What keys should you focus on when teaching a kid to get ready to hit? See the ball with both eyes Parallel Stance Hands in a comfortable position Distance from the plate As coaches we sometimes become anxious to jump into youth baseball hitting drills because we know the difficulty of teaching and learning the art […]
Long Toss Variation, The Change-Up
One of my favorite drills for all baseball players is Long Toss also called Long Catch. It has 3 benefits: Strengthens the Arm Forces natural throwing motion Increases the awareness of the body rhythm and motion But, I’ve never thought about incorporating some variations into the long toss. In this article, a long toss variation is introduced […]
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How to Grip a Baseball Bat. Don’t align your knuckles.
What is the best way to grip a baseball bat? Align your knuckles? Don’t align your knuckles? Which grip gives you the best chance of hitting the baseball? This article attempts to answer the best way to grip the bat. The knocking knuckles grip is the universal way to hold a baseball or softball […]
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First Base Footwork: Don Mattingly Shows You How
The footwork at first base isn’t complex, but you need to know how to teach it. Don Mattingly teaches how to find the base and adjust your stretch depending on where the ball is hit and where the throw is going. See full story on youtube.com Related posts: 7 Tips for Teaching Better Outfield Footwork […]
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What to do if your athlete is getting cocky?
If your kids starts to excel in a sport, they will be tempted to become cocky. [do action=”quote”]The hardest job kids face today is learning good manners without seeing any.[/do] Fred Astaire This article has 8 steps to help prevent and minimize this behavior. Here are the first 3: Model humility. It always starts with […]
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How to Field the Bunt
The bunt usually happens in the most crucial parts of the game. The other team is trying to move a runner to second or third so that they can tie the game or for a go-ahead run. Having the proper instruction will increase the odds that your team will make the play. There are […]
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How to Execute a Baseball Rundown
[do action=”add-youtube-video” id=”5XTQ8DinUcU” name=”Teaching the Baseball Rundown” duration=”T3M13S” description=”The Baseball rundown happens when a runner is stuck between bases. This video shows you how to execute the rundown.” height=”337.5″ width=”600″/] When a runner is stuck between two bases, you have to rundown the runner and tag them. Depending on how you teach it, the rundown […]
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Bottom Hand Soft Toss Drill
The Bottom Hand Soft Toss Drill is a more advanced drill. It can help with hand-eye coordination as well as more solid contact. This drill also teaches the hitter to let the legs initiate the swing instead of pulling with the upper body. You can also try this drill off the tee instead of with […]
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5 Drills to Teaching the Curveball
When teaching the curveball to a pitcher, you want to teach an effective curveball. There are 5 keys to an effective curveball. Create Maximum Top Spin Use Fastball Arm Action Incorporate Appropriate Leverage Release Producing Vertical Break Linear Finish in Proper Fielding Position It is easier to teach new things through isolation drills. Here […]
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Rotational or Linear Mechanics to Increase Bat Speed?
As you already know, if you increase bat speed, you increase the power or distance that you can hit the ball. But, how do you increase bat speed? There are two thoughts on the swing. Linear Mechanics vs Rotational Mechanics. Linear is a forward movement toward the ball. While rotational is a spinning movement. Happy Gilmore would […]
