Thursday September 30

We get on the field and get to see the catching practice in the cages with Charlie Greene and Nestor Corredor.

Their practice is a well prepared routine. For those who attended the ABCA Convention of San Diego a few years ago or the German Clinic las year, it's pretty much the same routine that Charlie explained in his topics there.

Seeing live though brings a different perspective.

Halfway blocks, doubles, triples... off a pitching machine shooting sliders.

In another cage, Nestor is shooting balls for catchers to receive.  Some of these balls reach 102 MPH. And they handle it pretty well.

Wednesday - Camp day

Wednesday started strong as rehab guys were busy doing some shoulder strengthening exercises.
We took some pictures and videos of the exercises.

7.30 - Coach meeting.
8.00 - Early work with the infielders. Some news interesting drills and points are brought and and we take some notes of those.
8.40 - IPS Individual Position Skills.
We follow the catcher on one side, with Charlie Greene putting up a clinic in stance and signals.
On another field, we take some notes on outfield drills, PFPs and infield drills.

It's a short day, (Camp day, our team doesn't face another team), we head to the field to play an intrasquad game.

First steps on the field with the Brewers

This first day on the field, was certainly a great day.
Filip, arrived a day early but didn't take part to on-field activities because the Brewers want all their staff to pass a physical before they clear them to take the field.
Tuesday, by 9.30, that was done and things could really begin.
Here are some of the highlights of the day.

At 8.35, the pitchers who pitched on Monday gather in the classroom and look at the videos taken during their outing.
Pretty fascinating software. The pitchers are filmed from 4 different angles. The software, after some preparation work has been done, allows to see the pitching sequence of every batter of the game. Also, if you want to check all the low pitches on the video, you just click to a zone of the strike-zone, and it displays all the videos of those pitches, one after the other, in the angle you chose. Coaches do comment but not too much. Players need to see and be critical about what they did.
The thing wit the pitchers is that you sense a process where the pitchers is empowered in his own development. He is taught to become his own coach, down the road.

EBCA launches new website

The European Baseball Coaches Association is launching its new website.
This tool will help the organization to communicate more efficiently and more transparently with the baseball coaches interested in growing the game in Europe.
The new website will have many new features like:

• Online membership application
• Online Convention pre-registration
• Online EBCA Exchange Program application
• Awards year by year and much more…

Check it out www.baseball-in-europe.com

EBCA Exchange coach Van Der Meiren with the Brewers

Since its creation in 2004, EBCA has tried to create opportunitiees for its coaches.
Over the years EBCA coaches have been sent with teams like the Rockies, White Sox… but not a regular basis.
Last year, EBCA decided to give a new face to its program and to make it available to more coaches.
In 2010, EBCA was able to send one of theirs with the Royals, in Surprise, near Phoenix, AZ, thanks to the collaboration with Major League Baseball and its Coach Development Program.
EBCA was then able to officially launch its EBCA Exchange Program, sending 3 coaches in US baseball organizations of various levels in the Spring of 2011.
A few months later, Filip Van Der Meiren, a coach from the MLB supported Belgian Baseball Academy is now selected to represent EBCA at the Fall Instructional League from the Milwaukee Brewers.
Van Der Meiren was an infielder in Belgium Division 1, winning many championships there. He faced the top European players with his club and the Belgian national team.
He also played college baseball and made it to the NAIA World Series tournament with Bellevue University.
In 2009, he hung up his cleats to be able to fully focus on the development of one of the 2 national MLB-endorsed academies as well as on the Belgian junior National Team he has been leading for the past 4 years.


"This is a lifetime opportunity that was presented to me, here. Spending time in this professional environment will be an awesome experience", says the 33 year old Belgian coach.
"It’s a great chance to learn things you can’t learn at clinics. It’s the hands-on instruction that any coach dreams about".

As an EBCA/MLB exchange coach, Filip will be taking part to the on-field activities of the Instructional League from the Brewers in Maryvale, near Phoenix, AZ.
From the 25th of September to the 7th of October, he will be exposed to the top young talent in the Brewers organization and will sure get a feel of the level to aim for with the academy program.
He will also have the opportunity to pick brains from some of the top teachers in the game in order to be able to spread that knowledge around Europe.
The EBCA Exchange Program blog will be fully active again during that period to let everybody get a taste of the experience.