My best friend Brian, who I know for twenty years now, since we first played t-ball together the summer before first grade, has invested in a new business with his brother Jim. Its called Diamond Player Development and its a great place to fine tune your baseball skills if you really want to develop into a top tier player.
When I was younger, I had coaches who played favorites--got other kids more playing time. It wasn't until I was put on a team that was so bad that there was no way anyone was going to cut into my time that I even started to get any good. By then I was 13, and although I developed into a pretty good contact hitter and a solid outfielder, I really didn't have much of a chance of making my high school or college teams.
I always wish I had real coaches when I was at critical points in my development. Well, I went down to DPD last weekend and I saw firsthand what kids have the advantage of today. There were kids in batting cages who were getting videotaped and had their swing analyzed by a pro instructor. Who knows how good I could have been with that kind of technology! Ah well. I suppose corporate softball will have to do.
So anyway, Brian and I spent some time in the cages on our own. Think of this video as the "before" video. Maybe Jim will will be kind enough to point out all the stuff I'm doing wrong. I know one thing I have an issue doing is really turning my hips and using my legs to generate much power. They turn, but they're not really planted very well and so its just more like spinning my wheels and not going anywhere.
So drop on by to DPD or if you have a team or individual that wants some real coaching, contact Jim.