How much can you learn in 25 minutes? Plenty, if you take the word of coaches who have been part of our Ultimate Rap sessions for three decades. Speakers come here armed and ready to fire away with thoughts, ideas and actions that can quickly be utilized in your program. Clinicians such as Rick Peterson, now with 3P Sports, is a known pitching guru who labored over the topics he would touch at this year’s sessions. He ended up with Six Essential Drills to Master pitching deliveries based on getting optimal performance while reducing the risk of injury. Peterson built his reputation as a major league pitching coach who had a history of turning staffs around in places such as Oakland, New York and Milwaukee.
   John Cohen of Mississippi State is just as passionate when he puts on live infield drills that range from using the wall to footwork drills. Cohen has brought Mississippi State back to baseball prominence in four short years. Dave Magadan, the hitting instructor for the Boston Red Sox, is also live in the batting cage, where he will deal with problem identification and solutions. It must work; the Red Sox had baseball’s most potent attack for the fifth straight season in 2011. Magadan, a top hitter during his days as a New York Met, looks at correcting uppercut swings and taking pitches the other way in just two of his six sessions.
   Dana Cavalea has his own mission. The strength and conditioning coach for the New York Yankees is on a crusade to build better bodies the right way. He specializes in the development in multi-planar strength, power, and speed development. He spends time between Long Island, New York and Tampa, Florida. He’ll show how to create an iron throwing arm, and add to fast twitch power development.
   Dean Ehehalt of Monmouth University faces northeast weather conditions at the start of every season. Knowing how to put together indoor practice sessions that keep players involved and creating and shaping an offensive philosophy is part of the program that includes drills with game results. He’ll also show how to bring the high energy to your outdoor practices. Ehehalt has had nothing but success with his methods as the Hawks have dominated play in the NEC since his arrival.
   Karl Kuhn, the pitching coach at the University of Virginia, has been the leader of a group that is a constant name on the leader board in ERA among NCAA schools. The Cavs pitching coach will explain how to pitch for success, and how to win the pitching wars.
   These 60 mini-sessions, lasting 25 minutes each, are enough to fill any coach’s notebook, and surely help enhance any program.
   The Rap sessions condensed time frame makes coaches talk on a single subject and forces them, and those in attendance, to stay on point.

   Every now and then I forget the impact the past 38 “Be the Best You Are’’ clinics have had on baseball programs in the northeast. That’s usually when Andy Baylock gives me a kick in the pants. The former Connecticut coach will start recalling a drill he picked up from Ted Williams in the ‘80s or a pitching trick he got from Pat McMahon in the ‘90s.
   Andy, it seems, is a note taker, and he has them from 37 past clinics. So this year he will give you a look at the greatest ideas he’s heard from past clinics. It’s the kind of stuff that brings the game back to life, which is the target of this year’s clinic. It’s a great combination of batting instructors such as Dave Magadan of the Boston Red Sox, former manager Jim Lefebvre and the legendary Gary Ward, now at New Mexico State, mixed with a pitching guru such as Rick Peterson of 3P Sports. His mission is to teach the 3Ps Prepare, Prevent and Perform - drills to develop young arms with six essential drills to master a delivery. Meanwhile, Virginia’s head coach Brian O’Connor and his staff shows how they helped the Cavs dominate in NCAA pitching success, Butch Thompson of Mississippi State will be doing live pitching demonstrations Thursday while Karl Kuhn of Virginia is there Friday at Ultimate Rap.
  This year, we’ve even added something different. For the first time we will allow high school and youth league players to attend a clinic being held Saturday with three of the top clinicians in the world working with fielding (Itch Jones), pitching (Pat McMahon) and catching (Jerry Weinstein). This added value should give the clinic a little more life.
   Having Itch, along with Andy together is what makes this clinic feel like home. So many of you have remained loyal followers of what we have taught here and that is what inspires speakers to come back. They tell me that our coaches are the most enthusiastic in the country. They continue to enjoy innovations such as Thursday Night Thunder and the lightning sessions from the Ultimate Rap. Clinicians and coaches agree that these 25-minute nuggets are a golden opportunity to see how the pro and collegiate messages have a common thread – building better players and teams.
   We think it is a perfect mix and brings the game back to life.