PITCHERS: HOW TO GRIP AND THROW THE FOUR SEAM FASTBALL

The 4 Seam Fastball:

First... let's get this question outta 'da way...

Does a four-seam fastball rise?

"No," says Bill James, author of the The Neyer/James Guide to Pitchers.

Bill James: A fastball can't rise unless it's thrown underhand. But if you throw the fastball overhand with enough force, it will appear to rise because it's not dropping as much as the batter's brain thinks it should.

Hitter: Uh... What? What!! Well... okay... whatever you say big fella...

Hey Bill... You ever stand in there against Justin Verlander?

Okay... geeze... I'm better now!

 How To Grip And Throw The Four Seam Fastball

Four-seam fastball

To grip the four seam fastball, place your index and middle fingertips directly on the perpendicular seam of the baseball.

The "horseshoe seam" should face into your ring finger of your throwing hand (as shown in the picture on the left).

We call it the horseshoe seam simply because the seam itself looks like the shape of a horseshoe.

Next, place your thumb directly beneath the baseball, resting on the smooth leather (as shown in the picture on the right). Ideally, you should rest your thumb in the center of the horseshoe seam on the bottom part of the baseball.

Grip this pitch softly, like an egg, in your fingertips.

A loose grip minimizes "friction" between your hand and the baseball. The less friction, of course, the quicker the baseball can leave your hand.

There should be a "gap" or space between the ball and your palm (as shown in the middle picture). This is the key to throwing a good, hard four-seam fastball with maximal backspin and velocity:

ARM SPEED, HAND SPEED, PULL DOWN AND ACROSS, FLAT BACK, SHOE BOTTOM TO SKY

FINISH: Yes... FINISH! You gotta FINISH!!!

Work on and use your arm speed and hand speed!

When done properly... your arm should pull across your "strike foot" leg,  head and eyes up, flat "table top" back and bottom of shoe to sky!

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HILL SPRINTING TO A MORE EXPLOSIVE BALLPLAYER!

Uphill sprinting is an excellent workout that takes flat ground sprinting to the next level. I realize not everybody lives in an area that has hills. But... try and find something similar... bleachers, stairs... anything!

If you really want to have explosive speed and quickness on the field then... do these!!!

Want to improve your home to first time? Do 'em!

Want to improve your 40 / 60 yard dash times? Do 'em!

Want to improve your range in the field? Do 'em!

Want to improve your confidence in stealing bases? Do 'em!

Want to "get out of the box" quicker? Do 'em!

Want to get to full speed quicker? Do 'em!

Want to be "da man"... the "unbeatable man"? Do 'em!

Below are some other benefits...

1. Increases Lung Capacity:  As you sprint up a hill, your arms and legs are pumping furiously against gravity in order to push your body to the top.  Because your muscles are working EXTRA hard, they need EXTRA fuel in the form of oxygen.  And who is going to supply this fuel?  The Lungs!  Thus, your lungs are forced to take in EXTRA oxygen, which means their capacity will increase.
2. Saves Time: The time you spend running hills is small, but the benefits you receive are huge! Not including warm up and cool down, don't spend no more than 15 minutes running up hills.  Why?  Because this workout is extremely vigorous!  You don’t need to spend much time running up hills in order to strengthen your muscles and lungs.  It’s not how far you run; it’s how intense you run.  Remember, quality over quantity. 
3. Increases Speed:  After a sprint workout, running on flat surfaces will feel like a breeze!  Because of a hill’s incline, you are forced to lift both your knee and toe to a higher position.  This form increases your power as you run, and thus your speed.
4. Improves Self-Confidence:  After completing a hill workout, you will feel very accomplished because this workout is not easy!  Just make sure you can contain your ego!

HOW TO PREFORM A HILL WORKOUT:

1. Pick a Number:  Before tackling a hill, it’s a good idea to pick the number of sprints you want to do (I usually choose 10) and stick to it.  While you’re running, you might try to plead and bargain with yourself to lower the number.  But DON’T do it!  Just keep telling yourself “one more sprint, one more sprint” and before you know it, you will have reached your goal—or maybe even passed it. 
2. Warm Up and Stretch:  As with any workout, make sure you spend about 5 minutes warming up your muscles and stretching them out in order to prevent injury.
3. Sprint Up:  Now that your body is warmed up, shake off any self-doubt you may have and sprint up the hill! Remember, don’t hold back—run as fast as you can. 
   
4. Jog/Walk Down:  Once you’ve reached the top you SHOULD be sucking wind.  (If you’re not, you either need to increase your intensity or find a steeper hill).  You should then jog/walk down the hill and catch your breath.  Once at the bottom, if you are still breathing pretty hard, continue to walk around a bit more to slow your breathing. 
5. Repeat:  Once you’ve caught your breath, run up the hill again! 

In addition to sucking wind, you should also begin to feel a burn in your legs.  Burn is good!  Your muscles are being forced outside their comfort zone, which means that they will eventually adapt and grow stronger.

When you finish your hill sprints, you should feel proud because this workout is never easy!

But... the rewards are HUGE!

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HANK AARON - CHARACTER ON DISPLAY

 

 "Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. 

Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."  
                          -  Hank Aaron

April, 1974 - Hank Aaron breaks Babe Ruth's long standing all time home run record

In the months prior to this historical event, Hank received hate mail from many who didn’t want to see a black man break Ruth’s record. The threats extended to those who gave Aaron positive press coverage and they feared for Aaron’s life.

Longtime Dodger Broadcaster Vin Scully addressed the racial tension in his call of the home run:

“What a marvelous moment for baseball; what a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia; what a marvelous moment for the country and the world. A black man is getting a standing ovation in the Deep South for breaking a record of an all-time baseball idol. And it is a great moment for all of us, and particularly for Henry Aaron. … And for the first time in a long time, that poker face in Aaron shows the tremendous strain and relief of what it must have been like to live with for the past several months.”

Hank Aaron

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

K.C. Royals Helping Others During Thanksgiving

Members of the Kansas City Royals operations staff help serve Thanksgiving dinner to some very worthy less fortunate people.

Baseball Training Magazine wishes you a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving!


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GAME CHANGER EXPLOSIVENESS: SQUATS

FACT: All the baseball skills in the world aren't going to help you much after Little League if you don't possess the physical tools.

MIKE TROUT: GAME CHANGER EXPLOSIVENESS!

One of the best year round exercises you can do for your game are squats!

Starting out? Do 'body weight" squats! Then... graduate to weights!  

Squats provide a strong core workout for your abs.

It recruits muscles from you quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips, and back to name the big ones.

Practice the following form over and over again with a broomstick or your own body weight.

Stand up right now.

         BODY WEIGHT SQUAT FOR BEGINNERS

Squat down. Did you just bend at the knees first? Or did you push your butt back?

Focus on getting the form right and you will unleash the power of the squat and prevent knee injuries.


The proper form for the squat is as follows:

• Place the bar on the rack in a position that’s a couple inches below your shoulders.

• Do not use any foam padding on the bar.    
•  
• You want the bar resting on your back. If it hurts, you have the bar in the wrong place.

• Place your hands in a comfortable position so that you can get under the bar. Some like to have their index fingers on the outside rings.

• Squeeze your shoulder blades together and rest the bar on your upper back. There should be a nice little groove for it to rest on. Do not place it too high. It should not be up towards your neck.

BARBELL SQUAT FOR EXPLOSIVENESS

• Stand up with the bar and take a slightly wider than shoulder width stance.

• Start thinking of the squat as a back and forth movement with your hips instead of an up and down movement with your butt.

• The first movement you make is not down! Don’t start bending your knees first. The first movement you make is to stick your butt back.

• Continue pushing your butt back further and further until your upper legs are parallel to the floor.

• Your lower legs should be close to perpendicular to the floor. Your knees should not be hanging out past your toes. If they are, you more than likely started the squat movement by bending your knees instead of pushing your hips back.

"IT'S NOT WHERE YOU'RE AT, IT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

• Once you reach the bottom, press up on the bar hard by pressing your heels through the floor. The weight from the squat should always be on your heels…not on your toes.

• While moving upwards, press out with your knees. Do not let them buckle inwards while you press the weight up.

PISTOL SQUATS:

ONE LEGGED PISTOL SQUAT

Pistol squats will also improve leg strength and explosiveness.

They can be helpful for fixing structural imbalances that can cause chronic pain and injury.

Split squats are recommended because they help  balance your agonist/antagonist muscle pairs (such as hamstrings and quadriceps) and the pairs of limbs (right and left legs).

It’s not enough just to have the appropriate strength ratio between the hamstrings and quadriceps; to achieve structural balance, the strength of the quadriceps and hamstrings on the right leg should be equal to the strength of those of the left.

Split squats with heavy weights will help you gain serious strength in the lower body, but they also require you to activate the trunk, making them a useful “core” exercise (keep the trunk erect by contracting the abdominal muscles, and avoid anteriorally tilting the pelvis).

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DEADLIFT TO EXPLOSIVENESS!

The Deadlift, some say, is the king of all strength explosiveness exercises.

"TO BE THE UNBEATABLE MAN, BE THE BEAST!"

As a baseball athlete –  you will certainly add more power and speed!

The deadlift works the entire body from head-to-toe…

The core muscles. Also, the glutes, hamstrings, lower back, upper back and the grip.

Translation: More power at the plate! 
 
More speed on the bases!

More range in the field! 

More explosiveness on the mound! More endurance behind the plate! 

Here are the basics for the conventional deadlift:

- Take a hip width stance, shins touching or very close to the bar, toes pointing straight ahead or turned out slightly

- Grip the bar with a mixed grip (one hand over, one under). Be sure to grip the bar as close to the outside of your lower legs as possible – there is no point turning this into a snatch grip pull

- Bend your legs only enough to achieve a neutral spine and keep your head position neutral

- Take a deep breathe into your belly, brace your abs, cramp up your lats and pull the bar off the floor, keeping it close at all times (deadlifters have scars on their shins for a reason!)

- When the bar just clears your knees, drive your hips through to lockout. Stand up straight (do not lean back), pause for a second – then set the bar down.

"NO EXCUSES! 83 YR. OLD GRANNY CAN DO IT!"

Make every rep of every deadlift the same.

It doesn’t matter whether its 135lbs on the bar or 800lbs – every rep should look the same.

HOW TO TRAIN:

Focus on SPEED work 

Do volume... with 50 to 70% of your max weight.

Singles, doubles and triples. 

Maximum speed on every rep is the focus!!!

 



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POTENT POWER SURGE!

All hitters want more power. Chicks dig it! So do Coaches and player evaluators...

Power translates to run production... Instant Offense!

Most know about being explosive with the hands... that Snap, Crackle, Pop to and through the ball...

"TORQUED UP!"

But there is more... First...All good hitters must be "grounded" with their feet...

Being grounded will help you to create torque which will create hand and bat speed to and through contact...

CREATING TORQUE: Take a look at the picture of Bryce Harper...

He has started to OPEN his front hip... but his hands are back... and, not only is his front shoulder still "pinned/locked" so is his BACK shoulder!

Do this right now... stand up like
you're at the plate... start to open your front hip while keeping your hands back and BOTH shoulders locked in... take your hand and feel your mid section... your core... bout at the belly button... feel that tension? That's TORQUE!

"HANDS ABOVE THE BALL"

TO THE BALL: Fire your hands inside the ball while rotating your lower body AND both shoulders!

LEVERAGE THE BALL: Keep your hands ABOVE the ball... the barrel should come UP and through the ball...

KEEP ROTATING: Make sure you keep rotating when releasing through the ball... both shoulders rotate completely...  hands finish high!

"FINISH: FULL SHOULDER ROTATION -  HANDS HIGH"

FINISH: Check out Buster Posey! The picture is a "clinic" on how to finish!

FINAL NOTE: Notice the legs... the quads... if you're serious about your game... get on, and stay on, a rigorous workout regimen to develop an EXPLOSIVE lower and upper body!!!

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