Pro testing day
August 20, 2008Today on the field was “pro testing day”. That is where each kid gets timed in the 60 yard dash, fields ground balls, throws from the outfield, pop time from catcher to second, etc. This is all done by pro scouts. So basically what happened from a catching standpoint was the catchers all ditched the throwing techniques that we’ve been working on and just went about a billion miles an hour in an effort to throw the ball to second base in one second or something. It was a good lesson for them because they all are capable of having a “pop – time” of 2 seconds or below; however, they all saw results in the 2.2 range and were not that accurate. I think as an instructor, I made a mistake in not timing them up to this point and giving them a feel for the natural tendency to rush when you’re on the watch. I just thought they needed to learn proper technique first. I felt mixing the pop time concept into the soup too early would just confuse things. Oh well, now I know. And the kids know too, because we will time them in a week or so and I’ll show them that they don’t need to rush to have a good time to second. Throwing to second base effectively is a lot like hitting. It’s all about the timing. You don’t necessarily have to swing harder or move faster to hit the ball farther or squarer. Ditto that for throwing runners out at second and having a good pop time. Its all about attacking at the proper time, under control, with proper technique. So thats that. I will leave you with a picture of my favorite statue of the many I’ve seen so far. Fat guy on a Turtle. Ciao.
