Players Shine in Caymans. . .

Our 5 day baseball tour of the Cayman Islands is yet again, complete. Over 70 players from the island trained with us 5 hours a day from Monday through Friday. The kids, age ranges 6-17 were so excited to have us down again, and I don't know that I've had that much fun doing a camp in a long time. The kid's personalities were unique and wonderful. It was so great to see kids,some with very little baseball experience at all, starting to grasp the game by Friday. Their faces would light up with big smiles when they started seeing themselves getting better.

At the older level, it is really baseball at its purest form - almost a sandlot type atmosphere. You see, no Cayman player has ever made a serious mark at the collegiate or professional level, so most players there play simply because they enjoy it. A few players that we have now trained over the last 5 years, are ready to make the next step in playing collegiately in the United States. I look forward to helping these players fulfill their dreams in playing collegiately here.

From the travel standpoint, the island was wonderful. We stayed in a condo on the water, and I found it very peaceful to get a workout in each day on our private pier, as the sun rose over the ocean. It was 85 and sunny every day. At night we would talk baseball while watching the World Series at Coconut Joe's or the Royal Palms. The island has a very "small town" feel to at as just over 50,000 people live there. I would be walking downtown after camp and people would call out to me using my first name. They really made us feel at home. My travel schedule will stay busy with 4 more trips to Mexico/the Caribbean planned before March. Below are some television and newspaper links to our stay:

http://www.cayman27.com.ky/news/item/7402

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2010/11/01/Sox-like-our-talent/

http://www.compasscayman.com/caycompass/2010/10/29/White-Sox-coaches-excite-locals/

Nazareth Summer State Champs!

A meeting with my good friend, and long time hitting coach at Nazareth Academy, John Sime today reminded me of a overdue post. John's Nazareth Academy squad won the IHSBCA Summer State High School Championship this year. This is quite a feat especially considering how small of a school Nazareth is. For the past 3 years, I have gone to Nazareth to help implement their in-season hitting program. John is a big believer in our system, and it has really paid off for their hitters. Under John's tutelage, Nazareth consistently has a team batting average over .350 and sends many players on to Division I schools. They are a fun group to work with because there isn't one group that is more respectful and hungrier for knowledge than Nazareth. Probably not a coincidence why their so good, huh?

John and I were putting in his hitting analysis system today, so he can help guide Nazareth to another state championship.

Back to the Cayman Islands this October

I will be heading down with some of my White Sox collegues to the Cayman Islands to put on an instructional series for players in their league. The White Sox started a relationhip with the Cayman Island group shortly after the Sox won the World Series in 2005 and it will mark our 5th time going there to instruct their kids. The week long trip is a great 5 days of baseball. Their 4 back to back field-turf fields provide an excellent setting to teach. The beach, sting rays, iguanas and Carribean Drinks aren't bad either!

Halas makes Team USA 40 man roster

Tyler Halas, who I had the pleasure of coaching at the USA Baseball NTIS in North Carolina has been selected to the USA Baseball 14U 40 man roster. Tyler will compete in the USA Trials next summer as one of the few representatives from the Midwest. The roster, predominantly dominated by talent from Texas, California and Florida has had few Midwestern athletes represented in past years. Halas, joins Andrew Owen (Chicago) as making the 40 man roster in the last two years. Andrew has taken lessons with me since I moved to Chicago 6 years ago.

Tyler was a pleasure to coach and has a bright baseball future. His game intensity will represent the Midwest well during the USA Baseball Trials.

USA Baseball NTIS

Another step in choosing next year's USA Baseball Team was completed last weekend with the NTIS tournament. Along with Nelson Gord of Playball USA, I coached the 13U Great Lakes team. A first class operation, USA Baseball did a phenomenal job putting the event together. The competition and baseball in general was outstanding. Players on our team that excelled and deserve consideration were Connor Enochs (Iowa), Tyler Halas (West Chicago) and Jake Millosch (St. Charles). These players were among several I defined as true "baseball players." To me, the ultimate compliment. The Great Lakes staff, put together by Pete Caliendo was outstanding. I enjoyed talking the game with them all weekend. Hall of Fame coaches Jim Hall and Terry Ayers, along with St. Charles North coach Jim Richardson and Playball USA coach Marc Besterman were great leaders of their respective staffs. A special thanks to the people of Cary, and especially those at Lake Johnson for their hospitality.

What's new with Justin Stone?

A few updates with a two of the high schools I work with regularly. Lincoln, IL, downstate, just had a one day hitting clinic with me. Coach Pat Hake and his staff had me in recently to work with his team in refining their hitting mechanics. I did Digital Analysis on each of the players to get them started in their fall program. This is the 4th consecutive year I've gone to Licoln, and have to admit, I have more fun there than almost any place I go! They really appreciate my time and effort and the kids really desire to get better. I keep going back because I really feel like the kids appreciate the opportunity to work with me. Pat also goes much too far out of his way to take care of me. I enjoyed a cook-out and night out with his staff to discuss baseball related topics and the Lincoln County Fair is second to none! Where else can I do Digital Analysis and watch a tractor pull in the same day?

October 16 I will be the featured speaker at the Chicago Christain Academy Baseball Fundraiser and Golf Outing. Coach Eric Brauer was a former recruit of mine years ago when I was at Indiana State U. and I have worked with his players in the pre-season for the last few years. I am thankful Eric asked me to help raise money for their baseball program. I plan to take many of my instructors to their golf outing and hope to entertain them when I speak at their fundraiser dinner.

Working with the Australian Women's National Baseball Team

Yesterday, I worked with the Australian National Women's Baseball Team. For three hours, I took them through defensive drills and Digital Hitting Analysis. The girls were so much fun! They hung on my every word and really got a lot out of the day. I was suprised to how sound many of their fundamentals were and how advanced training was getting in a non-traditional baseball country like Australia. Women's baseball is a subject very dear to me, as I was brought up on the game by my mother, who was an outstanding baseball player in her own right. I think it's great that these ladies were following their passion in a sport with very little opportunity for advancement. They are truly playing for "The love of the game!" It was great to make some friends and memories for the day and hope they do well as they travel the United States playing in some of the legendary stadiums from the Women's Professional Baseball League of the 1940's, featured in the movie, "A League of Their Own."

Summer Success! Youth Travel Teams Score Big!

I grew up in a small town, and I have always had a sense of "small town" community where I have lived. I think its important to get involved in the communities you live in and give back what you have to offer. I have trained two of my neighborhood teams to incredible success this summer. The Welles Park 12U travel team and the Windy City Storm 13U travel teams had great summers. Welles Park, down the street from my house, had not won a travel game in two years prior to this season. I designed and led a training program this winter and spring and put a professional coach in place for them. The turnaround was amazing. After losing 40 consecutive games, the Welles team finished 15-4 in the NSBL, finishing 4th out of 20 teams, beating many full time travel teams along the way. Last week, they competed in Cooperstown, beating two full time travel teams from the East and Southeast and competing with several National level travel teams. To add, the team became fan favorites amongst the Cooperstown staff and the 120 teams present, as our boys have some dynamic and memorable personalities. I remember distinctly in January, when Mikey D. asked me, "Coach, just help us to win 1 game this year, PLEASE!" Well, they won their first game and never looked back, and more importantly than wins, it was fun to see the confidence and self esteem of these boys reach new heights this summer!

The Windy City Storm 13U Elite team won the MSBL elite championship. A very talented group of boys who have college and pro baseball aspirations got their first taste of what "real" baseball is like at the next level. They left "dad" coached travel baseball and got professional training for the first time. It was amazing to see the amount of development in each player and it certainly paid off on the field. This team, who won 5 summer tournaments, has several players that will be future prospects! Above is a picture of the 2010 MSBL Elite Division Champions.

Recently been named USA Baseball NTIS coach

September 9-11 I will be heading back to Cary, NC as a instructor for the USA Baseball NTIS. NTIS is part of the selection process to help identify the top players in the country to play for Team USA the following year. I have recommended players that I work with for this event in the past that have fared very well. In fact, last year, Andrew Owen (Chicago) was one of only a few Midwestern players to make USA Baseball's 40 man roster. I had been teaching Andrew for 5 years. Because of the success my players have had at NTIS, I am now involved as a coach and a committee member who chooses players for a 5 state region. We chose the teams today and I have several more players who have worked with me that are playing in the event. Cary, NC has become my second home for the summer and I look forward to being there for another week upcoming.

1st National Clinic Speaking Engagement

I'm very excited to announce I've been named as a feature speaker for the 2010 BCA National High School Coaches Convention in Nashville, TN Dec 2-5 this year. I will be the hitting presenter and it is quite an honor. To my knowledge, I am the youngest presenter on the National stage. I will be speaking along side people like longtime Major League Manager and ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine, several top Division I NCAA coaches and Jerry Dawson of USA Baseball, who I recently coached with at the USA Baseball Breakthrough Series. I'm really excited for this and will be taking several of my staff to assist and enjoy the weekend. Travis Kerber, will be running my video and Dan Puente with Chris LaPorta will be demonstrating my drills. We look forward to a great time in Nashville! Below is the website for the convention which will be updated as speakers committ to the event.

http://www.baseballcoaches.org/convention2010.jsp

Double Duty Classic and USA Baseball Breakthrough Series

The last few months are always the busiest for me as I'm on the field, for what seems like 10 hours a day. One of my favorite projects is the work I do with the Chicago White Sox ACE program, which is our inner city baseball project. Ran by Nathan Durst and Dan Puente, the ACE program started as an idea by Nathan, our national crosschecker, and a written proposal to the White Sox front office from myself. The Double Duty Classic celebrates past Negro League all star games that use to be held at Comiskey Park. Through White Sox scouts accross the country, we bring in some of the best minority talent to compete against our Chicago ACE program at US Cellular Field. I coached in this year's game for the third consecutive year and ran the on field workout prior to the game for college and pro scouts. This year's talent was the best we've had in the three years. Alex Santana (Miami, FL), Kris Goodman (Minnesota) and Lance Jeffries (St. Louis) were some of this year's outstanding talent from out of the region. Chicago's Quintin Richardson was named MVP of the game. Richardson, who is uncommitted, is one of the best secrets out there for the 2011 class.
It was a treat for me to coach along side Rafeal Santana. Rafeal is the head of the Chicago White Sox Dominican Academy and was a star shortstop for the New York Mets in the 1980's. That was a time where I followed baseball the closest and Rafeal was considered a premier shortstop, along with Ozzie Smith at that time and won a world championship with the New York Mets in 1986. Being a shortstop myself, I had some great conversation about Rafi's career and enjoyed his stories from my favorite baseball era.

I have never been prouder of being part of the White Sox organization than I was after this event. Watch the 3 minute piece below from MLB.COM and you will see how special this event is for all those involved.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=9908691

Recently, I spent a week at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, NC for the Breakthrough Series, put on by the MLB Scouting Bureau and USA Baseball. In this event, the top minority players in the country take part in a week of instruction and competition in front of scouts. It is one of my favorite events to work. The White Sox took a team made up of all stars from our Double Duty Classic. Coaching with Dan Puente, White Sox scouts Clay Overcash and Kenny Fullman, we had a great time coaching the kids. The last day of the event we changed venues to the Durham Bulls AAA park to play the finals. After winning the championship last year, we were 2-1 this year and took second place. Ty Washington (Texas) and Dustin Houle (Vancouver, Canada) starred for our team. Look for them as big time players on the MLB scale in the future. To note, this was by far the most fun I have ever had working with a staff. Clay, Dan and Kenny were great assistants for me, both in baseball knowledge and comic relief. Below is a link to USA Baseball's recap of Day 1 of the event where we had a big come from behind victory led by Ty Washington.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?topic_id=9612588

Major League Baseball Draft Results

It's always fun for me to check the Major League Baseball Draft every year and see the number of kids I have crossed paths with through my years of coaching. This is this year's results:

1) 1st Round - Justin O'Connor Cowan, IN
I coached Justin during the Safeco Cup a few years ago at the Seatlle Mariner's Safeco Field. I coached the Chicago White Sox team made up of prospects from accross the midwest. Justin was a freshman, playing against junior, and you could tell he was a special talent. Playing a variety of positions, including a 90 mph performance from the mound, I knew Justin would be a kid with a chance to make the big leagues.

2) 7th Round - Chuckie Jones Boonville, MO
I saw Chuckie at a St. Louis tryout I ran for the White Sox "Double Duty Classic" game. I then coached Chuckie at the Double Duty game at U.S. Cellular Field.

3) 10th Round - Eric Jokisch Northwestern U.
Eric played for one of my friends on his summer high school team. He came up for one of my showcases and dueled against Casey Crosby (former 1st rounder) in front of about 50 college and major league scouts.

4) 17th Round -Corderius Dodd North Side, TX
Corderius was my clean up hitter at USA Baseball's Breakthrough Series in Los Angeles last summer. A big power bat, he helped lead us to championship in LA

5) 20th Round - DK Carey - Florida
I would be extremely suprised if DK is not in the big leagues in 5 or 6 years. An incredible talent, his draft status was low due to a high scholorship at the University of Miami. DK was the top player at the Breakthrough Series last summer and led our team to a championship there.

6) 22nd Round - Colin Bates U. of North Carolina
Colin played for the White Sox Academy travel teams and signed with North Carolina. He is from Naperville, and still works out at the Academy during his school breaks.

7)25th Round - Kendall Radcliffe Morgan Park, Chicago
Kendall was the CF for our Inner City White Sox team for the last three years. He also played for me at the Breakthrough Series in Los Angeles.

8)35th Round - John Lieske - Rockford,IL
John, a pitcher was in several of my showcases over the last few years.

9) 40th Round - Chad Green - Effingham, IL
I knew Chad when he was young and he's played in a few of my events in Chicago. Chad is good family friends with my best friend from college, EIU teammate, Josh Zink.

10) 44th Round - Michael Gerber - Naperville, IL
Michael too has been involved in my fall league and showcases the past few years.

11) 47th Round - Ronzelle Fort - Chicago
Ronzelle has been part of our ACE program since its inception. Ronzelle looks like CC Sabathia and has a bright future.

12) 50th Round - Eric Jagielo - Downers Grove, IL
Eric, a Notre Dame signee, was in a few of my showcases last year.

Fundraiser for Student's Cause Rocked!

Michael Gustafson, a 12 year old student of mine, overcame some tough odds by beating cancer. Michael has been my student for four years and continued to train through his illness and chemotherapy. Michael is a very courageous and inspirational young man. Michael recently asked me to be a part of his Relay for Life Team, called "Michael's Miracle Marchers" to help raise money for cancer research through the American Cancer Society. The relay is this Saturday and Michael is the "Honorary Survivor" and will lead the parade lap to start the relay. To help raise money for Michael's cause, I put together a "Rock, Paper Scissors" tournament in Lincoln Square last weekend. 40 people participated, many parents and students of mine played in support of Michael. We had a blast and more importantly we raised almost $2,000 in one day. Special mention goes to tournament winner and Academy Instructor Chris LaPorta who donated the winnings back to the fundraiser. A big thanks from Michael and I to all that participated or donated! If you haven't seen Michael's story, click on the below post:

http://elitebaseballtraining.blogspot.com/2008/10/student-of-week-exemplifies-courage.html

10 Year Old Future Stars and the Importance of Training Frequency

I'll have to say that this year my "Inbox" has been flooded everyday with more positive results from my students than any year previously. While I'd like to pat myself on the back, the true difference has been with the training frequency of my students. I rarely have new clients anymore, because my waiting list continues to be flooded with my regulars that I can't even get into my schedule. With this being said, I have trained my students "How to train" as much as I teach them mechanics and approach.

By the end of a 30-60 minute lesson, the student and I can usually get it right. But, the temporary change only "sticks" if there is the same repetition going on at home. My students are all serious baseball guys and girls, and they have bought in to how important the maintenance work is. My students see results in games, and this makes training on their own more fun and productive. Here are two of the emails from yesterday from two of my youngest students. The picture is of Jack V. who I've had a number of times since he was 7. He and Jake's mechanics match up to some of the best big leaguers!

Justin,

I hope all is well with you. The tune up you gave Jake worked wonders!!! He is now staying tall and hitting nice even line drives. Out of the last 10 at bats he has had 2 doubles, 6 singles, 1 sac fly and 1 strike out.

Here are some pictures of his pitching. He pitched 3 out of 3 hit less innings on Sunday:)

As always, we thank you!!

Rach


Hi Coach Justin,

Jack is looking forward to attending your "Slump Busters" class again this summer. You may remember that he also attended your spring training hitting class. Your class has given him real drills that he can do on his own to maintain a strong swing. This will be his 3rd summer in your class and he is only 10!

Just wanted you so see how he is doing. See you in a few weeks!

Thank you,

Dana V.

Hitting Clinic with White Sox Hitting Coach Greg Walker

Greg Walker recently did a hitting clinic for our White Sox Academy coaches, reinforcing the training techniques we use at our various academies. I ran the digital analysis to illustrate the points Greg was making. He did a great job of talking mechanics. What I really liked was the way Greg spoke of "First Cause." Many hitting instructors can indentify flaws at ball strike, but as I've said many times, most flaws at ball strike are a direct result of a flaw in either the set up, or the "first move" in the swing. Because the swing is a kinetic chain of events, one leading into the next, the error at ball strike, if often due to an earlier error. For example, a hitting coach may see that a player is rolling over at the point of contact and begin working hand path drills. But what Greg and I are saying, is "Why" are the hands rolling over? Here is a scenerio:

The player is overloading his backside, getting his rear knee over his ankle. Instead of advancing forward, knee inside ankle, the rear knee stays over his ankle and spins there during rotation. The "spinning" action causes his upper body to rotate off the ball in a "one piece" swing or "gate" swing. The counter action of the front shoulder opening at the same time as the hip, causes his hands to counteract and disconnect away from the body. Because of the early extension with the arms, the hands have to roll over to get back to the point of contact. All of this is because of the earlier error in the load.

You see, the earlier the error in the kinetic chain, more errors are a result as you move up the chain. Hitting coaches have to determine what "first cause" is to really fix the chain. The is exactly what Greg said when he stated, "...anything else is just putting a band-aid on the swing."

Finding "first cause" is the sign of a good hitting coach. Most hitting instructors can find what is wrong in the swing, but how many can tell you "Why?" If you have one that knows the "Why" you are lucky. Often times, video analysis is a must to find this out, because the kinetic chain works faster than the naked eye. This is something that Greg Walker has utilized with the White Sox, and why he will get the Sox hitters right this season!

Guest Blogger from Tampa, Florida

Joradn Ramus was my student who flew in for a one day workout from Florida. Here are his thoughts on the day:

Thanks again for a great training day in Chicago! Glad you had the confidence in me to compress it all in one full day. My dad told me it would be difficult to do but coming from Florida and in town for just the day it was our only option. Thanks for making it all happen.

I told my dad your attention to detail and your temperament with instruction was outstanding and an absolute perfect fit for me. I look forward to growing in the future with you as my mentor over the years Justin.

Here is what I thought about going into my day. I have had a lot of training in the past but I know that I am getting older, bigger wiser & stronger and I need to take it to the next level. I will be in 8th grade next year and high school is not that far off.

I knew from my dad that you are the best in the country hands down so I was looking forward to learning and refining my craft of hitting. Many kids just want to show off and pretend to learn…I want to learn and get better and be the best but I also want to look good doing it. My dad says staying in the envelope is important (I hear it in my sleep) and I looked at my special day as that being part of my goal….to stay in the envelope on a more consistent basis. I have always made my own adjustments in hitting but your regiment/drills will make it even easier for me to do so. I wasn’t nervous at all as I am not that type of guy… I just wondered what would come out of it all meaning what would I need to take home and work on and I achieved that with you. I wondered what kind of facility it would be like and I was blown away by it. I was counting on meeting Alex Rios though but my dad said you had it covered next time!!!

At the end of the day, I learned about my (2) weaknesses that I need to work on and I believe that both of them are simple fixes with repetition. I learned a whole lot more about the swing plane too and getting on plane and being quick with my hands staying short inside the ball. I have had previous training with Epstein on proper rotation but they do not address hand path, they only address getting on plane with the barrel of the bat for a very long time. However, hand path is a huge part of getting on plane too and they both go hand in hand…no pun intended. Hands do come down and the bat barrel does go rearward with you swinging “naturally” to that point in motion and not artificially fading off to get there. I get it Epstein….lol…I am working on my front foot side as well and keeping it closed off as much as possible.

My dad and I when we work together are doing all the tee drills and I am working hard at this. What I am most excited about though is that I found my guy to mentor me well into the future. I just want to work as hard as I can Justin and see how far it can take me.

Thanks again Justin for a great training day!

Jordan Ramus
#16
Bullets Black Baseball Elite
Tampa, Florida

Feel Good Moment - Welles Wins First Game

There is nothing more satisfying to a coach then seeing someone, or a group you work with, get better and have success. This story, however, is rather unique. I live on the corner of one of Chicago's biggest biggest youth baseball organizations (Welles Park). Its my neighborhood, I know the community, and I know a lot of the kids. Over the years, I've worked with kids and teams at this park whenever I can fit it in my schedule. One particular team, the Welles Park 12U part time travel team needed some help. You see, they haven't won a game going on 3 years. They are great kids, most of which I've known for 3 or 4 years, and they have somehow managed to keep a great positive attitude and outlook on the game through this experience.

This year, friends of mine who ran the team, reached out for help. I said to them, that to compete with suburban teams, you have to start training before March, which is what all of the suburban teams do. I started training them in January, doing team practices at the White Sox Academy on Sunday nights. Over time, the boys started to look and think like competitive baseball players. I placed them with a very tough pre-season schedule, playing some of the best full time travel teams in the Chicago area, such as the Homer Heat and Lisle Wolves. Although they were beaten handily, they competed, and never backed down.

Last night was their first regular season league game against the Skokie Indians. The confidence of the boys on the field, looked like a group of veterans. They looked and played the game the right way. Listen to these numbers. . . 0 errors and only 3 walks given up in a full game! If you pitch it and pick it up in this game - you win - at any level. And that's exactly what the boys did! With a 9-5 victory, they learned that hard work certainly pays off. To see 15 smiling boys running off the field for their first victory in years, in their first game was a true feel good moment. The parents, coaches and mostly the players, were and should be proud of themselves. I really believe that the best is yet to come for this group!

One of the biggest influences in my playing career.

Looking back on life of baseball, a few major influences stand out. First and foremost, my mother, who spent her time as a "stay at home" mom, working with me daily on baseball fundamentals. But second, was a simple video of my childhood role-model, Ozzie Smith. Through my playing career, starting at the age of 6, I wanted to be Ozzie. I wore my uniform like him, I wore his number from when I was 6 until my career ended in my twenties, and I "tried" to play like him.

When I was 6 years old, my father would get up at 5:30 or 6am on Saturdays to record a program called "The Baseball Bunch" on our VHS recorder. The Baseball Bunch was a baseball fundamentals program hosted by Johnny Bench. On Saturday afternoons my friends would come over and we would watch the tape. I'll never forget though the episode which featured my favorite player, Ozzie. The episode changed my life. . . literally.

Two things stand out on this episode with me. The one minute highlight real at the beginning, and the drill segment on "wall ball". I watched this so many times, the tape was about worn out. (I still have the tape today, just no VHS player. I even thought of transferring it to DVD and put on YouTube, but someone else did already!)
I would imitate all the plays Ozzie made in my basement, my yard or out on the sandlot. Watching the highlight real today, I saw how many times Ozzie would slide down on his left knee, with his right leg extended to backhand and throw quickly, and thought, "That was the exact same way I did it." I copied that technique from Ozzie so long ago. Next, the wall ball segment was a drill that I believe led me to everything I do today.

Watching Ozzie play wall ball inspired me to do the same. I had a brick wall on one side of my drive way, and I used a tennis ball to work the routine play, forehand and backhand. By the time I was 7, I had mastered the backhand, years before other people my age could do so. Therefore, because of that drill, I played shortstop on every team I ever played on and I was still doing the drill when I was 21 years old. Quick fast forward - that drill was the reason for my college scholarship, which led me to my coaching job in Division I college baseball, which led me to what I do with a professional organization today. I can trace it all back to a over-energized 6 year old with a bowl haircut banging the tennis ball off the wall for hours upon end.

I still use the drill today in some of my lessons and I love in part 2 of the video how Ozzie describes how his hands play "through" the ball instead of funnelling. Nobody taught that at the time, but now most infield coaches teach this technique. Ozzie was way ahead of the game, and became the best shortstop of all time. Take a minute to watch the video that changed my life!

Ozzie Smith - Part 2 Video - Wall Ball - Enjoy!

Austin Murphy - Cherry Creek High, Colorado

Nice note below from a former student of mine who is doing well at his new school in Colorado. I know I take for granted how we impact our players beyond just teaching them baseball. I teach so many kids, that sometimes I forget that our reach goes beyond the 30 minutes or hour you spend with them. Its a powerful position to be put in, anytime you have a chance to impact a player for a lifetime.

Justin,

David Murphy here.... you were a hitting instructor for my son Austin Murphy when he was in 6th and 7th grade when we lived in Chicago.

Austin now attends Cherry Creek High in Denver, CO and is 6'4 205 - he plays 1st base for the #2 ranked team in the state and #67 in US.

He has very fond memories of taking lessons with you and you were one of his first Baseball Coaches who really had an impact on him and instilled a
passion and work ethic for the game.

Attached is a picture of Austin and a HR he hit Vs Arapahoe High. His 3rd of the year...

Hope all is well with you and the White Sox!

Best regards,
-David Murphy

Major League Baseball - Chicago RBI Clinic

Recently, I lead a panel of speakers at Chicago's RBI Coaches Clinic. RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) is a Major League Baseball Program that the Chicago White Sox oversee in Chicago. Led by Dan Puente, the Sox do an outstanding job at baseball related community outreach. The Coaches Clinic panel featured, myself, former big leaguers, Michael Huff, Lou Collier, Darin Jackson and Sox 3rd base coach Jeff Cox. I spoke on 3 of the 6 topics presented - practice organization, hitting and infield play. The coaches presenting and in the crowd all did a great job, with a lot of energy! Here are a few portions of my hitting presentation.

Major League Baseball - Chicago RBI Clinic Part 2

Great Experience at Jackie Robinson West

The other night I lead a free infield clinic for Jackie Robinson West Little League on the south side of Chicago. Jackie Robinson West is the most heralded Little League organization in Illinois, with numerous championships to their credit. Furthermore, they are the blueprint for the way inner city baseball should be run around the country. They have great leadership, facilities and a support group that helps grow the game in their community. Case in point, they reached out to me to work with their kids.

I was excited to go the field, as I hadn't been there in 21 years. My last appearance was in the 1989 Little League State Championships where I played with my hometown team (Robinson) from 5 hours south in Southern Illinois. At that time, it was the biggest thrill of my life. We were the first Robinson team to advance that far in 30 years. A bunch of farm boys, few of us had traveled anywhere before, and certainly hadn't been to Chicago. We happened to play and get beat by Jackie Robinson West 4-2. You can see how important it was to me then, as I still remember the score!

Even though I hadn't been there in that many years, as soon as I entered the neighborhood, familiarity took over and I knew exactly where I was. It was a surreal feeling on how vivid your subconscious can be. The GPS was no longer needed, and sure enough I turned the corner and the field was just about as I had seen it years ago!

The kids were excited to have me out, had tons of energy and were doing everything they could to soak up what I was trying to teach them about infield play. They were so appreciative of the opportunity, and nobody (including myself) wanted to leave the field that night. My best compliment...30 smiling kids when I left that were all asking me when I was coming back.

Jackie Robinson West has been just a game or two from advancing to the Little League World Series in Willamsport, PA the last few years. Hopefully I helped them take another step in furthering their baseball experience.

What do you do when you are in a slump?

I enjoy the emails I get from all over the country with regards to questions about hitting. A recent email though stands out. Chuck R., residant of Florida, saw some of my work and thought I could be a help to his 14 year old son Jordan. Chuck had a few questions about Jordan's swing, and after we talked on the phone, decided to book a flight for he and his son to Chicago to work with me for the day.

Jordan is a powerful kid, with pretty darn good hands. He and his father both have a good understanding of swing mechanics, so when got to work, we really got after it! Jordan had a few set up issues that we saw right away in his video analysis. We went back and forth all morning, working drills, filming his swing over and over again. During our lunch break, I took him out to the field to film him on my high speed camera at 1000 frames per second.

We had a blast! Jordan got some valuable information that will get him going on his way and I really enjoyed the effort and energy Jordan and Chuck gave throughout the day. After 4 hours, Jordan's hands were bleeding (literally) and it was time for him to fly back to Florida. They were great people, and its good to know I have some new friends in the Southeast.

It's amazing how connected the world is today because of the web. Now my client base has exploded from coast to coast as I am doing a lot of Skype lessons and DVD analysis with players from Los Angeles to Boston!

Perks of the Job

One of the valued perks of my is the off-day BP sessions I throw at the stadium. Coroporate groups or special workouts are some of the workouts I run. I took a couple of my instructors to the Stadium friday and we ran one of those workouts. The good part is we will take a few swings of BP and field ground balls ourselves, and I'm not going to lie, we have a blast! Instructor Billy Malone, joked that he wanted Ozzie to see how far he could hit a ball, and Billy hit one about 25 rows up, almost to the concourse in left field (too bad Ozzie wasn't present).

The only part of the game I miss playing still is taking groundballs. Not even groundballs in a game, just the routine I use to be in of taking 100 ground balls a day before practice or games. Being at the quiet stadium reminds me of those times, for the exception my range may be a step less than when I was 21. . .maybe. haha!

New commercial on Comcast

The White Sox Academy put out some new commercials that are airing in the Chicagoland area. This one features me. . . check it out!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j1PwTNKQ8c

Double Duty Classic Tryout in St. Louis in April

The Double Duty classic is a all star game comprised of some of the best high school minority players accross the country in celebration of the old Negro League All Star Game. The Negro League All Star Game was always held in Chicago at Comiskey Park. The Double Duty Classic, named after Negro League legend, Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe, was created in 2008 by White Sox National Crosschecker Nathan Durst. In 2008 I helped administrate the game, last year I coached and ran the workout day for the college coaches the day before the game, and this year too, I will coach the game.

The game truly replicates the feel of the old Negro League All Star game. At U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox staff (Led by Dan Puente and Christine O'Reilly) goes all out to integrate the Negro Leagues with modern day baseball. The players wear the old flannel Negro League uniforms, minority leaders like Jesse Jackson are on hand, former Negro League all stars are in attendance, Major League Hall of Famer Frank Robinson has been in attendance. Major League Baseball personell, ESPN, and scouts from colleges and pro teams all are at the game. Entertainment is provided by local city high school bands and most inner city little leagues and schools come to the game.

On April 8 and 9 I will run the Double Duty Tryout for Missouri in St. Louis. It will be my third year doing so and some of our best talent has come out of this area. I'm looking forward to finding the next era of "stars" to play at U.S. Cel!

See below for a great video piece on the game:

http://www.312media.com/doubledutyclassic

First lesson in youth lessons

March 1 rolls around and the face of my lessons changes significantly. As high school tryouts begin, the youth players begin rolling in. Although lesson progressions change little due to age (because its the same swing) my emphasis does change a bit. You see, most youth players (and many high schoolers even) lack proprioception and kinesthetic sense. What this means in terms of a lesson, is that I can see his swing is out of synch, he's laying the bat off, or his front side is blocking off back side. But this means little to a player who has never been taught how to separate body parts. Beginning players often lack coordination, balance and the body awareness to put together a complex move like the swing or the pitching delivery. This is because they have only thought of the swing as one "move" when in reality its a series of moves, flowing into each other in a kinetic chain that makes up a larger, continuous movement.

So, I often tell these players, in their first few lessons, that I'm going to teach them less about their swing and more about how they are going to use their bodies. The reason behind this is that I can't teach them the complex motor skills without them having enough kinesthetic sense to "feel" how the movement works. If you can't feel the difference between "right" and "wrong" then the players will always struggle to "get" the movement or ever be consistent in his mechanics. You have to train the brain and the body before you teach the task. This I learned over time, (about 1,500 hours in a cage a year certainly helps) and my lessons have been so much more effective in a shorter time, than they were when I first started doing this many years ago.

We're not getting any younger...

One of my instructors, Mark Tomse, was one of my college teammates as well. Mark said he had a video he wanted to show me. We are always talking about hitters, so I assumed it to be some hitting clips. We always joke how we still think we're young enough to play, that was until he showed me a video of our conference championship team from 1998. It's not until you look at pictures or videos of yourself from years back until you've realized how much you've aged. This video brought back some memories of good times. EIU honored our team at halftime of a football game. I'm easy to pick out, as the guy in the football uniform as I was finishing my athletic career as a senior on the Panther gridiron team. That was a fun season in itself. I worked my way into the starting free safety spot and had the opportunity to play against a gangly, young freshman quarterback everyday in practice. Tony Romo would end up doing OK for himself, but it is fun looking back now that he was our scout team quarterback during his freshman year (my senior year).

Compliment from Cal Ripken Jr.

It doesn't get much better than having Cal Ripken Jr. compliment you and one of your players. Cal was recently doing a coaches clinic in the Chicago area. He was working with one of my students Michael Claendening, a 12 yr. old travel player from Naperville. Cal did drills with Michael and raved about his swing and asked his travel coach, "Where did you find this kid?" As I grew up as a shortstop and watching Cal, I think I got more excited than Michael did!