Croatia Project

The Generals have been involved in several community service projects over the past couple of years.  We have had multiple fundraisers for the Susan G. Koman Foundation to raise money for cancer research.  Last summer, our boys raised money and supplies for a local church's mission trip to the hispanic community in New York City.  Our latest venture has been to support a baseball mission to Croatia.

A good friend of mine, David Moss, has lead a group to Croatia each summer for several years now.  He is the owner of the Texas Baseball Academy and a former Division I college coach.  It's awesome what David and his team have done.  Here is a short video that tells the story of how his team built a baseball field for the kids in Sisak. 

The Generals have joined in and gathered a lot of items that the Croatia team needs for this summer's trip.  David tells me that the nearest store to buy baseball gear is eight hours away in Italy.  I just shipped out two large boxes of MLB gear, equipment and baseball cards (which are used as incentives at the camps).

Fantastic Video about TCU Baseball

Here is a truly great video from the TCU baseball program.

Forget Batting Average - Focus on Quality At-Bats

Statistics are a vital part of baseball.  At all levels, we have a fascination with batting average, RBI, wins, ERA and the like.  Statistics help tell a story about performance on the field...but often, they can be misleading.

Batting average is the commonly used statistic to measure a players offensive performance.  It measures the percentage of at bats in which the player reaches safely via a hit.  When a player has 200-300 at-bats, it can be a useful tool in evaluating hitters.  However, in small sample sizes (which is typical of youth baseball), it can be misleading.  Luck and variance can come into play.  In youth baseball, with a parent or coach keeping the book, you can have a wide range of variabilty in what is considered a hit or an error.  We have all experienced the tale of the young player who is hitting .794! 

Further, batting average really doesn't measure the players success against their objective - and that is to have a quality at bat . As a hitter, you can't control what happens after the ball is hit.  A hitter can get a good pitch to hit, square it up...only to hit it right at a fielder.  The same hitter can get fooled, hit the ball off the end of the bat and get a bloop single to right.  Which at bat is most successful?   If you answered the hard hit ball right at a fielder, you are right. 

For me, a good concept to teach your young hitters is the idea of having a quality at bat.  Whether you chart it or simply talk about it in the dugout with your hitters...it's a much truer measure of being a winning offensive player than batting average.

What is a quality at bat?  A coach can choose to emphasize any number of things...but for me, a quality at bat consists of one of the following:
 1) base on balls/hit by pitch - any plate appearance that results in NOT making an add and gaining a base is a quality at bat that contributes to scoring runs.
 2) a hard hit ball  - a line drive, a ground ball that would have enough pace to reach the outfielder playing at normal depth and a fly ball that causes the outfielder to move back from normal depth.
 3) Six Pitch at bat - regardless of the outcome, any at bat in which the hitter see six or more pitches contributes to helping the team be successful.  Six pitch at bats drive up the pitch count of the opposing pitcher - thus allowing for more success later in the game.  It also allows the team to see more pitches, possibly detecting patterns in pitch selection.
4) Execution - a hit and run that results in a ground ball, sacrifice bunt, sacrifice fly, score the runner from third with an out, advance a runner with an out, etc.

Highlighting quality at bats helps focus young players on the things that are most important.  Batting average focuses on outcomes - and these outcomes are often out of the players control.  Focus on quality at bats...your players will start to understand the dynamics of team offense and you'll be measuring the things that are most important to being successful as a hitter.

It's Never Too Early to Learn the Mental Game

The book "Moneyball" was a behind the scenes look at the Oakland A's and how they were able to be competitive in Major League Baseball while having one of the lowest payrolls in the game. The underlying strategy that the organization used was to look at the aspects of the market that were undervalued - thus being able to exploit this as an advantage in building a team. 
I have been thinking a lot about the metal game of baseball recently. As "on base percentage" was the undervalued commodity in the book, I think teaching kids the Mental Game is the undervalued aspect of amateur baseball. In every town in America, it seems, there are baseball academies, indoor practice facilities and coaches lined up to give lessons. It's really an amazing transformation....twenty-five year ago, kids didn't go to baseball lessons. Those were reserved for tennis and golf. Now, most every kid that is serious about baseball has taken one or more private lessons. I think this is mostly a good thing - given that the instructors are qualified and it's not just Batting Practice or a bullpen with little or no teaching.

 Those of you who have played competitive baseball at any level will agree that confidence, belief in oneself and being able to focus properly is a key component in being a successful baseball player. Let's face it - baseball is a game of failure. It's a game of outcomes - and many of the outcomes are outside of the player's control. A line drive is hit right to the third baseman. A good pitch is made...but the hitter bloops it into right field for a single. How player's deal with the emotional side of the game is extremely important to their success.

This is true at all levels of the game. Some players seem to rise to the occasion while others seem to melt...or even melt down! What's the difference in these two players? Often, it's the mental approach that a player has developed.

One of the things we have been talking to the Generals about lately is how you must control your emotions in order to control your performance. By competing one pitch at a time, you put yourself in the best position to be successful. Think about it...the third baseman boots an easy ground ball that allows a run to score. He knows that everyone is looking at him...and that he alone has cost his team a run. If emotions run unchecked...this self-talk turns into fear. They tell themselves that they are a bad infielder, they have let the team down, they stink....and please don't hit the next ball to me. This one error now bleeds into the next play...they are tentative rather than aggressive. It can bleed into their next at-bat..."I HAVE to get a hit here to make up for my error." This downward cycle of emotions gets in the way of their best performance.

So what's the answer? Play the game one pitch at a time. If you make an error or strikeout, there is nothing more you can do about it. NEXT PITCH. Wipe the slate clean. Take a deep breath, understand that errors and outs are a part of the game and forget about it. NEXT PITCH. Focus on the plan for the next pitch..."hit it me", "hard up the middle", "hit the glove.". Replace the negative thoughts with a productive cue. It's OK to get upset. We are humans and we have emotions. But the key is controlling those emotions...and not letting them spiral out of control. You must control your emotions in order to control your performance.

This post draws from material in the book:  Heads Up Baseball by Ken Ravizza and Tom Hanson. It's a classic, must-have for every coach and player's reading library.





Track It and Whack It BP Drill

Sometimes you discover good teaching drills by accident. In a recent indoor hitting session, we were focusing the hitters on a couple of things...tracking the baseball and strike zone awareness. These two concepts are a big part of becoming a successful hitter at any level.

It's a simple drill. It can be done as a part of any batting practice session. The coach throwing BP simply calls out either Track It or Whack It prior to each pitch. If the call is Track It, the hitter tracks the ball (takes the pitch) and calls out whether it was a ball or strike and the location. "Strike, down and in" or "Ball, up and away.". If the coach calls for the hitter to "Whack It", they swing normally. What I have found is that this simple exercise teaches the hitter to track the ball (first step in being a good hitter) and it helps teach them strike zone awareness. I was surprised at how often our young hitters would "miss" on whether the pitch was a ball or strike. It gives them immediate feedback and they are able to learn and make adjustments.

A variation of this drill, especially when they are exhibiting good strike zone awareness, is for the pitcher to throw either a two seam or four seam fastball and have the player call out the pitch.

Sometimes batting practice can be absent of a measurable goal. Using one of these drills is a good way to add a bit of challenge and focus to a round of BP while giving the hitter valuable repetitions in a skill that is of paramount importance in becoming a good hitter - pitch recognition, strike zone awareness and visual tracking skills.

Shine a Flashlight on the Ball...

A picture is worth a thousand words.  Look at the photograph on the right.  We have all heard coaches say, See the ball hit the bat.  I am not sure, personally, if that is even possible when the ball is traveling at a high rate of speed - but this picture would suggest that maybe I am wrong. It's an interesting concept but I'll save the debate and research for another post.  

One good hitting cue to help get the hitter in a good "at impact" position is tell them to imagine they have a flashlight on their nose.  Shine the light on the ball when it hits the bat.  That is what this hitter is doing.  Great photo of a great swing.  I also like how this picture shows the hitters head stacked vertically in line with his back hip. If the stripe on his pants were extended up his body, it was cross over his ear.  This is a prime hitting position.

Catcher Communication

Catchers play an important role to the defensive success of a baseball team.  In addition to being involved on every pitch, they are the only player on the field who can see the defense...the game, essentially, happens in front of them.

If you are a young catcher, remember the importance of your role.  Everyone on the team is looking at you on every pitch.  Do you hustle, show enthusisasm and energy?  If so, you can have a positive impact on the energy level of the team.  Another key way you can help the team be successful is by being a good communicator.  Examples:

• A bunter at the plate - remind the pitcher and corner infielders to "read the hands", "stay alive".
• Left Hand Hitter -- remind the pitcher to "Get over there on a groundball"
• On a ground ball to the right side  -  "Get over there!"
• Two outs, runner on second -- remind infielders to "Get dirty...keep the ball on the infield"
• Two outs, full count , runners moving on the pitch-- remind infielders to "Get the batter - the plays across!"

These are but a few examples of how a catcher can be a positive catalyst for the team.

Wisdom from Basketball Coaching Great

I was at a Generals practice recently when one of our 11 year old players told me he was reading a great book that he thought I might like...a book about John Wooden.  I was quite surprised that a kid that young was tackling such mature material (though his IQ is probably higher than mine!).  He went on to tell me about the Pyramid of Success.

When I was coaching college baseball, I kept a printout of the Pyramid of Success on my wall.  It's informational  and inspirational.  It's on the list of things that I want to give to the Generals and talk about some of the concepts with the boys.

Here is a link to a blog that is owned by an old friend of mine.  He is a student of success and has been an extremely successful women's basketball coach at LSU.  If you spend some time on his blog, you'll find a lot of outstanding posts that remind us of the things it takes to be successful.

Generals Spring Update

The Southside Generals are off and running for the 2011 Spring Season.  The team has played nine games thus far and have won six of them.  We played our first tournament last weekend in Colonial Heights.  As well as we played in our first four games, we played that poorly during the tournament.  We managed to knock off the tourney's number one seed on Sunday in an exciting, eight inning affair...but that was the high point.

We don't measure our success in wins and losses...but it sure is a lot more satisfying when we play well as team. It's often said in coaching circles that you learn more from losing than winning...and I think there is a certain amount of truth in that.  We have identified several areas that we will work hard to improve as we continue competing this spring.

The Generals are back in action this weekend in Newport News, VA in the USSSA Elite NIT.

Run Hard to First Base

It's the little things. Things that don't show up in a boxscore. When you take care of the little things, the big things have a way of taking care of themselves.

I recently read an old interview with Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Madden. The question posed to Madden was, "What's the most important thing in baseball?" Get your notebooks out - here comes the secret. Maybe it's get the lead off hitter on base each inning. Perhaps its being strong defensively up the middle. I was surprised to hear him say, "Run hard to first base." Run hard to first base? Really? That's it? Madden went on to say that when he has a player who always runs hard to first, he knows that the player is doing other things the right way. Little things. Take care of them and the big things take care of themselves. If you care enough to run hard to first, you probably are doing all the other "little" things that are required to be a winning baseball player.

Duke "Fast Break"

In baseball, there is a "right way" to do everything. Taking pride in the little things leads to success in big things.

Here is a neat video I just love. It's captures the spirit of College Baseball and a group of players who decide that even the menial task of tearing down and putting up the BP setup can be done in a fun way...with quality.

Generals Baseball 2011

Work and life have gotten in the way of keeping up with the Generals blog in the past few months...I vow to do better.

I noticed that I didn't put anything on the site during the entire Fall Season. I'll catch up now. The Generals had a great Fall Season. In our first season as an 11U team, we played a lot of 12 year old teams. I learned a few things...mainly, there is a big difference in the physical development of a 12 year old vs. an 11 year old (or a 10 year old, as we have a couple of on our team). I also learned that in baseball, size, strength and power are great...but that is not the "Secret Sauce". The secret is...to have command of the strike zone, to be able to change speeds, to make the basic plays on defense and put pressure on the defense by putting the ball in play.

The highlight of our season was winning the Richmond Fall Travel Baseball League 12 year old division. We finished with a .500 record in the league...and felt pretty good about that. We went into the League Tournament in November hoping to compete and play our best. We did. Our group of 10 & 11 year olds won the tournament. Outsized and outmuscled, we played what we like to call "Generals Baseball"...good pitching, good defense and timely hitting.

We are one week away from beginning our Spring 2011 season. We have changed our team name -- now known as the Southside Generals. We have been hitting indoors once per week and getting outside on weekends when the weather will allow.

We'll play 55-60 games this spring and summer, including trips to North Carolina, South Carolina and western Virginia. We are looking forward to getting back on the field and getting better as baseball players.

Here is a good article on being a parent of a young athlete. There are good reminders here for us all.

Generals Complete First Season

Last week, the Generals ended their 10U Season at the Triple Crown Summer Nationals in Myrtle Beach, SC. It has been a year filled with good memories.

Our record for the Spring was 30-19-1. If you add our Fall Record, the Generals 10U season resulted in an overall record of 45-29-2. We had a great year. We saw the kids continue to get better and better on the baseball field. More importantly, the Generals have excelled in the classroom. Our team GPA for the second semester was more than 3.50 and five of the boys made straight A's.

We achieved many of our goals that we set out to achieve. We won two tournaments, including the Nation's Baseball State Championship. Most of all, we had a good time learning new skills, deepening friendships and using baseball as a backdrop for life. An opposing coach summed it up for me on Thursday. He said, "Coach, you sure have a fine ball team. I love how they hustle and play hard. They are always in the right spots -- I love watching those boys play. You have a great bunch of kids." In the end, I hope that's what people remember when they play the Generals - that the boys go about it the right way.

We are now making plans for our 11U season. We have had a good number of calls and emails from people wanting to join the program. At this time, we are focusing on our current players and their plans for next year. Once we know where everyone stands, we'll respond to any inquiries.

Thanks for reading our blog. I was able to see some stats on the number of hits we are getting -- in 30 days, nearly 400 people from all over the United States have visited our site. We also have gotten "hits" from Canada, Japan and the United Kingdom. In what started as a way to communicate with team parents, it shocks me that so many "other" people are reading it.

Generals go 3-2 in Triple Crown Summer Nationals

The Generals wrapped up their 10U season with a very successful showing at the Triple Crown Summer Nationals in Myrtle Beach, SC this week.

On Tuesday, the team beat the Georgia Grays 4-3. The Grays are a top-tier team that made it to the Championship Game before losing to the Tidewater Drillers 6-5. In Game Two on Tuesday, the team lost a heartbreaker in 8 innings to the Cincinnati Red Stockings on a walk off single in the bottom of the eighth inning. In 2009, the Red Stockings were the runners-up in the 9U division of this same tournament. Game three was against the Greenville (TN) Little Devils, last years 9U champions. The Generals lost 7-5 in a very tightly contested game. On Thursday, the boys won two games by identical 6-5 scores. They topped the Stallions Baseball Club from Strongsville, OH in the first game. The Stallions are the top-ranked team in northeastern Ohio. In the final game, the Generals topped the Carolina Rage, a solid team from Kinston, NC.

It was a fantastic finish to a very good season of Generals baseball. We will take some time off and start 11U play in September.

Stephen Strasburg was once a child?

Here is a fun read about a travel baseball team in San Diego from about a dozen years ago. It's neat to see these guys when they were just kids. By the way, one of the kids mentioned in the article is Thomas Neal, current an outfielder for the Richmond Flying Squirrels.

The Next 200 Feet

Have you watched any of the College World Series this week? If so, you have seen baseball played in a different form. Clean-up hitters bunting, rally caps and games played with tremendous passion.

One thing that has caught my attention is the various sayings and reminders that are posted on the dugout walls. During the TCU games, I saw my favorite - a piece of paper posted that simply says "The Next 200 Feet".

What's that all? Imagine you were leaving your house and driving to say, Omaha, Nebraska. You would be driving only at night. How would you get there? You certainly can't see Omaha from your front porch and you may not know exactly how to get there. But you could get there - even driving only at night. You would be able to use the headlights of your car....you couldn't see great distances ahead but you can see about 200 feet in front of you. So its off you go, 200 feet at a time. Navigate 200 feet, then the next 200 feet, then the next and so on. You could eventually get to your destination - 200 feet at a time.

How does this relate to baseball? In order to be successful, you have to focus on what you can do right now. It's appropriate and proper to have an outcome goal (think about Omaha in the example above). Your goal might be to become a better hitter, learn to be a better infielder and so on. But that is up ahead in the distance. By focusing on the "Next 200 Feet", you begin to think about what you can do right now, at this moment, to help you reach your goal. Wanting to be a better hit in the future is great, but by focusing on the Next 200 Feet, you may decide to do push-ups, go outside and swing your bat 50 times or go to the batting cage. If you take your goals and then think about what you can do right now to get you closer to your goal, your chances for long-term success are dramatically improved.

The Next 200 Feet focuses you on what you can do today - right now - to become a little better. 200 Feet followed by the next 200 Feet, over and over and over, will put you on the road to achieving your goals.

Generals lose in semi-finals of the June Jamboree

The Generals went 2-1 this weekend in the June Jamboree at Ruthers Glen, VA. We came into Sunday's championship play as the top seed and were upset by the 4 seed Southern Maryland Knights by a score of 12-9. We had beaten the Knights on Saturday 14-2. The boys got a great reminder that in baseball, yesterday doesn't matter - you have to show up ready to play for every game.

All in all, it was another great weekend of baseball for the team.

USSSA Father's Day Tournament Champions

The Generals played outstanding baseball today and earned the 2010 USSSA Father's Day Championship in games played in Mechanicsville, VA. The Generals won games against the RBA Lightning, the Virginia Stars & the Southside Sluggers via the mercy rule. In the Championship Game, the Generals battled back from a 5-0 deficit to outlast the Mechanicsville Magic by a 9-8 score.

The Generals have won eight of their last nine games.

College World Series

If you love baseball, get ready...the College World Series starts tomorrow in Omaha, Nebraska. This year, it's even more special as it marks the final CWS to be played in Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.

Baseball is unique in that the national championship is played in the same venue every year. Therefore, the rally cry for many programs -- the dream -- is to make it to Omaha. If you observe college games, you'll see signs of Omaha everywhere. On the back of caps, on pennents flying in the outfield...UVa even has a sign in the clubhouse citing the distance from Charlottesville to Omaha. Rosenblatt Stadium is the orginal "Field of Dreams".

Here is a video that captures the spirit of Omaha from a Clemson University perspective. You can feel the excitement and the energy when you watch this video.