Cactus Newsletter Vol 5 Issue 7

February 17, 2010 By: Billy Horton Category: Weekly Newsletter

CACTUS ATHLETIC CAMPS NEWSLETTER
Correspondence for Cactus Athletes and Parents
VOLUME 5, ISSUE 7

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:

When they start the game, they don’t yell, “Work ball.” They say, “Play ball.”

- Willie Stargell, 1981

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE:

A WORD FROM THE PRESIDENT:

The smell of pine tar and freshly cut grass is in the air which can mean only one thing- SPRING TRAINING is here! Praise the Lord! This is the time of year when everyone’s favorite team has dreams of playoff chances and rookies get the shot to make the big club and play on Opening Day in front of 30,000 encouraged fans. College games are right around the corner as well and High School practices kicked off here in Phoenix last week. Not far behind are youth leagues such as Cal Ripken, Babe Ruth & Little League.

As you know our job is to help prepare you for your season and keep you sharp during it. The first thing we have to offer you is our “Date Night” Pitching & Catching Clinics that start this Friday and go for 6 weeks. They are only $10/session which is an absolute bargain! It gives you the chance to drop your kids off with us and still afford dinner with your spouse. We also have our Spring Break Camps up on the website. These are 5 days each and go for 6 hours per day. They may actually pass out in the car on the way home after we get done with them- You’re welcome!

In addition to the camps & clinics, we also offer individual and group training at our outdoor facility. Please check out what we have to offer on the Instruction Page on our website. We also want to encourage you to look at our Professional Baseball Training DVDs. These are top notch and we used 7 different professional baseball players during our filming. I think one of our coaches put it best when he said “If you are going to spend $200 on a bat, why not spend 20 bucks on something that will teach you to use it?” Makes sense to me. Have an awesome day and I look forward to seeing you at a field soon.

“We are ready for practice! Let’s lace ‘em up and get after it!”

STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Evan Mekenney

by Billy Horton
Evan Mekenney, a 6th grader from Glendale, AZ is our Student Athlete of the Week. He attends Highland Lakes Elementary School and maintains a 4.0 grade point average. Evan is an extremely intelligent young man and has been in the advanced reading and math programs for three years.

He first caught our eye during our Holiday Baseball Camps this past December. During the camp he showed a great combination of talent, leadership and determination. He was also very coachable and implemented the drills we showed him during our daily scrimmages. Due to that he was voted the MVP of the camp.

We also had the pleasure of working with Evan during the winter season of the Arizona Baseball League. He played for the (AA) Braves in the North Division and helped his team earn a 6-2 record and a #2 seed in the playoffs. His head coach Chris Marchildon had this to say about Evan: “He was a great player for me. He got to the field early, learned new things we taught him on the fly and was a real joy to coach.”

This spring he will play in the Majors Division of Arrowhead Little League. Defensively he excels over at first base, but is a beast anywhere you put him on the diamond. He is a very consistent hitter at the plate and has some pretty good wheels as well.

Evan’s first passion is baseball. He also loves to play video games, ride his BMX bike, and is an altar server at St. Thomas Moore Catholic Church. Evan is a driven and responsible kid. He wanted to raise $250 on his own to attend his 6th grade trip to Sea World and he accomplished that goal. One of his nicknames is Tank. He got it because he has always been so thin.

In the future Evan has plans to get a full baseball scholarship to ASU and then play for the Diamondbacks as a star shortstop. I think those are solid goals and I wouldn’t put it past him. He is a smart kid who is going to continue to shine brighter and brighter the older he gets.

COACHES’ CORNER: I got the ball, now what?!

by Billy Horton
You may laugh at the title, but how many of you coaches have sat in the dugout and yelled “Throw the ball!” to your left fielder as he pump fakes the baseball like he’s Kurt Warner trying to draw the free safety away from Larry Fitzgerald. That’s right, every one of you. Typically the coach gets mad at the player and the player is mentally toast for the rest of the inning or possibly the game. Now I pose this to you- Is it the player’s fault or possibly does more blame fall on the coach for not preparing him well enough?

I think we should lean towards the latter. Granted some players are watching butterflies while others are focused on the delightful smell of hot dogs emanating from the snack shack. It’s almost a lock that the next ball hit will be headed directly at them like a heat seeking missile. For the most part I think it does fall on us as coaches. While working on fundamental grounders and fly balls is essential, I think that sometimes we should focus more on situational defense in practice.

Here is a great way to start. Work on relays and cutoffs. Have the players line up in throwing groups of 4 and spread them out about 10-20 yards apart depending on how old they are. Teach them how to turn to their glove side when receiving the ball so they can cut down on the steps they take when they go to throw it. If possible get them to turn their bodies towards their target while the ball is in mid-air so all they have to do is turn, step and throw.

Once that is done put players in defensive positions and work on only one base at a time. Put them in the 3 outfield positions and have the short stops and second baseman work on cuts to second base. After that you can progress to third base and eventually home plate. Teach them that it is of utmost importance to position the cut off man so he is in a direct line between the outfielder and the base the ball is going to. We all know that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Remember it is our job to put the players in a position to succeed. We can’t catch it or throw it for them, but we can do our best to prepare them. One last thing is to emphasize to the players the importance of being in a ready position on the balls of their feet before every pitch. Hopefully that will keep the butterfly chasing to a minimum.

EXERCISE OF THE WEEK: Bridge Rotation

by Taleen Horton
The bridge rotation is a great core exercise to incorporate into your present core stability program. This exercise will strengthen your transverse abdominus and oblique muscles. The bridge rotation will guarantee to challenge you by the instability of the swiss ball and especially when your weight is increased.

1) First, lay with your head and back on a swiss exercise ball and both feet flat on the ground approximately shoulder width apart. The swiss ball should be positioned between your head and shoulder blades/mid back. This is the bridge position. Hold a weight (dumbbell or medicine ball) with both arms directly above your chest. (Fig. 1) Begin with a light weight such as 2lbs to make sure you keep correct form before increasing weight.

2) Rotate your arms to the left while holding the weight and allow your right shoulder blade to come up slightly off the swiss ball. (Fig. 2)

3) Then rotate your arms to the right in the same manner. (Fig. 3)

4) Return to starting position. (Fig.1). This is one rep. Perform one set of 10 reps and then rest. You may perform 2-3 sets of 10 reps and increase your weight to tolerance.

As with any new exercise, if you experience pain stop immediately and consult your physician. When beginning a new exercise program, always consult your physician.

Taleen is a Certified Athletic Trainer and Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physiological Science & a Master’s degree in Sports Health Care.