Fielding Footwork
While it’s safe to assume that the vast majority of major leaguers possess great arm strength, a closer look may reveal something you might not expect. Players seldom during a game “air it out.” Not every pitch or play requires a player to use 100% of his arm speed/strength. But when they have to, how do they do it?
What Really Loses The Game
Time and time again throughout the course of the season, games are lost more frequently by poor fielding. Think back to last year and remember how many times you won and lost and what the cause was. A missed ground ball, fly ball or bad throw turns into a run(s). An extra out may be all a team needs to push across the winning run or build a cushion to put the game out of reach.
Hand Path
The hand path is one of the most critical parts of the baseball swing, and the hardest to perfect. Being able to get your hands “On plane” with the pitch as quickly as possible is so difficult because during the swing it’s not just the hands that play a role, it’s also dependent on body rotation.
Hitting Approach
I’m sitting here watching the Braves play the Giants in game 2 of their best of five series and something huge comes to mind... how to think as a hitter. It is the bottom of the first inning with two men on, Pat Burrell comes to bat. Braves starter Tommy Hanson has just walked Buster Posey on 4 pitches. Quick, if you are Pat Burrell, what are you thinking as you are walking to the plate?
Teaching points: Hitting
While not all swings are exactly alike, the most successful hitters all exhibit relatively the same traits at each point in their swing. As a hitting instructor or just a dad teaching his son or daughter to hit, here are a few key points to look for when instructing.
Coach Training for Leagues
Volunteer coaches are vital to youth baseball, but many are first-timers who can get easily overwhelmed or frustrated. Training your coaches is crucial to your players’ development and happiness, as well as the success of your league.
Provide the coaches in your league with all the tools they need to succeed. Baseball Zone’s League Packages are customized from the following available options:
Individual Practice Plans
Having a well thought out individual practice plan is important. Players need reps and having a plan to get those reps efficiently can make for very productive workout.
Download these individual practice plans and practice planners if you are serious about getting your reps.
Practice Station Cheatsheet
This chart will help you quickly decide how many stations you want to do based on how many parents show up to help.
Download the Practice Station Cheatsheet here (PDF).
Fun Warmups for Baseball Teams
Here are some fun things to put in your warmup to get your players warm and stretched out.
- Arm Circles
- Rockets
- Stars - Jump up and put arms and legs out like a star
- Run the bases
For Older Players
Common Mistakes in Young Hitters
If major league hitters are one thing, they are meticulous. Watch them get their stance in the box. This process can seem to take hours. They tighten their batting gloves, they dig their back foot in, step back out of the box, they put their hand up to the umpire for time, take their stance again, and then they tap the plate and check their alignment. Okay, I’m ready. This tells me one thing, your set up matters. A lot.
Take the time to get it right and put your body in a strong starting position. Many times I watch hitters jump in the box and go, often times starting in different positions. They may be slight, but different nonetheless. It’s the difference between hitting a line drive and fouling a ball off. If your body is in a different starting position every time, it stands to reason that you will not swing the bat the same way every time, producing inconsistency. Consistency is a hitter’s best friend.
The second major flaw with young hitters is dropping their hands during their stride/load phase of their swing. At a younger age, it’s not so important that they load their hands, but more importantly that they keep their hands up in a strong hitting position. One of THE most important hitting positions that is constant with nearly all major league hitters, is the position of their hands when their stride foot lands. Regardless of where their hands start, nearly all major league hitters will get their hands just off their back shoulder and at shoulder height when the stride foot lands. We commonly refer to that spot as the launching position or the spot where we start our swing with our hands. When teaching young hitters, ensure that they are finding this spot consistently.
The last common flaw I see among young hitters is their lack of follow through. Make sure that the back hip gets all the way through (back foot is in-line with the pitcher) and that their hands get the bat all the way to the front shoulder. This will ensure a proper hip turn and a proper upper body turn and consequently, a proper follow through.
Baseball Zone’s Memberships give parents and coaches access to videos, drills and articles on the fundamentals of hitting, pitching and defense as well as a lot of material on practicing, training and equipment.
Baseball Zone’s Practice Planner makes creating practice plans quick and easy. With over a 150 different drills to choose from, creating a well thought out plan is only a few clicks away.
Learn More
How to Choose a Baseball Glove
How to Break In a Baseball Glove
Playing Catch and Proper Throwing
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