He has excelled in every aspect of the game and he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox to play major league baseball. However, last summer he tore his a tendon in his knee, he had to return home and get a job, because the torn tendon ended his career. So what I am trying to tell you kids is that if you practice and learn from your mistakes, you can be a superior player and excel in baseball. I think that it is imperative that each of you ballplayers know that you must practice to thrive to be successful. This story is just one of many stories about kids that succeeded when they practiced to sharpen their skills.Baseball is a just like any other sport. Each athlete must practice, so as a team they can be successful. It has been shown in history, that the great baseball players are the ones that work diligently day after day. After I told this story to the ball players, Coach Cook told me that they started practicing harder than they did before. Their record improved vastly and they reached the playoffs.To play baseball, it requires many different types of skills. The hitting aspect of the baseball requires concentration, hand-eye coordination, and a good follow thru on ones swing. While batting a batter must concentrate his eyes on watching the rotation of the ball as the pitcher releases it. A pitcher can throw many types of pitches such as fastballs and curveballs. If the player watches the motion of the ball he can decipher what pitch is coming at him. This is where the hand-eye coordination is valuable and handy. Once a player has figured out the type of spin on the ball; he can swing relatively near the pitch. As a player swings he needs to keep his eye on the ball, so that the rotation has not changed. If the rotation has changed, a player must adjust to the ball with his hands, while keeping an eye on the ball. A good follow thru is one that can be put on a straight line. The straighter a players swing is the b...
