Fun T-Ball Drills

Fun T-Ball Drills
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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Hitting - Teaching the Correct Stride

Hitting - Teaching the Correct Stride
By Andy Pohl

The stride might be the most over taught aspect of the baseball swing. Simply speaking, the stride is the movement of the front leg before contact. Personally, I don't care how a hitter strides, as long as they stride to balance. Some hitters, like Juan Gonzales, kick up their front leg as if they were pitching. Other hitters, such as Chipper Jones and Sammy Sosa, bring their front foot back and forward quickly as if they were tapping the ground. Other hitters, such as Jeff Bagwell, do not stride at all-they just pick their front foot slightly off the ground and put it back in the same spot. Whatever is comfortable with the hitter works for me, as long as certain rules apply. In addition, regardless of how a one strides, all successful hitters stride to a balanced position. The phrase "stride to balance" is often used to further describe this aspect of the swing.

First of all, hitters must not over stride, or stride out too far. This results in an unbalanced position that prevents the hitter from making a powerful move towards the ball. Secondly, hitters must stride with their front foot at or very close to a 45 degree angle. A wide open foot while striding prematurely releases the hips, thus decreasing the hitter's power and plate coverage. A closed front foot locks up the hips, thus preventing the hitter's ability to create maximum rotation. Striding with the front foot close to a 45 degree angle enables the hitter to maintain both their posture and balance throughout the swing while correctly laying the foundation for a proper hip rotation. Finally, and most importantly, hitters must not move forward when striding. Moving forward during the stride, otherwise known as a 'dive move', causes the hitter to lose all balance and power.

Ultimately, when the hitter strides, the head should remain over the rear knee. During the stride, there is only slight linear motion forward, and after the front heel drops to the ground, the linear aspect of the swing is over. There is no more movement forward. The dropping of the front heel acts as an anchor that stops the hitter's momentum from going forward. After the hitter's front heel is firmly planted on the ground, the hitter moves rotationally to the baseball.

By keeping the weight on the backside and minimizing forward linear motion during the stride, the hitter is able to keep his upper body still, mainly his head. This allows the hitter to see the pitch better, which in turn, increases his ability to make consistent contact. While it is hard enough to hit any moving object, it is much harder to hit that moving object when you are moving too. Keeping the head still enables the hitter to see the plane of the pitch more accurately. Remember, hitting is sight oriented. No matter how good one's mechanics are, nobody, not even Ted Williams, could hit blindfolded.

Andy Pohl - Co-Founder, DNA Sports

DNA Sports specializes in personalized baseball and softball skill programs, college recruiting education and preparation, and coaching clinics. Learn more: http://www.dnasportsonline.com

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



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The Basics of Swing Building in Baseball

The Basics of Swing Building in Baseball
By John Peter Pero

Build a house or build a swing.it all starts with a good foundation.

You will play as good as you practice!

Writing a single article on something so complex that it causes sleepless nights for the best trained and paid talents in the world is daunting.at least to this coach.

Styles vs. Absolutes

First - I cannot and will not debate hitting styles, though I certainly have my opinion. The reality is that half of the Hall of Fame has an unconventional swing. I will leave this area to you in hopes that you will stay on the straight and narrow and will continue gaining the knowledge it takes to help ALL your players season after season.

Here's a hint

Anything resembling the teachings of Ted Williams or The Mike Schmidt Hitting Study will keep you on the right road.

For every bad swing a hitter practices...it may take three swings to correct!

Here's where I've chosen to start.by making one assumption.

(Be brutally honest with yourself before incorporating the steps below!)

I will assume that your player(s) have a basic working knowledge of good swing mechanics. Players who practice incorrectly not only waste time, but tend to go backwards to the point that it can affect their future success and love of the game. The baseball road is littered with talented players who have been eliminated from the game prematurely when poor youth baseball swing mechanics become overmatched by superior pitching and the improvement of their own teammates.

Let's Get to the Point.And to the Progression

The following are six (6) areas that can simplify this building block process.

many which can be incorporated into a basement, garage or your own backyard.

Mirror Station - Simply put.if a player visually sees what he's doing incorrectly, he will make the adjustments necessary to improve.

I recommend swinging in front of a full-length mirror beginning at 50% power, then 75%, progressing to game speed and maybe even a few swings beyond 100% power.

Be logical about the number of swings depending on the player's age and strength.taking breaks in between. Focus on fewer great swings.less is more!

(yes. take extra precautions when working indoors)

Tee Station - Simply put, you never grow out of hitting off the tee. It is the one station where players can focus on every aspect of the swing.without having to track a moving object. This is critical! Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn said something like, "I do nothing but tee work until January." I wish I could remember the exact quote, but you get the point.

Toss Station - Also known as soft toss or flip drills, this is a basic drill generally done with two players. Balls are hit into a net after being tossed underhand in a short arc and at a 45° angle on the open side of the hitter from a distance of around 6 feet. These consistent tosses (aimed at the hitter's front thigh or hip for straight-away hitting and adjusted for hitting to various areas of the field) incorporate the lessons learned from tee work, adding the skill it takes to hit a moving ball.

This important station allows players to get tons of swings in a short period of time and in a small area.

Hitters get tired quickly when the tosser doesn't allow time between swings. Be patient!

Front Toss & Short Toss - This is another important building block in the progression. A coach or player will sit on a bucket behind a screen and toss pitches from directly in front of the player; usually in a cage or on a baseball field. This can be done from a distance of 15 to 20 feet and then from a 35 foot distance. Pitches should be thrown consistently and to particular zones, allowing the player to duplicate each swing as precisely as possible.

Note #1

Make sure your screen is in place and not in need of repair! Players and coaches should all be cautioned and taught to focus on staying completely behind the protective screen during every pitch.

Note #2

When utilizing short toss drills from shorter distances of 15 to 20 feet, balls should be tossed underhand so that the pitch will come in to the hitter at an angle more resembling that of a live pitch. This eliminates the "loopy" throws which encourage the poor mechanics of an uppercut swing.

Dead BP - (Batting Practice) - Dead batting practice is simply the batting practice you see on every field and at every level. You will see great examples of this when you go to a college or pro game two hours before the first pitch. It is thrown from 55 feet (not the official pitcher-to-hitter distance of 60' 6"), generally from a platform or portable mound. Pitches are thrown straight at around 55 to 65 mph.into particular hitting zones. These consistent pitches are designed for the hitter to repeat his swings over and over with consistency; hitting balls hard and to particular areas of the field.

A ball field and a batting cage with or without a pitching machine is all that is needed.

Live BP - (Batting Practice) - Take dead BP and add the battle of pitcher (coaches or pitchers doing the throwing) versus hitter, preferably in game conditions. In a team practice, I find maximum benefit when all defenders are also playing this as a real game.

The backyard version of live BP incorporates a pitching machine and pitching machine with an autofeeder for single player practices or a batting cage with a live pitcher behind a protective L-Screen.

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

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Three Baseball Batting Drills - Streak Drill, Switch Hitting Drill and Step-In and Hit Drill

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Baseball Softball Coaching Tips - Batting Drill - Hitting to All Fields - Hurricane Hitting Machine

Video demonstrates how baseball softball coaches can use the Hurricane Hitting Machine to teach and practice hitting the ball to all fields. Video shows a college baseball player hitting the inside, middle, and away pitch locations without having to stop or change th machine. Video audion by Nick Dixon, inventor of the Hurricane and BatAction Machines, also gives tips and details about the correct way to hit each of the pitch locations. Visit the Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine Training Blog for more free coaching tips, drills,a dn articles. http://hurricanebaseballtrainingmachi...
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