Youth Baseball Mental Training

By Miles A Noland

The game of baseball cannot begin without the action of one position.

In basketball there is a lot of focus on the point guard. In football there is a lot of focus on the quarterback.

These are important positions, but there is no position that is more important than a pitcher in baseball.

There is so much responsibility that involves a pitcher. From throwing different pitches, knowing the various hitters, fielding their position, pickoff moves, to controlling the running game, to dealing with adversity, mental focus, and dealing with fatigue, a pitcher has a lot to deal with.

If one of these important parts of pitching is missing, you do not have a complete pitcher. Missing one of these components negatively affects all of the other components.

Most pitchers are not advanced to be good in all of these areas, however, when you realize what areas a pitcher is weak in you can begin to attack it and improve.

The mental game in pitching is so important, oftentimes more important than the physical part.
Andy Pettitte, great guy who I hung out with in the Dominican

You must teach your pitchers to think one pitch at a time. It is very easy to think about the past or future, and this inhibits your ability to be best the possible in the present
.
Cues such as get to the top of the baseball, or take a deep breath and focus on executing the pitch, create movement at release are great for creating the right type of focus.

Attempting to throw harder in times of struggle or getting mad at infielders or the umpire are typical things that make a pitchers struggle even worse.

Teach your pitchers how to coach themselves and watch them develop right under your eyes.
P.S. One pitch at a time, one pitch at a time. Oftentimes a mound visit is very effective in calming a pitcher down. Tell him to step off the mound and focus on dominating the things he can control.

What can he control?

1. His focus
2. Executing each pitch
3. Attacking the strike zone
4. Taking deep breaths
5. His body language
Things he can't control?
1. Where the ball is hit
2. What the umpire calls
3. If his fielders catch the ball
4. The mound conditions
5. Bad luck

Get your pitchers to focus on the controllables and they will deal with failure and adverse conditions much better.

Coach it up,
Miles

http://www.iybca.org/gift

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

Tips to Choose a Youth Baseball Bat

By Mark Alter
One of the most important choices you have to make as a player is what baseball bat to choose. Check the Internet and you will come across choices ranging from inexpensive to expensive. Before deciding on a youth baseball bat, you must first compare prices.
Keep in mind that the bat you choose, should allow you to focus as much power as possible upon the baseball. This is in fact a guiding principle behind selecting a bat - as a player, you should be able to swing the heaviest bat without sacrificing on your batspeed.

So what is batspeed? Batspeed is the number one creator of power in a swing. Going by the law of physics, it would seem that you can swing a heavier bat with the same velocity as a lighter one, you will produce more power as per the law that energy equals mass times acceleration.
Check out the length, weight, and drop of the baseball bat. Keep in mind that there are three defining factors that apply to choosing the right bat. The first is length. The length of the baseball bat is measured in inches. Then there is weight, which is measured in ounces. Finally, you must calculate the drop, which is obtained by subtracting the weight of the bat from its length.
The size of the bat

To play well, it is important to determine the correct length of your player's bat first and take a look at weight and drop. Players usually prefer larger drops, which mean lighter weights. This is because the lighter the weight, the higher the batspeed. Another governing factor is how strong the player is. If you are strong enough, you would be able to handle a larger bat with ease.
Before buying a bat, it is important that you hold the bat by its handle and then stretch your arms out so that your body makes a lopsided "t" shape. If you cannot hold the bat level with your shoulder for at least a count of ten, the bat is too heavy for you and you should try another one.

If you are looking for custom baseball bats, you can visit XBATs website. The XBATs baseball bats are the finest bats chosen by the most discriminating Major Leaguer to the serious youth and amateur players.

Mark Alter, the author of this article, writes about the important issues while choosing a youth baseball bat. Want to know more about Xbats and youth baseball bat? Still lots of things remain to explore.

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

New Forum For Youth Baseball Coaches & Parents

Hello faithful readers. I hope you enjoying another great spring season of youth baseball.

I wanted you to know that I've created a new forum called "Youth Baseball 24/7".

You can visit the forum but going to http://www.youthbaseball247.com/ or by using this short cut... http://youthbaseball247.com/forum/index.php

If your one of the first 50 people to join the forum y0u have a chance to win a gift card for Dicks Sporting Goods... details here:

http://youthbaseball247.com/forum/index.php?topic=10.0

I hope you will join the new forum and contribute your thoughts and ideas.

Thanks,

Coach Bob

Common Mistakes of Youth Baseball Players

By Tim Willman

Many young athletes lack the fundamentals necessary to reach their full athletic potential and become great hitters.

When hitting, you must remember to use the fundamentals and have good technique. I see so many players try to develop their skills, and they actually end up getting worse. This is because they lack the essential fundamentals to reach their full athletic potential.

One of the most common mistakes I see in youth hitters is the grip. When you are learning the proper grip, you should try to align your door knocking knuckles. Many players wrap their hands around the baseball bat and this causes them to roll their wrists. It also makes them have less power. If you align your door knocking knuckles, this will allow you to have a nice level swing and most likely have a better batting average.

Another common mistake that youth hitters have is the load and stride. A lot of young athletes believe that the load is a big sway for power. This is actually false. The load is simply a timing mechanism. Think about it this way. You load when the pitcher loads. The stride is also a part of timing. When the pitcher pus his foot down, most of the time that is when you should take your stride. A lot of young players will also try to have a big stride. This is going to make you land on your heel in spin out. Try to take a load that is around four to 6 inches long. This way you will stay balanced.

The last big mistake that I see youth hitters make is swinging for the fences. Of course every kid wants to hit a homerun, but if you try to more times than not you will end up popping up or striking out. Try to make contact with the ball and hit hard ground balls and line drives.
If you have some time please check out the resource box below.

Tim Willman is a former professional baseball player, having helped hundreds of people to easy baseball success! He's recently developed a hitting system showing you step-by-step how you can hit like a pro! To learn how to become a better hitter, visit, http://www.dynamitehitting.com/

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

Developing Muscle Memory and Built-in Mechanics

By Tim Willman
The first hitting secret that you need to learn in order to be a successful hitter is muscle memory and built-in mechanics. Imagine spending hours practicing your hitting and working your butt off only to realize you are doing a drill incorrectly the whole time.

Did you know that if you are using incorrect hitting mechanics, even just a little bit, you are reinforcing poor mechanics and making yourself an even worse hitter?

Obviously this is not what you are trying to do. The key is to perform drills that have proper mechanics already built in. That's right. Built-in mechanics and muscle memory.

You can actually perform specific drills that will force you to use the correct mechanics. During these drills, you will be able to receive feedback almost instantly if you are off... Even just a little bit.

One great thing that you can do is to practice all of your baseball swings with a wood bat. The only time an aluminum bat should be used is when you are actually playing a game.

Normally at first hitters will struggle with the transition from an aluminum bat to a wood bat. The secret is to try and do this as early as possible. Most little kids will even love to use wood bats because it's what the big-leaguers use!

With that said, it's never too early or late to start using wood. Using a wood bat teaches hitters many things including bat speed, hitting to all fields, keeping your hands inside the ball, and many more things.

If you have some time, please take a look at the resource box below.

Tim Willman is a former professional baseball player, having helped hundreds of people to easy baseball success! He's recently developed a hitting system showing you step-by-step how you can hit like a pro! To learn how to become a better hitter, visit, http://www.dynamitehitting.com.

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

Baseball Drills Don't Have to Be Boring

By Chris Campbell
How many home runs have you hit lately? Probably not as many as the strikes that have been thrown against you. The pitcher definitely has a big advantage in baseball.

If you've been struggling with your batting average, rest assured, your not alone. Everyone (even the professional ball players) get into a slump at one time or another. Some players fell their not in a hitting slump, and that they've just never hit the ball as well as they could. Fortunately, it is a skill that can be improved.

Any batting practice, is better than sitting around watching TV, or playing video games. Shagging a few fly balls with some buddies while you each take a turn hitting, can sometimes be better than a formal batting practice session with your coach. Your relaxed, and thinking about having fun, rather than your swing technique. That said, it's not a formal substitute for regular team hitting practice under the coaches watchful eye.

If you don't feel your getting enough individual time from your baseball coach, then you may need to make other arrangements to improve your skills. There's nothing wrong with spending a few minutes after practice, asking the coach for specific things and you can work on. Then spend some time after practice to work on those drills.

Remember, that not all practice time needs to be fun. If your pressed for time when practicing, it's key to getting the most benefit out of the time you put in.

Not All Bats Fit All Hitters

Take a little extra time, to find the perfect bat for you. And when you find it, stick with it. Sometimes a low batting average, is simply the result of using the wrong sized bat for you. This is a simple problem to fix.

If your wondering what size bat you should be using, there's a simple test you can do to find out. Grab the handle end of the bat, point it straight out in any direction. If you can do that for 15 seconds or more without a shaky arm, you've found your bat.

Stand Proud As A Hitter

Don't assume, that everyone knows the best place to stand in the batters box. While it can vary from pitcher to pitcher, and batter to batter, there are some basics that should be understood. Consider strike zones, and your own swing when choosing.

It's good for both the pitcher, and the batter to have a target to aim for. So, always throw something down to be home plate. Even if you don't have an official home plate, try and mark the area with whatever you have at hand.

Be sure to visit the Baseball Coaching Drills website for some simple and effective baseball drills.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Campbell

Repetition: The Key To Baseball Development

PREFACE: Let me start by saying this post is intended for parents of players who are interested in learning more about travel or club baseball teams. Not all children are interested in playing on these types of teams and there's nothing wrong with that. Baseball is a game for anyone who wants to play it. Rec or town baseball is a great way for kids to enjoy the game.

- - -

The landscape of youth baseball leagues has changed considerably over the last decade. It use to be that kids only played in their town's recreation league and the all stars went on to play in the regional Little League tournament. There were also a few AAU teams where players had to try out and win a position. These were made up of highly skilled players in each age group who had to prove they belonged on these teams.

Then the invention of "travel baseball" came onto the scene (a trend created by youth soccer I believe) where "all star" players from the town's recreation league would be placed onto age appropriate teams and travel to neighboring towns to play in competitive tournaments. The higher ranked of teams also competed in Cal Ripken and Little League district, state and regional play. Normally there is a try out process that kids must go through to make a town travel team.

About 10 years ago a new baseball team was invented... the club team. These private teams, funded by parents where usually coached by parents or by hiring a "professional" coach. These teams are also sometimes referred to as AAU teams although many of them have no affiliation with AAU. Some founders of club teams feel they need to give their teams validity by using the term "AAU". Some of these teams have a formal tryout process and others recruit kids based on other criteria, some objective, some subjective. Key here is that generally club teams operate by rules which have been definded by the founders.

There are a number of differences between town travel and club teams. One key difference is town travel teams usually have guidelines for minimum playing time, especially at the younger ages. This provides some protection for players and ensures they will get time on the field. While some club teams may have playing time guidelines, many are managed by a parent coach who instills his or her own ideas of who should be playing where and how often. If your child is interested in playing on a club team 13U and under you should find out up front how much playing time he/she will get. Question to ask... Does your team have guidelines for minimum playing time? Good answer: Yes, we make sure that all kids play at least 50% of the innings by the end of the season. Bad Answer: Well that's going to depend on how well he plays, our objective is to win games.

Not that all town travel teams are perfect either. You may have some programs or coaches who believe more in winning then they do in development. Some coaches may "pigeon hole" a kid in to playing a position they really don't like or aren't suited for. Some may not give kids ample playing time because of a desire to win. If your child is playing on a travel or club team have a discussion with the coach before he signs up. You want to be sure that your placing your child in an environment that's appropriate.

So why is it important to know all this? Like most sports, baseball skill development comes through repetition. Adults often place too high of an importance on what team their child is playing on... or what level the team is playing at. Honestly, I use to think the same way, but I've seen the light. Yes good competition is part of baseball growth but the most important thing is for a player to get lots and lots of time at the position they like to play. It doesn't matter if it's rec ball, travel ball or sand lot ball... the more innings they have playing a position the more comfortable and confident they will be playing it.

Yes, the custom team apparel, bat bags, matching cleats of a club team are cool and they give your child (and some parents) the feeling they play for a profesional team... but you need to ask yourself if it's the right environment for your child, what is she really gaining? Is my child getting enough experience or is she limited because she's not getting a fair amount of time on the field. Would my child be better off on a team where I know she will get alot of playing time even though that team plays in a "less competitive" league? I would answer a big YES to that question.

Now I will argue that it's important for more serious players to face more difficult pitching. At any level, hitting confidence comes from knowing you have he ability to hit anyone in your league. This is developed in both game play and practice. If you feel your child needs to work on hitting more difficult pitching I suggest going to the cage on a regular basis and cranking up the pitching machine.

I have a friend who's son is 14. This kid started playing baseball at age 6. At age 9 he expressed interest primarily in catching and pitcher. Over the next few years he learned and practiced the skills for both positions, along with hitting of course. He was lucky to have good coaches, mentors and instructors along the way. He played rec ball, fall ball, travel ball to the tune of about 50 games a year, or 250 games over 5 years. He caught in nearly all of those games and pitched his share as well. This gave him the playing time he needed to develop important skills and confidence in his ability to perform them. He's now a solid player in both positions. You could apply this story to many successful ball players. The lesson is a simple one...

Repetition in a position builds baseball skills and the confidence to perform them. When your 11 year old is playing 3rd base it doesn't matter if the grounder is hit to him by a kid playing in an elite club team league or a kid playing in a town rec league. It's his confidence in fielding the ball, making the play and the fun he has doing it that matters. That all comes through repetition in the right environment.

Coach Bob

Building A Relationship With Your Child's Coach

Here is a re-post of an article I posted about a year ago. Very helpfull info for parents with kids of all ages and timely considering most leagues are starting spring baseball soon...

Youth baseball leagues cannot survive without volunteerism. It takes the time and effort of many dedicated people to deliver a great experience for its players. This includes managers and coaches who tend to offer many hours on and off the field. As parents we have an obligation to the team as well. Here are a few ways you can help the coach and your kid during the baseball season.

1. Communicate With Coach And Arrive On Time.

Whether through email or via phone make sure the coach knows your kids availability for games and practices. If your child is going to be late give an accurate time as to when he/she will arrive. Games require prep work and coaches generally figure out where kids are going to play prior to game time (a rotation). This can take a long time to put together and if a kid doesn’t show up on time, it creates a lot of extra work for the coach. Also, make sure your kid is well prepared for the game with the proper equipment.

2. Get Involved.

Coaches generally welcome parent who volunteer to help. Tell the coach at the beginning of the year that you are willing to help. Let him know what you can offer the kids.

3. Pick Up A Rake.

Most leagues have requirements to prep fields before or after games. Parent can help out by taking over this responsibility for the team leaving time for coaches to warm up before a game or have post game discussions with the team. These are both important parts of the baseball experience and parents should pave the way for this to take place.

4. Cheer For All Players.

Baseball is a team sport. Parents should cheer for all players on the team. It’s even OK to cheer for kids on the opposing team. Give the kids a smile and cheer for all of them.

5. Have One-On-Ones With Coaches After Games.

From time to time you may need to speak with your kids coach privately about issues. The best time to do this is after games or practices. The best way to go about this is to ask the coach a few days in advance if they will have some time to speak with you. Give them an understanding of what it is you want to talk about. Most importantly have this discussion without the kids around to listen.

6. Be Constructive.

Not destructive! Nothing is worse that negative energy on a baseball team. It can drive teams with great talent to the brink of destruction. It’s important for parents to keep things positive. Don’t give into discussions with others about what the coaches are doing wrong… focus on what they are doing right. If you have an idea, observation or suggestion… result to item #5. Keep things positive. In most cases all involved are there to make the experience a great one… help that cause, don’t fight it.

Always remember that we are all doing this for the kids. At the end of the day what’s important is that the kids are playing baseball, participating in a positive activity, getting exercise, making friends, learning to be a teammate. I hope these few ideas will help you develop great relationships with your child coach and make your child’s baseball experience a better one.

Coach Bob

Just Beginning Youth Sports? Two Questions to Consider

By Greg A. Marshall
If you are the coach of a youth team (or planning to be one), you should share these thoughts with the parents on your team. You may want to prepare a handout with your coaching philosophies and distribute them at your pre-season team meeting.

Before a parent signs a up a child to participate in a youth sports activity, the parent must answer a couple of questions about the child's role in the activity as well as his own
A. Make sure your child is ready for Youth Sports.

Obviously, this is the most fundamental element of whether you and your child enjoy the youth sports experience. Many children play sports simply because their parents want them to play. Children WANT to please their parents, so naturally they will usually do what their parents wish whether they want to or not.

Ask yourself:

1."Does my child even WANT to play an organized sport?"
2. Is he/she physically/mentally ready for an organized sport?

If the answer to either of these questions is no, it is better to wait until next year, simply because of the level of interest and safety concerns.

B. Assuming your child is ready and wants to play, what must you, as a parent do to help get them ready to play?

Long before the first practice, spend some time in preparation. Begin by making the experience a fun and learning one. The best way is to begin teaching without the child even realizing that he or she is being taught - so it doesn't become "work." For example, to get ready for the baseball season, indulge in the pure enjoyment of "having a catch" with your child. This is great fun for you and your child, and will lay the foundation for many enjoyable hours later on. In "having a catch," you are teaching the proper way to catch and throw the ball. As your child's skill level improves, you (and they) will begin making more difficult throws and catches.

In addition to "having a catch," playing "wiffle ball" is a great (and inexpensive) way to begin developing batting skills. Developing the hand/eye skills necessary for batting is vital to success and satisfaction. Take a moment at the outset to demonstrate the proper grip, batting stance and swing. Don't allow yourself to become frustrated if it takes awhile for your child to grasp the concepts you present. That is the surest way to kill the desire to learn.

Whatever you do, give lots of praise and encouragement when warranted. The surest way to speed up the learning process is to praise when your young player gives solid effort and executes a procedure well. They will work extra hard to earn more praise. If they struggle, take a break, get a treat, and come back later. Sometimes a little time off does wonders.

Greg A. Marshall is the creator of Teeball-To-A-Tee.com, a unique website offering excellent teaching and coaching tools for coaches and parents of very young baseball enthusiasts. The resources on the website are designed for the parent or prospective youth coach who is overwhelmed at the prospect of starting from scratch. The website and materials offered are full of practical advice to help youth coaches from the very first day of practice. http://www.teeball-to-a-tee.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_A._Marshall

Bring Out the Best in Your Youth Sports Team by Setting the Example

By Greg A. Marshall

Bring out the best ... in your youth sports team, in yourself, and in your team's parents. So, how do you do this? By setting the example - in the way you coach, the way you think, and the way you behave. We all hear the horror stories of coaches whose bad examples of preferential coaching treatment, poor sportsmanship, and negative attitudes seem to hold sway on youth sports.

But it doesn't have to be that way. You CAN be the coach who sets a positive example in these and other areas. What's more you can lead by example, showing the way for other coaches and parents to see your positive demeanor and honorable character as a yardstick for themselves, perhaps. Even if your behavior doesn't change another coach's style of coaching, at least you will always be able to know that you conducted yourself in an honorable and sportsmanlike manner.
Certainly, if nothing else, you can be the best possible example for your team's players, parents and "extended family." If your players see you as a coach whom they can trust - who conducts himself honorably, and treats the team fairly, they will respond to you better in the long haul. What's more, they will move on from your team and carry some of those attributes to their next team and allow them to develop their own sense of fair play and "best behavior."

This works for parents as well. Those parents who tend to behave poorly during a game will be more likely to temper their behavior if they observe that you keep yourself under control. Even if they don't change their behavior long term, they will generally be motivated to "tone it down" by the rest of the parents on your team "buying in" to your style of coaching. This encourages the parents to be more mindful of their attitude and actions than they might normally.

But the best possible result? It may cause a youngster to stop and think, "I'm going to play fair because my coach does."
And THAT is well worth the effort.

Greg A. Marshall is the creator of Teeball-To-A-Tee.com, a unique website offering excellent teaching and coaching tools for coaches and parents of very young baseball enthusiasts. The resources on the website are designed for the parent or prospective youth coach who is overwhelmed at the prospect of starting from scratch. The website and materials offered are full of practical advice to help youth coaches from the very first day of practice. http://www.teeball-to-a-tee.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Greg_A._Marshall

How To Become A Complete Baseball Player

This is the ultimate goal for a ball player right? Developing the "five tools". It takes commitment and dedication of course, but it also takes a positive attitude towards improvement.

I read a quote yesterday from a college coach that really stuck with me...

"you will never improve a skill or ability if you start out thinking
you know everything about it."

Sounds simple enough. Some would say "keep an opened mind" says the same thing but I think there's more to it. My interpretation of this statement is... in order for a person to reach their goals they must be open to learning from others who have been down the road before them. In relationship to baseball it means listening to all advice and finding the good in it.

A baseball player will work with many coaches throughout their career. Youth players generally have different coaches every season. Some more experienced and knowledgeable than others. If you are lucky enough to play for a coach who really knows his or her stuff you will do yourself a great service by opening up, paying attention and taking in everything they want to teach you. You may not agree with everything, but take it in. Then you can balance that knowledge with what you have learned from others. This is how players improve... take the best lessons from the best coaches and put it all together. That's how you become a "complete" player.

For example, my friend's son has played for a coach the past 3 seasons who is VERY knowledgeable about hitting.. he played Div1 ball, was a powerhitter, taught him a lot. This coach also thought he knew a lot about baserunning. He knew some, but another coach this player worked with privately was a base stealing phemon who taught him things that the hitting coach had never learned. However, when the hitting coach gave him baserunning instruction he listened and took it in. Yet he practiced and used most of what the baserunning coach taught him. One day he had a game where he stole 3 bases. After the game the hitting coach said "say, great game today, you seem to have come up with a baserunning technique that really works for you, stay with it". Get the picture?

There are very few absolutes in baseball. While there are general guidelines on how to do things, every player is different. Players learn baseball skills in a way that fits them. That's why when you look at college and pro players, they all have similar elements in their swings, yet every swing is different.

Good coaches know that not all players have the same batting stance or the same load/stride technique, or the same stance when leading off 1st base. A good coach wants a player to get the most of their mental and physical ability.

The best advice to you, the player, is listen to all your coaches and take in the best parts from each. If you do this you will be well on your way to meeting your baseball goals and become a "complete player".

Coach Bob

Allowing Failure In Youth Baseball Drills

By Nate Barnett
I'm sure you have heard the words, "practice makes perfect". Or, "perfect practice makes perfect". And while I enjoy the utopian view that someday I'll get to coach the perfect team, or the perfect player, it's just not going to happen. Especially not in a sport where failure is a common and frequent occurrence. It is vital that our athletes understand failure and be taught how to employ a strategy to use failure as a positive and not as a negative. It takes some rewiring in the minds of athletes, but it's well worth the time spent.

What I would like to explore here is how failure can be utilized during youth baseball drills and during practice in order to create more fundamentally solid baseball players.

For many youth today failure is terrifying. Afraid of messing up a speech in class, afraid of getting an "F" on a exam, afraid of striking out, and afraid of being rejected in this or that. Failure is everywhere and and it is an integral part of our daily lives. The problem I have with the focus on failure is that it tends to paralyze many from attempting to achieve. Let me be clear when I say that I am not trying to do away with things that cause failure, or to shelter youth from experiencing it, I'm simply stating the lens in which we view failure needs to be cleaned.
Facilitating a new angle on failure during youth baseball drills and practice time is actually quite simple. I'll provide one solid example on one aspect of the game of baseball and let you apply the principle to the rest.

A Tangible Example: Batting Practice

When working with hitters, I will watch closely how they approach batting practice. During BP, all hitters want to do well, and why not, it's their time to shine. However, it usually only takes a few missed pitches, a few ground outs, or a few fly outs before the hitter begins to be frustrated and lose focus. This just compounds the problem.

The problem is not the missed pitches or the poor results, the problem is the perceived meaning of the missed pitches. In other words, the hitter sees the missed opportunities as a sign of inferiority. This feeling compounded upon will create a belief that the athlete himself has failed.
Good hitters approach batting practice mistakes far differently. A few missed pitches, repeated ground outs or fly outs simply communicate to a quality athlete that there is something not quite right with his swing. Instead of focusing on the feeling of personal inferiority, a non-emotional response is used and the mistake is not personalized. Upon completion of batting practice, this same athlete can be found in the batting cage or off to the side working on the specific problem.
The key differences with the above examples is how each hitter dealt with failure. In the first example the hitter allowed the mistakes to be an end result. Personal inferiority. The mentally successful hitter viewed the mistake as simply a PART of his offensive game that needed some help. Two drastically different view points.

I would highly encourage during your youth baseball drills to teach and cultivate the following ideas:

1. Failure is just an indicator of something that needs to change.

2. Failure should never be allowed to be related to the person of the athlete.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball http://bmibaseball.com and is based out of Washington State. His expertise is in the area of hitting, pitching, and mental training. Coach Barnett's passion is working with youth in helping expand their vision for their baseball future. After finishing a professional career in the Seattle Mariners Organization, Nate pursued his coaching and motivational training career. His instructional blog is located at http://bmibaseball.com/blog
His new FREE ebook, Toxic Baseball: Are you polluting your game? can be found on the main BMI Baseball website.

Hitting 101, an ebook on complete hitting mechanics will be released by June 1st, 2008. Features include numerous illustrations, video clips, and a special offer to discuss your hitting questions over live on the phone strategy sessions.

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

A Look at Youth Baseball Bats

by Jason Gluckman

When selecting youth baseball bats it is important to consider the bat's length, weight, barrel width, and league requirements. While wood bats are available, most people select aluminum or cutting-edge alloy bats for youth baseball.

When selecting youth baseball bats it is important to consider the bat's length, weight, barrel width, and league requirements. While wood bats are available, most people select aluminum or cutting-edge alloy bats for youth baseball. A general rule is to select the lightest bat for its length in order to maximize swing power. Lighter bats are more expensive, while heavier bats are usually thicker and made from a cheaper-grade aluminum. Longer youth baseball bats arm the player with more plate coverage, but they also weigh more. Shorter bats are faster but may force the batter to crowd the plate in order to reach the outside edge of the strike zone.

Also consider the size of the barrel. A larger barrel wields more power and has a bigger sweet spot, yet the larger barrel requires more mass, and so it is heavier. Often selecting a bat is an imperfect science because you can't really hit a ball in a store, or even really swing the bat for that matter. You might even try going out to a local baseball practice or batting cage. Then you can try many different bats, actually making contact with the ball, and get a much more accurate picture of what bat works for your son or daughter.

Little League baseball bats should not be more than 33 inches long or more than 2 1/4 inches in diameter at the barrel. Little League baseball bats should be taped around the handle and up 10 inches. Bats are measured in inches for length and ounces for weight. Minus numbers are used to show a bat's measurements. For example, if a bat is 33 inches long and has a (-10) rating, that means the bat weighs 23 ounces. So the higher the negative number than the lighter the bat is for its length.

Baseball Bats Info provides detailed information on youth, wood, college, senior league, and discount baseball bats, baseball bat reviews and more. Baseball Bats Info is the sister site of
Baseball Gloves Web.

Tips For Running Baseball Tournaments

I've worn a number of hats throughout my baseball volunteering career. One that was particularly interesting was organizing and managing a summer baseball tournament. This is the type of tournament where town travel or all-star teams compete in age based flights. Tournament organizers normally charge an entry fee to pay for umpires, trophies, baseballs and also to raise funds for the league or team running the tournament.

Having both run tournaments and coached teams in them I've collected a number of lessons along the way. When running a tournament, if you don't pay attention to a few key areas there is a good chance some of your customers will not have the experience they paid for.

Choose participating teams wisely. Make sure they "fit" into the group they are playing in. Yes, some coaches will actually under sell their teams ability to give them a better chance of winning the flight. You should dig around if you suspect this.

Get the schedule out early. The earlier you release your tournament schedule the fewer scheduling conflicts teams will have. This saves tons of time and aggravation.

Communicate with managers. This is one of THE most important areas. One of the first things you should do is put together a contact list of all the managers of teams participating in the tournament and email it all the managers. Keep them up to date during weather situations. Respond promptly to requests. These are paying customers, treat them that way.

Define rules clearly. Nothing is worse than having to deal with ambiguity in tournament rules. While it's nearly impossible to think of everything situation, it is important that you "spell out" the rules as clearly as possible. This will save much hassle down the road.

Allow enough time for games to be played. Again, visiting teams are paying customers. Develop your schedule to allow adequate time for games to be completed.

Appoint ambassadors and Tournament Directors. The manager's of your town's teams who are playing in the tournament should be knighted as "tournament ambassadors". If visiting coaches or parents have concerns or issues they should be able to address any of the mangers as representatives of your league. It's also a good idea to always have an appointed "Tournament Director" on duty whenever games are being played. The Tournament Directors' job is to be the "go-to" person for any issues that arise.

Give the kids a great experience. If you want parents and coaches to say "wow, that tournament was well worth the money" make sure the kids get their money's worth. Nice trophies, good umpiring crews, groomed fields, clean facilities, good snack bar, etc. These are things that build your tournament's reputation.

If you follow the above rules you will develop the reputation of running a great tournament. This will lead to managers emailing or calling you months before you open up tournament registration.

Coach Bob,

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/

Common Youth Baseball Questions

Common Youth Baseball Questions

By Brian Schofield

Many kids develop a passion for the game of baseball at a very young age. When it happens it is a fun thing to witness. With their passion comes, excitement, competitiveness and curiosity. Young players are eager to succeed and anxiously try to absorb as much knowledge as they can about the game. This article will address some of the most common questions kids ask themselves soon after they pick up the game of baseball.

I just bought a new glove and I don't know what to do with it. My dad told me that I should oil it. My uncle told me to sleep on it. My coach told me to drive a car over it. What should I do?

I was at a Chicago Cub spring training one year and I asked one of the players about breaking in a new glove. He mentioned a few pointers that I'll share with you. He mentioned that most players have several gloves. Infielders will often have more than one that they use consistently. He said that all the old tips worked but the key was not about breaking it in immediately. It was more about how you treated the glove over a period time. Never get your glove wet. It changes the leather for the worse. Outfielders should have bigger gloves while infielders should have smaller gloves. I have played both infield and outfield and it was very handy to have two gloves. Infielders are all about the feel of the ball and getting it out of the glove quickly. If they have a deep web, it can interfere with the process. I am a fan of soft leather because it allows you to really feel the ball and the glove is light and flexible as well. Gloves can take years to mold to how you want them but they need to be treated correctly and treated to fit you and your situation. Oiling your glove is a great idea because it softens the leather and speeds up the process of it forming to your hand and style of play. If you'd like to put it under your mattress and sleep on it you certainly can but it's not a must. This will just make your glove more flexible. The more you play catch the more the glove will take shape and as that happens you'll soon get a feeling for how soft you want the leather to be and how flexible you want it.

People make fun of me and tell me I throw the ball like a girl. I don't even know what that means but I want to quit doing it. What am I doing wrong?

This is when you are doing what is called "short-arming" on each of your throws. When a player short-arms, he/she tends to release the ball too late. The elbow will be directly in front of the ball and all velocity is lost because you are not really using your shoulder anymore. To learn to throw correctly, first work on bringing the ball all the way back in an exaggerated fashion and try to release the ball earlier. It won't feel normal at first, but it will eventually start to feel natural. Try to release the ball behind your ear. The good news is that it can be corrected with proper practice. Make sure you are pointing with your front foot wherever you are throwing as "short-armers" tend to stand with their feet not moving when they throw.

I throw the ball all over the place. No matter where it seems like I'm aiming, I can never hit my target. What am I be doing wrong?

This is a very common problem for younger players. Here are some pointers I've used and coached over the years. First, always step toward your target. Players that throw incorrectly tend to throw across their body because they are not lined up correctly. Your front foot should point where you want the ball to go. Second, I coach to hold the ball across the seams when you throw it. If you throw the ball with the seams it will tend to cut or slide on you. This is how pitchers throw cut fastballs, so you probably should not do it when throwing to a base. Third, throw the ball in a consistent motion. If you are a good shooter in basketball, it is because of solid fundamentals that are practiced consistently. If you want to learn to throw a baseball correctly, you need to practice doing the same thing every time.

Brian Schofield is sr. writer for the baseball training site BigLeagueSkills.com

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

It's The Kid's Baseball Experience, Not The Parents!

I receive Coach Lambin's emails a few times a week and his coaching wisdom has been very helpful. His latest note is so good I had to share it.

Visit his site http://www.tipsfromthecoach.com/ for some more great info..

Coach Bob

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/



TIPS FROM THE COACH

Opinions are like a certain rear end orifice. Everyone has one but it shouldn’t be exhibited. Last year I went to a Fall league game for incoming HS freshmen. The parents in the stands were brutal. They second guessed every managerial move or nonmove. They opined about the abilities of other players on the team. The mommies were the worst.

I was recently talking to some HS coaches and they told me that parents are completely out of control, particularily mommies. One coach told me of a mommy that barged into his office and announced that in her opinion, the team wasn’t doing too well and that they needed to discuss some changes!

I guess that this is a product of kids playing 100+ games a year and the entire life of the family revolving around the kid’s baseball activities. Parents become way too invested in their son’s baseball experience. It is the kid’s baseball experience, NOT theirs!

Parents that second guess the coach and critique players are called “A CANCER”. It takes only one in the stands to infect the entire crowd. What should be a wonderful and joyous shared TEAM experience becomes a morass of backbiting and self aggrandizement. Parents need to learn to sit back and enjoy watching the TEAM play and SHUT UP. If you just can’t control yourself go down the outfield fence and mutter your rants, away from the crowd.

Coaches, you need to understand you are not just teaching 12 boys to play ball but shepherding families through the baseball experience. You must spend time teaching parents THEIR roles and how to comport themselves at the ballpark. They will enjoy themselves so much more when they are cured from being cancers. For how to do this get COACHING PSYCHOLOGY .In my book, A PARENTS GUIDE TO BASEBALL-Surviving And Thriving Youth League To College , there is a chapter,” Loose Lips Sink Ships”. In this chapter I chronicle the potential for harm from parents unsolicited opinions at the ballpark.

In a post in a youth baseball board, a mommy laments the lack of communication skills of her son’s HS coach. Her son just couldn’t get the coach to communicate why he wasn’t playing. This reminded me of a kid that went to his college coach’s office and inquired why he wasn’t playing. The coach responded, “ if you were my 3rd baseman, I wouldn’t consider us to be a very good baseball team”. Ouch! If you ask a question, you might not like the answer you get.

Yours In Baseball
Bruce Lambin
THE COACH
http://www.tipsfromthecoach.com/

Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly

With the summer season winding down, for some players (depending on age) it may be the time to start thinking about how to prepare for next season. I came across this article published by the Mayo Clinic on strengh training for kids. Since the Mayo Clinic is a recognized health authority I thought this would be appropriate to share. The advice in the article seems to be well grounded in common sense. Please note that you should always consult with your child's doctor before beginning any strengh training program.

Coach Bob

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/



Strength training: OK for kids when done correctly

Strength training offers kids many benefits, but there are important caveats to keep in mind. Here's what you need to know about youth strength training.
Strength training for kids? You bet! Done properly, strength training offers many bonuses to young athletes. Strength training is even a good idea for kids who simply want to look and feel better. In fact, strength training can put your child on a lifetime path to better health and fitness.

Strength training, not weightlifting

For kids, light resistance and controlled movements are best — with a special emphasis on proper technique and safety. Your child can do many strength training exercises with his or her own body weight or inexpensive resistance tubing. Free weights and machine weights are other options.

Don't confuse strength training with weightlifting, bodybuilding or powerlifting. These activities are largely driven by competition, with participants vying to lift heavier weights or build bigger muscles than those of other athletes. This can put too much strain on young muscles, tendons and areas of cartilage that haven't yet turned to bone (growth plates) — especially when proper technique is sacrificed in favor of lifting larger amounts of weight.....

READ entire article: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/strength-training/HQ01010

Sandlot Baseball.. A Distant Memory.

When was the last time you drove through an American neighborhood and witnesses a group of kids playing a game of pick up baseball?

While I didn’t realize it at the time I consider myself fortunate when I was growing up to have a ball field five minutes walk from my house. When I was a kid I remember riding home on the school bus getting my homework done so I could ride my bike to “The Park” right after I checked in with Mom. During the trip I would prepare myself for the daily selection which determined if you were picked to play with the big kids on the big field or if you were sent down to the so called “minors game” which was played on the grass field with the younger kids. It was baseball until sundown. And when school was over in mid june.. it was baseball sun up to sun down.

Every day you honed your skills and perhaps dealt with the harsh reality that you needed to improve to play with the big kids… and this drove us to improve… on our own… without $45 per half hour instructors and Elite baseball camps. We learned from the older kids, from the pro players we watched on TV, from our little league coaches, from our older brothers. We learned by playing… every day… without parental supervision.

Our neighborhood would challenge other neighborhoods to games. We'd ride our bikes to the visting field and play for bragging rights. The older kids would captain us and would decide who pitched and who played what positions. It had sort of a perfect harmony to it now that I think back about it. We went to bed each night thinking about the next day's game. And if we weren't playing hardball we were playing whiffle ball or pitchback ball.. or countless other baseball related games we made up.

I don’t know when this type of baseball “experience” became extinct in our country but it seems to be long gone. For one, planned neighborhoods generally don’t have a ball field as part of the master plan. In order for most kids to play ball they have to be driven to a ball field. I guess this closed the door on sandlot pickup games and made way for the purely organized baseball life today’s kids experience.

In today’s youth baseball society the adults make the rules, evaluate talent and pick the teams. The kids are merely participants who have no real say over what positions they play or who they play with. Maybe I’m in the minority but I think there’s something to be said for kids picking teams and playing the game on their own. Baseball is a survival sport… back in the day those who fended their way through the maze of peer pressure to be part of a “big kid” sandlot game earned and learned something truly unique.

I wish we as parents would slap ourselves in the face and remember the great life lessons we learned during those pick up games. No.. I don’t want to abolish organized baseball.. but bringing back “kid baseball” as part of the experience would go a long way to help mold and shape well rounded kids with not only baseball skills but life skills.

Coach Bob

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/

An Article Every Baseball Parent Should Read...

Here's a great article that I came across today. Every baseball (sports) parent should read it. No additional comment necessary...

Hey, it's just youth baseball - don't be that parent

Saratoga News
06/24/2008 08:06:33 PM PDT

Oh, please tell me I was never that parent ... the parent that I saw over the weekend at my grandson's all-star baseball game.

Please tell me I was never like the mom who screamed at her son each of the three times he struck out--louder each time until the 8-year-old was finally in tears.
Please tell me I was never the dad who commented on everything his son did, hollering out helpful "tips" and offering words of encouragement, but also dealing out negative comments about the play of others.

And please tell me I was never the guy who orchestrated his son's every move, even to the point of positioning him in the outfield, like he had any idea where the kid should be playing or why he should be playing there.

So please tell me I was never that parent when I was a "parent-coach" for the combined 15 or so years that my boys were playing youth and high school baseball.

"Oh, sure you were," said my youngest son, Kevin.
"I was?" I asked in disbelief. "Which one?"
"You can't be serious," said Mike, the oldest. "You were all of them!"
Well, that truly hurts. Here I always thought I was that supportive, reassuring parent who encouraged and nurtured his boys through the youth sports experience.
"Are you kidding?" asked Mike, unsuccessfully fighting back a hearty laugh.

OK, so I do admit to making Mike cry just about every time we drove home from practice during his first year of real baseball. But as any pushy baseball parent knows, that 8-year-old season is critical in the drive to the Major Leagues.

That must be what the parents at Anthony's game were thinking last weekend. After all, any kid who strikes out in an 8-year-old all-star game (uh, did I mention it was only a practice game?) certainly will drop a couple of rounds in the amateur draft.

So as any good parent-coach knows, it's important to get through to the child immediately by screaming at him--even better, have his mother scream "swing" after every pitch. And what kid doesn't like having his mom call him out behind the dugout to yell at him face-to-face after a strikeout? Hey, this kid must have been too young to know that there's no crying in baseball, because the tears were falling faster than the pitcher's earned run average after that third strikeout.

Well, I must admit that I learned my lesson a few weeks into Mike's 8-year-old season and we enjoyed another dozen or so tearless years where he experienced more than his share of success. And it must have been a pretty positive experience for him, because he's now a high school baseball coach.

Hopefully, the mom of Anthony's teammate will soon learn a similar lesson, though (as any self-respecting nosy newspaperman would do) I discovered by eavesdropping that she had other sons playing elsewhere. I sure hope they're swinging.

And as for the dads, their sons would be much better off if they'd just let them play and leave the coaching to the coaches (hey, there's a novel thought!).

It's the negative comments, though, where the line should certainly be drawn. There's no reason for a parent to criticize any player on the field--his own son, his son's teammates or even the players on the opposing team. It's youth baseball, for crying out loud--8-year-old youth baseball in this case!

I bring this all up now for a couple of reasons. First of all, I just saw these parents in action on Saturday, and from the perspective of a grandfather sitting in the bleachers I was appalled by their actions and I was embarrassed for them. Secondly, the all-star season is starting in full swing this week for Little League baseball players of all ages, and maybe this can serve as a wake-up call.

And finally, from the point of view of someone who's been through it before, my advice is for parents to enjoy every moment from the stands and cheer on your children and their teammates with encouragement, not criticism. You will all have a more enjoyable experience.
"Sure, Dad, until the ride home," said Kevin. "We never wanted to ride with you because if we had a bad game you'd lecture us all the way home."

"Yeah," I said, "but remember--if you had a good game, you got ice cream!"
Performance incentives. Now there's a subject for another day.

The Many Faces of Youth Baseball Umpires

Let me start by saying most of the experiences I’ve had with umpires while coaching youth baseball have been positive. These folks do a great job and help keep the game alive at the youth level.

During my years of coaching youth baseball I’ve experienced many different umpire personalities. Helpful, harmful, sometimes clueless, totally sharp, loud, subtle, entertaining, annoying… umpires come in many different packages.. all of them human. Here are just a few experiences with our favorite blue fixture of the diamond…

Youthful Ignorance…

I’m coaching a 9 year old travel team during a local town tournament. It’s one of the first tournaments of the summers so we’re all getting the rust out. We’re in the semi-final playoff game for our flight playing a strong team from the host town. The tournament is notorious for using teenaged umpires which is not the favorite of most coaches but for the most part the kids call a good game. However in this particular case we run across a strange issue. Our team is in the field ahead by one run in the 3rd inning of a 6 inning game. Bases loaded, 2 outs… ground ball to the 2nd baseman who makes an easy 4-3 play.. out of the inning right, with no runs given up right? WRONG! The umpire who has yet to start shaving shouts “out at first, runner on third scores”. The opposing team yells out… “Tie Game!”. My coaches and I look at each other with perplexed faces. I make my way over to the teenager and ask “blue, force play at first right? Runner doesn’t score, right?” He responds “coach, I made my call”. I maintain my cool and explain “son, with bases loaded, 2 out, if the defense makes a put out at any base the run does not score.”. To which he replies…”coach, I made the call, lets have a batter”. Now you would think the opposing coach would chime in with the right call.. but no such luck. Luckily for me I know the person who runs the tournament who by the way is also the head of umpires for their league. “Where is Mr. Doe today?” I ask. “He’s umping the game over on that field” the kid says. Now the other field is about 300 yards away. “ Son, I can’t a batter in the box until you confirm your ruling with the head of umpires. So will you please go ask him what the correct ruling is?”. The kid looks at me with fierce eyes knowing he doesn’t have a choice because teen umps are told to ask adult umps if the coaches question a critical call during the tournament game. The kid reluctantly stops the game and jogs over the other field to consult with Bill. After a quick discussion with Bill, he returns to our field and says “batter’s out, no run scores, let’s play ball”. “Thanks Blue” I say and I explain to my kids what happened. The games goes on from there with about 3 questionable calls favoring our opponents but I guess that’s to be expected. We end up winning the game by one run.

Having a Bad Day…

While coaching a 12 year old rec league team one of our players hits a ground ball to 3rd. I notice that he lightly tosses the bat back and lands about 5 feet away from the home plate umpire. The batter is thrown out at 1st. As he’s jogging back to the dugout the umpire calls me over from the 3rd base coach’s box. He calls the batter over as well and says to the kid in a threatening nasty tone “If you throw that bat again I’m throwing you out of this game”. Now this was an obvious over reaction to a simple mistake. This kid is a sold player who never throws the bat. There is really no need for this guy of about 58 years of age to strike fear into the heart a 12 year old over an accident. As the kid trots back to the bench noticeably shaken from lambasting. I say to the ump in private “Blue, I understand your point but I have to say your tone is uncalled for. That kid is a good player who never throws a bat. He made a mistake and I would appreciate it if you treat my players with the same respect you would expect from them.” He replies “I can talk to anyone anyway I like” to which I retorted in a calm tone “Your absolutely right.. you do have freedom of speech… but I have it also and if I use it to explain to the league how to you talk to kids I don’t think you’ll be getting too many more umpiring assignments”. With that he put his mask on and the game went on without anymore nasty scoldings. When my player asked… “I didn’t think I threw the bat…Is he going to throw me out of the game coach?”. “Nah” I said “that man is having a bad day and he took it out on you. You did nothing wrong… let’s play ball”.

A Perfect Pair…

My son’s 11U travel team is playing in one of the more competitive local summer tournaments. During one of games we happen upon a pair of umpires who happen to be brothers. These two proceed to put on the greatest demonstration of youth baseball umpiring I have ever seen. The home plate ump has strike and strikeout calls equal to Dutch Rennert (former MLB ump known for his demonstrative strike calls). Good pitches that resulted in strikes received his patented “OH YEAH!!” strike call. Ball were announces as “NOPE!!”. The base umpire punched out runners with splendid animation. It really gave the kids, coaches and parents a thrill to watch these two. After the game coaches from both teams took the time to thank these two for doing such a great job.

Coach Bob

http://youthbaseballblog.blogspot.com/