2009 Spring Season Recap

Well, it’s been a great season. UPB’s athletes have experienced some amazing success. I wanted to take the opportunity to recognize what some of these athletes accomplished.

This season started with Kenny Dobbs and Cody Sandzimier both receiving invitations to minor league spring training. These two guys improved tremendously and didn’t even resemble the players they started out as.

Of course we had David Nick who as you all know got drafted in the fourth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In addition David was an Aflac All-American, played for Team USA and received a scholarship to UCLA. David’s success was fun for me as I have been working with him since he was 13. To see the growth and maturity he has had not only as a player but also as a man has been amazing.

We had two other players receive college scholarships as well. Taylor Richardson will be playing in the outfield next season for Oklahoma State University and Ryan Chapman will be catching for Cal Poly Pomona. These two guys are two of the most intense and hardest working players I’ve met and really deserve all the success they’ve had.

Andrew McNeill batted over .400 and was a first team all league selection in his first full season as a varsity player. Drew is another player who has worked tremendously hard to get to the level he is currently at. It has been very exciting to watch his progress.

Rudy Ledezma was also an all league selection. He made second team all league as a sophmore in his first season as a varsity player. In addition Rudy had a stretch where he hit 4 homeruns in 5 games! Almost catching David Nick for the team lead in homeruns.

Alison Kooistra from Boston College improved her batting average 40 points from the previous year and hit her first couple of college homeruns. Including a walk off bomb against Harvard.

This season we were fortunate enough to have ALL of our in coming freshman make their freshman teams. Drew Strohl, Matt Bui, Mitch Christensen, and Mark Tumlinson (If I forgot anyone I apologize) all made their freshman teams! In addition they all performed extremely well. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these guys.

Even young Brian Neal dominated in his final year of majors and was selected to his 12u allstar team.

I just wanted to say how proud I am off all the success you guys are having. It is very fun to watch your development as athletes.

As you guys know I started UPB based on the theory that we are limitless in what we can accomplish. From my experiences as a player who never played a day of varsity baseball and being a below average college player. To developing to the player I am today I have seen first hand what is possible. I have known that talent is not something you are born with but rather something you allow to happen and something you develop. The problem always was when I would try to inspire others by telling my story I would always get the response, “You are the exception to the rule”. Starting UPB I set out to not only allow baseball players to reach their goals but also to prove that I wasn’t the exception to the rule. To prove that I was the rule. To show that you can accomplish anything, become as good of a player that you desired to become and everyday you guys are proving this to be true. Everyday you guys are improving to levels that even I could only dream of. Everyday you guys are challenging me to be better, to look deeper into the mechanics of the game and deeper into the mind in order to enable you guys to get to where you want to be. The exciting thing for me about this season is that we have only scratched the surface. As good as you guys have become this is only the tip of the iceberg and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with you. Thank you for your desire to improve, your passion for the game, and your willingness to be open to new ideas. Even though sometimes I know you guys think I’m nuts. I know you guys are like, “This guy is telling me if I give less effort I will hit with more power?” or “How is focusing on my breathing going to help me hit?” Thanks for being open and trying it out.

So now we have set the bar. Let’s continue to work hard, let’s continue to improve and let’s have fun along the way.

MLB Draft

With the beginning of this year’s Major League Baseball Draft I am once again reminded of the flaws that are rampant in major league baseball. It never ceases to amaze me at the decision making process that MLB’s top scouts and executives go through before making their picks. The irony of the whole thing is that they draft one thing and then promote something completely different to the major leagues.

Early in the draft teams generally look for players with eye popping tools. What I mean is, they like to spend big money on players who are big, run extremely well, throw hard, or have jaw dropping power. They classify these players as guys with huge “upside”. They believe that if they draft players with “tools” that they can teach them how to play the game. The problem is, time and time again they are unable to teach these guys how to play the game. What ends up happening is the players in the later rounds (3rd round and on) are the players that generally end up making it and playing for many years in the Major Leagues. These are usually the players who have a little less “tools” but they work hard and know how to play the game.

You see, leading up to the draft they run you through a variety of tests. They test throwing speed, power, size, they run the 60 yard dash for running speed. All of these tests to determine your draft status. Generally the players taken in the first two rounds dominate in these areas. The problem is once you sign, once you get to the minor leagues you will never run another 60. As a position player you will never again be judged on arm strength. All they care about once you sign is, can you play baseball? For this reason I am always astonished as to why the big money doesn’t go to “baseball players”. Guys that can play the game. Why do they burn big money on guys with “upside” and “potential” that they will never reach.

Think of it this way... There were 32 players selected in the first round of this years draft. All of which will command signing bonuses in the millions. If 4 of those players reach and play extended periods of time in the major leagues we will consider this to be a successful draft. 4!!! ONLY 4!!! What will end up happening is that in there somewhere will be a couple of Hall of Famers. A couple of kids taken today in the lower rounds will in 25 years be in Cooperstown. Don’t believe me? Look at some of these players..

Albert Pujols 13th round (probably today’s best hitter)
Tony Gwynn 3rd round (arguably the greatest hitter since Ted Williams)
David Eckstein 26th round (2 time World Champ and World Series MVP)
Robb Nen 31st round (possibly one of the top 5 closers of all time)
Mike Piazza 62cnd round (greatest hitting catcher in history)
Andy Petite 22cnd round
Howie Kendrick 10th round
Roy Oswalt 23rd round
Johan Santana never drafted


As you can see these are some of the game’s greatest players who were not taken in the top two rounds. So what is the problem? Why is it that this continues to happen year in and year out?

Most certainly some of it can be attributed to the work ethic of these players. But it has to do with major league baseball’s inability to develop athletes. Baseball’s arrogance that they can develop athletes while at the same time having a limited mindset. They believe that they can teach the game, that they can turn these “athletes” into baseball players and time after time they are unable to do so. Why?

First of all, (and get ready for this one) the coaching and instruction in professional baseball is no better then the coaching and instruction you receive in high school. That’s right, I have heard a lot of you complain about your high school coaches and don’t think for one second that it is any different at the higher levels. We assume that it is, we want it to be. Primarily because these guys are getting millions of dollars to do their job and they do it in front of millions of people. The honest truth however is that coaches in professional baseball are no better then the ones in high school. So for that reason they are unable to teach the sport to these “athletes”.

The second reason is their limited mindset. Their belief that you are either born with it or you’re not (which really is just an excuse for their own inability to develop talent). Why do you think guys turn to steroids? Why is it guys cheat? Is it because they are bad people? No! These guys want to get better, they want to succeed. The problem is there is no one around them that can tell them how to get better and the ones who try are told that they have reached their “limit”. That they were born to be a .250 hitter. What a bunch of crap!

I am amazed that with all of the advances in major league baseball. The sabermetrics and all of the new and cool ways they evaluate talent that there has been zero advancement in the area of player development. If baseball would just admit to their own shortcomings maybe more players who can play the game would go higher in the draft.

Many of you have made tremendous improvements. Many of you are playing at levels higher then you ever dreamed possible. What I want you to realize is that there are no limits to what you can accomplish. Don’t buy into the limited mentality of major league baseball. We’ve already proven that you can develop into the player you want to become. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t currently poses the eye popping skills of a first round pick. Understand that you can be as good as you desire to be. You may not be a first rounder but you can be a Hall of Famer.

Developing Arm Strength

I am asked all the time, “How can I improve my arm strength?” It’s what everyone wants, isn’t it? Everyone wants to throw harder and have that blazing arm strength that makes scout’s jaws drop. The problem is that no one really understands how to develop arm strength. There are many theories and techniques used today to increase arm strength but what most athletes and coaches fail to realize is that while there are a variety of ways that you can go about increasing arm strength there are very few ways to increase your arm strength a without increasing your chance of injury. So in order to set up a throwing program that is going to help you maximize your arm strength while at the same time help protect your arm from injury you have to focus on three different aspects....

Mechanics

I can’t stress enough the importance of mechanics. Just like in hitting mechanics enable us to work with the natural movements of the body to maximize throwing velocity and minimize injury. Now there seems to be this idea that “everybody is different”! That different mechanics work for different individuals. Let me put this theory to bed right now! While we are all different, we are also all the SAME! That’s right, we are all the same. Same muscles and bones, and when it comes to movements same muscular firing sequences. Let me give you an example: A good friend of mine is a doctor, he treats and repairs sports injuries and injuries to the muscles, bones, and joints. He may have two patients, one is suffering from severe knee pain, and the other is perfectly fine. When he does a study of these two patients he notices that the one in pain walks completely differently then the one who is fine. He then sets up a rehab and training regiment to enable the person in pain to walk like the person who isn’t in pain. Low and behold once the person who is in pain begins to walk like the person who isn’t the stress on their knee joint is relieved and the pain ceases to exist.

The same is true in throwing. You may be able to get away with poor mechanics, you may even throw hard with poor mechanics but you won’t be able to maximize your body’s full potential. At the same time while great mechanics don’t necessarily guarantee you won’t get hurt it does lessen the likelyhood of an injury. (Not everyone who smokes gets cancer but are you going to take that risk?) Before entering into any throwing program it’s imperative that you make sure you are mechanically sound. If you are not then you will just be wasting your time. Make sure you are enabling your body to be in it’s strongest position at the release point. This will immediately increase your velocity and at the same time decrease the stress on your arm.

Throwing Distance

Here is where the big debate comes in. To long toss or not to long toss? I recommend not throwing any farther than 120 feet. As a player you will rarely thrown any farther than that in a game. Plus any time you aren’t able to throw the ball on a line you are altering your mechanics. You end up putting yourself in a weaker position at release and placing more stress on your arm. I used to long toss a lot. While I did experience some gains in arm strength it was nothing compared to the gains I experienced when I played from 120 feet keeping the ball on a line. I was consistently in a better position when I threw and I developed more consistency with my mechanics since I wasn’t altering my mechanics to throw farther. Think about it, when you back up you essentially are throwing the ball as hard as you can to get the ball to your partner. What’s the difference if you are at 120 feet throwing the ball as hard as you can or at 300 feet? There isn’t any! You are still throwing the ball as hard as you can, so you are still getting the same benefit.

Keeping the ball on a line helps you maintain a consistent release point which will only benefit you when you get into a game. You will be able to throw harder more consistently because you will be using proper mechanics more consistently. You don’t need to back up any farther then 120 feet. Do yourself and your arm a favor and make 120 feet your limit.

Throwing Time

I think you are going to be shocked at the amount of time we need to throw in order to develop our arm strength. We all think that we have to go out and throw for 30, 45, or even 60 minutes in order to develop the arm strength that we desire. What we forget is that we throw with our muscles. In fact, we throw with very explosive, fast, easily fatiguing muscles. The muscles we us to throw with fatigue very easily and very fast. There is no way around it but yet we try to throw and throw and throw trying to develop strength in these muscles. The more fatigued these muscles get the more we have to alter our mechanics to throw the ball. Once those mechanics are altered you end up putting more stress on your arm and strengthening muscles that you normally wouldn’t use during throwing.

For these reasons I recommend throwing no more then between 5-8 minutes per day. WHAT? That’s right you don’t need more than 5-8 minutes of throwing a day. I also recommend altering days. What I mean is 8 minute days on your non game or non throwing days at practice followed by a 5 minute day the next day. Never go consecutive 8 minute days as your arm needs time to rest. In addition you should always feel like you could do more when you end your throwing program. If you feel so fatigued that your arm is just “done” then you probably altered your mechanics well before you ended your throwing session. Keep your throwing programs short. You will find that not only will you have more arm strength but you will also have less arm pain.

Below I have attached examples of throwing programs and how to set them up...

12 and under example 8 minute day (60 foot bases)

Distance Time

20 feet 1 minute

40 feet 2 minutes

50 feet 1 minute

60 feet 2 minutes

70 feet 1 minute

50 feet 1 minute


12 and under example 5 minute day (60 foot bases)

Distance Time

20 feet 1 minute

40 feet 1 minute

60 feet 1 minute

70 feet 1 minute

60 feet 1 minute


18 and under example 8 minute day (90 foot bases)

Distance Time

40 feet 1 minute

60 feet 2 minutes

90 feet 2 minutes

120 feet 2 minutes

90 feet 1 minute

18 and under example 5 minute day (90 foot bases)

40 feet 30 seconds

60 feet 30 seconds

90 feet 2 minutes

120 feet 1 minute

90 feet 1 minute

The Bat Path

In baseball circles there tends to be much debate over the proper bat path when it comes to delivering the bat to the ball. For the most part it seems that most hitters, coaches, and instructors fall into two categories as to which bat path they believe is the correct one. The debate seems to be over whether a hitter should take a downward path to the ball or take more of an upward path to the ball. While most people involved in baseball agree that a hitter should take the most direct path possible and have a “short, compact” swing they differ on how this “short, compact” swing is achieved.

The predominant belief today is that the bat should be taken in an upward trajectory toward the pitch. This belief was first sparked by Ted Williams and his book, “The Science of Hitting”. Ted Williams believed that the bat must “get on plane” with the ball early matching the downward slope of the pitch. Since the pitch is moving downward (due to the pitcher on the mound throwing to a squatting catcher) Williams reasoned that if you get your barrel on plane with the pitch you increase your likelyhood of hitting the ball squarely. The argument also believes that this allows you more room for error since being on the same plane as the pitch (in theory) allows you to drive the ball even if you are not perfect with your timing.

Even with the advantage of video there is still a large majority of the baseball world that buys into this theory. They see that hitters have a small upward motion in their swing and naturally assume that the swing is in fact a slight upper cut. The problem is this theory is severely flawed and doesn’t allow the body to perform at it’s maximum capacity. Oh sure, you may think you see a small uppercut in a hitter’s swing but this generally happens during the follow through portion of the swing after the point of contact. An uppercut swing does much more harm than good and limits what a hitter is able to accomplish. Things such as: slower bat speed, being in weaker point at the point of contact, and the bat leaving the hitting zone early are some of the consequences of swinging in this motion.

What Ted Williams didn’t know and what most proponents of this bat path don’t know is that a downward swing works better with the body’s natural biomechanics. It allows for repeatability and gives the hitter more room for error. In addition there is a huge increase in a hitter’s power. The downward swing increases power by allowing the hitter to be in a stronger position at the point of contact as well as allowing the hitter to create backspin which aids in carry. But let’s look at the three main reasons as to why an downward bat path is best....

Increased Bat Speed

When a hitter uses a downward bat path they will notice a tremendous jump in bat speed and as a result they will be able to wait on the ball longer which helps with their pitch recognition. The increase in bat speed is due to a couple of reasons. First of all, this bat path allows the hitter to take the most direct route to the ball. When trying to get to the point of contact it only makes sense to take the barrel of the bat to the point of contact in the shortest distance possible. Swinging down allows the hitter to take the barrel from point A to point B as direct as possible shortening the distance the barrel has to travel to the ball.

Secondly, since we are gong “down” at the ball we are able to use gravity to aid us in the production of bat speed. That’s right! Gravity becomes our friend when we use it properly in hitting. Just like any other object that is traveling down our bat is pulled by gravity. The pull of gravity plus our own physical effort equals greater energy delivering the bat to the ball. In the upper cut model of swinging you have to fight gravity in order to generate your bat speed. While it may not seem like this could make that big of a difference remember baseball is a sport that is measured in 1/100 and 1/1000 of seconds. If you are off by just a small amount that could be the difference between a hit or an out. Between a homerun and a fly ball. Remember that the difference between a .250 hitter and a .300 hitter in the major leagues is 1 hit a week. Just 1 hit a week puts you in Cooperstown, wouldn’t you want to do what ever you could to help yourself out?

Finally, you are able to generate more bat speed because with the downward bat path the barrel is able to stay tighter to the body during the rotation phase of the swing. Think of a figure skater spinning. When they tuck their arms in they spin faster, when they extend their arms their rotation slows. It is the same in hitting. When you take the downhill path to the ball the barrel stays tighter to the body allowing the body to rotate faster. Obviously the faster the body rotates the faster the hitter’s bat speed.

Increases Power Production

Power production is obviously going to be affected by more bat speed however in addition to more bat speed the downhill bat bath aides your power production in other, more important ways.

First and probably most importantly the downhill bat path allows the hitter to get into their strongest position at the point of contact. Our posture at the point of contact is greatly effected by the bat path we take. When we use the “uppercut” swing our posture is altered in such a way that puts us in a weak position at the point of contact. Our hips, shoulders, and head tilt which is a much weaker position at the point of contact. However, the downhill bat path allows the hitter to keep the hips, shoulders, and head in a strong position which instantly increases the power production of the hitter. Think about it! I mean, if you were going to punch a punching bag would you hit it with your hips and shoulders tilted. You would make sure that your hips and shoulders were square and level so you would be strong and able to hit the punching bag as hard as possible. The same goes for hitting. You must be in a strong posture at the point of contact and the downhill bat path enables you to do that.

Secondly, the downhill bat path aides in power production by allowing the hitter to produce backspin. Backspin is important because it produces “carry” on the ball. When you watch a big league game you may have noticed two types of homeruns. The first of which are the towering, high fly balls that make it a few rows past the wall. The second type are the hard hit rising line drives that appear to gain height the farther they travel from the hitter. The second type is a ball hit with backspin. These balls travel farther and higher as they travel away from the hitter and usually produce balls that travel well beyond 400 feet. But, backspin isn’t just about hitting homeruns. If you hit the ball perfectly, sure backspin will help you hit the ball really far. However, you aren’t going to hit the ball perfectly every time. Backspin allows you to still get your hits by producing the hard skipping ground ball or line drive that gets through the infield as opposed to the high, choppy, slow ground balls and lazy fly balls that are caused by topspin. Either way, backspin helps you produce results as a hitter and the way to get it is through the use of the downhill bat path.

Allows more room for error

The downhill bat path allows more room for error because believe it or not it allows the bat to stay “on plane” or “through the ball” longer. This is the irony of the whole debate. The proponents of the upper cut swing believe that getting the bat “on plane” early allows the bat to stay on plane. However the way the body works doesn’t allow the bat to stay on plane when its gets on plane early. When a hitter gets the bat on plane early they are longer to the point of contact and shorter through the point of contact. As a result if you are not perfect with your timing then your bat will have left the hitting area before the pitch gets to you.

With the downhill bat path your bat gets to the point of contact sooner and as a result of the path you are taking stays in the hitting area longer allowing you to still drive the ball even if you aren’t perfect with your timing. In addition I have never seen a hitter hit a pitch behind them. So then why would you want to get your bat “on plane” before the point of contact? It doesn’t help you at all and limits the results you can produce.

Finally, you have more room for error because you are stronger at the point of contact. Like I mentioned earlier the bat path drastically effects our posture. When we use the downhill bat path your posture is in a stronger position at the point of contact. As a result you can mishit balls and still get your hits because your are so strong at the point of contact. If you are in a weaker position you have to hit the ball squarely in order get the ball to travel with any kind of velocity. If you don’t hit it perfectly you are so weak that you will produce lazy fly balls and ground balls and won’t maximize your ability to get hits. The downhill bat path or swinging down on the ball enables you to be in this strong position giving you more room for error.

So can you be successful using the uppercut swing or getting your swing “on plane” early? Sure you can! Many have done it. Especially bigger players as they have more mass and can get away with more flaws. However, why wouldn’t you do whatever you could to maximize your success? If you are having success, why wouldn’t you do everything possible to experience more success? Don’t limit yourself in any way. Adjust your mechanics accordingly and take you performance to new heights.