UC Baseball Education Center
Pitch Count Counts!
The most important 5 minute read that ALL parents should take a look at!
Baseball Players: Want To Pitch Long Term? WATCH THIS VIDEO!
This is a hot button 😡 topic for me. I see it far too often, youth players go to a tournament and pitch multiple innings on back-to-back days.
With statistics like, 50% of Tommy John Surgeries are on players ages 15-19 years old, it is enough to sound off the alarm in my brain!
Watch the whole video in order to hear how to protect your arm or your sons arm.
With statistics like, 50% of Tommy John Surgeries are on players ages 15-19 years old, it is enough to sound off the alarm in my brain!
Watch the whole video in order to hear how to protect your arm or your sons arm.
Baseball Players - Reach Your Full Potential With These 4 Things
We are going over 4 things that you need in order to reach your full potential as a pitcher. There is so much that goes into these 4 things, but if you want to reach your full potential you cannot have one without the other.
AGE & MATURITY
For youth, baseball is a waiting game. You are not going to reach your full potential until you get older. Your body must be fully developed to reach full potential. The maturity side of it will also come in time. Your work-ethic, drive, consistency and so one will come with time.
THROWING & MECHANICS
Having a plan for your throwing and not just randomly picking up a ball when you feel like it, will get you one step closer to reaching your full potential. Get on a throwing program that will map it all out for you: long toss day, flat-grounds, bullpens and so on. And developing your mechanics. That doesn’t happen over night. It is a process. But in order to reach your full potential you will need to have rock solid mechanics.
ARM CARE
The most important of the 4. Arm Care is something you can and should be doing RIGHT NOW! Taking care of that money maker. So many players overlook the Arm Care portion of being a high level pitcher and that is why they miss out on reaching their full potential. Please take care of your arm!
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
I don’t care if you’re 9 yrs old or 24 yrs old, you should be on a Strength & Conditioning program. There is safe, body weight things you can be doing as a youngster to ensure you are getting stronger and in better shape. It will pay off in the end when you are bigger and stronger than all the other players your age. People always ask why their velocity is not going up, 90% of the time they are not doing anything in the Strength & Conditioning department.
You need ALL 4 to be your very best and reach you full potential. If I had to break it down simply I’d say:
1.) Patients
2.) Have a Plan
3.) Take Care of Your Arm
4.) Build Upon What You Already Have
AGE & MATURITY
For youth, baseball is a waiting game. You are not going to reach your full potential until you get older. Your body must be fully developed to reach full potential. The maturity side of it will also come in time. Your work-ethic, drive, consistency and so one will come with time.
THROWING & MECHANICS
Having a plan for your throwing and not just randomly picking up a ball when you feel like it, will get you one step closer to reaching your full potential. Get on a throwing program that will map it all out for you: long toss day, flat-grounds, bullpens and so on. And developing your mechanics. That doesn’t happen over night. It is a process. But in order to reach your full potential you will need to have rock solid mechanics.
ARM CARE
The most important of the 4. Arm Care is something you can and should be doing RIGHT NOW! Taking care of that money maker. So many players overlook the Arm Care portion of being a high level pitcher and that is why they miss out on reaching their full potential. Please take care of your arm!
STRENGTH & CONDITIONING
I don’t care if you’re 9 yrs old or 24 yrs old, you should be on a Strength & Conditioning program. There is safe, body weight things you can be doing as a youngster to ensure you are getting stronger and in better shape. It will pay off in the end when you are bigger and stronger than all the other players your age. People always ask why their velocity is not going up, 90% of the time they are not doing anything in the Strength & Conditioning department.
You need ALL 4 to be your very best and reach you full potential. If I had to break it down simply I’d say:
1.) Patients
2.) Have a Plan
3.) Take Care of Your Arm
4.) Build Upon What You Already Have
Clayton Kershaw Helps Us Understand The Hip Hinge
In todays video we look at Clayton Kershaw with the Los Angeles Dodgers and we talk about the hip hinge. What it is? Why it is important? And why you need to be doing it? We answer all of these question. Take a look and enjoy.
Hit More Home Runs With The Backside Hitters Checklist
We have 5 things for you to make sure you are doing through the swing to ensure you are having the maximum power output. Add these to your hitting swing checklist and see you power go through the roof. Hit more home runs with the Backside Hitters Checklist.
MLB Pitcher Jacob deGrom Full Pitching Mechanics Breakdown
I love breaking down mechanics. You see some great things when you reverse engineer the delivery. Took a look at Jason deGrom today and broke down his flawless delivery. It's no wonder he is a 2 time Cy Young Award Winner. Hope you enjoy.
The Importance Of The Stride - We Break It Down
In this video I break down the importance of the stride. I talk about what the stride is, what it does and how long your stride should be.
Try This Awesome Change Up Tip - Throw A Nasty Change Up
The Change-Up is the best pitch in baseball. If you don't throw one, you should. Scouts love this pitch and hitters absolutely hate it. Try this fun little drill to help you get more comfortable with the Change-Up.
Use This Grip to Hit More Home Runs
The way you grip the bat absolutely matters. You want to be in the best position to have the most leverage & power in your swing. Check out this video and make sure you are gripping the bat correctly.
This One Thing Could Be Killing Your Velocity Gains
If you open the gate instead of drive your front side, you are killing your velocity gains. You need to be riding out your back side and driving that front side to home plate. Check out the video to see what opening the gate is.
The ULTIMATE Home Run Killer - STOP DOING THIS!
In todays video I talk about something that may big killing all of your power. If you stop doing this one thing you will see dramatic change in your power numbers. Check it out!
Add This Tool To Your Throwing Program
Towel Drills are amazing! I love this simple tool because it allows pitchers to feel the mound everyday without throwing a bullpen. The towel can save us when we do not have a throwing partner. Allowing us to be able to get our work in when we are all alone. Try adding the towel to your throwing routine and see what it does for you.
2 Drills To Throw Harder - Baseball Drills
Throwing harder seems to be what everyone wants. From players to scouts to parents who watch from the stands. We all want to throw gas. Of course we do! Lighting up the radar gun is what is exciting. In this video I give you two drills that you can do to boost your throwing velocity. These drills are good even if you are not a pitcher. Try both of these and let me know what you think.
Strike Outs Are Great...But...
Everyone wants to go for the punch outs. Instead of understanding how much better it is to pitch to contact. Check out the video and you'll understand why.
3 Drills To Boost Your Velocity FAST!
In today's video I give you 3 drills to help boost your velocity at lightning speeds. Do these 3 drills and you will see dramatic improvement in your velocity over the next couple weeks.
Client Hitting & Throwing Breakdown - Ep. 1
In todays video I breakdown one of my clients hitting & pitching videos. During the quarantine we have to stay at home so this is how I work with my lessons.
Breaking Down MLB Players Ground Ball Work
In todays video we breakdown Justin Turner, Alex Guerrero & Rob Segedin getting some ground ball work in during spring training. We breakdown some of the important things that every infielder needs to do when taking ground balls.
5 At-Home Velocity Boosting Tips
Here are 5 At-Home Velocity Boosting Tips that you can do right now at home and all you need is a kitchen towel (ask mom), a wall and enough space to do a full throwing motion.
Tip #1: Towel Drills (4 Types)
Tip #2: Drive Your Hip Drill
Tip #3: Hip & Shoulder Separation Drill
Tip #4: Full Body Workout (Workout Included)
Tip #5: Core Work
Tip #1: Towel Drills (4 Types)
Tip #2: Drive Your Hip Drill
Tip #3: Hip & Shoulder Separation Drill
Tip #4: Full Body Workout (Workout Included)
Tip #5: Core Work
Masahiro Tanaka Beats Mike Trout After 10 Pitch Battle
We take a look at a 10 Pitch At-Bat between Masahiro Tanaka & Mike Trout. We talk about the At-Bat and add some insight to what we think is going through the mind of Tanaka.
Barry Bonds vs. Eric Gagné (Full At-Bat) Breakdown
This video I breakdown Barry Bonds vs. Eric Gagné At-Bat. We talk about the importance of hitting your spots and using your secondary pitches to set up the At-Bat.
Mike Trout & Robison Canó Head Movement Breakdown
In todays video I talk about the importance of minimizing head movement throughout the swing. When our head is still once your front foot hits the ground, it will make squaring up the baseball much easier that if your head is even moving slightly.
Mike Trout & Robison Canó Swing Similarities
In this video we talk about the similarities in MLB hitters swings. There is a point at which ALL Big League Hitters get to that allows them to be strong and gain leverage through the swing.
Felix Hernandez Change-Up Breakdown
In this video i will be breaking down King Felix's Change-Up. Talking about the velocity difference between his Fastball & Change-Up and why it is not such a big deal if your Change-Up is not much slower than your Fastball.
Max Scherzer High Velocity Breakdown
In this video I breakdown Max Scherzer's delivery and I talk about why he is so effective.
5 Tips to improve Velocity & Accuracy
Pitchers are one of the highest paid positions on the MLB field in todays game, and rightly so. Pitchers control the game. So many games are won or lost because of the guy on the mound. So make sure you give yourself or your player(s) the right information needed to succeed on the mound.
5 Tips to Improve Velocity & Accuracy
Tip #1: Use your lower half
Tip #2: Alignment to home plate
Tip #3: Stability
Tip #4: Throw through foot strike
Tip #5: Practice
You cannot have one tip without the other. All of them go together. Put in the work daily and you will see improvement in your game.
5 Tips to Improve Velocity & Accuracy
Tip #1: Use your lower half
Tip #2: Alignment to home plate
Tip #3: Stability
Tip #4: Throw through foot strike
Tip #5: Practice
You cannot have one tip without the other. All of them go together. Put in the work daily and you will see improvement in your game.
5 Things For Bullpen Day
You bullpen is a time to improve yourself on the mound. It does a lot of things for you. This video has 5 things for you to implement in your bullpen that will take you to the next level.
Tip #1: Understanding A Bullpen
Tip #2: Work On Something
Tip #3: Have A Plan
Tip #4: Alternatives: Flat Ground or Towels
Tip #5: Have A Batter Stand In
Watch the video and implement these things and I promise you it will improve your pitching in the game.
Tip #1: Understanding A Bullpen
Tip #2: Work On Something
Tip #3: Have A Plan
Tip #4: Alternatives: Flat Ground or Towels
Tip #5: Have A Batter Stand In
Watch the video and implement these things and I promise you it will improve your pitching in the game.
3 Drills Every Pitcher Should Do Daily
These 3 simple drills can take your game a long way. All it take is 10-15 minutes per day to get these in. Feel yourself using your lower half to drive off the rubber and straight to home plate.
Drill #1: Hip Drives - Into The Wall
Drill #2: Towel Drills
Drill #3: Wall Drill
Drill #1: Hip Drives - Into The Wall
Drill #2: Towel Drills
Drill #3: Wall Drill
Balance Point: Good or Bad
Pitching is all about rhythm, flow and momentum. Pitcher don't want anything to disrupt their rhythm, flow or momentum. I believe a balance point disrupts those things. That is why we prefer a gathering point vs. a balance point.
Take a look at the video to learn more about why we shouldn't pause at the top for a balance point.
Take a look at the video to learn more about why we shouldn't pause at the top for a balance point.
Driving The Hip Demo With MLB Pitchers
Looking over some MVP's, Cy Young Award winners and something they all do the same which leads to why they are successful.
Driving the hip to home plate is a major key to pitching success. It is super simple to do if we know where it all starts.
Everything in baseball starts from the ground and works it's way up the body eventually getting to the hands. This is the kinetic chain. We need to have our focus be on the big toe on the back foot. As we start to make our motion towards home plate we push off the big toe and drive our front hip, ahead of the front shoulder, into the catchers glove.
Try this and you will see results. Let's try and get the most out of our bodies and utilize all the velocity that is trapped inside of us.
Driving the hip to home plate is a major key to pitching success. It is super simple to do if we know where it all starts.
Everything in baseball starts from the ground and works it's way up the body eventually getting to the hands. This is the kinetic chain. We need to have our focus be on the big toe on the back foot. As we start to make our motion towards home plate we push off the big toe and drive our front hip, ahead of the front shoulder, into the catchers glove.
Try this and you will see results. Let's try and get the most out of our bodies and utilize all the velocity that is trapped inside of us.