Red Alert Baseball

As baseball ramps around around the country, this is something I still rarely, if ever, see at the amateur levels. One of the most critical components to hitting is your rhythm and timing along with ability to track pitches. Remember, the 3 sequential keys to a good hitter: Approach - Timing - Mechanics. In that order. So many kids and coaches just go straight to mechanics and neglect the 2 most critical keys to allow a good mechanical swing to happen.

This is me catching former Cy Young winner Jake Peavy before a game we are about to play in spring training. Notice my man Mike Cameron standing in during the warm up pitches. Mike is working his rhythm and timing, getting his visualization down so he knows and feels comfortable when to start his swing based on what he wants to hit. This also allows for tons of reps tracking pitches and identifying different arm slots and release points, which again is critical in identifying pitches early. This is THE best place to work on that outside of an actual game. BATTING PRACTICE OR A MACHINE WILL NOT DO THIS FOR YOU...

You don’t always have to swing to refine your swing and get better. Mike Cameron was one hell of an outfielder playing for 16 years, also homering 4 times in one game among many, many other accolades. If you wanna start being more successful, start in the bullpen...

Are You Ready?

The place where players can get better, and get worse. How you prepare determines your success. Work with a plan.

Getting morning workouts in and then knocking out some evening workouts later today. You never stay the same you simply get better or get worse. There is no excuse with all the info that is available. The outcome is up to you...

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Here is another huge topic I run into with many players and coaches. understanding what "stay back" truly means and the difference between good head movement and bad head movement in a swing. Yes, there is a difference.

Good vs Bad Head Movement and the term “Stay Back” – Red Alert Baseball Good vs Bad Head Movement and the term “Stay Back” There is a term in baseball “stay back” that is used on a daily basis wether it be in games or practice. What happens 99% of the time is the term gets taken way too literally because people just don’t understand what it really means. You a...

This statement holds true for whatever level you are at, not just the Major League level. Quit worrying about every pitch and every location while you’re trying to hit. That’s a 2 strike approach. And hitting with 2 strikes is notorious for producing terrible numbers. Those are just facts.

Start focusing on a certain pitch and a certain area of the plate (basically what you hit best). Who cares about the other pitches and corners of the plate, you can’t hit them as well so stop trying.

Watch your success go up on missing less of YOUR pitch. Also, YOUR pitch will be hit even harder because you have committed 110% to it, instead of being hesitate and indecisive on what you wanna do at the plate. That is having a plan at the plate, and that’s learning how to hit better.

Are you ready?

Thank you to my old friend Susan Slusser for thinking about me for their new feature about former Oakland A’s players and having me be the “lead off” man for the series. It was fun catching up and sharing a little about my past and present life.

I gotta brag about Susan for a minute and how lucky I am to have a friend like her. She is one of the most well known and respected baseball writers in the country. She is so badass, she was the first woman to serve as President of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. Hopefully I can get her down to beautiful South Georgia and really have some fun soon!

You may have to subscribe to read the article but then you can cancel it if you want. San Francisco Chronicle is a very good news source with some great writers like Susan 🙂

A's Gone By: Ex-catcher Rob Bowen's new partners are Georgia SWAT, K9 units Onetime Oakland A’s catcher Rob Bowen is now a K9 officer and SWAT team member in Dooly County, Ga. Bowen, 39, did ride-alongs with the Oakland Police Department when he played for the Athletics and he believes there is some correlation between baseball and police work.

This is probably one of the best things you can do to work on timing, tracking, understanding what pitches do, and so much more. If you don't do this, start now...

Standing In for Success – Red Alert Baseball Standing In for Success For so many hitters at all sorts of levels, timing and recognition are always towards the top for the things hitters want to be able to do better. Let’s face it those are 2 things that really make a difference in your at bat. If your timing is off, so is your swing. If you ...

Here is another article I wrote about the swing path and understanding it better. I don't use certain terms or phrases when teaching about swing path for certain reasons. Don't complicate it and know the difference between reality and perception.

The Path to Success – Red Alert Baseball The Path to Success It is no secret that hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in sports. A lot of things have to go right in order to get a hit, and still you face the possibility of not getting that hit. What we try to do as hitters is set up as much room for error as possible to g...

Back when baseball was really fun! Man do I miss this when I watch baseball games now. Middle infielders (and catchers) are getting an easier life making plays now a days.

Have you downloaded our FREE poster covering the 8 keys to a great swing? Check out a little about the 8 keys to a great swing in this post and head to our Main page on our website to download the poster, free!

8 Keys to a Great Swing – Red Alert Baseball 8 Keys to a Great Swing There is no secret a good mechanical swing is needed to have sustained success. But even more a consistent swing is needed. The baseball swing is a succession of movement patterns which feed off the previous movement, much like a cascading waterfall. If one of those previous....

This is one of the hardest areas that young hitters struggle with, but is one of the most crucial elements in a swing that keeps a hitter balanced, ability to make small adjustments mid swing, and given more power. One of the 8 keys to a great swing... Seperation

Separate from the Pack – Red Alert Baseball Separate from the Pack As I travel around to different ballparks and hitting facilities, I often enjoy trying to be a fly on the wall and just listen to hitting instruction. I am a firm believer in getting as many different views as possible because we, for the most part, speak the same language but...