There were several players whose hard work has paid off this varsity high school season and have been named to the Northern Neck All-District Team. There were 22 total players selected for this team. This is a list of players who have trained at Mozingo Baseball either individually or attended a clinic or showcase.
Devin Sisson - Rappahannock (Ivdividual Lesson)
Matthew Harris - Northumberland (Showcase)
Zack Newman - Northumberland (Clinic)
Brandon Walker - Northumberland (Showcase)
Carrington Balderson - Washington and Lee (Individual, Clinic, Showcase)
Division 1 Player of the Year - Eamonn Collins - Rappahannock (Individual, Clinic, Showcase)
Division 2 Player of the Year - Kinston Carson - Essex (Clinic)
Congratulations to all of these young men!
I also want to congratulate one of my former coaches, Tim Beamer of Essex High School, for being awarded Division 2 coach of the year!
"All it takes Is all you've got"
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Mozingo Velocity Clinic
The annual Mozingo Velocity Clinic will be held June 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th in Tappahannock. Tentative Schedule looks something like this: Day 1 and 3 will last around 2 hours. Day 2 will last a little longer and Day 4 will be very unique. On day 2, I will video each kid pitching or throwing and on day 4, I will bring each kid in at a different time to breakdown the video and tell him what he needs to work on. Space is limited so register early to assure a spot. This is an advanced clinic that is an introduction to my Velocity Program. It includes long toss, throwing drills to accelerate the arm, weighted balls, training, and arm care. It will involve something different each day. This is not a mechanical clinic but rather a velocity clinic designed to get the most out of your arm. It is centered around pitchers but can be beneficial for developing arm speed for any position. Price for this clinic is $100. This is for baseball players ages 13& up unless my approval is given otherwise. Times for clinic will be posted once they are finalized. It will be in the mornings probably around 9 o'clock so we can stay out of the middle of the day heat.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Thursday, April 4, 2013
We Must Stay Back to Hit for Power!
So many young baseball players want to "jump" at the ball. What I mean by this is hitting off of the front foot. All of your weight goes on the front foot as you swing. This allows young kids to hit okay............until pitchers start throwing more than 1 pitch and fielders can routinely field ground ball and fly balls. In tee ball, coaches pitch and most of the time in the younger years of organized baseball, it is quite possible to "jump" at the ball and still get on base plenty. You will notice this "jumping" at the ball by your front leg not being firm when you go to swing. You will have bend in your leg as opposed to having a stiff front leg.
However, once pitchers become more advanced and start throwing more than 1 pitch, these kids routinely fall behind. In order to hit good pitching, we must learn to let the ball come to us. When we make the jump to bigger fields and more advanced fielders, no longer will just anything you put in play become a way to get on base. You will have to hit balls hard to get on base and we must stay back to hit for power.
When we swing, we want to be in a "reverse line position". This is easily seen in the pictures below with a "/" or a "\" as these hitters swing. Big league hitters (below) hit in this "reverse line" and this is what we want to strive for. Certainly there are times, when they hit off of their front foot, but this happens to them when they get fooled, not when they are taking a normal swing.
However, once pitchers become more advanced and start throwing more than 1 pitch, these kids routinely fall behind. In order to hit good pitching, we must learn to let the ball come to us. When we make the jump to bigger fields and more advanced fielders, no longer will just anything you put in play become a way to get on base. You will have to hit balls hard to get on base and we must stay back to hit for power.
When we swing, we want to be in a "reverse line position". This is easily seen in the pictures below with a "/" or a "\" as these hitters swing. Big league hitters (below) hit in this "reverse line" and this is what we want to strive for. Certainly there are times, when they hit off of their front foot, but this happens to them when they get fooled, not when they are taking a normal swing.
| |
"Jumping at the ball"
Notice the front leg bend and the head
in front of the belly button.
This is a common thing with young kids.
The quicker we get this fixed, the better.
|
 |
| Firm front side Notice his front leg and how his head is back as he swings |
 |
| Firm front side Notice how similar these last two swings are. The only difference is in the first picture, Pujols is at the point of contact and in this one, Chipper has already made contact but still remains in this position. |
Friday, March 22, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Model Of Training Between Starts
High school and middle school
baseball teams have recently started practice and I’ve been asked by some of these
players what they need to do in between starts as far as throwing, arm care,
and strength and conditioning go. I will
attempt in this article to give you the best routine I can possibly put
together. The tricky thing here is that
you may not be on a regular schedule to pitch.
What I mean by that is that you may start a game and then 7 days later
start again and then it may be 5 days later and then 9 days later. The other tricky part is if you don’t start
but rather pitch in relief. I will attempt
the best I can to give a detailed outline of what to do in between starts. I will give a sample of a 5 day rotation and
a 7 day. Make sure to do a dynamic
warm-up as well as mobility drills every day.
During the season, it is very easy to lose mobility, especially in the
hips and shoulders. These are the two
places pitchers need to have mobility so we must do what we can to sustain as
much mobility as we can over the course of the competitive season.
The 5 Day Rotation
Day
0 – Pitch – Rotator cuff work (Bands and/or Weighted Ball Program)
Day 1 – Light throwing, Total body
workout with more emphasis on lower body strength and light upper body; if you
couldn’t get in rotator cuff work yesterday do today as well
Day 2 –Throwing will vary on this
day depending on how arm is recovering (for some this can include long toss and
easy pulldown; for others just nice and easy long toss), Sprints (50 yds) and
agilities (5-10-5, 4 cones, etc.)
Day 3 – Usually your bullpen day;
total body lift with more emphasis on upper body strength and single leg lower
body work (circuits would be ideal); scapula training (i.e.: blackburns, shoulder motions)
Day 4 – Light throwing; extended
dynamic warm-up
Day 5 – Pitch again
The 7 Day Rotation
Day 0 –
Pitch – Rotator cuff work (Bands and/or Weighted Ball Program)
Day 1 – Light throwing, Total body
workout with more emphasis on lower body strength and light upper body; if you
couldn’t get in rotator cuff work yesterday do today as well
Day 2 –Throwing will vary on this
day depending on how arm is recovering (for some this can include long toss and
easy pulldown; for others just nice and easy long toss), Sprints (50 yds) and
agilities (5-10-5, 4 cones, etc.)
Day 3 - Throwing will vary on this
day depending on how arm is recovering (for some this can include long toss and
easy pulldown; for others just nice and easy long toss), extended dynamic
warm-up
Day 4 - Usually your bullpen day;
total body lift with more emphasis on upper body strength and single leg lower
body work (circuits would be ideal); scapula training (i.e.: blackburns, shoulder motions)
Day 5 - Throwing will vary on this
day depending on how arm is recovering (for some this can include long toss and
easy pulldown; for others just nice and easy long toss), Sprints (50 yds) and
agilities (5-10-5, 4 cones, etc.)
Day 6 - Light throwing; extended
dynamic warm-up
Day 7 – Pitch again
*Some of you may want to throw
bullpens twice in between starts on a 7 day rotation. If you want to do that, you will throw
bullpens on days 3&5. Day 4’s
throwing will become long toss and a pulldown option.
Remember, this is just a sample and there are some things
that you specifically may need to incorporate in to work on imbalances during
the season. As you can see there is not
a whole lot of running involved. The
most a pitcher is ever going to run in a game is approximately 20 yards so we
don’t need to waste a lot of time with running.
We do need to throw to keep our arms conditioned, do lots a mobility
drills to keep our hips and shoulders functioning properly, and strength work
to try to keep us as healthy as possible over the course of the season.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
You Can't Buy Greatness
“There are countless ways of attaining greatness, but any road to reaching one’s maximum potential must be built on a bedrock of respect for the individual, a commitment to excellence, and a rejection of mediocrity.”
I tell everyone who comes to see me that coming to see me once a week is not what it takes to become a great baseball player. Putting in 1 hour of work each week will not lead to greatness. I get asked the question (not nearly enough however) what it takes to play professional baseball. It takes lots of WORK, DEDICATION, MOTIVATION, and DESIRE.
YOU have to be willing to put in much more work than one hour with an instructor. I know a lot of kids who think they are working really hard to get better by coming to see me or going to see some other private instructor once a week. You are learning the skills needed to become better but IT IS UP TO YOU TO PUT IN THE WORK WHEN YOU ARE NOT WITH AN INSTRUCTOR IF YOU WANT TO BECOME GREAT. Working 1 hour a week at baseball is not nearly enough if you want to play at the highest levels. You will not find a Major League Baseball player who puts in only 1 hour of work a week. YOU CAN'T BUY GREATNESS. YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE YOUR TIME AND PUSH YOURSELF TO NEW LIMITS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Most player only work on the things that they already know. These are the players who eventually stop getting any better. You have to be learn and be willing to work on the things that you don't know. The SECRET is always learning and growing as a player. Never settle for the level you are at now. Always strive to become better. Someone out there is working hard right now to get better than you. Go out and put in the work to become great. Don't just say you want to be better. Put forth the work. It's easy to say you want to be great but it's something completely different to go make it happen. It's easy to put in work when people are watching you. What about when no one is around? How willing are you to freely give up your time and put in work on your own to become great? Most people say they want it but they don't know what it means to want it. They just kind of want it. You have to be willing to look in the mirror every day and know you've done all you could have done today to become GREAT, not good.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY TO BECOME GREAT?
Buck Rodgers
YOU have to be willing to put in much more work than one hour with an instructor. I know a lot of kids who think they are working really hard to get better by coming to see me or going to see some other private instructor once a week. You are learning the skills needed to become better but IT IS UP TO YOU TO PUT IN THE WORK WHEN YOU ARE NOT WITH AN INSTRUCTOR IF YOU WANT TO BECOME GREAT. Working 1 hour a week at baseball is not nearly enough if you want to play at the highest levels. You will not find a Major League Baseball player who puts in only 1 hour of work a week. YOU CAN'T BUY GREATNESS. YOU HAVE TO SACRIFICE YOUR TIME AND PUSH YOURSELF TO NEW LIMITS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Most player only work on the things that they already know. These are the players who eventually stop getting any better. You have to be learn and be willing to work on the things that you don't know. The SECRET is always learning and growing as a player. Never settle for the level you are at now. Always strive to become better. Someone out there is working hard right now to get better than you. Go out and put in the work to become great. Don't just say you want to be better. Put forth the work. It's easy to say you want to be great but it's something completely different to go make it happen. It's easy to put in work when people are watching you. What about when no one is around? How willing are you to freely give up your time and put in work on your own to become great? Most people say they want it but they don't know what it means to want it. They just kind of want it. You have to be willing to look in the mirror every day and know you've done all you could have done today to become GREAT, not good.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TODAY TO BECOME GREAT?
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