Outfielder ADD - How to Keep Young Players' Heads in the Game

By Geoff James

I was never a very valuable member of my little league team. I could throw, catch, and even hit a baseball. I was a team player, and my mom always brought great snacks. The outfield, however, turned me into a liability. Put a kid in a classroom and ask him to pay attention to the person ten feet away for half an hour, you have yourself an uphill battle. Put that kid in a field and ask him to pay attention to a person forty yards away, and you may as well be asking him to bat .520.

In trying to hone your players' focus, it is important to remember how they think. Children resent authority but admire role models, operate on an incentives-and-aversions-based motivation system, and tend to be selfish (but influenced by desire to impress peers). Based on this rudimentary understanding of child psychology, you can capitalize on effective methods of improving outfield focus.

First, keep the suggestions positive. This is not to say that you should avoid being mean-spirited-that goes without saying. Instead, keeping suggestions positive means avoiding mention of the behavior you wish to avoid. Asking young players not to cloud gaze during baseball games just puts the idea in their heads. Instead, ask them to try to pay attention, do their best, etcetera.

Second, make the game interesting for them. This can be done without unfairly heaping pressure on their shoulders simply by showing a movie in which an outfielder makes an important play (almost every baseball movie) or perhaps setting up your own version of a golden glove incentive system.

Third, keep your players hydrated and well-fed. There is no better way to ensure distraction than to put thirsty, hungry kids in the outfield. Water and fruit are good choices because the natural sugar will give a cleaner, more sustainable source of energy to the players.

When you put these techniques into practice, you'll be looking at championships in no time. Come to us for all your baseball trophy needs.

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



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Coaching Tips For Young First Year Pitching Prospects

Derek Jeter Baseball Training Machine

By Jeff A Heath

A good training rule is always to have the members observe a number of professional baseball games, paying special focus on the style of the pitchers when they wind up and throw. Currently have them note how their legs launch them, and that the throwing arm is really just a means of directing the ball. Kids are not analyzers, and a lot of them will attempt to pitch a baseball using mostly arm strength. This is sure way to injury!

The coach needs to show the young pitcher that the elbow has to lead the hands. The elbow must keep ahead of the hands until just before letting go of the baseball. This takes some practice, however when a child learns to make it happen without forcing it, he is on course to greater command, extra strength, and (most importantly) a safe baseball throwing motion.

Each child which really likes baseball has fantasized on the subject of as being a fantastic pro hurler and hurling the best event. It's actually a kind of widespread American hope for small kids everywhere you go. Even though dreams such as these should never be crushed, it is necessary for sensible grown ups to teach kids exactly how to pitch a baseball using the right form and technique. Without such advice, overly enthusiastic kids are in jeopardy of a genuine risk of causing harm to their throwing arms, elbows, as well as shoulder any time tossing baseballs.

First of all every youngster has to learn before he goes to the pitchers mound to throw a baseball game is the right style. This will give his throws more power and command, it will in addition add a lesser amount of tension on the necessary and susceptible parts of the body. There are 2 big recommendations for baseball pitchers. Initially, it has to be coached to youngsters that effective and safe throwing is actually powered largely by the legs, not necessarily your throwing arm.

A good idea is to impress on the young pitcher that velocity is not the top priority with great baseball pitching, command will be. This will serve a couple of needs. First, it helps you slow him down in order to ingrain the best as well as safe movements outlined previously. Next, its typically easier to build increased speed after control is learned when hurling a baseball compared to coaching control following speed.

Caution: together with this particular step, baseball pitchers need to figure out how to maintain the throwing arm's shoulder in close to their body. One of the biggest hazards is letting the shoulder to flail ahead or perhaps to the outside at the start of the throwing movement. The elbow moving ahead will put strain to the shoulder joint if it is not held close in. Again, this takes repeated practice, specifically for kids for whom baseball pitching is new and whose physiques usually are not yet within their full influence.

Hampton Little League
Every youngster which loves baseball also has fantasized with regards to being a superb professional hurler and putting together a perfect event. It's one of those universal American hopes for small kids everywhere you go. While ambitions like these should never be squashed, its necessary for responsible adults to show youngsters how to pitch a baseball with the right form along with technique. Without having this kind of advice, overly enthusiastic kids are in jeopardy of a genuine threat of doing harm to their arms, elbows, and shoulder any time throwing baseballs.

Learn more about coaching little league players here: http://hamptonlittleleague.net

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

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Little League Digest - 10 Base Running Tips For Little League Baseball Players

By Nick Dixon

There are several important coaching points that need to be remembered when teaching Little League players to run the bases correctly. This article presents 10 coaching points for little league baseball runners related to first baseball.



Coaching Points related to base running at 1st base:

1. The batter must sprint out of the batter's box and take a straight line path toward first base. The batter base runner must "honor" the base running box. The base running box allows the umpire to determine if a base runner is inside the base line. If a runner gets inside the foul line and a throw ball makes contact with the runner, the batter base runner is out. If a ball is a slow roller in the direction of first base, the batter base runner must avoid contact with the ball. Stepping on, contacting or touching the ball in fair territory will result in an out.
2. When a batter hits the ball his approach to first base is determined by the location of the hit ball as it travels into the field. If the ball is a fielded grounder, the base runner will run through the bag at 1st.
3. If the hit ball gets by the infielder, either as a hit or error, the batter base runner should do a "hook" path as he approaches first base to give him a straighter angle to advance to second base if the first base coach sends him.
4. The batter base runner should run hard through the bag when he is attempting to beat a throw to first. The runner should concentrate on running to a spot about 15 feet past the bag. When the runner touches the bag, the runner's foot should land on the front 1/3 of the bag.
5. The batter base runner should always look to the right when he crosses the bag on a close play. This look allows the batter base runner to see if the throw was missed by the first baseman.
6. If the base runner is sent to second, the runner should only contact the inner corner of the base as he makes the turn toward second base.
7. The runner should always run everything out as if the ball is fair. The runner should hustle and assume that all fly balls will be missed.
8. The runner must run out all foul balls because of the "roll back" rule. If a foul ball hits and kicks back into fair territory between home and 1st base or between home and 3rd base, the ball is fair. The ball will be fair as long as the ball does not contact a bat, fence, dugout, or fielder.
9. The batter base runner that sees an errant throw should not immediately advance to second. The runner must listen to his coach. The coach will make sure that the catcher is not trailing the play.
10. Older or advanced runners may be taught to read the firstbaseman's footwork to detect a possible catch ad tag play. If the throw from the fielder pulls the first baseman off the bag, the only possibility for getting the runner out is a tag. If the runner sees the first baseman coming off the bag toward him, he should slide to avoid the tag.

The CoachesBest 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

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Hitting Mechanics Tip - Work More - Think Less

BatAction Hitting Machine - Improved Hitting Success Guaranteed
By Nate Barnett

I texted a senior in high school who I work with on hitting mechanics, "How's the swing doing"? After a couple minutes his reply was, "I'm hitting.509 on the year... leading the state in doubles with 10... and 20 RBI's. Pretty good. In my response I asked him how he was able to stay so consistent this season. (His power numbers were inconsistent last season.) His answer was, "I don't know. Just hit everyday and work to the right side." I told him that was an awesome answer because in this case, "I don't know" is exactly where you want to be mid-season! Here's why.

If you are thinking about your hitting mechanics and what is making your body work, you cannot think about how your swing feels at the same time. In baseball, you play multiple games during the week and it's probable that your swing begins to change without you knowing it changed IF there isn't focus placed on repetition and feeling of your swing.

So when I asked him how he was able to keep consistent, his answer let me know that he wasn't spending too much time on how the movements should be (hitting mechanics) instead his focus was on how his swing felt (muscle memory). This is why he didn't really know since he was just hitting daily and working on seeing the ball deep into the strike zone. The key for him will be to remain consistent throughout the remainder of the season.

Awesome!

Nate Barnett is co-owner of The Pitching Academy. You can find The Pitching Academy's articles, blog, and videos on baseball hitting mechanics, pitching mechanics, pitching grips, and more when you visit the website.

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

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Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches

Coaching Baseball; Recommended Baseball Articles for Coaches


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Have a Great Weekend! Good luck to you and your team if you are playing. Here are some recommended baseball coaching articles for baseball coaches. Nick Dixon
Coaching Little League Baseball - Bad Habits Make For Bad Coaching

Article discusses 10 bad habits of bad Little League Coaches. These bad habits make it impossible for a coach to be an effective coach and role model.


Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Your First Baseman

Here are important points and skills that you must teach your First Baseman. Tips cover teaching the proper way to get to the bag, set up to receive the throw and how to stretch.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Stop and See - 1st & 3rd Double Steal Base Running Play

This 1st and 3rd Double Steal Play known as the Stop and See Steal. This play is used by offensive teams to score a runner from 3rd base by stopping the stealing runner short of the bag and tag.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Fake 3rd Out Defensive Trick

The Fake 3rd Out is a trick play ran by defensive teams to trick an unsuspecting base runner. If the base runner is not alert and aware, he may step off the bag and give the defensive team a cheap out to end the inning. Coaches should make their players aware of sure plays and tactics to prevent this trick from happening to their team.


Baseball Coaching Digest - Illegal Use of the Courtesy Runner Rule

Baseball coaches must be alert for one way that opposing offensive teams may illegally use the Courtesy Runner or Speed-Up rule. How does a team illegally use a courtesy runner? Here is the procedure outlined:


Baseball Coaching and the Importance of Goals For Team and Player Motivation

There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time.




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Baseball Swing Instruction - How Do You Practice Your Swing?

By Todd Thomas

I believe that how you practice is as important as the act of practicing itself. Good and productive practice is about more than just getting in your reps. If you're just practicing to mindlessly get your reps in, then you are missing out on how valuable practice can be.

Hank Aaron told noted Sports Psychologist, Dr. Tom Hanson, that practice was the single number one secret to success. Imagine that. Practice. But again, making your practice productive is equally important.

What important in making your practice productive is to have a goal for what you want to improve. If you are having an issue with something in your swing, my first question is do you KNOW what that issue is? How can you really improve or fix it if you don't know what it is? Have a knowledgable coach or instructor help you break it down to isolate what you want to work on. It's even better if you are able to identify the issue on your own through your own self awareness.

Once you begin the practice process of striving to improve or fix a fault in your swing, it's important to stay level headed if it's taking time or if you keep doing the same thing or if you are just struggling to get your swing where you want it to be. It does no good to get upset, frustrated, and angry and then give up. Stay level headed and as best you can, be "aware" of what is causing the problem. Be aware of whether what you are doing to improve is actually making you better.

Know where you are now. Know what your goal is and be aware of your progress. If you see improvement, then you know what you are doing is productive for you. If not, you might want to try something else rather than staying with something that is not helping you to improve.

Every time you are going to practice, ask yourself what you goal is for that practice session. If you don't and you just are "getting in your reps", then you're not giving yourself the best opportunity to reach you ultimate potential.

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 Hitting Tips

By Joe Brockhoff

Here are some of the many questions:

How long should it be?

What direction should it go?

Would it be best to eliminate it?

One thing is for sure: The stride, done poorly, will often do more harm than good. Here are some of those issues: Over-striding, stepping the bucket, and not getting the foot down in time.

One might think, let's just eliminate the stride. Or let's just put the front foot out, with only a little weight, and keep the rest of the weight back.

In all of our years of studying baseball hitting tips for research and development of the Super 8 Hitting System, we looked for answers to those questions.

I am a hitting purest, meaning that if the activity is not necessary, then we don't do it. In other words, economy of action, doing only the absolutes with no wasted motion is the way to go. So should we eliminate the stride? Many coaches teach this in their clinics and camps using many baseball hitting drills.

My belief is that while no stride is ten times better than a bad stride, a good stride is better than no stride. Against a good velocity pitcher, a hitter must have quick hips. He must be able to turn quickly, clearing his hips and getting his hands out in front for contact. The stride is an asset for this. It provides a continuation from linear to rotation for the fast ball and for transfer of weight through the ball.

Here is the timing factor:

Fast Ball: Stride - Stroke
Off Speed: Stride - Pause - Stroke

Think of the top that young people used to play with. With all of the electronic games of today, the old "top" has been sort of put away on the proverbial shelf. But the top used to be a favorite toy for youngsters. It's a rounded object with a pin on the bottom. They would wind the string around it, toss it forward holding onto the end of the string.

When the pin of the top hit the ground, the top would change from linear direction to rotational. It would spin, and spin until it lost its momentum and flopped over.

If the top were merely dropped straight down vertically, this would create a very loose rotation, if any, and it would almost immediately drop over on its side.

So what's the point? Like the linear action of the top gives it the force that it needs for strong rotation, so does the linear action of the stride provide a good rotation of the hips toward the ball.

Former Tulane Hall of Fame Baseball Coach, Joe Brockhoff, fully explains his baseball hitting drills with the Super 8 Hitting System, completely demonstrated with videos and hitting tips to help you hit with more power and raise your batting average. http://www.LearnBaseballHitting.com.

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

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