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I coached a HS Fall league team last night. My
impression was that they had no purpose behind their effort. They knew they should play in the fall but not why. They played hard but seemed to not have an agenda for what they were trying to accomplish. There is very little carry over for skills improvement accomplished in the fall. There is a needed months long respite after the end of the fall season before they start up next year. They will have to rehone those swing mechanics and retune timing. They will have to work on rehoning their pitching mechanics and rebuild arm strength. These kids are not really pro or college prospects at this point so they aren’t showcasing for scouts. After the game I asked them to give some serious thought to why they are here. The single most productive thing they can do between now and next year’s season is to engage in a serious strength training program. They could also focus on some specific areas they wish to improve this fall. Some of these might include working on developing a new pitch, pitch recognition or base running skills.
I watched the starting pitcher get warm in the pen. From his first pitch, he was firing away max velocity. It amazes me how few pitchers even on this level have no clue how to throw in the pen. He was wild with all his pitches. I stopped him and told him to start over just focusing on perfect mechanics, getting his rhythm and hitting spots, at about 3⁄4 speed. Only on the last few pitches did he need to air it out. After the first inning, in which he pretty much got ripped, I asked him if he thought he could throw 95? “No”, he replied. Well then you can’t just challenge hitters with a ‘can you hit this’ attitude because they were answering a resounding “YES”! He needed to learn to PITCH. He needed to learn to hit spots with all his pitches. He now has something to work on in the fall.
Play in the fall isn’t about winning games. It should be about improving but improving in areas that will carry over to the spring. The Coach http://tipsfromthecoach.com ARCHIVES
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