Youth Baseball Digest - 4 Important Factors That Can Help New Little League Coaches Be Successful

Youth Baseball Digest - 4 Important Factors That Can Help New Little League Coaches Be Successful
by Nick Dixon
The 4 Most Important Rules that all New Little League Baseball Coaches Should Follow

Coaching Little league is a great way for baseball and softball players to give back to your community. Every baseball player remembers his first t-ball coach, coach pitch coach, little league coach, and high school coach. Baseball coaches have a profound effect on the lives of the players they coach. Being or becoming a great youth baseball coach requires a high level of commitment and dedication. There are 3 important rules that every new little league coach must always follow. Those rules are:

1. You must be a student of the game. To be a good youth baseball coach, you must have a good knowledge of how the game is played, how the rules are applied, and how certain skills and drills are performed. If you feel uncomfortable about a certain position, skill or fundamental, look for help. You may ask another coach. You may go to your local library or book store and find a book on how to coach baseball. You have access to an enormous amount of information about every aspect of the game through your computer and the internet.

2. You must have good help. You can never have too much help when coaching a youth team. Ask your parents and friends to find other volunteers to help you coach your team. It is best to have a parent meeting. Ask for parent volunteers. The parents that volunteer to help should choose a specific area in which they concentrate their effort. You will need at least 2 good assistant coaches. One needs to have enough knowledge and patience to be the pitching coach. One should be the hitting coach.

3. You must remediate your weaker players. In you draft, you may find that you must pick children that are good at certain skills but extremely week in other areas.One often overlooked and neglected aspect of coaching is remediation/ Remediation is special attention and help given to those players that need it. This is a job for what I refer to as the remediation coach. The coach that takes one or two players to the side and works on specific areas of the game in which they are too weak to compete. They may need help with swing mechanics, throwing mechanics, or simple footwork. These kids will master these skills easier and faster when they receive one-on-one personal attention. These "tutoring" lessons pay back huge returns if you can have enough help. The theory is that you must bring every player up to a certain level or much valuable team time will be lost to working with them during team drills. It is best to take these kids aside and work them separately from the team until they get their skill levels up. These lessons should be done in such a way to not embarrass the child or players involved.

4. You must work hard and set a good example. A willingness to work hard may be the most important trait of a successful coach. They work hard at planning, organizing, and executing individual and team drills for both offense and defense. They have high energy levels and are always willing to put forth that little extra effort to make a practice or game run smother.

I hope that you found this article to be helpful. Good luck to you and your team. Have a great day, Nick

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Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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--Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine - The Backyard Basketball Goal for Baseball Players http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJBn9VS9WDI

--Youth Baseball Batting Trainer - Hitting Drill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ0JjILe73k

Teaching Baseball Rules and Skills to Your Child

Teaching Youth Baseball Rules and Skills to Your Child
By Guest Author Joseph Pressley

Baseball games are sports events that you would love to watch. How the game is played gives you unexplained excitement and thrill. The object of baseball is to score more runs than the opposition and the strategy lies in the continuous struggle between the offense and the defense. If you want to teach your child how to play baseball and enjoy quality time with him through sports then you can do it with the help of the information on the basic skills of this game.

Basically, in throwing, the ball is usually gripped with the thumb on one side and the index and middle fingers on the opposite side. The pressure of the fingers on the ball must be relatively equal to the amount of force of the throw. There are three types of throw, overhead throw, side throw and underarm throw. They vary based on the distance of the person throwing the ball and the person who will catch it. Not only is distance important in using tazer stun gun but it is also critical in this kind of game.

To catch a low throw, you must teach your child to reach with the glove on the ground opposite his body. If your kid for instance wants to be an outfielder, you must instill in his mind to learn how to judge the flight of the ball and get under it fast. The ball must be kept in front at all times. When an outfielder is running back to catch a long fly, his head should be turned once or twice to spot the ball and the fingers are pointed upwards. As a catcher, you must have a good view of your target which is the flying ball just like when you need to have an eye of your assailant when you need to discharge the probes of your tazer gun.

Moreover, pitching involves the windup, the delivery, and the follow-through to ensure control. The purpose of the windup is to produce a smooth and natural delivery of the pitch. After delivery, as a pitcher, he should face the plate squarely in order to be in good position to field any ball hit. You must teach your child also about the strike zone which is directly above the plate, between the batter's armpits and his knees.

Lastly, you must teach your kid about how to hit the ball. A good batting requires that the entire body be poised with utmost ease and effect. You can be the pitcher and let your son hold the baseball equipment which is the bat. While waiting for the pitch, you must teach your child to place his body weight on the balls of the feet, with hips, shoulders and eyes level and bat high. Upon the pitch, let your kid whip the ball with loose arm action and snap of wrists and the two hands firmly holding the bat the entire swing.

The successful process of learning and developing the skills involved in baseball will depend on constant participation and proper attitude. You can develop the interest of your child in this kind of play by proper motivation and slowly teaching him the basic skills and baseball rules.

Joseph Pressley is a certified TASER instructor and the founder of BestStunGun.com which provides non-lethal self defense products such as stun guns, Taser and pepper sprays. Discover how stun guns and TASERs can save your life. Receive a free report on "Top 10 Self Defense Secrets Everyone Needs To Know". Limited amount available. Visit us and get your own copy now http://www.beststungun.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Pressley

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Thanks to Our Sponsor: Nedco Sports - BatAction Hitting Machines
www.BatAction.com


---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here
BatAction Demo Videos on Youtube

Backyard Baseball Drills for Baseball and Softball Players

Posted on YouTube by LNersesian
The Youth Sports Club is a leading producer of sports instructional videos and DVDs. Produced by Coach Marty Schupak, This video has been called "the most creative sports instructional video ever made." Coach Schupak takes household items and puts them to use as props for baseball drills. Instead of spending $200.00 for a baseball hitting net, coach Schupak shows how to make something equivalent for under $20.00. Other items such as cinder blocks, bricks, a bathroom plunger and believe or not, a dozen eggs make "Backyard Baseball Drills" a true baseball lover's delight. Great practice ideas that kids and adults will love. For more information on how to purchase any of these titles, visit: www.youthsportsclub.com
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Fun T-Ball Drills

How to Make Tee-Ball Drills Fun for Your Players
By Guest Author Kenny Buford

T-ball is a wonderful way to acquaint young children with the sport of baseball. Being so young, the most important aspect is making sure that the children are enjoying the experience while learning the basics. There are many fun t-ball drills that players will enjoy while learning and practicing the fundamentals.

Catch:

Catch is perhaps the most famous and basic of all t-ball drills. It is even used in the major leagues during pre-game warm-ups. Catch is one of the fun t-ball drills that is easiest for children to learn. Catch is the best way to learn the essentials of catching and throwing.

Bounce to the Bucket:

Bounce to the bucket is a fun t-ball drill that requires a large basket or a cooler, placed on top of a base. Outfielders then try to throw and bounce the ball into the open container. It's fun to make this game a competition by giving ten points for every ball that goes in, five points for hitting the bucket, and one point for bouncing the ball closest to the bucket. This drill is important because it allows players to practice throwing from the outfield to the bases.

Catching Contest:

The catching contest is a great drill to practice catching and throwing. Break the players up into groups of two and then have them throw the ball back and forth between themselves. The last two players that have not dropped the ball are the winners.

Catch the Coach:

Catch the coach begins by having the coach run from home plate to first base. After he starts running the coach should yell out "tag me," and the player holding the baseball should run after the coach and attempt to tag him out before he reaches first base.

Catch the Players:

Catch the players is a fun drill to practice base running. The coach lets four or more players begin running the bases, starting from home plate, each player separated by about seven seconds. The coach starts running last, attempting to catch the players and tag them out one by one by grabbing the cabs from their heads.

One and Two:

One and two is a drill which is good for practicing catching and throwing accuracy involving two players playing catch. The thrower is awarded two points if the ball is caught at or above the shoulders. One point is scored if the ball is caught between the waist and shoulders. No points are awarded if the ball if caught below the waist or not caught at all.

Track Meet:

Track meet is one of the fun t-ball drills that begins with two players at home plate. At the start, one runs to third base, the other runs to first base. They continue running in opposite directions around the bases, and the first player to return to home plate wins. In order to avoid collisions, instruct the runner that begins at first base to touch second base from the outside corner, and the runner coming from third base to touch the inside corner of second base.

Kenny Buford is a baseball and t-ball coach with over 20 years of experience. You can find more of his T-Ball Drills (along with practice plans) on his website:

T-Ball Drills and Practice Plans

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Buford

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Teaching Your Son or Daughter the Game of Baseball - Tips For Baseball Coaches and Baseball Dads

Teaching Your Child the Game of Baseball - Tips For Baseball Parents
By Guest Author John Peter

For those who "coach your son" (or those players who are coached by Dear Old Dad), lend me your ears. Here are some quick and easy thoughts to answer the common problems that surround coaching your own kid.

1st & Foremost

Help him become the best player that He wants to be. When it becomes more about You, the coach, the player's Dad . . . rethink immediately because you just became ONE OF THEM! You know the guy who's son plays shortstop and pitches, he bats 3rd . . . always . . . and probably shouldn't . . . yes, there are worse things to be than a pushy baseball Dad . . . so the good news is . . . it's curable! But seriously . . . think about this . . .

2nd

Consider the reality of the above and understand that you probably would treat discipline and talk to your own boy differently than you will with the other 12 kids on your team. So when you need to discipline ANY of your team attempt to do this "evenly" and with the same methods. This may take practice as well as having a pre-season discussion with your boy, as he knows Dad and just may attempt to take advantage (I know . . . not my boy!). REVISIT #1 . . . lol. Along with this thought is the idea of playing time and position play. On all teams there are weak links and positions you just cannot find a player to fill. It's a common problem especially at the younger level up to around age 13.

Here's my own experience. I have coached my son through many levels, from Tee Ball on up. One year we didn't have a catcher, so he played catcher a lot when not pitching. At the next level, a player I counted on for a lot of pitching left a hole at short and yet another season, a hole at 2nd. My first reaction each year was the same . . . teach my son the essentials of these positions . . . as long as he understood that he would be helping the team, and me as well. Confiding in him how I was proud of him to make the sacrifice didn't hurt either.

3rd

Is it easy? Not every day. Know this now! Why should it always have to be easy? Very few things that are important to two people are always easy. Know that you are each other's favorite coach and favorite player. Nothing is more important than that!

Here's the Downside:

Your boy won't progress quite as quickly in what you may see as his "natural position."

Here's the Upside:

Until approximately age 14 he doesn't have a natural position. He has ability and interest in his "natural position" and he has Dad hoping he will play and excel at his "natural position." But unless any boy gets experience all over the field, he may not truly find that "natural position."

My son had as much fun as a catcher throughout his 11-12-13 years as any time I ever saw him play another position . . . for whatever his reasons were. His experience there was due to his team's needs. It ended up allowing him to learn and do something he never really thought much about or had much interest in. It also helped me out of a jam because he got good at it. And yes, he enjoyed it! It also helped our pitchers because he improved where they could count on him . . . and now, as an older player, it allowed him to understand the game infinitely better, now that he is developing into a pitcher and a solid middle infielder.

Ultimately, all it took was he and I initially discussing it (I asked for and frankly needed his help - I truly believe that kids like to help), and secondly I spent time working with him at home, one-on-one, and at the park, which gave us time for just he and I! That time is worth it just by itself. . . the added benefit is that it was time spent at a baseball field!

Under the category of "never say never," my son's High School asked him to play shortstop on the JV summer team a few years ago. He regarded it as quite an honor, as he was only an 8th grader in a school of 2,000 students. Although he certainly had, and has, a lot of learning to do at such a complex position...I think he was extremely happy that he was at least forced out of his "natural position" earlier in his career and could call on past game experiences. It certainly made for a more confident and enjoyable transition!

http://www.baseballtips.com/

Baseball tips & youth baseball equipment, training aids & instruction! It's all here for baseball coaching of pitchers & hitters, little league to high school.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Peter



---BatAction Machine at CoachesBest.com
---BatActionMachine on Ebay.com
---BatAction Machine Video Clips
---BatAction Trainer - 15 Reasons Why You Must Own This Machine
---Message to Parents From Coach Nick
---If you are looking for BatAction Replacement Balls or Power Bands Click Here