The Blizzard Baseball Club

My philosophy on teaching kids to hit a baseball (and really any athletic skill):

Don't Fill Kids' Heads With Minutia - the more things that you tell them to do, the worse they will be at doing it.

I'm starting to do baseball camps at the Concord Sports Plex. Of course, I picked a picture from 20 years ago. Tanned and skinny???? haha

Chipper Jones on X:

"Tee never lies…..line drives thru the back of the cage. U loop? Tee tells ya. U cast out and around? Tee tells ya. U hit bullets thru back of the cage? Tee tells ya"

My high school friend and teammate, Ken Bolek, ran the IMG Baseball Academy for a long time. Someone related a story to me that Ken told them about Gary Sheffield coming to the IMG campus and spending the month of January setting and hitting balls off a tee for the entire month.

When asked what he needed from IMG, he allegedly said: "All I want is a tee and a bucket of balls."

I agree with Chipper - one of the great players of all time. "The tee never lies!"

You can find a gazillion videos on the internet teaching kids how to hit. My philosophy is "keep it simple." Here The Great One, Roberto Clemente, loads and is about to explode. It’s a thing of beauty.

So, here are a few of the things that I notice and teach.

1. His top hand is not wrapped.

2. His back foot is pointed slightly towards the plate to make sure that his weight doesn't get on the outside of his back foot. It's not necessary but it's a simple technique that works well with younger hitters.

3. His front shoulder is small, and his back shoulder is tall. In other words, his front shoulder is lower than his back shoulder.

4. His chin is resting on his front shoulder. Your eyes follow your chin. Chin starts on the front shoulder and finishes on the back shoulder.

5. His hands are "loaded" but his front arm is not "straight."

6. Last, but not least, his load involves showing the pitcher his "butt cheek" - show the butt cheek, slam the belly button - one of my favorite phrases for young (and old) hitters.

ARRIBA!

Contact me if you'd like me to help your young athlete.

One more for today:

“Coach Navatsyk brings the “You don’t walk off the island” mentality to Northeast Ohio. He never bogged me down with minuscule swing changes. His focus was putting the bat to the ball and swinging hard - bat speed. His teachings and influence were major factors in the success of my baseball career.”

Andrew Frey - Shortstop - Case Western Reserve University. First player in CWRU history to earn Capital One Academic All-America and D3Baseball.com All-America honors in the same season. Fourth in CWRU history in hits, fifth in games played and sixth in RBI. 3 year starter and 3 year Most Valuable Hitter at Mentor High School while earning 1st team All Lake Erie League and 1st team All News Herald in his senior season.

Another one of my former players:

“I believe that Coach Navatsyk was and still is one of the best youth, high school, and collegiate summer league coaches in the state of Ohio. He shined the most in hitting and was able to breakdown the fundamentals of your swing no matter what age or level. I was fortunate enough to play under Coach for 3 seasons and they turned out to be some of the best in my baseball career.

After my last summer with the Blizzard, I went back to school for my final season at Mercyhurst. I capped of my career with PSAC West Second Team and ECAC Second Team All-star honors. I finished with a .356 Batting Avg. and was second in country with a .545 on-base percentage. Coach Navatsyk's principles are simple and effective. Be aggressive on the fastball and never EVER bunt on his field!”

Anthony Tomasone – Mercyhurst College

From another one of my players:

“Coach Navatsyk teaches the hardest lessons in life; how to hit a baseball, and how to be a good person. He worked with me from the time I was 9 years old until I was 23 playing against professional ball players and molded me into the player I became. No better coach around!

Jack LaMarca
Senior Year High School
Nevada 3A High School Player of the Year
State of Nevada Most Valuable Player 2011
1st team all-state and all conference 2011
597 12hrs 54 hits 51RBI

Career at ONU
3 time All OAC honoree and batting average champion 2013
350 6hr 146hits

Led California Winter League regular season in batting average 2016 hitting .480”

Jack LaMarca – Ohio Northern University

From one of my former players:

“Coach Don Navatsyk is the most passionate coach I have ever had the opportunity to play for. Coach Navatsyk has spent countless hours of his own time in the batting cage and on the field helping my former teammates and I develop swings to drive the baseball.

Coach Navatsyk teaches hitters to hit the ball where it is pitched, a simple yet critical element to be a successful ballplayer at the high school and colligate level. Coach Navatsyk’s electric, positive attitude, and endless determination to make you an all-around better player feeds young ballplayers’ confidence, resulting in increased performance on the field.

Having played over 1,600 innings of baseball under Coach Navatsyk, I can proudly say the success and confidence I had as a hitter at the high school, competitive summer ball, and collegiate level was a direct result of Coach Navatsyk’s instruction. I am forever grateful to have had the opportunity to play under the direction of Coach Navatsyk and the Chardon Blizzard.”

Kevin Bernay

Notre Dame College, 1B/OF, NCAA Division II, South Euclid, Ohio, 2010-2013, Head Coach: Len Barker

Chardon Blizzard, 1B, 2009-2013, Head Coach: Don Navatsyk

Painesville Riverside High School, 1B, 2007-2010, Head Coach: Ed Humes

2010 .493 AVG, 1st Team Premiere Athletic Conference (PAC), News-Herald Third Team

2009 2nd Team PAC, News Herald Honorable Mention

2008 .470 AVG, 1st Team PAC, News Herald Honorable Mention

Football season has ended. My schedule is now open for hitting/baseball lessons.

This kid does everything that I teach. Feet wider than shoulders. eyeballs on knees looking at plate. front shoulder small, back shoulder tall. loose hands. chin shoulder to shoulder. finish your swing with both hands on the bat. I love this!

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Con tan solo 6 años y ya rompe pelotas.⚾️💪🏼 #beisbol #Deportes #funnyvideos #fypviralシ #viralreelsfacebook #niños