Baseball Positions: First Baseman Is the Best

By David J Weller

First Base is the best position on the baseball field. First basemen are involved in nearly all of the ground ball outs. They need the ability to catch or block bad throws from the other infielders. On deep fly balls where a runner could score, they act as the cutoff man to home. And for left handers, first base is a great position for you.

A first baseman's primary job is to receive throws from infielders on ground balls, thus completing an out. Most ground outs end with the first baseman catching the ball. A very important skill of first basemen is the ability to catch or block bad throws for the other infielders. A good first baseman helps create outs and prevents runners from advancing.

On a hit to the outfield where a runner might score, the first baseman acts as a cutoff man to home. This means that the first baseman will line themselves up between the outfielder and the catcher and either make sure the ball gets to the catcher or reroutes the ball to another base to get an out.

Left handers enjoy an advantage at first base. If there is a need to throw to another base, a left handed first baseman does not need to reposition in order to throw the ball. Also, when receiving a throw from one of the other infielders, they do not need to turn their back to the infield.

So there you have it. First base is the best position to play. First basemen are involved on most of the ground balls that are hit. They block bad throws from the other infielders, keeping runners from taking extra bases. And left handed first basemen enjoy an advantage over right handers.

If you are a first baseman, you are in company with baseball greats such as: Lou Gehrig, Frank Chance, Orlando Cepeda, Jimmie Foxx, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Eddie Murray, Keith Hernandez, Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, and Don Mattingly.

This is part of a series of articles explaining why each position on the baseball field is the best. This series is aimed towards coaches at all levels. It is my belief that every position is important, and they each need players with different strengths.

This is part of a series of articles explaining why each position on the baseball field is the best. This series is aimed towards coaches at all levels. It is my belief that every position is important, and they each need players with different strengths. It is my hope that coaches can use this series to help inspire a love for the game of baseball.

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Baseball Positions: Shortstop Is the Best

By David J Weller

Shortstop is the best position on the baseball field. Shortstops are the captains of the infield. They make some of the more spectacular plays. Shortstops have a large range and a strong arm. They are also involved in double plays.

Shortstops are the captain of the infield. They make sure the other infielders are aware of the situation. Shortstops communicate with the second baseman about who is going to cover the base on a stolen base or a double play started by the pitcher. And on an infield pop fly, it is the shortstop that makes sure there is not a collision between infielders trying to catch the ball.

Shortstops often make spectacular plays. On a play to their right, they have to get to the ball and turn around to throw all the way across the field. Also, with all of the ground that they cover, there are many plays in which they run and/or dive, then have to throw quickly for a close play at first base.

Shortstops have very strong arms. Because they are positioned on the left side of the infield and they play further from the hitter than the third baseman, they have less time to get the throw off to first base. On balls hit to their right, they have to throw in the opposite direction of their momentum. Since they can't use their body on these throws, it is done mainly with arm strength.

Shortstops are involved in many double plays. Their quickness and arm strength are crucial in turning the double play. Good shortstops will kill many rallies by turning a double play, giving their team a better chance of winning.

So there you have it. Shortstop is the best position to play. They are the captain of the infield. Shortstops have a large range and use their strong arms to make some spectacular plays. And they are critical in turning the double play.

If you are a shortstop, you are in company with baseball greats such as: Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Honus Wagner, Dave Concepción, Ozzie Smith, Robin Yount, Cal Ripken Jr., Alex Rodriquez, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, and Jose Reyes.

This is part of a series of articles explaining why each position on the baseball field is the best. This series is aimed towards coaches at all levels. It is my belief that every position is important, and they each need players with different strengths.

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How to Coach Youth Pitchers

By David J Weller

The subject of coaching youth pitchers is an important one. Pitchers should learn proper mechanics. Young pitchers' arms are still growing and are susceptible to injury, both now and in the future. Young pitchers will need to limit the amount of pitches they throw. They should also refrain from throwing curve balls. Of course, some will teach younger pitchers a curve ball, so you will need to teach your pitchers how to be competitive with them. You do this by teaching them how to change speeds and how to locate their pitches.

One of the most important things for a pitcher to learn is proper mechanics. Pitching is extremely hard on a pitcher's arm and shoulder. Proper mechanics limits the wear and tear to a certain extent. Good pitching form starts with good footwork. The pitching foot (the same side as the pitching arm) should be parallel to the rubber, with the outside of the foot up against it. This gives a good surface to push off of. This leg push generates much of the power for a pitcher. Once they push with their leg, they should lead with their chest. When their other foot hits the ground, the arm should finish the throwing motion, complete with a follow through.

It is recommended that a pitcher that is 16 years old or younger limit their pitches to 90 in a day. For a less experienced pitcher, I would recommend even fewer pitches. If a pitcher is laboring and is not able to pitch with proper mechanics, it is time to put another pitcher in. Another use for pitch counts is making sure the pitcher has enough rest between appearances. For each 20 pitches that a pitcher throws in a day, that pitcher should have one full day of rest before pitching again.

Now that they are pitching properly and they have a pitch count to help protect their arms, it is time to learn some pitches. The fastball and the change-up are the first pitches that should be learned. These need to be mastered before moving on to other pitches. For pitchers under 16 years old, throwing curve balls is discouraged. Curve balls are very hard on the arms. Even if there is not an apparent injury, by the time they are pitching in high school, they can develop a loss in velocity. Later in life, shoulder and elbow problems can start to appear. In this writer's opinion, it is just better to not throw curve balls at a young age.

A young pitcher can be very effective without a curve ball. Even with just a fastball, if the pitcher can move the ball around the plate and up and down, they will have success. Then once you start mixing it up with a change-up the batter has a lot to think about. Is the ball going to be inside or outside? Is it going to be high or low? Is it going to be fast or slow? That is all on top of figuring out if it is a strike and whether or not to swing! That is a lot for a young hitter to go up against.

A young pitcher needs to start with the fundamentals of good mechanics. Then make sure to put reasonable limits on their pitch count. Teach them a fastball or two and a change-up. Forget about the curve ball for now, that can be learned later. For now, teach them how to command their fastball and change-up. They will be successful as long as they change speed and location. Then, when a pitcher is older (at least 16) and has good command of the fastball and change-up, a curve ball can be added.

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The Prepubescent Delusion Rule: Let Them Have Fun! (repost)

Usually each spring I repost this article that  I wrote back in the spring of 2008 when I started this blog.   I hope over the years the posts here have helped you be a better youth baseball coach or parent....

We’re all guilty of it. That moment when your prepubescent child makes a fabulous defensive play or hits a clutch ground rule double (just like Jeter) and the thought enters your mind… “Hey, Maybe This Kid Has Something”.

It’s so easy to be lead down this path. We’re parents. We want our kids to be happy, smart, successful, handsome, athletic, etc, etc. So when our 10 year shortstop dives and makes the defensive grab of the game we can’t help but have proud parental thoughts.

Now most of us keep these parental thoughts to ourselves which IMHO is the correct thing to do. However, some of us might elbow the dad next to us and say something like “WOW! Did you see that play. When he was 7 I knew the kid had something”. This is the parent that needs to WAKE UP!!...QUICKLY!

A friend of mine who coaches one of the best high school teams in our state gave me the greatest advice I could have ever received when I first started coaching my sons… He said “Any parent or coach who thinks they know what a kid is capable of before he or she goes through puberty is completely delusional”. I have used this as guiding words since I first heard them. When I watch the 11 year hold who can hardly reach 1st from 3rd base I say to myself… “wait until puberty”. When I see the small 10 year old who can hardly swing the -13 bat I say to myself… “wait until puberty”. Conversely when I witness the 12 year old who overpowers his peers with his 50’ fast ball I say to myself… well you know the mantra by now.

A few years back I decided to manage my son’s 9 year old travel team. It was a great group of kids. We won our share of games and actually managed to finish 2nd in a pretty large local tournament. The kids had a great time and learn a lot about the game…. anyway I digress… I remember while we were warming up the kids prior to our first game that season a dad I had asked to coach said to me in all sincerity “Coach, These are the boys we’ll be watching play high school baseball someday”. Luckily this was after my high school coach friend had enlightened me about the prepubescent delusion rule. I remember thinking “We have no idea what genetic cards have been dealt to these kids.” However, I simply replied “time will tell”.

Now it’s 5 years later and only 7 of the 12 are still playing baseball at 14 years old. Lacrosse stole away 3 of the kids and 2 others sadly decided not to play baseball. Of the 7 remaining, only 3 were fortunate enough to make the 8th grade baseball team. This is a real life example of why coaches and parents cannot and should not try to determine the athletic future of a 9 year old kid.

Now take the 10 year old all-star player, pitcher, shortstop, powerhitter, speedster. He’s 4 inches taller than his peers, knocking the ball out of the park every three games. This kid is destined to be a high school/college star right? Not necessarily. How about after his teammates go through puberty and catch up or even pass him in size, strength and coordination? This happens… all the time.

So.. what’s the lesson? While there are some attributes a child may show at a young age which might lend themselves to a particular sport.. all bets are off until the kid goes through puberty. Parents and Coaches who understand and adopt this philosophy will be more comfortable with providing a loose and fun baseball environment for their young player.

Coach Bob

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/

Three Drills for Improving Baseball Performance on a Budget

By James T Kelly   

Baseball remains the great American pastime. From young to old, baseball brings joy to millions. Though few make it to the show, anyone can take steps to improve their game.
Here are some tips to strengthen your baseball skills or your team's skills:

1. Take an old wooden broom stick and cut off the broom end. Next, use electrical tape to wrap one end of the stick. You need to collect bottle caps to hit in place of baseballs. Bars are a great place to collect some. Then you are ready for your drill. Then go to a empty ball field with a dirt infield. Toss caps into the air and try to hit them as far as possible using your home made bat. This drill will definitely improve your hand-eye coordination.

2. For your next drill you will need some tennis balls, a regular baseball bat, and a partner to throw you some batting practice. Take a black marker and number each ball. Start with number one and write on all four sides of the tennis ball. Continue this until you have balls 1-5. Then take some batting practice asking the batter to identify each ball as to what number he sees. Learning to focus on each numbered ball will sharpen your batting eye.

3. The last drill will strengthen the players grip. Take a five gallon plastic bucket and fill it with rice. Then stick your hand into the rice bucket about halfway, flexing your hand open and closed. You should alternate hands flexing the right hand then the left. You can also do both at the same time. You should complete three sets of ten to strengthen your grip, which will carry over and improve your game.

These tricks and drills are really good for teaching youth how to play well. Truth be told anyone can be a better ball player it just takes three things practice, practice and more practice. Fancy equipment can help make it more fun and enjoyable when working out and practicing however, becoming good at something like baseball takes determination and effort. When teaching youth how to play the game the most important thing is to have fun and to not take the game too seriously. As someone who loves the game baseball I enjoy seeing players give their maximum strength and effort in playing the game. Take some of the suggestions in this article and see if it helps improve your skills or your teams.

Jim Kelly is the owner of http://www.baseballtraininggearpro.com and is a baseball nut. His passion is baseball and loves helping people learn to play the game. He knows the importance of picking the right baseball training gear to help improve performance. He is happy to answer any questions you may have about baseball or any other sport.

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Youth Baseball Parent-Player Meeting

By Tom McGilliray   

This meeting may be the first opportunity for you to meet the parents and players who are anxious to learn what your knowledge base is, your coaching experience, and what style you use. Stating your objectives for the team and what it is you want to accomplish will put the parents and players at ease.
From my experience based upon youth feedback, youth baseball players want to experience success and have fun. As the coach you need to keep in that in mind, and so do the parents. But keep in mind that the reality is some parents view winning at all costs is the only thing that matters is their little superstar.

Explaining your coaching philosophy, rules for playing time, will it be equal playing time or based on performance, this will most likely depend on the age level you're coaching, and player positions, how will you determine who plays where.

Parental involvement is sometimes glossed over. Since most kids state fun as their main priority, a close second is to be engaged with their parents. I stress the need with running practices, pre-game warm ups, and base coaches. Kids see this as an opportunity spend quality time with their parent. It is important that parents view it the same way.

You may want to comment for the benefit of the parents unwilling to participate on the field their assistance will be needed in other areas. In youth athletics there are numerous opportunities for parents to get involved by volunteering to coordinate any fund raising events, securing hotel rooms if your team is traveling out of town, will there be money that needs to be collected, what about the concession stand, so helping the team run smoothly is not limited to just the field.

Don't over look the communication. Email is a great way for the Coach to disseminate information quickly, and for parents and players to keep the coach informed. As the coach you should informed the parents they can discuss anything with you, except playing time or positions. I have found this will eliminate the majority of your headaches if you state it like that.

Player expectation's also needs to be expressed. Part of the learning process is how to take responsibility for themselves. Each player needs to be accountable for himself.

Baseball players need to think on their feet, react, adapt, overcome, by letting them know they, not their mother are responsible for insuring all their equipment is ready to go, is a great way to start teaching accountability. They further need to know there are consequences to not being accountable or improper behavior

Remember your job is to be the teacher, and at times a mentor. I would suggest that you start a list of items that need to be addressed at your parent/player meeting and add to it throughout the year as things come up. This will help you in future years to avoid any pit falls along the way.

Tom, learn more great tips on running your own youth baseball team and useful training tips also check out LeftHandBaseballGloves.com to get the high quality baseball glove for the next season.

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Baseball Goals for Coaches

By Jim Bain   

Now that I have retired from the active ranks of baseball coaching, I can express my opinions without appearing smug or confrontational, or whatever other emotion I may provoke from others' toes I may or may not inadvertently step on.

You may question my credentials and why I think it gives me the right to offer my opinion. Simply put, over 45 years of coaching, playing, dealing with players of all ages and their parents' personalities and inner demons which they feel must be vented at someone, which is usually the coach.

Youth Baseball coaches, for the most part, are the salt of the earth. They are not paid a dime and always end up taking a large chunk of change out of their own pocket for treats, equipment, tournament fees, loss of overtime income at work because they had a ball game that night, and a dozen other normal expenses.

They devote every spare moment of their time throughout the season to the Team and live and die with the win and loss column, not for their own ego, but for the kids and their pride and sense of accomplishment. My hat is off to every baseball coach out there, winner or loser, because in my opinion they're all winners.

The very first issue a Rookie coach must resolve is "What kind of coach am I going to be?" I must admit I cringe when I hear a coach say "As long as the kids have fun." That's a cop out and a mask to hide the coach's inability to teach the game of baseball.

1. Winning is fun. I'm not talking the type of coaching attitude which create raging monsters who scream at kids for losing or making a mistake, but I do think coaches have an obligation to teach kids they can be successful through hard work, which is not only a baseball value but a life enriching value players will carry with them their entire lives.

Coaches are instilled with the responsibility of teaching kids how to achieve goals in life through hard work, persistence, high morals and teamwork. Your chances of winning the lottery are much greater than the chance any ball player you coach reaching the Major Leagues. However, with the grace of God, all of your players will reach adulthood and you will have an input into what kind of adult they become.

2. A coach must either know the game of baseball, or be willing to surround themselves with people who do. Most people, unlike you, don't have the guts it takes to raise their hand and say "I'll be responsible for this team." However, there are many who will volunteer their time and skills as long as they have that inner peace they're not obligated to be at practice or a league meeting.

A coach must be willing to capitalize on these situations and take whatever help they can, when they can, from people more knowledgeable than themselves. Why would a coach do this? Why share the glory with someone who is rarely there to help with the work? Because you have a responsibility to teach the kids, by whatever means necessary, how to properly play baseball.

These are but two goals of a baseball coach, but they are the very foundation from which a good coach becomes a great coach. He must realize there is a fine line between being obsessed with winning, and the goal of teaching kids winning is the ultimate goal of hard work and effort.
A coach must consider he's not only teaching, or not teaching, the game to the kids for this season, but instead for the players' entire future. A marginal player, who loses a year of learning required baseball skills, may Never catch up to their peers.

It's a heavy yoke for a coach to carry, but anything worth achieving is worth the risk, and I can't think of anything more worthwhile than helping kids develop into fine adults.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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What Are The First Base Coach's Duties?

By Jim Bain   

When it comes to name recognition, especially in the MLB, the manager, pitching and the third base coach are the headline grabbers. If it weren't for the television camera panning to the runner at first base who's expected to steal, people would probably forget there is a first base coach. However, there is a first base coach and his duties are important.

1. He is a cheerleader, keeping the runner on first and the batter focused. I could have substituted "mental alertness specialist" or "personnel awareness specialist" or any other important sounding title for "cheerleader," but in essence he helps maintain focus of the players on the field. No small task coaching 7 year olds.

2. The coach plays an important role in relaying signals, indicating plays the manager has called from the bench to the players or other coaches. Most people assume the third base coach is responsible for receiving and giving the signals to players, and in most cases this is accurate. However, a wily manager may use the first base coach to relay his signal to the third base coach, or act as a decoy, flashing signs which are meaningless.

3. The first base coach serves as a traffic cop directing the actions of the hitter. As the hitter, especially a younger player, who is now a runner charging towards first base, will lose sight of the baseball. The player is taught, instead of searching for the ball's location, which slows the runner, he is to look at his coach, who is in his direct line of sight, for instructions.

The coach must know where the ball is located, will it be fielded and if it is, by who and what is the arm strength of that player. This must be relayed to the runner a.s.a.p. in order for him to know whether to run through the base, attempt to advance to second base or round the base waiting to see how the defense handles the ball.

4. It's not uncommon for a MLB first base coach to have been a prolific base stealer, as knowing the split second to initiate your move against the pitcher is, in itself an art form.

He has the sole responsible in advising the runner on how to take his initial lead, then secondary lead, then either exploding towards second base or quickly retreating back to first base on a pick off attempt. This entire identical coaching scenario plays out in the MLB same as little league.

5. He is constantly verbally coaching with a runner on first base.

"Be careful not to get doubled up on a line drive,"...
"There's 2 outs... you run on anything,"...
"Watch the bunt."
These are but a few of the constant reminders being told the runner, forever coaching, teaching and talking. The first base coach has more responsibilities than these listed, but this should give you the foundation to realize being the first base coach is a very important job.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Organizing Youth Baseball Practice

By Tom McGilliray   

For the coach youth baseball practice actually begins before you get to the field. You need to plan out what you want to work on and what drills you will use to accomplish your objective. It is advisable to utilize parents and volunteers to help you. If possible you want to be the facilitator who walks around insuring everyone is doing what they need to do.

Youth baseball teams typically are assigned a practice field on certain days for a given time period, so depending on your teams needs and areas they need to work on will determine what your practice plan will consist of. Make sure to write it down and stick to the time allotted.

It is advisable to have the players warm up as a group. I ask two players to volunteer to be the captains for the day. They will lead the stretching and warm up. Once that is done we will move into our throwing routine. The warm up, stretching and throwing routine is consistent before every practice and game. The player's become familiar with it and develops a routine they are comfortable with.

After warming up the following would an example of a normal practice.

• Rundown - Half the players will be on 1st base the other half on 2nd, and a runner in the middle, the runners run with their gloves so as to keep the drill moving. The goal is to keep the drill moving and teach one throw and get the runner out.


• Cutoff & Relay - Break your team into groups, if you have 12 players use three groups of four players. Make sure the players are moving their feet to the ball with their glove side to the target. I use the phrase, step-catch-throw to emphasize quick release of the ball. This is a good opportunity to make a competition between the teams and adds fun to practice as well.


• Individual skills - keeping the same groups as cutoff & relay one group will go to shortstop, another group to second base and a final group to center field. The infield works on ground balls, the outfield works on fly balls. You could have one of the infield groups working on charging slower grounders while the other group fields and makes a strong throw to 1st.


• Group skills - This is where you may work on 1st & 3rd defense, bunt defense, turning double plays, pop fly's, pitchers fielding practice.


• Hitting - Like the above we will utilize groups. Most youth baseball fields don't have a cage so to perform live hitting a coach(s) will need to throw on the field.

I have found that putting a screen on home plate and the hitters close to the back stop not only prevents lots of foul balls from leaving the field, but I can have two coaches throwing to two hitters simultaneously. This allows the other two players in the group to be working on the side with soft toss and/or tee drills.

I have one group shagging in the outfield, and one group fielding ground balls hit by helpers in the infield.

Another option you could do is have one group throwing a bullpen during this time.

This method of taking BP makes hitting practice efficient and productive, and the kids aren't bored.
I finish practice with a base running drill. It may be step-by-step instruction or it may be a drill they like and have done before.

This type practice will typically last two hours. It encompasses a lot of instruction and repetitions. I look at practice as my time and games as the players time to show the world what they have learned.
The biggest thing for the coach is too organized. Save your practice plan as you may want to use it or a similar version later in the season.

Tom has been coaching youth baseball for the past 20 years. LeftHandedBaseballGloves.com is a site designed to offer quality baseball gloves. Tom's blog is dedicated to offer coaching idea's for the volunteer baseball coach.

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How to Coach Youth Catchers

By Jim Bain   

From what I've witnessed through my years of coaching, is in the initial years of baseball, the catcher is chosen because he's the scrappiest player on the team, or by him volunteering.

For all practical purposes, at that age, those are as good a measuring stick as any other, because there are no other developed skills on which to base a decision, except desire. Catching is probably the most skill difficult, physically strenuous and mental demanding position on the field, therefore get it out of mind if you think you can train another Molina in a year or two.

Coaching a youth catcher Must be limited to the very basic skills required to be a catcher without getting injured. We'll begin with the protective equipment.

1. Sizing a catcher's protective equipment. Unfortunately catching equipment is somewhat expensive, even at the younger ages and sizes, but that's the nature of the beast. If you're very lucky the "Wanna be catcher" will have his own equipment, or the league provided gear will fit.

A. Beginning with the skull cap or helmet, insure it fits adequately snug as you can't have it moving around on the player's head through normal action. This is not only very annoying for the player, but a recipe for disaster because it's not properly protecting the head for which it's designed.

B. The Face Mask, which is adjustable, must be tightly strapped to the helmet or skull cap, insuring it doesn't slide around on its own obstructing the player's vision. Be sure the protective bars of the mask are not in the line of sight of the player, either move the mask up or down or acquire a different type of mask.

C. The chest protector comes in many different styles, designs and material and as with most things in life, the more expensive the better quality. Your task as a coach is to insure the chest protector is properly fitted and is in good shape with no broken straps or missing padding.

D. Shin guards, similar to chest protectors come in many different styles. Insure the shin guards properly fit, bends in joints where they're suppose to, no broken straps or missing ringlets, and be sure to teach the proper method of putting the guards on, hooks to the outside of the legs to avoid them from hooking to one another.

2. Now that your player is reasonably protected gear wise, let's teach him how to catch safely.

A. Catchers should always be taught to squat on their haunches when catching, as some youngsters will drop to their knees, exposing their thighs to injury, when they become fatigued. The coach must monitor and correct this as bad habits quickly develop, but are hard to correct.

B. A catcher must be taught to always protect his bare hand. Two distinct methods of teaching this are, always hold the bare hand Behind the catcher's mitt, or tuck their thumb into their shoe while creating a fist. Either method will keep the bare hand (throwing hand) out of immediate danger.

C. Teach the proper distance a catcher should maintain between he and the batter and the tendency to stand up or raise while too close or when the batter may be swinging, either in play or practice.
Teaching a player wanting to be a catcher, the basic safety principles of catching is the coach's first job. Besides wanting our players injury free, one bad experience could wreck a potentially great catcher's career behind he plate, either physically, but more than likely mentally.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Three Baseball Coaching Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

By Jim Bain   

People who decide to coach a little league youth team, whether it be baseball or softball, are a unique breed of person, forfeiting their time, money and relaxation time. It's a shame many such well meaning people fail so miserably.

Although 90% of coaching failures are simply lack of knowledge of either the sport or people, some are complete idiots which need weeding out a.s.a.p. However, in my opinion, being an elder statesman, today's baseball/softball coach must contend with distractions which weren't present when I coached. Ipods, cell phones, computer games and satellite television all vie for a kid's attention, we only had Popeye and Mighty Mouse cartoons to contend with.

Worse yet is the Speed everything happens today, reducing the word patience to literally an unknown quality. This is where baseball is beginning to lose it's edge against other forms of sports. Kids demand action, their parents demand action and a poorly run baseball practice can't contend with the action soccer, football, lacrosse and etc. provide.

So let's talk about a few coaching mistakes, made with good intentions in mind, but slows the practice to a snail's pace, and see how to avoid them.

Mistake Number One: This first issue is a catch 22. Having your son or daughter on the team opens up a whole array of problems which must be dealt with, however, if you don't have a personal experience of what kid's like or respond to today, you'll have trouble reaching them. It's best to have your own kid on the team.

Coaches who believe they can reach their players by joking with them, being their friend and never challenging them, because you're here to have Fun, will make a lousy coach.

Kids expect to be challenged and by being so they can achieve recognition for effort, hard practicing, a good feeling of getting better, thriving on competition and learning the feeling of being a teammate. Challenge your team with these obstacles while teaching them the proper method of achieving success and you'll positively influence their lives forever.

Mistake Number Two: People learn in different ways, but I'd venture to say if asked whether the person wanted the skill explained to them, or shown them, 98% would say "Show me."
I once observed a coach yelling at his players every time they made a mistake, but not once did he go out and demonstrate how to properly perform the skill. You can tell me I'm wrong all day long, but until you show me the correct way, I doubt anything is going to change.

Slowly and repetitively demonstrate the actions required to perform the skill. Talk and explain what and why you're doing something. If you're old like me and are teaching the shortstop how to jump over a sliding runner, walk him through it and state "Here's when you jump," but if you're teaching how to put down a tag, put that glove on the ground in front of the base showing how it's done.

Mistake Number Three: Some coaches seem to think they're playing professional ball and everything is a secret which must be hidden. If you have parents interested enough to ask your advise on what they can do to help their kid improve, tell them.

However, do it at the proper time, after practice, not during. Talk in positive terms. Don't say "Your kid's a lousy fielder" rather say "He's got the basics down pat, but if you could work with helping him get in front of the ball it'd be great." Believe it or not I've heard horror stories of coaching being so blunt with parents.

Coaching a little league team is a labor of love and those who do it have my greatest respect. So if there's any little bit of information I may give to help, it's free of charge.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Youth Baseball Coaching Techniques That Work

By Marty Schupak   

I love and appreciate great coaches in all sports and at all levels. I love to make notes of coaches who think outside the box and take chances. I remember years ago the baseball manager Billy Martin put a game under protest because the pitcher took one extra pitch to warm-up between innings. He was probably the only one in the ballpark who was counting. I remember when they first put in the rule in major league baseball about pitchers going to their mouth in a game the pitch would be called a "ball." The manager Leo Durocher at the time ordered his pitcher to go to his mouth four times when he wanted to intentionally walk a batter. There was a basketball game years ago that Paul Westphal, a player at the time had called a time out knowing his team had none left to purposely get a technical foul. His team was down by one point with one second on the clock and the illegal time out would grant the opposition a free foul shot which they made but it gave Westphal's team, the Phoenix Suns, the ball at half court. So instead of his team trying to get a full court length 80 foot shot in for the win, they buried an 18 foot shot after getting the ball out at half court to send the game into another overtime period.

In all my years coaching youth sports, I have always tried to be flexible and have an open mind learning coaching and motivational techniques from other coaches. It doesn't matter the sport, I am always observing these other coaches and how they speak to their players. I watch football coaches yelling at individual players and make note of how close the coach's face is to the player's. I watch youth coaches and see how they speak to young players getting down on one knee just to be at the same eye level to make a point. The littlest things go the longest way. I learnt long ago that when speaking to my players outside, I make sure I am the one facing the sun. If the kids are facing the sun, chances are they will cover their eyes and maybe half will get the point you are trying to get across. Here are some other tidbits I've learned.

I am one of those people who have a hard time remembering names. Hearing your own name heard is one of the best ways to gain one's attention. At the beginning of each season I struggle just to learn everyone's name as soon as I could. To me it is a little bit of work but well worth it. Also I make sure I tell my players that I am not good at names and to be patient if I call someone the wrong name. This is especially true if I have a brother of a former player. As coaches we must take the time to learn player's names as soon as possible. And once we learn their names, we must learn and be familiar with their parent's name or how they want to be addressed.

A number of years ago I use to give out what I called a Tenth Player Award. The award would have nothing to do with batting averages or pitching performance. The award would be given to the player who exemplified sportsmanship, cheering on their teammates and helping coaches with the equipment. I was sure to make this trophy the largest one given out to any individual even if we won the league championship. This worked great! It motivated the players to be good teammates. It also made for an easier time for the coaches when the players would help with the equipment. If you decide to try this, make sure you are able to give the award to more than one player if there is a tie. I remember one year I had a special team. We won only about half our games but what a great enthusiastic bunch of kids we had on one team. At the end of the season, we coaches decided to give all twelve players a Tenth Player Award trophy. The coaches chipped in but with the size of the trophies we got, it set us beck a few dollars.

Another technique would be to give out extra swings for batting practice. I learned that in youth baseball, the players live for batting practice. So why not reward good deeds with extra swings? If we finished a game and I needed help with the equipment bag and John and Mark are the only ones putting the equipment away, I will yell out.

" John and Mark will get one extra swing each during batting practice tomorrow for helping with the equipment."

I make sure I say it loud enough so the whole team hears me. A lot of times after I say it, a number of other players will also help with the equipment.

Make sure when you do this, you don't say,"Whoever helps with the equipment gets an extra swing at batting practice." You want to be somewhat stingy with the extra swings and only announce it after someone is helping. This adds value to the swings you are giving out and players will help out not knowing if they will get extra swings or not. This works great and when the players take batting practice, the first thing I ask them when they get into the batter's box is, "How many swings do I owe you?" The player might say seven. I'll say we'll use two of those. I put my players on the honor system. This has even carried over from season to season when we are at our first practice of the year, a young veteran will make sure to tell me, "Coach, you owe me six extra swings from last year."

I make sure to make good on those extra swings. When kids are determined to remember something that will benefit them, it stays with them.

As youth coaches many times we will take some of the personality and techniques from the coaches we had as youngsters and in school. The best advice I can give is to take bits and pieces from other coaches but you have to develop your own coaching personality. If you end up coaching over a long period of time you will learn what works to motivate your players and what works when you want to have a little fun.

Just make sure you realize that what might work for one group of kids may not work the following year. Be enthusiastic and be flexible to make changes as a coach! And whatever anyone may else tell you, you are a role model!

Marty Schupak, President of the Youth Sports Club, has coached youth sports for 22 years and has run more than 1,500 youth sports practices. He is the creator of 22 sports instructional videos including the best selling "Hitting Drills & Techniques" and "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice." He is also author of the popular ebook, "Baseball Coaching: A Guide For The Youth Coach And Parent" and the best selling book "Youth Baseball Drills." For samples of his videos, go to http://www.YouthSportsClub.com. Contact him at YouthSportsClub@aol.com.

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Coaching Tips For The Big Game

By Jim Bain   

Emotions and sports is a perfect illustration of the familiar proverbial fit of the hand into the glove, representing a perfect alliance or interacting which is beneficial for both. However, when the fit begins to wobble, one side beginning to outweigh the other, it often ends in catastrophic results. How do you maintain balance?

Let's back up a moment and explain the concept of balance between the sport and the emotions created by the sport. For instance, the school's baseball team will play for, it's first ever, StateChampionship and you have the inside track of being chosen the starting pitcher.
Regardless of a player's age, this type of scenario will create waves of raging emotions, from ecstasy to scared to death, all in the same moment, all very normal and human like. It's how we handle the scenario which dictates our well being.

For example, if we allow the swirling, at times chaotic, events associated with a huge sports event to negatively affect our concentration, sleep, work habits or focus, we have allowed the emotional side of the equation to outweigh the game, or it could be argued the game has resulted in forcing an imbalance in emotion vs. game. In any event, regardless of cause, the equation is not balanced and the results are " loss of focus, fatigue resulting from emotional highs and lows and an increasing amount of self doubt, either real or imagined."

Unbridled or misdirected emotional and mental highs have the direct affect on the body and mind as actually playing the game. If you can imagine the physical and emotional drain on the body by playing a critical "Win or go Home" game every day prior to the Championship game day, you begin to realize the damage which can be done.

This exact scenario, because it deals with human behavior, affects Professional athletes as well as young players, so why should we try to reinvent the wheel when the Pros have spent tons of cash to address the problem.

Step One: It's no secret to your players or fans this is a huge upcoming game with severe consequences one way or the other, so don't try to act like it's no big deal or no different than any other game. It is!

The important issue to stress is the elements which got you to the Championship game, hitting, pitching and fielding, are the exact elements which will win you the game. Therefore practices, although intense, must remain normal. You may tweak the practice, put importance on fielding bunts due to your opponent's tendency to capitalize on that tactic, but other than that, normal BP and etc.
Your team must feel they already possess the skills to defeat their opponent, which as always needs fine tuning, but don't risk planting any doubt that perhaps they are weak in an area. Don't openly put special importance on your relief pitcher putting self-doubt into your starter. "Normal" is the word of the week.

Step Two: Although professional sports have dealt with the issue of media exposure, this is relatively a new distraction for amateur sports, but the explosion in media avenues, from normal sports media of television and newspapers to You Tube, the Internet and etc., has created a concern.

Bad mouth taunting through Twitter, texting or a Blog can create an emotional whirlwind within the team, and can destroy an entire years work of instilling emotional control. Warn the team of the possibility of such an attack by their opponents or their fans and issue orders to:

A. Report them to you...
B. Ignore the taunts and don't retaliate, explaining that is the best method for frustrating the other side...ignore them.
These two tips may seem insignificant in the overall scheme of things, but don't underestimate their importance. Professional teams have Closed Practices, Designated Media Exposure Time, Team Rules and Curfews which are designed to keep the team on an even keel.

Why teach a player to field or hit like a professional and not how to handle stress like a professional?

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Pointers For Communicating

By Jim Bain   

When we think of communicating, we normally think of verbal communication, however there are many forms of communication we utilize on a daily basis, and some we do a very poor job of implementing.

Other than the traditional friendly face to face conversation, where communication resembles babbling, mixed with hand and face gestures with no accompanying structure or purpose other than entertainment, Communication within a larger audience must have a structure to succeed.

Pointer Number One: Structure

In an organizational or business environment a two-way structured system of communication is essential for success. It must be established who is in ultimate command, but there must be a positive avenue for replying back up the communication ladder to the "Boss" without fear of retribution.
The manager of a baseball team is the "Boss" on the playing field. There must be a structure for him to communicate to his coaches how or what he wants his players to perform. This is accomplished in a pre-determined set of signals, either physical or verbal, which the manager indicates to his coach.
Very structured, manager to coach through established signals. However, the coach requires an avenue to reply to the manager. For instance, the manager may call for the runner on first base to attempt to steal second base, but the coach saw the runner twist his ankle getting back to first base on the last pitch which would greatly hinder his chances of a successful steal.

Being better informed than the manager, the coach must have an avenue to rebuke the called steal, most likely with pre-determined signals, without repercussions from the manager. Obviously this requires trust within the organization, believing everyone has the same goal, success of the team.
The business world should adopt many of the principles which guide baseball teams, which would result in more successfully operated companies. I have personally witnessed the Facility Engineer, imitating pulling his hair out while holding a phone conversation with a vice-president in management, who in spite of his impression of himself, was quite ignorant of the particular subject being discussed.

This is an everyday scenario in the business world and reflects a lack of trust and understanding which baseball takes for granted.

Pointer Two: Flexibility

Any command communication structure must retain a certain amount of flexibility, which can be very difficult to determine to what extent this flexibility goes.

For instance, a manager on a professional baseball team may have designated Pitcher A to begin the weekend series, but the pitching coach notices the Pitcher has developed a nauseas stomach during warm ups which would prevent him from pitching effectively. Time is of the essence in this particular situation, so there must be enough flexibility in the communication system for the pitching coach to make an instant decision to get Pitcher B up and throwing before asking the manager's permission.

This built-in flexibility in the communication structure allowed Pitcher B the opportunity to adequately warm up and mentally compose himself before the manager even knew the problem.
Again, business would bode well to take baseball's lead in flexible communication. For example, 40 years ago GM (General Motors) had such a rigid, uncompromising communication system within their engineering department, it greatly contributed to GM's troubles and near collapse.

If an engineering design flaw, such as a hole drilled off center by a machine in the former assembly area and was creating major problems, but was easily and quickly rectifiable, had to be communicated and approved by the engineering department Vice-President before corrective action could be taken. An in-house production issue, which should have taken perhaps 4 to 5 hours to correct, required an 8 month communication scenario and then it may be denied for lack of information.

The ability to properly Communicate is a basic human need which when performed by 2 or 3 people face to face, is normally not a problem. However, when the need to Properly Communicate expands into a larger arena there must be structure with built in flexibility in order for it to succeed.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Perfectionism - The New Bane Of Youth Baseball?

By Jim Bain   

Ben Franklin once said "Make All the Mistakes You Can as Soon as You Can," and true to form, the remark was a tongue in cheek lesson from a great teacher and statesman.

Of course what Franklin was referring to is the natural and normal process of learning from our mistakes. Ben was inferring the more mistakes we make the more knowledgeable we become, and while we're at it, do it as quickly as possible. Why wait until you're old to become smart?

The philosophy Ben preached is fantastic if you're the type of person who can learn from a mistake and not repeat the same mistake, but there are people who can not tolerate making a single mistake, which we know as a perfectionist.

Perfectionism, obviously not an unheard of human trait, is increasingly creeping into our young baseball players at what I consider an alarming rate and we're not giving it the serious consideration it requires. I believe there are numerous reasons for this increase in anxiety.

1. Pressure from parents to excel....
2. Pressure from Coaches, some who are more concerned about their record than the player's welfare...
3. Pressure of becoming one of the "elite" or "popular" people....
4. And of course, some people are just born perfectionist.

Allow me to back up a second. I am not inferring there's anything wrong with wanting to become a perfectionist, as striving for perfection is the driving motivator for spending hours in the batting cages, or fielding hundreds of ground balls, attempting to be the best you can be.

However, we as adults know perfection can never be achieved in baseball, or any other sport for that matter, as there are no 1000% hitters nor pitchers who record 27 strike outs every game. The issue arises when we preach and teach perfection, but never mention it's OK to fail while we're attempting to reach the unobtainable.

Coaches must be aware of the possible signs of a player developing too much of a perfectionist attitude, whether through peer pressure, parent pressure or take a self examination of your coaching techniques.

1. Does the player become angry or frustrated quickly...
2. Does the player console a teammate who misses a ground ball, but slams his glove to the ground in disgust if he makes the same error...
3. Is the player not quite as happy about a team win if he was 0-4 or is not quite as despondent of a loss if he was 4-4.

Coaching youth baseball is not an easy task. We are charged with teaching the game of baseball and how to skillfully play the game, as well as instilling high morals and work ethics which the players will carry with them for the rest of their lives.

A quick guess is 99.9% of all baseball players never even make the minor leagues much alone the Show, so baseball, with the exception of pleasure or entertainment, will not be a major factor in their adult lives. Let the players have fond memories of the ball field as youth, not an anguishing grind of never being at peace with the results of your labor.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Learn to Throw Harder Through Hard Work Over Years

By Jake Packer   

Anyone Can Gain Velocity Through Hard Work
Gaining velocity is the most sought after improvement pitchers would like to make. Learning how to throw harder will definitely help pitchers gain this velocity. Most people assume you can't be taught to throw harder but you can. There are a lot of factors that go into the generation of velocity. Some of it is pitching mechanics. Pitching mechanics take a lot of time and hard work to change. If you are truly motivated you will be able to see an increase in velocity. Another, and one of the main factors, is how the pitcher's body is currently maturing. At around 15-17 years old you're at the beginning stages where your body and your velocity can begin to really benefit from a good strength and conditioning. At this point, heavy lower body lifting and plyometrics will contribute to increased velocity.

Different people's bodies mature at different rates and some start much earlier than others. In any case, whether you're 12 or 17, over the next few years your body is going to change a lot physically and even without a strength and conditioning program, you will get much stronger. However, a strength and conditioning program will magnify and multiply these strength gains.

Some pitching coaches tend to take credit for any velocity gains made through maturing. Most of these velocity gains however would have come naturally. While some say velocity can't be taught; I say otherwise. Certain changes to pitching mechanics that result in increased efficiency will help you throw harder and more accurately too. That being said; there really is no substitute for hard work.
A current Major Leaguer, Tim Collins, wasn't always destined for success. In his junior year of high school, he was only 5'5". While he was still effective, he only threw 84 MPH. Over that summer he grew two inches and enrolled in a great strength and conditioning program. He gained 21 pounds of muscle and 8 MPH to his fastball. He is a great example of how maturing combined with a great strength and conditioning program can lead to throwing harder and great velocity gains. Tim Collins made it to the big leagues as a Kansas City Royal against all odds. Use him as your inspiration as he didn't throw hard and he was also 5'5". Most people only have one of those problems.

Don't worry, you CAN and will improve. Just how much is the big question.

My Story
After I learned to throw harder in baseball and a long career, I hung up my cleats to help other players do the same. My main goal is to continue pitchers careers longer than they thought possible! Visit my bio: Here!

Until my junior year, I was not the best pitcher on my high school baseball. But when I learned How To throw Harder and Faster, I became the best pitcher in the league.

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Fun Drills for Tee Ball Practice

By Jim Bain

Don't believe kids in Tee-ball should be pushed to learn anything, that it's all just fun. Have you ever considered You are these kids first experience with playing baseball on a team, that you could very well be responsible for instilling the work ethic they may adhere to the rest of their life
.
Kids at this age have a very limited attention span, which is disconcerting sometimes, but is not an insurmountable issue, as long as we have a plan to handle it. Here are some suggestions which will help.

Suggestion 1. You're not a drill sergeant, but if you let the kids know from the beginning that you are the Coach (Teacher) and are to be listened to at all times, the kids will listen. Kids are anxious to please, but that's not saying they won't have their days of showing up to practice bouncing off the walls,

Suggestion 2. Kids will respond to what you expect. In other words, if you don't expect them to learn or work...they won't. But if you take the time and patience to teach and let them know you expect them to learn what you're teaching...they will try their best to learn it.

Suggestion 3. The Tee Ball Drills must be fun and interesting, which can be quite difficult at times, but you won't have to worry about that because I'm going to guide you through some basic practice drills.

Let's begin with the three basic issues Throwing, Catching and Hitting.

Throwing Tee Ball Drill: Always teach the basics in a team environment, teaching everybody the same thing at the same time.

Line the team up in a single line, semi circle and have them sit down where they all can see you. Then explain you're going to show them how to throw a baseball the proper way, always throw that little phrase in or else Little Johnny is going to let you know he already knows how to throw a baseball. * Be smarter than Johnny and cut him off at the pass. *

Show them you place your thumb under the baseball, with two or three fingers on top of it. Don't worry about explaining about the seams, that's a long ways off.

Eyes on the target. Legs at shoulder width apart, turn sideways your glove hand pointing towards the target, the throwing hand extended out backwards away from the target.

Step towards your target with the opposite foot of your throwing hand, pushing off your rear foot begin your throwing motion, ending with your weight on the forward foot. Release the ball and follow through with your arm motion.

Make it fun: Place a large basket, laundry or fruit basket at home plate. Have the players spread out in a semi circle along the infield perimeter. Have them try to throw the ball into the basket. You can split the team in half and keep score for the team who hits or gets the closest to the basket.

Catching Tee Ball Drill: Begin with catching ground balls, then proceed to catching bouncing balls. Using a baseball roll the ball to the player. Teach him / her to get down on the ball, watch the ball all the way into the glove and cover the ball into the glove with the bare hand.

To begin this drill, the player should not wear his / her glove. Using a rubber or tennis ball, gently bounce the ball to the player. Teach the player to try and catch the ball with both hands, but have them pay particular attention to the way their glove hand is turned depending on high or low they catch the ball. This will begin orientating them to how their hand should be with the glove on, but not being able to see their hand.

Make it fun: split the team in half, in a straight line facing one another. Have a player roll the baseball to the opposing player, who will catch the ball then return roll it back to the other player. Keep score of which team catches the most grounders. Go through the entire line twice.
Then switching to rubber or tennis balls, have them throw a 1 bouncer to each other. Keep score, 1 point if you catch the ball, minus 1 point if it's a bad throw.

Hitting Tee Ball Drill: Demonstrate the basics to the entire team before allowing them to begin hitting.

1. Show them the Proper way to hold a bat, hands together, no cross handed holds. Don't worry about talking about lining your knuckles up or anything more advanced than just holding the bat right.

2. Show them how to take a batting stance. Feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, bat held up with barrel behind their head. Hands and tee ball bat away from the body, good balance, looking at the tee,

3. Show them how to swing and hit the ball. Slight step forwards, eyes focused on the ball, level swing, weight transfer forward, extend arms and follow through after hitting the ball.

A little safety tip. Place a rag @ 4' away from them and instruct them to try to lay the bat down on as they make their last hit and run to first base. This will get them in the habit of laying the bat down and not throwing it.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on pitching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

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Common Sense Coaching, Four Things Little League Teams Should Practice, But Don't!

By Marty Schupak

It is amazing how Little League baseball teams and beyond do not practice some fundamental aspects of the game. From my standpoint, the reason I practice certain things other coaches may not is because I've been burned by other teams and have lost games and championships because of it. In my 21 years coaching youth baseball, the list of things that should be practiced is long but some situations come up over and over again. Here are four of them:

1) Pitchers not practicing fielding. This issue is incredible to me, though it took a few years before I began having my pitchers practice fielding. When youth baseball teams practice fielding, usually it will include every position but the pitcher. Youth baseball coaches need to put pitchers on the mound in practice and include them in fielding drills. Coaches also need to rotate the pitchers. Have the pitcher to go through his pitching motion without the ball. The coach then throws or hits a baseball to him. And not just right at him. Hit the balls to the left, center and right of him. Then put one or more runners on base and declare how many outs there are and continue hitting to him and let him decide which base to throw to. Try also having the coach hit ground balls to the pitcher on the mound and instead of trying to catch it clean, he has to knock it down, establish himself and then field the ball. The drills work and also get pitchers familiar with game situations.

2) Catching a foul ball near a fence. I swear I'm the only one in my league who takes this serious. Probably because I've seen more catchable foul balls hit the ground than any team in my league. The scenario usually starts with a pop fly just foul of first base. The ball moves deeper into foul territory. The first baseman looks like he has a beat on the ball as he gets closer to the fence or dugout. He then looks like he is hesitating the further he moves into foul territory. Then "plop"! The ball falls right near his feet about 12-24 inches from the fence. Of course we all know the consequences of giving away outs in youth baseball. This stuff kills me. So how can we coaches rectify this? At least once a year usually before the season I do the "Fence Drill" with my team. I first start on the first base side having the players line up behind each other about 6 feet from the fence in foul territory parallel to first base. I'm located around home plate. I throw pop ups as close to the fence as I can and instruct my players to track the ball. As they do this they should come right near the fence and either with their glove hand if they are a rightie or free hand for lefties, put their arm out feeling for the fence then proceed to track and catch the ball from there. This is getting them used to feeling for structures while keeping their eye on the ball. It makes them more comfortable and helps limit the fear of getting hurt. I then move the line closer to fair territory eventually moving the line where every player is a first baseman and has to hustle to feel for the fence first then catch the ball. I then move the line to the third base side of the infield. Is this drill fool proof? Absolutely not! But I did notice a few more catches over the course of a season if we practiced this drill!

3) Players not sliding at every base. This is tough one. I've seen major leaguers not slide and cost their team runs. The Yankees-Oakland A's 2001 American League Championship series comes to mind when Derek Jeter made that great backhand flip to home and Jeremy Giambi didn't slide and cost his team a run and possibly the game and series. You can preach and preach for players to slide but they will continue to forget to slide. As youth coaches, we have to remember that these are 10, 11 and 12 year old kids and their retention is different than say a high school player. But this is also something that you can practice instead of just telling the player when it comes up in a regular game. I want my players to slide on a force play even if they know they will be thrown out. To me having a reputation even on the youth level that my team slides might become a potential distraction for the opposition and the fielders might bobble a throw to them at the base. When we practicing sliding, I take my team in the outfield grass and have my players remove their cleats. I have a diamond set up with throw down bases. We go through a few scenarios rotating players having them slide in the grass and this process helps. We reinforce for them to slide during the game from the coaching box. Again, not fool proof, but very effective.

4) Practicing fielding a wild pitch or passed ball with at least one player on third base. In youth baseball usually not a game goes by without a wild pitch or a passed ball. When there is a base runner on third base, he has a better than 50% chance of scoring if he has just average speed. Let's break this down from the defensive end. The pitcher pitches and the ball gets by the catcher. The pitcher recognizes this and rushes home to protect against the runner on third from scoring. His head is going back and forth between the baserunner coming from third and the catcher getting ready to make the toss. Many times the toss from the catcher is off target or the pitcher swoops down to tag the runner without the ball. Very few coaches practice this other than to yell out to the pitcher, "Cover home if the ball gets by the catcher" when the situation comes up in a game. To practice this, set up the positions with a baserunner at third. Plant a ball behind the catcher without him seeing it. Have the pitcher do his wind up without the ball and when the coach yells "go" the baserunner breaks for home and the catcher locates the ball while the pitcher comes to cover home. Here we are setting up a practical situation and the catcher is practicing his toss and the pitcher is getting used to the baserunner coming at him while trying to secure the toss and tag him. Coaches should rotate both pitchers and catchers during this drill.

These are only four situations out of many that need to be practiced. In youth baseball we coaches tend to try and teach during the game. Practices are the place to teach and games are the place to reinforce what we conveyed to the players. With this formula they become familiar with the situation and give your team the competitive edge on the field.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com


Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 21 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", "Pitching Drills & Techniques", "Baserunning & Bunting Drills" and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

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Can One Player Carry A Baseball Team?

By Jim Bain

Anybody who seriously follows baseball, at one time or another, has heard the sports announcers remark something like, "If he gets hot, he can carry the team" or "When he's in the zone he can carry the load for the bullpen" or something similar. Is it possible for one player to carry a team?

In my opinion, yes and no, which probably has you shaking your head and thinking "Surprise, another yes and no answer." Well, for starters, are the sports announcers correct in what they're saying, one man can carry the entire team, and if they are, why are they correct?

Or are they just searching for something to say in order to fill the gap between commercial announcements, which is very difficult to believe, and are just blowing smoke knowing nobody will bother to challenge their statement? Let's look at some possibilities of the scenario and you venture your opinion as to whether the experts are in fact, experts.

As a reality check we must establish a few guidelines which to follow to establish a bit of creditability to this investigation.

1. One player can not hit for the other 8 players.
2. One player can not field for the other 8 players.
3. One player can not throw for the other 8 players.
4. One player can not catch for the other 8 players.

I must say, although we're only scratching the surface of the subject, thus far the sports announcers appear slanted a little towards the stupid side and this entire article seems to be a waste of time, and would be if it were not for one intangible.

One player can greatly affect the Emotional Health of a baseball team. There are many intangibles in baseball, as well as other sports, which exert a direct force, positive or negative on a team. Momentum, the Big MO, as they call it, is an example of such an intangible.

For instance, a team who is experiencing a dry spell of having runners scampering all over the base paths every inning, but fail to ever get the hit to drive them in can be quickly deflated, and for all practical purposes be defeated in the top of the first, by having a bases loaded situation and not be able to score 1 run.

On the other hand, should a player become hot, be in the zone, seeing the ball well, whatever or however you want to say it, drives a bases clearing double into the outfield gap, this changes the Entire Team.

A pitcher, veteran or rookie, who takes the mound and consistently pitches into the late innings, with many complete games and a low ERA, will change the attitude and confidence of the Entire Team when it's his day to pitch.

So can one player carry a team? Absolutely, by instilling confidence and energy into the team which would not be there if his efforts weren't present.

Can one player carry a team? Absolutely not, as it takes team work to win a baseball game at any level of competition.

Perhaps my "yes" and "no" answer makes a little bit more sense now.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on running baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain

How to Be Number One on Your Baseball Team

By Jim Bain

It was recently suggested to me that I write an article on "How to be number one on your baseball team." My first thought on the request was "What an odd question," and initially dismissed the idea as quite silly. However, the question, and more possibly the motive for such a question, continued to gnaw at me until I decided to take a crack at answering the question.

Since it wasn't specified, the first issue I had to isolate was "number one at what?" The number one pitcher, hitter, fielder, cheerleader, or what? This was quite a cumbersome and rather confusing task, as I could write page after page of instructions and advise on any one of a 100 subjects related to a baseball team.

Thank God for computers and the delete key, because I nearly wore mine out writing and rewriting ideas which would pop into my head, meander around and eventually lead to a dead end. This simple little article was quickly becoming a monumental task, one which at the time, I was failing miserably at.

The problem with answering how to become number one on your baseball team is, there is no One answer, but rather a combination of many skills and talents both physical and emotional involved.

Baseball is an Individual game, played in a team environment. Confused? For example, you, the individual, wants to succeed at getting a base hit. By succeeding as an individual and getting the base hit, you drive home the winning run, which makes the team successful.

In my opinion, this unique mixture of achievement and goals results in the only answer possible for becoming number one on the team... Don't try to become number one, is the only way to become number one. I've confused you again. Allow me to explain.

Being the number one player on a team, any team, can not be something accomplished by learning any certain skills. Sure, you can develop into the Ace pitcher on the team and be voted to the All-Star team, but that doesn't make you number one on the team. Neither does being the clean up hitter, who has achieved remarkable numbers at home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage, still not considered the number one player.
Again in my humble opinion, I believe the following two things about players:

1. There is the player who strives as an individual to succeed, and by doing so the team succeeds...

2. There is the player who strives to succeed in order for the team to succeed.

What's the difference?

1.The #2 player is happy about grounding out to the second baseman, because he moved a runner to third base.

2. As the second baseman, he makes a fantastic fielding play which starts a game ending double play and high fives the shortstop for making a strong throw to first base.

3. He hits a walk off home run, but seeks out the timid 9th place hitter who walked in front of him allowing a winning home run instead of a game tying home run.

How can you tell the difference between the two types of players, both great team mates? You normally can't, because the difference is in the heart of the player and that produces an aura of its own, which produces a number one player on the team.

My advise on how to become the number one player on the team... work your guts out practicing and play with your heart.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth, shares his advice on running youth baseball drill on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain