Archive for February, 2011

Matt Carpenter, 3B for the St. Louis Cardinals Organization and their 2010 Minor League Player of the Year, shows his favorite off-season training exercise, the Rotational Chop. this is a great exercise to develop rotational power and stability. Jennifer Noiles, Performance Specialist at Athletes’ Performance – Texas discusses the coaching cues and goals of the exercise. For more information on Baseball training and all training programs available from Athletes’ Performance, visit AthletesPerformance(dot)com.

What is a Golf Swing Launch Monitor

In baseball, a speed gun similar to what police use to check on the speed of motorists is used to check the speed of a pitch. In golf, a device called a golf swing launch monitor is used to study the swing aspect in a game.

The golf swing launch monitor is designed to tell a golfer why the ball is flying in a certain direction after the golfer hits it with the club. With the information gathered, the golfer will know what is wrong so the appropriate changes can be made.

How it works is by compiling the data comprising of more than 100 swings made by the golfer. Professionals are not the only ones who use this data because even amateurs use this as well.

Now that these are produced by various companies, it is easy to find one when you go to a sporting goods store.

But what must the golf swing launch monitor have when you go out looking for one? It must be able to tell you the following information which includes ball speed, club head speed, face impact position, flight time, launch angle and yards off line.

But what does the information tell you exactly? Well, if your ball speed isn’t in proportion with your club head speed, this means that you are not hitting the ball as far as you want it to go. Ideally, there should be a 1:1.5 ratio between these two. In simple terms, a club head speed of 100 mph will let you make the ball travel at 150 mph.

If you think getting this number is easy, think again because most professionals are only able to hit a 1:1.4 ratio. If your numbers are way off, do your best to try and achieve this number.

Another thing to watch out for in the golf swing launch monitor is the launch angle. The lower it is the better because this will make the ball travel farther. Tiger Woods who is one of the best golfers of all time launches at 12 degrees. Should you do the same? Not necessarily but if this works for you, then why not.

There are other indicators that can tell you more about your golf swing but take note that these will cost a bit more. These devices can even tell you the average of your shots in various areas and compare them which will helpful to improve your game.

The golf swing launch monitor comes with its own software. This can be even be hooked up to your computer which is even better.

Of course to achieve the right angle and speed, it has a lot to do with your technique. There are other tools you can get to help you practice your golf swing like hiring a coach, practicing in front of a mirror, recording yourself and putting some of the aids on.

Will this make you play better? In most cases yes so you should consider using them if you are still not able to improve your game like you have hoped.

Years ago, there was no machine that could analyze your golf swings. We should be happy then with tools like the golf swing launch monitor because you are no longer guessing if you are doing well or not when everything can be seen in the numbers.

Read Recent Articles by the same Author about Garden Furniture

Thomas asks…

how do I hit a softball farther?

I can always make contact, but I normally get singles and doubles, how can I start getting home runs, is there anything I can do in the gym or ine batting cages to develop more power

I studied charlie lau’s book on hitting, but I still hit about the same power level. I do get a lot of hits though, which is good, but I would like to improve my power so I can drive in more runs instead of just getting on base in my softball league

Steve answers:

Get in a batting cage and practice w/ a heavier bat (say you are umm 14 you should be using a 34/35 24/25) but practice w/ something like 2/3 oz.& len. Bigger. It will build muscle strength. Another thing girls are different than boys. The key thing in softball is repetiton. Over and over, you will gradually build muscle memory and strength. But don’t be ashamed of your singl/double record. I’ve seen travel ball girls who can’t hit a single for the life of them.

Oh and not to be mean but the answer b4 mine says grip the bat tighter. (DON’T YOU WILL BE TO WORRIED ON THAT NOT ON YOUR SWING, IF YOU HIT THE BAT THE WRONG WAY IT WILL REALLY REALLY STING, AND IF YOU WERE USING A CNT BAT IT WOULD CONDUCT TO MUCH HEAT AND COULD KILL A PERSON IT’S BEEN DONE). That’s why I always recommend composite bats, they are safer and normally legal w/ all major associations.

Betty asks…

Can anyone help me with softball?

Ok, I’m having big time trouble with hitting. My coach says its all about timing. Every practice, we get into a line, and he pitches to us, but we’re trying to get home runs. My record is 6, but I’m trying to get 7. I’ve even tried staying after practice is over and having my coach throw balls to me…. nothing has worked. I stretch my arms a lot and practice a lot (my dad has a batting cage in his office) Any tips?

Steve answers:

YEr hands Sweetie. Ive spent 14 years playing softball, in HS, in College, and Now Recreationally. I think if i said you are probably trying to hit with everything you have, I’ld be right. Hitting Balls, Line Drives (like the first answer says, aim for line drives, if you square up a ball, youll will hit hrs as a result of good mechanics), But Hitting is not about swinging HARD, its about swinging QUICK. Trust your Hands. Relax yer arms, and see ball and throw yer hands at the ball. The Bat head will go with yer hands… Think Quick swing, not HARD swing.

Sandra asks…

Softball Help…?

My 9 yr old daughter plays fast pitch softball and can’t hit the ball. We have taken her to batting clinics and haven’t realy helped. She will hit the ball at home and at the batting cages but can’t hit at the game. She doesn’t jump out of the box like most girls her age, I don’t know what the problem is. If she doesn’t get walked she is automatic out for the team. She loves the sport but we don’t want to hurt the team with her in it. (It is extremely competitive where we live). Her fielding is good and she is fast. If she gets on base she can steal a base like nobody else. She is always the alternate runner if we need to switch runneres. My husband wants her to try another sport but I don’t want to give up on the sport just yet, she lives softball . Does anybody have any tips or advice?
We live in a small town in N.W. Georgia

Steve answers:

Were i live its extremely compitive too and ive seen this happen and corrected before
your daughter just needs to relax
in softball when waiting for the pitch it is a metal battle between yu and the pitcher

and its natural for this to happen
heck it happened to me for like a 2-3games and i was a freshmen in high school
The varsity coach made me so nevious i couldnt hit like i normally did.i didnt have the “want”.What fixed it for me was he gave me a hug and calmed me down.Next thing i do hit a homerun with 2 batters on tieing the game

yu just need to figure out what makes her relax like in the cages
singing a song in ur head works for some people

and shes 9years old no sport really gets that competive till about14U.Ive played softball around the US since i was lil and everyone is the same pretty much.there are no superstars yet.so why not let her stay in the sport?who knows she could be the next Jenny Finch

Richard asks…

a softball collide?

i was at softball and was going for a ball when i collided with the third baseman because no one called it ( now i feel stupid ). her knee hit my thigh really hard. my coach called practice because we only had about 5 more min anyways. i went home and iced it for about 20 min. then took it off and applied heat for 20 min and took that off for 10 min. then for ice for 20 min. and i kept doing that for about 3 times of ice and heat. my thigh feels like its getting worse and i can barly walk on it anymore. is it going to get better? i have batting cages tomorrow and i really want to go. will it be better by then? and is it suppose to be getting worse because it hurts really bad and it is swelling really bad to. anything i can do to help the pain?

Steve answers:

I’d say skip it. I play softball also and totally know how you feel. I am a 3rd baseman, so I’ve gotten the other side of your situation. If her knee hit you hard enough it probabley bruised the muscle. Best situation would be to take it real easy on that leg for a couple days, and put some icy hot on it and just lay down and relax for a bit. Try a bath with epsom salts. If its bothering you to the point that you can’t walk, you’re gonna have to skip out on some softball. If it stays just as bad for more than a week, I would deffinatly go to the doctor, you might have a tear in the muscle, or a small fracture in your femur.

Powered by Yahoo! Answers

Basketball Tips : How to Coach Youth Basketball

When coaching youth basketball, it’s important to provide good directions and to make sure the children pay attention. Discover why a youth basketball practice shouldn’t go any longer than 90 minutes with help from a college basketball coach and sports educator in this free video on coaching youth basketball. Expert: Susan Summons Contact: www.mdc.edu Bio: Susan Summons is the head womens basketball coach at Miami Dade College. Filmmaker: Paul Muller

BATCO Batting Cages

This video shows how easy it is to put away a BATCO Batting Cage! For more info visit us online at www.bat-co.com

Powered by Yahoo! Answers