Workouts

This is a good 5 minute warmup for any player (especially RPs or following long bus rides) who have to warm up quickly.... good way to get loose, AND think about mechanics.

Are you a hitter who fails to use his lower half (hips, legs)? Try using this in your preseason tee work, or during front toss....

Good drill for catchers, focus on thumb UNDER the ball (or in this case frisbee).

Pitchers looking for a nice trunk warmup for pickoff moves....

Be ready for anything....

Baserunners, ALWAYS watch the exchange, and know where the ball is....also....this is a reminder that EVERYONE needs to be paying attention to EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME.... the baserunner who is picked off is the head coach's kid.... the play worked because everyone in Miami's dugout "sells" the play....

Some of you might know this guy.... 90 mph fungoes from 60 feet.... not a bad drill to work on quick hands and feet....

Basic throwing progression.... sometimes, it's good to revisit fundamentals....

With backhand tosses like these, first it's important to know your limits as an infielder. Some athletes prefer to toss underhand.... flip and follow the throw (for those who know what I do) if close enough to the bag. Some drop to a knee to overhand dart throw. This is good to work on after you take reps with each of the above. Key coaching point(s) with these: stay low, and watch each infielder's eyes at every level of practice....the eyes are keyed on the target.

Different version of a squat.... this allows you to get a little deeper than a barbell squat.

And, no time like a quarantine-forced time away from baseball to mess around and learn a knuckleball.... make baseballs look like wiffle balls....

3 DRILLS NOT to do and WHY, when working on hitting:

• Never work quickly when doing hitting drills. As a batter, always take your time and focus on what your doing. Just like in the batter's box, YOU control the at-bat, don't let the pitcher/feeder dictate the tempo you work at.

• Avoid physical obstacles in your bat path.

• Work at hitting the ball out in front, not coming from behind you.

So, I've been watching a lot Korean Baseball (KBO), because obviously...

It's always good to pick up a thing or 2. Check out this small ball. Show bunt, draw the infield in, then punch it over them. There's technique to this, but it is a "do-able" skill.

And, I thought this article from fangraphs was interesting. Read about (and watch) Park Jong-Hoon explain his submarine curveball.

Weekly Reminder....

A couple weeks ago, I was bored and decided to make my own weights. If you want to try this at home, try buying: 1 bag of 80 lb. Quikrete ($3), and 2 steel pipes from the plumbing section of Lowe's or Home Depot ($8 each). Find some buckets around the house. Mix a bit of water (for 80 lbs of cement, roughly 3 quarts of water will do). When you're done, you'll have a pretty functional set of weights. With the larger barbell, I do:

• Squats,

• Cleans,

• Deadlifts,

• 1 handed upright rows with one end on the ground

With the smaller barbell, I do:

• Shoulder Press,

• Lunges,

• Bicep Curls,

• behind the head/back tricep pullups

Mix in situps and pushups without the weights.

Addendum to the above: I do NOT suggest using 5 gallon buckets for the above. Keep it relatively manageable: coffee cans, smaller buckets or containers.

Good explanation of mentality and mechanics behind using a med ball to help your swing....