YOU HAVE TO WRITE A BOOK ABOUT THIS

Kansas City Royals’ All-Star
Second Baseman Cookie Rojas

In 1973, Kansas City Royals’ All-Star Second Baseman Cookie Rojas said to me, “Doc, I am now 34 years old. After playing some form of organized baseball for over twenty years, it is rather amazing that you have been able to teach me things about the game I never knew. Your ideas have helped me defensively, running the bases and as a hitter. I’ve also seen the positive benefits received by our Royals pitchers. You have to write a book about this.”

It took me 43 years, but I have now written that book. Actually it turned out to be three books. One book, “How2Focus: Like the Pros” is more historical about the ideas I introduced to baseball in the early 1970’s, how they were used by various coaches and managers, and how what was refined with George Brett and the Kansas City Royals was a factor in the San Francisco Giants, whose hitting coach Hensley Bam-Bam Meulens embraced the ideas, beating the Royals in the 2014 World Series.

How2Focus Series available
on Amazon or SlowTheGameDown

As I wrote “How2Focus: Like the Pros” with an emphasis on the great experiences I had with a very progressive baseball organization and dynamic people—owner Ewing M. Kauffman, Syd Thirft, Mr. Kaufman’s  Executive Director for his very innovative Kansas City Royals Baseball Academy, hitting Guru Charley Lau, I realized I needed to additionally write about the many great baseball hitter’s I have had the privilege of imparting my ideas on the visual side of the game,

Dr. Bill Harrison, George Brett,
Frank Ortenzio and Al Autry in 1971

The second book, “How2Focus: The Hitter’s Zone” has a lot to do with how George Brett used the ideas, gave me feedback, and after refinement the ideas were used successfully by Rod Carew, Tony Gwynn, Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, Mike Sweeney, Sean Casey, Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado and others.

In writing the second book, I reflected on the  many Major League Baseball pitchers I have had the opportunity to work with through the years. So a  third book resulted ,“How2Focus: The Pitcher’s Zone” which is about visual and mental side of the game methods introduced to Kansas City Royals pitchers Paul Splittorff and Mark Littell and eventually embraced by Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux.

Dr. Bill with current players
such as Kevin Pillar

I trust the books will help many players reach their goals, help coaches enhance their coaching, and help parents understand what it is like for their child to play and how they can improve their baseball performance abilities.

I hope you enjoy

Dr. Bill

Former MLB Pitcher Mark Littell on working with Dr. Bill

Dayton Flyers Improve Team BA to .332

"Just like any other coach, I have always emphasized the importance of seeing the baseball well at the plate. In the past, we have tried different drills and gimmicks to help our guys see it better, but it wasn't until Ryan presented his information to our team that we finally understood what it meant to see the baseball. Learning how the eyes work and how we can manipulate our eyes to have better focus and tracking skills, our 2009 team finished as one of the best offenses in all of D1 baseball. Along the way we shattered every major statistical record in program history and won our first conference championship! Statistically, we raised our batting average .44 points as a team (288 to .332), we hit 45 more doubles, 11 more triples and an astonishing 49 more home runs as a team. These types of improvements don't just happen by chance. Without question, we attribute our success to Ryan and SlowTheGameDown. "

Brian Harrison
Assistant Baseball Coach
University of Dayton

Dr. Bill a Cal Bear All-Time Leader

Wow you always hear stories about how I played and I did this and I did that ( Escpecially from your fathers). But the proof is in the pudding after 45 years Dr. Bill Harrison is still ranked 7th on the all-time ERA leaders at Cal Berkley ( min. 100 IP). Also notice Teammate Mike Epstein holds the all time Batting avg. record @ .381

Carlos Quentin is all about pursuing perfection for the Chicago White Sox

Quentin intensely driven to succeed

....It's the desire to drive that white ball which makes Quentin an anomaly to the people who cover his team, who play with him and who oppose him. The intensity with which Quentin plays is what drove him to an American League MVP-type season last year, and it is also what ended that campaign prematurely.......

....Leading up to the game Quentin is constantly moving, shadow-swinging his way through the clubhouse, lifting weights and studying a computer program that trains his eyes, a muscle exercise he does before every game. His emotions are all wrapped up into preparing for the opponent. .........

Carlos Quentin has been using SlowTheGameDown training products since his playing days at Stanford. I never met him but he still continues to use www.SportsEyeSite.com and 3D Depth Perception Trainer to train his eyes prior to every game. Are you also training your eyes with SportsEyeSite software and the 3D Depth Perception Trainer? IF NOT, NOW IS THE TIME! You can order today by going directly to the www.SlowTheGameDown.com site.



To read whole article click here
Carlos Quentin is all about pursuing perfection for the Chicago White Sox - ESPN

Visual Performance Training @ ISC

Announcing Visual Performance Training @ Inland Sports Center in Rancho Cucamonga

Ryan Harrison provides personal and group visual performance training for all athletes in all sports.

WHAT WE DO:
We Evaluate Visual Skills
We Train Visual Skills
We Train how to use your eyes in your sport

For more info you can call Ryan @ 949-510-5281 and/or call Inland Sports Center @ (909) 476-7913


8580 Milliken Avenue
Rancho Cucamonga, Ca. 91730
(909) 476-7913


BIO
Ryan Harrison, a certified Sports Performance Vision Trainer, has a degree in Exercise Physiology from University of California at Davis where he was a kicker for the football team. As sports enthusiast, he played three varsity sports in high school—football, soccer and baseball. He joined Performance Fundamentals Inc. full time 10 years ago. Ryan has been a consultant to numerous International, Professional and Amateur Baseball and Softball Teams, Collegiate Football, Collegiate Baseball & Softball teams. Some Examples include Los Angeles Angels, Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Washington Nationals, Kansas State Wildcats Football; LB State, Wichita State Baseball: Cal, Ole Miss, UofA, Florida State Softball. Ryan has also trainied many individual athletes such as well as many individual players in the NFL, NHL, MLB, WTA, PGA. Among the players he has trained include Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, Mike Sweeney, Ryan Spilborghs, Jack Cust, Casey Blake, David Dellucci, Delmon Young, Elijah Dukes and many others. Other athletes include Volleyball Player Matt Fuerbringer, Tennis players Alexa Glatch, Abby Spears, MotoGp Nicky Hayden, MotoCross Heath Voss, Hockey Player Dan Ellis.
For more Info visit www.SlowTheGameDown.com

Key Insights to Improved Baseball Performance

This Article is featured in Scholastic Coach Nov. 2008
..... Read the Whole Article


Key Insights to Improved Baseball Performance by Dr. Bill Harrison

New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado, a sixteen year MLB veteran, after two years of struggling,had a major trans­formation in his hitting performance this past season. Through June he was hitting .228 with a slugging average of .419. In July he hit .357 with a slugging average of .714.

Cleveland Indians outfielder David Dellucci, a 12-year MLB veteran, was hitting .228 on August 1. That month he went on a tear, batting .345.

Brad Boyer, an A Ball player in the San Francisco Giants chain, increased his batting average in the California League from .248 in 2007 to .347 in 2008 - a 100 point gain. Jason Tweedy, who played collegiately at Long Beach State U., signed a profes­sional contract with the Tampa Bay Rays after he increased his college bat­ting average from .234 in 2007 to .306 in 2008.

Roger Bernadina, who was recently promoted to the Washington Nationals, hit .259 primarily in AA Ball in 2007, but in 2008 hit .335, primarily in AAA ball, a gain of 76 points. Michael Stanton, a former three-sport star at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, CA, hit 39 homeruns in his first year of professional baseball in the Florida Marlins organization.

The common denominator in all of these hitters is that they placed a significantly higher priority on the "visual side" of their approach to the game. They incorporated vision drills as part of their strength and condition­ing program. Prior to the game they trained their baseball related vision skills. They were coached by a visual performance coach on how to best use their vision and they applied specific techniques to see the ball earlier, track it better, and see the ball deeper.

..... Read the Whole Article

Pat Breen - SlowsTheGameDown

Independent Leagues Player Of The Year

Breen nearly wins GBL Triple Crown

By J.J. Cooper
Baseball America.com
October 7, 2008


Two years ago, Patrick Breen thought he was just one good season away from the big leagues. A year later, he was released.

But you won't find Breen moping or complaining about being cut loose. Breen may be the only independent leagues player who's actually happy he was in an independent league this year.

Patrick Breen
"I am big believer that everything happens for a reason. The year I had offensively is a tribute to (Orange County hitting coach) Darrell Evans. He completely changed how I looked at hitting," Breen said. "He completely changed my swing. He simplified everything. If I had never been released by Tampa Bay, I never would have done that."

It sure worked this year. With his retooled approach, Breen broke the Golden Baseball League records for home runs (28), on-base percentage (.509), slugging percentage (.825), total bases (227) and extra-base hits (56). The center fielder also won the batting title thanks to his .396 average, and finished three RBIs short of a Triple Crown.

For his impressive season, plus his leadership role in driving Orange County to the Golden Baseball League title, Breen is the 2008 Independent Leagues Player of the Year.

It's a nice turnaround for the Rays' 2004 21st-round pick. Coming out of Houston, Breen struggled through his debut, hitting .222 as he recovered from a broken wrist. But once the wrist healed, Breen was a very productive player for the next two seasons. He hit .302/.383/.502 in the pitcher-friendly Midwest League the next season, and followed it up by hitting 21 home runs in only 94 games at high Class A Visalia in 2006. He got a late-season promotion to Double-A Montgomery and seemed to be establishing himself as a late-round find. As Breen saw it, he was one more good year away from getting a shot at the major leagues.

But all of that fell apart in 2007. He was beaned during a spring training game against the Yankees. In hindsight, it may have been a good idea to take a little time to recover and get over the effects of the concussion, but he worried that he would be washed up if he was kept back in extended spring, so Breen was back on the field and in the Montgomery lineup when the season started.

He may have been in the lineup, but he had lost his stroke. Breen struggled all year, hitting only .194/.284/.344.

"I thought I was in the best shape I had ever been and I thought I was just a step away from the big leagues," Breen said. "Dealing with post-concussion syndrome, I realized how little being physically ready compares to being mentally ready."

By the time he was told during spring training this year that he was being released, Breen was expecting it. Not many guys see their release coming. But "not many guys hit .194 the year before," Breen explained.

Breen, 26, figured that his career might be over, but then he got a call from former teammate Josh Arhart, who was joining the Golden League's Orange County Flyers. The chance to play for a pair of big league stars in manager Gary Carter and hitting coach Darrell Evans helped induce Breen to give it another shot.

Within a couple of weeks, he was happy he did. Pretty quickly, Evans and Breen decided to retool his entire approach. Breen had gotten into the habit of diving at the plate to try to hit the ball to the opposite field. His somewhat mechanical swing was also making it hard for him to turn around good fastballs. Once he was overmatched by fastballs, he started cheating to try to catch up to them, which left him helpless against breaking balls and changeups.

In other words, he was a hopeless wreck at the plate.

So Evans and Breen got to work. They moved him closer to the plate, simplified his swing and got him to stand more upright. In doing so, they freed Breen up to tap into his raw power.

"He was pretty stiff and wrapped. The wrap meant he couldn't get around on a mid-90s fastball," Evans said. "We got him to straighten up to get his hands more forward."

The results were pretty impressive. Breen started putting on shows in batting practice, launching moon shots. And since he could get around on any fastball a Golden League pitcher could throw him, it became easier to hit breaking balls and changeups as well.

The results were a season-long power binge. Breen averaged a home run every 9.8 at-bats. He had 32 multi-hit games (in 80 games played), and hit better than .400 in three of the four months of the season. The Golden League had inflated offensive numbers this year, with no team finishing with an ERA below 5.00, but even in a league with huge offensive numbers, Breen's slugging percentage was more than 100 points better than the league's second best. His on-base percentage was 40 points better than anyone else.

"I've never seen anyone have a better year," Evans said. "Everything he hit was a bullet."

The Flyers rode Breen to a playoff appearance, but when the playoffs rolled around, it didn't look like Breen would be around to enjoy them. In the second game of the first round of the playoffs, he ran full speed into the concrete outfield wall at Long Beach's Blair Field and was knocked out. The resulting inside-the-park home run was the game-winner, but the celebration was muted as both teams rushed out to center field to check on the motionless Breen.

Breen broke three ribs, bruised his shoulder, suffered a gash under one of his pair of black eyes and busted his nose. It was a gallant end to a pretty amazing season for Breen, or so everyone thought.

But when backup center fielder Trayvon Jackson was injured in a play at the plate a couple of games later, Breen decided to talk his way back into the lineup. With Jackson out, the Flyers didn't have another center fielder on the roster. So Breen figured that even if his bad shoulder and ribs would affect him at the plate, he still could help the team by playing defense.

"I told those guys all year, there is nothing I care about but winning a championship," he said. "We didn't have any other outfielders. It was time to give it up for the greater good."

In his first game back, Breen went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. He wasn't himself throughout the championship series at the plate, but he did get the single that started the Flyers two-run ninth that gave them a come-from-behind 10-9 win in the deciding game of the championship series.

"We won that championship. That's three seasons in a row for me (Montgomery won back-to-back titles when Breen was there)," he said. "I feel it totally made it worth it."

Now Breen is hoping that he'll get to try his new swing in a return trip to affiliated ball. As of late September no team had called, but Evans figures someone will. As the hitting coach for the Yankees in 1990, Evans watched Kevin Maas hit 21 home runs in 79 games as a rookie. He thinks Breen has more power and more potential.

"Breen hits the ball further. I think this guy is better," he said.
_____________________
Pat spent the off season working with me on the visual approach to the game. He realized after hitting .192 he needed to see the ball better. His new visual approach to hitting made his adjustments even easier. Pat was definetly a changed hitter. and we hope the best for him. He was diligent in working with the SportsEyesite software and that is why we have asked Pat to be an advisor for SportsEyeSite.

Ryan Harrison
www.SlowTheGameDown.com

In 1971, I had the great pleasure of working with Ewing Kaufman and the Kansas City Royals. One of the first players sent to me was George Brett. This lead to my interaction over the next 30+ years with various athletes. As I reflect on some of the greats, I am happy to see and be a part of some great former Royals. Not only George Brett but players such as Willie Wilson, Frank White. I recently recieved 3 calls from 3 former Royal who was very appreciatvie of the work we did in 2000. These players were none other than Carlos Beltran, Jeff Reboulet and Mike Sweeney.