Stay calm and take deep breaths and it will come out. You won't be able to hit if you're nervous.
Stand parallel to the plate in a loose comfortable position with your legs about shoulder width apart and knees and hips well bent and your body weight perfectly centered in the middle. Your hands should be about five inches away from your body and only a couple inches above your shoulder height.
Imagine a box shaped area for following the ball. When the pitcher goes through his or her motion, imagine a box around his or her shoulder where the ball comes out. This will make it easier to figure out what he or she is going to pitch.
Wait back as the pitcher is in his windup with about 60% of your body weight on your back leg. When the pitcher breaks his hands (separates his hands which were previously in his glove) you should take a light smooth stride only about 2 inches long.
Prepare for receiving the ball. As your front foot steps forward your body weight should be shifting back to about 80% on your back foot. Your hands should be moving backwards very slightly while keeping a 90 degree bend in your front elbow. With the backwards motion of your hands, your front shoulder should be going forward towards the plate. All of this is done in very quickly and is known as the load.
Keep your eyes on the ball. Once the pitch is in the air you have a fraction of a second to identify what pitch it is and where the location is, then you pivot, twist your hips and bring your hands straight down with the knob of the bat (small round piece at the bottom of the bat where you place your hands) going straight to the ball with your body weight being transferred back to the center. You then extend the bat while keeping it on a level downward plane, once you make contact you flick your wrist and extend the bat pointing the end of it to the pitcher and simply finish with the bat on your shoulder.
Don't upper cut the ball. Swing level, or downwards. Don't chop at it, you want the ball to have as much backspin as possible. If you get backspin, the ball will travel much farther.
Video
Tips
Throw the knob at the ball but don't hit the ball, with it extending out. The barrel should hit the ball in the middle and it will go far.
On inside pitches, you should hit the ball out in front of your body, on an outside pitch you should let the ball get back in the zone and hit it behind yourself or at your body, on a pitch down the middle you should hit it right on top of your body with good extension.
When you identify a curve ball, sometimes it looks like it's going to hit you. Don't buckle backwards, just stand your ground and if anything, turn into it and stay low, which will let you hit it with much more consistency and power.
Watch your bat hit the ball. If you are not looking at the ball when it comes in contact of the bat, you have less of a chance of getting a bigger hit or popping out.
Don't be afraid of fast pitchers - the faster the pitch, the further the ball will go. If you see the ball coming at your midsection, don't lift your hands and let it hit you in the ribs, press your arm into your side and let the ball hit you in the arm (it's much better than taking one in the ribs).
Keep a loose grip so that you are relaxed, however, don't hold on too loosely or you will lose control of the bat.
When attempting to hit a curve ball, hit it right after it breaks. Swinging before it breaks will get you fooled.
Some people in baseball wreck their baseball career by always trying to hit homers. Sharply hit line drives which get you on base are much more effective and common than home runs. A fly ball hit to an outfielder is almost a guaranteed out.
If you have a reputation for hitting the ball to the outfield, sometimes its effective to bunt. This confuses the other team and can cause you to get on base without getting a sacrifice.
Warnings
Keep your back elbow down!
If your top hand (right hand for a right-handed batter) is not palm-up when contacting the ball, you will hit a ground ball.
Always wear protective gear and especially a helmet, you never know when a pitcher will slip up (accidentally or on purpose).
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Hit a Baseball. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Progressive muscle relaxation is a systematic technique for managing stress and achieving a deep state of relaxation. It was developed by Dr. Edmund Jacobson in the 1930s.
He discovered that a muscle could be relaxed by first tensing it for a few
seconds and then releasing it.
Tensing and releasing various muscle groups throughout the body produces a state of relaxation. This article will provide you with detailed instructions on how to use this technique to improve your health and reduce stress.
This technique can be practiced in a stuctured group so that residents can learn to do it on their own. This technique is useful because it can be done in the resident's bed or in a chair. It can be used for relaxation and can help those that have difficulty falling asleep at night.
Steps
Start by getting into a comfortable position. Close your eyes. Place your feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed and your hands resting comfortably at your side or on your lap.
Begin by noticing your breathing, noticing your abdomen rise and fall with each breath (pause after each breath). As your breathing becomes more relaxed and restful, take your awareness up to your face. Then you'll start this process with the muscles in your face.
Tense the muscles in the face by making a sour face, like you just ate a lemon, holding that face for four seconds and then release the muscles in your face. Repeat the process two times in various muscle groups throughout the body.
Notice the tension just washing away. With each tense and release cycle, you'll notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do the same thing you just did before, except you should be inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, relaxing even more with each breath.
Now, you should move your awareness to the shoulder and neck area. Notice the muscles in the shoulder and neck area. Tense the muscles in the neck by pressing the shoulders towards the ears and holding for a count of four seconds and then release. With your awareness in the neck and shoulders, now tense them and hold for four seconds, and release. Notice the difference between a tense muscle and a relaxed muscle as you go through the process. Remembering to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, releasing any residual tension in this area, it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do the same thing you do before, relaxing even more with each breath you take.
Bring your awareness to the muscles in the arms. Tense the muscles in both of your arms by curling the arms up towards your biceps and holding them as if you are lifting weights and holding it to your chest, holding for four seconds and then release. With your awareness in the arm, do the same thing again. Remembering to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, can release any residual tension in the arm. With each cycle, you notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do the same thing you did before, relaxing even more with each breath.
Now, bring your awareness to the muscles in the hands. Tense the muscles in the hands by clenching it into a tight fist, holding for a count of four seconds and then release. With your awareness in the hands, now tense the muscles in your hands and hold for four seconds and release. Notice the tension just wash away when you release. With each cycle, you notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do the same thing you did, relaxing even more with each breath.
Notice the muscles in the upper back, around the shoulder blades. Tense the muscles in the upper back by pressing the shoulder blades together and holding for a count of four seconds and then release. With your awareness in the shoulder blades, now tense and hold for four seconds, and release. Notice the difference between tensed muscles and relaxed muscles as you go through the process. With each cycle, you notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group Do the same thing you just did again, relaxing even more with each breath.
Now, notice the muscles in the abdomen and low back. Tense the muscles in the abdomen by imagining that we are trying to touch the belly button to the spine, pressing the low back to the chair and holding for a count of four seconds and then release. With your awareness in the abdomen, now tense and hold for four seconds, and release. Notice the difference between a tense muscle and a relaxed muscle again. Remembering to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, releasing any residual tension in the low back and abdomen. With each cycle, you notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do it again, relaxing even more with each breath.
Now on to the feet. Tense these muscles by pointing the toes towards the knees, and again holding for three seconds, and then releasing the calf muscles. With your awareness in the calf muscles, now tense the calves and hold for four seconds, and release. Notice the difference between a tense muscle and a relaxed muscle as you go through the process. Remembering to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth, can release any residual tension in the calves. With each tense and release cycle, you will notice it becomes easier and easier to release and relax each muscle group. Do the same thing you did before again, relaxing even more with each breath
Tips
Make sure you are not going to be disturbed for at least half an hour.
Make sure you are in a safe place - you should not operating dangerous machinery or driving.
Notice the difference between a tense muscle and a relaxed muscle when you go through any of the processes shown in the steps.
Warnings
Note that this advice does not replace psychological or medical advice from a licensed medical professional.
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Here is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to the mechanics that go into properly pitching a baseball.
Note: All directions are for a right-handed pitcher. If you are a lefty, follow the same steps, but mirror each action.
Steps
Setup:Wind-up position...Place both feet shoulder width apart standing straight on top of the mound with your toes dangling off the front, and face directly towards your catcher, your toes pointed towards him with your heels on the rubber. Hold your glove in front of your chest, with your elbows resting on both sides of your torso. Stretch position...Place your feet so they face third if you throw right-handed or first if you throw left-handed. The stretch is a faster way to pitch and you can maintain more balance, resulting in more control. Your right foot should be placed against the rubber, with your other foot 1-2 inches in front. This will enable you to get a full rotation with your hips, which will make you throw harder.
Grip the ball for whatever pitch you want. Keep the ball inside your glove while doing this, and don't begin your motion until you have a comfortable grip.
Motion: Make a small step with your left foot to the left. Shift your weight to your left foot, allowing you to lift your right foot and place it beside the rubber (or pivot your right foot into this position, whichever is more comfortable), so that the right side of your right foot is pressing against the mound.
Lift your left leg to the point where your thigh becomes parallel with the ground or higher. Your body should have begun to move with your right foot in the previous step, and at the end of this step your body should be facing third base instead of home plate.
Do two things simultaneously:
Break your arms in a downward semi-circular motion. Your front arm should stay closed and your front elbow should be at a comfortable angle(45-90 degrees). Your throwing arm should hit what's called your Sweet Spot. Your sweet spot is the point where you throwing arm is at it's lowest point during your motion. Normally, it is at the point where your arm is nearly perpendicular to the ground, with a slight bend in your elbow. Ensure that your body stays facing third base through this step, and that you hit your sweet spot before continuing to the next step.
Lower your leg as close to the ground without touching it, and then stride outwards. To lower your leg, bend your right knee until your left leg is close to the ground WITHOUT TOUCHING THE GROUND! Don't stride outwards until you have lowered your left leg fully or you will lose substantial power. Your front leg should have a curved "down and out" sweep towards home. As you are doing this, begin to raise your throwing arm out of the sweet spot so that is is parallel to the ground, without allowing your elbow to drop towards your hip.
Land your front foot at a closed angle. In other words, if landing your foot pointing at the plate is a 90 degree angle, land your foot pointing at a 75 degree angle. This will get your body into a power position. Your power position is the position where your legs are fully extended with your hips and arms still closed, ready to hurl your arm towards the plate.
Out of your power position, push off with your back foot, and pull forward with your front foot by pivoting from that 75 degree angle into a 90 degree angle. Ensure that you make this pivot BEFORE you swing open your upper body and pull your left arm towards first base. Pivoting early allows you to generate power with your hips, and create more of a whip action for your right arm. The most common mistake pitchers make is to open their arms before their hips, which removes the power generated from their legs, causing pitchers to have less velocity, and increase the stress applied to their arms. Your throwing elbow should be aligned with your shoulder's(horizontally of course) through this step.
Extend your pitching arm as far as you can, and let the ball glide off your wrist. Do not snap your wrist as this can cause injury. Your wrist should not guide the ball, but rather the ball guide your wrist.
Follow through. Extended your arm as far you can and allow your back leg to lift up from the forward momentum, and place it on the mound to get in a fielding position.
Video
Tips
During your motion, it is beneficial to be aware of your wrist. As you move your arm from your sweet spot, your wrist should be pulled back, cocking the ball in your hand. Then, as you release the ball, the ball should glide off of you wrist, finishing with your wrist fully flexed.
Note: too much flexion during release can cause serious injury if done incorrectly. Consult your coach to find the correct level of wrist involvement.
Always keep your head focused on your target.
Throw the ball, don't aim. If you concentrate too much about throwing strikes, it can easily get in the way of your muscle memory, which could make you throw more balls than strikes.
You should use the same pitching motion for every pitch. This will make your consistent, and capable of having better control of your pitches.
Relax. The more you believe in your mechanics, the better you can perform.
Keep you're upper body relaxed it will help with you balance a lot and help with accuracy
Many pitchers make a small ditch in front of the rubber before they pitch. This allows them to have a comfortable hole to place their foot against the rubber during step 3.
Your stride towards home plate is a crucial element that must be mastered in order to succeed. It should not be too short, but not too far either. Experiment with your stride by extending as far you can, and then seeing if you can hoist your body from that position. The limit at which you can do this should be the point where you stride.
Some pitchers like to do a quick hop after their back leg follows through to get into a fielders position, by pushing off with their front foot (like mike Mussina). Experiment with which works best for you.
Another popular error is to dip your elbow when you pitch. Make sure that you go from "picking the ball of the table" straight to bringing your arm parallel to the ground at shoulder height, with the rest of your arm from the elbow down at either a 90 ("over-the-top"), 45 (three-quarters), or 0 (sidearm) degree angle with your arm. If you dip your elbow, you will not get any whipping action from your hips, and will lose nearly all your power.
There are many different pitching motions (including submarine and sidearm), as well as different pitches to throw. Work with a pitching coach to learn which are best for your skill level.
To be most effective, try and maintain a consistent throwing angle for all of your pitches. Some pitchers throw more overhand throwing a curve ball or dip to sidearm while throwing a slider. While this may give you better control or command or your pitch, it can easily tip off the batter to what pitch you are throwing. Having a consistent arm angle keeps the batter guessing.
During the game, pitchers in-between innings often wrap up their arms to keep their arm warm and capable of enduring the force of each pitch.
To alleviate soreness, pitchers do two things following games:
Wrap ice around your arm and chest to slow down the build up of lactic acid (the buildup of lactic acid causes soreness)
Run for 30 minutes after you pitch. This will get your blood circulating and help push out the lactic acid that might form in your arm.
Warnings
When throwing these pitches, make sure you are under correct supervision. If you throw a pitch improperly, or throw continuously with a major flaw, it could result in a career ending injury.
When warming up to pitch, whether early in a season or during a game, do so by gradually increase your arm velocity. DO NOT begin your bullpen session throwing your hardest, since your arm has to warm up before being able to endure the force once you are throwing your hardest.
Do not overthrow. When your arm begins to feel tired do not try to pitch through it. A tired arm can become a hurt arm very quickly.
Things You'll Need
A Baseball
A Glove
A Mound/rubber
A Target/home plate
A Partner to catch your pitches (at a distance of 60 ft 6 inches at the Major League level or 46 Feet for Little League)
A back stop for any wild pitches that the catcher can't get to
Patience and determination
Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Pitch a Baseball. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
There are several ways to create power in your baseball swing. The first step should be to develop a good swing from a technical standpoint.
Steps
Take a small step directly toward the pitcher when you start to swing. Try to keep weight balanced. Also keep length for even more power. Make sure your front foot is closed off when you step. The toes on the front foot should be pointing across the front of your body. If not, you are going to spin instead of creating torque as your upper body rotates. Torque creates power.
When you hit the ball regardless of whether it is an inside or outside pitch your hands remain close to your body.The top hand of the bat should have the palm facing up when you make contact. If the top hand palm rolls over on contact you will not drive through the ball.
It is important to keep your hands around the height of your chest. If your hands or elbow is too high, you will cut down on the ball and beat it into the ground. Your elbow should be around a 45 degree angle which allows you to power the bat quickly through the zone.
The follow through is important. Your hands should finish high ensuring that the bat head stays through the hitting zone as long as possible. If you finish below your shoulder, then you know that you have "rolled your hands" early which will decrease the amount of time the bat is in the hitting zone, therefore giving you less of a chance of making contact.
Tips
Weight training, plyometrics, sprints, are things that can be done in season and off season to enhance strength and power. Stay away from distance running if you want to be explosive.
Practice off a batting tee. In this country players use the tee until they are 7 years old and then start using it again after they are 17. The beginners and professionals use the tee all the time. Scholastic players need to use the tee to develop, maintain,and perfect technique.
You can also keep hands just ontop of the knob as it gives you a little more power.
Using the lower half of the body is a good way to easily produce extra power.
Lead your swing by throwing your hips into the swing, then your hands with follow. That is the new way players are being taught. It is much more powerful. If you think about it, your entire lower body thrusting your entire trunk and arms will generate more power than your jacked up arms alone. Hips will generate more bat speed. Your hips should end up pretty much parallel to the pitcher for maximum bat speed and follow through for power hitting.
If you strike out dont get angry. Instead try and figure out what you did wrong (or what the pitcher did right) to help you in your next at-bat.
Swing down on the ball as much as possible, swinging down on the ball will make your bat connect with the middle of the ball resulting in much more power
Fast bat speed will generate more power than a heavy bat
Warnings
Do not over swing, you could dislocate your arm.
Spend ten minutes doing a dynmamic warmup before swinging 100%. Ask any coach or physical education teacher. You will avoid injury and enhance performance.
Always wear a helmet for safety. You are going to wear one in a game anyway, so you may as well practice with it.
Do not do steroids or drugs. You'll be found out and the side effects are huge and you will get in a lot of trouble and sometimes even banned from the game.
Don't use a heavy bat, Ted Willams proved that you don't need a heavy bat to hit the cover off of the ball, use what is just right for you ---Use what is comfortable and makes you confident. The heavier the bat, the farther the ball will go as long as you don't lose bat speed due to the weight of the bat. If you can swing a tree as fast as you can swing a bat, which will hit the ball farther?
Don't practice your swing too much w/o batting gloves or you will get blisters.
Make sure you have a strong base/balance when taking your swing. Try not to have a long swing, but be quick and compact.
Do not swing so fast that you lose your balance and pull your head away.
from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit An example scorecard. Click to enlargeKeeping score can be a great way to stay involved in the game. It is also a useful skill to have if you are on a baseball team, as it allows you to keep better track of stats, trends, and performance of players on your team. Though "keeping the book" may seem a bit daunting at first, it's really quite simple.
Steps
Fill out the scorecard with the necessary circumstances of the game. This may include, but is not limited to, the teams playing, the lineup, the umpires, the field, the start time, and the coaches.
Write each player's jersey number, name, and position number in the slot, with one player per 2 or 3 slots (or one per "big square"). For help with the position numbers, see the "Player information" table below.
If someone has a designated hitter, write the DH in the first slot and the position player in the second slot.
If needed/desired, write the bench players on the bottom of the scorecard, with one for every slot. This is only if you have trouble remembering who else is on the team in case they come in for a substitution. There is no need to write their postion, as they are not yet in the game.
Keep track of balls and strikes in the given grid. Balls are kept in the row with 3 squares and strikes in the row with 2.
You can use checks, slashes, X's, numbers, or whatever you are comfortable with. Some people use different slashes and X's to indicate whether the batter swung or made contact, while others use numbers to indicate in what order the pitches were thrown. This is especially useful as it allows others to see the evolution of the at bat.
If a foul ball is hit with 2 strikes, simply make a dot (or number, depending on your style) extending from the row of strikes. Continue this as needed.
Note the outcome of the at bat using both abbreviations and markings on the small diamond.
If the batter is out, feel free to write the outcome in big letters over the diamond and be sure to mark (in the bottom right corner of the box) what number out they are of the innning (i.e. 1, 2, or 3).
For double and triple plays be sure to mark the outs in the order that they happened in the small box in the lower right hand corner.
See the table below on "Ways of Making an Out" for the standard abbreviations.
Some people put asterisks or exclamation points whenever a fielder makes a spectacular play.
If the batter gets on base first draw straight lines on the small diamond indicating the path of the batter. On the side of the last line, write one of these abbreviations in small letters next to it.
Some people like to draw where the ball is hit for greater accuracy. They usually draw a line originating from home plate to the spot where the ball is hit, with a solid line for a ball in the air or a dashed line for a ball on the ground.
If, during any point after the ball is put in play, a runner scores, then mark down how many RBI's the batsman gets in the space provided. If none is provided, write it under the diamond.
Track the progress of the runners using a similar set of abbreviations and lines indicating the runner's progress and how that progress occurred (i.e. if the runner moves from first to third on a single draw a line from first to second and second to third and write 1B in the upper left hand corner).
Whenever a runner scores, shade in their diamond for easier refrence.
At the end of an inning, mark the necessary statistics in the boxes provided underneath the column.
If a team hits around the order, simply give multiple columns to that inning and rewrite the numbers accordingly.
You can keep track of writing the number of pitches thrown that inning by writing it to the left of the inning number. You can keep track of the total pitches thrown by writing it to the right of the inning number.
When a player is substituted in, write their name, number, and position below the player that they went in for and draw a vertical line in between the innings that it happened. Also fill in the innings box in the space on the right.
If there is a change in pitching, draw a horizontal line between the last batter of the old pitcher and the first one of the new pitcher. Also write the new pitcher's name in the box on the bottom.
If a player changes position, draw a horizontal dotted line between the innings that it occurred.
At the end of the game, feel free to tally batting statistics and pitching statistics in the spaces provided for a good representation of the game.
Scorecard Abbreviations
Player Information
Position Numbers
PositionNumber
Pitcher
1
Catcher
2
First Baseman
3
Second Baseman
4
Third Baseman
5
Shortstop
6
Left Fielder
7
Center Fielder
8
Right Fielder
9
Designated Hitter
DH
Rover(Slowpitch Softball Only)
10
Ways of Making an Out
Out Abbreviations
ResultAbbreviationExample ResultExample Abbreviation
Strikeout swinging
K
Swing and a miss
K
Strikeout looking
Backwards K
Called third strike
Backwards K
Groundout
The number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it
Shortstop fields it and throws to the First Baseman
6-3
Flyout
The number of the player who caught it
Center Fielder catches it
8
Lineout
L followed by the number of the player who caught it
2nd Baseman catches it
L4
Unassisted Play
The number of the player who made the play followed by U
Pitcher fields it and tags the runner (or the base)
1U
Caught Foul Ball
F followed by the number of the player who caught it
Third Baseman catches it in foul territory
F5
Sacrifice Fly
SF followed by the number of the player who caught it
Left Fielder catches it
SF7
Sacrifice Bunt
SB followed by the number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it
Catcher fields it and throws to the First Baseman
SB2-3
Double Play:
For the runner:
The number of the player who fielded it followed by the number of the player who caught it
Shortstop fields it and throws it to the Second Baseman
6-4
For the batter:
The same as the runner, but add in the player who catches the ball next followed by DP
Shortstop fields it and throws it to the Second Baseman who throws it to the First Baseman
6-4-3 DP
Tracking Hits
Hitting Abbreviations
ResultAbbreviationExample ResultExample Abbreviation
Single
1B
Double
2B
Triple
3B
Home Run
HR
Hit By Pitch
HP or HBP
Walk
BB
Error
E followed by the number of the player who committed the error
The shortstop bobbles the ball and throws it away
E6
Fielder's Choice
FC
With a runner on first, a grounder is hit to the second baseman who only gets the lead runner out (the fielder has made a choice not to try to get the batsman out).
FC
Dropped Third Strike
K
Tracking Baserunning
Running Abbreviations
ResultAbbreviationExample ResultExample Abbreviation
Stolen Base
SB
Caught Stealing
CS
Thrown out by the catcher while attempting to steal
CS
Picked Off
PIK
Picked off by the pitcher
PIK
Tips
Practice keeping score of games you watch on T.V. to help you get accustomed to keeping up with games.
Not all scorecards include places to keep track of balls and strikes.
Who Invented Baseball? Photos And Information On The Game, Field, Equipment, Rules, Leagues, Players And Legacy.
