Okay, so today I wanted to get back into the swing of things, baseball-wise. I’ve been feeling a little rusty, so I looked up “rick camp baseball” to see if I could find some drills or something to shake off the cobwebs. Turns out, this Rick Camp guy was a pitcher back in the 80s, mostly known for one crazy game, it involed a home run.
I didn’t find any specific drills attributed to him, I mostly watched some old game footage.
My Backyard Practice Session
So, with no “official” Rick Camp drills, I just decided to do my own thing in the backyard.
- First, I started with some easy tossing. Just getting the feel of the ball in my glove, you know? Nothing fancy, just throwing it back and forth with my son.
- Next, I worked on my throwing motion. Imagined that batter box, tried to visualize hitting different spots in the strike zone. Over and over, focusing on keeping my elbow up, good follow-through, all that basic stuff.
- I brought out some old baseballs. After each throw, I brought my son over to show how to hold the ball, and show the different grips.
- Then, I tried some pitching practice. Set up a makeshift target on the fence and pretended it was the catcher’s mitt. I am not gonna lie, my aim was all over the place at first. But hey, that’s why I’m out here, right?
- Finally, I finished up with some basic fielding. Had my son hit me some grounders. Mostly just worked on getting in front of the ball, using two hands, the fundamentals.
It wasn’t anything groundbreaking, but it felt good to get back out there. Felt like a decent little workout. Might not be ready for the major leagues just yet, but my arm feels a little looser, and I remembered how much fun it is to just play catch. That Rick Camp rabbit hole reminded me how much I missed just messing around with a baseball.
