TEE WORK
I heard Tony Gwynn say something to the effect that tee work was all he did until about January 1 each year. Well, that reinforced something that I always thought to be true.tee work is an essential component to groove each INDIVIDUAL piece of the swing.without having to track a ball!
Kids think they graduate from tee work, but the opposite is absolutely true! They also think it's boring. OF COURSE IT'S BORING! But that's part of what it takes to become the best hitter you can be! (The coaching tip here is simply to mix the boring part in with the fun.like the cherry flavored medicine - you take the medicine every day, not just when you feel like it.right?)
Which leads me to our better mousetrap!
The traditional tee requires a bucket of balls, a catch net and an extra set of hands to "feed the tee." Every time you hit a ball, you bend over and place another on the tee, or it takes two people to man the station, right?
You can see where the efficiency suffers and laziness can set in. All of which translates to hundreds, and perhaps thousands, less quality swings over all the seasons a young boy might play.
If you agree with this logic and believe in the value of tee work.you need to check out our inexpensive solution called Mickey's Tee!
Designed by Mickey Wilson, a California welder and former Little League and Babe Ruth coach, it is an extremely well built batting tee with the added benefit of a regulation-sized ball (chose between a baseball or softball version) that has been cast around an elastic tether.
After you swing, the ball leaves the tee only to return to its original position in 2 seconds!
It even handles mishits without tipping over and has an optional kit for indoor use.
It is a must-have for any travel baseball or fastpitch team and is perfect for pre-game warm-ups!
SOFT TOSS
Here's another drill that every ballplayer will do until the day he "retires."
Generally, it's a 2 man drill where the "feeder" will kneel on one knee or sit on a bucket at a 45 degree angle to the hitter. The feeder will rhythmically toss a ball underhand in a slight arc toward the front thigh of the hitter, one after another. The hitter will hit into a net of some sort.
Well necessity being the mother of invention, our inventor-friend John Meade came up with the ultimate single-player solution called the Wheeler Dealer Soft Toss Machine!
This unit is extremely well built and is absolutely efficient and includes an internal rechargeable battery that really performs as advertised! Up to 10 hours of swings on a single charge!
My unit is 6 years old and it still chugs away, though I have knocked it over (several times) and have forgotten to charge it way too often as it sat in my trunk (not to mention having to retrieve it at midnight after I turned stadium lights out before loading up!). It sets up in 30 seconds and breaks down even quicker.
We include a video of drills that takes the Wheeler Dealer way beyond its original purpose and will display its ability to adjust tosses from 1 to 6 seconds and at heights from 2 to almost 6 feet!
I have used it for specific catchers drills and to train and quicken the hands and feet of middle infielders. The cost has even been reduced from its original price by $100. Plus, for a limited time, Baseball Tips Newsletter subscribers get Free Shipping!
It's a training aid I highly recommend for any travel baseball or fastpitch team!
LIVE PITCHING
Any player who is fortunate enough to have a backyard set-up complete with a batting cage and a pitching machine should really be grateful to whoever provided these wonderful tools. It is the optimal way to grow a hitter! Absolutely and bar none!
We help these people everyday for a living and it is such a privilege to help and advise. After all, how does the consumer even know what to buy to make a correct decision and then place this decision within budget? Most of our customers have never purchased these items in the past. I am sure you wouldn't want to buy these things twice so I suggest you rely on us when purchasing these packages!
Our 3 coaches are available M-F 9am - 6pm toll free at 1-800-487-7432!
Got A Youth Player?
How about a ZOOKA Portable Pitching Machine?
In many cases, a pitching machine is really the one component that you have room or a need for. You just want something to take to a park so you can get your swings in.
Here's why. Pitching machines generally are driven by a 110v motor and use either a wheel(s) or an arm. They have a good deal of weight and many are not that portable. Plus, there's the issue of having electrical power at every field you go to.
Or worse.the dreaded kerosene generator!
The ZOOKA is a compressed air-driven pitching machine that more resembles a piece of artillery than a traditional pitching machine. It throws any type of ball that is roughly baseball size so it doesn't care if the ball is new, old, waterlogged or even a tennis or wiffle ball. It will throw up to 65 MPH and up to 550 pitches between charges
(there's an optional external battery to double the swings between charges).
It is also the first totally digital pitching machine and may have more research and development in it than any other pitching machine in history!
In 4 years we have had exactly 1 returned unit!
I highly recommend this product and hope you will check it out.
If I were King, every machine pitch league in the country would look strongly at utilizing this machine.
New for 2005 is the automatic feeder for single player use!
Click here to learn and see more!
Featured Article
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Getting Kids to Practice on Time
Coach Marty Schupak
As the season starts, we want to get off to a good start with our team and what is expected of them. Of course, youth baseball is unlike a school team sport and you cannot force a player to practice or even force them to be on time. However, there are certain things you can do as a coach to ensure your team develops good habits.
My own personal pet peeve was having the players arrive late for practices. My practices usually run no longer than one hour, and if a player is fifteen minutes late he misses a full quarter of a practice. I have tried a number of different tactics.
The first one: I give each player a number as they arrive at practice and they keep that number throughout the practice. Whoever arrives first is number one and when it comes to batting practice he or she goes first. The players remember this and after a couple of practices you will notice the difference with players arriving early to get a good number.
Another technique I use is to start practice with a mini batting practice even before warm-ups. After you do this a few times, you'll notice the players arriving early and telling you that they go first. Do not do this technique every practice, but every once in a while.
Practices, especially early in the season, will set the tone for a successful and fun season.The kids take notice when the coach arrives early and organized. Use these two techniques to get your players to arrive on time.
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Getting Kids to Practice on Time
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Perfect for any serious baseball or fastpitch player, the Wheeler Dealer holds 28 baseballs and 17 softballs. It tosses a ball from 1 to 6 feet every 1 to 6 seconds. The rechargeable model runs for 12 hours!
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