Lefty & Me

Lefty asks daily to go out and take some batting practice.  But sometimes there is just not enough time in the day and the rusty arm is REALLY rusty.  I know hitting off a tee is not the most fun drill for a 10-year-old to do, but I encourage him to do it daily.  It doesn’t require a lot of space or time or even another person.  Lefty takes the tee into the garage and…

There is always a lot of talk about playing year round baseball.  With summer here, I found this article by Danny Knobler on Bleacher Report about Josh Beckett and his summers.  I believe limiting pitching and throwing is the way to go during summer. Baseball’s Pitching Dilemma: ‘Too Hard, Too Fast, Too Much, Too Soon’ Josh Beckett grew up as a baseball star in the baseball hotbed of Texas. He was so good at his Houston-area high school that…

I hate to admit it, but there are times when I try to make every single aspect of Lefty’s game perfect and tend to focus on the negative instead of celebrating the positives. There aren’t too many ten-year olds who play the game with the intensity as Lefty does.  He gives 100% on every pitch and every play.  He plays his heart out in a game as a catcher, then pitcher, then first base, then…

I sent a video clip of Lefty’s swing to his coach and got some good feedback.  He recommended that Lefty get his belly button facing the pitcher after contact.  He also noticed that Lefty’s front knee is bent at and following contact which takes away all his power and torque produced by his lower half.  He explained the stride leg can go out bent but should straighten as the swing progresses. To encourage this approach, I printed…

 Okay, I admit it. I am kind of a cheese-ball when it comes to pre-game preparation for Lefty. Maybe it is because I enjoyed the pre-game rituals when I was playing. What player at any age doesn’t enjoy  the routine of gearing up and putting on the uniform? Or maybe it is because we usually have to leave at zero dark thirty for weekend games and I have to get Lefty’s gear ready the night…

Stepping into the batter’s box and facing live pitching takes confidence. The transition from machine pitch to live pitching can be stressful for young players. No one at any level likes being hit by a pitch, but it happens . Overcoming the fear is key for young hitters. From the time I started throwing wiffle balls to Lefty for batting practice, I would intentionally let one get away and hit him with the wiffle ball….

I find this article by Bill Ripken (Ripken Baseball) thought-provoking.  The fact that his dad, Cal Sr. – a manager in Major League Baseball, did not pressure his sons to play, is incredible to me.  I hope Lefty feels this way years from now. The Role of Parents By Bill Ripken Every parent wants the best for their child, there’s no doubt about that. But we as parents can sometimes put unnecessary pressure on our…