Matt In Char Nc - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

RANDY IN INDY · 07-28-2006, 06:38 PM

These are pictures of Matt from a tournament a couple of weeks ago. Our team won the tournament. The second picture is Matt and one of his coaches, a close friend and one of his biggest supporters.

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RANDY IN INDY · 07-29-2006, 05:03 AM

In the last tournament our team, The Weddington Nationals, participated in, the AAU National Tournament in Concord, NC, Matt was named to the AAU All America Team (the AAU National all tournament team) for his age group which is 8 and under. There were teams there from all over the country. We finished third in our division. He had a great tournament. His mother and I were very proud of him and this accomplishment.

KronoRed · 07-29-2006, 05:19 AM

Congrats

Nice pictures

GAC · 07-29-2006, 07:41 AM

Must be the coaching! The kid is getting solid instruction Randy.

paintmered · 07-29-2006, 12:27 PM

Looks like he's got a great swing

RANDY IN INDY · 07-29-2006, 05:11 PM

Thanks guys, we really work at it. The swing is really good, and he has good size and hits with some power. So many folks at our league have their kids going to lessons with multiple coaches, try to coach them themselves and have their team coaches yammering at them as well. Too many voices. Dad is the coach and no one else is in his ear. We try to keep it simple. Focus, balance, a still head staying behind the ball, release the hips with flat hands extending through the hitting zone with not a lot of wrist rollover and a high finish and release. When he is really on, he hits the ball where it is pitched and can go the opposite way on the outside pitch and really turn on the inside one. If he starts pulling too much, we focus on the middle of the field and it seems to bring things back. He is starting to understand the mechanics and is starting to have a little feel for what to do when some things get out of sync. The swing that you see resulted in a double through the gap in right center. My goal is trying to keep him hitting line drives and not swinging for the fences. That can be a tough thing. Wish I would have had this swing at 8.

MWM · 07-30-2006, 12:55 AM

Nice pics, Randy. My son is 3 and he's just recently started to take a real interest in baseball. Unfortunately, all he wants to do is hit and he doesn't care much about throwing, which ironically was the exact opposite of me when I was young. I was a slick fielding, average hitting infielder. He hits the ball really well. It's surprised me how quickly he's improved. It's amazing how quickly they can form the basic swing mechanics without any real direction.

RANDY IN INDY · 07-30-2006, 08:49 AM

Mine was the same way, MWM. He has always wanted to hit, although he has always been intrigued with the pitching motion. We have been working on that for a long time, too.

You'll have your son out there in uniform before you know it. It really is a joy to watch them play.

letsgojunior · 07-30-2006, 09:32 AM

That's a Griffey-esque swing.

GAC · 07-30-2006, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MWM

Nice pics, Randy. My son is 3 and he's just recently started to take a real interest in baseball. Unfortunately, all he wants to do is hit and he doesn't care much about throwing, which ironically was the exact opposite of me when I was young.

Batting was always my favorite position when younger. Whenever we got together to play sandlot I carried the bat so to be the first to hit.

GAC · 07-30-2006, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RANDY IN CHAR NC

Mine was the same way, MWM. He has always wanted to hit, although he has always been intrigued with the pitching motion. We have been working on that for a long time, too.

You'll have your son out there in uniform before you know it. It really is a joy to watch them play.

Since the body has broke down, I get nothing but chills and thrills from coaching kids, and watching Samuel.

RANDY IN INDY · 07-30-2006, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letsgojunior

That's a Griffey-esque swing.

He loves that compliment, letsgojunior, because he has tried to pattern his swing after two players. Griffey and Rafael Palmeiro. For me, I see a lot of Will Clark in his swing, but he never got to see Clark hit.

RFS62 · 07-30-2006, 04:04 PM

Wow, what great form!!!

Still waiting on that autograph.

macro · 08-01-2006, 09:14 AM

Thanks for sharing, Randy! Like MWM, my son turns 3 this month, and we just started letting him hit off a tee with a plastic bat.

It will be interesting to follow the progress of your son as the years pass.

ochre · 08-01-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by letsgojunior

That's a Griffey-esque swing.

07-28-2006, 06:38 PM	#1
RANDY IN INDY Matt's Dad Join Date: May 2000 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana Posts: 14,544	Matt In Char Nc These are pictures of Matt from a tournament a couple of weeks ago. Our team won the tournament. The second picture is Matt and one of his coaches, a close friend and one of his biggest supporters. __________________ Talent is God Given: be humble. Fame is man given: be thankful. Conceit is self given: be careful. John Wooden Last edited by RANDY IN INDY; 07-29-2006 at 05:10 AM.

07-29-2006, 05:03 AM	#2
RANDY IN INDY Matt's Dad Join Date: May 2000 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana Posts: 14,544	Re: Matt In Char Nc In the last tournament our team, The Weddington Nationals, participated in, the AAU National Tournament in Concord, NC, Matt was named to the AAU All America Team (the AAU National all tournament team) for his age group which is 8 and under. There were teams there from all over the country. We finished third in our division. He had a great tournament. His mother and I were very proud of him and this accomplishment. __________________ Talent is God Given: be humble. Fame is man given: be thankful. Conceit is self given: be careful. John Wooden Last edited by RANDY IN INDY; 07-29-2006 at 08:49 AM.

07-29-2006, 05:19 AM	#3
KronoRed The Lineups stink. Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: West N. Carolina Posts: 55,349	Re: Matt In Char Nc Congrats Nice pictures __________________ Go Gators!

07-29-2006, 07:41 AM	#4
GAC What Me Worry? Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Bellefontaine, Ohio Posts: 26,430	Re: Matt In Char Nc Must be the coaching! The kid is getting solid instruction Randy. __________________ "panic" only comes from having real expectations

07-29-2006, 12:27 PM	#5
paintmered SERP Emeritus Join Date: Jul 2001 Posts: 7,007	Re: Matt In Char Nc Looks like he's got a great swing __________________ What if this wasn't a rhetorical question? All models are wrong. Some of them are useful.

07-29-2006, 05:11 PM	#6
RANDY IN INDY Matt's Dad Join Date: May 2000 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana Posts: 14,544	Re: Matt In Char Nc Thanks guys, we really work at it. The swing is really good, and he has good size and hits with some power. So many folks at our league have their kids going to lessons with multiple coaches, try to coach them themselves and have their team coaches yammering at them as well. Too many voices. Dad is the coach and no one else is in his ear. We try to keep it simple. Focus, balance, a still head staying behind the ball, release the hips with flat hands extending through the hitting zone with not a lot of wrist rollover and a high finish and release. When he is really on, he hits the ball where it is pitched and can go the opposite way on the outside pitch and really turn on the inside one. If he starts pulling too much, we focus on the middle of the field and it seems to bring things back. He is starting to understand the mechanics and is starting to have a little feel for what to do when some things get out of sync. The swing that you see resulted in a double through the gap in right center. My goal is trying to keep him hitting line drives and not swinging for the fences. That can be a tough thing. Wish I would have had this swing at 8. __________________ Talent is God Given: be humble. Fame is man given: be thankful. Conceit is self given: be careful. John Wooden

07-30-2006, 12:55 AM	#7
MWM Pre-tty, pre-tty good!! Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 12,196	Re: Matt In Char Nc Nice pics, Randy. My son is 3 and he's just recently started to take a real interest in baseball. Unfortunately, all he wants to do is hit and he doesn't care much about throwing, which ironically was the exact opposite of me when I was young. I was a slick fielding, average hitting infielder. He hits the ball really well. It's surprised me how quickly he's improved. It's amazing how quickly they can form the basic swing mechanics without any real direction. __________________ Grape works as a soda. Sort of as a gum. I wonder why it doesn't work as a pie. Grape pie? There's no grape pie. - Larry David

07-30-2006, 08:49 AM	#8
RANDY IN INDY Matt's Dad Join Date: May 2000 Location: Brownsburg, Indiana Posts: 14,544	Re: Matt In Char Nc Mine was the same way, MWM. He has always wanted to hit, although he has always been intrigued with the pitching motion. We have been working on that for a long time, too. You'll have your son out there in uniform before you know it. It really is a joy to watch them play. __________________ Talent is God Given: be humble. Fame is man given: be thankful. Conceit is self given: be careful. John Wooden

07-30-2006, 09:32 AM	#9
letsgojunior Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 4,949	Re: Matt In Char Nc That's a Griffey-esque swing.

07-30-2006, 04:04 PM	#13
RFS62 Hey Cubs Fans Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: New York Posts: 16,572	Re: Matt In Char Nc Wow, what great form!!! Still waiting on that autograph. __________________ "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

08-01-2006, 09:14 AM	#14
macro Just The Big Picture Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: The Bluegrass State Posts: 6,150	Re: Matt In Char Nc Thanks for sharing, Randy! Like MWM, my son turns 3 this month, and we just started letting him hit off a tee with a plastic bat. It will be interesting to follow the progress of your son as the years pass. __________________ *Help stamp out, eliminate, and do away with redundancy.*

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