student get results and get them fast. Mastery takes a life time, but I believe if a child is given the right information at a young age they can go on an have a successful career in the game if they are willing to do the work. I started this blog because I see so many kids that have received reallt bad information from coaches with good intentions but lack the knowledge and skill to really be effective. I want to change that today and create better players at the local, state, and national level.
So here is a bit of info to start. Buy this series from Perry. He doesn't pay me a dime. I'm not in this for the money. HITTINGISAGUESS.COM
There are videos and even a small book that can be carried with you to trouble shoot problems.
Perry is a wealth of knowledge and truly a master hitting coach. I was blessed to meet him.
When the student is ready the teacher appears.