Secrets to Coaching Youth Baseball

By Stephen K Reynolds

Coaching Youth Baseball is a great experience for men and women to be involved in. One of the awesome things about being involved in it is the opportunity to be around young people and motivate them to be their best.

There are tons of books and materials on youth baseball so i wont try to re-invent the wheel here.
I just want to hit on some things that need to mentioned. Keep it simple!! The majority of reasons why teams aren't as good as they could be is because they don't do the simple things!

Coaches want to be smart and try to employ strategies that are just to sophisticated for young players especially for 9-10 year olds. Stick to the basics ground ball practice, fly balls, throwing fundamentals, basis pitching mechanics.

Incorporate games into the drills that way kids can see the result of why they need to use a technique correctly. Keep it light and fun that way your players keep coming back for more.

Remember long after the games are over the players will remember how they were treated, not what the score was!! Here is one for you Dads... Your Son or daughter will never be as good as you Thought you were!

Another important key is using stations, less standing around. lets face it there is never enough time as it is. The secret is to make good use of your time while you have your players.

Bottom line have fun with this great game and enjoy your time with the players it goes by very quickly!!

Stephen K Reynolds is publisher of the LSR Unlimted "Free" newsletter which focuses on helping newcomers and seasoned pros learn the secrets to marketing in the ever changing world of the internet! For more information on this e-mail lsrwealth@gmail.com

(800)758-1282

[http://www.urticket.org]

406-542-1723

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Baseball Coaching Digest - Batting Flaw - Young Batter Has Started Popping Up Every Time He Bats

By Nick Dixon

It can be very frustrating to have a talented young batter go into a mid season slump. This is going to happen to at least one or two players on every youth baseball team in America this summer. The players had been ripping the cover off the ball, and all of a sudden, he goes into a drastic slump. The batter is popping up every time he makes contact with the ball. The other times he swings the bat, he completely misses the baseball.

How do you handle this situation? What are the first things that a coach should check? What are the most common causes of this "sudden slump"? I am going to explain to you what I would do. I am going to outline the main three flaws that I look for to detect which is causing the problem.

The three flaws I would check for first are:

1. Drastic dropping of the hands. The must keep his hands above the ball. If he is dropping the hands, he is dropping the bat. Often times this may cause an upper cut swing. Caution the batter to make sure that he keeps the hands high and above the ball.

2. Backside or back leg collapse - This is caused by the batter bending the knee thus collapsing the back side. The batter should be cautioned to stay tall on the back side. There should never be a drastic elevation change from the start of the swing to the finish. Back leg bend or collapse caused the back shoulder to drop, thus causing an unacceptable upper-cut swing.

3. Batter is striding to long - A long stride is a recipe for all kinds of problems. The farther the front foot strides out toward the pitcher, the more there will be an elevation drop of the head, eyes, shoulders, hands, and bat. The drop in head elevation could be as much as several inches if the stride to long. This drop of several inches takes the batter from the top of the batter that he thought he was hitting to the very bottom edge of the ball. Hitting the very bottom edge of the ball most often result in the hitting of a pop up. It is recommended that batters set their feet shoulder width apart and simply shift the weight or slightly pick the foot up and place it back down where it was. This prevents the dropping action from happening. If the batter must stride, the stride should be restricted to no more than two to three inches.

Coaching Point: It is recommended that coaches constantly tell young hitters to see and hit the top half of the baseball. If they visually concentrate on the top third of the ball, and they were to drop slightly in the stride, then their swing should put them in the middle of the baseball. Concentrating on the top half allows them to hit more line drives and ground balls. You want your hitters to develop the line drive swing and a line drive mentality. After all, we all know that line drives make the world go round.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. I hope that you found it to be informative. Have a great day.

The Coaches Best Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

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

Happy Holidays & Season’s Greetings From Nick

Happy Holidays & Season’s Greetings From Nick



Thank you for being a regular reader of our blog. We are taking some time off for the Holidays. Our post schedule is normally 5 to 6 daily articles posted per week. During the Holidays and until Jan. 4, 2010, or post will not be daily because of Holiday activities. If you are looking for great coaching articles, please consider one of our sites: The BaseballCoachingDigest.com, the YouthBaseballDigest.com or the BaseballParentGuide.com. Have a safe and happy season! Nick Dixon

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Shop CoachesBest.com for your baseball coaching needs including baseball training aids, training videos, and other coaching supplies. Check out the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting machine by SKLZ at HurricaneTrainer.com.

See the “Original” Rotational Hitting Machine at BatAction.com. Are you looking for the perfect trainer to teach proper timing and swing mechanics? You can stop looking and go to HandsBackHitter.com.

It's All in Your Attitude in Coaching Youth Baseball

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It's All in Your Attitude in Coaching Youth Baseball
By Chip Lemin

I realize it's fall going on winter, but one can always start thinking about next year and what you are going to do different do become an improved coach.

I would like to give attitude a big plug here because it is so vital not just in youth baseball, it is vital in all areas of your player's lives. You have a responsibility to impart more than just baseball lessons to your players if you are truly serious about helping your players.

As you may already know I'm a big fan of positive attitude from the
coaches as well as the players and parents. I feel there is no place on a youth baseball club for tearing down of players no matter what the perceived importance of the situation.

In the little league world series it was good to hear some coaches go out to on to the field to address their clubs in a tight game and start off the talk with something positive. Maybe the microphone had something to with it, I hope not.

Your team will take on your attitude no matter what. You will never
hurt your effectiveness as coach by being positive, patient, and having some fun out there.

You must be an example to parents and players. It's only a game in the end. No else outside of a few adults on your team will even care how your team does, believe me. You need your players to have positive experiences in youth baseball to enrich their lives. This way they may pass it on if and when they have a chance to coach later.

Here are a few ATTITUDE ideas I would like to share with you. I will sending a few more in the coming weeks. Let's call this letter #1 on ATTITUDE for players and coaches

There are many hallmarks of a well-coached team, disciplined team. They are clearly evident during practice and games. The following items are what makes up a solid team.

Players believe in school.
Players believe in coaches.
Players believe in their teammates
Players and coaches are punctual for practices, games and meetings.
Players dress properly.
Players respect their community

ATTITUDE FROM THE TOP DOWN

Mental attitude plays such a big role in the success of a player. A
player can have great natural talent and ability, but will have a tough time reaching their potential if they do not develop a good positive mental attitude and outlook. The player with the right mental outlook and attitude will make his natural talent come through. What makes up a proper mental attitude?

DETERMINATION

All skill levels of players will benefit from having a strong desire to be the best they can be regardless of how they did this day or any other day. You must have a strong determination, a spirited desire to win, but only by the rules, and without dishonoring this great game. To become very good at this game, you must be wiling to invest long hours in practice perfecting your game, because your best opponents are doing just that very thing.

CONCENTRATION

When you take the field your thoughts should be strictly baseball. You will have to groom your mind to and body to perform a skill though concentration. You and the coaches must always be alert and thinking. For example, when hitting, keep one thought with you, follow the ball to plate and hit it.

RELAXATION

Relaxation is essential in developing skills needed in baseball. Youth baseball is meant to be fun for players as well as coaches. Everyone who relaxes will perform better no matter what the task at hand. Concent ration and relaxation are like peas in a pod, whether it is throwing a ball to a hitter or spearing a line drive at third. You must learn to control your emotions as a player or a coach. By concentrating on what you doing, you will remove fear and tension from your mind. A confident mind and relaxed body are great keys to success on and off the baseball field.

I hope these tips will help you. I used to think and feel being the
loud tough manager was the only way to get results. Over the years
I have learned that I was missing out on some the best parts of
coaching youth baseball, being a chance to be a teacher and a friend. We must have discipline on the team, and it comes from example, not by yelling or tearing down of players. You and your players will have many good memories to share with others. That is what it is all about
By Chip Lemin

http://www.baseballecourse.com
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The BatAction Hitting Machine and the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine are two of the absolute best batting trainers available today. This compact and self-contained hitting machines allow players to take full speed batting practice swings in indoors or outdoors with little space required. The high speed ball movement drills that these machines feature is known for developing incredible batting skill, bat speed and batter confidence.

Batting Tee - It is Not Boring at All and is Simply Outstanding!

AdvancedSkillsTee.com

By Larry Cicchiello

Do yourself a favor and never underestimate the importance of working off the batting tee.

Let's just make sure we use it properly.

The batting tee is very versatile and can be set up almost anywhere and by no means is a baseball field even required.

During bad weather for example, you can hang an old piece of carpeting against the garage wall, set up your tee, and start hacking.

Sometimes it takes many, many repetitions to break a bad habit and proper use of the batting tee can speed up the entire process.

Instead of getting just 10 swings in practice, you can get an additional 100 off a batting tee.

If a player is struggling at the plate, life will be made much easier if he can get back on the right track in a week or so compared to a month or so.

Two Things Are Necessary For Getting the Maximum Benefit From the Batting Tee:

1. That it's set up properly.

2. That you take the same swing that you would normally take in a live game. If you are willing to spend your time, you are certainly entitled to reap the benefits.

Position yourself and the ball on the tee so it is at the point where you would be making normal contact with a live pitch in a game.

A good place to set up the ball is across from your front striding foot, before the stride is taken.

You can change this as you see fit because you are the one doing the baseball hitting.

Waist high is a good height when working on your overall swing but you can vary the height of the batting tee if you want to practice at a specific height.

Feel free to position the tee so you can practice hitting both inside and outside pitches as well.

Young Players And The Batting Tee


As a rule, youngsters are NOT a big fan of the batting tee and quite often feel it's boring.
To motivate them, remind them that MANY outstanding professional hitters take as many as 500 swings a day off the tee.
Always take your work off the batting tee very seriously and you must swing like you are swinging at a live pitch in a ball game!

It is one of the best baseball coaching drills for a coach to use with his players.

What can possibly be better than speeding up the process if one of your players has "lost" their stroke?

Or to maintain your swing if you are in a good groove?

If you have developed a bad habit at the plate, it may take 300 repetitions for your muscle memory to take over.

If doing this on a ball field, it will take quite a long time.

On the other hand, you can hit 100 balls off a tee in no time at all.

Why should a player struggle for a couple of weeks if he can get back on track in two or three days?

Remember, practice doesn't make perfect but perfect practice makes perfect.

If you're working off the batting tee, obviously you are willing to put in the time so don't cheat yourself and make sure you get the full benefit that you deserve.

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc. and also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or are involved in baseball coaching at any level of play or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/

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



The 4 Best Batting Tees in Baseball:
Advanced Skills Tee
Stay Back Tee
Hands Back Hitter
5 Position Batting Tee

Hitting a Baseball - Using the Gaps

HandsBackHitter.com - Mechanical Ball Launcing Tee

By Nate Barnett

How do you tell if a hitter is creating the correct energy and movement at bat? One simple way (there are obviously more technical ways) is to observe where most of the balls are traveling while hitting a baseball. If a hitter is directing balls into the gaps (regardless if they are ground balls or fly balls) he's on the right track. On the flip side, if a lot of balls are being sliced down the opposite field line or hooked to the pull side, some mechanical alterations are necessary. Two common causes are found here:

1. The most common root cause of hooking or slicing while hitting a baseball is improper control of the front side of the body. A good baseball swing begins with the movement of the back part of the body (specifically the back knee and hip). During this brief period of time the front side of the body (basically all joints on the front side) need to remain relatively unmoved. The purpose of this is so that the back side of the body moves towards the play. If the front side moves at the same time as the back side of the body, momentum is being taken away from the pitch. It is then more difficult for the athlete to keep his bat moving through the zone. Instead, the bat cuts across the zone and creates a lot of side spin on the baseball as well.

2. Another cause of hooked or sliced balls is how the hands enter and pass through the strike zone. The path any hitter needs to take with the hands is a direct and straight path into the hitting zone. Unfortunately, the problem of a weak front side (described in #1) tends to drag the hands away from the body. The end result is hands that progress through the zone in a sweeping fashion. This type of problem only increases the likelihood that side spin will occur while hitting a baseball.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving your baseball psychology

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



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StayBack Batting Tee and HandsBack Hitter Trainer Baseball Trainers

Video shows the Stay Back Batting Tee and its advantages. The video has no audio. See how the StayBack Tee teaches players of all ages to "Stay Bak" and use the rotational hitting technique. The Stay Back Tee is a great team or home trainer. It is an excellent mid-season or off-season trainer that can be used indoors and outdoors. The unit folds in seconds and can easily be transported to team practices and workouts.



Video demo of the Hands Back Hitter baseball batting trainer.

A Baseball Rule That is Broken All the Time

By Larry Cicchiello

Baseball rules clearly state that you can NOT block a base without the baseball. So much for the rules.

Many players don't just bend this rule but completely break this rule.

If you're not going to enforce a rule, why do we still have it in the rule book?

Catchers do it on almost every close play at the plate and get away with it 100% of the time.

Infielders get away with it 99.9% of the time.

They say the hand is quicker than the eye but in this case, quite often the knee is quicker than the eye.

What the infielders will do is block the base a fraction of a second before they receive the throw.

It happens so fast that they get away with it.

The runner often gets to the base beforehand but has no access to the base.

First basemen are very good at blocking the base on a pick-off throw from either their pitcher or their catcher, before they actually receive the throw.

What the first basemen will do is to get their knee down to block the base an instant before they catch the ball and then bring their tag down.

They get away with it because the knee blocks the base at the very last split second before they receive the ball. Most are so good at it that it has to be viewed in slow motion to be seen. We're talking a fraction of a second.

A base runner can discourage this from happening.

If the runner is retreating to a base or advancing to the next base, he can slide in feet first instead of head first. The last thing we want is to see anyone hurt on the ball field so hopefully the player in the field will follow the rules. And even if the player in the field does not follow the rules, we still don't want to see anyone injured.

I saw a high school coach in May of 2006 make a valid point.

His team had a runner on first base and his runner had to dive back to first base on an attempted pick off by the pitcher to the first baseman.

Before the first baseman had the ball, he blocked the base with his knee and the runner was safe but it was a very close play. Much closer than it should have been.

But, the base runner was blocked by the first baseman's knee and had a difficult time getting to the base.

The coach simply yelled to his runner, "If he's going to block the base, go back feet first."

The coach is 100% right.

I'm hopeful that the coach did not want his runner to injure the first baseman but simply wanted to forewarn the first baseman that he should abide by the baseball rules of the game.

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc. and also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or are involved in baseball coaching at any level of play or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/

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



BatAction Hitting Machine by Nedco Sports
The "Original Hitting Machine"

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Baseball Pitching Tips - Fielding Practice is For Pitchers Too!

www.prozipnhit.com

By Larry Cicchiello

Always remember that as a baseball pitcher, once you throw the baseball you become a defensive player like everyone else. One of the best baseball pitching tips has nothing to do with baseball pitching. Set aside some time and practice baseball fielding as well and it will be time very well spent. I would really like to see pitchers spend more time practicing their baseball fielding, which will greatly help the team, as well as the pitcher himself.

I'm well aware that most of a pitcher's practice time should be spent throwing the baseball. I'm also well aware that a pitcher who is serious about being successful should find some time for practicing his fielding as well. Ten minutes a couple of times a week is all it takes.

Let's look at some very basic basic baseball fielding drills that a pitcher should practice.

Grounders Back to the Mound. Field the ball and throw to all four bases a couple of times. It's amazing that some pitchers with pinpoint control when throwing to their catchers will miss their target when throwing to third base by ten feet! The reason is quite simple. They are making throws that are unfamiliar to them. Practice throws to all four bases and they will no longer be unfamiliar throws.

Fielding Bunts. Practice fielding bunts in front of the plate and down both lines. Practice throwing to all four bases.

Fielding Bunts Suicide Squeeze Situation. Practice getting the throw to your catcher quickly and accurately.

Covering First Base. We will discuss this in detail later on. In a nutshell, sprint to the first base line about four steps from the base. Turn and run in fair territory down the line. Chest high target and tag inside of the base with your right foot.

Covering Home Plate. We will go into much more detail later on. Be very cautious when covering home plate. Along with the line drive back to the mound, it is an extremely dangerous play for a pitcher! Make sure to stay in front of the plate and in fair territory. Make a quick swipe tag with your glove going quickly toward the ground to tag out the runner. In other words, you only want the base runner to slide into your glove and make sure the rest of your body is out of harm's way. Baseball pitching careers have ended because the pitcher has stood in the path of a sprinting base runner. Stay in front of the plate!

Baseball pitchers should practice their baseball fielding like it's a live game. If you practice at only half speed, the results you get may be only slighter better than if you did not practice at all. Hey, if you're willing to put in the time to practice and improve your baseball skills, you deserve to get all the benefits from that practice time. Don't cheat yourself.

In closing, just remember that it makes no sense at all for a baseball pitcher with pinpoint control to miss his third baseman or first or second baseman by ten feet. It can cost the ball game. Finding some time to work on your baseball fielding is time very well spent.

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc. and also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or are involved in baseball coaching at any level of play or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/

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

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Baseball Coaching Digest - Can You Name 20 Ways to Score From Third Base?

www.AdvancedSkillsTee.com

By Nick Dixon

How many ways can you think of that a runner can score from third base.

I am a firm believer in the strategy of getting the runner to third base with less than two outs any way you can. Below, I have listed 23 ways of scoring a runner from third base that do not score the same runner from second base.

I am sure that there are more than 23. That is all that I could think of today.

1. Pitcher throws a wild pitch.

2. Catcher allows a passed ball.

3. Pitcher commits a balk.

4. Batter hits a sacrifice fly.

5. Batter properly executes a squeeze bunt.

6. Catcher commits interference.

7. The pitcher allows a base on balls.

8. Runner steals home.

9. Baseball hit ground ball that is fielded quickly by an outfielder.

10. A "bounce away" error by an infielder which requires the infielder to make a move to recover the ball.

11. Fly ball misplayed or dropped by an infielder in fair territory with 2 outs.

12. Fly ball misplayed or dropped by an outfielder in fair territory with 2 outs

13. Short fly ball hit in the outfield that is misplayed or dropped.

14. Soft line drive hit over the infielders head.

15. Pitchers hits batter with bases loaded.

16. The catcher makes an errant throw back to the pitcher. The pitchers misses the ball thrown back to him by the catcher.

17. With no outs, the batter hits a double play ground ball, with runners on 1B and 3B and the opposition turns the double play.

18. An infielder while attempting to make a play to first on the batter makes an errant throw.

19. Catcher throws the ball into center field attempting to throw out a runner trying to steal second base.

20. Middle infielder misplays and drops the throw from the catcher on a runner stealing second base.

21. Pitcher throws the ball away at third base while attempting a pick off.

22. Pitcher throws the ball away at first base while attempting a pick off.

23. Catcher throws the ball into left field while attempting to pick the runner off at third base.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has over 1400 BASEBALL PRODUCTS. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Make sure to visit Blog4Coaches and the Baseball Coaching Digest for free coaching articles, drills and tips.

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

Baseball Batting Machines - The Backyard Basketball Goal For Baseball Players

One of my pet peeves in life is that there are many hundred thousands of future high school baseball players that will spend millions of hours of their spare time shooting basketball today. They will go out into their own backyard and spend hours and hours shooting games of “Horse” or playing “Pick-up” basketball.

Why does this bother me? The reason is that I know that these players could be having just as much fun and entertainment swinging a baseball bat if they had the right batting machine at home. They could be building skills in the game of baseball that will benefit them greatly when they compete for a spot on their high school team later.

Backyard batting machines such as the BatAction Hitting Machine and the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine are the “Backyard Basketball Goal” for the Future Baseball Prospect. The future baseball prospect “lives” to swing the bat like the future basketball prospect “lives” to shoot the hoop.

Here are my 5 reasons the Batting Machine is like a Backyard Basketball Goal:

1. It is pure fun to hit. It offers a variety of fun and entertaining games and batting drills that kids love to play. The batting machine makes your backyard the most popular backyard in the neighborhood.

2. It is always ready for action. When the player gets bored at home, the machine is readily available.

3. There is not set-up required. To shoot basketball, all you need is a basketball. To hit the batting machine, all you need is a bat.

4. There is no energy required. The batting machine is fully self-contained. It operates off its on energy source. It uses the energy of the bat’s contact to propel the ball for the next swing.

5. A player can shoot basketball solo. The player can hit the batting machine without having to have a second person also. The “Streak” hitting game is comparable to shooting “Horse”. Players can play the “Streak” game alone.

So you can see why I call the batting machine, the backyard basketball goal for hitters. The two batting machine that are most poplar today are the BatAction Hitting Machine by Nedco Sports and the Derek Jeter Hurricane Machine by SKLZ.

You can see the batting machines described in theis article at BatAction.com and HurricaneMachine.com

Nick Dixon is the host for BaseballCoachingDigest.com, the YouthBaseballDigest.com, and BaseballParentGuide.com.

The Hands Back Hitter Baseball Trainer

www.HandsBackHitter.com

How It Works

Place a ball on the launcher. With a normal stride, the batter sets the ball into motion by stepping on a string (firing cord). The ball will appear in the hitting zone with the hitter in the correct timing sequence...hands back, foot down, hips launching the swing.

The Hands Back Hitter corrects hitting flaws.

The offset tee position makes you contact the ball between the balls of your feet. The resistor arch makes you stride carefully to balance softly on the lead toe. The vertical popper elevates the ball after the front foot is down, creating the timing sequence of the early stride. The front toe down on the string and the heel up sets the stage for bat launch through hip rotation. Feel and teach how to load/coil your body as you stride to hit and the effortless power that comes from torque.

A Free Hitting CD is included which teaches hitters to 1) Keep hands back 2) Stride to balance and 3) Fire the hips. Also includes 100 instructional slides along with video clips.


The "How it Works" graphic below shows the "Youth Model". Both models work the same.
The Pro models uses all types of balls. (Plastic, Real Baseball, Real Softballs, Pitching Machine Balls,)

Baseball Hitting Mechanics - Don't Settle For Sloppy

By KC Andrus

I Hit The Ball Pretty Well, Why Worry About Mechanics?

Everyone who has ever played baseball, knows that it is a game of failure. They have heard how it is a GOOD sign if you fail 70% of the time. These are just the cold, hard facts, the nature of the game that is our nation's greatest pastime. With so much of the game built on personal defeat, it is easy to get down in the dumps fast. One of the game's most famous quotes, and possibly one of sport's most famous quotes came from Yogi Berra, who said, "Baseball is 90% mental -- the other half is physical."

This is such a true statement that come from one of sport's most unique personalities. Baseball is such a mental game, there is so much thought process that goes into all facets of the game that it makes the game seem almost impossible at times, and the most mental part of the game is most certainly hitting. This is why it is so important to focus on proper hitting mechanics, because then you can focus on the mental aspect of the game and not have to worry about what you're doing with you're swing when you're actually in the batter's box. You can focus on what's really important when the pitcher is staring down at you, HITTING THE BALL!! Okay, so now that we have discovered why baseball mechanics are important, we can get to the good stuff, what the heck are the proper mechanics for hitting a baseball. It all starts with the basics, you have to get the basics down in order for your swing to evolve and become more complex.

What are the Mechanics?

- The Stance - There are many so-called hitting "buffs" that will stress the importance of a normal, balanced stance. There is some truth in this but it is more important to just find a comfort zone, this will allow you to relax in the box.

-The Load - The load is very important, and it is absolutely crucial to the timing of your swing. It is extremely important to get some slight backward movement with your swing before whipping the bat through the zone. Make sure you take a small step, this can be as simple as picking up your foot and putting it down or taking a full stride. When in doubt, my golden rule is to simplify, simplify, simplify. Also get some movement with your hands.

-The Swing - The best advice I can give about the actual swing is to "train your hips." Your hips are VERY important to your swing and are responsible for a lot of power withing your swing. Getting stronger in your "core" helps this tremendously.

- The Finish - I don't like to worry about the finish as much as most. Most people will tell you that you have to finish balanced and "squish the bug" with your back foot. Finishing balanced is a very good sign that your swing is smooth, but it is not essential to success within your swing, and that is what we are all looking for. Did you find these tips useful? Find out much more about these Baseball Hitting Mechanics and learn a lot of secrets that you need to know and I'm betting no one has told you yet: Baseball Hitting Mechanics

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Be a Great Baseball Competitor

By John Peter Pero

Learning to compete is yet another of the vital pieces to becoming a next-level player. Athletic ability alone gets very few to the top of the pyramid with the exception of names like Albert Pujols, Joe Mauer, Andrew Jones, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez; guys just born with such amazing skill and size. Yet even they needed to learn to become great competitors.focused and prepared to do battle.

Even Derek Jeter, once viewed as the third best shortstop in the American League (and owner of 4 World Series rings as of this writing), talks about the countless hours of his teen years spent hacking with his SoloHitter Hitting Trainer. You watch how he approaches every at-bat and how hard he competes and you just know that this is how he is wired. it may have started from the head of his dinner table, or a coach, but those who know him say that this guy was always a tough out!

Watching Jeter play, you just have to appreciate how many of the best become their best!

So who & what is a great competitor?

In Practice - He's the guy who knows what he is supposed to do and does it correctly. and not just when coaches are watching. He understands the value of practicing hard & correctly and knows its importance to himself and his team. He practices how he plays! He challenges himself and is interested in becoming his best.not just better!

In Games - He is mentally prepared and has a plan for every at-bat and every situation. Because of his great practice habits, he can kick his game plan into gear with little concern for not being prepared. Coaches know they can count on him!

The Ultimate Competitor is the Ultimate Team Player!


He doesn't care who the hero is.
He's going to compete to help his team win!
He wants his teammates to do well!

Players come in all shapes, sizes & personalities.
but successful players all learn the importance of being a great competitor!

The Young Player

Teach & Learn The Love of The Game!

A competitive nature can start at a young age but first a player must learn to love the game. Without that love, he may never get to that point where the rest even matters. This is overwhelmingly more important.

My own observation is that few 10-year olds are equipped to understand this; maybe half of 11-year olds seem to and most 12-year olds who get the concept are emotionally equipped to do battle and understand the euphoria of winning and the agony of losing. and what it takes to get there.

This knowledge can come from the head of the dinner table, an older sibling, a teacher or coach, older or other teammates, opposing players.anywhere really. What's more important is that it becomes how a player goes about his business on the field.

It's Just Baseball

One 10-year old may love to play every day and will play 60+ games a year while another may be burned out by age 12 with that sort of schedule. Love the game first and the competitive juices will just kick in when they are supposed to.there is no schedule. Know your player(s) and you will know when to prod and when to back off and let them find it themselves. THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT!

Some Examples of Great Competitors


The 4th best player on my best 14-year old team ever is now a 2nd year pro after a stellar college career and a trip to Omaha as a freshman. He made himself into a ballplayer. He wanted it more than anyone else on that team. and is still playing while those who were his superior are now out of the game or finishing their college careers as their last stop.
A leftie outfielder of mine was drafted in the 38th round out of high school, went to a JUCO (junior college) instead, redoubled his efforts to improve, and is now a 1st year pro. redrafted in the 4th round and, as of this writing, he is rated by Baseball America as having the best raw power in the Anaheim Angels organization!
The Chicago Cub infielder I played golf with recently was kidded by a member of our foursome with a reminder of the pressure putt he had.it was quite testy. I will paraphrase him as he shot back at the heckler. Are you kidding, I love this stuff. referring to that pressure. And believe me, this guy has made himself into one tough Big League competitor.he is a tough out and will battle you with all he has.even at a charity golf tournament!
My buddy Steve Springer played 14 years of pro ball with very little Big League time but he is content with his years in the game. He was 4 foot 11 inches tall and weighed 90 pounds as a freshman high school player. Can you imagine how many times older players tortured him?

He didn't even start his senior year in high school. yet he didn't quit! He grew late. but he grew into an All-Conference college shortstop. and that's how he got seen and ultimately drafted by the New York Mets!

As Spring says, "The great thing about this game is that you get judged every day. So be a great competitor. Be a tough out!"

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Three Baseball Batting Drills - Streak Drill, Switch Hitting Drill and Step-In and Hit Drill

Video shows three great baseball hitting drills being done on the Bat Action Hitting Machine. The BatAction baseball batting trainer's high speed ball movement and large ball path closely simulates real pitching conditions. The BatAction is often called the "Backyard Basketball Goal" for baseball players because it makes home batting practice easy, fun, challenging, and convenient. The BatAction Hitting Machine has height and speed adjustments for all ages and skill levels.

Youth Baseball Digest: How to Prevent Hitters From Popping Out

By Jack Perconte

There is only one way for hitters to pop a ball up and that is to hit the bottom of the pitched ball. The good news is that the hitter made contact but the bad news is that pop-ups are caught at least 90% of the time. Having said this obvious point, there are two causes for why players hit the bottom of the ball. The most common cause for the bat barrel going under the ball is commonly known as "dropping the shoulder." In actuality, with the correct baseball swing hitter's back shoulder will drop below the front shoulder in order to arrive at the correct palm-up, palm-down hands position. What causes the bat barrel to drop under the ball creating a popped up ball is an exaggerated drop of this shoulder due to a "collapsing" rear hip and leg.

To prevent hitters from popping out, they need to improve their weight shift into the ball. This action will prevent the hip and back leg from collapsing which will allow hitters' hips to remain level and allow them to square the baseball up more consistently.

Following are baseball hitting drills to prevent hitters from popping out - these should be done in sequence for best results, but repeatedly doing any of these drills should solve the problem.

Hitting Drill # 1 - Have hitters set their feet together without any knee bend and take swings at different pitches, from high to low. Hitters can turn their hips with this drill but will not be able to rotate their legs as with a normal swing. This drill will take the power out of their swing but will help hitters get the idea of staying tall when hitting and not collapsing. Players with good swings will still hit line drives, even on knee high pitches.

Hitting Drill # 2 - From there regular stance, have hitters swing and pick up their back leg as they swing. This will force a 100% weight transfer and force hitters to firm their front side while staying tall. The rear hip cannot collapse with this drill, which is the root of the problem.

Hitting Drill # 3 - From regular stance, set a batting tee even with hitters' rear hip and at hip high level. Hitters should practice coming over and missing this tee when swinging to any pitch level.

Hitting Drill # 4 - Set a batting tee in the hitting zone at letter high and have hitters hit balls at this level until they can hit consistent line drives. Players who drop their back side will have trouble hitting anything but pop -ups at this height.

The other less common way hitters pop balls up is by rolling their wrists at contact. This early roll causes the bat barrel to go down, resulting in a pop up. Often, this incorrect swing is only noticed by an experienced hitting coach and can be corrected with hip opening and lead arm extension drills like the following:

Hitting Drill # 5 - Have hitters choke way up on their bat and take some swings with their lead arm only. Their goal is to extend their arm and bat towards the pitcher, keeping their shoulder in and leading to a high, correct finish.

Hitting Drill # 6 - Set a ball on a tee in front of home plate and another ball on a second tee about a foot in front of that one towards the pitcher. Hitters stand in normal position and take swings with the intention of hitting through both balls. This drill forces hitters to open their hips and extend their arms without an early wrist roll. Hitting both balls solidly is the objective. A sign of an early wrist roll would be missing or continually grounding the second ball to the pull side of home plate.

It is important to understand that many young players drop their hands before swinging which can put them on the underside of the ball before they even swing. It is important that hitter--s break that habit in order to prevent hitters from popping out. Previous drill #3 will also help hitters break that habit.

Hitters with normally good fundamentals but in a "pop-up" slump may solve the problem with a couple of slight adjustments to their initial hitting position. Hitters can raise their hands slightly in their set-up and/or stand taller with less knee bend in their batting stance. These slight adjustments can cause hitters to hit a little higher up on the ball, preventing the popped up balls.

Former major league baseball player, Jack Perconte gives baseball hitting tips and batting practice advice for ballplayers of all ages. His baseball hitting lessons advice can be found at http://www.baseballhittinglessons.com/baseball
Jack is the author of two books, The Making of a Hitter and Raising an Athlete - his parenting blog can be found at http://positiveparentinginsports.com

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Youth Baseball Coaching - 8 Elements of a Super Baseball Swing

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By Nick Dixon

The perfect baseball swing is a thing of beauty. There are few movements and actions in sports that are practice more often than the baseball swing. Players take thousands and thousands of practice swing during a season. The key to game swing quality is practice swing quality. There are certain basic rules that every batter should remember when taking a swing in practice and games.

Those rules are:


Make your stance wide to keep a short stride. A shorter stride is desirable because it allows the batter to execute the swing with little or no striding action. This allows the batter to keep the weight and hands back longer thus eliminating the possibility of being fooled on off-speed pitches.
Keep your hands close and stay inside the ball. The batter must learn to execute a swing that keeps the hands, wrist, and bat inside the ball.
Keep the head in and the front shoulder down. This body position will prevent the batter from pulling of the ball or popping up.
Move the lead foot...keep the back foot still. The lead leg should be planted and kept stiff. The back leg and hip will turn and rotate during the swing. The proper swing action is a "turning of the hips" and not a lunging action toward the ball.
Pivot of the back leg. The back toe should finish "on the toe-shoe laces to the pitcher". The turning in of the back toe and knee serves to free the hips allowing a smooth powerful swing with the hips generating power.
See the ball go flat. The concept is that the batter should see the bat distort one side of the ball upon impact. The barrel of the bat will "flatten" one of the ball when the ball is hit. The batter should keep the eyes and head on the ball so well that he can see the ball go flat.
Get extension through the ball. The batter should drive the hands through the ball using a quick wrist action to get maximum bat speed generation. The path of the bat should be similar to the path of a "landing plane". The path should be downward and through the ball to maintain bat to ball contact for as long as possible.
Finish long and smooth. The hands, wrist and arms should be driven through the ball in a long smooth path. The finishing position of the hands and bat should be one that has allowed the bat to go long through a long arch. A quick or abrupt stopping of the swing will alter the path and timing of the bat.

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The 3 R's of Pitching

By Rick Harig

Realize the basic premise that the pitcher has the advantage. This is the foundation for a successful pitcher. Hitting a baseball is said to be the hardest thing to do in all of sport. The pitcher needs to remember that. "If the swing by a right-hand batter is seven milliseconds (.007) too late, the squarely hit ball will sail foul past first base." - Robert Adair, a Yale physicist who has studied the science of baseball, referring to a 90mph fastball.

Recognize when you, as the pitcher, lose your focus. How do you avoid a big inning? You avoid it by recognizing that you have been taken out of your game and only then can you adjust and refocus to the task at hand. Many pitching plans include some avoidance of "the big inning". It is easy to talk about, but after one of these "big innings" takes place, the pitcher usually only understands it when reflecting back on it after the game and on the chaos that surrounded him while it was going on. The pitcher needs a thought-stopping cue from himself to help recognize that he has lost his focus. It is important to do this so he can pitch in the present and not in the past. The thought stopping cue could be as simple as "STOP", or "play in the now".

Refocus to the task at hand. Once the pitcher "snaps out of it" and concentrates on the present, then he can pitch to his potential and win the situation. The pitcher who analyzes and frets on how all those guys got on base will not be able to refocus into the present to do the job. A routine or mental cue can help with focus. The pitcher needs to let it flow and let the right side of the brain take over. He can only do this if the mind in clear and free of distracting thoughts. Here is an example of how a pitcher can get back into the now by letting his left brain guide him and set his right brain up for the actual pitch. Use the dirt circle of the mound as the positive / negative ground. Whenever he catches himself being negative he goes into the grass. At that time, he can tell himself anything he wants, he can worry about all the runners, the errors and walks that got them there, whatever he wants. However, the second he gets back onto the dirt he is positive and ready to get the next guy out! A routine like this combined with some proper breathing can get the pitcher to stay in a positive, non-distracting mode. Hopefully he spends most of his time in the dirt and stays in the now.

Every pitcher needs a plan. There is not one pitcher in the history of baseball that has gone through his career, let alone a season, or even a game, without adversity. No matter how good a pitcher is he will face dilemmas in games that he needs to have a plan for. It is too easy to say, "Be a bulldog, go get them". Sure successful pitchers have bulldog characteristics and competitive success models built in that they do not even know about, but there is no need to analyze that. It is the pitcher's past experiences, successes, and failures that have given him those built in characteristics. It is the future challenges that the pitcher will face as he progresses to higher levels of competition in his career that he needs the above to help advance his success rate.

Rick Harig
Copyright 2009
Cognitive Advantage Program
http://www.play-in-the-now.com

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How to Be a Good Little League Coach

By Jonathon Hardcastle

You've probably seen it at the local ball field. A well-meaning, but overzealous parent-coach screaming at a team full of little kids as if the World Series was on the line. On the other field, another team is wandering around looking for directions from their coach who is trying to figure out who's up next. What does it take to be a good Little League coach?

The number one virtue Little League coaches need to develop is patience. Children do not have the attention span or the discipline of adults and need to be constantly reminded about technique and sportsmanship. Coaches need patience to work with a large group of children who may be at different levels of expertise. Many major league ball players have stories of making it to the majors because of a coach who never gave up on them.

Organizational skills are also helpful to a Little League coach. Balancing playing time can be a sensitive task and good record keeping can help avoid many a dispute. If you're coaching a team that travels you have to be able to organize travel arrangements and have systems to keep track of all your players while you're on the road.

Tact is essential when dealing with parents. Children are remarkably open to coaching and are not typically sensitive to constructive criticism about their skills. Parents, however, frequently stress about their child's amount of playing time, and the amount of individual coaching time their children receive. It takes finesse and sensitivity to deal with these problems. Parents may also become overly concerned about the competition and may need to be tactfully reminded about the importance of good sportsmanship.

If your child is on the team you're coaching, fairness may become an issue. It's important for coaches to be fair to all their players and to judge players on their skills rather than their personalities. At higher levels, it's important to continue to praise and offer second string players at least some playing time, to maintain their interest and help them continue to develop their skills even if they do not have a great career in sports ahead of them.

Finally, every Little League coach must have a deep and abiding love for children of all ages. Coaches are some of the most formative people in a child's life and can imbue children with values they will carry throughout their lives.

Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Baseball, Games, and Recreation

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Youth Baseball Coaching; Baseball Instruction - Is it Just Your Imagination?

Youth Baseball Coaching; Baseball Instruction - Is it Just Your Imagination?
By Nate Barnett

Have you even been up to bat or on the mound and wanted to hide? Just maybe crawl under the plate, or peel back the pitching rubber and slip underneath for a bit and let someone else deal with the situation?

I'm laughing while I'm writing this because I can't tell you how many times those thoughts had occurred to me while playing through college and professionally. But, for every one of those quick moments of despair, confusion, uncertainty, or dread, I've had dozens of high quality confident thoughts. And that is the key. The ratio of high quality to low quality thoughts needs to be significantly greater.

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Baseball Pitching Tips - The Worst Baseball Question on Earth

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By Larry Cicchiello


I truly believe in my heart that any questions that are asked should be totally respected and answered politely.

I've answered many questions on baseball hitting, baseball pitching, baseball coaching and more over several decades. I can proudly say that not once did I ever think the question was not a worthwhile question and I always showed the utmost respect to the person asking the question. However, there is one question on the topic of baseball pitching that I'm having a hard time coming to grips with. It is way off base, no pun intended. I must have heard it 1000 times. The question is one that is asked to a baseball pitcher about pitching to a real good hitter.

The big question asked to the pitcher is, "how do you pitch to... so and so?"

The sportswriter, sportscaster or baseball commentator is asking a pitcher how he pitches to a certain outstanding baseball hitter. I've learned a lot over the years by simply listening to these guys. For the most part, they are very intelligent and great "baseball people." But like I said, this question irks me!

Does the person asking the question think that the answer may be "breaking balls, low and away?"

Or does the person think the answer is "fastballs up and in?"

Or can it be "changeups down low?"

The proper answer given by any intelligent pitcher will always be the same and I've heard this answer 1,000 times in the last four or five decades. It's almost word for word, the same exact answer.

And the answer to this annoying question is... "I try to mix up my pitches, change speeds and move the ball around on him."

What other answer can there possibly be?

OK, I'm kidding a little bit about being annoyed. In all honesty, the question really doesn't bother me but I want to make a point.

I understand that as a pitcher, you may have a favorite pitch you like to use to a certain very good hitter, but you can't rely on it exclusively. Let's use an outstanding right-handed hitter as an example.

If you kept throwing him fast balls low and away, it's just a matter of time before he creams one to right field or to right center field. If you kept throwing him fastballs up and in, eventually he will cream one to left field or left center.

If you threw him all breaking balls, again eventually he will clobber you.

The point here is that real good hitters do not have glaring weaknesses! That's the reason they are real good baseball hitters. They may handle some pitches better than others, but they have no glaring weaknesses.

And the pitcher has to "mix it up" because the real good hitters will make adjustments.

If a batter is having a hard time with your changeup, you can't simply keep throwing it. The good hitter will go from looking terrible and then on about the fourth changeup he will put the baseball in orbit.

That's why your only approach is to mix up your pitches, change speeds, change locations and there is no set answer as to where you specifically try to locate a pitch or what particular pitch you throw to get them out.

It's not really a bad question but I just wanted to make a point here.

"Different pitches, different speeds and different locations" should be your only approach to be successful against the great hitters. Mix it up and go get em!

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc. and also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or are involved in baseball coaching at any level of play or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/

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Happy Thanksgiving to Our Youth Baseball Coaching Blog Readers

Happy Thanksgiving to Our Youth Baseball Coaching Blog Readers

The staff at Nedco Sports wishes you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Holidays.

Baseball Tips on Hitting - Moving an Important Runner to Third Base

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By Larry Cicchiello

With an important runner on second base and no outs, try to drive the ball the opposite way if you are a right-handed batter or try to pull the ball if you are a left-handed batter. You have a much better chance of advancing an important runner on a grounder to the second baseman or even to the first baseman than if you ground out to the shortstop or to the third baseman.

Don't make the common baseball hitting mistake of losing your aggressiveness when swinging and hitting the ball the opposite way. Don't lose sight of the obvious fact that the base hit is always more beneficial than simply advancing the base runner.

Look for a pitch that you can hit to the right side of the infield. You may have to take a pitch or so to get the right one. You have to walk a fine line here if looking for a specific pitch though because you don't want to fall behind in the count. If ahead in the count, you can afford the luxury of looking for that certain pitch.

If needed, adjust your stance. One of the better baseball hitting tips is to move three or four inches farther away from the plate if you are a right-handed hitter or three or four inches closer to the plate if you are a left-handed hitter. Some very good baseball hitters do just that. They are always looking for any possible edge that can help them hit the ball on the right side of the field or improve their baseball hitting in any way.

The opposing pitcher is usually well aware that you may want to hit the ball on the right side of the field to get an important runner to third base with only one out. If you're a right-handed batter, a smart baseball pitcher may very well work you mostly over the inside part of the plate and if you are a left-handed batter, he may very well work you over the outside part of the plate.

Just remember that advancing the runner from second base to third base has its time and place and depends on the importance of that particular runner getting to third base with less than two outs. It also is very important as to who follows you in the batting order. If two very weak hitters follow you in the order, you should be focusing solely on getting a hit to knock the runner in.

Larry is the president of Larwenty Online Enterprises Inc. He is also the author of "Excellent Baseball Coaching: 30 Seconds Away." If you are a baseball player or baseball coach at any level of play, or a parent who wants to help your child improve, you will be fully equipped! His baseball website offers several FREE baseball tips from his very informative and very fairly priced eBooks.

Larry's baseball website is http://www.larrybaseball.com/.

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