Alright, so yesterday I was workin’ with Dee on her baseball skills. She’s been wanting to improve, and I’m always down to help her out. Thought I’d share what we did, kinda like a training log or something.
First thing we did was warm-up. Can’t just jump into throwing, gotta get the arm ready. Started with some light jogging, just around the yard a couple of times. Then, we did arm circles – forward, backward, small circles, big circles, the whole shebang. Made sure she was feelin’ loose.
Next up was some stretching. Really focused on her shoulders, back, and legs. You know, all the muscles you use when you’re throwing and hitting. Held each stretch for like, 20 seconds, making sure she was breathing deep. Gotta keep that blood flowin’.
After the warm-up, we moved on to the fun stuff – throwing. We started close, just working on her grip and release. Showed her how to hold the ball properly, making sure her fingers were on the seams. Then, we focused on her throwing motion. Making sure she was stepping towards her target and following through with her arm. We weren’t tryin’ to throw hard, just focusing on accuracy and form. Did this for a good 30 minutes.
Once she was feeling good with her throwing, we moved back a little bit, increasing the distance. Kept working on her accuracy and form. She was startin’ to get some zip on the ball too, which was cool to see. We worked on different types of throws, too – fastball, changeup, even tried a curveball (that one needs some work, haha). I was catchin’ for her, givin’ her tips and pointers after each throw. “Keep your eye on the target,” “Follow through,” “Don’t forget to breathe!” Stuff like that.
Then, we moved onto batting practice. This is where she really shines. I set up the tee, and she started takin’ swings. We worked on her stance, making sure she was balanced and comfortable. Then, we focused on her swing – keeping her eye on the ball, driving through the ball, and following through with her swing. After a bit with the tee, I started tossin’ her some soft pitches. She was crushin’ the ball! Really making solid contact. I told her to try and hit to all fields, not just pull the ball. Gotta be able to hit it wherever it’s pitched.
We wrapped things up with some fielding drills. I was hittin’ ground balls to her, and she was fielding them and throwin’ them to first. Worked on her footwork, making sure she was getting in front of the ball. We also did some pop-up drills, where I’d throw the ball up in the air, and she’d track it and catch it. This is something she needs to practice more, but she’s getting better.
After all that, we were both pretty tired. Cooled down with some more stretching and called it a day. Dee was definitely improved. Her throw was crisper and hitting was stronger.
