THE NEW D-LEAGUE

[berniecarbo]

This happens because kids today don't learn the fundamentals that become ingrained from playing sandlot ball every day, book or no book.

True, but George Kissell was special. It is no coincidence that Earl Weaver, Sparky Anderson, Tony LaRussa, Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre and Branch Rickey all praise him. One of his followers talked about how he would spend 15 minutes talking about a routine ground ball. One talked about his daily pre practice meetings to talk about a fundamental. If you were late, you were advised to be on time and presented with a cheap alarm clock.

 

[vhcat1970]

True, but George Kissell was special. It is no coincidence that Earl Weaver, Sparky Anderson, Tony LaRussa, Whitey Herzog, Joe Torre and Branch Rickey all praise him. One of his followers talked about how he would spend 15 minutes talking about a routine ground ball. One talked about his daily pre practice meetings to talk about a fundamental. If you were late, you were advised to be on time and presented with a cheap alarm clock.

I don't doubt he was good, but you can talk to someone about how to do something forever, but until you do it a hundred times you still may not get it what he's saying. I wasn't in military, but I surmise that's true about over & over drills vs. being told how to do them.

 

[berniecarbo]

I don't doubt he was good, but you can talk to someone about how to do something forever, but until you do it a hundred times you still may not get it what he's saying. I wasn't in military, but I surmise that's true about over & over drills vs. being told how to do them.

Of course doing it is much better than hearing it. He was the man who insured the Card minor leagues were doing it. Till I was old enough to get a real job, I did thousands of reps daily throwing a golf ball at a rock wall to practice catching ground balls, soft hands, quick transfer of ball from glove glove to hand and quick release. Perfect practice makes perfect. At age 37 with a bad leg, a 25 year college coach told my team I was the best 3B he had ever seen. I was a mediocre hitter and a drunk for 10 years after Viet Nam, so I never went anywhere with it.

Most sites won't give a number, but a college coach told me that in shooting a basketball, it took 24 hours of perfect practice to build muscle memory. Each time your shot is the old form increases the time line. I have read 1000 reps on swinging a bat. You can't think about what to do in a baseball situation after it happens. Mark McGwire used to say you have to let go and let God, meaning trust your training. If you don't already know what to do and react immediately, it may be to late.