All Roads Pass Through UConn

April 18, 2013

The University of Hartford is NCAA Division I, in the America East Conference.  How I came to spend the day with their Baseball team is an interesting tale.  As you know, I am staying at the MacDonald Palace, who so happens to share his mansion in West Hartford with former teammate, and former UConn Assistant Coach, Steve Malinowski.  "Coach Mal" is currently assistant coach over at the University of Hartford, and suggested that I come on over to see how their program is run.  I jumped at the chance.

Here is where it gets crazy.

Left to Right: Coach Blood, Coach Mal, Coach Nemeth

Coach Mal now assists former UConn Pitching Coach, Justin Blood.  He is now Head Coach at University of Hartford, and has brought Assistant Coach Mike Nemeth on board... and yes, Nemeth is also a former UConn alumnus.  The whole staff... all went through UConn, and again welcomed me with the same signature CT hospitality.  We spent most of the morning going over Hawks Baseball philosophy and approach.  It was interesting to see the small nuances of difference, and similarity between the two programs.

PTPA Chart

The afternoon consisted of two main parts.  Outdoor workout on the field followed by a team lift.  Here is a look at the practice plan for the outdoor workout.

After warmup, the pitchers went into RF and began their throwing.  Up to 90 feet, every throw was a mix between 2-seam and 4-seam.  From 90 feet and longer they threw change ups, before they started to really stretch it out for some ELT.  On drawdown phase, they worked back in and once back at 90ft, they were back to change ups.  Then they shortened up into short work.  They worked middle (1 throw), in (2), and out (2), mixing in pitches.

"Have a plan"

Coach Blood stressed to all the pitchers, to have a plan. Every throw is an opportunity to learn something, is an opportunity to grow.  Coach Mal and Coach Blood then asked me to take a look at one their young lefty pitchers, who has recently changed his arm angle to submarine.  I watched him do his short work, and offered some opinions on how he might adjust one or two things.  We then went into some backshaping drills, and blending drills.   It felt good to work with a fellow submariner, and to see that he was getting the feel for his new arm slot.  I hope I was able to offer some insights to Barnes, and wish him much continuing growth and success. 

While the pitchers got their work in, the rest of the team worked on group or individual work with the coaches.  IF worked on steal coverage, while OF ran bases, hit in cages, or worked on reading line drives off a tee in LF.  Once pitchers finished their work, the whole team went into BP, and mass fungo.  Again, lots of pace, everyone moving and getting involved.  Great to see.  

Part 2 of practice was Strength and Conditioning, under the guidance of Coach Schwager.  I've included some videos of different dynamic warm ups and exercises, and was very impressed with how Coach Schwager commanded the troops.  Take a look.

I want to restate how grateful I am that Coaches Blood, Malinowski, Nemeth, and Schwager have allowed me the opportunity to learn from them, and see how they run things.  It's been astounding, just how welcoming and helpful these guys have been.  Real world class coaches and stand up guys.  Very thankful.  Tomorrow is GAME DAY with UConn taking on USF (University of South Florida) at New Britain Stadium.  Take a look at the website for more info, and follow along... it should be a great matchup.  Let's hope for good weather and GO HUSKIES!

http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-basebl/

In-season Strength and Conditioning

April 17, 2013

Coach MacDonald lives, breathes baseball.  His enthusiasm is contagious.  We got to campus early, as is usually the case with Coach Mac.  The whole morning was spent going over recruiting materials, catching up on office work, and getting ready for the afternoon workout/practice.  We spoke about offensive strategies, and Coach Hourigan waxed poetic on the virtues of "Guerilla Offense." Good stuff! The coaches also spent some time filling me in on the nexus of NCAA rules and regulations regarding the recruitment of players.  This week happens to be a "dead period" which basically means little to no recruiting contact with players.  NCAA uses this description:
"During a dead period a college coach may not have face-to-face contact with college-bound student-athletes or their parents, and may not watch student-athletes compete or visit their high schools. Coaches may write and telephone student-athletes or their parents during a dead period."
After lunch we got ready for the Strength and Conditioning workout.  From the beginning I knew this was something I wanted to see, especially in-season.  Once again, the UConn staff was incredibly welcoming.  As soon as we walked into the room, conditioning coordinator Maureen Butler introduced herself to me and encouraged me to take as many photos and ask as many questions as I like.  The room was all open for me to see, and to inquire.  Everything about their program is based on pair work, and on a system of stations.  Each player had their own personalized plan within a larger system of stations and routines, and pitchers altered their workout depending on their rotation schedule.  The focus of their program is all about explosiveness, and the workouts are designed with this as the main goal.  Medecine ball work, free weights, plyometrics, and ladders.  It was great to see, and everything moved like clockwork.  These players are focused, and the guidance from the staff was both stern and encouraging.

On our way over to the field we stopped off to check out their indoor facilities they use in the winter... I was blown away with how state-of-the-art this place was.  I mean, really impressive...

Coach Jeff Hourigan

We set up for practice, as the guys came out from the gym.  Another warm and sunny spring day in CT, and a perfect afternoon for Baseball.   Pitchers divided into two groups, one group throwing some long-toss, and the other working in the bullpen.  They needed to get ready to throw live for later in practice.  IF and OF split up.  The OF worked with Coach Hourigan on throws home while the IF worked with Coach Podeszwa on trusting their glove.  Here are some of the drills from the IF work.

Then the practice shifted into team work and live situations.  Pitchers threw live BP, while coach Penders put runners on the bases in different situations.  Much of the work was with a runner on third, getting runners to read the ball off the bat and work on their leads, and getting batters to focus on pitch selection and execution. 

After the live work, the regular rounds of BP began.  The rounds were identical to the pregame routine in the last post, and again pitchers and coaches were hitting fungos to IF so everyone worked.  Standing around on the field is just not an option.  It was excellent to see how UConn Baseball works out, and tomorrow I'll be heading to the University of Hartford with coach Steve Malinowski (a UConn Baseball alumnus) to see their program in action.  More to come. Here are some final shots from practice.

Coach Penders and BIG Penders. Great to see!

Big Guy taking some cuts

The Arrival and Game Time

April 16, 2013

Coach Jim Penders and I rolled into UConn at around 9am, and after a brief tour around the campus we headed to the office.  Assistant coaches, Jeff Hourigan and Josh MacDonald were already hard at work discussing recruiting and going over the game plan for the afternoon.  After introductions Coach Penders and I went down to get my uniform.  Since the very beginning the UConn staff, and the University have been extraordinarily generous, treating me as a part of the team.  I have felt included and integrated since the first second I stepped onto campus.  

Once back in the office, coach MacDonald went over their approach to recruiting, and what they look for in players.  We got into discussions about both the physical and mental aspects of baseball, and the unique position of the collegiate program to develop not just great ball players, but well rounded individuals. It was a great way to start the day, to hear about the theory behind the program, what UConn Baseball is all about: Attitude, Concentration, Effort.  

Coach Hourigan then went over their approach to hitting, charting, and the use of video analysis with hitting mechanics.  We took a look at some of the players' swings in Right View Pro, and talked about both good aspects of a swing, and some adjustments some players could make.  It was a great look into how they approach hitting, and the use of vid analysis as a tool.  I'll include pics of the charts they use as well.  Every game, players not in the game are charting.  

"Game day is a great day"

Agreed.  3:00 game means get to the field at 12:30.  We got to the field and players were already working to set up for BP.  Players trickled out, and they got loose on their own, many coming direct from classes.  Once BP started, things moved with pace.  

Round 1- Executions: everyone gets one swing and out

Split into hitting groups.

Round 2- Bunts

Round 3- Slashes

Round 4- Hit and Run

Round 5- Keep hitting if you hit the ball hard

Round 6- HWP: Hit it where it's pitched/ 2-strikes/ Runners in scoring position.

Catcher getting some work

The Barn

Coach Chris Podeszwa hit fungos to infielders, and those not hitting we running the bases.  Everything was fast paced, direct, and concise.  Great to see.

Inside the Barn

After all groups hit, players threw and kept loose, or went to hit in "the barn" to get some more swings in.  Pitchers worked on hitting spots from shorter distances, or threw some easy long-toss.  

Game Time.

To stand on the field, hat over heart, the National Anthem playing, a sunny afternoon in Connecticut; it's an honor to share in this experience.  

The Huskies took the game, showing incredible resolve after getting behind early.  Freshman hurler Christian Colletti got the W, and LJ Mazzilli hit a go ahead bases clearing double in the fourth.  

Full game recap and boxscore here: http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-basebl/recaps/041613aaa.html

Colletti fixing the mound to celebrate his W

Tomorrow is a lifting and practice day, so I'm looking forward to see how they approach in-season lifting and conditioning.  More to come.  For now, here is a video of reliever Feehan, whose fastball moves like a LHP slider... no joke, really unique delivery...

I want to restate how generous and gracious the UConn staff have been.  They have truly made me feel welcome, and it is an honor to learn from them.  I would like to especially thank Coach MacDonald for opening his home to me, and allowing me to stay with him.  Thanks also, to the EBCA for giving me this opportunity and setting up this experience. 

Report from Brian Bach, EBCA exchange in the Netherlands

I want to thank you for your efforts on my behalf so I could participate as an EBCA Exchange Coach.  I had a superb experience in the Netherlands; the visit allowed me to accomplish everything that I desired.  Here are notes on various aspects of my visit that should make up for my lack of blogging. 

Here are the various teams whose practices I was able to observe during my 19-23 January visit to the Netherlands:

·         Club Kinheim (pitchers and catchers ages 8-10 and 10-12) in Haarlem

·         Kennemerland (Region Haarlem) Future Stars (ages 10-up who want to be Haarlem Academy players)

·         Baseball Academy APPM Rabbits (region Haarlem) (13-15 and 15-18)

·         Baseball Academy Scimitars Midden-Nederland (region Utrecht/Almere) (13-15 and 15-18)

·         Baseball Academy Rotterdam Unicorns (13-15 and 15-18)

·         Neptunus Juniors (16-18)

·         Neptunus Tridents (16-21)

·         DOOR Neptunus Senior Team

·         NL National AAA-team (16-18)

·         NL National Team

It was a great slice of NL baseball. 

What I observed during practices that made an impression was that at all levels: 

·         Players work consistently on basic ball handling drills, throwing drills (throwing to a base, even if not 90 feet away), and hitting the ball hard.

Scott Weberg - Blue Jays

·         All NL teams were using movement exercises to enhance players’ speed, agility and reaction time.  I had the great opportunity to travel to various venues with Toronto Blue Jays minor league Strength and Conditioning (S&C) Coordinator Scott Weberg.  His most significant influence on my thinking was observing the amount of effort he dedicates to developing athletic movements.  His drills involve sprinting, lateral movement, backpedaling, and sharply changing direction.

Norway's Brian Bach gets a taste of Europe's Top Level

Oslo Baseball Academy's director Brian Bach is currently enjoying a week long exchange with Dutch Top Sport Program.

During his trip he will be exposed to an average 5 hours per day of elite baseball practices.

Brian is traveling through Rotterdam, Haarlem, Amsterdam, Bussum for sessions in various academies and will also get the chance to attend National Team practices of different age groups.

The EBCA would like to thank the KNBSB and its staff for their tremendous cooperation in making such an experience possible, proving once again their willingness to share baseball with the rest of Europe.

The Dutch exchange kicks off the EBCA Coach Exchange Program season that will also see EBCA members travel to Connecticut, Tennessee, Arizona and Italy while contacts are already in place to open more spots in high schools, college and other world top programs in order to connect coaches who understand the importance of learning with coaches who have a passion for sharing the game.