Beyond Baseball Fundamentals: Little Things that Can Make a Big Difference

Little things can make the difference between winning and losing and between being a good player and being a great player. Small incrementally improvements across mental and physical skills and game approach can separate you from others.

• Attitude and approach
  • Shake hands firmly and look coach in the eye when getting feedback
  • Control emotions under pressure. Use breathing to lower your heart rate
  • Encourage teammates (especially when having a bad game)
• Pre-game preparation
  • Review field conditions before game starts to be better aware of your environment (i.e., length of grass for bunts, wind direction/strength, size of foul territory)
  • Warm up properly and at the right time – not too early resulting in overthrowing pitchers over throwing. Stay out of the sun before the game to conserve energy
  • Take the throwing warm up seriously – hit your partner in the chest, practice pitches and move your feet to catch the ball in the proper position for a quick transfer (listen to this Patrick Jones podcast about warming up starting at 42:00 to 46:00). Warm up to throw; don’t throw to warm up
  • Additionally, practice different arm slots to throw to be more athletics and put yourself in positions you may face in the game like an over the shoulder catch followed by a throw from one o’clock. Then work a three o’clock throw like a shortstop feeding a double play
  • Use the same throwing partner through the year, so he can give you feedback on your mechanics and ball spin/path
• Base running
  • Practice rounding the bases correctly to minimize run times
  • Optimize the first step after a swing to shorten time to first
  • Read dirt balls based on the pitch before they reach the catcher to advance a base (know curveball counts to break when they dead for the ground)
  • Use relief pitchers warm up to size up their time to the plate
  • Take a deeper lead at second to have a better angle to round third
  • Run out every play
• Hitting
  • Have left-handed pitchers throw batting practice to learn to better see that slot
  • Learn to control your breathing to reduce anxiety when at the plate
  • Optimize first step out of the box to be quicker to first
  • Get an at bat before your at bats by practicing timing with each pitch while on deck
  • Practice check swings to improve deceleration capabilities and save a few strikes during the season
• Fielding
  • Creep step based on pitch selection (pull side for breaking ball)
  • Think through the situation and possible plays before they happen
  • Use warm ups between inning for real practice (double plays, difficult throws) rather than just going through the motions
  • Release the ball quickly to compensate for weaker arms in the outfield
• Pitching
  • Read a hitters swing and adjust pitch selection and location accordingly
  • Use two out shoulder warm up before pitching the next inning to minimize injury risk
  • Don’t take extra steps towards the pitcher between pitches to conserve energy
• In-game
  • Keep energy level up by eating healthy snacks between innings
  • Learn pitcher’s pick-off move while in the dugout so your prepared in the game (number of looks, pause before delivery)
  • Read the hitters swing and make adjustments to your defensive positioning based on foul ball flight and his approach
• Post-game
  • Clean the dugout to leave it in better condition than how you found it for the next team
  • Review video after each game to identify how a pitcher got you out or why a pitch wasn’t executed in the way you planned
• On the road
  • Use travel time to listen to books on the mental game
  • Work on grip strength while traveling
  • Bring basic fitness equipment (bands, light weights) to maintain strength if your hotel doesn’t have what you need
  • Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
  • Follow the baseball travel checklist to ensure you have everything you need