Archive for Dudes Blog – Page 6

In Your Favor…

Aug
7

AdamPiratesPitchers…Like I have said before, you need to realize how hard it is to hit a baseball. Besides that, there are a few other things that are in your favor. Here’s what I can think of…

1) The strike zone goes all the way to the bottom of the knees. If you can become great at commanding that part of the zone, you will make it a lot easier on yourself and get a lot more ground balls.

2) You have 7 guys behind you, and 1 behind the plate, waiting to help you. Throw the ball over the plate, don’t be afraid of contact, and let them take care of the rest.

3) Hitters can be very emotional. If a pitch comes anywhere near them, they more often than not, think it was on purpose. They have a hard time realizing that you just badly missed your spot. They often will get frustrated and become more aggressive and swing at pitches that they normally wouldn’t. Use this to your advantage.

4) They also have a hard time letting it go when they don’t agree with the umpires. Whether it’s a strike call or a check swing call, many amateur, minor league and some major league hitters will step back in the box still thinking about how they think they just get screwed. Use this to your advantage as they will be in that aggressive mode again.

5) Play doesn’t start until you throw the ball. Use this to your advantage and work quickly. Get back on the rubber as soon as possible and throw the next pitch. If you can work with 8 seconds or less in-between pitches, the hitter may feel uncomfortable and rushed in the box resulting in less quality swings.

6) You have a catcher behind the plate who, if he is taught right, can see things that the hitter does in the box which can help him decide on which pitches to call. Trust him back there!

There are more, but think about those for now. There are also many things that give the hitter an advantage but we don’t want to focus on that. Give all of your attention to what you do, and think, when you are on the mound. Become confident in your ability and believe in yourself. Proper preparation builds self esteem and confidence.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Dugout Etiquette

Jul
11

2014-05-30 19.47.09As a parent, my Dudes behavior is of the utmost importance. It is my responsibility as their leader to help them learn between what is right and what is wrong. From the way they speak to the way they carry themselves, I take it personal. With my kids all being so young, they, especially my 8 year old, are at a stage where they have a hard time deciphering between what is right and wrong, especially when they see their friends, who they look up to, act in certain ways. I don’t see or hear about everything but when I do, it’s my job as a responsible parent to set them straight. They may not like me at that moment, but that’s ok.

As coaches, how our players act in the dugout is our responsibility. I have seen some players who are great teammates and others who should be benched for their actions.

The best always make it a point to be positive. If a teammate is having a tough game, they don’t criticize behind their back. They don’t yell things from the dugout at the other team. If they strike out, they don’t hang their head and come back to the dugout and sit on the bench and pout while their team is trying to put something together. And they ALWAYS congratulate their teammates on their successes and are genuinely happy for them.

Players who are selfish need to be kept in check at all times. By allowing a player to act like this, not appreciate the efforts of their teammates, you are setting them up for a life where they will think it is ok to act like this. It should be unacceptable for a player to sit on the bench and hang their head because they made an error in the field or struck out. Every player should be up and high-fiveing when their team is out there working and scoring runs. Keep your eyes open for those who are not and you will see the selfish ones. It should be unacceptable for your players to yell at the other team or laugh at them when they make errors. And it should never be ok for your players to ridicule or put down their teammates for their ability. A player who does this would not have a place on my team.

With that said, young, and old men, like to tease back and forth. It’s usually just for fun but I have often seen it get to a point where someone takes it personal and feelings get hurt. This is bound to happen as we are controlled by emotions but we need to teach our Dudes and help them understand what is ok, what is taking it too far and that if they can dish it, they better be able to take it.

As always, there are so many life lessons we learn from this game. How we handle ourselves and how we handle the way others act is up front and center every day we are on the field. Be the best person/player/coach you can be and it will make life a lot more enjoyable.

Be positive, be respectful, be honest and be caring towards others as often as you can.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog

Learn From Each Other

Jul
9

2014-06-12 15.28.26Everyday, we (my pitchers and I) start our day with a meeting. We will go over the plan for the day, maybe fill them in on some information about future travel or something and then we get into discussing the events that occurred in the game the day before. This meeting usually takes between 10-20 minutes and I honestly feel that this is the part of the day where these future big leaguers grow the most.

We discuss the good, the bad and the ugly. I will most often call out the players and force them to participate. One, they need to learn to be comfortable speaking in front of others and two, the lessons we can learn from each others successes and downfalls can be great. If you were to sit in on our meetings, you would most likely hear the same things day after day, but that’s ok. If it takes one needing to hear something 100 times before they really start to understand it, then I’m going to say the same thing 100 times.

For these players to get to this level is a great success in their lives. They are the select few who have the god given talent and have worked hard enough to make it here. But often, it is a humbling experience once they start facing the competition in professional baseball. They can’t just sit back and throw the ball as hard as they can anymore because that guy in the batters box will turn around a belt high 95 mph fastball like you are throwing batting practice up there. You can’t throw an 0-2 breaking ball in the dirt every single time because these hitters are taught to look for those type of patterns.

Daily, we will discuss things like that. We also discuss others routines, and how it may be affecting their game in a good or bad way. We will discuss mistakes on the field that we all need to learn from for instance, I have a pitcher who developed a so called “Balk move” in college and he has used it successfully but got caught with it the other day and ended up balking in a run. The lesson here was that if you have one of these moves, don’t ever use it with a runner on third because you are risking giving them a free run.

From my end, having gone through what all these players are going through right now, is fun to watch. It would be very easy for me to get frustrated with them, but with my own personal experiences in this game, I understand how hard what they are doing really is. This game is very humbling. One day these kids heard their name called by a professional organization and they are on top of the world and the next day they are having missiles hit off them left and right. Only the mentally strong will survive and the more we can learn and take in, the mentally stronger we will get.

Be observant, go into it with a open mind and don’t get caught thinking that you have it figured out. Learn everyday.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

High Elevation

Jun
30

2014-05-25 15.34.25It’s very tough to pitch in higher elevation cities. Pitchers struggle with it all the time. Sinkers don’t sink. Fly balls fly further than normal. Breaking balls usually don’t have the bite they do when closer to sea level. In my opinion, there are a couple keys to be able to have some success in these places.

First, you better be able to pitch inside with your fastball. And I’m not just talking about going in there a couple times, I’m talking about going in there often enough to make the hitters uncomfortable. Hitters naturally have more confidence in these ball parks since they right away know they have the advantage. Hitters are taught to look for something out over the plate that they can get extended on. Often, they are also taught to let it go inside and look away on the next pitch. I have heard, on many occasions, hitting coaches and hitters say that very rarely will you see a pitcher who can command the inside part of the plate.

When you do go inside, commit to that part of the plate. Tell yourself, if you are going to miss, miss off the plate. It’s ok if you knock someone down or mistakingly hit him, you have to be able to own this side of the plate, especially in those higher elevation places. Get comfortable at pitching inside for balls and strikes and you will see more success.

Second, and this goes for anywhere, you need to learn what “Down in the zone” really means. Five inches above the knee is NOT down in the zone. Down in the zone is the knee caps or lower. Pitchers often fool themselves thinking they made a great pitch, but most of the time if they are able to go back and look at it on video, or ask their catcher, they will realize the pitch wasn’t where they thought it was. When throwing a bullpen session, you need to focus on this. If you throw a pitch that is too high, have a coach or the catcher tell you how high it was and get the next one down. Develop that muscle memory you need to get it down consistently. Become a good self evaluator and be able to recognize when you made a good pitch or bad pitch.

Command the inside part of the plate and the bottom of the zone and you will have more success in not just the higher elevation cities, but anywhere you pitch.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Great Fans

Jun
29

3872583153_189428c2c3I’ve played in many stadiums in many states and was blessed to do the same overseas in Japan and Taiwan.

Wherever you go, the game is the same. Baseball is baseball. There has been one big difference though that to this day I am reminded about on a daily basis. Unfortunately, it’s the way the fans act.

If you have never played this game, I could tell you how tough it really is and I’m sure you would shake your head as to understand but there is no way to really know if you haven’t tried to do it day after day.

I don’t think I will ever understand what is going on in someone’s mind when they go to a game and feel that it’s ok to say/yell words and comments at players. I have heard some pretty harsh things over my career but have learned to ignore it and not take it personally but see young players let it affect them. The instances that are toughest to swallow are the ones where an adult is doing this with a child in the seat next to them. I always feel bad for how that kid is going to grow up thinking is an ok way to act.

Now with that said, I need to say that during my three years (2 in Japan and 1 in Taiwan) playing overseas, I never once heard a boo. Every single day, the fans appreciated our effort. It was a breath of fresh air.

At the end of the day, it’s great playing in front of great fans. There are a ton out there. In fact most are great. Unfortunately, it’s the few bad ones who give fans a bad name. If you are a fan, please understand that those players have a unique talent, work hard and are people just like you trying to succeed at a very tough game. Be kind, be polite and appreciate their effort.

“Be a Great Fan”

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog

Don’t OVER Coach

May
5

ChrisCedarRapidsI talk a lot about not letting teachable moments pass. This may be the most important part of a coach’s job. If done, and done correctly, this is where coach’s will see the most growth in the players no matter if they are 5 or 25. It’s the small details in a delivery, swing or the game that, if corrected, will turn average and below average teams into winning teams.

So with that said, here is what I mean when I say “Don’t OVER Coach”. You see it all the time, parents and coaches yelling something at the player who’s in the batters box, every pitch.

“Move closer to the plate.”
“Get your hands up.”
“See the ball hit that bat.”
“Make sure it’s a good pitch.”
Etc, Etc, Etc…

These are all good and can be helpful but when the kid is hearing it every 8 seconds, two things can happen. One, he is going to be so distracted with thinking about these things when he should be focused on the ball. Two, depending on his nature, he may put more pressure on himself when he should be relaxed and focused.

You also hear this when the kids are pitching.

“Come on, throw a strike buddy.’
“Step at your target.”
“Throw it hard.”
Etc, Etc, Etc…

Again, these comments may be helpful, but if over done, will do more harm than good. These need to be discussed in-between AB’s and innings.

Another place you see this happen too often is when a hitter is in the batting cage or a pitcher is on the mound throwing a practice bullpen session. They are being talked to so mush that it gets to the point where they do more listening than working. It’s very tough to get in quality work when you aren’t allowed to get into a rhythm. This can easily turn into a wasted session. It’s very easy as a coach to have many thoughts and suggestions running through your head in these moments, but you need to learn to control how much you say. Young players can only handle so much information at one time and you need to always be aware of this. Break it down to one specific thing and focus on that. Let them perfect that before you move on.

Point is, coach smart and “Don’t OVER Coach”.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Goals

Apr
29

2014-03-28 22.35.55I am very fortunate to spend a every day around some of the best players and coaches in the world. Today I got to listen to one of our coaches explain, to one of our top prospects, what goals are, why they are important and how you should set them. Here you go…

Long term goals…This is the big picture. What you would like to happen 2, 3, 5, 10 years from now. Obviously, this players goal is to get to the big leagues. For this to happen, he needs other smaller goals to achieve before he can reach his long term goal of getting to the show.

Intermediate goals…A year from now, where do you want to be. For him, it may be to be in AA. This level is a milestone for players because if you can get there, compete and be a good player, then you know you have a chance. They say if you can compete in AA, you should be able to compete the big leagues.

Short term goals…Now these are the really important ones. It’s ok to have a few of these but they need to be put in order. To achieve one, there is another one you need to accomplish first and before you can get to that one, there may be something else to do. For young players, it’s all the little things like solidifying their routines on and off the field. Learning more about their delivery or swing. Getting stronger, and whatever other little things are on their list.

You can’t get to your long term goal until you achieve your intermediate goals and you won’t get there until you achieve all of your short term goals.

Here’s an example for you. Our long term goal for Baseball Dudes (the website part of our business) is for it to be a household name that people think of when they want free quality and trusted baseball information, instruction and guidance. To get there, our intermediate goals are to form relationships with teams, leagues, organizations and facilities to provide them with the proper information to create smart players and coaches who understand what it takes, mentally and physically, to be successful at this game and the game of life. But, before we can get there, we have a few things to accomplish like adding more writers to the website who are experts from other areas on the field (right now, we are all pitchers), continue to build our creditability by sharing our knowledge via Facebook, twitter and our website, add to our Video Tips library and continue to add documents to our website like practice plans, different drills that are diagramed, team fundamentals and the list goes on.

Bottom line, to make your ultimate goals a reality, you need to think smaller first. One step at a time. Be patient, give it all you’ve got and never lose site of the big picture.

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Dudes Blog

Positive Influence

Mar
20

IMG_6345
It’s very frustrating for me as a coach, and a parent, when I get messages from students parents about negative things their Dude is having to deal with at such a young age. This game should be one of the best, most memorable times in these kids lives. We can’t control how others act, but we can do our best to make sure that we use every good or bad moment in our kids lives as a teaching moment. Parents, don’t ever let then slip by.

Here is a message to the Parents & Coaches out there…

Please be mindful of how you speak to your players. Just as we teach our children to think about how their words will affect others, we need to think the same way when speaking to our players. There is NO ROOM for comments that will put them down or belittle them.

As I have said before, don’t ever forget how tough this game was for you. If you are a Parent or Coach that uses words that put them down, I think it’s time to go home and look in the mirror. I hear all too often about Coaches who act like this. It’s moments like this that push players away from this game before the game has time to teach them all the lessons it has to offer.

As Parents and Coaches, we are leaders. It’s time to MAN UP and act like one at all times. If you are incapable of being a leader for these young Dudes, step back and let someone else take over that will be the right type of mentor.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog

Sports IQ

Mar
18

IMG_1866It might be because I’m getting old or perhaps it’s because I didn’t have Lacrosse as an option to play when I was growing up, but one thing I do remember is having a passion for baseball when I was a youngster. I knew the best players in baseball and who my favorite was. My friends and I would pick apart each other’s favorites to defend our picks as being the best. When I ask kids I coach their favorite player or what style of pitcher/hitter they want to emulate I often get a shrug followed by a blank stare.

How is this possible that kids can’t name one player in the sport they are playing? I believe that understanding the sport in all of its capacities is vital to creating a base in which a player respects the game and develops a passion to play it. What were the original four major league teams? Why was Jackie Robinson important? What number did Babe Ruth wear? How many strikeouts did Nolan Ryan have in his career?

To truly understand your sport is to fully appreciate it and love what you’re doing to get better. Family stories about why you have the values you do based on lifetimes before are important in becoming the person you are just as much as a sports history shapes the player you will be.

Part of my lesson routine now is to ask my student about a certain player and what they contributed to the game. Kids are usually dumbfounded that Cal Ripken played every day for 2,632 games in a row. I am too for that matter but please at least know who he is!!! As teachers and coaches, it is our responsibility to teach history of the game just as much the mechanics. Respect and love of the game will not fully be realized without that knowledge.

Categories : Baseball Life, Coaching, Dudes Blog

Feel

Mar
1

Natepitching20122Recently I was warming up with one of my students who happens to be a little hyper, to put it lightly. He’s the kid that comes in already warmed up because he cant stop moving all day. Maybe a mustard stain on the shirt and possibly even forgot to bring his glove to practice. You know the type of kid I am talking about. Getting him to focus on the task at hand is usually a big accomplishment. However, kids like this can find a way to focus. It took me awhile to figure out what that was until our last lesson.

We started talking about how to feel the ball come off his fingers. “What does it feel like when it comes out of your hand?” I asked him. “Does your body feel balanced and in control throughout your delivery?” Instead of watching his eyes glaze over like usual after I give him a mechanical cue, he checked in with his body and what he was feeling. He let the mechanical issues go and felt what it was like when he threw a pitch down in the zone. If he air mailed one, he knew what his body felt like and corrected it. As much as it was astonishing to watch from my end, I wondered what sort of nirvana it must have been for him since he had never entered that part of his brain before. It was easily our best lesson to date and I think he learned a valuable tool during that time.

Big leaguers often talk about “feel.” I heard so many times that, “he’s got a good feel for that pitch.” Or, “That pitch is a feel pitch” when referring to an off-speed pitch of some kind. It is true that the ball has to feel good in your hand to have confidence in throwing it. What is also true by that rationale is, full body and mind awareness must be achieved before you have confidence in ANY pitch. Meaning, if your mind is all over the place and your body isn’t feeling good, you wont be successful no matter your mechanics or who you are facing. How you feel a certain day cannot be a predictor of success. How you channel your energy based on what you are feeling will give you the best chance of success on any given day. Check in with yourself before your next lesson or game and settle in to that “feel” for the day and make the most of it.

Categories : Dudes Blog, Pitching

Young Pitchers and the Curveball

Feb
24

CALL_1990I recently had a training session with a 10 year old who I have been working with since he was 7. He is a very talented young pitcher with a bright future on the mound. Over the last few years he has developed a healthy/repeatable delivery. If used correctly, he should be able to stay away from any major injuries.

At this point with a young athlete like this, his one purpose is, and should be, to continue to repeat his delivery, learn who he is and what makes his delivery good or bad and develop his Fastball/Straight Changeup mix the best he can. He needs to spend the next 1-2 years PERFECTING these which are his strengths.

This will be his first year with the 11-12 year old group (as he turns 11 in a couple months) and will get hit around a little. We have talked about this and how best to handle this mentally. This will be his first real big test as a young pitcher.

In our last session, it was brought to my attention that he had a coach trying to teach him a curveball.

There are MANY opinions on this and here is mine…

First and for most in a young pitcher’s life, they need to learn a healthy/repeatable delivery. While doing that, they should be developing a STRAIGHT fastball that has true backspin. It shouldn’t have sinker rotation or slider spin. Once a player has shown the ability to do both of these things, we can now learn a Straight Changeup.

If the player continues to develop these, especially the healthy delivery, and we get to the 12 year old mark (maybe a little sooner or a little later depending on the child’s body maturity) we can now introduce a breaking ball.

The most important thing when getting to this stage is getting your Dude in front of someone who is a true baseball person. Someone who knows what to look for and what is right and wrong. PLEASE NOTE, watching a video on YouTube or attending a pitching clinic where this is discussed, by no means, means you know how to teach this or what to look for.

It’s all about the development of that young player. Helping him achieve his LONG term goals. Him learning a breaking ball at this young of an age will take focus off what it should be on. If a player needs something else at this age to help him get by, we are just delaying the inevitable. Once that player gets to the big field, it may be hard to watch.

Parents, please be smart and when your Dude gets to this stage in their baseball life, get them with someone who has experience in this area and can give you proper guidance. Ask around, do some research and make sure they are learning the right/smart thing.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Think Before You Speak

Feb
1

IMG_2059This applies to everyone, not just baseball players and coaches. We all have heard at some point that our words can hurt. Not only can our words hurt someone, they can affect how we are perceived by others. Our students who work through our “Life & Leadership” workbooks hear about this often. This also is a topic often spoken about in my own household.

My boys were at the park one day with a couple buddies playing football when my younger one came to me saying one of the boys made a comment about his catching ability. The kid who said it is a very nice kid and my younger boy (8) is still pretty sensitive. When we talked about it later, I tried to get him to understand that the buddy wasn’t trying to be mean, he was just stating what he was seeing. I’m sure how the buddy worded his comment didn’t come across the way an adult would have said it, but that’s to be expected from a 10 year old. The point I was trying to get across was that whenever we are thinking about saying or doing something, we need have better control of ourselves and think about how our words or actions will affect the people around us and how it might make us appear to others. He needed to recognize that his buddy wasn’t being mean, but in the moment, he made the wrong choice in saying the words he did. He obviously didn’t think about how his words would affect my boy.

As an adult, it still amazes me when I come across other adults that still don’t have what I call a “Filter” in their head between their brain and their mouth. This is the place where an idea stops and for a second and your brain decides whether it’s a good idea or bad idea to do or say whatever it just came up with.

I am very fortunate to spend a lot of time around some of the best baseball minds in the world. Guys who had great MLB careers. Unfortunately, with that kind of success, you often find big egos and with that you come across people who love to her themselves speak and feel that everyone wants to hear what they have to say at all times.

The best and most influential people I have been around are the ones who only speak when spoken to and only voice their opinion when it will have an impact on what’s in front of them.

Early in my professional life, I was one of these people with no filter. I would just say or ask whatever came to mind. I look back now and realize how ignorant and immature I was making myself look. My “Filter” was non existent. Fortunately, I have learned from my mistakes and am excited to be able to teach my students from my own experiences. It can be a tough lesson to learn but the sooner in life we learn/teach this life lesson, the easier we can make things for our ourselves, and our Dudes, later in life.

ALWAYS, “Think Before You Speak”

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

Pitching To Contact

Dec
27

IMG_0008I recall watching an Angels @ White Sox game this past summer. Chris Sale started for the Sox and pitched a one hit shutout on 98 pitches (under 11 pitches per inning). When it comes to pitching, a 12-15 pitch inning is considered a quality inning as far as pitch count goes. That’s 4-5 pitches per batter. For us to achieve this, we should have a goal of getting the hitters out in three pitches or less.

I am sure that many youth, HS and College coaches would disagree with this approach but I have been in this game long enough, and have used this approach myself, to understand why this is important. There are multiple big league organizations who actually keep track of this stat (3 pitches or less). If the big boys keep an eye on this, I would hope that would be enough for you to believe in it.

Let me explain why I think this is important. If you have your ace on the mound, you want him out there as long as he can be. And not only do you want him out there in the 6th, 7th or 9th inning, you want him to be as strong as he was at he beginning of the game. The only way for this to happen is to keep his pitch count down. To keep his pitch count down means getting early outs. Getting early outs means getting outs in three pitches or less. To get an out on three pitches or less means pitching to contact. Pitching to contact means trying to throw every pitch in the strike zone.

In HS and College, too often you will see a pitcher go 0-2 on a hitter and then the catcher will call a fastball and set up a foot off the plate (because that is what he has been taught). This is often called a waste pitch. That is the perfect name for this pitch because that is exactly what it was, a waste! You can’t give me a reason why this is a good pitch. If you want to set up off the plate on 0-2, set up a couple inches off and call a slider, curveball or a change up. Something that you might get the hitter to chase. Coaches, teach your players to pitch to contact and why it is important.

The only way Chris Sale, or anyone else, can average 9-12 pitches per inning is to pitch to contact. Throw strikes often, eliminate free bases (Walks) and you will find yourself a successful pitcher!

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

The PROCESS

Oct
21

NateSSI recently had someone ask me what’s the biggest difference when working with professional pitchers and youth pitchers. As we got further into it, we started discussing the PROCESS that they all go through.

Let’s start with the younger ones. I’m referring to the 8-9-10 year olds. Often when I see kids this age, there is so much to fix that without a philosophy or plan, an instructor would have a hard time getting anywhere.

Parents seek out an instructor for their Dude because they want them to be able to compete as best they can when they are on the field. Too often, when I see a kid for the first time and we play catch, the kid has never really “let it fly” in his whole life. I’m talking about letting their arm be loose and throw the ball as hard as they can. When I come across a kid like this, we will do drills to make sure this kid learns what it feels like to give his best. Sometimes this may take a couple sessions but they usually start feeling it pretty quickly. This arm speed issue is an area of focus because most of these kids have dreams and aspirations to play high school and beyond and if they aren’t able to “let it fly” then there is no way they will reach those goals. A pitcher can have a great delivery and be good at thowing strikes, but the older they get, the bigger and stronger his opponets will get and it will begin to look like he is out there throwong batting paractice.

Next would be learning a proper delivery. This is obviously the most important part when it comes to being able to throw strikes consistently. Every kid is different and will naturally have a different looking delivery but there are a few areas of focus that have to be taught. Balance-Direction-Timing/Rhythm. Without being really good at all three of these in a delivery, it will be hard to compete from pitch to pitch.

Now…If and when we are really good at effort level and have developed a consistent delivery, we can start learning how to PITCH. You start focusing on the command of your pitches. Once a player is 12 or 13 you can start introducing breaking pitches. They should have already been throwing a change up for a couple years now.

When a pitcher has developed control or decent command, we can start working on pitch selection. What are good pitch selections in different counts.

If a pitchers is blessed enough to get to the professional level, this is when they will really learn what it takes to compete at the highest level. Some make it to the big leagues really quick but most live a journey that last years and years before they finally make it IF they make it at all. When a pitcher gets to this level, they all of the sudden find themselves competing against the best in the world. For many, it is a very humbling experience. They find out really quick that what they did in high school and college isn’t as effective at that level. Many have to make adjustments quickly. Learning to pitch at the bottom of the zone is usually the biggest area of adjustment. Unfortunately, many never really get a grasp of this and have their careers end too quickly.

The PROCESS at this level is becoming the best at all the little things that hopefully they were taught at some point when they were younger. I’m talking about becoming the best at PFP, holding runners on base, having good pick off moves, being able to make in game adjustments with this delivery, learning a good routine in between games, learning what it means to be a professional. I could keep going but I think you understand.

The PROCESS is different for everyone. Learn what your PROCESS is or find and instructor that can help your Dude learn what their is.

The PROCESS

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

Playing Catch

Sep
27

Image 9When you think of pitching, you need to realize that it is just a glorified game of catch. The #1 job of a pitcher is to throw strikes, execute pitches and hit his target as well as he can and as often as he can.

Here’s a big issue though…Too many young players out there just are not good and playing a simple game of catch! I would watch some of my pro guys and it was simply embarrassing! These young men, who now get paid to throw strikes, had such poor feel for the baseball that they couldn’t consistently find their release point for distance and side to side. I would keep track of my pitchers strike percentages every season and there was definitely a direct relationship between the guys with low strike percentages and with their inability to play quality catch. It’s also important to point out that we should be trying to control the ball in long toss. If you can consistently hit your mark at 200+, 250+ and 300+ feet, it WILL translate to the mound in a big way.

Parents and coaches, please pay closer attention to this. Your Dude needs to realize that if he wants to be a better pitcher, he needs to start with being a better catch player. With every throw, they need to pick a spot on their partner and hit it. Hold your glove at your stomach and see how often they can hit it.

I grew up playing a catch game called “21” and a lot of our pro guys would play a similar version. Try using these rules…

Head = 5 points
Chest = 3 points
Below waist = 1 point

For older more advanced kids, use these rules…
Head = 2 points
Chest = 1 point

The throw has to be within the outline of your body. If off, it is 0 points. Play where you have to get exactly “21”.

It’s little things like this that can really help you or your Dude become a better catch player. Take pride in your catch play, develop feel and you will see yourself doing your job better and better with each day. Have fun and dominate out there!!

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

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