Practice and Defense

Question
I have asked a question here before and you were a great help thanks,

I have a couple questions about what i should be doing practice wise (besides just throwing the ball) to improve my technique and footwork, in my spare time. I am fairly inexperienced just raw talent. So i need to practice my technique and footwork

If you could try to answer this question i would greatly appreciate it thanks,

Chad

Answer
Chad -

Thanks for the positive comments.  I am glad you have gotten a lot out of this so far.  AS for this question, its hard to say at this point.  There is a ton that goes into it, and without knowing what you are doing right now, its tough to say what to work on.

I can however give you a few general pointers for practice.
First thing is to get with a coach or instructor to make sure the basics are solid.  That is the key to it all. Throwing a baseball is 90% technique, and 10% strength.  The arm has very little to do with throwing in reality.  Accuracy, efficiency, and most of the power all comes from proper footwork, strength in shoulders, midsection, hips, and legs, and body positioning.  So getting with someone "in the know" will ensure you are on the right path.

Once you have done that, look at a few things.  One is how your feet are positioned.  A good key is to make sure your (if you are right handed) left shoulder, the crest of your left hip, the outside of your left knee, and the outside of your left ankle should all be pointed towards where you are throwing.  The person you are throwing to should only see you from a complete "profile" (side view) before you release.  Kinda like you what you would look like if you were hiding behind a tree if playing paintball or something.  Get me?

Release point is important.  It doesnt really matter what that point is (overhand, 3/4, sidearm, etc), but make sure to do 2 things.  One is to try them all and see what works for you.  Second is to (once you choose one) stay consistent.  DO it every time.  A big mistake made in baseball is this:  A player has thrown 3/4 angle for years with success.  All of a sudden, for some unknown reason, he goes though a period where his throws poorly.  Instead of reworking, and going back to the basic mechanics to straighten it out, they start changing things like release point. Its an easy "choice" because it is changeable in 2 minutes!  But like anything else, if it is that easily fixed, it probably isnt being fixed properly and correctly. This does nothing but make things worse.  Find what you do best / how you do it best, make sure it is safe, and stick to it.  IF you go through a rough patch, go back to the basics (like listed in the first paragraph).  

Drills drills drills.  All sports, especially baseball because of the speed that the ball travels at, rely 100% on muscle memory.  This means you dont have time to think about it while its happening, so your body has to know what to do already.  Just like writing your name.  You dont have to think about it anymore, your hand just does it naturally from thousands of times practicing / writing it.  Same thing in baseball.  So drills, drills drills.  Once you are doing it correctly, you have to make it second nature.  HOWEVER, drilling hard while doing things incorrectly does nothing but engrain the WRONG things into you head / muscle memory, which in turn, makes it harder to change.  But repetition is a big key. Start nice and easy, and have someone work with you at the position you are playing this season.  START EASY!  Its all about correct mechanics Chad.  Does no good if you make plays in practice using poor mechanics, because once game time comes, itll go sour! I promise.  Also, get on the net, or in the library, and make a list of drills for your position.  Include a diagram to each so you can understand it, and to help explain it to someone helping you!  There are some fantastic ones out there.  Just gotta go find them now!

Stick with those simple basics, and you will find that your game will quickly improve.  Not only on the practice field, but in game situations as well.  Let me know how it goes!

Best wishes

Coach Perl