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Tristan Pearl – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

Athlete of the Month
Athlete of the Month

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for December is Tristan Pearl. This former three year varsity pitcher at New Canaan High School is currently a member of the Choate Rosemary Hall pitching staff heading into their Spring 2023 season. This southpaw was co-captain in 2022 for the Rams alongside Zack Ramppen, as well as an All-FCIAC East selection.

It all started for Tristan in the Federal Little League in Stamford, where he played from T-ball all the way up to Majors. From there, he played in the New Canaan Cal Ripken League and New Canaan Travel for three years. Following that was stints with our very own BVSA Fury, the Westchester/Long Island Junior Ducks, the Greenwich Cannons, and Baseball U CT. This upcoming summer, he’ll play for Ridgefield American Legion.
 
"I remember the first time I noticed Tristan on a baseball field. He was pitching in a Fury game he had to be around 11 years old. I thought to myself man this kid has potential! Potential is one of those strange things… it could mean the ceiling is extremely high and that player with the right coaching can play at a higher level. It also means that the player is still not where he should be. In Tristan’s case at 11 years old who really is? Tristan and I went to work! We worked together for the past 6 years. T was dedicated to the “process” day in and day out. I’ve seen him grow not only physically but mentally and emotionally. Both on and off the field. Tristan's character and work ethic is what channeled him to play at the college level. I’m extremely proud of all he has accomplished in his short journey thus far. There is so much more he’s going to accomplish in this game over time. Babson college is not only receiving a great LHP , but more importantly a great young man who comes from a great family!
Mike Abate
Mike Abate Abate Training
Tristan is a 2022 graduate of New Canaan High School, and is currently pursuing a post-graduate year at Choate Rosemary Hall, where he expects to graduate from in May.  After graduation, he will be pitching for Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts as a Fall 2023 commit. While there, he plans to study International Business & Entrepreneurship at Babson.
 
We here at BVSA want to congratulate Tristan on earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for December. It has been a pleasure watching him train, following his career, and watching him succeed in all aspects of life. We cannot wait to see where he goes from here. Congratulations and good luck at Babson, Tristan!
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BVSA Teaches: Low Cone Drill

BVSA Teaches: Low Cone Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the low cone drill. Hey, here’s another drill that can help with bat path and staying inside the ball. Many kids tend to get their hands out too early and swing around their bodies, but this drill can help fix that. You simply put the ball on a tee and have them hit an inside pitch. Most kids drop their bat down and around the ball when hitting this pitch, instead of spinning around it. 

So, by doing this drill repeatedly and getting their hands in here to hit that inside pitch, they can start to understand the necessary inside path. You can then graduate up to smaller tees and move the pitch out over the plate a bit. It won’t be much higher but get them to still understand the inside path is necessary to hit that pitch. This drill can be time-consuming, and even if they do it perfectly, the bat may still hit the tee. As with most drills, repetition is key.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Inside the Net Drill

BVSA Teaches: Inside the Net Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the inside the net drill. Hey guys, another little drill that sometimes helps with bat path. As we talked about, we can’t have the kids getting in and out here too fast and their bat out there. We want to keep it close to the body, rotating the lower half first, creating bat lag. So, I do not recommend it with an L screen but we’re not in a cage. So, I’m going to do it with an L screen. Here we have nets all over the facility. What you want to do is kind of just put the bat up against their belly button and the end of it at the net. Then have them take swings without hitting the net. 

As you hear, I just nicked that net, so I know I have to make a little bit of adjustment. The adjustment is it step out and give yourself more room. You have to make sure that they’re doing their regular load and transfer. They’re not opening too much to cheat when they do their load and transfer. Then they swing while they keep their hands inside the ball and don’t get the net. And again, all these drills, you repeat over and over, you start together, show them a little video for some reinforcement. It might help, hope it helps you.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Inside the Tee Drill

BVSA Teaches: Inside the Tee Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the inside the tee drill. Hey guys, one of the big problems with the younger kids, and again, so many of the problems always go back to the beginning, goes to the stance, the load, the transfer, clip, is teaching that path. And so many kids wanted, we immediately get their hands out, get the barrel out, and swing around their bodies. Well, they’re trying, as you know, to teach them to sway more and from their bodies, using the rotation of their lower half. Using a tee is a little bit of a guideline that is helpful in that. Now, you can do it during tee works, or you can have another tee set up here that they’re actually hitting the ball. 

You can do it with front toss also. You can do it live, but you set it up here somewhere behind home plate that’s kind of a guideline. If they swing too long and they get their hands out, they’re going to hit that. It teaches them to keep their hands in, let the lower half rotate first, and swing without hitting that tee. So, I like it more live, well, front toss than I do off of another tee, but it just enforces the bat path. Show back here that you don’t want to be out here. We don’t want the hands going that way, the back going that way. To keep our arms tight, that with this as our guide, we can stay inside, walk right again. Sometimes this quick, sometimes it doesn’t put the notes.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Two Tee – Two Ball Drill

BVSA Teaches: Two Tee - Two Ball Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the two tee – two ball drill. Hey guys, another good drill for extension through the ball and contact actually is a two tee drill. Multiple tees can be used for a lot of different teachings. This is tough, it’s hard because you’re hitting two balls. Sometimes you can just do it with one ball, just tell them to hit the tee. But the idea is to remember, we’ve got to get you to make contact, arms are bent, firm front side. This stays true no matter where that pitch is, and then you extend through the ball. Too many guys will finish and roll over.

Staying In The Zone

The greatest hitters in the world get to the zone quickly, and then they stay in the zone a little bit longer because timing is so difficult. If our bats are in and out of the zone and we slightly mistime the pitch, we’re going to miss it. If our bats are in the zone, it allows for little mistakes. So getting to actually hitting these balls, hitting that ball and staying through it to hit the next one. The second tee should always be higher because you’re finishing through and up. There’s plenty of great hitters that finish a little lower. However, for the purposes of teaching, we want them to understand that when that back elbow drops into the slot, you get on plane with the ball. You’re coming through the ball on an upward angle. Oftentimes, this two tee drill works for the kid and it clicks.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Relative Force Drill

BVSA Teaches: Relative Force Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the relative force drill. Hey guys, another little drill for the contact point. This one’s as old as the hills, people. It’s been around for a long time, but it’s effective. If you have your student tell you where they think the contact point is, then you challenge them. But then, this is really simple. You tell them to come walk into the batter’s box, and you hold the ball that’s too far out front. This is a little extended contact area, and you have them do their slow-motion swing. Have them come to contact where you’re holding that ball, and they have their arms completely extended. And then drop the ball, have them keep their back there, and then you put your hand on the back from the front and have them try to push. And in this position, you don’t have a lot of force.

Then you do the same thing, bring the ball back to the proper contact point, have them do their slow-motion swing to contact where they’re off your bat stealing behind the ball, and now drop the ball, hold the bat, and have them push. And you can do that inside, outside, and down the middle. When they feel how much force they have when their arms are bent and then they’re in the right position and not extended, that’s something that usually clicks. If it doesn’t click, you’ve got to try something else. Hope this helps.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Bat Dummy Drill

BVSA Teaches: Bat Dummy Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the bat dummy drill. Hey guys, another good drill for contact. Here I am with my buddy, my college roommate, my Demi. Let’s get plenty and separate, all right? I love this. Now, it’s tough to do with just your student in you. You usually need somebody to hold this, or you need to put this against the wall. But I love this for contact point because, again, so many times, kids are reaching out to hit the ball way too far out here.

If you put this dummy here, we have a little baseball drawn on here. Give them an idea of this is where your contact point is on that particular pitch. Figure out what it feels like when you’re in that position. Firm front side, your head’s in behind this, your arms are still bent, and then you pull it in. Meanwhile, maybe move it out just a little bit, and make them understand that they have to get over to this and get the barrel of that on the ball to keep it fair. 

Same thing with the outside pitch, but when they’re hitting this really hard again, somebody has to hold it, or you put it up against the wall, they really get the feel of where their body is, and again, if you take some videos and show them where their body is versus where they’re making contact on the ball that’s traveling, that might click for them and get, we’re doing everything we can to make it click. Hook yourselves.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Contact Point Recognition

BVSA Teaches: Contact Point Recognition

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about contact point recognition. Contact point is a crucial aspect of the teaching process in baseball. Although we create solid mechanics, kids often lose it when they try to take the swing out to the ball. Generally, there are many things that create bad contact points in a bad swing, but there are also some kids that have pretty good swings. To address this issue, we use a device with baseballs glued to a board numbered one through eight. We place this device on home plate in a similar angle to the contact points. The number one pitch is the inside pitch and the contact point is here. The outside pitch, the number eight, is out here, and the contact point is back there a little more. 

By going through some dry swings, we teach the kids to get through with their hands to get to that number one. Meanwhile for number eight, they have a little more time, and the contact point is back there a little more. This device helps students recognize that different points of contact exist. A good drill to do with it is to have them take a pitch from the coach and identify the contact point. We have two of these devices upstairs in my office.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Med Ball Throw

BVSA Teaches: Med Ball Throw

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the med ball throw drill. Another helpful drill to teach the importance of extension through the ball is to use a medicine ball. It’s important to choose a ball size and weight appropriate for your student’s age and size. Place the right hand under the ball and the left hand on top (for right-handed batters) and simulate the swing with a load transfer, then release the ball as if throwing it back to the pitcher. This can be repeated multiple times, but make sure to do it in a safe environment to avoid any injuries. 

The focus should be on getting the proper extension through the ball, regardless of the pitch location. This drill can be especially helpful for younger players who tend to roll over too early in their swing. Make sure that they are comfortable with the size of the ball after one swing. If it feels as if they are struggling to throw it then switch to a smaller size.

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com 

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BVSA Teaches: Wiffle Bat Throw

BVSA Teaches: Wiffle Bat Throw

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the wiffle bat throw drill. Okay, so we talked about the importance of extension through contact in a good baseball swing. A lot of younger kids struggle with this aspect of the swing. Specifically, they may have a tendency to roll over too early or come around their bodies too much.

To help them focus on extension, a good drill is to use a wiffle ball bat and let them throw the bat in a slow-motion 3/4 speed swing. They should focus on loading and transferring their weight correctly, then letting the bat extend through the ball. This drill can be done multiple times, and it’s a good idea to video it so they can see themselves doing it correctly. This drill can help players who are struggling with rolling over too early and getting tied up in their swing. Go through this drill somewhere safe, such as in a batting cage with a back wall, to avoid any injuries. Good luck and keep practicing!

Contact Us!

Here at BV Sports Academy, we are a passionate group of dedicated baseball and softball instructors with some pretty impressive resumes. More importantly we have been educated by Bobby Valentine himself. We teach a proven curriculum that has developed some of the finest talent in our area, and we’re just getting started. We’re have been blessed to be joined by some of the top programs around when it comes to other sports like lacrosse and soccer. Parties for all ages, we do those too! There is something for everyone at BVSA. We look forward to helping all athletes become the best they can be. If you would like to book anything or have any further questions, please email info@bvacademy.com