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BVSA Teaches: Med Ball Drill (Loading the Hands)

BVSA Teaches: Med Ball Drill (Loading the Hands)

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the med ball drill (loading the hands). When we’re talking about transfer, most of the focus is on getting the weight shifted and taking a move towards the pitcher, getting into the position to hit. But there’s also the part that we talked about the hands and that at the highest levels there tends to be less movement. Meanwhile for these younger guys that we’re teaching we definitely have to teach some type of load with those hands. The hands when you’re striding forward and transferring forward you’re loading a little bit too. We need to get those hands backing up just a little bit, just a little subtle move.

Med Ball Effectiveness

So, we talked about how you’re kind of walking away from your hands to get to that proper hitting position. The drill that I find effective is using a light med ball that you can put in your palm with your other hand against it, simulating your stance. As you load and transfer you pick that ball up and move it back. This subtle move can put you in a better hitting position. The feeling with this may be easier than with a bat at first, especially for kids that may not get it instantly. If you put the mirror right in front of them, they can see it and have an easier time doing it correctly. Once they get it, they can progress back to the bat with that little bit of movement. Don’t let anything get flat behind your head to get to the ideal launch position.

BVSA Teaches: Med Ball Drill (Loading the Hands)

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: Hard Drive Stride

BVSA Teaches: Hard Drive Stride

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the hard drive stride. Okay, one of the big problems that we see with a lot of kids is they stride too far open. So, their front foot comes down and as it’s going forward it rotates open. Meanwhile, their knee rotates open, their hips rotate open, and if it’s really bad their shoulders rotate open. They’ll lose all their torque, all their power potentional there and they’ve lost the ability, unless their really athletic, to get to the outside of the plate. So, one of the drills we like to use that helps, it’s kind of weird but we found this heavy electrical box in our facility from years ago that we use that we just put a little bit on a 45-degree, so again i’ll do it from this angle. A lot of kids will come down here, and they’re kind of cooked. If they come down open but their hips are here and they’re back here, they’re still in a good position to hit but that’s a really difficult teach.

Staying Closed

We like to teach it a little more consistent where that foot’s kind of at a 45-degree angle, that knee is facing this way, not that way and their hips are still facing the plate. This box is very helpful. You can do it with live, do it with tee, you can do the whole thing. But we place this heavy box down in front and have the student load, transfer and stride into it so it forces them to stay at that 45-degree angle and not open up too much. And this box is pretty heavy and doesn’t slide too much, so you need something heavy. Another thing that they can do on their own is just stride into a wall. At their house, in their garage, in their basement, just practice striding into a wall. Obviously when you’re doing it into a wall you can’t take the swing because you’re going to hit the wall. But just repetitive moves to get your student to understand they need to be here and not here giving away all their torque. Found that to be very helpful and hope it works for your.

BVSA Teaches: Hard Drive Stride

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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Connor Kelly– First County Bank Athlete of the Month

 

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for September is Connor Kelly. You very well may have heard the name before as Kelly is currently playing in the PLL for the WaterDogs, where he is already a two time All-Star and two time champion.

Kelly started playing at Wakeman Boys & Girls Club in Southport when he was seven years old. He attended Fairfield Prep and then Avon Old Farms where he played both football and lacrosse. He was a two time captain in both sports and won a MVP award in both sports as well. From there, he went on to the University of Maryland and won a national championship. He currently holds the record for most goals by a midfielder in Maryland history.

Outside of football and lacrosse, Kelly loves competing and playing all sports. He is a part of a family of six, and grew up in Fairfield. He is an avid New York Jets fan and UConn basketball fan. To this day, Kelly still lives in CT and continues to coach lacrosse in the area.

Kelly’s awards and accomplishments include…

  • 2017 Big Ten Tournament MVP
  • 2018 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year
  • 2016, 2017, 2018 First Team All Big Ten
  • 2016, 2017, 2018 NCAA All Tournament Team
  • 2017, 2018 First Team All America

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Connor once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for September. It has been a pleasure having Connor around our facility as we get to witness him continue to live out his dream! We wish him all the best moving forward in his career!

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BVSA Teaches: Up the Mound Drill

BVSA Teaches: Up the Mound Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the up the mound drill. One of the major problems for young kids when you start teaching them the load and then the transfer is that they do everything too big, and they get out of balance. And when they go to transfer, too many of them come down way out here. If this happens, they’re never going to get firm on their front side. Their contact point gets way out there, so we’ve got to keep them landing balanced with their head over their belly button, with their weight here, not collapsing out past it. So we use the mound to get them transferred.

We also use the mound to teach stopping at the right time, not getting too far out. So we get on the mound, we get in a nice balanced stance, we do our load and our transfer. For the kids that are going too far, going up the hill will restrict them. But again, coach them through it, keep their head over the belly button, make sure they’re getting here. Put the mirror in front of them if you can so they can see it when it’s right. And again, you can do tee work here, you can do front toss, you can do all the progressions to keep your student from over transferring and to get their weight in the right place.

BVSA Teaches: Up the Mound Drill

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: Styrofoam Stride

BVSA Teaches: Styrofoam Stride

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the styrofoam stride. Alright, so we talked about the load, the transfer, and the proper effecient way to transfer. Generally speaking, you want to be getting that weight into your front side and back towards the pitcher. But a lot of times, with a lot of different levels, the kids will stride too closed into the plate or they’ll stride too open, putting them in a bad place. Getting in here you cut yourself off a little bit, it’s tough to get your hips through first. Out here you’re opening up, your hips are open, you’re giving away power, you’re giving away the outside part of the plate.

Different Options With the Beam

So, one of the devices that we like to use for a drill is just our styrofoam beams, again located throughout the facility. So, whether they have an open stance or a slightly closed stance, this I had set up for a student not to stride too close to the plate. You don’t want to be too constrictive. You want to give your athletes some independence to have a slightly closed stride or slightly open. However, you do have to gage whether it’s too much or too little. So, put the styrofoam here for tee work, for front toss, for regular BP. This will help them be aware that there’s something there and that they can’t stride into it. Conversely, if they’re striding too far out, you can put it behind them.

And obviously with the younger kids you’ve got to make them be aware that if they step out they might fall. They like that, it’s kind of fun for them. But again, just giving them a little bit of a guideline of where they shouldn’t go and where they should go. And for the little kids you can even put the foot down and give them an idea of where they should be striding to. So, just little guidelines, rep it out over and over. Give them some independence to be themselves and have little variations. Meanwhile, try and keep them in the right place that they’re going to land for the most success. Hope that helps.

BVSA Teaches: Styrofoam Stride

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: Tee-Ball Drill

BVSA Teaches: Tee-Ball Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about the tee-ball drill. Okay, so one of the issues with teaching younger kids how to hit is that they often just lift their front leg up in the air and bring it back down without properly loading their backside. Meanwhile, this can cause them to fall too far forward. One drill to help with this is to place a cone or small ball between their legs. You will teach them to turn their knee and point the bottom of their foot towards the pitcher when they lift it. This helps them get the feel of properly loading their backside and not rocking outside of their back foot. This drill can also be done on balance discs or a balance beam. The key is to make sure they are turning their knee into the ball to get their backside loaded.

BVSA Teaches: Tee-Ball Drill

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: Balance Beam for Load

BVSA Teaches: Balance Beam for Load

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about using the balance beam for load. Just like for the stance, we have the kids getting on this to establish a nice balanced stance, but we could also work the load here. It forces you to stay in balance. Some kids are going to do it really easily at first and some aren’t. You can put them on this beam and have them get into that balanced position. Then, begin to figure out what that move is that works for them. Being on this will keep you from rolling out here to far and will obviously keep you from going forward or back or else you’ll fall off. It will help the player understand that they really have to control this or else they’re going to fall down. So you can spend a lot of time here.

Correct Rotation

Here I’m holding the bat in one hand and get to the point where they’re holding the bat in two hands. They will be looking at the pitcher. You’re just working some type of a load here. Make sure you’re not overrotating, you’re not going too far back, your head is staying over your bellybutton. You’re getting this back hip loaded and there’s a little bit of a turn in your hip. You’re showing the bottom of your shoe to the pitcher, not just up and down. This doesn’t actually address the up and down, they can do it up and down and be in good balance. We want to get that knee turned in just a little bit, show the bottom of the shoe to the pitcher. And again, work this until they get it before you move on to the transfer.

BVSA Teaches: Balance Beam for Lo

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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Jack Nolan – First County Bank Athlete of the Month

 

Bobby Valentine’s First County Bank Athlete of the Month for August is Jack Nolan. Jack is currently in eighth grade and playing for Mitch Hoffman and the Connecticut Baseball Club.

“Getting to coach Jack this year was an absolute pleasure. I have never come across a player with a better mindset than Jack. He was a leader on and off of the field and the definition of a true teammate. I am looking forward to years ahead with him!!” – Mitch Hoffman, CTBC Coach

You can find Jack all over the infield, from the pitcher’s mound to behind the dish to the hot corner. His summer was highlighted by playing tournaments with his team in Omaha, Nebraska and Hoover, Alabama, and winning the Perfect Game Northeast Tournament in Newark, New Jersey.

When not on the baseball diamond, Jack is at BVSA training either with the bat in his hands or working out in the gym.

“Jack and I have been working together for the past year and it has been an absolute pleasure. He is an incredibly talented baseball player with a serious power factor but what really makes him special is the person he is. He comes to every session in a great mood, with a positive attitude and enthusiasm to continue to improving. The combination of that attitude and his skill set is going to take him a very long way and I look forward to being a part of it! Congratulations Jack, well deserved!” Frank Ramppen, BVSA Managing Partner

In addition to baseball, Jack plays basketball in the fall and winter for High Rise and Darien Y Travel. During his downtime, chances are he’s either playing MLB The Show or watching some combination of the New York Yankees, Cleveland Browns, and Cleveland Cavaliers.

We here at BVSA want to congratulate Jack once more for earning this honor of First County Bank Athlete of the Month for August. We know Jack has big goals to play at the highest levels through high school and college, and we admire his dedication to the process of always looking to get even bigger and better. We can’t wait to see where Jack goes from here, congratulations again Jack!

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BVSA Teaches: High Jump Drill

BVSA Teaches: High Jump Drill

On this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen talks about another drill for balance and getting to the correct stance. This drill is having them jump into position and I have a chair that I’ll show you in a second. Have the kids take a couple of steps and jump as high as they can in the air and come down and land in a balanced position. Most times they’re going to land in a nice base position where their legs are roughly shoulder-length and they’re definitely going to bend their knees. And if they don’t then you have to teach them, explain to them what you want to do. This is if they don’t do it naturally but most kids will do it naturally.  Then you can put the bat in their hands and have them look at the pitcher and get a feel for where that stance is.

Advanced Version

A little more advanced, obviously requires someone watching but get them to get up on a chair. Bring a chair over to the cage or the field or even a bucket, buckets wobble a little bit but again tell them to jump in the air and land. And when they land, they bend and now stand up a little bit and now you’re in a nice position. So simple little things to get the kids to feel their balance, to feel their weight. Getting their head over their bellybutton, inside, shoulder-length apart. For the BAP’s, your clients, do it at the beginning of your lessons or the beginning of your BAP’s. Have them feel it until they do it correctly, keep repping it, alright.

BVSA Teaches: High Jump Drill

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: Balance Beam Drill

BVSA Teaches: Balance Beam Drill

For this episode of BVSA Teaches, Frank Ramppen will be talking about the balance beam drill. Another good drill for teaching kids the proper stance and balance are the balance beams that we have here. Just have the kid get on to the balance beam, slightly wider than shoulder length or about shoulder length. And again, it forces the student to get their weight in here in that pyramid position.

Some kids could just easily hop up here and be balanced. The biggest thing is getting them to bend their knees a little bit and feel that weight in here. Some of them are going to really struggle at first, some it will be easy. Once they get it, you have them hold the bat up in their stance, maybe have them look at the pitcher and just get the feel of their head being over their bellybutton and their weight being in here.

It’s a simple little drill, again, for the BAP’s, maybe it’s a station at the very beginning. Also, when you’re rotating through and the kids are doing their tee work and their front toss, you can have them standing on the balance beam. For private clients, maybe every lesson starts with this until they get that good stance that is comfortable for them. 

BVSA Teaches: Balance Beam Drill

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