Welcome to www.ricogloves.com !

My name is Tony Ross Maddi. I am former minor league player in the Houston Astros Organization for 6 seasons and also played in Italy for 2 seasons. I learned a lot in pro baseball and I want to share my knowledge to help others become the best baseball players they can be.

I want to briefly outline some ways to improve hitting for any age in one season.

1. Practice hitting!!! (daily if possible) Wow, you say thats genius. Well it is because many parents with kids from 8 to 12 miss this. Many kids at this age can be at a big disadvantage if they arent practicing hitting on regular basis. (regular meaning at least 4 days a a week) Practice, practice, practice the skill of hitting.

If you can get someone to throw batting practice to you or your child then that is ideal but not always feasible. The other good options are below and can be done.

Tee work when you arent able to have someone throw (can be done in a garage). Also soft toss from directly in front is also good if BP throwing isnt possible. (Use L-screen)

Use a good Iron Mike Pitching machine to train the hitting eye for higher speed pitches. (The reason sometimes Batting practice pitchers dont throw very hard and we train are eyes at a slower speed) (The machine allows us to see a ball moving faster-we learn to adjust). I think using a BP pitcher and a machine is ideal for off-season practice.

2. Get a knowledgeable Coach!  This is very important because if your practicing the wrong way to swing then you are limiting your overall potential to get better. There are a lot of coaches out there for baseball. Baseball is a popular sport but talk to a lot of people in the area and talk directly with the coaches. Ask the coaches what they think is important in hitting mechanics. Some of things they should say are: Good stance (have them display it), hands back, elbow close to 45 degrees down, need a small load with hips, rotate back leg for power, heel up on turn of back leg, head down, etc. Do your due diligence. Also, a pro or college playing background is recommended for finding the right coach with experience coaching hitting.

3. Physical Conditioning! Practicing the skill of hitting is the most important thing in becoming a better hitter. That is true. But a way to maximize that is to be in better shape than your competition and the other players on your team. A good strength and conditioning coach that has experience working with baseball players is ideal. I can briefly give some ideas on what to do but this is just some general ideas. (this is not a workout plan)

Work on hip strength- Clean pulls, squats, dead lifts (great), some Olympic style lifts (Clean pulls work the upper body and lower body too) (Power move great for baseball)-  The kids no weight lunges, no weight squats, pushups, a speed and agility program (dynamic warm-up) with some plyometrics tailored to there age.

Upper body strength- Do Dumbbell Incline press. Good upper body strengthening exercise for hitters. You dont need to go crazy with the flat bench barbell press. I think it can cause more problems in my opinion. Increase on the DB incline press if you want. Some curls are fine and some shoulder presses with DB are okay.  And also some triceps extensions.

Do some band exercises for throwing especially for pitchers but I recommend all players do bands.

Core training is HIGHLY recommended. USE medicine balls, stability balls, balance boards.

I like russian twists for hitters and medicine ball twists. Bridges, lunges (part of core stability), Pelvic Thrusts, Squats, Crunches, Deadlifts, etc.

Benefits of Core Training are below:

• Greater efficiency of movement

• Improved body control and balance

• Increased power output from both the core musculature and peripheral muscles such as the shoulders, arms and legs

• Reduced risk of injury (the core muscles act as shock absorbers for jumps and rebounds etc.)

• Improved balance and stability

• Improved athletic performance!

This article briefly went over what is important to improve hitting in one season. I would say getting a good coach and hitting regularly are the most important. The conditioning is recommended if you want to really take your game to another level.

If you like the blog then please let me know and I will continue to post new articles.

Thanks,

Tony Ross Maddi

ricobymaddi@yahoo.com