MBA Coach’s Toolkit

MBA Coach’s Toolkit

Table of Contents

Intro……………………………………………………………………………………..…p. 1

Coaching Tips……………………………………………………………………… …pp. 2-21

Pre-Season……………………………………………………………………….…….pp. 23-29

Practice Set-Up………………………………………………………………….…….pp.30-33

Infield………………………………………………………………………….……….…pp.34-40

Throwing …………………………………………………………………………….…pp.41-46

Pitching………………………………………………………………………….……….pp.47-59

Catching…………………………………………………………………………..……..pp.60-63

Outfield…………………………………………………………………………….….…pp.64-67

Hitting……………………………………………………………………………….…..pp.68-88

Bunting (under construction!)…………………………………………………………

Baserunning…………………………………………………………………….……pp.89-90

Off the Field and Off-Season…………………………………………………..…pp.91-92

Conditioning (under construction)………………………………………..….…pp.

Introduction

Hello and welcome (or welcome back) to the Methacton Baseball Association as a coach. We are thrilled that you want to be a part of our organization. You have a responsibility that is larger than you might be able to appreciate but a job that is probably far easier than your worst fears! Coaching young athletes in a Cal Ripken program involves as much about sportsmanship, character, and athletic development as it does about winning and championships. It is our ardent desire that you reap the same rewards that your players do and that the experience is the best it can be for all involved.

This “kit” is designed to alleviate the stress of figuring out everything to do and say over the course of a season. You may already be well-equipped to handle the many facets of the responsibility so we hope this at least supplements the good work you are already doing. Inside you will find many tips, drills, ideas, and articles for managing and coaching your team. I have collected many articles from my time with Little League and stories from my own experience coaching everything from t-ball to legion. Over time we will add to this document more “best practices” and

ideas from our coaches so don’t be afraid to share what works. If it makes the whole program better, don’t keep it a secret!

This kit is not the definitive coaching “bible”. There really is no such thing, as the drills and material change by age and ability level (and would fill volumes). This is a great start, however. You can always check out other resources on your own. Feel free to skip around to the sections and articles that are best for you from a timing and priority standpoint. There is a logical order, but you may find that some articles or sections will help you more once you run into a challenge or if you a planning a practice with specific skills in mind.

We have designed the kit with the idea in mind that the program will only be as strong as the coaches who volunteer. With the cornerstone of coaches in place, parents and community can rally support around what they perceive as a successful and strong program. We want to offer the best baseball experience for players of all ages and abilities, so we realize you have a tall order. Breathe easy. You will have all the support and help you need along the way. We are always a phone call, email away or field away! You have the power to make it a successful and memorable season. We are counting on you…and so are your players.

Best Wishes,

Jason R. Taylor

Program Development Director

Methacton Baseball Association

Coaching TipsThis section is designed to give you ideas about things to think about as you delve into your role as coach. As will be the case in most sections, there will be advice and related articles.

In this section:

Ways to praise Communication to parents Helping players deal with failure Building team spirit

Next level coaching

The Winning Coach: Attitude and Education Is EverythingBy Keith Madison, National Baseball Director – SCORE International

Since I have spent most of my adult life as a coach, I am from the school of thought that we should teach young baseball players that winning is important. Yet, there are many different ways to win.

Of course, we can win by scoring more runs than the other team….we all enjoy winning in this way! We can also win by teaching our players to work hard to reach realistic goals, exude class and sportsmanship and treat teammates, coaches and umpires with respect. We can teach them that winning on the playing field starts with having “winning” practices leading up to the game and giving your best in every situation.

We will most likely never win all of our games and we may never coach a future Major League Baseball player, but we can teach our players how to be winners and how to be “major league people” both on and off the field. Here are ways to be a winning coach:

Possess knowledge: You don’t have to know everything about the game, but if you have chosen to coach a team each player deserves to have a coach who tries to increase his knowledge of the game by reading books and watching DVDs on how to be an effective coach. You should attend coaching clinics or watch a “professional” high school or college coach run a practice. You will earn respect from your players and the other volunteers helping you if you continue to increase your knowledge of the game. Knowledge is power.

Care: John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, was the first person I ever heard say, “Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Take time to talk to each player, on occasion, individually. Make it a habit to ask one player to show up at practice 15 or 20 minutes early each practice for some “one-on-one” time fielding grounders, hitting, catching fly balls or working on a specific aspect of their game that may need some extra work. This will let the player know that you care about him as both a player and as a person. Also, it will help the team. Some players respond better in an individual setting as opposed to a group setting. You will get to know each player in an entirely

different way by spending just a little extra time. You could be a “difference maker” in the life of the players on your team. Knowledge is extremely important, but caring is even more important.

Lead: Players look to the coach as the ultimate leader. If a leader emerges among the team, that is a bonus. But, never forget, you are the real leader. The players’ attitude, language, body language, effort, execution and the way they carry themselves is a reflection of the leader/coach of the team. If you ever hear a negative statement from a coach such as, “I can’t believe how poorly these guys played today,” you can rest assured that the coach, in most cases, did not prepare his team during practice. Our teams and the players on our teams will never be perfect, but they can grow and develop both skill and character with positive leadership from the coach.

Communicate: Never assume that a player understands baseball terminology. When my youngest son was about five years old, I was tossing the ball to him and trying to teach him how to hit. He was small and the bat was a little too heavy for him, so I asked him to “choke up.” He looked at me with just a hint of confusion and continued to grip the bat at the end near the knob. So, once again I said “choke up.” After the third time of telling him to choke up, he finally dropped the bat and placed both hands around his throat! I assumed that he knew what “choking up” meant. During preseason practice, start with the basic fundamentals and make sure that each player knows the baseball “lingo” that you will be using during the course of the season. Communicate clearly and positively during practice drills. Also, communicate precisely what you expect from the team in terms of effort, attitude, sportsmanship and respect for teammates, coaches, umpires, opponents and the game itself. Communicate with the parents, as well, to let them know of league rules, team policies, expectations, practice times and game schedules.

Practice What You Preach: You are the leader. If you want your players to show respect, then the coach should show respect. If you want your players to avoid negative body language, then you-as a coach, should exude positive body language. If you want your players to avoid profanity, then the coach should never use profanity. If you want each player to have a positive attitude, then the coach should have a positive attitude.

Teach and inspire: Several years ago, I was leading the baseball segment of a Camp in North Carolina. There were middle school and high school athletes from all over the nation in attendance. The camp was located on top of a mountain; so,

we had to take a bus to the bottom of the mountain to conduct the baseball camp at a city recreational field. On the second day of the camp, I decide to ride in the back of the bus to become better acquainted with some of the players. I started with two excellent players from a nearby state. I asked them questions such as, “which high school do you play for and how did your team do last season?” When I asked, “Where do you attend high school?” and “How do you like your coach?” one of the players said, “I hate that guy!” I was shocked and was speechless for a moment. Finally, I ask him, “Why do you think you hate him?” He replied, “every time I make a mistake or ask a question, he puts me down or makes fun of the question I asked. He constantly berates me in front of my teammates. When I leave high school, I never want to see that guy again.” Your teaching methods should encourage, teach and inspire ball players to learn more about and love the game of baseball. Leave a legacy of positive memories and a lasting love for the game of baseball with the players you coach.

Have passion. If you love kids and have a passion for the game, you will succeed. You may not win the league championship every year, but you will have success. Young people are smart. They know when you are going through the motions at practice, the same as you know when the players’ hearts aren’t in it. Take a few minutes to plan an effective, fast paced practice. Recruit two or three assistant coaches to help with practice, so that you can have two or three drills going on at the same time during practice. Keep the drill stations short (15-20 minutes). We live in a “remote control” society. If the drills are too lengthy, players will mentally “switch channels.” Be creative and keep each drill educational, competitive and fun. You will be able to express your passion for the game and make practice fun by planning ahead in order to keep your athletes focused on learning and improving. Ideally, you want your practice to end with your players begging for more. The only way that you can transfer your passion for the game to the players you coach is to make practice upbeat and fast-paced with very little standing around.

Remember, you don’t coach baseball, you coach baseball players. You have a position of influence, take advantage of it to teach players not only how to better play the game, but to be better students, teammates and citizens.

I do not remember my first grade teacher’s name, but I remember everything about my Little League coach and the many things he taught me; I still have a relationship with him almost 50 years later. If you miss out on the relationship part of coaching, you have missed out. Billy Graham once said that coaches are the most influential people in America today. If that is true, we need to use this

influence to help each individual on the team. Our communities will become better places to live. Now that is winning!

Great Coaches are Great Teachers

by Gary Heil and Karl Meinhardt

We all can remember a coach and or teacher who changed our lives. Maybe it was the math teacher who was so passionate about what he or she did that math became our major. Or maybe it was the basketball coach who told us that we could create our future no matter how large the dream. Ask people, as we have lately, and everyone can remember at least one coach or teacher who challenged us to learn as we never had before.

For some of us when we close our eyes, we can still see them. We can hear the advice they gave us and we can remember how we felt when they touched our lives. We catch ourselves using their words as we coach our teams and parent our children.‘Don't ignore the obvious, just because it is obvious.’‘You will play like you practice.’‘If you are going to take the time to do something, do it to the best of your ability.’

When we look back, these coaches and teachers were fundamentally similar. Yes they had unique styles, but to them, success was not about their styles or tactics; it was about developing passionate learners. For them, coaching and teaching was not about the coach or the teacher. The students and the players were the primary focus of what they did and why they did it. They did not ask, ‘What will I teach today?’ Instead they asked, ‘What will the team or students experience today?’ It was less about what was taught and more about what was learned. They believed that they served their students and players not vice versa. They were more than coaches or teachers. They were leaders, and we were their inspired followers.

So what was it about them had such an impact on us? They all did it differently but almost all of them:

1. Appreciated individuality.Great coaches and teachers help individuals where THEY live. They know that every member of the team learns differently. Each team member has different needs and desires. Great coaches assess and understand individual strengths and weaknesses. They appreciate the diversity that is the team and work to advance learning - one person at a time.

2. Created safe harbor.Learning in a team setting can be perceived as risky. Only when people feel that they are safe will most be willing to take the risks, and endure the failures, that are inherent in the learning process. Fear must be reduced to facilitate faster learning.

3. Helped people fail as well as succeed.People learn best when they feel the need to learn. Nothing creates the need to learn like failure. When we fail we quickly try to understand 'why' so that we can prevent a reoccurrence. Only when coaches and teachers are skillful at having people experience failure or the threat of failure, will the team members feel the need to learn faster. All this must be done while building, not inhibiting, self-confidence and the desire to win.

4. Sought clarity, not simplicity.Rarely, are things simple. But the best coaches create clarity and focus even when addressing the most complex issues. To be able to understand and respect the complexity of a task and communicate about that task so that the team members can learn, is a gift only the best coaches and best teachers possess.

5. Differentiated fact from opinionThere are few, if any, absolute facts. Most of what we believe we know is opinion. Some of these opinions are more informed than others and they need to be tested periodically. The most dangerous ideas are those that we believe are so true that we stop questioning them and therefore, stifle learning in the process. The best coaches and teachers continually search for a better way. This process begins with a healthy appreciation for opinions that differ from our own.

6. Lead from the HEART with passion.The best leaders love the game and they love learning about the game. You can hear it in their voices and you can see it in their actions. They understand that if the coach is not passionate, why should the team be? Or as one coach told us: ‘Passion is usually contagious. A lack of passion is always contagious.’

7. Asked great questions.The best coaches and teachers consistently ask questions that help people challenge their thinking and learn from their experiences. In the end, every person must become the manager of their own personal learning process. By asking great questions, a leader is modeling a thought/ learning process that can help people interpret why things have happened and to learn from these experiences so that they can get better results in the future.

8. Had team members teach other team members.Great coaches and teachers have team members teach each other, because they understand that the person teaching learns more than the student. It is one thing to 'know' a body of material. It takes a much better understanding of that material to be able to teach it to your peers.

9. Lead by example.The best coaches and teachers adhere to a set of values that are consistent with the highest aspirations of the team they lead. The most passionate learning team has the most passionate learner as a coach or teacher. Good sportsmanship,

exemplary ethics, effective interaction… it all starts with the example set by those that have been given the opportunity to lead and teach.

10. Cared about us.To be given license to influence members of the team, a coach must care about the development of each and every team member. Remember, people have great BS detectors. If we don't care people can smell it a mile away. As in all human endeavors trust and caring are the glue that holds the team together.

This list could probably include twenty to thirty more qualities. The important thing is that being a coach is a significant responsibility. As team members look for guidance in their development, no one has a bigger impact on them than the person who goes by the title of ‘Coach.’

Teaching Youngsters How to be Good SportsBy Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D.

“Sports do not build character. They reveal it.” – Heywood Hale Broun

We’re living in an age where the preservation of traditional values can no longer be taken for granted. It seems we need to have reminders (books, movies, magazine articles, newspaper articles, internet blogs, etc.) to maintain our awareness of the importance of preserving the basic human values that are essential to the survival of a community.

It’s no different in the world of sports. The traditional value of sportsmanship is being challenged from all sides: professional, college, high school, and even in youth sports. There are some who say sportsmanship is becoming a lost art and that unless we remind ourselves of the essentials of sportsmanship and strive to maintain the basics of sportsmanship it will gradually fade as other values have done in our society.

In the midst of all this, it seems doubly important that we recommit ourselves to guiding our youth, reminding them what sportsmanship is all about; rewarding them for showing good sportsmanship and showing, by our example, that sportsmanship is still alive and valued in youth sports today.

To that end, here’s a 10-item checklist for kids to follow as they try to develop a habit of good sportsmanship.

Sportsmanship Checklist for Kids

1. I abide by the rules of the game.2. I try to avoid arguments.3. I share in the responsibilities of the team.4. I give everyone a chance to play according to the rules.5. I always play fair.6. I follow the directions of the coach.7. I respect the other team’s effort.8. I offer encouragement to my teammates.9. I accept the judgment calls of the game officials.10.I end the game smoothly.

Sportsmanship: The ability 1) to win without gloating, 2) to lose without complaining, and 3) to treat officials, teammates, and your opponent with respect.

Sportsmanship Tips

If you make a mistake, don’t pout or make excuses. Learn from it, and be ready to continue play.

If a teammate makes a mistake, offer encouragement, not criticism. If you win, don’t rub it in. If you lose, don’t make excuses.

1. I abide by the rules of the game.Part of good sportsmanship is knowing the rules of the game and playing by them. If a player decides to play a given sport, it is the responsibility of that player to learn not only to how play, but how to play according to the rules which have been established and standardized to allow competitive games to be played in an orderly fashion. The more a player knows the rules the more that player can enjoy the sport.

2. I try to avoid arguments. Part of good sportsmanship is anger management. Arguing with officials, coaches, teammates or opponents is often simply a misguided effort at “letting off steam” in the heat of competition. A good sport knows that anger can get in the way of a good performance. A good sport knows how to walk away from an argument and to stay focused on the game at hand.

3. I share the responsibilities of the team.Good sportsmanship implies that the player on a team is a team player. In other words, the player understands that his or her behavior reflects on the team in

general. Moreover, a team player does not condone unsportsmanlike conduct from teammates and reminds players that they all share in the responsibility of promoting good sportsmanship.

4. I give everyone a chance to play according to the rules.In youth recreational sports the more talented players, if they are good sports, will look out for and encourage the less talented players on the team, cooperating with coaching plans to let everybody play. Unfortunately, some coaches may become so preoccupied with winning at all cost that they seldom play some players, regardless of the time and effort they put in at daily practice, even with the score warrants clearing the bench.

5. I always play fair.Honesty and integrity should be an integral part of sports. A player with good sportsmanship does not want a hollow victory that comes as a result of cheating (“dirty” fouls, ineligible players, performance enhancing drugs, etc.)

6. I follow the directions of the coach.A player with good sportsmanship listens to and follows the directions of the coach, realizing that each player’s decisions affect the rest of the team. If a player has disagreements with the coach, the player discusses the disagreements privately, in a civil manner, away from the public eye.

7. I respect the other team’s effort.Whether the other team plays better, or whether they play worse, the player with good sportsmanship does not use the occasion to put the other team down. In the field of competition respect for opponents is central to good sportsmanship. If an opponent out-performs a player, that player accepts it, learns from it, offers no excuses, and moves on. If a player out-performs an opponent, that player enjoys the victory but does not gloat, does not belittle, and does not minimize the opponent’s effort.

8. I offer encouragement to teammates.A sign of good sportsmanship is a player who praises teammates when they do well and who comforts and encourages them when they make mistakes. Criticizing teammates in the heat of battle simply distracts from the focus of working together and gives the advantage to the opponent who develops a sense of confidence when seeing signs of weakness and a lack of unity in the midst of competition.

9. I accept judgment calls of the game officials.Part of the human condition is making mistakes. Arguing with an official over a judgment call simple wastes energy. The player with good sportsmanship knows that errors may be made, but the player also knows that a game is made up of all the plays and calls from the beginning to the end of the game, not just the call in dispute. The player with good sportsmanship may be upset, but that player also has learned to focus his/her energies back on the game and on doing the best he/she can do for the rest of the game.

10. I end the game smoothly.When the game is over, pouting, threatening, & cajoling have no place in the life of players with good sportsmanship, who emphasize the joy of participating, regardless of outcome. They’re not devoid of emotions, but they know that their efforts to end the competition smoothly, without antagonistic emotional display, will help ensure that the games will continue in the future.

On a final note- a word of caution: We can’t be so naïve as to think that by teaching and valuing sportsmanship in our youth we will ensure that they will take these values with them into their young adult and adult sports lives. However, if we don‘t expose them to the essentials of sportsmanship, and if we don’t guide them in developing a sense of good sportsmanship, we can all but guarantee that they will fall prey to the young adult and adult world of sports and athletics, with its continued tendency to minimize sportsmanship, and maximize winning as the only real value in competitive athletics.

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Remember to be positive. Be creative in the ways you give feedback. This will be the way the most rapid growth and improvement will occur.

86 Ways to say “Very Good” Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D.

Being a coach is a rewarding enjoyable experience that can leave a lasting impression on players,

parents and other coaches. One way to leave your mark is to interact with your team in a positive

manner. In a booklet by Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D., The Art of Being a Successful Youth League Manager-

Coach (Baseball/Softball) he lays out 86 ways to say very good and compliment the players you are

coaching. Please look over the list and see what works for you.1. Good for you!2. Superb.3. You did that very well.4. You’ve got it made.5. Terrific!6. That’s not bad!

7. Couldn’t have done it better myself.8. Marvelous!9. You’re doing fine.10. You’re really improving.11. You’re on track now!12. Now you’ve figured it out.13. Outstanding!14. That’s coming along nicely.15. I knew you could do it.16. Good work.17. You figured that out fast.18. I think you’ve got it now.19. I’m proud of the way you worked today.20. Tremendous! 21. You certainly did well today.22. Perfect!23. Nice going.24. You’ve got your brain in gear today.25. Now you’ve got the hang of it.26. WOW!27. Wonderful!28. You’re getting better every day.29. You’re learning fast.30. You make it look too easy.31. That’s a good boy/girl.32. That’s very much better.33. Super!34. You did a lot of work today!35. Keep it up!36. You’ve got this down pat.37. Congratulations.38. Exactly right!39. Nice going.40. Excellent!41. Sensational!42. You’re doing beautifully.43. You’ve just about mastered that!44. That’s really nice.45. That’s the best ever.46. That’s great!47. Way to go!48. That’s the way to do it!49. That’s quite an improvement.50. Good thinking.51. You’re really going to town.52. Keep up the good work.53. That’s it!54. That’s better.55. You haven’t missed a thing.56. Fantastic!57. You outdid yourself today!58. You’re doing a good job.59. That’s the right way to do it.

“I never learned anything when I was talking…Learn how to listen.”

-Larry King

“not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”

-George SalaCommunication with players is critical. It is also important to keep parents “in the loop”. One thing that eases the stress or worry of playing for a new coach is a letter or email to parents. If you set out expectations in advance, the parents will appreciate it. You may also want to share a little something about yourself and your philosophy. Every coach is different and the parents and players would like to know about you. The less they have to figure out, the better. The best time to send the message is probably as soon as you have your roster picked or assigned to you. Include any important dates and responsibilities as well. They want to know for planning purposes and always appreciate the “heads up”. You may also want to include the whole roster so all players know who is on their team. Here is a sample letter to parents; the spirit of which you may want to get across in an early-season communication.

A Coach’s Letter to ParentsBy Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D.

Dear Parents,

Here are some hints on how to make this a fun season, with lots of positive memories for

your kids and your family.

1. Make sure your kids know that, win or lose, you love them. Be the person in their life

they can always look to for support.

2. Try to be completely honest with yourself about your kids’ athletic capability, their

competitive attitude, their sportsmanship, and their level of skills.

3. Be helpful, but don’t coach your kids on the way to the game or at the breakfast table.

Think how tough it must be on them to be continually inundated with advice, pep talks, and

criticism.

4. Teach your kids to enjoy the thrill of competition, to be out there trying and to be

constantly working to improve their skills. Don’t tell them that winning doesn’t count

because it does, and they know it. Instead, help them develop a healthy competitive

attitude, a “feel for competing, for trying hard, and for having a good time.”

5. Try not to live your life through your kids. Sure they’re an extension of you, but don’t

assume they feel the same way you did, want the same things, or have the same attitude.

6. Don’t push them in the direction that gives you the most satisfaction. Don’t compete with

your kids’ coaches. Try to help them understand the necessity for discipline, rules, and

regulations.

7. Don’t compare your kids with other players on their team – at least not within their

hearing – don’t lie to them about their capabilities as a player.

8. Get to know your kids’ coaches. Make sure you approve of each coach’s attitude and

ethics. Coaches can be influential, and you should know the values of each coach so that

you can decide whether or not you want them passed on to your kids.

9. Teach your kids the meaning of courage. Courage isn’t the absence of fear. Courage is

learning to perform in spite of fear. Courage isn’t getting rid of fear. It’s overcoming it.

10. Winning is an important goal. Winning at all costs is stupidity.

11. Remember that officials are necessary. Don’t overreact to their calls. They have rules

and guidelines to follow representing authority during the game. Teach your kids to respect

authority and to play by the rules.

12. Finally, remember if the kids aren’t having fun we’re missing the whole point of youth

sports.

The Coach

Failure and mistakes will always be part of the equation. When athletes realize that mistakes are their friends in sports, they will take more chances and develop much more quickly. You will have to develop, in your players, a willingness to experience errors and failures especially in baseball where failing seven times out of ten might get you into the Hall of Fame!

Helping Players Beyond Fear of Failure By David Jacobson, Positive Coaching

Alliance

“The team that makes the most mistakes will probably win,” wrote the legendary basketball coach John Wooden in They Call Me Coach. “The doer makes mistakes, and I wanted doers on my team—players who made things happen.”

That’s a difficult concept to convey to young athletes. By the time they are on your team, some players may have been yelled at for making mistakes. Or, they may be so self-conscious or hard on themselves for failing to make plays that they stop really trying.

You’ve probably seen outfielders pulling up short of fly balls that seem catchable, and you can practically see the thought bubble: “If I don’t get too close to this ball, maybe it won’t really look like an error.”

Helping players overcome that mentality is one of the greatest things you can do for them as players and as people. As players, you want them to perform well, both for the good of the team on the scoreboard and for the good of their individual self-esteem. As people, your players will benefit – in school, business and personal relationships – from adopting the attitude that “failing” is not the end of the world, especially if they try their hardest.

You develop this mentality in practice by setting up an “all-out” drill that encourages players to play fly balls as aggressively as possible with no fear of failure. Simply toss or hit fly balls that require players’ maximum effort to catch, and then reward them with praise for their all-out effort even if they do not catch the ball.

Often, in this drill, it is best to comment only on the player’s level of commitment…nothing about technique. The only “criticism” might be along the lines of, “You’re a talented-enough athlete, and I believe in your ability enough, that if you had fully committed to making the catch, without fear, you could have gotten there.”

Slowly but surely, they will start getting there more often. When they do, their confidence will bloom, helping them get to that many more fly balls that before they might not even have pursued.

An Open Letter from your Ballplayer

Coach,

I am writing this to you but I will never hand you the letter or say these words. You see, I am young and cannot quite find the words. I do not understand my feelings, but if I did, this is what I would say.

I might not be the strongest player on the team, but I will try as hard as anyone if you encourage me.

I might not get everything you say because I don’t know all of the baseball lingo yet. I will pick up on the lingo soon enough if I continue to play, but I will get what you are saying better if you show me how to do it.

I won’t always do things right the first time, but if you give me enough chances to be successful, I will do it.

Try to see when I am frustrated. I will act out in weird ways, but I am mostly frustrated with myself. Try to pull me aside and talk to me so that it doesn’t make a scene with the whole team watching.

Do pull me aside to talk to me or work with me. I look up to you and want to learn from you. I feel special when you take the time to point something out. I need to know what to do and what not to do.

I am not always the best teammate so give me pointers. If I thought that everything I needed to know could be found by watching a Major League game, I would chew tobacco, yell at umps., chew out teammates, and throw my equipment. I may need some serious re-wiring! I am relying on you to help me figure this out. It is not common sense!

I am looking forward to this season. I am filled with hope that I will get better, and make a new friend or two, and have a chance to do something praiseworthy. I am a little nervous but I will get over it. I want to be able to trust you because once I do, I will run through a brick wall for you.

Mostly, I just want to have fun. This will happen if you care about making a practice interesting and you give everyone a chance to succeed and fail and grow. It will happen if you lead us to victory and show us how to respond in defeat. Don’t underestimate the experience of playing baseball with pals.

You probably know all this already. I assume this because you are an adult. I don’t have all these words, but I am filled with excitement and hope. You have the power to create some of my best memories.

Signed,

Your player

Great teams win Championships. Great athletes can contribute to winning championships, but they cannot win them on their own. Team atmosphere and team relationships are very important to the overall success of your program. That is why I have decided to write on Team Bonding. Managing your athletes, or getting them to be the best team possible, is just as important as teaching them all the right skills to use on the field.

I love the concept of team bonding and think it is something that can make a huge difference in a very positive way to each team that works on it.

Building a close-knit team does not just happen by itself. It takes some effort and some skill. My philosophy on team bonding and the concept of building a tight-nit team has to do with the basic principles of human nature. Every person has some basic needs in life besides the obvious air, food and water. Most people excel in environments in which they feel needed and have a since of belonging. It is also important that they be happy. Happy people tend to be magnetic and that happiness can manifest itself into other characteristics that are contagious within groups or teams.

This is the atmosphere we aim to build. And, once it gets started, it will grow within the team and become stronger as the season builds. Near the end of the season, the team’s atmosphere and overall strength should be at it’s pinnacle.

Right now you are probably asking the question: Exactly how do you build this great team attitude and atmosphere?

Here are some suggestions and actual events that I facilitate and participate in to help build a winning program.

1. A pizza party: In fact, I have at least two every year for the professional team I play for in Japan – one before the season starts and another before our championships. Have the team gather in a room that fits everyone comfortably, but is not too big. You want the team to be together and not too spread out. Once the pizza arrives, serve it and let the fun begin. After everyone is full, if there is any left over, play party games to decide who has to eat the last few pieces. It is lots of fun and definitely creates a team atmosphere.

2. Create a team slogan for the year: Have the team vote on a slogan and use that slogan before every practice and at the start of every game. For example, a couple of slogans that my team has used are: ‘Do you want it? We want it!’ and ‘Can we do it? Yes we can!’ The team should get into a huddle and the captain, or another team member should yell out ‘Do you want it?’ and then the rest of the team would yell ‘We want it!’ It’s a great way to get the team fired up.

3. An ice cream sundae party: Cut up lots of fresh fruit and bananas. Serve the ice cream,

Team Bonding: Building Your Best Team

By Michele Smith Olympic Gold Medal Pitcher

fruit and toppings in a buffet-style line, and let everyone build their own sundaes or banana splits. Once again, play party games and have cheers. Get everyone screaming and yelling – and bonding together.

4. Relay races during practice: Have the infielders, the outfielders, and the pitchers and catchers compete against each other. These types of relay drills are another way to help the team learn to be more competitive. Learning to work together and be more competitive in practices are very good things for teams. Keep track of who wins, and then the losing teams have to do silly animal walks while the winners get to joke and have fun with them. Good examples of funny animal walks are the crab walk, the elephant walk, and the bear walk.

5. A coach’s challenge: It can be anything from trivia questions to a specific task. It can be individual or group challenges – maybe a project that will get the whole team working together so they can experience the feeling of accomplishing something important together. If the team is going to be traveling to Nationals in a certain state, ask trivia questions about that state so it will become useful information for the team. It will also raise their curiosity about the state, which will make them more excited to go there. Anything that will motivate the athletes and make them really want to get to the next level, will result in them playing better during the season so they can reach their goal.

6. Team cheers: Always cheer for yourself and your team in a positive way and never cheer against another team in a negative way. Create team cheers that are specific to a teammate, or an event of the season. If your team came from behind in a game, make a cheer about the comeback. When your team cheers it during upcoming games, it will remind them of what they are capable of. This is a great way to mentally get the team believing that anything is possible.

7. Slip ‘n’ slide practice: On a warm day, put out some Slip ‘N’ Slides so the team can cool off and practice their sliding at the same time. This is great team fun!! Working on skills in softball can sometimes become routine. Find new ways to make the routines are fun and exciting. Another great example is to work on soft hands by learning to catch water balloons or doing an egg toss. Both of these games are much more fun than the everyday task of playing catch.

8. Create positive pages: This one is my favorite and a good one to help build an emotionally-strong team. Every player gets a sheet of paper and a pen and should write her number and name at the top of the paper. The team sits in a circle and everyone passes their paper to the left. When you get the new paper from the person on your right, you look at the number and name of your teammate at the top and you write something you like and admire about her softball game on the paper. When the player is finished writing, she passes the paper to the player on her left. If you have 10 teammates, you should do this 10 times, until you have written something about each one of them. When the team is finished, every player should have her own paper back with 10 great things written on it about her softball game! I recommend you keep that paper in your game bag and re-read it from time to time during the season. What you will find is that your teammates admire certain skills and abilities that you might not have even known you have, or how good you are at them. Use this sheet of paper to help you get through those times when you are not as confident as you should be, or need to be.

I hope this helps you, your team and your season. Good luck and believe in yourself and each

other.

For more information, visit Michele Smith’s website at http://www.michelesmith.com .

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” -John Quincy Adams

Player of the Dayby Jim Thompson, Positive Coaching Alliance

This tip is called the “Player of the Day,” which is particularly useful in getting through to players who remind you of Bill “Spaceman” Lee. Most of the time, you’re probably trying to corral these players, get and keep their attention, prevent them from distracting the others…and too often correcting their behavior or attitude. Instead, make a hard-to-reach player the Player of the Day, eligible for all the praise you can find to heap on him or her. Do not mention this to the player. Just focus on finding the positives in that player, that day, and compliment the player every time possible.

Two caveats:

This must not be “happy talk” – no inventing positive behavior Praise must be truthful and specific (i.e., “Tommy, thanks for hustling

into the dugout without being reminded).

This form of positive reinforcement helps the athlete feel better – more in control, able to accomplish something and less likely to rebel for the sake of rebellion against that coach who’s “always on my case.” You might start feeling better yourself, as you see your player’s behavior and attitude improve. Plus, any other problem players might get the message that they too can be player of the day if they straighten up and fly right, come back to earth, or exhibit other non-Spaceman behavior.

We’re Talking about Practice by Jamie Joy

You have heard it over and over … “Practice makes perfect,” but, what about fun?

Fun can be organized, challenging and able to bring a community together for a common goal. Well, if you think about it, a practice is able to accomplish all of those and more. Just think, something that was once thought of as unnecessary and boring can transform not only a team, but it can also bring a league and a town together.

When you create your next practice make sure that you incorporate the above mentioned items. Start with fun. Players will be very receptive to activities that make them better, especially if they learn while having fun.

Organization is critical to running a successful practice. This is where you can tie the community feel into your practices. Parents often want to assist in practices. Why not use them to help towards your teams’ common goal of learning and having fun.

Make sure that you show the volunteering parents how you want the drill to be taught and allow them to assist under your direction. This will help create an atmosphere conducive to success. By doing this you can work in a more manageable setting with the players.

By creating a practice plan with parents in addition to your assistant coaches, you will have the time to challenge players with more difficult drills. By having extra volunteers the manager or coaches will be able to spend valuable time instructing the players in a one-on-one setting. With this new found time you’ll be able to fine tune the players skills with more challenging drills.

How to Provide Individual Instruction without Slowing Down Your Practice

By Al HarbeckOne of the challenges coaches face is to try to run high-energy, fun practices, and still set time aside to work with each individual player on your team. Parents and players want both to happen, but this is difficult to do, especially when you are running the practice on your own. Here is how I approach the challenge.

During the scheduled practice time my focus was on keeping all of the players active by teaching skills, running fun drills and competing together in one group. This was a time for us to work together as a team.

At the end of each practice or game I would meet with the team and invite a small group of 2-3 players to come to the next practice 15-20 minutes early. For example, I may want to work with the three players who are playing first base on my team. In their pre-practice time, I completely focus on their individual needs; teaching the roles and responsibilities, the foot work and the throws a first baseman needs to make.

The next practice, I may work with 2-3 players who are really struggling on hitting and the next pre-practice with the catchers on my team. At times, I may just invite one player to come early and spend the complete pre-practice tutoring time with him or her. My plan over four or five practices is to invite each player to come early for an individual session. Coaches, it is important to do this with everyone on your team, from the weaker players to the stronger players.

My parents were happy because their son was getting individual help and

attention from me. The players loved it because they got to learn something new or received extra help on a skill they were struggling with. I liked it because I could give each individual player my complete attention without having to worry about what the rest of the team might be doing on the field. This approach also helped me develop a closer coach-player relationship with each of the members on my team.

Give pre-practice tutoring a try. I know it will make a difference.

A Mental Game Plan for Succeeding at the ‘Elite’ LevelBy Darrell J. Burnett, Ph.D.

With the increase in club and travel teams in youth sports, athletes are developing advanced physical athletic skills at younger ages. However, just having superb athleticism often is not enough when it comes to moving up to the elite level of competition. If you’re going to succeed at the elite level, you need the mental skills as well.

The six-step Mental Game Plan program described below is presented as a process, not an end product to be achieved in “three easy lessons.” The goal is to try to make the mental game automatic for young athletes as they become young adults. It gives them things to work on as they progress as elite athletes. Here’s a summary and brief discussion of the six steps.

Youth Sports Mental Game Plan

1. Perceive mistakes spatially, don’t judge. 2. Focus on tasks, not trophies.

3. Notice progress: 1. Frequency (how often) 2. Duration (how long) 3. Intensity (how much energy)

4. Visualize your wishes, not your fears. 5. Short memory for mistakes.

1. Long memory for successes. 6. Relax and have fun.

Perceive mistakes spatially, don’t judge. One of the major things separating elite athletes from good athletes who don’t “move up to the next level,” is how they handle mistakes. When players make a mistake, they have two response options. “Perceiving” athletes view a mistake visually, and concentrate on the mechanics necessary to correct the mistake (elbow in, follow through, eye on the ball, controlled breathing, etc.). “Judging” athletes are preoccupied with judgmental statements about their mistakes (“I blew it” … “I let the team down” … “My parents are really going to be disappointed” … “My coach is going to be furious” … “I can’t believe how stupid that was” … “I should have practiced more”… “It’s going to be one of those days,” etc.). “Judgers” tend to lose focus on skill development and are preoccupied with “beating themselves up” about their mistakes. “Perceivers” are focused on honing their skills. Elite athletes tend to be more perceivers than judgers. They prefer spatial replays to verbal and emotional reprimands.

Focus on tasks not trophies. Research shows that elite athletes tend to concentrate on their skill and task development rather than their win-loss ratio. Elite athletes are able to concentrate on the process of being an athlete rather than concentrating solely on the end product of winning a specific competitive event. Elite athletes concentrate on effort, improvement and competition against themselves, focusing on their “personal best,” letting the “trophies” take care of themselves. To an elite athlete, getting better is often more important than winning.

Notice Progress Positive self-talk can make you more self-confident and focused. Elite athletes find positives in their game. They talk to themselves, viewing their every athletic endeavor (in practice or in competition) in terms of positive progress. They assess their athletic activities in three areas: frequency (how often), duration (how long), and intensity (how much energy). They measure increases in the frequency of positives (a desired skill), or a decrease in the frequency of negatives (mistakes,

emotional overreactions, etc.). They measure duration of positives (consecutive successes) and negatives (shorter emotional recovery time after a physical or mental mistake). They measure the amount of energy they expend on positives (workouts, practices, positive self-statements), and try to decrease the energy they expend on negatives (emotional overreactions, negative self-statements). Their ability to see progress keeps them moving toward their goals.

Visualize your wishes, not your fears. Research verifies the benefits of visualization in sports. By using visual, sound, movement, and mood imagery, athletes can affect their athletic performance. Here’s how it works: The central nervous system does not differentiate between real and imagined events. If you picture yourself sinking a free throw, or kicking a field goal, or blocking a shot, or getting a hit, the central nervous system responds as though it were really happening, “priming” and “pretraining” the body for a particular physical movement. This creates a pathway or connection between mind and body that promotes smoother and more precise physical activity once you actually get to the playing field. Moreover, the more senses you involve in your visualization, the better: hearing the sounds connected with each activity; feeling the body sensations (movement, touch, smell) connected with the activity; and feeling the emotion (joy, pride, happiness) you would feel during that activity. The more you repeatedly imagine something in vivid detail, using all your senses, the easier it is for your body, mind, and emotions to know exactly what to do when you are actually placed in this situation. As someone once said, mental rehearsal allows you to take what you would most like to do, and then turn it into what you will most likely do. The important thing is to visualize positives, not negatives. In research with college golfers, groups were broken into groups and told to visualize. The group that visualized positive putts, seeing the ball go in the hole, improved their putting. The group that visualized negative putts, seeing the ball veer to the left or right of the hole, worsened their putting.

Athletes in slumps often struggle to keep their visualizations positive. If they fall prey to visualizing their fears (what they are afraid will happen: errors, missed shots, strikeouts, etc.), they increase the likelihood of continuing their slump.

Short memory for mistakes. Long memory for successes. Elite athletes view mistakes as stepping-stones for improvement, not as catastrophic events. Once the mistake has occurred, and the lesson has been learned, they discard it from their memory. Watch the good golfers. After a “bad” shot, they take a practice swing the right way, forget about the bad shot, and move to their next shot. Developing a “spatial, perceptual” approach to a mistake allows

the elite athlete to view it unemotionally, and discard it with ease. The judgmental approach to mistakes, mentioned above, makes it difficult to let go of the mistake. The elite basketball athlete who misses a breakaway lay-up, hard off the glass, learns to lay it up softly next time, but doesn’t dwell on it, because he/she is too busy getting back down court on defense. Remembering successes helps elite players to counter any negative thoughts by citing positive memories. A tendency toward negative thoughts following an error is countered by memories of a game-winning catch or a past clutch hit. Memories for successes are helpful in staying positive.

Relax and have fun. When athletes have “peak performances,” playing their best, they all seem to report, among other things, a common experience: they’re relaxed and having fun. Elite athletes seem to be able to relax in the midst of the pressures of competition. They find “fun” in honing their skills. Research shows that athletes perform better when they are relaxed and having fun. Relaxation helps them concentrate and focus. Being loose allows for lightning-quick reflexes, perfect timing, and fluid, powerful execution of skills. Elite athletes learn breathing techniques to stay calm in the midst of pressure. They know that tension and anger affects performance, and they learn to reduce muscle tension through deep breathing and other relaxation exercises. They learn to anticipate possible pressure situations (game-winning shot, cheating opponent, ‘bad’ call by an official), and to stay calm and focused during those situations.

Youth Sports Mental Game Plan: A Blueprint, not a Report Card. Obviously, not all young athletes will become elite athletes. However, recreation and club level athletes should be given the opportunity to develop the mental skills that will help them to be the best athletes they can be. The six aspects of the Mental Game is part of the process of continuing to grow as a young athlete. It is not meant to be a report card. It is meant to be a blueprint, by which young athletes can continue to measure their progress toward becoming the best athletes they can be.

Get Tournament Toughby Jim Thompson, Positive Coaching Alliance

Let’s face it, tournament and all-star play mean tougher competition, heightened expectations and increased pressure on coaches, managers and players. Even if no one ever says a word about pressure, your athletes sense it.

The best way to alleviate that pressure is to switch from a “scoreboard” orientation to what sport psychologist call a “mastery” orientation, which focuses on improvement. A mastery orientation helps us (coaches, athletes and parents) redefine ‘winner’. Everyone who’s participated in Double-Goal Coach training will remember the acronym we like to use for this mastery approach to coaching: “The Tree of Mastery is an ELM, where E stands for Effort, L stands for Learning and M stands for bouncing back from Mistakes.”

As coaches and managers, we can alleviate pressure by telling our players that we measure performance on the basis of their Effort, the amount they Learn and their ability to bounce back from Mistakes. The more difficult aspect of growing your ELM tree of mastery is demonstrating your commitment to the philosophy, and truly walk the talk as a coach or manager. Here are some tips to help you in this endeavor:

Recognize Effort: A player who exhibits great effort but still falls short of the desired result should receive your conspicuous (verbal or non-verbal) praise for the effort. That informs the player in question – as well as teammates, parents and fans – that you value the effort more than the outcome. This message will keep players focused on giving 100 percent.

Recognize Learning: During games and throughout the season, players have ample opportunity to learn. Players may show they have learned skills (keeping the glove down on grounders) or attitude improvement (striking out swinging instead of looking), but either way—and again, regardless of results—your recognition will reinforce the lessons learned and make them more likely to stick.

Making Mistakes OK: Mistakes, and counting them (errors), are more ingrained in baseball and softball than any other major U.S. sport. Nowhere else are athletes as much on stage and in the mistake pressure cooker as in this game we love. Remember, a .300 batting average means seven “failures” out of 10 attempts. Ratcheting up the pressure makes mistakes more likely, ironically because a player focuses on avoiding mistakes rather than focusing on giving their best effort. Players who know mistakes are OK have little fear of making mistakes, so they become much less likely to commit errors.An increasing number of coaches are reaping results from redefining ‘winner’ according to this mastery orientation. “To have kids at this age be mentally tough and focusing on their own individual effort and improvement as well as watching out for each other is simply amazing,” said Jeff Covel, a head coach (Oakfield-Alabama Little League).“Changing their focus from the scoreboard to their own internal scoreboard of how they are playing and the effort they are putting forth has raised their confidence to a level I thought would not be attainable at this age.” With your players free from the fear of mistakes and knowing they will be rewarded for effort and learning, they will continue to develop as ballplayers and people. It is only a matter of time and circumstance before the scoreboard reflects your mastery orientation.

Pre-Season/Prep.The pre-season is a time when the weather is just ready to break (and more rain is on the way!). Methacton Baseball Association has committed to increasing its offerings through special camps and clinics for players and coaches. This allows players to be in better shape mentally and physically from day one. The first practice should not be the first time a player has picked up a bat or ball. There are things that should be done in advance of the first practice to assure readiness. Some entail a cost while others can be done in the home for little or no cost. Hopefully you, as coach, can encourage this in some way. The parents will respond to you better than blast emails from MBA! It is a little action that will make a big difference to the program.

In this section:

Checklist for the pre-season Articles on preparation and expectations

“When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” -John Wooden

Checklist for the pre-season:

1. Familiarize yourself with the league website. You can learn a lot about rules and regulations as well as what is going on in your division. Go to www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=mba1 or search Methacton Baseball Association on google and you will be directed to the site.

2. You may want to have your own supplies beyond what the league offers. A clipboard can be helpful. You might want extra balls or special equipment such as a hit stick.

3. You may want to take a Cal Ripken course. These are mandatory for tournament coaches, but you may learn a great deal about strategies and tactics you can employ to increase your coaching I.Q.! go to www.baberuthcoach.com for your courses.

4. Think about what you might say to parents in an email, and the first time you address players. You may not want to jump right into practice. You may want to introduce yourself and have the players get to know each other. You will also want to review your expectations.

5. Plan out some practices, even if you just sketch them out on a sheet of paper.

6. Attend any MBA clinics and encourage an assistant to attend with you.7. Ask the players that play with your child about drills they love and parts of

practice they dislike. This is great inside information!

8. Ask other coaches what their favorite drills are or if there are any age specific things they can impart to you. I always ask the coaches a year ahead of me, “What would be helpful for me to know ahead of time? And “What are the major changes from last year?” They can tell you things you won’t find in a manual.

Preparing for the Upcoming SeasonBy Dave Miramontes, MVP Band

These days, preparation for an upcoming baseball season is not as simple as playing catch or taking a few swings in the cage. Regardless of the level of play, one must first think about developing their fitness levels before focusing on sport-specific skills. For many kids, the demands of an entire season place a great deal of repetitive stress to one’s body. This is especially the case for those who play baseball all year round. By creating a fitness base through a specific conditioning program, a player will be able to perform their running, throwing and hitting skills more efficiently while being able to endure the physical challenges and demands asked of their body and arm. With a growing number of reported injuries, (especially with arm-related injuries), it makes perfect sense to introduce a routine at an early age rather than waiting for a player to reach junior high or high school.

Although our MVP Band program has proven to be a clinically effective method to improve arm strength in both the pre and regular season play, we also understand that aerobic exercise; core body strength and good balance is critical to the success of a well-rounded player. This, of course, is especially the case for pitchers. To begin a pre-season program, keep in mind that there really is no age minimum to get started, however, it is important to keep an eye on any weight bearing exercises that are performed by younger athletes. Through the use of a resistance band and some functional fitness exercises, you can achieve an incredible workout with out the worry of injury.

Before beginning any new pre-season conditioning program, it is important that the players are able follow directions/instructions in order to perform the exercises correctly. This is where age and focus issues come into play. Parents at the same time (especially with players 10 years of age and under) should understand the benefits and risks associated with the conditioning program. Due to individual differences in stress tolerance, the conditioning program needs to be carefully designed in a safe manner that allows each individual the ability to push

him/herself to their own limitations to reduce the possibility of chronic repetitive stress placed on the musculoskeletal system.

WHEN SHOULD YOU START: At a minimum, we suggest a player begins developing and maintaining a solid fitness base at least 4-6 weeks prior to the start of their season. If a player can map out a game plan for their upcoming season through a calendar or log book, they tend to be more accountable. This is a good learning tool for any athlete.

Routine: Before a player even thinks about picking up a ball, and especially in the winter months, they must create a proper warm-up routine that will remain the same throughout the entire season. When the season begins, this routine will most likely be scaled back due to time constraints. Remember, a warm-up is designed to get the blood flowing to all areas of the body, not just your arm. This should consist of 5-10 minutes of light stretching, cardio and aerobic work followed by 5-10 minutes of a dynamic warm-up. Here is a sample of a Pre-season workout that we typically use for our MVP Band Baseball Boot camps:

Warm-ups (5-10 min.)

Jumping Jacks Push-Ups Butt Kickers, Quick Feet (both running in place) Lunges, Hops Light Jog Side to Side Shuffle, Carioca (keeping shoulders square) Light Sprint

Dynamic Warm-up (5-10 min.)

High knees Slow Walking Lunges, Skater Plyo’s, Duck Walk Stationery Lunge with small hops on each leg Side Squat Shuffle Skip with big high arm reach/swings Core Twists with arm swings Backpedal (running backwards with good arm pushes)

Hamstring Stretches/monster walks

Arm Conditioning Exercises (35-45 min.)

Proper stretching Arm circles: 1-2 sets, wrist flexion and extension stretches Resistance Band Exercises (see mvpband.com) Light Toss with proper mechanics , then long toss

Fitness/Strength/Cardio/Speed/Agility (10 min.)

Stomach Crunches/Leg-Lifts/Scissors Tricep Dips/ Forward Push-Ups Wall Sit Lunge Balances Liners (typically used in basketball) Mountain Climbers Line Hops (front/back, side to side) Vertical Leaps Mini Hurdles and Agility Slalom (with cones) Jump Roping (1-2 minutes) Plank

Conclusion:It is important for an athlete to understand that long-term success in any sport is built upon a strong foundation of fundamental fitness abilities. Although the exercises I have presented may not be the easiest to perform at first,

encouragement from a coach, trainer or parent must reinforce that they will get easier as their fitness levels increase. Pre-season conditioning is a key element in building a necessary base to a long season. In building strength to all areas of your body, a player will see and feel a difference in their performance which will bring about a certain confidence level needed for their mental aspect of the game. Additionally and equally important, overall improvement to your baseline fitness will greatly reduce the potential for injury.

”The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now.” -Zig Ziglar

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Zig Ziglar

Expectations of a Coach

By Al Price

The easiest way to predict whether a team is going to have a positive and successful season is to listen to the expectations of the coach.

Coaches, it is critical to set goals and expectations that are reachable and focused on the developing your players and the team.

When you are talking to your team be careful not to use “I”statements. Here are a few I have heard; “I want to win the league this year.” …or… “Ihave always had a winning season, and I expect you to give me another one.” …or… “I expect you to win today and so do your parents…don’t let me down.” …or… “I can’t believe you are not blowing these guys away today…you are embarrassing me out there.”

You see, coaching a team is not supposed to be about you. You can’t go out on the diamond to field a ball, pitch or step up to the plate to hit, so how can you get credit for a win? I have never seen wins and losses recorded next to a coach’s name in the league standings and I hope I never do. Winning and losing is what teams do and as you know there are so many things that influence the outcome of a game and most are completely out of your control.

The longer you coach the more you realize winning looks after itself, so just step up and support your team on game day and enjoy watching your players compete.

Here is how I set and shared my expectations with the Little League teams that I worked with:

First, you don’t have to tell your players that one of your goals is to win. The players already have that one covered, they want to win every game and the championship.

Each pre-season I would work with my assistant coaches and assess the talent and experience on our team. Then we would estimate the number of wins we believed the team could achieve during the season and set our expectations accordingly. Here are a couple of typical scenarios coaches will experience:

Scenario #1 – Setting expectations for a team with average talent and experience

We have a look at the team and predict we should end up in the middle of the pack and win about eight games in a 16-game schedule. Knowing this, we would set expectations at a level we are pretty sure the team will reach. I would tell the players; “Given our experience…and how solid the other teams are in the league… “I am going to be excited and proud you guys when we win our fourth game”. If you pick a goal that is well within reach you take the pressure off the players. In this case your team will probably meet your goal of winning four games early in the season. When that happens, I let them know how excited I am and we have a little mid-season celebration. Of course you have bigger goals and so do the players (and their parents) but approaching team goals this way builds confidence and momentum early on and will likely spur them on to several more victories during the balance of the season.

Scenario #2 – Setting expectations for a team with lots of talent and experience

The toughest team to coach, by far, is the team that is favored to win the league championship. I use the same approach and set expectations at a level that I know the team would reach. If I had a team with lots of experience, several of the best players in the league, with solid pitching and hitting I would set my expectations at winning eight games of a 16-game schedule. In this case we should be able to celebrate the eighth win as a team well before the end of the season and then go out and get more wins and build some momentum for the playoffs.

Over the years, I have learned, it is a big mistake to set expectations too high, especially when you think you have a great team. If the team performs below the coach’s expectations everyone gets frustrated. The coach, players and parents and it is no fun for anyone. In Scenario #2, coaches often fall into the trap of saying things like; “This is our year to win the championship.” Players interpret anything short of winning the championship as a total failure, and it shouldn’t be. A team could go 16-0 and lose a close playoff game on an unlucky bounce or when they run into a hot team and they feel like losers. Going 17-1 is a tremendous year and goes way beyond the expectation of 8-8. Of course players are always disappointed when they lose but should be very proud of their accomplishment.

Coaches, remember players are very motivated to reach your expectations as long as they are within reach and at the same time are never limited by them.

"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." -Epictetus

Coaches, if you are considering doing more, here are some ideas:

Attend coaching clinics at local baseball facilities or universities. Invest in DVDs or books in areas you think might help you as a coach. Tinker with your own ideas of things you would like to do with your team Before your first practice, encourage parents to have their players ready for

day 1. They should have a bag that includes cleats, bat, batting gloves, helmet, water bottle, baseball, and sweatshirt. Their name should be placed on all items. They may not need a bat, helmet, or batting glove but these a recommended. It can be cold early in the season so batting gloves and a sweatshirt (or pullover) can be a lifesaver. These items should remain in the bag throughout the season. A sweatshirt can be useful on the hottest day for a pitcher who needs to keep their arm warm, or for players who like to get loose in warm-ups on cool days.

Consider keeping notecards on all players with parent contact info and special medical information. Record what positions that players prefer or want to work on. It is a healthy activity to discuss goals with each player.

Practice Set-UpThis might be your largest perceived challenge so we want to offer practical ideas for a well-oiled practice. It is not how long the practice is so much as how interesting it is, so try your best to keep variety, movement, repetition, challenge, and fun built into each practice. Early in the season you may want to have an inventory taken of player skills so you may focus on general drills for batting and fielding. As weaknesses are discovered you may want to address finer points. Below is a typical practice set-up you might consider complete with design tips.

A Solid Practice Design

By Jason Taylor

Arrival: Encourage prompt arrival. A 5:30 start means cleats on ready to warm-up at 5:30. You will have parents or days where this is a struggle so communicate expectations to parents and players, but with understanding. Script tip: “I would like you at the field ready to warm-up by 5:30 but understand if your schedule makes this difficult. I understand and appreciate your effort to get your son/daughter here!”

Warm-up: players should usually throw to get their arms loose as players arrive. Encourage players to have a partner and go out to the left or right field line (with the partner in the outfield). Players should start at a close distance where they are successful at reaching each other. Have them throw with a purpose. They should step and throw aiming for the other player’s chest. They should not be launching high pops! They should be getting used to a release point that ensures accuracy while trying to build arm strength. As they are successful catching most balls and reaching each other, the player in the outfield can start to take a step or two back every few throws until the distance becomes too great for continued success. As you see these players warm-up over the course of the early weeks, encourage players of equal arm strength and ability to throw together. The weaker player will be more safe and the stronger player can develop on a track they should without being held back. You or an assistant should monitor and encourage proper form in throwing and receiving the ball or they may be practicing the same things incorrectly and slowing their own growth. This skill is critical to their development on the field and they should understand that warm-up throw is important.

Why the outfield to warm-up? The foul line in the outfield will keep a straight line and avoid stray throws and increase safety. If players are allowed to throw anywhere, they will! There will quickly be balls flying in all directions. An exception to this may be with the younger ages. You may want to have them throw with one athlete 5 feet from the dugout area fence (this will cut down the time spent chasing errant throws!). The outfield is traditionally used because as teams warm-up on game day, teams may want to have batting or infield practice. All teams will want to line, drag, and prepare the field. This will also put less wear and tear on the infield. Fielders warming up in the infield is a “no-no”! A team has just gone to the effort of lining the field and now players are undoing the newly manicured field. That is why it makes sense even in practice. The outfield is a better warm-up area…for many reasons!

Odd-man out? Avoid the “triangle” throwing group. Someone out of the three WILL be throwing into other players. Either have a coach throw with the extra player until another arrives or have the player stand next to another player (5 feet away) as they both warm up with the player at the other end (alternating throws to each player in the pair).

Quick message: Tell the warmed-up players to bring it in. Have a quick meeting to discuss what you want to cover in that practice and introduce of model the first skill. If you are into the competitive season, you may want to discuss the prior game first. Ideally, you would point out growth opportunities and what you will do to help them improve. They will have growing confidence in you knowing that even though they made mistakes in the last game or practice, you have ideas that will make them better. Remind them that their development as a team is a PROCESS that will take YEARS of refining!

Skill Drill (Circuits are a key): so you have 12 players and want to keep them active to avoid boredom. It is easier than you think. If you wanted to have a focus on batting skills and you gave a quick tutorial (consider giving them a skill to add or think about), you should have a player hitting and one on deck. I like to ask a parent for help so the player on deck can be swinging by using a hit stick or a soft toss drill. The other players can be fielding, making plays and throwing to first. These are good game skills and will help you identify which players should be playing first base. One player can back up the coach who is pitching. All throws from the first baseman can come back to him so the coach does not have to waste time waiting. That player can place them in a bucket or hand to the coach when asked. You can have another coach or parent in the outfield with a group working on a skill. As players get older, you can keep one or two outfielders to shag fly balls in batting practice, but even they can be doing long toss between pitches. Outfielders should be encouraged to throw to or toward a cutoff to improve game skills (versus randomly throwing the ball anywhere). If you are using catchers for batting practices, great. If you are not, consider having them on the sideline working on a skill (having a catch, throwing a football, practicing catching balls in the dirt). You could also, depending upon the age, have a pitcher throwing with a catcher on the sideline. You might have 3 pitchers rotate from fielding over to the catcher. The point with all of this is that all 12 players can be having a more focused practiced with high reps. and lots of rotation. Experiment with other drills in this toolkit. Have as many stations as you want. It usually makes sense to have a central skill on the field and stations on the periphery. The more assistant and parent help you can get the better. If the players are older (11 and up), it becomes easier and safer to have them run drills with less supervision. Notice that not all of the skills were on batting. As I have worked with teams that are “kid pitch”, the easiest thing to do is to go a practice without giving the pitchers a change to throw. They NEED to throw at every practice. I find a way to have pitchers throwing during practice and rotate them to some other station.

Finish: A good finish might involve a final skill or team competition. You might have ½ the team at second and ½ the team at home running in opposite directions. If they run relay style the kids have a lot of fun… “losing team cleans the field” is a fair and fun way to have the kids help you! It is always good to have a final message to the players reviewing the practice or discussing something that came up at practice. Point out teachable moments or observations, especially at the end.

Make sure they are all looking at you. I ask the players to “take a knee”. Indian style seating means they are less likely to listen and more likely to play in the dirt. If you introduced several components or skills, ask the players what new skill they learned. Remind them the whole point of adding the skill was to make it a part of their new and improving approach as they play. It is not done just to have something to do at practice, but for the purpose of use and application in a game. They literally need to hear this from you at the younger ages! I think the single best way to end most practices is to create game situations. Have 3-4 runners at home and the rest of the team at positions. Hit the ball and have the runners run and the fielders make the play. It is a game-skill they need to learn. They will start to develop instincts as well as skill. Fielders will start knowing where to throw and when, how to gauge runner speed, etc. Runners will be able to test their own skills on the basepaths while getting in shape. As coach, you can instruct something on virtually every play. They will realize that that doing something with one out might mean doing something different with two, for example. Lastly, I like to have catchers throw down to second and third. They can be forgotten in practice and this last 10 minutes helps them and middle infielders (I usually ask two to help) gain strength and confidence. As with pitchers, they should be doing this at every practice.

Clean-Up: Out of courtesy to the next team on the field, you should leave the field as you found it (or better!). If all MBA coaches did this, we would have a good start to every practice. Bases should be put away. All items should be placed with care and organized into the sheds.

What are the steps to a successful practice? By Al Herback and Al Price

Fun Practice Plan Checklist:

Have a plan Get to the field 20-30 minutes before the start time so you can

spend individual time with players that arrive early Start the practice on time with a short meeting and share your

plan with the team Run before you stretch Warm-up before every practice Introduce a new skill in a progression oriented way Incorporate the “Throwing and Catching Long-Toss Drill” into

every practice Break down into small manageable groups…more repetitions

per player Teach one skill a practice and do it in 15 minutes or less Review the skill you taught in the previous practice

Use high activity drills to provide the repetitions players need to improve their skills

Keep hitting practice to 25 minutes or less in every practice Build in fun games and competitions into every practice Use stations to keep the lines short and the activity high Close your practice with a fun competition that involves

everyone on the team Finish with a team meeting to review of the skill taught and

provide positive feedback to the players Finish the practice on time

Infield DrillsWhen it comes to fielding, most coaches spend a lot of time on the infield. This is where the majority of the action takes place. You will want to design drills and instruction that encourage proper form and thinking. High repetitions are a key. Having the team in a line, getting one a ground ball, and going to the end of the line is not going to cut it!

Fielding Ground Ball Progression for Players 5-8 years

Al Herback and Al Price

First, please recognize you are working with young players just starting out, with wide variety of different attitudes, motivation, experience and skill level.

Second, you must build safety and organization into every part of your practice.

Third, remember players improve the most when they are active trying out what you want them to learn.

Fourth, be patient with each player and be positive with them every chance you get.

Fifth, find a creative way to break down the skill so each player on your team finds success.

Finally, and most importantly, they need to have fun. Your job is to help each and every player on your team develop a passion for the game

We suggest that you apply this little checklist to introducing the skill of “Fielding a Ground Ball.”

Ground Ball – “Ready Position” Have the players stand side by side on the edge of the infield grass arms distance apart and introduce the basic infield stance. Legs wide, bum sticking out, hands out front and low, head up, eyes on the ball. We call this ready position “alligator” because we want players to take a low stance with two hands out front in an alligator type position.

Ground Ball Practice – Fun RepetitionsOrganize your team into four lines of three players. Mark a spot on the infield dirt at each of the 4 infield positions. Have a coach or parent helper stand five to six steps out in front of each line. Have the first player in each line to get ready to field the ground ball by calling out “Ready” or “Alligator.”

Initially have the players take off their gloves and set them aside. Then softly roll an oversized ball to the player at the front of each line. Each player fields the ball with two hands, tosses it back to the coach and then circles around to the back of their line. This is a great way to safely introduce fielding with two hands. Keep them going for two to three minutes so each player gets several chances to be successful.Then, have the players put on their gloves and repeat the drill using a regular sized baseball. If you have soft baseballs in your equipment bag, start with them. Then introduce the ball that you will use in games. Make sure the four coaches are only a short distance away and are rolling the ball underhand softly. The goal at this point in the progression is to get as many repetitions as possible reinforcing the basic technique and help players develop confidence.

As the players gain more confidence during the year, organize the drill with the coaches at each station back at a position closer to game distance.

As a coach, your goal should be to provide each player with 40-50 ground ball chances in the 10-15 minutes that you have set aside in each practice. Using this approach it is easy to accomplish this objective and, over the course of 10 practices, you have provided each player 400-500 repetitions on this very important & challenging skill.

Of course you will need to mix in hitting some ground balls during your practice but we recommend you give all players 40-50 repetitions using the above approach first.

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As players get adept at the above progression, I like to add an element of urgency to the situation so they are prepared for game situations. I instruct players that after I roll or hit the ball to them, I am going to count to four to simulate a runner getting to first. They have to try to get it to the firstbaseman before I reach the count of four. The counting goes a long way to encourage players to hustle and adds a competitive element.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

“You can learn many things from children; How much patience you have, for instance.” -Franklin P. Jones

“King of the Diamond” – A Ground Ball Competition Your Players Will Love!

by Al Herback and Al Price

Al and I find that Little League coaches everywhere are looking for fun drills and competitions they can use to help motivate their players to improve. We know from experience, that there are way better ways to develop fielding skills than lining up players at shortstop and hitting ground balls at them.

The “King of the Diamond” competition is designed for players 8-14 years old but could be easily modified to help players of any age. You can either have all the players on your team compete at the same time or better yet, split your team into two groups of 6-7 players. One group competes in “King of the Diamond” and the other half of your team competes in the outfield “Fly Ball Shuttle Competition” at the same time. (“Fly Ball Shuttle Competition” – can be found in our Planning a Practice DVD and Basic Instructional Manual) After 10-15 minutes have the two groups switch stations. Remember, when you are working with players at this age, they all need to develop both of these key defensive skills.

Setting up for “King of the Diamond”Have one coach move to home plate with a bucket of balls and get ready to throw (or hit) ground balls. The second coach is positioned at first base, with an empty ball bag behind him, ready to receive throws from each of the fielders. (We suggest you have the coach at first just catch the calls and drop them in the bucket behind first base…then when the coach at home plate is out of balls…just run the balls in from first and switch buckets. This approach saves a lot of time and keeps the drill moving.) The players line up, one behind the other, at the regular second base fielding position. The player at the front of the line moves onto the infield dirt and

gets ready to take his turn fielding a ground ball. (It is a good idea to draw a “V” in the dirt where you want the infielder to stand when it is his turn to make a play.)

OK, now you are ready for ROUND #1Roll a “routine” ground ball to each player lined up at second base fielding position. If the player fields the ball cleanly and makes an accurate throw to the first baseman – he gets to move to the line at the shortstop position. If a player fumbles the ground ball or makes a bad throw to first – he does not advance to shortstop but instead moves to the back of the line at second base position. Coaches, ROUND #1 ends when you have given each player a chance to field one ground ball.

Lets go for ROUND #2At the start of ROUND #2 you will probably have players still lined up at second base and some over in the at the shortstop line. Start ROUND #2 by rolling a routine ground ball to each of the players still in the second base fielding line. Again, if the players make a good play they move up to shortstop and if they make an error they stay at second base. Now, turn to the players lined up at shortstop. Complete ROUND #2 by rolling a little more challenging ground ball to each player in the shortstop line. If a player in the shortstop line makes a nice play and an accurate throw to first base he gets to move over and line up at the third base fielding position. If a player in the shortstop line fumbles the ground ball or makes a bad throw to first base he needs to move back down to the line at the second base fielding position. Round #2 ends when each player in the group has had the chance to field his second ground ball of the competition.

Round #3, now it starts to get interesting.At this point in the competition you will probably have some players lined up at second base, shortstop and third base fielding positions. Start ROUND #3 by rolling a routine ground ball to each of the players in the second base line. Again, if they make a good play they move up to shortstop, if they make an error they stay at second base. Then roll a medium paced…a little more challenging ground ball… to each player in the shortstop line. Remember if a player in the shortstop line makes a nice play and an accurate throw to first base he gets to move up to the third base line and if he makes a fielding or throwing error he moves back to second. Finally, turn and face the players in the “KING OF THE DIAMOND” line at third base and throw a more challenging ground ball to each of them. (Coaches, we want this play to be tougher so roll or hit a faster ground ball and make them work to their backhand or forehand side.) Now, if a player at third base position makes a good fielding play and an accurate throw across the diamond to first base he gets to stay in the “KING OF THE DIAMOND” line. And as you would guess, if a player in the third baseline makes an error fielding or throwing he moves down to the shortstop line. Round #3 ends when each player has had the chance to field his third ground ball, so if you have six players in the group, the round would include six ground balls, one to each player.

Continue with 10-15 more rounds so each player gets lots of chances to move up. The “King of the Diamond” champion is the player that makes the most successful plays at third base.

The best part is that everyone is challenged at their own skill level and experience success. Your weaker players will often make the play at second base and get lots of

chances to move up and try plays at the shortstop position. Your stronger players are pushed to get better when they are over at shortstop and third base trying to make more difficult plays. In our local league we used this drill as the fielding ground ball station at pre-season and all-star tryouts and it worked great. We like to throw the ground balls because there is more control but hitting ground balls can work too.

Any time you want to add a little more focus and energy to the competition, just offer to buy the “King of the Diamond Champions” an ice cream cone or other treat. Once you show “King of the Diamond” to your players they are going to ask for it all season long – perfect!

Cross-Hit Infield DrillBy Jason Taylor

In this drill, infielders get high repetitions and the supporting players are moving a lot! You should have at least two coaches (shown here as “A” and “B”). It helps to have two buckets or ball bags and a lot of baseballs. The fielders (shown with an O) can field and toss the balls behind them, field and toss toward second base, or field and throw to a base. The player with Coach a can throw to third and the player with Coach B can throw to first. If you were doing several rounds, you would not want to have the players throw too much. Focus on fielding. The

players marked with a PLUS are there to back up the fielder. They should have a bucket or bag so that when it is full they are running it back to the coach in their line. There are plenty of higher level variations of this drill. Infielders can practice flips to second base, for example. This isn’t too taxing on the arm and uses a game skill. One word of caution: do not work on charging balls or slow rollers in this drill as fielding players could be running into a batted ball.

Coaching tip: players should be in a ready position for every ball with arms out comfortably (not straight out). The glove hand should be facing palm up and the throwing hand should be slightly behind the glove hand and facing down. Legs should be bent with chest facing down toward the infield (as the ball approaches). Focus more on getting the chest down than the butt as the player fields the ball. They should field the ball out in front of their body with the arms extended so they can gather the ball in and move their feet with more ease to complete the play with a throw.

As a progression or additional option to the cross-hit drill, you can have the first and third basemen practice picks and catching the ball on hops of all kinds. Another player (shown as C and D below) can stand in the shallow outfield and throw one-hoppers to your first and third basemen. If there are extra third and first basemen, they can back up all missed balls. Your first and third basemen can turn the execution of catching errant throws in games from a game of luck and chance to a matter of practiced reaction and skill! By getting used to the various

A B

hops they are sure to experience, they will grow accustomed to how they need to respond.

Coaching tip: the angle of the glove matters when fielding! If it is a regular ground ball, you will want the arms extended with the glove low to allow the ball into the web. A glove more perpendicular to the ground will usually be caught between the legs (versus out in front). This will result in more balls bouncing out of the glove and footwork that will slow the completion of the play. On short hops (whether on a ground ball or pick), the player can move the glove in a more perpendicular way a stab forward a bit. There is less “give” with the glove and arms on a short hop because the athlete should be smothering the ball into their glove.

Footwork drill: Rehearse the stepsBy Jason Taylor

C D

Players and coaches spend a lot of time fielding but less time on footwork which will help them to complete the play. How many times have you seen a young player field the ball and then not have the arm strength to get the ball to first or the play just slows down allowing the runner to reach safely? Poor footwork and misuse of the legs may be the culprit. With 6-8 year olds especially, they will have a natural tendency to catch the ball, stop, stand up, and throw. Use this drill to show them how to get the ball to first base more quickly and with more success! When practiced, players can make more plays by having stronger throws and quicker execution.

Players should practice moving their feet toward the target at all times through the play. In most cases, they will be throwing to first base. This drill is done stages. You can have a whole line of athletes do this. In stage one, do not use a ball. Have players simulate fielding the ball, taking their jab step (the right foot moves out in front of the body and the inside of the foot is facing the target) toward first base, and then completing the throw. From start to finish they should be moving in the direction of first base, never stopping their momentum. Once they can do this have them simulate fielding a ball and throwing 3 or 4 times without stopping. They should all be covering 10 feet or more and start to see how their legs aid in the throwing of the ball. They will be closer to the target and will have created momentum that makes their throw stronger, without placing all the responsibility on the arm. They should be ready for real baseballs now. Swing away and watch your players layer in this new skill!

BackhandsBy Jason Taylor

A sharply hit ball may make it difficult for players to get their bodies in front of a ground ball. Whether you incorporate this into the cross-hitting drills above or as a stand-alone drill, backhanding plays should be practiced.

1. A nice progression might be to start with a large ball (2-5 lb ball) and to stand a few feet from the fielder. Might sure he is in a ready position without his glove. From 5 feet away, roll the ball and call out “regular” or “backhand”. The player should field as directed. On the backhand, they will move their right arm across their body and catch the ball with palm facing out. They can actually roll it back in the same motion as the stoppage with the backhand as the ball is too big to stop. Once you model this, you can have other pairs of fielders roll the ball to each other.

2. Consider switching to a regulation ball now. If you have other stations running, you can really spend time helping the player to think about where their body needs to be and how their backhand has to pick up the ball. They should be low to the ground and really trying to turn their glove hand around to create an angle that gives the ball a better chance to find the web.

3. You can move the distance back and the player can use the glove now. If you are at home plate you can bat the balls. Tell the player to field all backhands regardless of where you hit it (as you might hit a couple to the wrong side), so they can focus on the skill being taught. They will start to gain comfort in the position of their body and the timing between their feet and the pick-up of the ball.

ThrowingBy Jason Taylor

With all players, throwing is a key ingredient to the game. This is often overlooked by coaches. Simply saying ‘”Go warm up” with no instruction will not get the job done. Players will continue to employ bad habits and improper mechanics. You can help! Younger players have not developed the proper arm slot and muscle memory to throw the ball consistently with accuracy and authority. There is a cure for this: keep throwing…a lot! Players should never throw too hard or far without properly warming up. The act of consistent throwing and catching will eventually lead to muscles being given the signal of when to release the ball.

Younger throwers:

Practice first without a ball. Have players in a line and have them step with their left foot (for righties) while extending their throwing arm back. You should encourage them to turn their glove arm shoulders toward the target like the sight on a rifle. This helps line up the throw and aids the throwing arm in extending back. They can throw the ball when their lead foot hits the ground. They should let the ball go out in front of their body and allow the arm to follow through (otherwise they are practicing a toss, not a throw). You can see why you may want to do this without a ball. There is a lot to watch and do. It is much easier if you have players focus on one part of the throw at a time, doing it slowly before going to full speed. This should become the way they warm up. When in warm ups encourage players to aim for the chest of their target. Focused practice will lead to improved results. Practice does not make perfect…perfect practice makes perfect!

All throwers:

One-knee drill- righties should have their left knee up and lefties should have their right knee up. Players do the above drill but without use of legs. They will have to use more of a chest turn with glove shoulder as a “sight”, in order to throw the ball. They may do it naturally in order to create momentum (knowing they can’t use their legs). Their arm should drop to their side, extend back and throw increasingly harder (which should result in a follow through).

Long toss- As arms get stronger, challenge players to throw at greater distances in warm-ups. As a drill, long toss should be used as a way to strengthen your player’s arms. They should do what they normally do in their throwing motion but accentuating the shoulder turn and step before the throw. They should hit a distance where the throw lands 2/3 the way to the target and bounces up to him. Players may place their hat at 2/3 mark as a target to encourage focus and stronger, lower, one-hop throws. This gets them used to the idea that a low, hard throw on a hop is preferred to the high arcing throw that is weaker and takes longer to arrive. Cross train by throwing with a football. It requires more strength.

“Bubba Throwing” – A Fantastic Way to Teach Players 5-8 Years Old How to Throw!

by Al Herback and Al Price

Throwing is by far the most important skill to develop in baseball or softball. We need to find a this is a fun and effective way to teach throwing at this age level.

Before we move right into the throwing technique, it is important to recognize the special attributes players this age bring to the ball diamond. These impact how we introduce and practice the skill.

Players this age learn by doing, not by listening. This means that you should not have them sit down or stand around while you attempt to teach them something. Instead, get them going and use verbal cues while they are doing the activity.

Players this age don’t like to wait their turn. If you organize them into lines and they have to wait around before they finally get to throw, or catch, hit or run they become bored and lose interest.

Remember, in most cases they have not yet developed the most basic skills. So some of the more traditional approaches, drills and activities that we use with players that are 9 to 12 just don’t work very well.

How do you get players 5 to 8 years old to throw the ball 40 to 50 times in 15 minutes with decent technique without having to wait their turn? The activity needs to be fun and we need to organize the activity so there is no fear for players to hit a little buddy in the face with a thrown ball.

Most coaches fall into the trap of getting players to partner up and play catch. Al and Al call this the “pitch-duck-and run” drill because that is what happens. Playing catch is a great way to practice throwing and catching once players actually know how to throw and catch.

Why not create a fun throwing activity that looks similar to the way golfers are organized at a golf driving range. Give each player an ice cream bucket full of balls. Place five or six old tennis balls, a couple of whiffle balls and 1-2 regulation balls in each bucket.

Then take the lids to the buckets and print the first name of each of your players on it. Line up the buckets and matching lids down the right field line.

On your cue, direct the players to pick up a ball from their bucket and practice throwing to the open field. When all the buckets are empty, the coach has the players hustle out to gather up a bucket full of balls and return to their lid for another round of Bubba Throwing.

It’s lots of fun; players have their own station so there is no standing around waiting their turn. Coaches, this is a great way to have your players practice the correct arm action and the second step of a two-step throw.

Playing Catch with a Purpose

Throwing Technique/ How the Upper and Lower half of the Body Work Together

By Dave Miramontes and Rich Taylor

You’ve probably heard the old adage pitching is just an extended form of playing catch. In reality, and in building proper throwing and pitching mechanics for any young player, it is a true statement. By playing catch correctly, a player’s upper and lower body forms a synergy to produce an accurate and strong throw.

In discussing Proper Balance and Good Arm Action in our previous articles, we explained two key components that play a significant role in perfecting good and proper pitching mechanics. Both actions are derived from simply playing catch. Once the proper balance and foundation is built with the lower half of the body (balance), it places your upper half in an optimal position to begin your throw.

Throwing shouldn’t just be a way to get loose or warm up, but should have a purpose behind it. Often times, coaches give the responsibility of “warming up” to the players themselves. This is not a great approach unless there is a regiment that has been enforced and is supervised at each practice. When players become lazy or lack focus when playing catch, they create bad habits that could possibly lead to improper throwing habits. More often than not, these bad habits carry over into a game and the end result is rarely positive. A common habit we see with many young players is they tend to throw off their front foot (left foot for right hander’s and right foot for left hander’s) while keeping their weight back. In some instances, this habit becomes so bad that the back pivot foot slides underneath the

player’s body and remains in mid-air during the actual throw. While the ball may get to the desired destination, velocity is dismal and ball placement is inconsistent. By placing a majority of your weight and momentum opposite the direction of your target, a player tends to open up too much, steps off line with their lead foot, drops their arm more frequently and has trouble with aligning the hips and shoulders to the target, an important factor that determines the accuracy of the throw. Players that struggle to distribute their weight in a forward direction, or place their lead leg in a proper manner, generally have problems on the pitching mound in relation to proper balance and forward momentum toward the plate. In most cases, they tend to fall off one way or the other and their release point will varies drastically from pitch to pitch. Again, this can be corrected by playing catch with a purpose.

Playing catch, and more importantly throwing the ball takes balance, leverage and forward momentum. While throwing a baseball seems like a relatively simple process, it is actually one of the most important skills in the game itself. Below, we have broken the throwing process down in 5 steps:

Step 1) Foot PlantJust as the ball reaches your hand (when playing catch), the first step will begin with the throw-ing side (right handers starting with their right foot, left handers with their left foot). Here, the pivot foot plants down at a 45-degree angle (remember a 90º angle is when you pitch). By placing your lead foot in this angle, it will enable one’s front shoulder and hip to line up with thetarget.

Step 2) BalanceWhen the lead leg foot (non-throwing side) is lifted into a balance position, both legs & feet should now be in a 45-degree angle (pointing in the same direction). During this phase, both hands should be below your chest and ideally at waist height.

Step 3) Forward MotionOnce you begin your forward movement toward the target and just before your lead/front foot touches the ground, both hands will break from one another. Your throwing arm goes directly back to the throwing position (or a ready to feed the giant position-an analogy explained in ourprevious arm action article.) while at the same time your lead glove hand points directly at your target.

Step 4) Foot StrikeThis next step is the most forceful motion of your throw. As yourlanding foot strikes, several things will occur:

A majority of your weight is transferred to your landing foot. Your knee should absorb the weight and be bent between a 45- 90º angle As your hands split apart, your chest opens up toward the target. Your lead glove hand pulls your non-throwing shoulder down, thus creating

your right/left-throwing elbow to lift to shoulder height. (Remember, when the glove is pulled down, it does not pass your waist)

As your throwing elbow reaches shoulder height, it is now leading your ball hand toward the target.

Step 5) Release, Follow through & BalanceAs you release the ball, all of your weight should be now placed on your plant foot. This is why it is imperative to obtain good balance on the ball of your foot. After the ball has been released, your throwing hand should continue across the plane of your body and end either at your thigh or even better, below your knee. During this phase, your eyes should remain level as well as both shoulder blades. Important Note: The terminology, “stay squared after your throw” simply means that a player maintains equal balance between your legs after the throw. By doing so, you keep yourself from falling off to one side or the other.

Final Note:Education and the continued reinforcement of proper mechanics play a critical role in thedevelopment of young players. Despite the challenges a volunteer coach or manager has whendealing with such a broad range of skill levels in youth baseball, it should be noted that creatinggood fundamentals and building a solid base must be as equally as important to being a positive role model. We have seen all too often that if a player or pitcher can throw with relative accuracy, many younger level coaches and parents simply use the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix” rule and spend more time on those with lesser skills. We understand about the time constraints in practice, but do keep in mind that all players on the team must be evaluated on their individual skills rather than their ability compared to others. I have yet to see a young player with perfect arm mechanics, nor a player that doesn’t need to hone in on a certain skill or two to improve their throwing abilities. We, along with almost every upper level coach, sports trainers and top researchers, suggest it is best to attack a bad habit early on before a problem snowballs into a sore arm or injury. If pitching is indeed an exaggerated form of playing catch, then initiating good throwing mechanics is essential to finding productivity on the mound or at any position. If youngplayers play catch correctly and with a purpose, then getting the pitch over or around the plate (when given the opportunity) becomes relatively easy.

Star Drill By Jim Valenta

It moves fast and the players really get into it. I am doing this with league-age 9 and 10 year olds. I fill the infield except pitcher, and line up the extra players at home. I hit the ball to the second baseman, he throws to third who throws to first, who throws to shortstop who throws home. As this is going on I have one of the extra guys trying to run the bases and score before the ball gets home. If you draw it out on a paper the ball makes a star.”

Building Up Arm Strength

By Harold Reynolds

Many big leaguers call it a “hose” or a “cannon.” Whatever you call it, your arm is probably the most important asset in playing the game of baseball. If your arm is not right, then you can forget playing the game.

Unfortunately, many young players have never been taught how to care for their arms or how to build up arm strength. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve seen in pro ball who have arm trouble because they never learned to build up arm strength.

There is a routine I used all through my career, and I never had an arm injury. The routine I used is the same one you can

use to build up your arm strength and prevent injury– no matter what age you are. You may have heard of the term “long toss.” It is a routine used by many big leaguers. Here is what you do:

Start by spacing yourself about 10-15 yards from your throwing partner. Make 10 throws from this distance, just playing normal catch, not trying to throw the ball too hard. Just get your arm loose, and work on good mechanics and hitting the target. After 10 throws from each of you, you and your throwing partner both take one step back, and then each of you makes one throw from the new distance. Then, after each throw, you each take one more step back and make a throw.

Continue doing this until you have moved to the distance that places you the farthest you can be apart from your throwing partner and still be able to get the ball to him in the air. This “long toss” routine should last 5-10 minutes. Remember, you are throwing the ball with some velocity like in a normal game of catch, but not trying to play “burnout.”

If you continue this “long toss” routine each time you go out to throw the baseball, you’ll find that after a few days, you will be able to lengthen the distance you throw the ball and you will be able to throw the ball farther without as much effort. This means you are building up your arm strength and protecting yourself from future injury. Keep working at it and take care of your arm!

Pitching

This is the position the game seems to hinge on. It is a wonder that players ever develop from a five year old with a “spaghetti arm” to an 8 year old who is expected to hit a catcher’s mitt from 46 feet! It happens a lot easier if you have worked to develop arm strength and proper throwing mechanics along the way. In

the early years of pitching development you should have different goals in mind than a coach in the upper levels of youth baseball. One thing that should be a common thread is proper technique. Players taking care of their arms and focused on throwing harder will be more likely to have the mechanics and delivery required to be successful. In this section you will find drills and plans for pitchers in different age groups.

Pitching- The Early Years

By Jason Taylor

By the time player pitching (versus machine or coach pitch) is introduced to most programs, the players have started too late. If the mechanics are shown the year they are needed for games, it sets a player behind on the learning curve. Consider teaching pitching in “layers”, or progressions.

Before we talk about what TO DO, let’s agree that modern science has surpassed traditional instruction. The best young players learn the way that pros learn because it is safer and it works. Let’s take a minute to point out several things we should STOP doing:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

O.K. now we are ready to begin!

Ages 6-7: Take time at practice to show some basic mechanics. Players can usually learn to pitch from the stretch or wind-up after 10 minutes. Use a distance you think players can regularly hit the glove. You can also use a canvass target for the pitcher. Some keys are to keep the motion similar, and to get the motion going a little quicker than we were taught growing up (think Roy Halladay!). Model as much as you can and show them what they are doing. Opportunities for repetition and consistent time at practice will make a huge difference. I like to teach in this way:

Stand so the player can see you model the motion.

1. START/SET POSITION- Start with legs about shoulder width apart and arms at the side. The head should be looking at the catcher’s mitt. The back foot should be inside of the pitching rubber (if you are using one) from the stretch.

2. LEG LIFT and BALANCE POINT- All of these occur at the same time!a. Step with the lead foot (foot closest to home) forward a few inches.

Practice this several times with the player so they get used to moving their foot from start to what is called “set” position.

b. Leg lift- once a happens the leg should immediately move up to the balance point position where the lead leg comes up and back toward second base. The player does not need to hold this position (other than in stabilizing drills). He is about to throw the ball hard and fast!

c. Arms up- bring the arms up that were at the side. Players will probably doo this naturally as a way to build momentum.

3. FIRE AWAY- arms separate to form a T with the front glove leading out in front. Try to keep the glove and head straight at the target. Encourage players to see the glove. Occasionally put a live person in the box to check on their ability to concentrate.

If 6-7 year olds practice just this, they will be ready for kid pitch! If they seem to master this you can give them more instruction. Move the distance as their arm gets stronger (with the ultimate goal of 46 feet from the front of the mound to the point of the plate). There is no need to wait until they are 8. Develop them now to prepare them for the day they have to pitch. There will be fewer walks and happier parents (oh, and most important…more confident young pitchers!)

Advanced 7s and 8s are ready to understand that there is more to the motion after the balance point than simply letting the ball go. Have players do all steps one at a time and in slow motion to demonstrate mastery or readiness. 4. Below picks up as an advanced explanation of step 2 from the article above.

4. BALANCE POINT- the player should practice lifting their front leg up and a little toward second base. A good drill is to have them practice holding the leg at its height employing steps one and two as well. A player will never actually have to hold their leg this long in a game (it would break their momentum and the potential energy they are about to unleash!). It is done for the simple fact that most young players have poor balance and stabilizing muscles throughout their feet, legs, and core that enable them to control their body through the rest of the pitching motion. They are likely to wobble, throw the ball somewhere other than the target, and begin to develop bad habits. The balance point is critical in the motion but exists for only a split second and should not be turned into a freeze frame! At this

point their eyes should be on the mitt and their front shoulder should be ready to guide the body and ball toward the target.

5. OPPOSITE AND EQUAL- the players hands should “break” from each other and form a T. They are in opposite directions, keeping the pitcher in balance. The glove arm is pointing toward home like the sight of a rifle for the eyes. The front leg starts toward home and should be close to landing. The leg should swing around like a gate and should be preparing to land after a long stride. If not using a mound, the leg will land in this step. The front foot should point toward home. (Advanced coaches and pitchers break number 4. into two parts A. Opposite and equal arms and B. Hip/Shoulder Separation. For a complete explanation buy The Art and Science of Pitching by Tom House)

6. RELEASE and FOLLOW THROUGH (The aforementioned book has two parts before release called “ Stack and Track” and “Swivel and Stabalize”, but I will simplify for use with younger athletes. If you want the full instruction for players, it may not fit into a traditional practice. This is where a partnership with local pitching facilities becomes important. You just are not expected to know all of this as you may have a family and career outside of coaching baseball!)The player is just starting his front foot strike with the ground and has rotated his hips and shoulders to create quite a bit of momentum. The chest and shoulders are upright The front knee is firming up over the landing foot. The glove is pointing up (as it just “swiveled” into position. The head and torso will follow the glove forward. This is the height of the potential energy created so that the pitching arm can now do its work. The best pitchers release the ball in front of their landing foot. The ball should be released as close to home plate as humanly possible. If this is all done the player will follow through without trying. You may want to have him exaggerate the follow through with the pitching arm coming across the body and nearly touching the calf. When players release and follow through properly you will notice more low strikes and balls, which are better than high ones! Keep in mind that a player should do these in parts, visualizing the correct form and seeing their own whenever possible. Then they should be able to execute the full motion without thought to what they are doing, seeing only a catcher’s mitt and the spot they want to hit!

How many times have you watched pitchers look great warming up on the sidelines only to fizzle out once they get into the pitching circle? Or, how often have you coached or witnessed pitchers who never truly reach their full potential? Becoming a great pitcher is more than the ability to achieve steadfast mechanics. Many times, as coaches, we focus on the physical game of our pitchers and forget about the mental game -- as well as all the other aspects of pitching that are of utmost importance. Let’s take a little time to talk about pitching as a whole and how to develop successful pitchers.

The coach’s role is to help their individual athletes and team to become the best they can be. While coaching requires knowledge of the skills used in softball, you must develop ways to communicate that knowledge to your athletes. Below, I have developed a "Road Map" to help you prepare your pitchers to be the best ‘game’ pitchers they can be.

Construct Goals

The first thing we need to do is help our athletes develop goals that can be attained and measured. We should also develop a well-defined plan for achieving those goals; this will help to enhance self-motivation and direction for the athletes. When you have a target to shoot for, you are much more motivated to do well and improve.

Off Field Training

The next step is setting up a good training program. I have written a couple of articles about the importance of training off the field. Please refer to those on my website: www.michelesmith.com for the articles as well as my new Training DVD and Year Long Training Guide. Weight training is important to keep the total body strong, especially all the muscles used when pitching. Training will give your athletes more power and help keep them injury free.

A Road Map for Developing Successful Pitchers

by Michele Smith

Video Analysis

Many coaches and athletes spend a great deal of time working on pitching mechanics. Video technology is an excellent way to help analyze the athletes. Video will help your athletes understand exactly what they are doing right and wrong. There’s a big difference between what our minds think we are doing and what our bodies are actually doing. Visually seeing our skills will help us learn at an increased pace. I recommend watching my pitching videos, in other words watching my form or video of any pitcher who has great form, and then immediately watching video of your athletes and comparing our similarities and differences. Many athletes learn visually, so the use of video will speed the learning process.

Drills

It is also important to use drills to help develop proper muscle memory of correct mechanics. Drills will also help rid pitchers of bad habits. Remember, most drills will work on just one aspect of the pitching motion, therefore do drills in single sets of 20-25 repetitions--depending on the age of the athlete.

Scouting

Scouting and analyzing the opponent’s weaknesses is imperative in building successful teams and pitchers. It is important to teach your pitchers and catchers to recognize the hitter’s strengths and weaknesses so they can be targeted. It is also important for infielders and outfielders to know this information as well so they can be well positioned in their defensive spots. For example, knowing to "play the line" when a pull hitter is batting is a must for the "corners."

Battery Talk and Skills

It is important for the battery to learn and understand there is more to pitching than just balls and strikes. The following points should be discussed and used in both practice and games.

-Throwing the right pitch in the right situation – Many coaches of young athletes will call the game for the battery therefore it is important to teach the athletes why pitches are being called according to the situation at hand.

-Changing speeds with all pitches – Learn to use "junk" pitches at different speeds, this will make it harder for the batter to time the pitcher.

-Establishing the inside corner and not being afraid to pitch inside – This is a challenge for many young pitchers. Use "cones" as batters during practice to teach pitchers to throw on the inside part of the plate. Also, let the pitchers know

it is the batter’s responsibility to get out of the way of the pitch and to trust their control.

-Learning when to and when not to use the change-up – Since many coaches call the game for the battery, it is important for the battery to understand when the change up is needed and when it is not.

-Upsetting the hitter’s rhythm is a key in becoming a great pitcher- Experienced pitchers do many key things well, and keeping hitters off balance is one such key. Keep the hitter from getting into a groove, both the pitcher and the catcher can help do this.

-Getting ahead of the hitter and working ahead in the count is very important- Control is needed to do this, so work on control during practice to help this part of the pitcher’s game.

-Working fast without rushing is another key component of a great pitcher- A pitcher who works too slowly has too much time to think and that is not a good thing. Get in a quick rhythm and don’t allow the opposing team to break it.

-Don’t get in a pattern…stay unpredictable – Many coaches and catchers calling the game will get predictable and this gives hitters who study the game, and you, an advantage.

-Make adjustments in the later innings of the game- As the game goes on and the pitcher’s pitch count increases, it is important to make adjustments in form and pitch calling. The longer a game goes, the more at-bats a hitter will get off the pitcher and this is an advantage to the hitter. Therefore, making adjustments at the end of the game is very important.

-Getting ahead with strikes early in the count and getting the hitter out with balls-This is one of the most important aspects of pitching. A pitcher who can make hitters swing at balls will be one of the most successful pitchers in the game.

-Frustrate aggressive hitters by working a little slower- This can be done by a longer pause in the pre-motion or by stepping off the rubber. Other ways are to rub up the ball or talk to the catcher by calling her out to the circle.

-Pay attention to information provided by the hitter – Many hitters will show you what type of pitch they like to hit in their warm up swings. Study their warm up swing and you will know where not to pitch them. During the game, learn to process their swing and watch their form to see what they are doing right or wrong so you can make adjustments on where to pitch them.

-Stay away from a good hitter’s strength or power zone- Whenever possible, do not pitch to a hitter’s strength or power zone. Throw there only when necessary--

when it is also the umpire’s zone and you need a strike. Remember there are three strike zones--the umpire’s, the pitcher’s and the hitter’s. Always try to throw to the umpires and pitchers and avoid the hitter’s.

-Teach defensive responsibilities- It makes a pitcher’s job much easier when she is a good fielding pitcher. Work defensive skills regularly in practice. Work ground balls and bunts to all bases as well as plays at the plate.

-Establish a consistent pitching circle routine- This routine should be used in both practice and games. The catcher should be aware of the pitcher’s routine and help keep her in it.

-Establish a consistent pre-game routine- This routine should be followed every

Baseball Camp DrillsBy Scott Grove

Philosophy: There is a lot of discussion concerning the development of throwing arms of today’s children. Pitch counts have been established in the youth programs to help alleviate this problem. The goal of our pitching and pitching drills section is to help coaches develop proper throwing mechanics and to improve arm strength.

Drill #4 – Backwards Progression - One Knee Extend and Stand Drill – Baseball

Thrower performs drill similar to the One Knee Drill At the time of delivering the ball, the thrower explodes off the knee

on the ground and comes to a standing position out over the front knee.

Mechanics of the throw include correct hand separation, ball away in the launch and a smooth effortless delivery to a 2 – handed target.

For the thrower to get out “over the front knee” the thrower must take his “chest to the glove.”

A good follow through to the correct fielding position should also be emphasized.

Distance is 35 – 40 feet apart.

Gaining Good or Better Arm ActionBy Dave Miramontes and Rich Taylor, MVP Band

In baseball and for pitchers, the term arm action is the movement of a players arm when making a natural throwing motion toward the plate. When referring to arm motion, many coaches generally refer to the terminology of arm angles, arm slots, or release points. Quite frankly, these terms sound foreign to a parent, new coach and most importantly a young player that just wants to get out and play. To have an understanding of these terms, a brief description is provided:

Arm AnglesThis is the angle of the upper arm as it passes by one’s head in route to the plate. Many individuals refer to arm angles similar to the hands of a clock. Moving from highest release point to the lowest, the arm angles range from 12-3 with 12 being an overhand throw and 3 being completely sidearm. If you refer to a left-hander, you would use the 12-9 terminology with 9 being sidearm.

Arm slotThe set angle/position of the arm before a player throws the ball toward the plate.

Just before you throw the ball, your body opens up toward the plate and your arm drops into a cocking phase or Arm Slot. Many times this is a consistent location, but can change depending on certain pitches.

Release PointThe point at which the ball actually leaves one’s hand before it makes its way to home plate. Coaches generally look at the body position during the release point to determine what needs to be adjusted.

While each player possesses their own personal arm action/angles through their genetic make-up and/or how they have been taught, we find it best to adjust any imperfections or concerns (if needed) at an early age. As a coach or parent, it is important to understand what proper mechanics and arm angles are before you become overzealous in your attempt to correct them. Since all individuals are unique, any adjustments made should be done in small increments so that a player is not discouraged from the sport itself. Our rule of thumb is to keep things in perspective and keep things balanced (literally). In discussing Arm Action we realize there are many opinions, scientific terms and degrees of measurements that can become quite overwhelming. For the sake of simplicity, we will keep things basic and to the point.

Generally speaking, baseball players possess three types of arm actions: Short, Full or Long. If you can place an imaginary circle over a pitcher with the axis point located at the waist/hip area, and the starting point of a pitch beginning at the initial hand break in the wind-up phase, you can determine what type of arm action a pitcher has (see diagram 1). Our measurement begins where the initial hand break of the throwing hand begins to the actual release point of the ball. When a player uses a Short arm action (referred to as short arming the ball) one typically uses 1/4 of his desired throwing motion. Most kids possess a Full motion, which relates to about 1/2 of the desired rotation. Long arm action, in which the ball travels in a 3/4+ circle, is most desirable. As you can imagine, it is ideal to possess a Long Arm action so that a player builds up maximum momentum before throwing to the plate.

Good arm action simply means that your arm takes a wider arc before the release point. In order to do so, your wind-up must allow your arms to get in the proper positions through certain phases. When we teach arm action and what we deem a

“Proper Arm Angle” to kids, we use the visual of a throwing through a doorway (see Diagram 2). If you can picture a doorway and place a pitcher just in front of it, you will find that a player will figure out the best arm angle in which to: 1) get the ball through the door and 2) have enough distance to reach the plate. Again, if the doorway is set up like a clock and 12:00 o’clock rests at the top and center of it’s opening, it will be optimal to throw the ball at a 1:00 o’clock angle (right-handed) or an 11:00 o’clock angle (if left-handed). In teaching a player to reach for the top corner of the doorway at the height of their delivery, we explain that there is little room for error should their arm drop below the 2 o’clock position. If it does, they risk hitting the doorway with both the lead glove and ball.

While arm action and arm angles play a critical role in velocity, a player truly has to gain as much of the arc of the circle as possible. In order to maximize this arc, we suggest a simple way to position your throwing hand once it breaks apart from the glove in the wind-up position. After the initial leg lift and when your hands separate from one another:

1. Your throwing hand should reach back towards the 2B position without enabling the arm to become totally straight.

2. Your hand/fingers should dominate the ball keeping your knuckles toward the sky.

3. At this point your glove hand is pointing directly at home plate at a slightly higher plane than your throwing arm.

Upon initial momentum towards the plate, several actions take place simultaneously

1. Your trunk and torso will rotate to open up your body toward home plate.2. Front foot strikes with knee slightly bent (cocking phase begins)3. Glove elbow pulls back to tuck glove at hip (glove in position to field a

ground ball)4. Throwing hand should reach back to its apex (highest point) with your

elbow cocked and bent in less than a 90-degree angle.5. As the weight transfers from your back leg to your front leg, your elbow

will lead the way toward the plate leaving your forearm parallel to the ground.

You are now in position to reach for the “top of the doorway”

1. Once you have reached this point and your hips are facing the plate, your ball hand should now have reached its highest point (hopefully at the 11:00 o’clock or 1:00 o’clock position depending which arm you throw with). You are now in position to release the ball. After release point (which should be at full arm extension at eye level), it will be critical to continue your follow-through by extending your arm beyond the release point finishing in a palm up position outside the plant leg.

2. After release, be sure your body is squared, your glove is tucked at your waist, and your head and eyes level with the ground and still focused on the target. Note: If your shoulders remain level after follow through, chances are your eyes and head will as well, thus forcing your body to remain balanced.

Below is a good example of a player with Long Arm Action. Notice his arc from start to finish.

Please keep in mind that developing a young pitcher starts with good balance (see next article). Regardless if a player obtains a short, full or long arm action, one’s body mechanics, proper lead foot plant and follow through must remain in check. If your arm action does not match up to proper body positioning, a player most likely will experience control problems, improper release point and repeated stress on the arm, especially the elbow area. Most often a young pitcher who has acquired poor arm action may have learned his throwing technique due to compensation for an underdeveloped shoulder and/or simply being trained to toss a ball in a motion similar to throwing darts for accuracy. Getting one’s arm/shoulder stronger by extending their arm can be done by performing exercises such as long toss and exercises specifically designed for strength and range of motion.

Bringing Balance to the Mound

By Dave Miramontes and Rich Taylor, MVP Band

In any sport, and especially baseball, the development of fine and gross motor skills plays a significant role in one’s ability to bat, field, catch, and when the time comes, pitch. As a coach or parent, we must understand that the development of these skills comes at different times for all players, but they can be improved through practice and repetition. One skill that can always be improved upon and plays a critical role in almost all activities is balance.

For the pitcher, good balance sets up good timing, which in turn leads to a productive pitch. Without proper balance, mechanics are hurried, arm action is flawed and the quality of pitches is poor. Often times, coaches place more emphasis on the end result of a pitch rather than what occurs during the wind-up phase. What many coaches also don’t understand is that both balance and good mechanics determine the location of the pitch. Keep in mind that the most successful pitchers find that mastering the location of a pitch plays a more critical role than merely speed. Although speed is enticing and is a desire to most kids and adults, it cannot be mastered until balance is first achieved.

After 30 years of working with younger kids, we have found that Little League players often think in simplistic terms. Therefore, the information or skills we provide them must be easy to see, feel and perform. Most importantly, the information must make sense to them (notice how I say them). The balance points that we teach, not only provide a player with a foundation needed to reduce the strain to one’s arm, but will in turn help achieve more velocity, accuracy and productivity.

There are five basic balance points every pitcher will perform before the delivery of a pitch. We refer to these points as “checkpoints”. They must be completed in sequence, and must be performed in a controlled and consistent manner each time a pitch is thrown. Together, all of these points allow the pitcher to perfect one’s form and timing, get his/her arm in the proper throwing position and release the ball with less strain to the arm. They are as follows:

1. Start position2. Leg Lift 3. Leg Fall4. Glide and Plant5. Finish

1) Start Position:Before we even begin our wind-up, a pitcher must maintain good balance. To do so, one should begin in an “athletic position”. This term is commonly used in all sports as it refers to an athlete taking a balanced position with the weight being placed on the balls of one’s feet. In a set position (stretch position), your feet should be about shoulders width apart, hands & glove remain together (somewhere between your waist and chest), and of course, your weight being placed on the balls of your feet.

2) Leg Lift (in a stretch position)After establishing your starting position, you can now begin to lift your front leg (glove side leg). This leg should come up no lower than your waist. Often times, we tell our players to bring their thigh to a point where one could balance a dinner plate it. In doing so, we remind a player to continue to keep the weight on the balls of your pivot foot while keeping your head over the pivot foot. During this phase, your throwing hand and glove will still remain together somewhere between your belly button and chest.

Note: One should keep in mind the key to the leg lift is merely to hold the height of the balance before moving on, thus considered a checkpoint. A slight rotation of the hips toward third base (for a right hander) or first base (for a left hander) is recommended, but again, not critical.

3) Leg Fall:Once you have reached the height of your leg lift, its return should travel down the same line as it went up. Just before your front leg returns to the point where it began, and just before it touches the ground, your hands should then break. At the same time, this is when you begin your glide phase.

Note: By breaking your hands at this particular point, a pitcher will continue to maintain their balance thus enabling the arm to have enough

4) Glide and Plant:Once your hands break, and you begin to glide forward, your front foot should now travel in the direction of home plate. Once your front foot strikes the ground, it should land similar to that of an airplane landing perfectly on the ground. With all of your momentum now traveling towards the plate, your entire weight should transfer to the ball of your foot.

Note: Landing on your heel does not allow enough weight to transfer toward the plate, thus leaving you off balance and placing a tremendous amount of strain on the arm. On the other hand, landing on your toe will place too much weight over the front and does not provide you the proper leverage needed. Striding too far also leads to imbalance; therefore the stride length should be equal to 85% of your body length. If a player can’t transfer their weight, they’ve probably taken too big of a stride.

5) FinishIn finishing the delivery, we recommended that youth players be taught to finish balanced and square with their lead knee bent and pointing towards home plate. We also recommend that a player complete the pitch with their head directly over their front knee and both eyes level to the catcher. This will not only allow their arm to follow through beyond the release point and across the body, but forces them to remain balanced with their eyes on the target. Just as a batter isn’t supposed to take his eyes off the ball, a pitcher shouldn’t take his eye off the target. If a pitcher cannot keep his eyes level at the completion of a pitch, one may find themselves falling off the mound to one side or another. Keeping a pitcher balanced after the pitch will also allow a player to achieve both muscle memory and a

common release point. Location and accuracy will follow, as will the quality and velocity of pitches.

Final Note:When teaching any youth player to pitch, it is important to remain patient and calm. By making too many changes to their technique in one outing will only discourage and confuse them. There are many days in the season and pitching of all positions, cannot be mastered in one day. Kids are often tainted by what they see on TV or many times what makes sense to them. Thinking like a kid will also help understand the psychology of kids.

Here’s an example:In pitching, being able to throw the ball harder could in fact register in their minds that speed equals speed. In other words, the faster one moves toward the plate, the faster the pitch will be. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Everyone must remember that faster body speed does not equate to faster pitches, arm speed does. If balance never enters their train of thought, the struggle to gain consistency may be very difficult. Eventually, a lack of proper balance may lead to constant pain in the arm or even worse, arm injury.

CatchingThis is the only position where the defensive player can see the whole field. The catcher has a special role in the game. When your team starts to use catchers, you will want to give them some special training. This section will provide tips and drills from basic to the more advanced.

Catching Basics:

The gear- take care to make sure you have a full set of gear before your catcher puts the gear on. This would include a mask, neck protector (attaches to the mask), helmet, chest protector, cup (provided by players), mitt and shin guards.

Catchers should get used to wearing the gear in practice. Younger players will have to get used to the weight of the gear and may struggle a bit with balance. The mitt may be harder to catch with but should be encouraged as it is designed for their protection.

Tips-

1. Encourage players not to turn their head when catching, especially when behind the plate. This will be a natural tendency but they need to be taught to combat this. The only way a ball will hit their ear, jaw, or neck is if they turn their head. They need to learn to trust the equipment, especially the mask. It WILL protect them.

2. Consider special pads that attach to the shin guards to protect knees. Excessive squatting can be difficult for catchers of all ages.

3. Have at least two players work in at catcher. Not until the upper levels should a catcher player the entire game.

4. Have catchers call out the number of outs and where the play is in practice so that they do it in the games. Again, they see the whole field and should get used to this responsibility.

Drills-

1) Throw a football (use a pee-wee sized ball). It gets players used to the motion a catcher should use in throwing the ball. It is the only position that throws this way. By having a catch with a football, they also get the bonus of strengthening their arm.

2) Trunk turns- the player has a catch but does not move his feet. A baseball or football can be used for this drill. By keeping the feet in place, the player focuses on the upper body movement a catcher uses in the game (especially throwing down to second). Hands should be kept above the waist throughout the drill to simulate what should be done in a game.

3) Body weight warm ups- Have catchers jog with equipment. They can do push ups as well. Next you can have them squat walk. In a squatting position and with hands over their heads, players can walk 10-15 feet. It is not a race, but will help them to use body weight to build strength, agility, and balance. They can finish with star jumps. They squat, bound straight up reaching for the sky, then land in the squatting position and repeat 10 times.

4) Throw down to second and third- even though there are no steals at the early ages, it is a skill they will have to learn. Why not start now?! Try a progression of each of these steps one at a time. From a squatting position, have the players pop up taking a jab step with their right foot (for right-handers). They should not be standing straight up but should be low with knees flexed. A jab step is a movement forward with a foot. The foot turns to the side while the player is moving forward. This creates momentum and torque to aid the arm in the throw. They should also turn their trunk while they are popping up into the jab step. Hands should stay above waist throughout the throw. Now they are ready to try it with a baseball. You may want to have them do the drill with a ball just in front of them to start, then progress to doing from a pitched ball.

5) Blocking- practice with tennis balls or safety ball. Players should get used to dropping to knees and cupping the upper body with arms together and extended down. Shoulders should curl forward. Head should be looking down at the ball (not turning away). The success of catching the ball is secondary to the skill of doing the right thing when balls are thrown straight but in the dirt.

6) Blocking left and right- this will be tougher for young athletes but can try when older than 8. From a squatting position players should shift to the right to simulate catching a ball thrown in the dirt to the right. As they slide to the right, they should straighten their right leg and round the shoulder (creating an angle toward home plate). The shoulder angled towards the plate help corral the ball. The point of blocking is not to catch the ball but to stop it and keep it in front of them.

When Training a Catcher Think of Building a Wall by Jamie Davison, Rockford Thunder Catcher

Catcher is possibly the hardest position on the field to play because so much is required, and all of it is performed from a very awkward starting position, the squat.

When I work with catchers, especially for blocking and throwing to bases, I believe repetition is the best way to develop a consistent, top-notch catcher.

One way to get quality reps for the catchers is with what I call the “line drill.”

Place six balls in a straight line, about a foot apart. The catcher starts at one end of the line and pretends to block the ball. He immediately pops back up out of the block to his squat and immediately “blocks” the next ball. The whole process repeats itself until that catcher has gone down and back.

I use this drill as a challenge to my catchers by timing them every two weeks to see if they have gained any quickness.

I always preach: “Catching is all about foot quickness.” They definitely get sick of hearing it, but it is important that they use the correct the technique, since any extra movement will take more time.

If a young catcher does this drill twice a week then their muscle memory will be exactly where it needs to be in a game! I also like to use it as part of a catcher’s physical conditioning program.

Catching: Back to the Basics with Megan Willis

Drill: Teaching your catcher to track the ball in and let it hit them

Why we do this: In order for the catchers to get used to the feeling of the ball hitting them as well as understanding why they don’t need to catch (pick) the ball every time to have a good block.

A. Start your catcher in the proper blocking position (position B in drill 1)B. Keep the catcher looking at the ball roller (towards the pitcher)1. Ball roller stand no further then 3-5 feet away to roll balls straight to catcher**NO NEED TO THROW THE BALLS HARDC. Have the catcher watch the ball from roller’s hand into their gloveD. Keep their throwing hand behind their glove while letting the glove block the ball (move hands laterally to block balls skipping left and right)E. Let the ball hit their glove, chest protector or mask without flinching.1. Roll 10-15 ball in a row*Still flinching?? Make the cathcers close their eyes so they can’t see when the ball

will hit them. Stay about 2-3 feet away**NO THROWING HARD, JUST A SOFT ROLL

Outfield

Often the most neglected of any positions at the lower levels of baseball are those of the outfield. In attempts to “tighten up” the infield, most teams are neglectful in their instruction of outfield skills. Most of the action and success is found in the strongest infields …up to a point. The idea of putting the weaker athletes in the outfield will prove to work in the short term as well, but will hurt teams when they begin tournament season as well as in the long-term. What should be done to assure that athletes can develop in the outfield and be an asset to the program?

In this section:

Drills for outfielders Strategy for outfielders

POP-FLIES

The catch: The fear of pop-flies is what dooms most young players. IN the name of safety, drills and instruction are often put off “until next year”. These players can actually catch with less fear if you use a tennis ball (or safety ball). You can bounce or throw ball or even use a racket to simulate pop flies. You might even start with a playground ball (and no glove). Remind them (or model) to extend their glove hand toward the sky. This is unnatural as compared with most of their catching experience so it requires a lot of practice. The initial drills should be easy with no running involved. That adds an element they are not ready for. Let them have success getting the ball into their extended glove arm on the fly ball. If you are using lighter than regulation or rubber balls, the players may drop more than with a baseball, so have them focus on getting the ball in the web. The attempt and skill is more important than the result (initially). It is a hand-eye coordination that takes a lot of practice.

The approach: Model to players how to run on the ball of the foot (versus flat-footed). Also, tell them that running in, back, or sideways on a ball should be natural and done as if they were running without a glove. Many athletes (taking in the last drill) assume they should run with their glove hand extended. This is awkward and will slow down the player. The glove arm extends only as the ball comes near. Running on the ball of the foot takes the “bouncing sky” away that players often experience when they run flat-footed. Running backwards should not be done by back-peddling unless they are only going two or three steps. Running by backpeddle is more likely to result in a fall than a catch. A backpeddle is what a players coasts into upon getting “camped under” the ball. The body under the ball is ready to not only catch but throw the ball quickly.

The throw: Players need to develop a CROW HOP (versus the shuffle step), as they throw the ball. It will help the player throw with more speed, accuracy, and proper mechanics, using the whole body. They should be taught to get the ball to a cutoff as quickly as possible. THE WORST THING A PLAYER CAN DO IN THE OUTFIELD IS HOLD THE BALL. Throwing into the infield, even if they are unsure where to throw the ball is always better. Remind them their job is to try to catch the ball, but that to get to the ball and get it into the infield as quickly as possible is the key. Do drills that encourage players to throw balls in as quickly as possible. Low, hard throws, even on a hop are better than high throws. To see if the player “graduates” on this skill, ask your infielders to NOT go out and cut off. Instruct them NOT to even turn their back to the outfield and watch the reaction of your outfielder! This is extreme, but gets the point across to get it into the infield NO MATTER WHAT! It needs to be their reaction and should require less and less thought with more and more practice.

LINE DRIVES and GROUNDERS

The approach and catch: Players need to keep their body in front of the ball. If it is hit to a gap they will have to learn to gauge the speed of the ball (as not to let it get past them). When two players approach the ball, one should “call it” and the other should peel behind 15-20 feet in case it gets by the player. In a starting drill, a coach should hit balls directly to the player to avoid an extra level of complexity. They are best off taking a knee as the ball approaches to avoid the ball getting past them. Some players may want to pick up the ball by approaching it to the glove side, bent over with their glove arm down. There is a problem with this. Their fields are not as nice as those the pros play on so this is risky and should be saved for situations when an important run has to be cut off or stopped. Dropping to a knee with both arms extended down will result in a higher percentage of stopped/caught balls.

The throw: same as above! Get in in! ASAP!

Pet Peeve alert! Whether in the infield or outfield, once the ball stops, whether it did so in the grass or because it bounced off of the player (or their glove), THEY SHOULD PICK UP THE BALL WITH THEIR BARE HAND! It could not possibly be quicker or easier to pick up a motionless ball with a glove (yet you may witness the attempt(s). Stop the insanity!

An easy rule of thumb for younger players is: If it is hit to the left side into the outfield, the outfielder should hit the shortstop (shortstop comes out to get the ball and second baseman covers second base) with the throw. If the ball is hit to the right side, the outfielder should throw to the second baseman (second base is cut off and the shortstop now covers second base). If the players could just do this a habit, this would lead to fewer runs.

Other Outfield drills:

Long toss

Three or four man relay (w race component)

Over the shoulder

Three ball

Roll to the player… a good plyo warm up for outfielders…sim fielding crow hop

HittingAll players want a chance to hit whether in a practice or the game. It is the place where the most superstitions and rituals develop, as well as the part of the game they will have the least success. It requires constant monitoring and practice. Coaches have to encourage the fragile psyches of young hitters. The best way to have the best chance to hit it to deliver the best instruction! Some players may just have natural coordination, but for most the many movements involved can be daunting. It is hard for coaches to actually see most mistakes as the whole swing occurs very quickly. Do your best to encourage a positive approach to hitting with some universal basics. Below are some hints, followed by some drills.

Versatile hitting drills- these drills can be used pre-game, as part of station work at practice or home.

1) Soft toss - with a coach on one knee (about 5-7 feet away), the ball is tossed out in front of the hitter as he hits into a net. The thrower may have to practice to avoid jamming the batter (by throwing too far inside) or have him lunging. The batter should be facing the net and the feet should both be pointed at the coach who is slightly in front of the hitter (almost even with the front foot of the hitter). This drill will help players with timing and allows for simple set up and high repetitions. As a way to see if players are transferring weight properly in this drill, fake a toss. Ask the player to lift his front foot. If he cannot, he has lunged and needs to keep his weight back.

2) Small ball - these are small foam balls sold in most sporting goods stores. One can also use golf whiffle balls but I prefer these as they have more weight and travel more like a baseball. Coaches can hold a bucket of these in one hand while pitching with the other. They can be thrown accurately almost like darts. Again, players can get high repetitions. As the balls are smaller, they require more focus to hit. 2-3 other players can be used to chase the balls and bring to the coach. They can all rotate in a turn as hitter.

3) Hit stick - many teams have a hit stick for on deck batters. I like them in batting practice as a good “muscle memory” activity. Players get high repetitions as with a batting tee without chasing the ball. Players can swing hard and practice a strong path to the ball with high success. The very act of swinging helps the player hone the skill. To make it more interesting the coach holding the hit stick can call out single, double, triple, or out with each swing. I like having a batter use the hit stick while on deck to hit live pitching in batting practice. They will be good and loose to hit.

4) Basketball hit - to improve wrist action and follow through, hitting a basketball is a good activity. The ball can be placed on a pylon or can be thrown on a bounce to the batter. Some like to hit a tire instead. Whatever you do, be careful with this drill. Weaker or unsuspecting batters will experience a recoil (the bat wanting to come back their way). If they follow through with their swing more and more consistently the ball will travel greater and greater distances.

5) Pepper - this is an oldie but goodie. One player pitches (from 8-15 feet away). Three or four other players form a semi-circle (all about 2-4 feet apart). If the batter misses or fouls the ball, he joins the fielders (on the end). All the other players move along in a line. The fielder at the far end of the arc gets to bat next. If a batted ball is caught in the air, the batter is out. The fielder who catches the ball gets to be batter. If the hitter hits 10 (or whatever number you choose) times safely in a row, he “retires” to the group fielding. The idea is for batters to work on hand-eye coordination and take ½ swings. At no time should the players swing hard. This is a drill for players of good skill ages 10 and older. It will not be safe with younger players or those who don’t understand how to take speed off their swing. Batters should choke up for improved bat control.

6) Little guy pitching- this is less of a drill and more of an approach with coaches wanting to pitch to players aged 4-6. If you are experimenting with live pitching (versus a batting tee or machine pitch), consider throwing from one knee. This puts you at the level of the hitter and you are not throwing down at them. Coaches try to compensate by throwing a high arcing, slow pitch. This usually teaches players to upper cut and they find themselves less prepared to hit from a machine. They also have to time the pitch just right when on an arc. Consider a flatter and faster pitch. The ball will travel through the path of the batter’s swing longer. Players should hit more balls and develop fewer bad habits. The distance makes a difference as well. The closer you are to the hitter, the more successful they will be. Slowly move back as the player becomes more successful!

Basic Fundamentals of HittingBy Scott Grove

Ability to cover the plate to hit strikes on both the inside and outside corners

Relaxed grip aligning the “knocking knuckles” close together Elbows relaxed and down/comfortable Bat comes off the back shoulder “up and back” as the pitcher begins to

wind-up Slight wrap of the bat will take the end (top) of the barrel above the top

of the hitters head – creates torque in the hands Head remains still and both eyes are on the pitcher – nose on the ball Slight flex in the knees Power comes from the ground up – hitter should be “plugged in”…both

feet should be on the ground at the time of the pitch Back heel will go up on the swing and the hitter will pivot on the back

foot as far as necessary to rotate the torso into the correct hitting position

Hitter’s shoulders are square to the plate until the bat is swung through the hitting zone

Front hip of the hitter should be pulled out (away from the hands) creating separation or a twisting (torque) effect of the torso

Hitter should establish a stance at least as long as the length of the bat…wide stance, but comfortable

Stride (if taken)…should be short, soft and direct to the pitcher…Emphasize the use of no-stride especially for the hitting drills

Swing involves synchronizing the back side of the body…shoulder, elbow, hip and knee

Back elbow is “tucked” to start the swing and the back hip rotates to the location of the pitch – tuck and turn to the ball

Shoulders remain closed as long as possible

Hitter “turns” to the pitch using the back foot and knee…instead of saying “squish the bug” use “rotate the heel” as much as needed

Front elbow lifts slightly as the hands turn over to start the swing – emphasize swinging the handle of the bat to get maximum bat speed

Keep knees inside the feet and the weight back Firm front leg…slightly bent The swing path of the bat must match the plane of the pitch…the swing

will be slightly upward – barrel of the bat is below the hands at contact Hands stay “inside” the baseball – extension is toward the pitcher –

watch for hitters that “cast” or throw their hands away from their body Keep the bat moving through the hitting zone and follow through with a

high finish

Batting Tee Drills: Two skills are provided below along with pictures to help assist you with understanding the drills. To become a proficient and successful hitter one must learn how to hit off of a tee.

One Knee Tee Drill

Hitter rests on back knee with the front leg bent in a position where the ball can be hit off the tee

Front hip is pulled out and the shoulders are turned back to create separation (torque)

Hitter is concentrating on upper body mechanics in the swing Tuck/Turn to get the bat into the swing plane Swing “the handle of the bat” to create maximum bat speed Good follow through

Eyes Closed Drill

Mechanics are the same as the regular tee drill except the hitter will hit off the tee with the eyes closed

Take a look at the ball on the tee and then close the eyes Open the front hip and turn the shoulders back before swinging Loose swing with maximum bat speed Good follow through

Throw Drill

Hitting drill is actually completed by the hitter throwing the ball instead of hitting the ball with a bat.

RH hitter will grab the pinky of the right hand (top hand) with the pointer finger of the left hand (bottom hand).

RH hitter will hold a baseball in the right hand (top hand) and stand as if he is going to hit a live pitch.

Using the proper swing mechanics the hitter will throw the ball to the correct field based on the location of the release point when the ball is thrown.

Can work on all fields. Emphasize using correct hitting mechanics.

Hitting Drills - Toss Drills By Scott Grove

These drills are perfect for helping the hitter develop concentration and timing. Both of the drills require a partner/ coach to do the tossing. Make sure to have an “L” screen to do the Top/Bottom Drill.

Toss from behind:

Toss Partner is a few feet behind home plate

Toss is made through the plate using tosses that can be hit to all fields

Partner calls “ready” to the hitter so that the hitter can properly load to hit

Emphasis is to be short and quick to the ball and to get extension toward the pitcher when hitting.

Top Ball/Bottom Ball Drill:

Drill is similar to regular toss drill except two balls are soft tossed to the hitter

Partner calls out to the hitter which of the two balls to hit by saying top or bottom

Emphasis is to keep hitter’s head still while hitting to improve concentration

Hitting Drills By Jamie Joy

How many times have you seen a practice with one kid hitting and the rest of the team picking dandelions? I have seen this happen too many times. I am going to present you with some options that will have the entire team involved rather than just one player. Now you can implement a number of different hitting drills but for this example I decided to use the following five drills. Tee drill, bunting drill, cage, live hitting and whiffle balls. With these five stations you can save time and get more repletion’s for each player rather than one.

Tee Drill: With this drill have one adult spotter and two players. The adult will place the balls on the tee and allow each player to hit 10-15 balls. By doing this drill players will become more proficient swingers. To make the drill more difficult have the adult name a field ( Left field ) and have the player try and hit to the named field. While one player hits the other stands far enough away and practices their swing. All players pick up the balls and switch places.

Bunt station: At this station there will be one adult (pitcher) and three players. Two players will be bunters and one will be a fielder collecting bunts and putting the balls in the bucket for the adult. Each player will bunt 10 balls then rotate to the next spot in this station. The fielder will become bunter one, bunter one will become bunter two and bunter two will now field. This station is complete when all

three players have bunted 20 balls. To make this drill more challenging have players bunt down the 1st and 3rd base lines.

Whiffle ball drill: This is a great drill that allows more repetitions in a live setting. This station requires one adult and four players. At this station the adult will pitch to two hitters and the other two players will field balls. Each player will hit 10 balls and then rotate positions. Players will use their game bats for this drill. This drill can be done along the foul line or behind the back stop.

Cage: For this station you will need an adult and two players. Each player will hit ten balls and bunt two balls at this station. Once the first player is finished both players will pick up the balls and repeat this step when the second player has finished.

Live hitting on the field: With this drill you will need an adult pitcher and three players. For this station you will need one player hitting and two players fielding balls. The pitcher will throw from behind an L screen and pitch live batting practice to the hitter. Each player will hit 6-10 live pitches. Players in the field will gather hit balls and place in a bucket.

These are just a few drills that will allow your practice to run smoother and at the same time get more players involved. It is encouraged to have players run from station to station when told to rotate.

Set Up Your Hitting Practice Like the Pros - Twice as Many Hits in Half the Time.

by Al Herback and Al Price

Wherever Al and I travel around the world, coaches ask the same question:

“How do I keep hitting practice to 25 – 30 minutes so I have time to work on all of the other important parts of the game?”

For many coaches hitting practice is “two bunts and 10 swings” for each player. A coach stands on the mound with a bucket of balls and pitches to each player, one at a time. The rest of the players spread out and pick up the balls and throw them into the coach. It takes most coaches over an hour to get through the line-up.

Using this old traditional approach, players basically stand around waiting for their turn and are active at the plate for only about five minutes. Hitters get frustrated because very few pitches are actually strikes, fielders get bored standing around and even parents get frustrated because, to them, it looks like there is a lot of wasted time. We know one of the reasons players quit baseball is because many coaches still use old drills like this.

Al and I suggest you modify your hitting practice to make it more fun for players and more effective for you as a coach. The goal is to get every player on your team 20 swings in less than 30 minutes. To do this we need to make sure:

95 percent to 100 percent of the balls pitched are “strikes” the speed of the ball matches the skill, strength and confidence of

each player the reaction time for the hitter is the same as what they will face in a

game the spin on the ball coming into the plate is similar to a pitched ball

from the mound we eliminate any fear a player may have in the batters box the other players in the field are very active chasing down balls and

having fun the coach is in an excellent position to provide coaching guidance and

tips to the hitter

We knew the new approach needed credibility so we copied the Major League Baseball batting practice and just scaled it down for youth league coaches.

The next time you get the chance, watch a professional team take batting practice. The BP pitcher throws from behind an “L” shaped protective screen from about 40-45 feet. This is 15 – 20 feet inside of Major League pitching distance and in fact is even inside Little League distance. The pitcher moves in so he can throw strikes and at the same time simulate the reaction time his hitters will face in the MLB game. (Remember, when a ball is pitched at 70 miles per hour from 46 feet it is about the same reaction time as 90 mph fastball.)

If a Major League BP pitcher can move in front of the mound and provide “million dollar” hitters exactly what they need…why can’t we?

Here is what you need to do:First build your own scaled down “L” shaped screen. Design it so that you are fully protected when you are sitting on your favorite lawn chair. An “L” screen should have a space to pitch the ball through to the hitter and fully protect you once you release the ball. Al and I build our “L” screen using black plumber's pipe and hockey mesh. Make sure the design is sturdy, safe and the mesh should be weather resistant. If you would like our plan for the “L” screen design, email us at Bigal@alandalbaseball.com and we will email it to you.

Al and I sit about six or seven steps out in front of the plate about half the way to the Little League mound. From this distance we sit on the chair and consistently throw strikes. Hitters can see the arm action and the ball at release, so it is easy to time their swing. The ball is at the correct height and arrives at the hitter in nearly the same reaction time they will face in a game. It is easy to toss it in slower for the weaker players and challenge the better hitters with harder throws. No one is afraid of the ball, “Who would be afraid of a older person sitting on a lawn chair?” Players love this hitting drill because almost every pitch is a strike. Fielders love it because there are so many balls in play and no time to stand around. If Major Leaguers can easily adjust from taking BP at shorter distance

to a pitcher on the mound in the game, so can Little Leaguers.

Here is how you should organize the team for hitting:

1. Number your team off 1-12.2. Have numbers 1 and 2 stay in to hit.3. Have numbers 3 and 4 go out to deep center field with an empty ball

bucket (number 3 stands in front of the bucket facing home plate and protects number 4 from getting hit by a ball, number 4 picks up the balls and tosses them in the bucket).

4. Numbers 5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 spread out around the outfield (don’t have anyone play the infield, it is too dangerous with so many balls in play).

5. Sit on the chair and pitch 5 balls to player 1 then 5 balls to player 2…etc until all the balls you have are gone.

6. Every ball that is hit is fielded and thrown to center field where 3 and 4 are positioned.

7. When you are out of balls…all the balls are in the center field bucket.8. Call “SWITCH”, players 1 and 2 gather up any balls at the screen,

bring them to you, and them hustle out to outfield positions.9. Players 3 and 4 hustle in bringing the balls in from center field and

then get ready to hit.10.Players 5 and 6 now move over to the center field station with the

empty ball bucket.11.Continue through the rotation until everyone has hit.

If you have space you could have half the team hit for 15 minutes and the other half with your assistant coach doing another drill at another station. After 15 minutes, switch.

Give the new approach a try; we know your players will love it!

How To Stop Hitters From Bailing Out At The Plate

By John Pedicini

Many coaches have watched with frustration as hitters step away from home plate with their lead foot while waving their bats at pitches. No matter how many times you tell them not to "bail out", they keep doing it.

I have found a drill that has worked with my players. I have them use an extreme closed stance (i.e. the front foot ahead of the back foot by at least 12 inches) while hitting. I have them continue to use this closed stance for several weeks. The front foot does not step away from home plate since the player is resting a significant amount of his/her weight on it.

For right-handed hitters, most hits go to right and center fields. For left-handed hitters, most hits go to left and center fields. Gradually, I decrease the amount of space that the front foot is ahead of the back foot until a comfortable stance is reached whereby the player does not step away from home plate while swinging the bat. This drill has worked every time that I have used it.

Making Good At-Bats for Experienced Hitters: The Mental Side

By Baseball Factory Staff

The best young hitters work extremely hard on their swings and put a lot of time and effort into the mechanical side of hitting. However very few young hitters work at the mental aspects of hitting or even understand what having a hitting “approach” is all about. In this article I hope to clear up some of the questions and give young hitters some ideas of what they should be focusing on when preparing for an at-bat.

The first thing I want to discuss is proper goal setting. If I asked 10 high school-age hitters what their goals were at the plate for the upcoming season 8 of 10 would say something to the effect of: “I want to hit over .320 with at least 3 homeruns and 20-plus RBI." Now, I believe it is good to set tangible goals for yourself, but is it really rational to think that you have any control over what happens to the ball after you hit it? No! Once you have made contact it is completely out of your hands. The defense may make a great play or the ball may drop. Either way you have zero control over this.

Why then would you set a goal about something you cannot control. In the summer of 1990 I played American Legion baseball with Baseball Factory President Rob Naddelman. I had a great season that summer and won the league batting title with a .452 average. Rob also had a good year but he only hit .356. That season it got to be a joke in our dugout because Rob hit so many line drives right at people, it was ridiculous. It would be extremely fair to say that Rob hit the ball every bit as good as I did that summer, yet hit 100 points less than me. The point is that all we could control was hitting the ball hard, the fact that I got an extra 10 balls to drop that season was out of my control.

So what types of goals should you as a hitter make for yourself? Set goals that you can control. See the list below for some ideas. Keep in mind that your goals should be for each individual at-bat during the course of a season.

1. See the ball.2. Swing at strikes.3. Know what you are trying to do.4. Put a good swing on the ball.

Note that each one of the goals you can control. For goal No. 2 I really wanted to write “get a good pitch to hit” After thinking about it, can you really control whether or not the pitcher throws you a good pitch to hit? No, but if you set a goal

of swinging only at strikes, much more often than not you will get something decent to hit. Let’s examine each goal individually.

1. See the ball : Probably the most important aspect of hitting, yet it is not talked about nearly enough. If you can’t see the ball, you aint gonna hit it. What we are saying here is not go out and get your vision checked (although not a bad idea). What I mean is focus each and every pitch on really seeing the ball well and tracking it all the way to contact or the catcher’s mitt. If you work at tracking the ball all the way in you can almost begin to slow the ball down with your eyes. When hitters are struggling you will often hear them say “I'm not seeing the ball well.” Does this mean that their eyes have suddenly gotten worse? No, it means they are not staying focused on seeing the ball. If you step in the box and are thinking about everything other than seeing the ball, you are taking away from your focus. I know there were times when I was hitting and thinking “man do I need a hit. If I don’t get a hit I'm gonna be 0-for-3 and my average is gonna drop and .........” Before you know it you’re swinging at a curve in the dirt because your focus is distracted away from seeing the ball.

2. Swing at Strikes : As a hitter you may have a very good mechanical swing. Your swing could be perfect, but if you consistently swing at bad pitches it does not matter how good your swing is. Obviously, this goal goes along with goal No. 1; you must first see the ball, and then be selective. Barry Bonds is perhaps the best example of what I am talking about. He is a player with a perfect swing and he is extremely selective about what pitches he swings at. If you were able to watch the playoffs, it seemed as if every ball he swung at, he hit hard. He was patient and he didn’t chase anything out of the strike zone. This meant that every time he swung the bat he would have a good opportunity to make solid contact. Imagine if during the course of your season you could guarantee that you only swung at strikes. Do you think that your average would go up-you bet it would. By forcing yourself to be more disciplined and only swinging at strikes you will avoid getting yourself out, and you will force the pitcher to come to you as opposed to you always helping the pitcher.

This is a lot easier said than done, but you must make it a priority in your game, keep in mind this is something that you have control over.

3. Know what you are trying to do : If I had a dime for every time I've seen players waste an at-bat I would be a very wealthy man. You must make it clear in your mind what you are trying to do with your at-bat before you step into the box. YOU must know the situation, the outs, the score, and of course what the pitcher is doing. Know your game situations. If you are up in a one-run game with a man on second and nobody out, what should you be trying to do? Your job is to hit something to the right side on the ground and move the runner to third. Or maybe your coach has you hitting in the 4 hole and wants you swinging to drive that run in. This is what I mean; you must know what you are trying to do before you get in the box. But what about when it is two outs, nobody on in the 8th inning and you’re winning by 8 runs? Usually these are throw away at-bats. You just want to get the game over with. Wrong! Work! Go to the box with a purpose. Maybe go up there with a goal to try and drive something the other way. Maybe try to get a good pitch that you can drive and try to hit a home run within your normal swing mechanics. Whatever you choose, work at it, and be sure you are clear about what you’re trying to do-no indecision. Again you are in control of this.

4. Put a good swing on the ball : This is the goal that you work in the cages all day for. You work hard on your swing year round to be a good hitter. You train at hitting the ball to the opposite field, middle and to the pull side. You work on hitting the high pitch, the low pitch, the fastball, the curveball. Now, relax and take a good swing. Judge yourself on the swing, not whether it was a hit or not. Slumps happen when you judge yourself on hits rather than the quality of your at-bat and your swings. I have seen players who were swinging the bat well but because they weren’t getting hits they started to tinker with their swing when they really didn’t need too. My favorite is the guy who gets fooled and takes a bad swing but bloops a single and he’s happy. Then later in the game he has a great at-bat, gets a good pitch to hit, hits a rocket line drive right at a guy, and he gets MAD. Is it me, or shouldn’t you be upset about getting fooled and taking a bad swing and happy about executing everything right and taking a great swing. Yes, I understand that you

work to have a good batting average, but ultimately all you can control is trying to hit the ball hard and the rest will take care of itself.

If you can take this "mental approach” to hitting I believe that you will greatly enhance your ability to hit. You will be the player that somehow manages to get hits whether you are facing a junk-baller or that kid in your area that just throws gas. You will develop mental toughness and through that will come confidence in yourself and your ability to hit. As a former college coach and now working with the Baseball Factory I get asked all the time what I looked for when I went recruiting or scouting. When coach’s look at hitters they look at how good the players swing is and how good his “approach” to hitting is. That is a major determining factor in whether or not you recruit a player. You can watch players hit all day long, it is the hitter with bat speed and a good “approach” that will most impress a coach. In the next issue I will explain how to best go about achieving the goals that I have outlined in this article.

Hitting: The Mental Side, Part 2By Matt Schilling, Baseball Factory

In this article I hope to clear up some of the questions and give young hitters some ideas of what they should be focusing on when preparing for an at-bat.

The first thing I want to discuss is proper goal setting. If I asked 10 high school-age hitters what their goals were at the plate for the upcoming season 8 of 10 would say something to the effect of: “I want to hit over .320 with at least 3 homeruns and 20-plus RBI." Now, I believe it is good to set tangible goals for yourself, but is it really rational to think that you have any control over what happens to the ball after you hit it? No! Once you have made contact it is completely out of your hands. The defense may make a great play or the ball may drop. Either way you have zero control over this.

Why then would you set a goal about something you cannot control. In the summer of 1990 I played American Legion baseball with Baseball Factory President Rob Naddelman. I had a great season that summer and won the league batting title with a .452 average. Rob also had a good year but he only hit .356. That season it got to be a joke in our dugout because Rob hit so many line drives right at people, it was ridiculous. It would be extremely fair to say that Rob hit the ball every bit as good as I did that summer, yet hit 100 points less than me. The point is that all we

could control was hitting the ball hard, the fact that I got an extra 10 balls to drop that season was out of my control.

So what types of goals should you as a hitter make for yourself? Set goals that you can control. See the list below for some ideas. Keep in mind that your goals should be for each individual at-bat during the course of a season.

1. See the ball.2. Swing at strikes.3. Know what you are trying to do.4. Put a good swing on the ball.

Note that each one of the goals you can control. For goal No. 2 I really wanted to write “get a good pitch to hi.t” After thinking about it, can you really control whether or not the pitcher throws you a good pitch to hit? No, but if you set a goal of swinging only at strikes, much more often than not you will get something decent to hit. Let’s examine each goal individually.

1. See the ball : Probably the most important aspect of hitting, yet it is not talked about nearly enough. If you can’t see the ball, you aint gonna hit it. What we are saying here is not go out and get your vision checked (although not a bad idea). What I mean is focus each and every pitch on really seeing the ball well and tracking it all the way to contact or the catcher’s mitt. If you work at tracking the ball all the way in you can almost begin to slow the ball down with your eyes. When hitters are struggling you will often hear them say “I'm not seeing the ball well.” Does this mean that their eyes have suddenly gotten worse? No, it means they are not staying focused on seeing the ball. If you step in the box and are thinking about everything other than seeing the ball, you are taking away from your focus. I know there were times when I was hitting and thinking “man do I need a hit. If I don’t get a hit I'm gonna be 0-for-3 and my average is gonna drop and .........” Before you know it you’re swinging at a curve in the dirt because your focus is distracted away from seeing the ball.

2. Swing at Strikes : As a hitter you may have a very good mechanical swing. Your swing could be perfect, but if you consistently swing at bad pitches it does not matter how good your swing is. Obviously, this goal goes along with goal No. 1; you must first see the ball, and then be selective. Barry Bonds is perhaps the best example of what I am talking about. He is a player with a perfect swing and he is extremely selective about what pitches he swings at. If you were able to watch the playoffs, it seemed as if every ball he swung at, he hit hard. He was patient and he didn’t chase anything out of the strike zone. This meant that every time he swung the bat he would have a good opportunity to make solid contact. Imagine if during the course of your season you could guarantee that you only swung at strikes. Do you think that your average would go up-you bet it would. By forcing yourself to be more disciplined and only swinging at strikes you will avoid getting yourself out, and you will force the pitcher to come to you as opposed to you always helping the pitcher. This is a lot easier said than done, but you must make it a priority in your game, keep in mind this is something that you have control over.

3. Know what you are trying to do : If I had a dime for every time I've seen players waste an at-bat I would be a very wealthy man. You must make it clear in your mind what you are trying to do with your at-bat before you step into the box. YOU must know the situation, the outs, the score, and of course what the pitcher is doing. Know your game situations. If you are up in a one-run game with a man on second and nobody out, what should you be trying to do? Your job is to hit something to the right side on the ground and move the runner to third. Or maybe your coach has you hitting in the 4 hole and wants you swinging to drive that run in. This is what I mean; you must know what you are trying to do before you get in the box. But what about when it is two outs, nobody on in the 8th inning and you’re winning by 8 runs? Usually these are throw away at-bats. You just want to get the game over with. Wrong! Work! Go to the box with a purpose. Maybe go up there with a goal to try and drive something the other way. Maybe try to get a good pitch that you can drive and try to hit a home run within your normal swing mechanics. Whatever you choose, work at it, and be sure you are clear about what you’re trying to do-no indecision. Again you are in control of this.

4. Put a good swing on the ball : This is the goal that you work in the cages all day for. You work hard on your swing year round to be a good

hitter. You train at hitting the ball to the opposite field, middle and to the pull side. You work on hitting the high pitch, the low pitch, the fastball, the curveball. Now, relax and take a good swing. Judge yourself on the swing, not whether it was a hit or not. Slumps happen when you judge yourself on hits rather than the quality of your at-bat and your swings. I have seen players who were swinging the bat well but because they weren’t getting hits they started to tinker with their swing when they really didn’t need too. My favorite is the guy who gets fooled and takes a bad swing but bloops a single and he’s happy. Then later in the game he has a great at-bat, gets a good pitch to hit, hits a rocket line drive right at a guy, and he gets MAD. Is it me, or shouldn’t you be upset about getting fooled and taking a bad swing and happy about executing everything right and taking a great swing. Yes, I understand that you work to have a good batting average, but ultimately all you can control is trying to hit the ball hard and the rest will take care of itself.

If you can take this "mental approach” to hitting I believe that you will greatly enhance your ability to hit. You will be the player that somehow manages to get hits whether you are facing a junk-baller or that kid in your area that just throws gas. You will develop mental toughness and through that will come confidence in yourself and your ability to hit. As a former college coach and now working with the Baseball Factory I get asked all the time what I looked for when I went recruiting or scouting. When coach’s look at hitters they look at how good the players swing is and how good his “approach” to hitting is. That is a major determining factor in whether or not you recruit a player. You can watch players hit all day long, it is the hitter with bat speed and a good “approach” that will most impress a coach. In the next issue I will explain how to best go about achieving the goals that I have outlined in this article.

Bunting

Baserunning

This part of the game can be difficult for coaches because their players have minds of their own and may tend to hear less from coaches in the heat of competition. You must teach them to hear and trust the commands of the coaches and help them to resist the urge to watch the play. Once you show them basic techniques for running bases, their largest challenge will be hearing you!

Basics- players of all ages should be taught and have as a review, how to run to first and take extra bases.

Running to first is about running through first. Many players will slow down as they approach first or time a jump to the bag. There is no faster way to get to first base than to run through it several steps. This includes sliding into first. Most umpires can call players out for this and it slows the runner down. As they hit the bag they should “peel” into foul territory a few steps. Remind them that in a game, if they hit a ground ball that stays in the infield, they will be in this situation. Don’t have players run too far into foul territory. In a game you may want to have them take second base on the overthrow (when rules allow) and running too far past first base makes this hard. A player should be taught to “take a turn” on any ball hit to the outfield. This involves a “banana” approach as the player approaches first base. As the player hits the bag (ideally with their outside leg hitting the inside corner of first base) and takes four or five steps toward second, they should have “picked up” the ball on the field and be listening to the coach. If the coach says, “back”, the players should come back to first without turning their back on the ball. Most coaches will do this drill with all players at home taking a swing without a bat and running on the command, “go”. The players should respond appropriately to the commands “Through the bag”, “Make your turn”, and “Get back”. Encourage them to always run the ball out and run through the bag, even when out. It is simply good sportsmanship. The other team might also bungle a routine play. They need to run everything out and NOT look at the ball

once they hit it. They will have a natural tendency to want to watch the ball on the ground or in flight. This will only serve to slow them down. They need to trust you and run their hardest.

Taking extra bases. After taking the “banana turn”, a player will be instructed to “take two” or “take three”. The player should accelerate out of the turn and run to second. If they see the play coming into the base, they should slide. If there is no play, they should not slide as they might be instructed to go to third and sliding would slow down progress. Care should be taken NOT to overrun second or third as they could be tagged out.

The best thing runners can do to practice baserunning is to be placed in situations as runners while his team fields. They will learn where and when and how to run under your constant guidance. The fielders and.

End of Season … Or Is It Just the Beginning?By Dave Miramontes, MVP Band

It is now fall and you just finished your spring season, so what do you do when the baseball season is over? And, if it isn’t over, it may be a good idea to take some type of break before jumping into a brand new fall ball or travel ball season. Here are a few points you may want to consider before moving forward to your next season or level of play.

Rest Evaluate your season Set new Goals Create a plan to obtain your next set of goals Stick to your plan

Rest:Rest and enjoy a month or so off. Regardless of what level you play, all athletes need a physical and mental break from a sport. This is particularly important for athletes who play on a second traveling or tournament team that “fills out the calendar” with practices and tournament play. Playing one sport year around increases an athlete’s chance of getting repetitive stress injuries, so take some time off. Or, better yet, mix it up with a different sport. Most top coaches will tell you that playing more than one sport will make you a better athlete, and more importantly, help keep a player healthy.

Evaluate the season:After the season, think about your strengths and weaknesses. If you are not sure, take a look at your stats and/or simply ask your coach how he/she feels you did this past season. An honest answer will be most helpful. Also, get their opinion as to what they feel you need to work on to become a stronger player. Personally, I prefer well-rounded players who are solid in all areas. If you are weak in one area, spend a little more time there, but don’t neglect the other areas you are doing well in. They still need maintenance.

Set new goals

Goals are an important factor in keeping a player on task. Before you make a goal, be sure it is somewhat realistic and achievable. Also, make sure that you allow time to achieve the desired outcome. Far-fetched goals have a greater failure rate and often times end in frustration.

Create a plan to attain your next set of goals

Once your new goal is set, break down a plan as to how or what will be the best way to achieve it. Will you need outside assistance? Will a private instructor be needed? Whatever it will take, be sure to really think it through and possibly discuss it with a friend, fellow teammate or parent. Depending on your plan, a parent may have to contribute financially, thus making them part of the investment. Remember, your desire and hard work will only help gain more support from your parent(s).

Stick to your plan

When sticking to a plan, one should keep four words in the back of their mind: Desire Determination, Persistence and Commitment. Each of these words must be part of the plan in order for it to succeed. And sticking to the plan doesn’t mean that you skip a day and think you can double up your next practice session to make up for it. Things just don’t work that way.

Still not sure where to start? Remember, it all starts when you pick up a ball

In addition to the desire to improve in a specific area of the game, each and every player should focus on building arm strength and core body strength in their off season. And once this is done, you must (at the minimum) maintain this base during the entire season. Our MVP Band Program has gained tremendous accolades through both the ASMI clinical study, Little League officials and with every user of our program. Although our studies placed focus on the benefits of improved arm strength, range of motion and velocity, we must note that in our clinics, we spend a great deal of time reviewing and correcting throwing mechanics while emphasizing core body strength. Due to the fact that your arm and body must be in complete sync with one another when throwing a baseball efficiently, both areas are equally important if one wishes to become more effective. This is especially the case for a pitcher. I also recommend that a player review a slow motion video of a professional player or pitcher throwing a baseball. Rather than merely looking at the arm mechanics, which are extremely important, we ask them to pay close attention to the entire body during the throwing motion. Generally, for our younger players, this tends to be an eye opener to see how much the entire body is involved in throwing a baseball. So the next time they are asked to do a push-up, sit-up, lunge, sprint, etc, they will know that all of these exercises contribute to the improvement of their throwing.

Mitch Workout

7) Deep squat and jump on 5 steps8) Jumpshot and squat w ball 2,5,7.5lb9) Push ups 1010) Jump, knees to stick11) lap12) Jump over stick, back and forth low13) Run a lap14) Pull ups, assisted15) Sit on step, hands behind back, get up16) Lap17) Mountain climb18) Burpee19) Lap20) Bicycle sit up21) #9 variation with 2.5 and 5lb weights22) Regular sit ups

IROY

1) treadmill warm-up .5 mile2) jump on box 20X, 15X, 10X with 45 sec. rest on 3 boxes3) 4 cone shuttle run4) 6 low hurdle speed hop5) Band bicep curl.6) Push ups7) Ball “bounces” squat and overheads8) Sit ups9) Ball slams

10)Jump rope

11)run 40s and 60s

“It’s impossible”, said pride. “It’s risky” said experience. “It’s pointless”, said reason. “Give it a try”, whispered the heart.