• Hand positioning - If you are holding the ball in your glove with your throwing hand, please make sure that the palm of your hand is facing downward  into your glove with a relaxed wrist position. Hopefully none of you are holding the ball with your palm facing upward, but I have seen it taught and executed before.
• Grip - All coaches talk about having a relaxed grip and allowing the ball to rest within your finger tips. BUT BE CAREFUL when explaining “finger tips.” What was not a concern for me because of my short finger size/length turned into a huge issue for a high school player of mine and a minor leaguer under the guidance of a close friend. Because these two individuals had such long fingers, they did not have the ball resting against the pads of their upper hand/lower fingers. The ball was resting completely in their finger tips and both velocity and control were being compromised. You’d be amazed at the instant increase in both velocity and control that was gained simply by sliding the ball back into the hand, while still keeping a relaxed grip. It was awesome! 
• Glove Positioning - Completely a personal preference. I am most comfortable with my elbows relaxed, just outside of my body and glove settled slightly below my chest at around a 45 degree angle; however you may feel comfortable elsewhere. I tend to favor a glove angle that is no greater than 45 degrees or so, because it limits the tension of the arms and wrists as well as simplifies the mechanics for separation. As the glove becomes more vertical the wrists tend to tighten and elbows move inward. Check out Tim Hudson (below).  
• Foot Location - Traditionally RH pitchers have been taught to use the left side of the rubber and LH pitchers the right side. Although it is currently up for debate with a close friend of mine, we’ll stick to what makes the movement the easiest and most fluid. We’ll use a RH pitcher for this example … I like to suggest having one foot on the rubber and the other slightly off with both feet turned at an angle around 30-45 degrees facing the third base line. Let’s be honest, how many amateur pitching mounds do we come across that don’t have a huge hole in front of the rubber making it extremely uncomfortable to have both heals resting on the rubber and both sets of toes in the hole. Yet the BIGGEST reason for the feet being angled, is that it is much easier to take a small step, change direction, replace the pivot foot and REPETITIVELY reach a strong, loaded position to throw if there is less turning, twisting and foot rotating to execute (especially on a crappy mound).

So now we’re set up and ready to move in the RIGHT way. Check out The Windup Phase 2.

Be the first to arrive, and the last to leave.  ALWAYS HUSTLE!  Be confident but not arrogant.  Smile, look people in the eye, and give a firm hand shake. 

Dress like a ball player.  No camo hats, Hooters T shirts, baggy sweats.  Wear baseball pants, period.  Tuck in your shirt.  Wear your hat the way it’s supposed to worn.  If you have attended any of the big time national showcases, wear that shirt.  A shirt with your name on it is always a plus.

Every showcase includes a sixty yard dash, the standard measuring stick for baseball.  College coaches and professional scouts like players who can run the sixty yards in less than seven seconds.  Get a good start.  Study the starter so that you can move on his first arm movement.  Don’t stand straight up off the starting line.  Run in a straight line.  Pick a point in the distance and line up with that as your target.  Lengthen your stride and pick up your knees.  Your arms should pump forward and back, not side to side.  Run through the finish line (at least ten yards past the finish line).  Don’t slow down before you cross the finish line.  If you have a choice, pick a faster partner to run with. 

Above all else, have FUN!  Don’t just hang out with mom and dad.  This is a great opportunity to meet other young men who have the same dreams you have.  Some of them could be your teammates in a few years!

These and other pointers about showcasing can be found in the book: Taking It To The Next Level: What High School Players And Parents Should Know About The NCAA Recruiting Process And Playing College Baseball byMarvin Schade.  Available only through Baseball Mentorz.com.

First, establish a relationship with a college coach in your area.  He will know which showcases are well run and which ones are not.  Find out if the coaches from the colleges you are interested in attending are coming to the showcase.  Remember, the showcase advertisers might use the words “we’ve INVITED such and such schools”.  That is different than the words “such and such schools ARE attending.”  Next, find out how many players will be attending.  When college coaches are attending a showcase and watching two hundred batters, you may become just another number.  Smaller showcases might give you more opportunities to demonstrate your ability.  However, a small showcase may also not be as well attended by the college coaches.  Ask the sponsor of the showcase how many of the previous attendees have received college scholarships, and where the scholarships  were to.  Finally, ask what format will be followed, and what sort of evaluation will be provided.   

We attended many showcases over the years.  Some were great opportunities for my sons to showcase their talents.  A few were just costly mistakes.  One in particular will always stand out. 

We were offered the opportunity to attend a week long showcase in Los Vegas.  We figured this would be a good opportunity for the West Coast colleges to see our son and his teammates.  You can imagine what the costs were for this trip!  Air fare for my wife, my son and me, lodging, food, etc. 

The first thing we found out was that the EAST COAST teams were at the showcase to watch the West Coast players!  After two days all the pitchers had showcased and didn’t want to throw anymore.  The sponsor had to beg players to pitch so that the games could be played.  Finally, he rated the three players we took as Division II players!  Two of the three ended up playing professional baseball and the third received a scholarship to a good Division I school.  Hmmmmm…..

Did you know that a course that will satisfy a graduation requirement at your high school, and that would be accepted by colleges for admission, might NOT be accepted by the NCAA for eligibility?  Only by checking their website will you be sure.

There are many “funkie” aspects to the NCAA eligibility requirements.  For example, if you take an advanced placement course in eight grade that will count as a credit towards English in high school, that’s great for your graduation requirements.  However, the NCAA does not accept ANY courses taken prior to ninth grade.  An athlete at the high school where I taught missed his chance to play Division I football at a prestigeous university because this error was not discovered until after he graduated.

Since the NCAA uses a sliding scale to determine eligibility - the higher the student’s GPA, the lower the SAT score can be - it is good advice to work hard in school and get good grades.  Better grades also translate into more choices.  The higher your GPA and SATS, the more colleges will want to recruit you.  The NCAA monitors the academic progress of all its programs.  Coaches need to find good athletes who are also good students so that they can raise their team GPA and meet the NCAA requirements.  With good grades you may also be offered academic scholarship money in additon to athletic scholarship money.  Your goal is to find a way to pay for your college education.  It doesn’t matter where the money comes from!

So let’s start with preparation … There is no better time to learn how a ball will bounce off of an outfield wall than during BP. Not only should you play a round or two of BP live (off of the wall), but you should take the time to throw a few of your own off of the top, middle and bottom of the wall. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen an outfielder misplay and/or overrun a ball that hits the wall which turns into extra bases and extra runs. Learn as much as you can as soon as you can! 

What is the correct way to field a ball off the wall? After you have picked a spot the ball will fall due to your preparation, approach the ball with your shoulders aligned to the infield (not with your back/numbers to the infield) and legs beneath you. Do NOT pick up a stationary ball with your glove, but rather stab it with your throwing hand into the ground so not to leave without it. If it’s still moving try to pick it with two hands. By this point your fellow outfielder(s) and infielders(s) should be communicating to you what base you will be throwing to. After fielding the ball cleanly be sure NOT to stand up. Stay athletic, stay low and create a good upward angle with your shoulders to get the most out of your throw. You may have time to shuffle your feet or you may not. I’ve seen tons of outfielders stand straight up and use nothing but arm to make a throw that has nothing on it. Remember that your ONLY RESPONSIBILITY is to get the ball quickly and accurately to the next guy in line (cutoff man).

1) The flip should only be used when a ball is hit either straight at you or to the second base side (SS - Left : 2B - Right) 

2) Funneling a flip can often costs you time, but may be needed to compensate a bad / in between hop. Try to use it sparingly, but do not jeopardize making a play to just to avoid it.

3) One of the biggest mistakes young middle infielders make is NOT to get their glove out of the way when making a flip. If a fielder tries to flip a ball with both hands, the player attempting to receive the flip has a very difficult time seeing it. Especially if it’s coming in hot or in close proximity. Take your glove to your hip and let your fellow MIF see the ball.

4) Flip “Up Hill.” There is nothing worse for a middle infielder than receiving a flip at the knees or ankles. Remember, you’ve got to get one before you can get two, so make the first one count. Hit your teammate in the chest!

5) Following your flip adds accuracy and firmness. I’ve seen many young players flick and stop when turning a double play. I call it a “floating flip” that often gets the teammate tackled or ends up in the outfield. Trust me, I’ve been on the receiving end of a tackle and it’s not any fun.

Flips can be fun and extremely affective. Heck, you may even get the chance to make a glove flip once every blue moon and man are those fun to turn. Do them right on both sides of the bag and DP results will follow.

First, if you’re playing on fields that are rock solid (FL, TX, etc) try to avoid metal and use molded plastic spikes. You may think you’re digging in, but you’re simply asking for a beating. Nike has been making them for years and others have since attempted to compete. Check them out at BaseballExpress.com. Molded plastic cleats were a savior for me in withstanding the grind of a spring training in FL. However, avoid plastic cleats in a wet/rainy environment. They tend to become slippery, especially on wet grass.

Now if your feet continue to hurt, you’re a young player that is still growing or you may just have flat feet (arches) TRY THIS … Take a regular bat (preferably with a small barrel) and lay it on the ground. Then stand over it and role each foot individually across the barrel. Chances are it’s going to hurt a little and you may even feel several small balls / knots that you never knew you had. Try doing this 2-3 times daily and you may just be on your way to healthier feet. Also explore routinely stretching your calves, because as you may know everything is connected. GOOD LUCK!