2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearancesand Shaun Cole, University of Arizona Pitching Coach; 2012 Collegiate Baseball National Pitching Coach of the Year
The Arizona Wildcats set a number of records on the mound in their 2012 National Championship season. In the College World Series, the Wildcat staff produced a 1.15 team ERA en route to the team title. In this instructional baseball DVD, Andy Lopez shares his view on pitching and what it takes to become a great pitcher.
Coach Lopez believes in a "Competitive Strong" philosophy. He wants his pitchers to develop a three pitch arsenal that can help with location, get back into count and provide an "out pitch." This gives pitchers the ability to focus on developing effective pitches they can rely on.
Coach Lopez and Coach Cole go through their daily "flat ground" drills. These drills are used to build muscle memory and to improve the player's ability to repeat their delivery on every pitch. They also show you the three major checkpoints they use with their pitchers (both RHP and LHP) to aide in self-coaching themselves during practice and games. This program keeps teaching mechanics simple, but also helps players make adjustments in their mechanics.
Watch and listen in as Coach Cole works with his pitchers in short bullpen session. Cole constantly stresses to his pitchers that they work on one specific skill daily.
By reinforcing the correct breathing and visualization techniques, your pitchers will be more focused and maximize their effectiveness with more quality repetitions.
The video concludes with the Arizona Wildcat throwing program called Daily Catch Play. Using normal throwing activities to help improve control makes the most out of your practice time. This program is used to strengthen the pitcher's arms and to develop a feel for their secondary pitches like the change up.
This video is loaded with ideas and drills that will enhance any coaches pitching staff, regardless of your level.
76 minutes. 2013.
LD-04264B: with Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Coach;
2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
Andy Lopez's philosophy is that championships are won with pitching and defense. These two keys must remain consistent throughout the season for a team to win championships. In this live practice video, Coach Lopez explains his defensive philosophy and concepts and then demonstrates these concepts in a live practice setting. This high intensity defensive practice works on all aspects of defense in a short amount of time.
The drills presented in this DVD focus on communication skills, team building skills, and the physical skills that are required to effectively handle the many defensive situations you will face in a game. Situations ranging from pick offs, run downs, cuts and relays, bunt coverages, and run defenses that will help your team compete at a high level.
You will see:
2013.71 minutes + 27 minutes of bonus material. 2013.
LD-04264C: with Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Coach;
2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
Andy Lopez's hitting philosophy is centered on two main things: "Low and Hard." This simply means he wants all of his hitters to get their hands on top of the baseball to make good, hard contact with bottom hand extension, which results in more ground balls and line drives.
Coach Lopez gives you an in-depth look at his drill series and hitting organizations with one-on-one instruction and in a live practice setting. His drills are are practical and focused, which allows players to develop a consistent hitting approach. Each drill helps players develop a swing that stays short and on plane. Lopez teaches his players that each swing has a purpose and he strives for quality over quantity during hitting practice.
Coach Lopez uses a variety of hitting stations during practice. The stations last from 12-15 minutes. Each group works on a specific skill or situation that day. The stations work on pre-practice live hitting, cage work and bunting and allows players to work consistently on different parts of their swing to maximize their chances for success. You'll see a simple tee drill to teach your hitters to stay through the ball longer to create more consistent, powerful contact, a high tee drill to keep your hitters' hands inside the ball, and more.
The stations will not only help improve your hitters, but your defensive players, as well.
The video ends with Coach Lopez explaining how he teaches hitting through three main components: Principal, Purpose and Process. He goes in great detail on how these three components fits into the Arizona Wildcat offensive philosophy. Having a plan when stepping up to the plate makes hitters more successful and consistent.
This video is an excellent choice for you to learn the offensive side of the Arizona Wildcat hitting philosophy and system.
79 minutes. 2013.
LD-04264D: with Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Coach;
2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
and Matt Siegel, University of Arizona Assistant coach (Hitting and Infield)
Andy Lopez and the Arizona coaching staff put together a very high energy hitting practice each and every day. In their plan they allow their players to work on many different aspects of hitting from mechanics, to situational hitting, and the short game.
The Wildcats use four stations everyday to prepare their hitters. This set-up keeps players engaged and working on different aspects of game.
The four stations include:
- Live Hitting on the Field
- Live Defense
- Cage Hitting
- Bunting or Baserunning
In the live hitting station, every swing has an offensive situation (bunting, hit and run, etc.) and every swing has a purpose! There are no free swings in this station - this is a game-like station that forces the hitter to really concentrate.
Live Defense Station
Four defensive players (two infielders and two outfielders) play all balls hit to them as live, which allows them to get reads and looks off of a live bat. This is an extremely important station because it provides a game-like experience and allows players to see angles of the bat at contact.
Cage Hitting Station
Allow your players to perfect their swings! Coach Siegel provides tips and drills to get the hands and the lower half to work together. During this time you'll see hitters working on a series of drills using heavy, short and regular bats to build hand-eye coordination and bat speed.
Bunt/Base Running Station
The bunt or base running station is the rogue station that can be changed daily or weekly to work on a specific offensive need. This is also a game-like station to help the players improve their concentration - an area important to any team's success, but are often overlooked during practice. By adding these elements into practice, you will improve your players' performance in close game situations.
Practice organization is one of the most important skills to have as a coach. The Arizona coaching staff lays out a very effective practice plan that provides a foundation for players to develop fundamental skills and abilities at game speed.
2013.
195 minutes + 19 minutes of bonus material. 2013.
LD-04264E: with Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Coach;
2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
Arizona baseball thrives on making practice as game-like as possible. Seeing your players in a game setting is very revealing. It allows you to see which players can play and compete at game speed. Andy Lopez gives you an inside look into his highly structured Game Situations practice, which allows both defense and offense opportunities for players to work on at the same time.
Coach Lopez uses game situations to help build team cohesiveness, as well as reveal which players can play in game-like settings instead of being just "a good practice player." He incorporates drills that encompasses game like situations for both his offensive and defensive players to keep his players sharp and develop "baseball instincts" so they are not caught off guard when it matters most.
This DVD demonstrates the "Lightning Bolt Game" in a live practice setting. The Lightening Bolt Game creates game awareness and provides players the experience to handle game situations.
The game pits an offensive team, broken up into two groups (a group at home plate and one group at first base), versus a defensive team. The group at home plate is working on as many possible offensive situations as possible such hit and runs, sacrifice bunting, etc. The group at first base is working on base running skills, straight steals, going first to third on a hit and run, etc. The defensive team is working live reads off the bat and trying to stop the offense from scoring. He stresses defensively to keep the double play in order. These game situations allow the defense to work on communication and how to react to the live base running.
Putting your players in game situations allows them to challenge themselves and take chances that they might try to make in a game. It then allows them to learn from mistakes and learn for the future. During these team sessions, your coaching staff has control over the situations allowing you to coach during a "game" and focus on the fundamentals. Coaches can stop the scrimmage and correct players in a way that allows the team to learn from it.
Game pressure tends to "rush" players, which causes mistakes. Making your practice sessions more game-like will build up your player's crucial game instincts allowing them to relax and make more plays in actual games.
2013.
LD-04264F: with Andy Lopez, University of Arizona Head Coach;
2012 NCAA Champions; over 1,000 career wins, 3x National Coach of the Year; 2x National Championship Coach; 9x Conference Coach of the Year; led teams to 5 College World Series appearances; led Arizona to 10 NCAA Tournament appearances
Two-time National Coach of the Year Andy Lopez gives you an inside look into a highly structured base running practice with his Arizona Wildcats team. In a live practice setting, Coach Lopez works on many different aspects of base running including tags, steals, philosophies for different situations, and drills that will help your team stay focused on the base paths and that will help you produce more runs.
Coach Lopez wants all of his base runners to be "technique strong," meaning that they run with their chin up and their head stays with the ball.
The team base running drills focus on getting live reads during practice that can translate into games. Lopez discusses many different pre- and post-practice drills that get every base runner involved and active.
The 3-Spot Drill is done in five phases and incorporates all of the different types base running situations that a team will see. This drill lasts anywhere from 18-20 minutes and is great for working on base running situations and for team conditioning. Listen in as Coach Lopez gives his players verbal cues that help them stay focused on correct techniques and on making quick adjustments on the bases.
In addition to the drills, Coach Lopez shares his own personal philosophies that have allowed him to create a National Championship program, including a base stealing approach that gives players a better jump and a greater chance to swipe bases.
Using Coach Lopez's proven methods, your team will dominate the base paths and put themselves in position to win more games.
69 minutes. 2013.