All Access Baylor Baseball Practice

with Steve Smith, Baylor University Head Coach

The Baylor Baseball program is built on successfully executing baseball fundamentals. Join Head Coach Steve Smith and the Baylor coaching staff as they give you inside access to their practice sessions and structure allowing you to discover what has made Baylor baseball an NCAA contender.

Practice 1:

• Learn to incorporate mental conditioning into daily practice routines
• Incorporate agility work into your stretching routine
• See the Baylor run down system and everything it involves

Always looking to gain an `edge,' Coach Smith and his staff work to make mental conditioning a fundamental of the Baylor Baseball program. Sit in on a staff meeting as they design a daily practice plan that focuses on specific skill development while mentally conditioning players.

On the field, Baylor's standard of excellence and focus on the fundamentals begins with their stretching routine and guides their high-octane practices. Drills designed to work on ball handling skills, pick-offs and team defense--such as `live reacts'-- all create a game-like practice environment, which gives the Baylor program an edge over their opponents.

Practice 2:

• Use batting practice to review different defensive or offensive situations
• Incorporate baserunning into batting practice
• Use video during individual BP for feedback to improve routines

Many baseball coaches struggle with how to implement or recognize the value of incorporating live batting practice into their practice plan. Watch as Coach Smith combines individual live hitting on the field with defensive work and baserunning to maximize practice time and keep all players engaged. You will also see outfielders working individual drills on different types of OF balls. Meanwhile, baserunners work `live reacts' to hit balls.

Practice 3:

• Use live batting practice to develop pitchers
• Using cage work to refine hitting mechanics
• Implement different types of functional training into daily practice plans

Baylor's baseball team combines individual live hitting on the field and in the cages as a critical part of their offensive preparation. Live hitting also benefits the pitching staff as well as they are gaining valuable experience on the mound in game-like situations. In the cages, players are able to fine-tune the mechanics of their swing through a series of drills which focus on different parts of the swing.

Practice ends with functional training for pitchers and position players performing a series of drills with bands, sleds, medicine balls and hurdles.

Practice 4:
From the coaches' office to the classroom to the baseball diamond, for Coach Smith and his team there is no detail left to chance. In this practice you get an inside look at:

• Preparing the day's practice plan and how to gain an edge in all aspects of the game
• Incorporating mental conditioning into your daily practice routine
• Reviewing standard defenses with attention to detail
• Individual defensive work focused on skill development and getting game-like repetitions
• Using on-field `live reacts' to work on live situations

Practice is high-energy and focused on gaining a competitive edge over opponents by doing the little things better.

Practice 5:

• This session gives you an in-depth look at Baylor's practice plan the day before a game. Every aspect of Baylor's preparation has a specific focus. During the practice the team efficiently reviews a number of areas, including:
• Bunt defense
• Fly ball communication
• Tandem relays
• Run-downs
• 1st and 3rd defense
• Pick-offs

The team also runs through its pre-game batting practice routine. This routine keeps all players involved and uses the time to gain an invaluable number of repetitions. The routine also allows for `live reacts' for the baserunners while enabling the hitter to focus on situational hitting. The on-field practice ends with `live reacts' for the team as they run through a coach-pitch situational scrimmage.

The video concludes with the team in the weight room running through their position specific, individualized strength and conditioning program. The program provides players with flexibility to work on drills designed to improve explosiveness and quickness.

This set shows you how to maximize practice time to review and cover a number of different areas and gets the most out of players with the time allowed.

527 minutes (5 DVDs). 2012.