Archive for Dudes Blog – Page 5

Pitch Smart

Jun
25

DSC_0008Parents and Coaches…

I URGE you to take some time to read through the website “PITCH SMART” by MLB. Youth Baseball is in a time of weekly tournaments (4-6 games in a 2-3 day period). These tournaments are an amazing opportunity for hitters to get in a ton or reps in a short period but CAN be (with poor coaching decisions) the worst possible situation for pitchers to be in. Pitching in multiple games in the same day. Pitching on back to back days even after throwing 20+ pitches on the first day. Exceeding a proper number of pitches in a game because you feel the need to save your other pitchers for a later game. Having a pitcher pitch through fatigue. And let’s not forget about the catchers!!

If your team doesn’t have enough pitchers to cover all of the innings that your squad may play, then you should not be playing in that tournament. Once again, these type of decisions come down to what’s right for that player. What’s best for his future. You can’t preach development and then make decisions that put your players at an elevated risk of injury because of your drive to make it to the championship game. PLEASE take a moment and think about what’s best for the players.

Coaches, thank you for all you do and always remember that these kids development and future is in your hands when they are on your roster. The words you use, the choices you make and the manner in which you carry yourself can make a bigger impact on their future than you may realize. Take pride in what you do and don’t ever forget that this game is 100% about them.

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Life Lesson: Handling People

Jun
23

2015-01-30 13.30.58-1Another great life lesson this game can teach you, if you allow it, is how to relate to all different types of people.

The longer you get to play, the more teammates/coaches/fans you will get to meet and spend time with. You will come to learn that they are all different. They look different. They talk different. They dress different. They have different abilities. They have different personas and they have different opinions.

Understand that they are who they are. Accept them for who they are. If you don’t agree with how they do things, that doesn’t mean you have to be rude and shun them. Be friendly, be kind and be an acquaintance.

You will come across many Type A personalities. They are who they are. Have very strong opinions and will be unlikely back down from an argument. There egos are often larger than life. You be you and hopefully they will notice and try to emulate.

You will come across many with self doubt. Be kind and give them support in success AND failure. It can affect them more than you realize. They are looking for some guidance. If you can help, then ask them what you can do.
Then you will come across many of my favorite type. The humble ones. Those with quiet confidence. Watch them. See how they carry themselves. Watch how the react to success. How they react to adversity. Watch them and emulate them for they are the ones that many of us strive to be like.

Bottom line, be the best person you can be. Learn how to handle yourself around all different types of people. Accept them for who they are. Be kind. Be respectful. Be honest and be true.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog, Parents

The Swing vs. The Delivery

Jun
23

2015-03-18 09.55.47Both draw power from the lower half. Both need direction towards their target; Pitcher striding towards the catcher and the Hitter striding towards the Pitcher. Both use the hips to generate torque for the upper half to come through. Both need the upper half to stay closed as long as possible (until the stride foot hits the ground) for your upper half to come through with the most whip possible. They are both very similar to one another.

Use video analysis to see where their body position is at front foot contact. In the swing, nothing should start to the ball until their stride foot make contact with the ground, just as in the pitching delivery, the upper half should be in a closed, front arm up at shoulder height and ready to fire, position when their stride foot hits the ground.

Players starting with their upper half too soon is a very common problem in hitters and pitchers. When we do this, we are giving up power and using too much upper body too soon to throw or hit the ball. With a pitcher especially, this puts unnecessary stress on their arm.

Help your players learn to be in a powerful position when their stride foot hits the ground. If they start their upper half towards the plate, or ball, too soon, help them learn to keep it closed longer. Have a hitter stride, hold it for a second, to make sure they are in a strong position before they swing. Have a pitcher get to his stride and freeze at front foot contact to see where their upper body is and where we want it to be. This is a simple drill for them to feel that power position.

Hope some find this helpful as this is one of the most common mistakes I see young players making.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Hitting, Pitching

So You Don’t Like to Fail…

Jun
23

IMG_6345Well neither does the person next to you, the person in front of you or the person behind you. I’m sorry to break the news to you but, you’re going to. You will do it more often than you would like to think about.

Understand this…That guy that plays Baseball on TV that you love watching, well, he has failed way more than you have in your life. He fails almost everyday at something. Whether it’s a swing and miss…FAIL, an error in the field…FAIL, a caught stealing…FAIL, a strikeout…FAIL or a pop up to the cather…FAIL. Failing is a part of this game, and to be honest, it’s a part of life.

The sooner you get a grasp of the realization that it’s going to happen, the sooner you will be able to make progress. Stop being so hard on yourself and relax. Remember, the best of the best in the world fail too. It’s a part of it. If you want to be one of the best at whatever it is you want to do, develop the ability to handle failure better than the person next to you, the person in front of you and the person behind you.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

Entitlement

Jun
23

2015-04-23 09.22.08With success, you may see it. With talent and ability, you may see it. With a job title, you may see it. With age, you may see it. With a certain last name, you may see it and with experience, you may see it.

In the end, it comes down to ego. You can see it at all different ages. Parents, our goal should be to raise young people who understand what this means and make it a point to not let this happen.

Teach them to give by nature and to not expect. Be ok with being treated as an equal no matter if they are the best player on their team, the coaches kid or if they have been playing longer than their teammates.

Acting as if you deserve to be treated differently reveals a selfish mentality. This attitude can rip teams, families and relationships apart. Yes, your experience may be deserving of a different treatment, but carrying yourself in a manner that you are on a higher level than those around you will lead to a reputation of there being one person that matters most to you…YOU.

Most would care to not have this type of reputation, but if you find yourself thinking that you deserve this or you deserve that, then yes, you have a “Sense of Entitlement”.

Be Selfless, think of others first, stop wanting and start giving. Stop thinking about what you don’t have and start thinking about what you do have.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog, Parents

Don’t Let The Game Speed Up On You

May
15

2015-04-16 11.11.33As a young player, I have no idea how many times this happened to me. I do know, though, that it was more than I would have liked. But to this day, all those moments have helped mold me into the parent and coach that I strive to be today.

I was working with one of my college students the other day. His mound work started off good but as the session went on, he started to battle his command. When I have worked with a player for a period of time, and I have come to know them emotionally and see where their strengths and weaknesses are, I will give them a chance to to work through these moments on their own. The worst thing a coach can do is say something to a pitcher between every pitch. Trust me, been there, experienced that. No bueno!

As the miss fires kept coming, you could see him getting more and more frustrated. With that frustration came a lose of focus which, in a game situation, would lead to disaster. After about 10-15 in a row, I finally stepped in and helped him realize what was going on. Physically, mechanically, nothing was wrong. What was wrong was what he was allowing to happen between his ears. He was throwing pitches while still focusing on what happened with his last pitch. He was trying to force command instead of trusting in his ability and letting his natural talent take over. It had had “Sped Up On Him”.

When this happens, we lose all rational thought. We are letting the situation control us instead of us controlling the situation. We swing at pitches out of the zone because we have no plan. We make poor pitch choices because we have become emotional. We make mistakes that we should know better than to do.

This happens often on the other side too. Us coaches in the dugout are just as prone to this as the players on the field are. My first year coaching, this reality slapped me in the face one night. Our pitcher was out there struggling. Things just weren’t going his way and I, as the coach, was in charge of keeping the pitch count. The longer the inning went on, the more mistakes I watched happen, the quicker I started to lose control of my job. We had an organizational rule that no pitcher was to throw more than 35 pitches in one inning. My boss happened to be in town, and in the dugout with me, when he came up and asked me what he was at (pitch count). When I looked down, he was at 30+ and we had no one up in the bullpen getting ready. Well, our pitcher ended up throwing too many and I got a good talking to after the game was over. Needless to say, lesson learned, it never happened again.

In the heat of the moment, on the field or in the dugout, staying mentally in control will allow you to make those rational decisions. The correct pitch selections, mound visits in the correct moments, making the last out at third, pitching changes, keeping track of pitch counts, etc.

Take a deep breath, gather your thoughts and do your best to…

“Don’t Let The Game Speed Up On You”

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Fielding, Hitting, Pitching

Pitch To Contact

May
11

2015-05-11 09.13.06My last session of the day yesterday was with two of my High School students. Both are great kids, both are talented pitchers and both have the ability to play past HS, if they so desire.

As they were playing catch, I was chatting with their parents I came to learn that they both had walk rates, during their seasons, that needed some attention.

After they were done with their mound work, we sat down for a few minutes and dug a little deeper into the topic. I wanted to hear what their approach is with every pitch. Is their catcher moving around, side to side, too much? What is their thought process in 2 ball counts? What is their intent with the first pitch to each batter? Are they looking to get contact or trying to get swing and misses?

A pitcher’s #1 job is to throw strikes. The goal is to do this 65% of the time. In my book, a pitcher has two counts where he can purposely throwing a pitch, out of the zone, to get a swing and miss. 0-2 and 1-2 counts. With that said, there is nothing better for a pitcher than getting a punch-out on 3 pitches, especially when you freeze the hitter with a fastball in an 0-2 count. This is proof that you are in the dome, you have them thinking too much and you have out thought them.

Besides those two counts, EVERY SINGLE PITCH should be thrown with the intent of inducing weak contact on the ground. Too often, young pitchers are pitching to get swing and misses. When we do this, pitch AWAY from contact, we WILL throw more balls than we should be. Remember, our job is to throw strikes. Nothing drives me more crazy, than seeing a catcher set up a foot off the plate, trying to steal strikes. This is not efficiency and this is not development.

Very few youth pitchers have the ability to hit the corner 6-7 times out of 10 pitches. With that understanding, catchers need to be using more of the plate, to give their pitchers a little wiggle room when they miss, some, side to side. Unless it is an 0-2 or 1-2 count, have them sit thirds of the plate or just stay middle. If you do have a pitcher who is advanced with their command of the baseball, then sure, keep them progressing in their development and learn how to work the strike zone.

Two ball counts are a huge count for pitchers. One of our main goals should be to do what we can to stay away from the dreaded 3 ball count. Staying away from these counts will allow us to stay away from those free bases. There is nothing worse than giving the batter first base for free. We have to make them earn it. A mentality of Pitching To Contact, will most definitely, help us achieve this important goal.

They first pitch to each hitter IS the most important pitch of the at bat. I don’t have specifics, but there is a HUGE difference in a hitters batting average when they start the count 0-1 vs. 1-0. The first pitch to a hitter NEEDS to be thrown with the intent of getting contact, preferably, on the ground. Focus on executing the pitch down in the zone. Getting an out on one pitch can’t be done if we don’t throw a first pitch strike.

Pitchers, learn to trust your stuff and throw pitches with the goal of the inducing contact. Coaches, help your pitchers and catchers understand this. Help them keep their pitch count down which will allow them to give you more innings.

“PITCH TO CONTACT”

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Calling Pitches From the Dugout

May
6

IMG_1938I have written on this before but after a couple recent brief conversations, I promised I would go into it further.

I have called plenty of pitches from the dugout (never every pitch though). Always with the intent to help my pitcher on the mound work on developing a certain pitch they need to build some confidence in or to show them how effective a certain pitch/location can affect the hitter and their comfort level.

With this though, there was always an understanding with my catcher that if the pitcher shook him off, he was to go with what they wanted. If they have a plan, are thinking, and feel confident in another pitch, then by all means, go for it. If they believe in a certain pitch in a certain count/situation, they will throw that pitch with more conviction than they will the pitch that I am suggesting.

If it ends up being a poor choice in pitch selection/location, then we can talk about it after the inning is over, or after the game is over and work through thoughts and ideas. With that in mind though, believe this…a pitcher can throw any pitch in any count and if they EXECUTE that pitch, their chances of success are very high. Too often we will get caught up in saying “That was the wrong pitch to throw, that’s why it was a hit” but it ALWAYS comes down to the execution of the pitch. Everyone on the field, and in the stands, may know the pitcher is going to throw a breaking ball and if he throws it where he is suppose to, he will win. If he leaves it up, the hitter should do with it what he trains to do, and he will win. BEFORE YOU SECOND GUESS A PITCH SELECTION, FIRST LOOK AT THE EXECUTION OF THE PITCH.

Now, if we have a young, raw pitcher, on the mound who is so new to it that there is no way they can try to repeat their delivery, focus on the glove and think about pitch selection, at the same time, AND a you have a young catcher who lacks experience too, then sure, let’s help them with pitch selection.

As you all know, I am a strong believer in development. Calling every single pitch for your pitcher and catcher, is not development. If you have a pitcher and/or catcher who has shown you that they are out there thinking, then let them go with it. If you feel that they made some poor choices in pitch selection, then talk through it later. Let them learn. Let them make some mistakes. Let them build some confidence in their own choices. LET THEM LEARN AND FIGURE IT OUT.

It always amazed me when we would get a pitcher, who was just drafted, and he had no idea how to call his own game. At that level, you are expected to be able to do this and when a young pitcher has his hand held every time they took the mound, as an amateur, this is the product. All talent, no smarts. The player who can think, play the mind games and out think their opponent, is the player who will advance quicker.

Coaches, please give the kids, your pitchers and catchers, a chance to call their own pitches. You saying that the pitch you call is the final word, that the pitcher has no option to shake off the catcher, is you saying you have one thing in mind, WIN.

Once again, it all comes down to development. Develop first, win second.

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Emotions and Body Language

May
3

2014-06-12 15.28.26True competitors are often very emotional. They have the tendency to get very excited when great things happen and get very frustrated when things go against them. This is the nature of a competitor.

You watch any game in person or on TV, there is a good chance you will see both sides of this. I was brought up to never do something that will let your opponents know that they are getting the better of you or do anything that would rub your success in their face. These traits, I believe, are a huge reason why I feel I was able to play for as long as I did with very average stuff.

Don’t get me wrong, there was a learning curve. I had plenty of games, early in my career, where I let my emotions get the best of me, but I did get a grip on it. Through trail and error, it got to the point where I had coaches who would ask if I was happy with my performance or if I was disappointed. Of course I was happy when I did my part and the team won, that was my job, and of course I was disappointed when the team lost, but I would never let my emotions waiver. This is what I learned about myself and what would allow me to stay in the right place, mentally, to go out and perform outing after outing. Never get too high and never get too low. Stay even keel through success AND failure.

When you do see a player who has poor body language, you are seeing a player who is most likely one of the mentally weaker ones on the field. If they can’t control their appearance, in my experience, they will have a hard time controlling their emotions when they are on the mound or in the box in a big situation.

The player who is great at controlling their body language, in success and failure, is the player who is mentally stronger and will win the battle of longevity in the end.

Here are some examples of poor body language to look out for…
-Throwing their hands up in the air, or throwing their head back, after they think the umpire missed a call.
-Yelling at their teammates, while on the field, when they make a mistake.
-Striking out and slamming their bat, or helmet, on the ground.
-Yelling out curse words when they get to the dugout.

This goes for us coaches too. Remember, we are our Dudes role models. How we handle success, and adversity, is an example to them. We are telling them how we think it’s okay to act. With that in mind, keep yourself in check at all times.

Poor body language is a direct reflect of ones mental toughness. Learn how to control your emotions boys!

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Hitting, Parents, Pitching

Giving Signs From Second Base

Apr
24

2015-03-13 23.21.25-1
With the season in full swing, we have many from across the country contact us seeking advise, looking for our opinion on how to handle special situations and just wanting to share stories with us.

We talk about playing this game the right way. We talk about development. We talk about respecting the game and your opponents.

Here is a topic that has come up a few times so I want to speak on it for a few minutes. This is one of those un-written rules in Baseball. It’s unacceptable, but often done. If, and when, a team gets caught doing this by the other team, it often doesn’t end well, especially in the adult version of this game. It’s usually something planed out by the players (though I have heard of coaches teaching the players how to do this…classless). A runner gets to second base and is there long enough that he is able to unlock the code of signs the catcher is giving to the pitcher. It’s often something very simple like, “The second sign”, “The first sign after 2”, “The last sign” or “Outs +1”.

Some tips on what to look for in a runner on second who is giving signs…

-Verbal cues (probably only with the young age groups).
-Different shuffles in their lead after seeing the signs.
-Starting with hands on upper leg, then dropping one or the other after seeing the signs.
-Looking left or right after seeing the signs.
-Stepping forward or backward after seeing the signs.
-Standing straight up or squatting lower in their lead after seeing the signs.

Like I said, this is often done but is what we call “Bush League” and most pitchers and catchers will take this personal when they see this happening.

If your hitters can’t read the ball out of the pitchers hand, then try teaching them what to look for in a pitchers delivery that may show what he plans on throwing. If you really study a pitcher, most will tell you, with their body movements, what they are throwing on almost every pitch. If you are teaching your players how to “Give Signs From Second Base”, you are NOT developing. You are NOT respecting the game. You are NOT respecting your opponent.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Hitting, Pitching

Leading By Example

Apr
11

2015-03-19 16.58.16Being around this game from the Little League level to the Big League level, one thing that is consistent from level to level is the human factor.

Let’s talk about the strike zone. Don’t pay attention to what the rule book says as all umpires have their own version. Some are bigger up and down than they are side to side while others are bigger side to side than they are up and down. If you have never been behind the dish, then you really don’t know how difficult it is to be consistent back there. This is part of the human factor. Just as the players have a tough time repeating their swing pitch after pitch and the pitchers have a tough time executing pitch after pitch, the umpire behind the plate can battle calling the same strike zone pitch after pitch.

We ALL need to recognize this, chill out and let the game play out as it will. One thing that I learned over the years is that it all evens out. For all the pitches that we believe the umpire missed, if we sit back and think about it, how many times has a pitcher thrown a pitch off the plate, side to side or down or up, that should have been called a ball but was called a strike??

The part I have a hard time with is seeing/watching players, young and old, complain, throw their hands in the air, yell at the umpires and act as if they are constantly being screwed. Where do you think they learned how to act like this?? Think about it parents and coaches…Who do they look up to? We, parents and coaches, are their closest role models. What type of example are we setting when we act like this?

Missed calls are a part of the game. Deal with it, stop complaining, act professional and use this as an opportunity to learn how to handle some adversity because if they can’t handle it in a game, how will they handle it in real life??

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

TRUTH

Mar
19

2015-02-28 13.27.37-1
TRUTH…The chances of an amateur player becoming a Major Leaguer (Just because a player is drafted, it does not mean they are a Major Leaguer) are so slim. I’ve heard all sorts of odds but have no idea what is exact. Personally, I have seen some of the most talented players in the world fall victim to the quality of competition, the amount of players in professional baseball as talented as they are along with all of the politics that come with all youth and professional sports. As parents, we need to keep this all in perspective while supporting our Dudes in any way we can. Motivate them to be the best they can be while at the same time, not overdoing it when it comes to pushing them and/or providing them with opportunities.

Use this game to teach them about life. How to deal with other people. What dedication is. What it means to have a strong work ethic and how that will affect them, for better or worse, later in life. How to handle themselves properly in moments of adversity and the proper way to handle success (Be Humble!)

The number of years they will get to play this game will be so small compared to the number of years they live but the number of life lessons they can learn in those years is why this game is so great. If they have a great day, be proud of them and help keep them grounded and when they have a bad day, help them learn from it as they need to be able to accept the failures in baseball, and in life, if they want to grow.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog, Parents

Baseball Lessons=Life Lessons

Dec
26

2014-11-26 18.47.12-1If you play this game long enough, you will most definitely experience failure over and over and over. I was blessed to play this game for a long time, briefly make it as far as you can, and experience some amazing highs and the lowest of lows. From MVP awards to not making it out of the first inning while giving up 6 runs and only getting one out!

The lessons this game has taught me have molded me into the adult I am today. Along the way, people were put in my life that taught me valuable lessons. From coaches who were amazing teachers to coaches who had no business being in the position they were in. They taught me how I wanted to act and how I most certainly didn’t want to act.

I will always remember how tough this game is to play…Remember how hard it is to hit a baseball, how hard it is to throw the ball to a specific location, how hard it is to field a ground ball on a bumpy surface, how hard it is catch a fly ball on a windy/sunny day and how hard it is to be consistent at all of it.

With that said, as long as a player is giving me their best attitude and their best effort, I will never get upset with them over their ability and game play. If it was as easy as many think and/or act like it is, there would be a lot more MLB teams than just 30.

Bottom line…Be positive, be motivating, be inspiring and be supportive of your Dude when it comes to playing this game. So many lessons to be learned and the more they will get to experience the longer they play.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

BE SMART

Nov
27

2014-11-16 22.31.04BE SMART…Our PDP students will not pick up a baseball from October thru December. Somewhere along the line, the idea of throwing a baseball year round came about as a way to get ahead. Well…It’s Not! The arm needs a break. Time to heal up and give a player some time to play another sport, focus on the mental side of the game, focus on overall strength or just be a kid. I strongly recommend taking at least 2.5 months off of throwing, and 3 would be great!

We use the months of November and December to focus on our Mental Toughness & Leadership Skills through class room work and also meet to focus on arm care routines, the fundamentals of our swings, the fundamentals of the different positions and some speed and agility when we can.

Parents…Take care of your Dudes arm. Please educate yourself on this and have a plan for the off seasons. If you want suggestions on this, please feel free to send us a message or email us and we will help in any way we can.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Sportsmanship

Aug
22

2014-03-03 18.35.03-2For those that have followed us long enough, you know we preach, and teach, ways to respect the game and those around you. There’s a part of the youth game that I don’t quite understand when it comes to this. Allowing players to yell, from the dugout, things towards the opposing team, that are meant to distract and make them feel inadequate. This is not the way the game should be played. This is not respecting your opponents. This is not developing respectable young men but allowing them to bully in a controlled situation. In fact, these are the players who end up grown men, sitting in the stands at a professional game thinking it’s ok to yell at the players on the field.

As a former professional player and now a coach, I call this acting “Bush league”. This is no different than disrespecting your opponent by bat flipping after hitting a HR, or showing up the batter after you strike him out. The worst part about this is that it is sometimes promoted by the coaches. I would never allow my players to do this. Coaches who do allow this are simply hunting the “W” and willing to do whatever it takes to get that Win.

Parents, if your vision is for your Dude to grow up understanding what it means to respect others, watch out for this happening on his team. If it does happen, please take the time to help him understand why this is not how we want to act. Have him put himself in the other players shoes and how it would affect him if the yelling was towards him.

This is my opinion on this subject. Take it how you will, but point blank…Whether its my players or my own children, Respect, Honor and Integrity is the focus behind everything we do.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog
« Previous Page
Next Page »

Perspective

I’ve been instructing for I don’t know how many years. At first it was just something I did during the off seasons but had no idea what it was leading to.

Fast forward to 2012, the Angels gave me an opportunity to lead their young draft picks, teach them the game and how to be a professional, my eyes were opened. Since then my appreciation and understanding of coaching has grown deep. The amount of time coaches put in, the level of patience required, the attention to detail necessary, the consistent body language needed to lead by example, the understanding of what’s really important and what’s not, the importance of being able to relate to all different personalities, athleticism and abilities, the fact that being a good coach means consistently growing ourselves and coming to the realization that the one thing that matters most in all of this is finding ways to use the game to help them prepare for all those years when they are not playing the game.

I need to say Thank You to all my past coaches and to all the current coaches who take pride in giving the kids in front of them what they need on top of baseball skills. It’s often a thankless role but remember that no matter where they go in the game, they are going somewhere in life. That’s our mission.

– Chris Gissell

“My purpose, MY WHY, is to provide for my family, while also doing everything I can to develop quality people through the many life lessons that Baseball provides daily.”

17 Years Professional Experience (14 as a player, 3 as a coach). MLB debut 8/22/2004 with the Colorado Rockies. Retired from professional coaching on 10/31/14 to focus on family and developing youth baseball players full time.

Our Training Home

Baseball Dudes
13077 County Road 420
Tyler, TX 75704

Mailing Address

Baseball Dudes
13077 County Road 420
Tyler, TX 75704

Connect with Us on Social Media