Drills Archive - C2Baseball

Published on November 23, 2022November 24, 2022 by Clemens Cichocki - Write a comment

Pivot Pickoffs

The pivot pickoffs are complex, but they also bring a lot of added value. They are a very good exercise to improve the armaction and cement a good armaction.

Especially when performed with plyo balls, the increased proprioceptive feedback can improve arm movement particularly well.

The exercise improves the timing and path of the pick-up phase, i.e. the phase in which the hand goes upwards.

Another focus of the exercise is the driveline phase. This is the phase in which the shoulder, elbow and hand successively accelerate towards home plate.

As the hips are already very open in relation to the upper body in the starting position, the body gets to know and use the position of the hip-shoulder separation.

Depending on how the exercise is performed, a greater focus can also be placed on scap retraction.

Setup

Throwing arm foot is in front, approx. shoulder width apart.

Hip to (front side of throwing arm): Advanced version

Hips open, toes pointing towards the target: Easier because there is less rotation. If the upper body rotates more than 90 degrees to the target, then you should start further closed.

Hands in front of chest: More advanced, preferred version, also works more on scap retraction.

Hand starts "next to ear", palm facing the ear (supinated into external rotation): Simplified version, focused mainly on path timing of elbow extension and shoulder rotation and pronation.

Execution

Arm by the ear: start counter-rotation. At the start of the upper body opening, the hand should be supinated to allow external rotation.

With arm action:

Start counter-rotation, elbow pulls back.

Hand stays inside the elbow or gets there on the way up at the latest.

Elbow moves to shoulder height while hand remains supinated. The palm of the hand points towards the ear.

The glove arm pulls towards the chest and starts the upper body rotation towards the target. The throwing arm shoulder is rotated towards the target, at the same time the arm moves into maximum external rotation.

Then the arm is stretched and the shoulder and forearm rotate inwards.

To ensure an optimal driveline, the finish is with the hand on the front thigh.

Balls

For most players, 2kg and 1kg balls are the most suitable for this exercise. For some players, however, the 2kg ball is too heavy and the quality of execution suffers. The movement is then not fluid and the ball is often pushed. For these players, it is advisable to only do the exercise with the 1kg ball. The 1k and 450g balls are best suited to junior players.

Published on August 1, 2022December 17, 2022 by Clemens Cichocki - Write a comment

Plyo Ball Exercises: Step-Back-Throws

The step-back throws of the Plyo Ball Exercises are a regression of the rocker throws and should be placed in the middle of the sequence of the drill series, as they already have considerably more degrees of freedom than pivot pickoffs and rollins. With step-backs, the weight is also shifted and the hips must be rotated with the correct timing.

Focal points

The exercise is ideal for teaching players to load the rear hip and shift the body's center of gravity.

Execution

The exercise is very simple but effective. From the stretch position, the player takes a small step backwards (over a fictitious or actual rubber), sinking a little into the back leg, from where he performs the stride and throw as normal.

The "step-back" is actually just a step - not a jump, neither backwards nor forwards.

Focus points

The main focus of the exercise is to load the rear hip and not to stretch too early when stepping forward. The upper body should remain "stacked" during the step, i.e. the head should be approximately above the belt buckle.

Further focus points:

Sequencing: accelerate (rotate) the hips into the landing and keep the upper body closed when landing.
Lead-Leg-Block: After the front foot has landed, the knee should not bend any further, but remain rigid or extend. The knee should also be behind the foot.

Balls

The exercise is repeated once each with the 450g, 225g, 150g and 100g ball for several sets.

Cues

"Sink into the back leg"

"Keep your upper body closed when landing"

Published on August 1, 2022November 23, 2022 by Clemens Cichocki - Write a comment

Plyo Ball Exercises: Roll-In-Throws

The Plyo Ball Rollin-Throws are a continuation of the Pivot Pickoffs. They are also a very arm action-oriented exercise, but bring more dynamics into play and focus on improving the trunk stack, counter rotation, hip positioning in footstrike and, to some extent, the lead leg block.

Focal points

The exercise is ideal for helping players who are already bent too far forward and/or open with their upper body during footstrike. It also improves the feeling of keeping the upper body closed while the hips are already partially open.

Execution

The execution of the exercise looks very similar to a normal throw, but has one big difference - the back foot is aligned with the target during the step. This means that the hips are already very open and a large part of the hip rotation is eliminated from the throw.

Start variations

To make the exercise easier, you can start with the ball in your hand next to your head or in front of your face. This makes the arm action easier.

Later, the drill can be combined with the entire arm action and started with the hands together in front of the belly button.

Balls

The exercise is performed with the 1kg and/or 450g Plyocare ball. However, it can also be performed as a preliminary exercise when throwing with either a 9oz. Weighted Baseball or a regular baseball.

Cues

"Sit on the back leg"/"Lean backwards" - Particularly helpful for players who already shoot forwards during the drill and/or when throwing with their upper body. As the drill is a regression from normal throwing, it is easier for the player to stay "stacked" better when throwing full.

"Pull your elbow back just before landing" - This is particularly helpful if the upper body is already opening at footplant. Pulling the elbow backwards improves counter rotation.