*BASEBALL COACHES AND PLAYERS*
I have created a Google Drive with videos of 200+ MLB and Former NCAA hitters from different angles. If you have interest in something like this, hit the RT and I will reach out on how to access it. Preview ⬇️⬇️⬇️
I got a lot of questions about the Jr Hack Attack settings. We have 2 at UAB. One is on regular legs and the other is on wheels. Placing the Jr Hacks at 40 ft gave us the best velocity equivalencies. Here is what
@parkercurry2
and I found 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
🧵 Coach Curry and I ran a study last year on trackman. We were trying to figure out how to make offensive practice more game like. Not just velo but also, the way the ball approaches the zone (AA). Here's what we found:
🧵 That last tweet was a hit, so let's elaborate on it. I got a Blast Motion a couple years ago, so with our analytics team and Rapsodo Pitching, we did a study on "what is the best range of Attack of Angle for a hitter." Data says it depends:
Hitters put too much stock into pregame on field BP. Pregame BP gives us no indication of success in the game. One of the best hitters I have coached took some of the worst BP.
When considering practice plans, we have 3 instances that VAA should be considered in your practice plan:
1.Individual Routines
2. Team Practice
3. Game Prep
🧵
For hitters that are too downhill and struggle with driving BB, flips and OH BP off the board best match the angles of BB.
Where most people go wrong w/ the machine: the distance is too far, so to get velo, the RPMs are high and the AA is too flat, so the ball appears to rise.
I will jump in on this...
13 and 14 year olds should play 54/80. Reaction time at the plate is a closer equivalent to high school. Game is faster. Defense is better. More strikes. At this age, 60/90 creates long swings and slow reaction times in the field and at the plate.
Just finished Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek. A couple quotes on leadership worth your time:
Selfless:
"The cost of leadership is self interest" - if you want to lead, it's not about YOU! Get over yourself!
Let's look at the Jr Hack with regular legs (46" height):
FB settings (L,R,B) and results:
7,7,10: 64 (95+) with -5 VAA
6,6,10: 60 mph (90 mph) with -5 VAA
5.5,5.5,9.5: 58 mph (high 80s) with -6 VAA
6,6,9: 58 mph (high 80s) with -7 VAA
Scrimmage 3x/week in preseason. 2-3 hr practices in between scrimmage days. Sprint during baserunning drills. Jog between OFF/DEF stations. You'll be in shape for the demands of a baseball season.
From a hitters perspective, time is better spent in practice than running poles
Jason & Travis Kelce talking about the ridiculousness of baseball conditioning…
“It makes no sense.”
“You should be running SPRINTS or doing base running. Not running foul pole to foul pole.”
STOP treating baseball players like marathoners
MLB avg FB AA is -5.5.
Conclusion: tee, flips, OH BP and machine all have their place. If you want to work on your attack angle, the machine FB or BP from a knee will help most with getting on plane with a game-like FB. Also it is helpful with hitters that are too uphill.
Thoughts on Practice and Thoughts on Hitting - intriguing finds for me over the last 4 years that have shaped how I view practice and what I value in hitting.
Jeremiah Jackson headlines group that Angels will be sending to the Arizona Fall League, full list:
- Jeremiah Jackson, SS
- Robinson Pina, RHP
- Orlando Martinez, OF
- Nathan Burns, RHP
- Coleman Crow, RHP
- Zach Linginfelter, RHP
- Anthony Mulrine, C
The 2023 Collegiate Baseball Freshmen All-American team, powered by Diamond Sports, has just been announced. See who made it along with their impressive numbers at:
@DiamondSportsCo
Scrap the 2 H&R, 2 move 'em, 2 infield back, 2 infield in off 45 mph BP.
We should still be on the attack with our situational hitting
And to be successful in the game, we should train it like the game - with velo, OS and mix.
Great stuff Cam!
🧵 on team offense. Team offense can be divided into 2 categories. Creating scoring opportunities & executing scoring opportunities. We can all agree, the best offense is the offense that scores the most runs.
Overhand BP
⁃BP from knee low slot at 30 ft = 46 mph -5 to -7 AA
⁃90 mph BP from 30 ft = 45 mph -10 AA
⁃90+ mph BP from 35 ft = 55 mph -7 AA
Overhand BP from a board 35 ft
45 mph -11 to -12 AA
50 mph -8 to -10 AA
Underhand Flips -11 to -22 AA
#ABCA2024
"Most FB Swing and Miss is swinging underneath the the FB." - train the your Attack Angle to match the Vertical Approach Angle of the ball. We talk about VAA and AA in this thread. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
🧵 Coach Curry and I ran a study last year on trackman. We were trying to figure out how to make offensive practice more game like. Not just velo but also, the way the ball approaches the zone (AA). Here's what we found:
Another question Parker and I stumbled upon while studying our machines is "should the machine be moved right or left based on handedness?" This brought us to look at the Horizontal Approach Angle (how the ball approaches the plate laterally) 👇🏻
What you do in your own time matters. Every minute of the day is a chance to get better. How you spend those extra minutes outside of practice and games ultimately determines how important baseball is to you. If something is important, you will do what it takes to be successful.
Nothing new here. This video reminds of me of a classic Phillip Ervin moment:
Post walk off grand slam vs Auburn, charting pitcher asked, “Phil what pitch did you hit?”
“Uh...fastball?”
It was a hanging BB.
CB:
Jr Hacks struggle to spin good BBs
Baseballs: 5,10,3: 50 mph (75) -13 VAA -8 V/-12 H - this was a slow hanger, so we used Marv balls.
Marv: 7,10,5 53 mph (80) -13 VAA -21 V/ -12 H = hammer 11/5 CB
The hardest hit balls were hit with Attack Angles (vertical direction of swing) btw +3 and -3 of the balls Vertical Approach Angle (steepness of ball path - checked pinned tweet). So the path you should swing is dictated by the pitch. Simply put- swing thru the shape of the pitch
SL:
7,10,5: 57 -10 VAA -10.5 V/-8.5 H
6,9,4: 51 -11 VAA -7 V/ -10 H
6.5,9.5,4,5: 53.5. -10 VAA -8.5 V/ -4.5 H
The middle one was the best SL profile but it wasn't hard enough so we went back to the Marv balls:
5, 9, 5.5 55 mph (83 mph) -8 VAA -7 V/ -12.5 H
Teaching Videos - During Covid, I was searching for videos to show my hitters what I wanted them to feel or see in their own videos, so I decided to save them. Your video dropbox organized all in one spot for quick access.
Swings need to be adjustable not only in timing but also path. We have to train accordingly using all pitched VAAs in practice. Thus, giving us the ability to swing with a variety of Attack Angles to match pitch plane.
Jr Hacks are much easier for making the FB VAA realistic but not the BB. If you only have a Jr Hack, I recommend using the Marv balls to make better BB shapes.
🧵Lots of HS students being exempt from exams. It's great that they did well enough all year to be exempt but we are telling them they only needed to know the material for those 4 weeks between tests. Isn't the point to learn the material?
I’m a big believer in this. There is no right cue for every hitter because every hitter feels differently. Conversation allows the hitter to have authority over his swing. Help them find what works for them.
What do you FEEL? At the end of the day whatever you have think/feel to get your best swing off is all that matters.
As a coach i want to provide an environment where hitters aren’t afraid to try new things. I’ll give recommendations, but it’s ultimately the hitters decision.
FINAL POWER RANKINGS: Second Base
Who were college baseball's Top 30 second basemen in 2020?
1.
@HailStateBB
's Justin Foscue
2.
@TTU_Baseball
's Brian Klein
3.
@SouthernMissBSB
's Matt Guidry
Here's the rest:
👉
Sounds simple right? Except, VAA is determined by 3 things: pitch type, location of the pitch, and release point
Pitch Type: FBs have flatter VAA so we must swing flatter and CBs have steeper AA so we must swing more uphill to match plane better in order to compress the baseball
Individual Routines
Hitter 1: Uphill swing drill options
-Hi/Aw tee
-Throw BP from a knee
-Jr Hack on small legs 7,7,10 @ 40 ft (-4 to -6 VAA)
-Turn up the bottom wheel on the
@Sports_Attack
1/2 number (or L/R dials down 1/2)
-Use
@MarvTraining
balls in your machine
- NO FLIPS
Alumni,
Come get your redemption off
@coachcaseySU
during Friday nights Alumni Coach Pitch Game.
Complete the weekend with the S-Club tailgate on the quad and homecoming football game on Saturday!
We are the most recommended university in the United States according to
@WSJ
@timeshighered
's US College Rankings!
We're in good company:
#1
Samford University
#3
University of Notre Dame
#7
Stanford University
#10
Yale University
→
I use this during our bunt installation and practice. It is my "cheat sheet" when teaching our bunting game. It also serves as a checklist during practice planning.
#ABCA2024
Legit presentation by
@RealBanny
The cat and mouse game is no longer just about velo but now a Vertical Approach Angle vs Attack Angle battle too. Check out we train this as hitters. 👇🏻👇🏻👇🏻
When considering practice plans, we have 3 instances that VAA should be considered in your practice plan:
1.Individual Routines
2. Team Practice
3. Game Prep
🧵
@CoachDavis94
@parkercurry2
All machines are tough on balls. Between the machine and balls hitting the turf, balls wear down. Just try to watch for cuts or broken seams.
In my experience, junior hack is more accurate than regular hack. Both are useful, but for feel good BP, the junior hack would be best.
🧵 That last tweet was a hit, so let's elaborate on it. I got a Blast Motion a couple years ago, so with our analytics team and Rapsodo Pitching, we did a study on "what is the best range of Attack of Angle for a hitter." Data says it depends:
“C.K. Irby went 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Irby (4-1), who also was Samford's starting pitcher in the contest, tossed 5.0 innings, allowing just one run on one hit to earn the win.” — probably still hyped on his preworkout from the 6 am lift
How to ruin your sleep
· Drink alcohol
· Eat a big meal before bed
· Avoid having a sleep schedule
· Keep your rooms bright at night
· Drink coffee 8 hours or less before sleeping
· Avoid sun exposure, especially in the morning
· Look at screens at night w/o bluelight blockers
Routines
Hitter 2: Downhill swing drill options:
- Low/in tee
- Flips
- Throw BP from a board
- Use
@MarvTraining
balls to create more spin on a 12/6 CB
- Put the
@Sports_Attack
Hack Attack on tall legs or a platform.
- Add in
@TJHannam10
Half Bat to make it really challenging
More context is needed here as well. A 4S FB up will be the flattest and a 2S FB down will be the steepest of fastballs.
Release Point: Shorter and Lower slot guys can create "flatter" VAA up in the zone (appears to rise). Taller and higher slot guys can create steeper VAA down
@chuckbox1969
Each day of camp they perform their individualize hitting plan, BP off coach and machine, competition to end the day.
Last day: Hit on field. Film again. Send before and after film to them via email after camp.