Hey guys, this is some great advice about stance and balance. Check this out and let me know what you think:
CONFIDENCE
It’s been said that hitting a baseball with a bat is one of the most difficult things in sports. Unfortunately, that mind-set will create a negative impact on a player and especially a young child. The experience of hitting a ball will become a positive thing when we begin training the students mind that hitting is easy and fun. Coaching our children should be strength based, this concept in coaching, although simple, can be hard administer.
It simply means that no matter how difficult a time a student may be having hitting a ball, it is our job to encourage and build his/her confidence and spirit. The number one quality that a good hitter will possess is confidence.
Tools to use: A big Heart
What can I do to make my players great hitters?
BALANCE
To help build confidence, I like to begin with the basics. Over many years of training players I’ve found that it will always begin with balance. I remember working alongside a great Dodger player named Tommy Davis. He told me that it is his belief that, without superior balance it will be a struggle to hit a ball. I will tell you he is absolutely correct in his assessment of hitting! The number two quality of a great hitter is balance.
Tools to use: Balance beams, Karaoke running, side to sides, and jump ropes.
Check out this great site for effective drills:
http://www.baseball-softballtips.com/drills/baseball-strategies/
Monday, September 15, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Great To Use For Your Little League Team
I found this article to be very effective in helping your players to do better. Check it out:
There is more to baseball coaching than just strategy and fundamentals. While these are important I am going to cover the aspects that I feel will help you become the best coach you can be.
Baseball Coaching Tip #1 - Patience
Without patience you're in for a very long season. Especially at this young age with skill levels being so drastic from player to player and hormones just starting to kick in (obviously depending on age) you will need to exercise extreme patience. Everything from patience of a kid not being able to do a drill correctly to a kid acting up. You usually don't know what is going on at their home. If it's a bad situation they are in, baseball practice may be their escape, even if they don't act like it sometimes. Remember, nobody said this was easy and you certainly aren't dealing with robots so be sure to be patient at all times...
Baseball Coaching Tip #2 - Self-Control
At times you will want to rip your hair out and may be so frustrated with a player, not necessarily how he is performing, but how is he acting that you'll want to thro whim off the team. Now this isn't politically correct, but you'd be kidding yourself if you thought this didn't happen in every youth league across the country. It's at these times where you'll have to be a leader to these young boys, which leads into my next tip...
Baseball Coaching Tip #3 - Leadership
These boys look up to you. How you act will help shape them now and in the future. Great baseball coaching is always done in a positive fashion. There is never a time to be negative, especially at this young age. Lead by example and be positive and supporting.
Baseball Coaching Tip #4 - Instill Self-Esteem
Most of the kids you will deal with won't be great athletes or baseball players. You'll be lucky to have 1 or 2 players who will even play in high school, let alone in the Major Leagues. But the self-esteem they learn from you will help them in every aspect of their life. Be positive, reinforce positives over and over again. This does not mean they shouldn't be properly coached and instructed, just don't focus on anything negative.
Baseball Coaching Tip #5 - Fundamentals
In most lists you would have found this at #1. Truth is it's just not important on the grand scheme of things as 1-4 on this list. Don't get me wrong, you should do your best to teach your kids the proper fundamentals of the game: hitting, throwing, catching and running. Don't worry about advanced techniques or any of that non-sense. That stuff will come down the line if they are still playing in high school or college. Focus on what will get them there, which is proper baseball fundamentals.
Baseball Coaching Tip #6 - Mental Aspect Of Baseball
This is very important in baseball coaching because, just like Yogi said "90 of the game is half mental". In other words - it's critical to success, not only in baseball but life. Great hitters fail 70% of the time. Great businessmen and women fail at an even higher rate, yet they get back up and keep trying. Dealing with failure is the secret in baseball and life that everyone's looking for. Be positive, provide some instruction to learn from mistakes and move forward.
Baseball Coaching Tip # 7 - Ability To Deal With Parents
This is a biggie, mostly to make your life easier. At the beginning of the season set ground rules for the parents. Things such as no yelling, not talking to kids during the game, not interrupting at practice, etc. Whatever you feel comfortable with. Set these ground rules early, both verbally and on paper and it will be clear to all if any rules are broken.
I commend you on your decision to join the baseball coaching ranks. Without you there is no high school, college and MLB baseball. You are the rock of America's pastime. Accept that responsibility with pride and our future generations are in good hands.
Jon Doyle, MA, CSCS is considered the world's foremost authority of effective baseball training having worked with tens of thousands of professional and amateur ball players. His baseball training website is the largest site in the world of it's kind. Be sure to check it out and sign up for his FREE Baseball Training Newsletter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_V._Doyle
You should also check out the site below for great baseball drills:
Top Baseball Drills
There is more to baseball coaching than just strategy and fundamentals. While these are important I am going to cover the aspects that I feel will help you become the best coach you can be.
Baseball Coaching Tip #1 - Patience
Without patience you're in for a very long season. Especially at this young age with skill levels being so drastic from player to player and hormones just starting to kick in (obviously depending on age) you will need to exercise extreme patience. Everything from patience of a kid not being able to do a drill correctly to a kid acting up. You usually don't know what is going on at their home. If it's a bad situation they are in, baseball practice may be their escape, even if they don't act like it sometimes. Remember, nobody said this was easy and you certainly aren't dealing with robots so be sure to be patient at all times...
Baseball Coaching Tip #2 - Self-Control
At times you will want to rip your hair out and may be so frustrated with a player, not necessarily how he is performing, but how is he acting that you'll want to thro whim off the team. Now this isn't politically correct, but you'd be kidding yourself if you thought this didn't happen in every youth league across the country. It's at these times where you'll have to be a leader to these young boys, which leads into my next tip...
Baseball Coaching Tip #3 - Leadership
These boys look up to you. How you act will help shape them now and in the future. Great baseball coaching is always done in a positive fashion. There is never a time to be negative, especially at this young age. Lead by example and be positive and supporting.
Baseball Coaching Tip #4 - Instill Self-Esteem
Most of the kids you will deal with won't be great athletes or baseball players. You'll be lucky to have 1 or 2 players who will even play in high school, let alone in the Major Leagues. But the self-esteem they learn from you will help them in every aspect of their life. Be positive, reinforce positives over and over again. This does not mean they shouldn't be properly coached and instructed, just don't focus on anything negative.
Baseball Coaching Tip #5 - Fundamentals
In most lists you would have found this at #1. Truth is it's just not important on the grand scheme of things as 1-4 on this list. Don't get me wrong, you should do your best to teach your kids the proper fundamentals of the game: hitting, throwing, catching and running. Don't worry about advanced techniques or any of that non-sense. That stuff will come down the line if they are still playing in high school or college. Focus on what will get them there, which is proper baseball fundamentals.
Baseball Coaching Tip #6 - Mental Aspect Of Baseball
This is very important in baseball coaching because, just like Yogi said "90 of the game is half mental". In other words - it's critical to success, not only in baseball but life. Great hitters fail 70% of the time. Great businessmen and women fail at an even higher rate, yet they get back up and keep trying. Dealing with failure is the secret in baseball and life that everyone's looking for. Be positive, provide some instruction to learn from mistakes and move forward.
Baseball Coaching Tip # 7 - Ability To Deal With Parents
This is a biggie, mostly to make your life easier. At the beginning of the season set ground rules for the parents. Things such as no yelling, not talking to kids during the game, not interrupting at practice, etc. Whatever you feel comfortable with. Set these ground rules early, both verbally and on paper and it will be clear to all if any rules are broken.
I commend you on your decision to join the baseball coaching ranks. Without you there is no high school, college and MLB baseball. You are the rock of America's pastime. Accept that responsibility with pride and our future generations are in good hands.
Jon Doyle, MA, CSCS is considered the world's foremost authority of effective baseball training having worked with tens of thousands of professional and amateur ball players. His baseball training website is the largest site in the world of it's kind. Be sure to check it out and sign up for his FREE Baseball Training Newsletter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_V._Doyle
You should also check out the site below for great baseball drills:
Top Baseball Drills
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Effective Coaching Tip For Baseball
A question that often comes up from coaches and parents of a good high school baseball player is how can I get my son or star player noticed by scouts. This is a very good question when you consider how difficult it can be for great players to get attention from college coaches and scouts. For this reason, I have put together a list of tips that can help you increase the chances that your player will get noticed:
1. Have the kid go to a professional major league try out in your state soon. This provides some exposure and allows him to get tested in a control environment for running, arm speed, hitting, etc.
2. Start to build a videotape of his performance for next couple of years. These tapes can be consolidated and sent to college coaches and/or major league scouts.
3. Send a letter introducing the player to area scouts. The letter should include basic stats like name, address, height, weight, position, age, grade, high school team and summer league team. Some scouts frown on letters being sent to them and others don't mind it at all. For this reason, it is best to send a letter and take your chances.
4. Have the kid join the best all star and top level travel teams in the area. This is a way to get some additional exposure. Many players have been discovered when scouts were checking out another player.
5. Have him take lessons with top baseball instructors who have ties to the major leagues. These tend to be more in the big cities, but this can be another way to get exposure. The kid can follow-up with the instructor on how to get noticed and they may be able to open some doors for him.
6. Recommend the kid go to a "showcase" event. These are events that have the best players in an area play in several games. Scouts come to these games and watch the games. If he does well here, this gives him more exposure.
7. Get started immediately on promotion of this kid. Scouts start looking at kids at age 14 and 15 so you can definitely get started beginning with high school.
By applying these methods, you have a very good chance of getting your son or star player noticed. Remember every little bit helps and so try to take a comprehensive approach to these methods as that extra letter may make all the difference.
Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Strategy/ or Baseball Strategy
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott
1. Have the kid go to a professional major league try out in your state soon. This provides some exposure and allows him to get tested in a control environment for running, arm speed, hitting, etc.
2. Start to build a videotape of his performance for next couple of years. These tapes can be consolidated and sent to college coaches and/or major league scouts.
3. Send a letter introducing the player to area scouts. The letter should include basic stats like name, address, height, weight, position, age, grade, high school team and summer league team. Some scouts frown on letters being sent to them and others don't mind it at all. For this reason, it is best to send a letter and take your chances.
4. Have the kid join the best all star and top level travel teams in the area. This is a way to get some additional exposure. Many players have been discovered when scouts were checking out another player.
5. Have him take lessons with top baseball instructors who have ties to the major leagues. These tend to be more in the big cities, but this can be another way to get exposure. The kid can follow-up with the instructor on how to get noticed and they may be able to open some doors for him.
6. Recommend the kid go to a "showcase" event. These are events that have the best players in an area play in several games. Scouts come to these games and watch the games. If he does well here, this gives him more exposure.
7. Get started immediately on promotion of this kid. Scouts start looking at kids at age 14 and 15 so you can definitely get started beginning with high school.
By applying these methods, you have a very good chance of getting your son or star player noticed. Remember every little bit helps and so try to take a comprehensive approach to these methods as that extra letter may make all the difference.
Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Strategy/ or Baseball Strategy
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jack_D._Elliott
Another Great Article To Read For Baseball Tips
This is a great article about coaching. Enjoy!
You've probably seen it at the local ball field. A well-meaning, but overzealous parent-coach screaming at a team full of little kids as if the World Series was on the line. On the other field, another team is wandering around looking for directions from their coach who is trying to figure out who's up next. What does it take to be a good Little League coach?
The number one virtue Little League coaches need to develop is patience. Children do not have the attention span or the discipline of adults and need to be constantly reminded about technique and sportsmanship. Coaches need patience to work with a large group of children who may be at different levels of expertise. Many major league ball players have stories of making it to the majors because of a coach who never gave up on them.
Organizational skills are also helpful to a Little League coach. Balancing playing time can be a sensitive task and good record keeping can help avoid many a dispute. If you're coaching a team that travels you have to be able to organize travel arrangements and have systems to keep track of all your players while you're on the road.
Tact is essential when dealing with parents. Children are remarkably open to coaching and are not typically sensitive to constructive criticism about their skills. Parents, however, frequently stress about their child's amount of playing time, and the amount of individual coaching time their children receive. It takes finesse and sensitivity to deal with these problems. Parents may also become overly concerned about the competition and may need to be tactfully reminded about the importance of good sportsmanship.
If your child is on the team you're coaching, fairness may become an issue. It's important for coaches to be fair to all their players and to judge players on their skills rather than their personalities. At higher levels, it's important to continue to praise and offer second string players at least some playing time, to maintain their interest and help them continue to develop their skills even if they do not have a great career in sports ahead of them.
Finally, every Little League coach must have a deep and abiding love for children of all ages. Coaches are some of the most formative people in a child's life and can imbue children with values they will carry throughout their lives.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Baseball, Games, and Recreation
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathon_Hardcastle
You've probably seen it at the local ball field. A well-meaning, but overzealous parent-coach screaming at a team full of little kids as if the World Series was on the line. On the other field, another team is wandering around looking for directions from their coach who is trying to figure out who's up next. What does it take to be a good Little League coach?
The number one virtue Little League coaches need to develop is patience. Children do not have the attention span or the discipline of adults and need to be constantly reminded about technique and sportsmanship. Coaches need patience to work with a large group of children who may be at different levels of expertise. Many major league ball players have stories of making it to the majors because of a coach who never gave up on them.
Organizational skills are also helpful to a Little League coach. Balancing playing time can be a sensitive task and good record keeping can help avoid many a dispute. If you're coaching a team that travels you have to be able to organize travel arrangements and have systems to keep track of all your players while you're on the road.
Tact is essential when dealing with parents. Children are remarkably open to coaching and are not typically sensitive to constructive criticism about their skills. Parents, however, frequently stress about their child's amount of playing time, and the amount of individual coaching time their children receive. It takes finesse and sensitivity to deal with these problems. Parents may also become overly concerned about the competition and may need to be tactfully reminded about the importance of good sportsmanship.
If your child is on the team you're coaching, fairness may become an issue. It's important for coaches to be fair to all their players and to judge players on their skills rather than their personalities. At higher levels, it's important to continue to praise and offer second string players at least some playing time, to maintain their interest and help them continue to develop their skills even if they do not have a great career in sports ahead of them.
Finally, every Little League coach must have a deep and abiding love for children of all ages. Coaches are some of the most formative people in a child's life and can imbue children with values they will carry throughout their lives.
Jonathon Hardcastle writes articles on many topics including Baseball, Games, and Recreation
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathon_Hardcastle
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Use Small Frisbee Discs For Baseball Batting Drills And See Your Child Explode Their Hitting
Coach Joe Magno here from Mister Baseball training:
Did you know that Frisbees will improve anyone’s
Hitting?
It’s true, when you throw a Frisbee properly, you
reinforce the proper way to swing a bat.
How is this? Well, when you throw a Frisbee, you promote
a “V” in your front/lead arm exactly like when you swing
a bat.
When you throw a Frisbee, your arm angle of your hand
also equals the same arm angle of the bat going up
when you swing like this.
When you throw a Frisbee properly, you also come up
on your toes and shift your weight.
This exactly simulates swinging a bat correctly.
Therefore, by practicing throwing Frisbees, your son,
Daughter, or player(s)learn to:
-throw their hands through the ball as they should
-swing through the plane of the ball
-come up on their toes and shift weight properly
If you go to www.powerbatting.com, you will see how this
batting tool continually reinforces this EXACT type of swing
To help your child get more quality base hits every time.
Technorati Profile
Did you know that Frisbees will improve anyone’s
Hitting?
It’s true, when you throw a Frisbee properly, you
reinforce the proper way to swing a bat.
How is this? Well, when you throw a Frisbee, you promote
a “V” in your front/lead arm exactly like when you swing
a bat.
When you throw a Frisbee, your arm angle of your hand
also equals the same arm angle of the bat going up
when you swing like this.
When you throw a Frisbee properly, you also come up
on your toes and shift your weight.
This exactly simulates swinging a bat correctly.
Therefore, by practicing throwing Frisbees, your son,
Daughter, or player(s)learn to:
-throw their hands through the ball as they should
-swing through the plane of the ball
-come up on their toes and shift weight properly
If you go to www.powerbatting.com, you will see how this
batting tool continually reinforces this EXACT type of swing
To help your child get more quality base hits every time.
Technorati Profile
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Sunday, March 11, 2007
Youth Baseball Drill #7: Avoid Having Your Back Elbow Up During Batting Drills--This Can Really Shortchange Your Hits
Hi everyone.
I hope you all are having a great week so far.
I’ve been busy running some of weekend baseball camps lately, but not too busy to share with you some baseball and softball drills and strategies that really prove effective for your teams out there.
Well, Here’s my tip of the day:
Does your child/player(s) “CHICKEN WING” their back elbow when holding the bat?
Please try to get him or her to not do this!
Did you know that holding a bat with your back elbow up—commonly called “chicken wing”, can work against your child’s success when it comes to hitting?
When your child or player(s) does this, it can really slow down their swing a little bit so they won't hit as hard and far as they can.
You see, there’s a lot of players in baseball and softball that are taught techniques or practice drills that really have been proven to be ineffective.
This is one of them. Unfortunately, many baseball and softball coaches—especially youth coaches that were either taught this when they were playing ball or followed the advice of others teach this incorrect way to their players or kids.
When players keep their back elbow up, they have a harder time of gripping the bat with their knuckles aligned properly.
You see, it is crucial that players grip the bat with their 'knocking' knuckles (the knuckles they use to knock on a door) LINED UP.
If they don't do this, each of their wrists are not bending together 'in sync'.
And if one wrist is bent one way, and another wrist is bending slightly another way, what will happen is that their wrists will "fight" against each other, causing a slower swing--and yes, a shorter hit.
Yet when their 'knocking knuckles' of both hands are lined up when they grip the bat, both wrists will be working perfectly together so they can maximize his or her bat speed, so that when they make contact, the ball will be hit harder.
To see a close up photo of this correct grip, go to http://www.powerbatting.com/ in the middle of the page. You will see from this photo how to have your knuckles lined up properly to add more feet to your hits.Please keep this in mind the next time your child/player(s) takes batting practice.Stay tuned for more upcoming tips, drills, and strategies, or go to http://www.baseball-softballdrills.com/ to learn more about innovative strategies that can make any player into an all-star
Technorati Profile
I hope you all are having a great week so far.
I’ve been busy running some of weekend baseball camps lately, but not too busy to share with you some baseball and softball drills and strategies that really prove effective for your teams out there.
Well, Here’s my tip of the day:
Does your child/player(s) “CHICKEN WING” their back elbow when holding the bat?
Please try to get him or her to not do this!
Did you know that holding a bat with your back elbow up—commonly called “chicken wing”, can work against your child’s success when it comes to hitting?
When your child or player(s) does this, it can really slow down their swing a little bit so they won't hit as hard and far as they can.
You see, there’s a lot of players in baseball and softball that are taught techniques or practice drills that really have been proven to be ineffective.
This is one of them. Unfortunately, many baseball and softball coaches—especially youth coaches that were either taught this when they were playing ball or followed the advice of others teach this incorrect way to their players or kids.
When players keep their back elbow up, they have a harder time of gripping the bat with their knuckles aligned properly.
You see, it is crucial that players grip the bat with their 'knocking' knuckles (the knuckles they use to knock on a door) LINED UP.
If they don't do this, each of their wrists are not bending together 'in sync'.
And if one wrist is bent one way, and another wrist is bending slightly another way, what will happen is that their wrists will "fight" against each other, causing a slower swing--and yes, a shorter hit.
Yet when their 'knocking knuckles' of both hands are lined up when they grip the bat, both wrists will be working perfectly together so they can maximize his or her bat speed, so that when they make contact, the ball will be hit harder.
To see a close up photo of this correct grip, go to http://www.powerbatting.com/ in the middle of the page. You will see from this photo how to have your knuckles lined up properly to add more feet to your hits.Please keep this in mind the next time your child/player(s) takes batting practice.Stay tuned for more upcoming tips, drills, and strategies, or go to http://www.baseball-softballdrills.com/ to learn more about innovative strategies that can make any player into an all-star
Technorati Profile
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