| Contact your local minor league teams or even the | | | | go to the second glove and set the ball down and go |
| Major League teams and ask when there will be open | | | | back to the line and so on and so forth, until all the |
| tryouts in your area. Then ask the team if spectators | | | | players have gone through and the winners get out of |
| are allowed. Assuming they allow you to attend the | | | | laps at the end of the practice. |
| open tryout, bring your child and any of his teammates | | | | Conditioning is a grueling task, so some fun elements |
| as well as their parents. This experience will open | | | | need to be used as well. A good fun conditioning drill |
| your eyes to how the players are evaluated and may | | | | is great because you can make them the hardest and |
| deepen your child's desire to eat healthy and exercise | | | | the fun elements makes it not so bad. |
| because your child will know what is needed to be | | | | THE GLOVE BASEBALL DRILL |
| considered by professional baseball scouts. This | | | | A good way to prove the get back theory is to have |
| knowledge then can help your child stay disciplined | | | | an outfielder and a second basemen trying to get a |
| when exercising and practicing baseball drills. | | | | player out every couple of times through. This |
| When asked to hit, scouts do not look at the end result | | | | exercise works wonders for agility and speed skills |
| of whether the ball was a hit, home run, foul ball, etc. | | | | which is an absolute necessity to play in the major |
| Instead, they look at mechanics in order to determine | | | | leagues. |
| if there is a "loop" in a batter's swing, weight transfer, | | | | The players start out at Home Plate and run around |
| and the batter's overall approach to the plate | | | | first base, making an aggressive turn, and then dive |
| appearance. If you are able to introduce your child to | | | | back into the bag. After diving back they get up as |
| one of the scouts during a break at the tryout, ask the | | | | fast as they can and head to second base to do the |
| scout to give you a minute to understand what he likes | | | | same thing. They do this also at third then slide feet |
| to see in his ideal batter. You and your child may | | | | first into home plate to end their round. |
| learn quite a bit. | | | | Besides basic conditioning, this drill helps to build the |
| Here is a good pointer: | | | | players speed and quickness back to the bag. Also, it |
| This is used to determine sheer sprint speed, and it is | | | | is helpful to work on quickly leaving the bag as well as |
| chosen to determine the athlete's ability to run from the | | | | helping the players to recognize how big of a turn they |
| length of two bases. If you decide to incorporate this | | | | can make around a bag to make sure that they get |
| for your child, do so sparingly and make sure that your | | | | back in case of a throw. Here's how a good Dive |
| child is warmed up. Also reduce the length from 60 | | | | Backs drill is set up. |
| yards to only twice the distance from home to first. | | | | DIVE BACKS |
| Of course, make sure that your child is medically | | | | Take the players to the foul pole in left or right field. |
| approved to do sprinting. Keep the number of such | | | | Then time them from foul pole to foul pole to get a |
| dashes very low and GRADUALLY build up over time. | | | | good accurate base time. Then have a set time that |
| THE 60 YARD DASH DRILL | | | | they should complete each of the laps. Some choose |
| After the testing is done, you should have a good two | | | | seven laps, some others. The number should be |
| months dedicated to a program that incorporates | | | | based on the number of innings one would play |
| exercises, running, and strength training. Once this part | | | | professionally. A good hint is that coaches should |
| is done, practice the test points listed above again. | | | | remember to adhere to is to not let a lap count if it is |
| This will help you accurately measure your progress | | | | under time. This will help the player push himself to |
| and where to improve. | | | | get it right. There is no “almosts” in pro |
| - Diamond push ups | | | | baseball. |
| - Dot jumps | | | | Here's how it works. |
| - Bench press | | | | The “Around the World” drill is a great |
| - Home to 1b | | | | conditioning exercise that will help any baseball player |
| - 30 second sit-ups | | | | develop physically. |
| - 30 second dips | | | | AROUND THE WORLD DRILL |
| - Standing 2 footed vertical jump | | | | I have compiled some of the best drills for cross-skill |
| - 10 yard sprint | | | | development that will give you a leg up in the |
| - 40 yard sprint | | | | competition and hopefully win you the interest of a |
| The first day should be spent testing the components | | | | baseball scout. |
| of each skills set that are vital to an overall skill | | | | But not unlike any talent-based industry, hearing |
| matching assessment. Test items can include: | | | | “no” is just part of the game. It is up to you |
| A well rounded pre-season conditioning program starts | | | | and your trainers to make sure you are getting all the |
| when the players get back from Christmas break. | | | | necessary drills and skill-building exercise to take you |
| Work should be focused on 3 areas essential to | | | | to your goal of becoming a professional baseball |
| playing baseball at a professionally competitive level | | | | player. |
| – speed, quickness, and power. | | | | Scouts look for speed, arm strength, glove skills, and |
| In any good baseball training program, player | | | | hitting skills and overall mechanics. The tryouts are |
| development is a primary concern. As players get | | | | grueling and not like any version of American Idol |
| older they also raise their level of function in the game. | | | | you've seen. There is no “nice” judge. |
| One of the areas to try to improve is the physical or | | | | Instead, baseball scouts simply call out the names of |
| talent area. If you are at all seriously about playing | | | | those they like. The rest of the players go home, and |
| professionally you must first be in the talent pool of | | | | many of theme eventually give up on their dream. |
| players. If you can't do the physical levels, no one will | | | | Though many of the drills that young MLB hopefuls are |
| look at the skill or playing abilities. | | | | put through might seem random. This is because |
| SPEED QUICKNESS AND POWER | | | | different drills are put to people to test their skills level. |
| The glove drills starts off with separating players in | | | | While one person trying out might have a killer pitch |
| groups of 4 or 5. (If you are just with yourself and | | | | and he knows it, a scout might want to see what the |
| your coach, find a friend or two to help.) Line the | | | | person's skill level is with other types of baseball |
| people up and put their gloves in the outfield at about | | | | maneuvers. |
| 25 foot intervals apart, away from them. They start | | | | Open professional baseball tryouts are designed to |
| the drill with a ball in their hand and run to the first glove | | | | help scouts determine the physical talents and abilities |
| and set the ball on it and come back to the line and go | | | | of aspiring baseball players. |
| back and get the ball and come back to the line and | | | | |