I'll give you a little background on me. I promise this won't take long and there is a point to all of this. No, I won't break out the baby pictures or the family vacation videos.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I grew up in Southern California, playing my high school baseball near Anaheim Stadium, got hurt my freshman year in college, hung up the cleats, went on to get a finance degree from Cal State Fullerton, got married, had four great kids, moved to Oregon....and the rest is history.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Along the way, I worked for a few companies including a couple of large banks and corporations. Bank of <st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region>, Norwest Mortgage, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city></st1:place> Title.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I learned a lot of great things from these companies. Managing people....customer service...etc. I climbed the corporate ladder. Not because I knew someone. Mostly because I have high integrity, got the job done and worked hard and smart.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

One thing I learned from these companies and certainly from my parents early on, was that you can't be deceptive to your customers, your peers, and not to your employer.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

You might be successful being deceptive to those folks for a short period of time....but it catches up to you....and fast.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

But I love deception.......as an instructor.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

So, how does deception come into the equation here?<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Well, we are now talking sports....more specifically pitching in baseball.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Deception has a tremendous amount of value for a pitcher.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

A pitcher has to be deceptive....and no I'm not talking about the integrity and honesty part......the on field competition part.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

A deceptive pitcher off the field won't last long either. On the field it's a different story.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

What is deception anyway?<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I think about deception for a pitcher to be an asset. If the hitter sees something that is not there, or is different than what it looks like, then the pitcher has the advantage.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

We all know the only two things the hitter has control over is when he swings and his timing mechanism.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Yes, there are some hitters that will try to deceive the pitcher....set up a pitcher to throw a certain pitch...but that's not that common, especially at the lower levels of baseball.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

The pitcher's job is to mess up the hitters timing.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

How can he do that?<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Well, throwing off speed pitches of course is one way. A great change-up is still one of the best pitches in all of baseball.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

The pitcher can also do it through later movement of the fastball, later movement of the curve, and certainly later movement of the change.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Why is late movement so important?<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Obviously, the later the movement, the harder it is for the hitter to react. Most of us have been told to see the ball hit the bat since we were t-ballers. Have any of you actually seen the ball hit the bat? I bet not.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

What actually happens is that we lose site of the ball at some point when we swing. We put the bat where we think the ball is going to be. If the ball isn't there, then we get that poorly struck ball.....a pitchers dream.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

How does a pitcher get that later movement?<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

It's pretty complicated, but I'll simplify it here for you. The later I release the baseball in my delivery, the later the movement. If my mechanics won't allow me to release the ball later in my delivery, then I'll get a loopy curve and a straight fastball.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Not a good recipe for success as a pitcher.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Another aspect of deception is visual. The closer I release the ball to home plate, the less reaction time the hitter has to swing. Just think about the difference for hitters at the full sized diamond and the little league field.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Now some folks say height has a lot to do with a later release point....I would agree to a certain extent.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I've seen very tall pitchers release the ball at 5 to 6 feet off the rubber, and I've seen young 5-foot pitchers release the ball close to 7 feet off the rubber.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

No kidding.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Let's put it this way, a tall pitcher has the "opportunity" to release the ball closer to the hitter than the shorter pitcher. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Bottom line, if you don't have the strength and the flexibility so your mechanics can work efficiently, you body be explosive, then deception is probably the least of your worries.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Wow.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

I've covered a lot today. I hope you got the message.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Overall, focus on improving your body to be a better, more athletic, more explosive, and more durable pitcher....and you had better learn a good change-up!<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

The season is coming up fast. So you'd best get going on your training if you are not training yet.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

Train like a champion today!<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>

Coach Bill Mooney<o:p></o:p>

<o:p></o:p>

P.S. Looking for more tips? Check out my website at http://www.bioforcebaseball.com

Spent some quality time with my son recently. Working on baseball of course. It's always been the case with my kids and coaching. I've always seemed to spend more time with the other kids than my own.

For those of you coaching youth baseball, you know what I mean.

I hadmade is a goal this season with my younger son Craig,to spend more time andhelp him a little more with his game. More specifically, help him become more consistent with his pitching delivery.

We worked right in our living room. No, we didn't throw the baseball, we worked with a towel. A drill that my mentor, Tom House and one of his more famous students, Nolan Ryan, came up with. According to Tom, Nolan wanted to get more reps in with his delivery, but didn't want to throw too many baseballs. Nolan still wanted to duplicate his delivery, but was looking for something to help with resistance, but not the weight of the ball.

Tom House and Nolan Ryan came up with using a towel. There are self-proclaimed pitching gurus out there claiming that the towel drill hurts you more than helps you. I say that's a crock of cow dung.

All these folks are doing is trying to discredit some of us that use the tool to build consistency in the delivery. Maybe even fix a flaw or two.

Look at what pro golfers do. They swing the golf club up to 500 times a day....we've all heard the stories of the golfer swinging until his hands are bleeding. They putt until they can't putt any longer. Why? To groove their swing or stroke. To develop a better feel for their swing and their body.

What do most pitchers do? They get board and move on to something else. I would agree with some of these self-proclaimed gurus that the towel drill can hurt your mechanics....if you practice the wrong things. If you engrain bad habits. It's not the towel drill that is bad, it's the bad repetition.

My son Craig completed 15 quality reps tonight with each of our Drill 2's, 15 Drill 3's, 15 stretch deliveries, and 15 wind up's....all within about 15 minutes. Right in our living room.

Who doesn't have 15 minutes available to work on their pitching delivery. I'm sure most of us say we are too busy, but in reality, we waste more time in the day than we can imagine.

Start off slow. Maybe 5 to ten each for a total of 30 or 40. Work up to 50 or 60. Then work up to 100 a day. You'll be amazed at the results. You'll increase your endurance and you'll be able to complete your delivery in your sleep. Remember, the drills should be done to the best of your ability. Not just rattling them off with out any intent to get better.

The best 15 minutes a day you'll ever spend for your baseball career.

If you need some great pitching drills, check out my "How to be a More Athletic and Explosive Pitcher DVD. These drills can easily be converted into towel drills right in your own home.

Keep training like a champion today!

Bill Mooney

http://www.bioforcebaseball.com

Who has the most home runs by a right handed hitter on the Yankees in one season?

Bonus...how many?

I'll be posting the answer in a few days.

Coach Bill

For Heaven's Sake, Let's Stop Squishing the Bug When We Hit and Start Hitting With Power!

A Few Reasons Why That Old Teach Robs You of Precious Hitting Power

I just finished a new article on the old teach of squishing the bug.

Now I realize when I talk about the old conventional wisdom and myth about squishing the bug while swinging the baseball bat in a negative light, I might upset some people.

I'm not worried about upsetting people; I want to help you become a better hitter.

Period.

Hang in there with me and follow my logic on why this old teach actually hurts the power in your swing and makes it difficult for you to adjust to off-speed pitches.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not slamming the instructors that use that teach. In fact, we've all seen this teach on late night infomercials. And that's exactly what it is, just a teach. Some instructors believe it is a hitting principle...or fundamental, but I'll show you it isn't. These instructors are not bad people; I just have found that using that logic of squishing the bug won't help you get better. And here's why......

To read the rest of the article, please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your web browser.

http://www.bioforcebaseball.com/articles/Start_Hitting_the_Ball_with_Power.shtml

Until next time...stop squishing the bug and...

Train like a champion today!

Coach Bill Mooney

P.S. Here's that link again if you need it...

http://www.bioforcebaseball.com/articles/Start_Hitting_the_Ball_with_Power.shtml

A member of our BioForce family Zach asks if he should swing at a 3-2 pitch that isn't that great, but the umpire might call it a strike.

Zach, great question. One thing it tells me you have been studying the umpire's strike zone that day. That's one of the first steps to being a great hitter.

The general answer to your question is yes, you should swing if you feel it will be a strike today....tomorrow, who knows if it will be a strike with another umpire.

How about those days when the strike zone is huge? My advice is jump on the first decent pitch you see. Try not to get too behind on the count.

I have a question for all of you..

What is your approach when you come up to bat? What are you thinking about? What's you plan?

I'd like to hear from all of you, and then I'll give my 2 cents on the subject of having a plan when coming up to bat.

Until next time...

Train like a champion today!

Coach Bill

www.bioforcebaseball.com

Vince, I'd like to hear more about your comments on the coach barking out instruction while you are trying to hit.

My opinion on that is that you need to be focused on what you want to do....what result you are looking for.

If you are thinking about mechanics, you're done.

What should you do when that happens? I would have a picture in your mind on what you want to accomplish. What result do you want with this at bat. Focus on that.

At some point, you may want to approach your coach and ask him what he wants, what does he care about....and get to the subject of talking while you are at bat.

You should share with him what you care about...getting results and how that's what you need to focus on while in the batters box. Hopefully the conversation will open up about what bothers you.

Remember, start with a questions on what he cares about...go to what you care about and what works for you while you are in the box.

Hope this might help....Keep us posted Vince on your progress.

Coach Bill

www.bioforcebaseball.com

Vince, I certainly can understand your disappointment on the 0-2 pitch. Remember, home runs will happen.

Now that I understand you had bases loaded, you want to try and get a ground ball to the left side of the infield if you can. That way the runners will have a more difficult time scoring.

The thing you want to stay away from with a runner on third, less than two outs and a very close if not tied ball game, is a deep fly ball. That gives the runner a chance to score on a sacrifice fly.

If you have a strike out pitch, it's a good time to try that when you need a strike out.

Hope this helps...

Coach Bill

www.bioforcebaseball.com

Play Like a Champion Today!

Most of you have probably read or heard about that famous saying.

A couple of Septembers ago, I traveled to Chicago with my wife and 16-year-old son on a wonderful trip.

On the Saturday of the trip, I'd have to say I experienced one of the top 20 things in my life. My first reaction was the top 10, but after thinking about the birth of our 4 kids, my marriage to my wife, starting the BioForce Baseball Academy etc., the top ten filled up pretty quick.

After arriving in Chicago Friday night, we went to a local downtown Chicago pizzeria called Giordanos. A tip from a friend who grew up in Chicago. Authentic Chicago style pizza. Very good!

Our plan the next morning was to get up early and drive the 95 miles to South Bend, Indiana, and visit the Notre Dame campus. My son Craig has had a strong affection for the University since he found out that his cousin plays for their football team.

Of course, this was the Saturday that No. 2-ranked Notre Dame was playing No. 12-ranked Michigan for bragging rights to the all-time best college football winning percentage.

The stage was really set for a big showdown. TV cameras, Goodyear blimp, sellout crowd, etc.

Yes we did have tickets to the game. My good friend and neighbor Tim scored us some incredible tickets to the game. I was sitting on the 47 yard line, 26 rows up from the Notre Dame bench. An incredible view! Tim, I owe you big time!

Back to the "Play like a Champion Today!" headline. If you don't know, the Notre Dame locker room has a sign over the door as you leave. The sign says "Play Like a Champion Today." The tradition is that the players touch the sign as they leave the locker room with the intention to play like a champion. This day, Michigan played more like a champion than Notre Dame did.

What I noticed about everything and everyone at the Notre Dame campus is that everyone there plays like a champion. Even the tailgaters.....more on that another time.

The grounds were meticulous, the people working the parking lot did their jobs with enthusiasm and pride. The people taking my money for the Notre Dame hat did it with a smile. (Seems sacreligious that I have a Notre Dame cap when my older son attends another University).

I'm always looking for an opportunity for life's lessons to share with the BioForce family. This weekend was full of them.

What does it mean, Play Like a Champion Today?

In my mind, it means have the attitude you are a champion. Most of us can recall a time when we were a champion at something. What a great feeling.

A feeling of confidence. An eagerness to get it done. The ability to know you are the most prepared.

What if we had that attitude going into our daily lives....like the parking lot attendants? Would we perform better? Would we enjoy the activity more?

My guess is yes.

So from now on, we are adapting the saying "Train Like a Champion Today!" To me, that means be the most prepared. Have the most knowledge and the best plan.

With that, the opportunities are limitless. So many of us put limits upon ourselves.

I hope this helps a little.

Going to a Notre Dame football game in South Bend is an incredible experience. The tradition and pageantry is incredible. The passion of the fans....especially the tailgating happening 5 hours before the game... is amazing.

Imagine a wild party of 80,000 people wearing green and gold......with a few Michigan fans mixed in.....very wild.

Good thing I don't drink very often.

Let's all go out there with our training and Train Like A Champion Today. Don't leave anything in the training facility. Work hard and smart.

Train Like a Champion Today!

Coach Bill Mooney

It's amazing to me how some topics come to me in different directions, all around the same time.

Maybe the topic of switch hitting has come up to me a lot lately because the youth baseball season is in full swing most places around the country and more people are curious.

It first started when a good friend of the academy and future major leaguer, Darwin Barney came into the academy the last couple of months to work out before he reported to spring training this year for the Cubs.

One day, he turned around to the left side and started swinging it. I asked him about it, and he thought that being a switch hitter would bring more value to his club as a ball-player. I certainly agreed. His swing looked very good for someone who just started. We even got him on video and looked at it on the computer, side-by-side with his right handed swing. It was amazing how similar the two swings were mechanically.

The more we talked about it, the tougher the decision it's going to be for Darwin. He wants to make a great impression this year on the ball club, and taking time away from developing his right handed swing is a big concern.

I know he certainly wishes he would have done it a lot earlier. He said he had thought about it years ago, but it was hard to make the switch during competition because there was always an important game on the line and he didn't want to do it then.

Here's a similar question from one of the BioForce Faithful...

Bill,

My 14 year old son is a natural lefty (he eats and writes left handed) who has always batted and thrown right handed. Do you think it's a good idea to teach him to switch hit? The only time he hit left handed in a practice he hit the ball really well.

Thanks in advance for your reply,,

John

John, I would try. Lefties are a premium in baseball. Both hitting and throwing. The first question to ask him is does he want to be a switch hitter. And how bad.

Just as I wrote about Darwin, the biggest challenge you will find is his patience in struggling at bat and wanting to go righty when he struggles. There's always a big game. An inopportune to go the "weak" side. Guys on base, opportunities to score, etc. But when is a better time to try but when you are younger? Especially before he gets into high school. His current coach and future high school coaches might no have the patience to let him struggle too. The other kids on the team will also bark a little if he is "experimenting" when the game is on the line.

If he can get past that, then his overall value as a baseball player goes way up. But those are big hurdles to get over. That's why I asked, how bad does he want to do it. In my mind, the answer had better be, "real bad!"

He will need to make the commitment to do it and practice twice as much lefty as he does righty. You'll also want to get the body more prepared for swinging the other way. Build the strength in the core for more power. Improve your balance to handle the different stresses on your body. A great way to do that is with our Pure Power Training for Hitters and Pitcher DVD. Click here to visit that page on our website, or visit the website at http://www.bioforcebaseball.com and follow the links on the website.

Hope this helps.

What's Darwin doing this spring with the switch hitting? Not sure, but we'll keep you posted.

Until next time,

Train like a champion today!

Bill Mooney

www.bioforcebaseball.com

I'd be shocked that any pitcher is completely satisfied with their game.

We should all be aware of any flaws in our delivery, training, pitches, conditioning, the mental side of the game, as well as any shortcomings with our nutrition.

How many of you take a good look at your game?

I'll bet a lot fewer than those that do analyze each and every aspect of their activity.

Most of us train with our strengths.....usually the things we like very much.

Most of us don't do the things we don't like or become bored with very quickly. The very successful pitchers don't skip the tedious steps they embrace them.

Tedious things like core work for power, specifically working on our shoulder and elbow endurance, how about velocity training? How many of you are working on your stretch delivery so it can be quick to home plate, yet still be able to maintain velocity and control?

Not many I bet.

We can all make excuses, but the reality of the situation is if you want to make a change in your pitching, you can.

It starts with assessing your current strengths and weaknesses.

Take a good look in the mirror and write down what you see.

Once you've identified the strengths and weaknesses, start to set a plan to make your weaknesses strengths and your strengths continue to be strengths.

Remember the saying; "Proper preparation precedes success and confidence on the mound."

Train Like a Champion Today!

Coach Bill

P.S. Looking for help? Let me know. We'll figure out a way to help you GitRDone.

www.bioforcebaseball.com