Youth Baseball Coaching Clinic - 5 Stations During Batting Practice For Little League

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It has been stated many times that pitching and defense wins ball games. We all know that it would be real boring if that is all teams did. It has been proven time and time again you can win without hitting.

By John R Di Nicola

However we do have to address the issue so we have to practice hitting. Listed below are 5 stations that will help get your hitters ready for the live action of a game. You will need assistant to carry out these drills. It is important you recruit help. How much help you get will determine how many of these stations you will be able have in a practice.


Hitting off 'T"
Soft Toss
Tracking
Bunting
Batting Practice

Hitting off the "T"

You will for sure have to have hitting of a "T". This is mandatory. You will be limited to the amount of pitches you will throw each hitter. The more swings that get hitting off the "T" the better they will be prepared for batting practices and the game. The first few times through this stations have them hit the as if it were down the middle. Make sure the "T" is no higher than the players waist. Working on the following:


important that the feet are shoulder width apart and player is balanced
when hitting the ball the top hand always on top of the ball
hit the top of the ball driving it downward
pivoting back foot raising heel as the hands follow through hitting zone

As they get comfortable you can position the "T" for the inside pitch and out side pitch. Important when working on outside pitch to position the "T" behind home plate so as to illustrate to players they have to wait on the out side pitch. Also teach them to bring their hands back so their front shoulder turns in toward home plate. This will bring front foot in so they can drive the ball. Most players will open up the front shoulder and hit the ball off the end of the bat or completely miss it.

Soft Toss

The soft station is an extra in Little League. You may want to wait till later on in the season to use this station. Basically a coach on one knee positioned beside player and tossing ball to different zones of the plate. Players swings through ball using all the proper techniques from "T" drills. Hands on top of ball driving through the ball.

Tracking

This an an excellent drill to teach the Little League Player on keeping their eye's focused on the ball. Your above average hitters always work on tracking. Most of them will take pitches just to get the feel of how the pitcher is throwing. They always make the pitchers throw a lot of pitches. Teach them to follow the ball all way to the catcher mitt. This something they should do during batting practice and the game. The more they see the ball the bigger it looks. You can use a rag ball or a whiffle ball.

Bunting

The art of Bunting is so important at all levels of baseball and most neglected. In this day and age of baseball the Home Run is king. It has been proven in recent world series that small ball will win more championships than the Home Runs. Have them bunt at least five balls, down first base line and third base line. Later on you can work on bunts for base hits.

Batting Practice

Because you have so much do and trying to get all the players to hit you have to limit the amount of pitches to each batter (15-20). Have players first work on making contact. You will have the seasoned Little Leaguer who knocks the cover off the ball and then you will have the ones that you really have to work with to get them to make contact. This is why if you have the luxury of having the help to run the stations it would greatly speed up the learning curve.

Most likely you will only use the "T" and Live Batting Practices. Using this model will afford you to run a practice without having a marathon practices. Do not try and do all 5 stations the first practice. As you become comfortable you can adjust your practice schedule and add stations. Most likely you will never do all five in one practice.

Practices Makes Perfect

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you would like further information on this topic or other information you can E-Mail me at: jdinicola@easypitching.com

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Two Situations Drills For Little League Pitchers

Once you have had a couple of practices and have had infield and outfield practice you can venture to the next step work on game situations. You set your 9 players in their positions. Have your spare players as base runners. The biggest thing is you cannot have marathon practices. By keeping the practices short and crisp you will keep players motivated.

By John R Di Nicola

Once you have had a couple of practices and have had infield and outfield practice you can venture to the next step working on game situations. You set your 9 players in their positions. Have your spare players as base runners. Have them stand behind home plate and you hit ball. This is so important it enables you to practice your pitchers and position players real situations. You will have to have patience. At first they will throw the ball around and be out of positions. Below are two drills that are very important in teach the fundamentals of defense.

Situations

Backing up 3rd base and home plate.


With nobody on base and ball is hit into gap pitcher should line up in between third base and home plate.
With base runners on first base and ball hit into gap they should do the same and watch and see where the play may be and make their decision which base they should back up.
With men in scoring positions and ball hit into the gap they should back up home. You have to make sure the pitchers have good distance from the foul line so they are not to close and have a good angle to go between third and home. The Pitcher must have depth behind the base so they get overthrown ball.
The mistake they all make is getting to close to base. Explain, they are backing up to get the overthrow. If they are to close they can't make adjustments. This defeats the purpose of them backing up the base.

Covering Home Plate on Pass Ball

This drill is very important because you will have passed balls at this level. Providing the backstop is not to far back it is an excellent way to get what I call a cheap out.
You can have signals for the pitchers to call out to the catchers. Most of the time the catchers will not be able to pick up which directions the ball has traveled.
You can use one, two and three. One being right, once he has turned to retrieve the ball. Two would be middle of backstop. Three would to the left.


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Organizing your practice set up your schedule and rotate your days you do the drills. You will find that some of the drills they will pick up quicker than others. The biggest thing is you cannot have marathon practices. By keeping the practices short and crisp you will keep players motivated. I found if you have a practice schedule and post it will show the players approximately how long each drill will be and what to expect.

Practice makes perfect.

By: John R. Di Nicola

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you would like further information on this topic or other information you can E-Mail me at:
jdinicola@easypitching.com

You can follow us on Twitter
http://twitter.com/easypitching

Web site:
http://www.easypitching.com,

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Coaching Baseball - Two True Base Running Blunders That Teach a Lesson

By Nick Dixon

We all know the importance of good base running. We know that "solid" base running scores runs and wins games. We also know that poor base running can easily cause a team to lose a game. The following two stories are true stories of base running mistakes that cost the team a win. All the team had to do to win was to have the base runner advance to the next bag. These two stories are great stories that you can tell to your players to teach young players two important rules of base running:

1) Always hustle and run everything out and never assume anything when you are running the bases.

2) On a game winning base hit, always advance to and touch the next bag.

Coaching Baseball Base running: The stories of two base running mistakes that teach a lesson

It was a high school game. The home team was batting, down 3-1, with bases loaded and two outs. The #6 hitter, with average speed was at third, #9 hitter, a fast runner, was on 2nd and lead-off hitter, a super speedster, was on 1st. The count was 3-2, with bases loaded and all three runners were moving on the pitch. The #2 batter was the batting for the team trailing by two runs. He was expecting a fastball on the outer half of the plate that and he got "all of it"! He ripped a hard line drive right at the second baseman. The second baseman leaped into the air and the ball hit his glove. The batter seeing the ball go into the glove immediately slumped in disappointment about a 3rd of the way to first. He goes down to his knees with his face in his hands. He was basically "feeling sorry for himself". In the meanwhile, he was unaware that the ball went completely through the webbing of the glove of the second baseman and landed 15 feet behind the fielder. The second baseman had to go get the ball and make the throw to first for the out. The second baseman was quick as a cat so it did not take long. The batter realized what had happened, tried to beat out the throw, but was out by a step at first base.

However, if the batter had he been running, he would have been easily safe at first. The saddest fact of all is that the runners on 3rd and 2nd scored easily what would have been the two tying runs. Plus, the runner at 1st, the super speedster, crossed the plate during the play to score what was the winning run. But, the team lost the game. If the batter had simply run the ball out, his team would have won the game. A hard lesson learned and one that will never be forgotten.

The Great Base running Mistake in Baseball History

The following is the story of what is commonly called Merkle's Boner. It is the most costly mistake ever made by a baseball player running the bases. It happened in September of 1908, in NY City. The Cubs were facing the Giants with the pennant on the line. Each and every game was a must-win situation. The score was tied 1-1, in the bottom of the 9th inning; the Giants had runners on the corners with two outs. Fred Merkle, a 19 year-old rookie, was the runner on first. The next batter lined a single. The runner at third came home. It appeared to be a Giants victory, they had won the game and taken the lead for the pennant, and the cheering fans swarmed the field.

Merkle looked toward home plate and saw his teammate cross the plate. Merkle was startled as he saw the huge crowd pour out of the stands and onto the field. In his excitement, he simply stopped half-way to 2nd base. Thinking the game was over, Merkle sprinted off the field. But, he had forgotten an important rule of baseball; he did not go touch second. With him on first, there was a force out at second if the defense can get the ball to second base before he touches second base. The Cubs retrieved the ball, went and touched second. The game was declared at tie because order could not be restored because the fans could not be removed from the field. The two teams went on to finish the season in a dead tie for the pennant. They had to play a one-game playoff. The Cubs won and went to the World Series. One loss, the loss, that day knocked the Giants out!

Merkle was never forgiven by the NY fans for that blunder. He went on to have a solid career of 14 years and a lifetime average of 273. However, everywhere he went he always was reminded by fans of his terrible mistake on that day of his rookie season. This is a major league mistake that will always be called, Merkles Boner.
I hope these two stories are useful to you. I appreciate your interest and you taking the time to read my writing.

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of BASEBALL HITTING, COACHING and TRAINING DVDs. Check out BaseballCoachingDigest.com for more great articles on coaching baseball.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25years experience. Dixon is widely recognized as an expert in the area of baseball training, practice and skill development. Coach

Dixon is better known as the inventor of several of baseball and softball's most popular training products such as the Original BatAction Hitting Machine, SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, Original Hitting Stick, Hit2win Trainer, SKLZ Target Trainer, SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and Strikeback Trainer.
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Little League Baseball Coaching

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By Joe Brockhoff

If we hold our hands up and pop our wrists, we can do that over and over again very quickly. If someone were to throw a punch at us, our hands would quickly and automatically pop up in defense.

As an infielder, we don't have to think about a ball thrown to us. Our hands will react to the direction of the ball and make the catch without having to think about it.

Think of the catcher after he gives the sign. He is taught to frame the pitch. His hands automatically go to the pitch without any thought or direction.

So the hands are auto reactors. Is this good for the hitter? The answer is: No! The hitter who allows his hands to react automatically as his first movement towards the pitch will never have full body support.

When the hands go too early, this is when we hear the coach yell out, "Wait on the pitch!"
Now, let's apply this to our baseball hitting mechanics.

These are the steps:

1. Coil (Load): The hitter collects his weight on the backside
2. Stride: a linear step towards the pitched ball (30-40% of weight transfer)
3. Body Rotation: Hips rotate toward the ball
4. Hands will then, and only then, execute the stroke

Here is one of our best little league baseball coaching tips: "HIPS TAKE US TO THE BALL. HANDS TAKE US THROUGH THE BALL."

So, when we are leaning how to hit a baseball, do we trust the hands? The answer is:

Don't trust the hands. Then, trust the hands. In other words, discipline the hands to wait until we get into the launch position, which is with the hands inside the ball and the hips rotated.

Our hands do not initiate the stroke until we rotate to the pitch. They travel in rotation with the pivot, but they do not commit to the pitch until the rotation is complete. This rotated position with the hands still back is what we call the DRIVE position. It is at this time that the hands will launch.

NOW we can trust them. Let them explode the bat to the ball.

One final note. Remember that when we hit, the hands are in a double lever system. That is, they don't personally go to the ball. They are holding the bat, which goes to the ball. The hands always end up in front of the body. They are responsible for directing the bat to the proper cut line on the pitch.

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 drills to help you hit with more power and raise your batting average. http://www.kewego.com/video/iLyROoafMM8J.html.

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Youth Baseball Coaching Tips

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By Trevor Sumner

There are many ways to ensure that your players perform better on the baseball diamond. It is important that baseball coaches are aware of coaching tips that they can impart to their players. You will see that these youth baseball coaching tips will make a difference in the performance of your team and your enjoyment of the season.

Here are a few youth baseball coaching tips that will improve the team's play:


Defensive Mentality -One of thepremier youthbaseball coaching tips concerns itself with your team's defensive mentality. You must ensure, as a coach, that your team is prepared defensively on what to do with the ball on every pitch to the plate. The best preparation is to instruct your players to ask themselves these questions prior to every pitch when they are out on the field, and the opposing team is up at bat. The question is: "What do I do if I get the ball on the ground, in the air, and on a line." Your players should also remind themselves about the number of outs, often talking on the field to make sure the team is on the same page. These defensive mentality questions will keep your players more alert and prepared to make the correct play if the ball is hit their way.
Pitch to the Target -One of the better youth baseball coaching tips concerns pitchers and their focus. One of the keys in pitching is to throw to the catcher's target. You must instruct your pitchers to key their eyes focused on the catcher's glove throughout their windup and through the release of the ball. Many pitchers lose eye contact with the catcher's glove, accounting for their inaccurate pitches. Similarly, a catcher should practice giving the right target for the pitcher and learn how to frame the pitch to help his pitcher be successful. Often catching technique is overlooked and it is wise to prepare a good array of youth baseball catcher's drills.
Focus on the Release Point - One of the best youth baseball coaching tips concerns itself with the discipline of hitting. A key to hitting is the ability to pick up the speed and spin of the ball as it leaves the pitcher's hand. As a coach, you must instruct your hitters to focus on the release point of the pitcher. The focus needs to concentrate on the ball as it comes out of the pitcher's hand. Batters must not allow themselves to be duped by a fancy windup or other deceptive attempts on the part of the pitcher to hide the ball from the batter until it is released. The later that the ball is picked up by the batter, the less time for the batter to identity the type, speed and location of the pitch as it travels to the plate.
While this is just a quick distillation of basic youth baseball coaching tips focusing on fielding, pitching and hitting, it is surprising how often baseball coaches lose focus of these basics. There are many elaborate baseball drill libraries on the Internet such as those at Weplay. While a coach should select a variety of age-appropriate drills for coaching his team, focusing on these basics and making them fun for the team will often lead to greater success.

By Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay.com, a youth baseball community dedicated to providing parents, coaches and athletes the tools and information they need to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay has one of the most comprehensive baseball drill libraries in its active baseball community.

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Baseball: Teaching the Figure-4 or Bent-Leg Slide

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The easiest and safest sliding technique is the Bent-Leg or Figure-Four slide. It involves sliding to the base feet-first with arms up and one leg bent inwards beneath the other.

The first step in teaching this technique is to determine which leg should be tucked beneath the other. This bent leg is also the take-off leg - the last leg to touch the ground before going into the slide position.

WHICH LEG SHOULD BE TUCKED?

It doesn't matter which leg is bent under. However, most players will favor one or the other, so work on this leg first. Here's a drill to determine which leg that is.

Have your athletes and assume a crab-walk position. Instruct them to fall backward while tucking one leg under the other. They will tuck the leg that feels most natural for them, and this is the leg they should use when first learning the Figure-Four slide.

TEACHING PROGRESSION

You can use the crab-walk position to teach the Figure-4 slide.

Repeat the above drill, in which your athletes fall backwards from the crab-walk position, and incorporate the following techniques:

1. The top leg will make first contact with the base. As a result, its position should be extended forward with the toes pointed up and bent slightly at the knee to cushion the impact.
A teaching cue for leg position is that the legs will form a perfect "4" when the lower leg is bent under (hence the name Figure-4 slide).

2. The hands should be thrown back over the head instead of dropping to the ground to support the upper body. If the hands contact with the ground, they'll slow the momentum of the slide.

3. The head should be kept up so your players can see the base.

VARIATIONS OF THE BENT-LEG SLIDE

The bent leg slide can also be used to initiate two other sliding techniques:

A. Pop-Up Slide
The first variation is the Pop-up Slide, in which the lead foot hits the base and momentum is used to carry the player back into an upright position. This allows the athlete to quickly get into position for a sprint to the next base on bad throws and broken plays.

B. Hook Slide to the Weak Side or Backdoor Slide
The other variation is a hook slide to the weak side, also called the Backdoor Slide. A hook slide is a technique in which the baserunner slides to the side of the base instead of straight towards it. This puts greater distance between the baserunner and the fielder, allowing the baserunner to avoid the tag.

The traditional hook slide involves bending the bag-side leg in a hurdle-stretch position and tagging the bag with the toe as the runner slides past the base.

However, just as players are right or left-legged in the bent-leg slide, they also have a good and bad leg in the hook slide. Most players have a difficult time hook- sliding to their weak side, often getting their footwork mixed up or slowing down as they try to remember which leg goes where.

This is where the bent-leg slide can be used. The runner slides to the side of the bag using the bent-leg technique and touches the bag with an extended hand instead of the foot.

TEACHING TIPS

When teaching sliding techniques, it's best not to use cleated shoes that may become caught in the turf and cause injuries. Instead, used flat-soled shoes.

You can also lay sheets of cardboard on the ground that your players can slide upon. The cardboard is more slippery than the ground and will simulate the feeling of an actual slide without the same risk of injury. They can also be used for indoor sliding practice - for example, by placing it on top of firm wrestling mats.

If you want to have a really fun sliding practice, lay a sheet of plastic on the grass and wet it with a water hose. This improvised waterslide will allow your players to slide a long distance. It won't be a simulation of actual game-conditions (unless you play and monsoons), but it can be a good way to have some fun and break up the regular routine.

About the Author
Dick Moss is the publisher of PE Update.com - a website that keeps physical educators and coaches up-to-date on over 40 PE topics. The website also provides a free newsletter, blog and sample articles. Check it out at: www.peUpdate.com

Baseball Basics: How to Field

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A team that has players who can throw and catch fly balls and grounders better than its opponents, and can come up with the clutch fielding play, is going to be hard to beat. The team that has the most agile fielders - those players who have fast reflexes and can change direction in a split second - will also have the better fielders. Thus, if the pitching and batting of the two opposing teams are of equal strength, the better fielding team will then be more formidable.

Good fielders, like good hitters or pitchers, do not require special physical qualifications. However, the player with the sharper reflex action will usually develop into a better fielder in a shorter space of time than a player of normal reflexes. This does not mean that the player of average reflex action cannot become a quality fielder.

The player of normal reflex should not be discouraged because he sees other players who seem superior to him as fielders. Better reflex action can be obtained by constant practice and proper conditioning of the body. By leaping, twisting and lunging for grounders, fly balls and throws, the fielder of normal reflexes will soon sharpen his reflex action and will in time work himself into a better than acceptable fielder.

Fielding in reflex action means the player performs his movements without thinking about them. His movements become natural and graceful and he is able to twist his body in any direction. Ground balls take many unexpected bounces; fly balls get caught in wind currents and may take sudden drops or carry farther than the fielder anticipated. The good fielder can adjust himself to these sudden hops and changes of ball direction.

Choosing a Position. - In choosing a position a player should select one he thinks he can play best; then concentrate on learning all the techniques involved in playing that position. Do not pick a position because your favorite major-leaguer plays it. That's not mature reasoning and you will only hurt your chances of making the team if you can play better at another position.

Try to analyze your strong and weak points and then try out for that position where you can fit in, and also, at the same time, convince the coach that you are the best candidate for that specific fielding spot.

A player who is below average height and who can field any position equally well, should not try out at first base. It's common sense that if you can catch a grounder while stationed at second base, shortstop, third base, just as well as at first base, you should concentrate on trying out for any of the latter three positions. This is because you would not be able to use your limited height to any advantage if you tried out as a first baseman. A first baseman must stretch high for high throws and well into the diamond for low throws. The coach would be more inclined to use a fielder at that position who has more height and reach than a player of limited height.

Infielders' Stance. - There is a basic fielding stance for all infielders.
The infielder has good stance when his body is in a squat position, bent at the waist, knees turned out. His arms and hands are between his knees, enabling him to touch the ground without any undue strain. From this position, he is able to field a ball that hugs the ground, and he is in proper position to straighten up and grab a ball that may take a sudden bounce upward.

With practice and determination, you can become a great infielder.
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