Coaching Little League: Setting Expectations for Players and Parents

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Coaching Little League: Setting Expectations for Players and Parents

By Rob Merlino

Obviously, as a coach, I can't play the game. My job is to put each kid in a position to succeed so the team will have success. The following is a handout I give to each kid and parent at the beginning of each season:

Little league is a competitive league. We have umpires, we keep stats, we keep score, publish scores and standings on the web and hand out trophies to the winner of the World Series. The goal of the Team is to win. The goal of each boy is to do his very best to help the Team win. Remember these three things:

Safety: Nobody swings a bat or throws a ball without checking to be sure that everyone around them will be safe;

Fun: We are here to have FUN. If anyone is not having fun, let the Coach know and he will work to remedy that;

Winning: "Winning" is an Attitude. If you are Safe, having Fun, and have a Winning Attitude, the Score will take care of itself!"

We will be putting an emphasis on pitching and would like to get as many kids on the mound as possible. You must demonstrate the ability to throw from the mound to the plate with consistency to get into a game. For the first few games kids will pitch one inning. Then they'll pitch one and "earn" the next inning. Over the course of the season, pitching ability will become evident and the kids who can really shut the other team down will get 3 or possibly more innings in an outing- it will depend on the game situation. We will throw in a few "pitching potpourri" nights where we'll revert to the one inning philosophy for all or part of the game. This becomes necessary when we have games that are bunched close together. We will use the walk rule: walk 3 in a row and you come out, walk 4 in an inning and you come out. This doesn't mean you won't get another chance-it just means you can't help the team that particular day with your pitching. Getting the boys to understand the importance of the team will be an underlying theme in everything we try to do.

We'd like to do as much scrimmaging at practice as possible and I am working on a pre- season scrimmage or two. We'll also devote time to all the skills through a variety of drills and exercises. Infield and outfield defense can only be improved upon by getting a lot of reps and we will get as many as humanly possible. The boys will have baseball homework: they must play catch for 10 to 15 minutes every day until the start of the season. Good arms come from thousands of hours of throwing, SO GET STARTED. On game days, at least one of us will be at the field an hour prior to game time. I do infield before every game. Come early for extra practice.

Base-running and Batting:

Base-running: Little League allows you to steal a base once the pitched ball crosses the plate. You can continue to steal bases as long as the ball is live. The ball remains live until the pitcher has the ball in his glove AND his feet are on the mound. Team base-runners will EXPLODE off the base as EACH pitch crosses the plate and will decide to continue to the next base or return to the starting base from about two strides out. The runner will SLIDE into any base where there is the possibility of a play. AAA rules state that if you do not slide into a base where there is a play, the umpire will call you OUT for creating an unsafe condition - (possibly colliding with the defensive baseman). The Team will become expert at sliding and stealing bases! Therefore, you must always wear long pants. Sliding pants (worn under your long pants) are a very good idea. Your outer long pants will get dirty and torn. Expect to get dirty at every practice and game.

Batting: We will emphasize Pitch Selection, Batting Discipline, Bunting, and drawing Walks. The purpose of an At-Bat is to get On-Base. You cannot score from the Dugout!

Pitch Selection and Batting Discipline: We will learn the difference between a Pitcher's Pitch and Batter's Pitch. A Pitcher's Pitch is outside of or along the edges of the Strike-Zone. A pitcher is trying to strike you out. A pitcher will try to get you to swing at a (lousy) pitch that is either too high (pop-up into an out), too low (ground out into an out), or too far inside or outside (foul off for a Strike). We will not swing at Pitcher's Pitches unless you already have two strikes. If you have two strikes, you will learn to Foul-off Pitcher's Pitches until a Batter's Pitch comes along. A Batter's Pitch is a pitch pretty much down the middle that you can readily put into play to get on base and/or advance a runner.

Bunting and drawing Walks: Hitting a Home-Run is glamorous and exciting. You may think that bunting or drawing a Walk is not so glamorous and exciting. However, the 2005 AAA Giants got into the playoffs because the smallest kid on the team drew a walk to get on base, and then ended up stealing home to win the final regular season game with two outs at the bottom of the 6th inning. The AAA Giants then went on to win the 2005 AAA World Series.You will often hear Coach say: "If you bunt or draw a Walk to First, you can Steal Home on the NEXT Pitch, and you better be Home on the Third Pitch!"

Team Rules and Expectations

1. All league rules will be followed, NO EXCEPTIONS. We will go over the League rules in person.

2. All kids will play each game, sometimes they'll play 3 innings, sometimes more. Kids who are at games and practices consistently, do their homework and work on their skills will have the best opportunity to play more.

3. If your kid can't be at a game or practice, please let the coaches know ahead of time. Please review the practice and game schedules and alert us of conflicts as far in advance as possible. If something comes up last minute, please call

4. Uniforms are for games only. Wear comfortable baseball clothes to practice. NO SHORTS! You will not be allowed to practice in your uniform, you will not be allowed to play in a game without one. Uniforms will require a $25 deposit this year. You can keep the hat and socks.

5. Players are expected to remain in the dugout during games unless enlisted to shag fly balls or coach a base. If a player must leave the dugout, they must ask the coach first.

6. Parents and siblings are not to be in the dugout. NO EXCEPTIONS.

7. All trash must be cleared from the dugout. You bring it in, you carry it out. Spectators please keep the field clean.

8. No batting or bats in hand unless you are at bat or on deck. Safety is important!
a. We will not swing a bat near any other people;
b. We will not throw the ball if there are any people behind either player in case of a missed catch.

9. ¾ walk rule in effect at all times-3 walks in a row or 4 walks in an inning and the pitcher will be replaced.

10. ALWAYS be respectful of teammates, opposing players, coaches and officials. Disrespectful behavior by players or parents will not be tolerated. Umpires are Human. If there is ever a disputed call:

-Players will talk to the Coach;

-Coach will talk to the Umpire.

11. Wear a cup!

12. Show up at the field ready to play ball!

13. PARENTS PLEASE keep the on field commentary to the "attaboy" variety. Conflicting instructions from a coach and parent in a game situation undermines the team. Say it with me "ATTABOY_______"

14. WE ARE A TEAM, I EXPECT EACH KID TO BE PERFECT. ("Perfect" means you always try your hardest-if you can look your teammates in the eye and know in your heart you did the best you could, then you're PERFECT)

That handout has evolved over the years and will most likely be revised for this year's team. I believe setting the expectations from day 1 of practice so everyone knows exactly how the season will progress. In the past, I have handed this out at the parent’s meeting before the first practice. This year I am posting it on a team Blog before the parent’s meeting and telling everyone that nobody plays or practices until I get a reply comment stating they read it with their kid!

When we practice, we have 6-8 stations that cover different skill areas. We have 2 kids at each station for about 5 minutes and we rotate until each pair of kids has run through each station. I always keep my kids moving so they don't have time to get bored. I like to have as many pitchers as possible so each kid feels he's contributing to the success of the team. Bunting is also huge on my teams and the kids who aren't the best hitters will bunt a lot. This gives them the opportunity to get on base and be involved in the games.

Another Hot Dog Truck special article. Stop by sometime....

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

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.

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Youth Baseball Coaching Drill For Timid Hitters

Youth Baseball Coaching Drill For Timid Hitters

By Chip Lemin

I'm sure most of you have worked with batters who constantly bail out of the batters box no matter what. It seems that this player will begin his bail out before he even really knows where the pitch is going. Here is a drill to try that may have some impact; I'm not saying it is a cure for this problem. It will get the hitter to look first at least before they start their getaway.

Start out using tennis balls for this drill. Have the batter get into the box, and throw some pitches behind them. This should get the batter to realize that they can't just blindly back out of the box, because in youth baseball, they will see pitches behind them, only not on purpose! This will give the timid batter some level of comfort by making them feel safer at the plate. This will get the hitter to really focus on the ball, which is what we want them to do anyway. Throw lots pitches to them, this is not a quick fix method but it should begin to help. After some time, the hitter will begin to notice that they don't have to duck away from good pitches. They will stay put and try to hit the ball instead. You can also have the hitter take a bunch of short strides toward whichever side of the field you need them to. Have them over compensate to begin with, because you know when a pitch comes they will most likely start to move back out in to middle which is closer to our goal anyway.

You can also have the batter just stand in the box when you have a pitcher and catcher warming up. Tell them just to follow the ball into the catcher's glove. This will let them relax some with out the stress of having to hit the ball. Learning how to hit a baseball is a difficult skill to master anyway. When your player is afraid of the ball is makes it much harder to learn to hit. Youth baseball players will respond to good teaching techniques when properly applied. Make sure not to embarrass the player, and do not tolerate any other players doing so.

Coaching youth baseball at any level is great privileged, so get all the info you can. Make sure you are kind and patient even if you don't feel like it at the time. I commend anyone would will take the time and responsibility to coach youth baseball, we need more like you.

Thanks Coach Chip Lemin 440 465 3337

Hello My name is Chip Lemin. I'm a long time youth baseball coach who loves to promote this great game of youth baseball. Promoting sportsmanship in this game of youth baseball is something that really needs I feel. I have a free course that will give you some solid coaching information along with great help on the inter-personal relationships we must have to be good youth baseball coaches.

Things such as parents, travel baseball, getting parents to help out, how to communicate better to parents and players, just to touch on a few. This course will help to organize practices like an elite coach. How to motivate players and other coaches with your positive attitude. It really is not very hard to be a great coach when you know what to do.Best of all you will learn how to have fun with these great kids that you have the privilege of coaching. Do yourself a favor and check it out, it's free,you will get 1 part every couple of days in your e-mail. Coaching can be fun and rewarding if you have a plan in place first, and you have an idea what you are doing. I would like to help you.

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

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.

Players develop incredible abt speed and confidence when they regularly use the Quick Swing Trainer. See it at QuickSwingTrainer.com. See the world’s most advanced batting tee at AdvancedSkillsTee.com.

Are you looking for a great batting cage at discount prices? Are you considering building your own backyard batting cage and training center? If so, you should visit BattingCagesDirect.com now!

Youth Baseball Drills - Bullet Proofing That Devilish First and Third Scenario

Youth Baseball Drills - Bullet Proofing That Devilish First and Third Scenario

By Nate Barnett

One of the trickiest defensive situations for younger teams is the runners on first and third situation. You know the scenario. The guy on first base leaves early, or walks off first base in the attempt to draw a throw from the pitcher and remain in a pickle just long enough for the runner on third base to score. It's annoying when it works while you're on defense, but absolutely brilliant where you're on offense.

I'll show you how your squad can bullet proof this scenario. Let me tell you however, that it must be implemented in your youth baseball drills often, else panic syndrome will always take over and wreck this important defensive play.

The best thing to remember in this scenario is that the defensive team is in control of the situation. The defense controls the pace, and ultimately if the runs scores. Because of this, there is no need to hurry through the play. Here is how the ideal scenario plays out for the defense.

Directions:

1. Base runner leaves first base early attempting to draw a throw from the pitcher. Or, he begins to steal the base and the stops in the middle of the base path putting pressure on the catcher to do something. I'll address both situations.

2A. The base runner leaves early from first base before the pitch is delivered. The first baseman yells, "step off!" to the pitcher, who then steps off the rubber. He checks the runner on third base by looking at him and making sure his momentum is not going towards home plate. Then, he turns and immediately throws the ball to the second baseman who has come up into the base path from his position.

2B. The base runner steals second base except stops in between first and second base. The pitch is delivered and the catcher has the ball. He steps in front of the plate and turns his body quickly towards third base until the runner's momentum has stopped moving towards home plate. He then pivot and throws the ball directly to the second baseman who has come up into the base path from his position.

3. With the ball in hand and in a dart throwing position (never in the glove) the second baseman begins to WALK quickly towards first base (no running or jogging). One of two things will happen. The runner on first base will go back to the bag (first base), or the runner on third base will break towards home to draw a throw from the second baseman.

4. If the runner returns to first base, the second baseman immediately throws the ball to the pitcher who returns to the mound and prepares for the next pitch. If the runner on third breaks towards home, the third baseman yells, "runner!" The second baseman turns and throws the ball to home plate.

The worst thing that can happen during this play is for the defense to panic and forget that they are in control. If nerves can be kept, there is a very high percentage chance the play will end successfully.

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 the skill of mental baseball

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

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” Roatational 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. Players develop incredible abt speed and confidence when they regularly use the Quick Swing Trainer. See it at QuickSwingTrainer.com. See the world’s most advanced batting tee at AdvancedSkillsTee.com. Are you looking for a great batting cage at discount prices? Are you considering building your own backyard batting cage and training center? If so, you should visit BattingCagesDirect.com now!

How to Be a Good Little League Coach

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

Baseball Coaching - A Sound Way Of Teaching Values

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Baseball Coaching - A Sound Way Of Teaching Values

By Chris Moheno

For more than a hundred years, baseball has been an institution that we love to play and love to watch, and when it comes to various baseball training techniques, it can also provide us with a rubric with which to live our lives. Many people have realized that the struggle, competition and cooperation of baseball is something that stands in as a metaphor for life itself, and that baseball coaching, in many ways, can stand in easily for life coaching.

The first thing that we realize about baseball is that it is clearly a team sport. When a team is on the field as opposed to up to bat, you'll find that it needs to function as a unit. The outfield doesn't work successfully unless the infield is aware of it and vice-versa. Although the pitcher might have the most central focal spot on the field he or she is also very limited when it comes to movement and an ability to act. When this is kept in mind, it can show you that organization and cooperation is of the utmost importance to both baseball and to our lives. In our lives, our teammates can include our families, our spouses, or our coworkers, and we have to realize that there is a single goal, and that everyone is instrumental into achieving it.

When your team comes up to bat, though, it is soon realized that though a team effort is important, you will find that there are many situations where you will be on your own. When a batter steps up to the plate, he is completely alone. The only thing that he has to support him at this time is his own skill and his own strength and his own nerve, and it is true that this can be unnerving. What is also true is that in each life, this sort of aloneness, this test of one's ability is inevitable. At some point in your life you will need to stand alone, and by being prepared for it, and by even approaching it with some anticipation, you will also see that this can be a highly positive form of adversity.

When you think about coaching baseball, one of the first things that good coaches learn is that they will never have their ideal team. There are always improvements to be made and there is no perfect peak where everything is flawless. It is important to think about winning at baseball as a very fluid endeavor, rather than as something that can be achieved or held on to. A good coach will work with every player and with the team as a whole in order to make sure that they continue to evolve and grow, and as this baseball coaching tells us, we must do the same in our lives. It is easy to to think that our lives will be perfect once we have that possession or reach that goal, but life is continually ongoing and continually changing. There is no perfect resting space, and as many people will tell us, if we are not moving forward, we are moving back!

When looking at baseball drills, one of the best ones that any coach or athlete will run into is to vary it up. Many baseball teams will fall into a rut of doing the same drills and exercises over and over again, and in the long run, this will hurt them. They will grow bored with the material, and less interested in seeing how they can better themselves. A good coach will keep the drills varied and interesting, and this is a lesson that we can easily adopt into our own lives. Long before we get bored with the things we do, we need to keep things interesting. A bored mind will stop growing, stop changing and start to stagnate. Too many people stay in jobs that are "good enough" and relationships that they don't find fulfilling simply because they are in a rut, without ever knowing how much better it could be. This is perhaps one of the most important baseball coaching tips to take to heart.

Whether you have a love of watching the game, or you'll never miss a Saturday practice, take a moment to see what baseball training tips can do to help you live your life; you might be surprised by the results!

Discover more about baseball training on http://www.baseballtrainingsecrets.com

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

Hitting Did You Knows

Hitting Did You Knows

By Todd Thomas

Did you know...

...a baseball and/or softball bat is one of the few retail products of significant value that comes with no directions on how to use it?

...hitting is at the very least 50% from the neck up and very few hitters are taught the mental side of the hitting equation?

...most hitters and coaches will say on average that a player's mental game of confidence, focus, and composure make up 80% of how they perform in game situations over and above their mechanics. Yet, those same people will readily admit that they spend 2% or less of their time practicing their mental game while practicing 98% on the other 20% of the game. Hmmm???

...there are only TWO hitting techniques? A hitter either comes forward or stays back. If he weight-shifts forward (continuously moves his vertical plane forward out over the top of the front foot)as he swings, the hitter is linear. Rotational hitters also weight-shift, but once they reach the balance point in their stride, they rotate around a stationary axis as they swing. Simply put, hitters that "stay back" are rotational. A hitter CANNOT stay back and be considered linear.

...good hitting mechanics incorporate BOTH linear and rotational movements? A "hybrid" swing is nothing new. Good swings have always been "hybrid".

...that despite all the talk of what "linear" hitting is and what linear hitting isn't, it barely resembles what it was 25 years ago?

...there is no such thing as the one "perfect swing?" The perfect swing is the adjustments a hitter makes to the pitch each different pitch they see. As a result, the "perfect swing" constantly changes!

...that parents and too often even coaches are confusing young hitters by telling them when they are in the batter's box to get their elbow up or down? Having the elbow "up" or "down" is a "style" issue—NOT a mechanics issue?

...the major league average bat speed is 78 mph?

...that bat "speed" and bat "quickness are two distinctly different things?" Bat speed measures bat velocity or the actual speed of the bat; bat quickness measures the time lapse from launch-to-contact. If a hitter has good bat quickness (major league average is .16 seconds), they will have high bat velocity. However, a hitter can have high bat velocity and NOT have good bat quickness. Good bat quickness is a product of good torque in the swing.

...to get the "same" performance/production from a wood bat that hitters get from aluminum, the wood bat should be two inches longer and two ounces heavier?

...there is no "proper" batting stance? It's different for each hitter and is a product of the hitter's "style"—not his technique.

..."no stride" hitting can make it easier for a hitter to focus on the pitch better because of less body/head movement?

...that Rogers Hornsby when asked what he did during the winter when there wasn't baseball said..."I stare out the window and wait for spring." Don't we all!

Now you know...if you didn't already.

Todd Thomas is a Baseball Coach and Professional Hitting Instructor for Mike Epstein Hitting. Coach Todd's personal hitting website is http://www.HitItHere.net . Coach Todd also enthusiastically endorses http://PlayMyBestBaseball.com as a place where baseball and softball hitters can master the Confidence, Composure, Focus and Consistency of their game so they can reach their full potential.

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



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Baseball Players Are Building Power Through Strength

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Baseball Players Are Building Power Through Strength
By Joseph Ross

What is strength in baseball?

Baseball strength training is necessary for players to develop the specialized skills needed to be competitive in the sport. Baseball has special requirements that other sports do not. Building strength for a baseball player is going to involve improving all of the areas below:

-Powerful Legs
-Powerful Core
-Flexibility
-Linear Speed
-Quick Reflexes
-Fast Feet
-Explosive Lateral Movement
-Great Hand-Eye Coordination

Baseball Strength Training: Core is Key

Your core consists of your hips, buttocks, lower back, and abdominal muscles. Developing a strong core is important for all athletes. The first action you do before you can move your body is to tighten your core. Only then you can move an extremity. In baseball this needs to be done at lightning speed. You need to train your body so that the core responds quickly and powerfully.

Baseball players need maximum speed of muscle contraction in order to have quick reflexes. There are different ways of training that will produce different results. You need to focus on producing quick explosive movements.

Strength Training Tips

I am here to show you ways that you can use baseball strength training to develop explosive power and speed from your workouts.

I have witnessed even a small increase in an athlete's power improve his performance in all areas.

Training sessions should focus on the areas of strength that a baseball player requires:

Muscle strength, Speed strength, Starting strength, Reactive strength

In order to be competitive in your sport you will need to find a balance in training all of those areas.

Think about not training muscles individually, but training your body to move. Exercise your body in patterns that you will be using on the field. To get the best effect train your body holistically.

As baseball players, your legs are going to need more that just lifting weights. They need to develop multi-joint strength and also anaerobic/sprint work while conditioning.

The purpose of your strength training is to develop over-all stability, strength, and power. To achieve this goal focus on complex movements that keep you in proper alignment. Maintain good posture throughout the exercise with core strength.

A few good exercises for this are front squats, overhead split squats, push ups, and pull ups, and medicine ball work.

Don't Over Train

Once your form is no longer what it should be it is time to stop the lift. Let your body recover, or lessen the weight. Never lift with bad form. You risk injury when your body is unable to maintain proper mechanics. It is important not to overtrain your body.

Baseball players require explosive force for most of their actions, like swinging a bat, throwing a ball, and running bases.

With proper training the body can produce this explosive force on its own during game conditions. That is what you are training for. Functional strength. It is the power needed for your sport. You must be quick, explosive, forceful, fast.

Speed and reactive strength can be taught to the body through your neuromuscular system. You can train your system to create large impulses in very short times. This is how you develop speed strength.

Important Guidelines to follow:

-Variety - Use freeweights, body weight exercises, medicine ball, kettlebells, and resistance bands.
-Protect against injury - Avoid shoulder complications by restricting pressing motions to light weights.
-Lower Body - Train with heavy weights.
-Upper Body - Train with light weights when your shoulder is involved. Emphasis forearm and grip work.
-Core - Don't neglect your core. It's crucial to explosive power.
-Rotator Cuff - use light, 3-5 lb weights to train this area.

Baseball Strength Training: Weight lifting

Finding the right lifting routine is crucial to a baseball player. Done improperly and you could have serious negative consequences.

One concern is lifting weights over your head. Many players use too much weight on their overhead lifts. I have seen several rotator cuffs damaged this way.

The rotator cuff is a very important muscle for baseball players. It helps keep the arm in the shoulder socket.

To avoid damaging this valuable muscle, don't lift heavy weights over your head.

Lower body exercises like the squat, dead lift, and leg press are great for building powerful legs. If you have a spotter it is OK to go heavy with these lifts. Always learn and practice the proper technique before lifting with heavy resistance.

The purpose of your strength training is to develop over-all stability, strength, and power. To achieve this goal focus on complex movements that keep you in proper alignment. Maintain good posture throughout the exercise with core strength.

If you would like to get more information about developing your competitive edge as a baseball player please visit http://www.strength-training-coach.com

Joe Ross

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

Baseball Pitches

Baseball Pitches

By Eugene Rischall

Pitching is a very important part of baseball. When a pitcher is throwing with good control he is a very important factor in determining the outcome of a game. There are different types of pitches a pitcher can use. This article will explain different types of pitches and how to use them effectively.

Fastballs are used for speed. The amount of break is usually not visible. The ball is rolled from the ends of the index and middle fingers. The wrist is snapped when the ball is released. The curveball is thrown with an outward rotation of the hand and arm. The ball is spun between the thumb and forefinger with the middle finger and wrist providing the spin. A screwball is thrown with an inward rotation of the hand.It is released with the middle finger and the fourth and fifth fingers with the middle finger and wrist providing the spin. A knuckleball usually breaks in the same direction as a curveball. The first joints of the middle and index fingers rest against the ball between the seams where they are the narrowest. The thumb and fourth and fifth fingers hold the ball tightly. When the ball leaves your hand the bent fingers are extended for additional speed.



There are other pitches a pitcher can use effectively.Good control with your pitches will win ballgames. The greatest pitchers in baseball had good control and were very tough to hit. Hopefully this article will help pitchers become better with their pitches.

Author-Eugene Rischall, Owner, Baseball Training Emporium http://www.baseballtrainingemporium.com

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

Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League

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Bunt Young, Bunt Often In Little League

By Marty Schupak

Bunting is a very big part of baseball. And, when a bunt is laid down the right way, it is very difficult to defend. I have always been big on bunting, and feel it can be taught at a young age. There are basically two types of bunts: the square bunt and the pivot bunt. My preference is the pivot bunt because the players just pivot on their toes and do not have to lift their feet. Once in a playoff game, I had a player perform a square bunt, and he put down a perfect bunt, and beat it out…we all thought. The only problem was, when he lifted his leg and put it down in a different position, it was right on home plate and he was called out. The best way to teach bunting for the first time is to practice with a soft covered ball or a rag ball, which is described in The 59 Minute Baseball Practice video. With the rag balls or a soft covered ball, there is very little danger of getting hurt, and the players can actually pitch to each other. Once they seem confident, coaches can pitch a hard ball to his team.

There are many bunting strategies that can be used in a game. My favorite is with less than two out and a runner on third. In this situation, the batter can bunt to the third baseman as the base runner bounces toward home. When the third baseman releases the ball to first base, the player on third runs home, and must slide. If it is a good bunt, and the base runner breaks to home when he should, this is almost unstoppable. Remember that youth baseball players can practice bunting at a very young age. Seek out your high school coach to teach the proper technique. Also, make sure your best bunters get a chance to swing away.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques", “Pitching Drills & Techniques”, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

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Correct Batting Practice Methods For Little League Baseball Teams

Do Little League parents & coaches really know how to run an effective batting practice? Nationally known youth baseball coach will show youth coaches and parents the most effective techniques he learned over an 18 year period of trial and error in running an efficient batting practice routine. His 18 years of youth coaching experience includes running over 1,500 practices. A "must read" for anyone involved in Little League baseball or softball.

By Marty Schupak

In my eighteen years of coaching youth baseball, I am always looking for the most efficient practice methods for every aspect of baseball. It took me only a few years to realize that most youth baseball coaches and myself were running batting practice, not incorrectly, but not efficiently. From what I have seen with the typical batting practice, a coach will pitch a predetermined number of balls for each batter with the fielders fielding the hit balls and throwing them to first base. Usually the coach will yell something like “run the last one out”, and the batter does just that. If the ball is an infield hit, they try to throw him out at first. If it is hit into the outfield, he usually runs until he is thrown out. This is all well and good intentioned, but it is wasting valuable time when a coach wants to run an efficient practice.

Here is the most efficient way of running a batting practice that I’ve come up with. First of all, let me say this. Batting practice is just what it is, batting practice. Batting practice is not fielding practice or base running practice. So all youth coaches and parents should really define what a youth batting practice is and what they want to get out of it.

Most of my youth practices do not run more than one hour. Every minute of wasted time will affect all other aspects and time of any other drills or techniques I want to accomplish. The first thing a coach needs to have is an over abundance of baseballs. The league will provide baseballs but I always make sure I purchase a few dozen extras. I try to work with three-dozen and keep an extra dozen in my trunk. And don’t think I’m not frugal accounting for every baseball at the end of practice. I try to make sure we find each one, and after practice, we comb the field to make sure we got them all. Usually we find extras and end up with more than what we started with.

Now, here is the actual logistics and set up that I do about 95% of the time I run batting practice. I’m a big proponent of bunting. I set up two cones on the third base line, about six feet apart, approximately where the bunt is suppose to go. I set up two empty buckets, one about three feet behind second base and the other one at the far base of the mound toward second. I have another bucket with the baseballs on the mound easily accessible to me. Now, this is a key. As a youth coach who wants a well-run practice and a lot of repetitions for the kids, I move up almost to the front base of the mound to pitch. I do this mainly so I can throw strikes consistently. For safety purposes, an “L” screen would be required from a shorter distance for safety. If your league doesn’t have any, make them get them.

I have the first person up at bat with the 2nd and 3rd player ready to go. I have the 3rd hitter (or double on deck hitter) on the outside of the screen hitting balls on a batting tee using pickle balls (plastic) or wiffle balls with another parent feeding the balls on the tee. I always have the number 2, or on deck hitter, ready to hit.

The batter bunts the first to pitches. For each successful bunt, the player receives an extra swing. I usually give a player five swings besides his two bunts. So if a player lays one bunt between the cones, he get six regular swings. If he lays both bunts between the cones, he gets seven swings (the maximum per hitter). Now, there are certain things that have to happen to make this work. Remember there are two buckets strategically located. After the bunts, when the hitter swings away, wherever the ball is hit, the fielder tosses it into the bucket closet to him. If it is hit to the outfield, he will throw the ball as close to the bucket behind second base. If he hits it to the infield, the fielder will toss it to the bucket behind the pitcher’s mound. Reinforce to the players that they must toss to the bucket on one or two bounces or they will tend to play basketball with the baseball and bucket.

Now the point here is that the fielders do not make a play to first and the hitter does not run the last one out. We get more repetitions in a short period of time. The players are always facing the hitter. One might ask, isn’t this boring for most of the players in the field? Well, not really. Because of the amount of balls hit in a short period of time, the ball is usually hit all over the place. And the coach throwing batting practice will keep one or two extra balls in his glove and is ready to pitch the next ball right away. When out of baseballs, have the players in the infield hustle to gather up the balls, combine buckets, and we’re ready to go again. This works great!

Batting practice is a favorite of any baseball player at almost every level. Do not deny batting practice at any practice. And always look for the most efficient, safest procedure to help enhance your whole practice.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com
http://www.VideosForCoaches.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques" and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle for Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

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

How to Use the Batting Cage For Better Hitting

Your Baseball Hitting can be improved by applying one simple technique. By scoring your hitting sessions at batting practice and the batting cage, you can start to develop the right swing for base hits. Find out how this technique can work for you.

By Jack D. Elliott

Your baseball hitting can be improved by using batting cages and batting practice to develop your timing. One thing to keep in mind while hitting in BP or the cage is to know when you are getting in good hitting. This is important b/c hitting the ball hard is only a starting place for good hitting. One way to improve your hitting is to focus on hitting line drives and hitting the ball on the ground. Over time, this will result in a higher hitting average because there is less of a chance for the ball getting caught in the air.

A technique to help adjust your swing in the batting cages is to score your rounds at BP and batting cage sessions. This is very easy to do as you just need someone to do the scoring while you hit. This can even be done by yourself in your head with a little practice. Here, are a few tips on how to do the scoring:

1. Hit using a three point system. 3 points are given for line drives, 2 points for grounders or low line drives, and 1 point for fly balls.

2. Make three scoring zones. You will need to make some arbitrary zones whether in the BP or the batting cage. The goal should be to make them about even and each zone should be about 6 yards in length. For example, the grounders or low hitting zone would be a horizontal range from the ground to 6 yards up. Line drives would be in the next zone (6 to 12 yards up) and fly balls would be any the final zone for everything 12 yards high up to 18 yards in the air. Anything over this height should not be scored.

3. Use Landmarks at Batting Cages For Zones. If you are hitting in the cages, use any landmarks that exist to help make the zones. For example, you could say the top of the pitching machine begins the middle zone. Bottom line: don't get too caught up in the exactness of the zones. Instead, use the landmarks as a guideline and being scoring your rounds.


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4. Score each session. Habitually, score and record each session. This will give you a target to shoot at for your next round and encourage you to out-do your last performance. By making each session a competition, you will get more out of it as you try to get a higher score each time.

5. Scoring Rounds By Yourself. If keeping up with the scoring in your head gets to be too challenging during your hitting. One trick you can do is simply the scoring. By only scoring how many times you hit the ball in the middle range, you can get a pretty good measurement to test your hitting. Once you get your score, you would use this in much the same way as other scoring, you would try to top it on your next round. The focus during all these sessions would be to develop consistency in hitting this middle zone.

Be sure to let your team and coach know about this strategy. If adopted by your team, the whole team could benefit by using it in there regular BP. The scores of each session could even be posted in the locker room to add a little competition and more interesting into your team's batting practice sessions. Just think with a little time your team could be getting more hits and runs by using one simple technique.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Hitting or Baseball Hitting Tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott

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Coaching Little league Pitchers: Ten Tips on How to Identify Who Can Pitch

Coaching little league pitchers is every coaches night mare. The level which it is right after T-Ball or coach pitch depending on when the player comes into the league. There are variation of the coaching experience in little league. Regardless of the coaches experience he will be faced with finding pitchers. There are so many areas to cover when you trying to get your team ready for the first game. While pitching is one of the most important areas of the game you still have to be working on Defense, Hitting, and Running the Bases.

By John R Di Nicola

Coaching Little League Pitchers

Coaching little league pitchers is every coaches night mare. I will be discussing the level which it is right after T-Ball or coach pitch depending on when the player comes into the league. There are variation of the coaching experience in little league. Regardless of the coaches experience he will be faced with finding pitchers.

Three Types of Coaches:


Has coaching experience and has at least two assistant either moved up from coach pitch or T-Ball
First year coaching but has some experience but never a Head Coach in Little League
Never coached before
Drafted Coach, this is the coach who's team was picked for him and given to him


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Each division will have approximately 8 to 12 teams depending on the size of the organization. The majority of the league will be combination of 2 and 3. The larger the division the greater chance there will be one drafted coach

Most leagues have a try out and a draft. You get your players list and first thing you ask yourself is how many pitchers do I have? You go home and call the parents one by one. You have your list of questions:


Has your son or daughter every played before?
How long have they played organized baseball?
What positions have they played?

You might get lucky and have one that has played in another league and has had some experience pitching.

How to identify players who can Pitch


How do they Grip the Ball?
While players are warming up watch how they throw the ball
How they bring their arm back. Is it short armed or fully extended?
Do they fall off to side when releasing ball
How is their follow through?
Do they snap their wrist downward when releasing the ball?
Does the ball go in an Arc or does it go more on a straight line?
How accurate is the throw? Does the receiving player have to move to catch each ball?
Watch their feet see if they stay flat footed and don't move as the ball approaches
Is the player aggressive while playing catch?

There are so many area's to cover when you trying to get your team ready for the first game. While pitching is one of the most important areas of the game you still have to be working on Defense, Hitting, and Running the Bases.

I found that if you work with the pitchers after practice or have a practice just for pitchers and catchers it works best. Pitching is too important to just rush through and give it only 20 minutes twice a week.

http://www.easypitching.com, http://twitter.com/easypitching

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

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