Coach Wickham

When doing batting practice with young hitters there are (2) ways you can give them a far more beneficial turn at bat than trying to pitch to them.

SOFT TOSS

1. Set the batter up with a home plate as if in the batters box
2. Make sure they have good distance from the plate so they hit with the widest part of the bat & not on the tapered part of the bat
3. Get the batter in a good balanced stance,ie.feet wider than their knees,remind them with soft toss there is no step involved just swing & squash the bug with the back foot
4. ask the batter to swing the bat & watch their swing plane
5. toss the ball at that height so they get good balls to hit
6. soft toss the ball from a 45 degree angle to their front hip
7. show them the ball in your hand before you toss it

LIVE TOSS

1. Set the batter up at home plate
2. Set up a net up approx. 8-10 ft. in front of the batter
3. Kneel down behind the net & underarm the ball to the batter
4. By doing this you can toss the ball to any spot over the plate
5. IE. Inside & outside of the plate at any height
6. This will give the batter a far more productive time at bat

By doing these things you will give the batter many more chances to hit the ball & not have them swinging at balls out of the hitting zone

• Stop thinking in a negative way- Eliminate DON’T and WON’T. “I won’t strike out, I won’t make an error, I don’t want to miss this guys fastball.” We tend to think visually and the mind cannot envision negative words like don’t and won’t. So instead of “I won’t strike out” the mind “sees” “I strike out.” Instead of NEGATIVE think in positive terms, “I will hit the ball hard, I will field the ball cleanly, that fastball will not get by me.”
• EXHALE Release your negative thoughts and breath in slowly and deeply. Oxygen is the body’s tranquilizer and gives you a good chance to relax. (Besides, no one has to know your doing it.)
• SMILE Another way to relax. It takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown. Choose to be Positive. Choose to be happy. Baseball is fun. CHOOSE You are in control
• Eliminate things over which you have no control; the weather, the crowd, the umpires, etc.

 All things being equal between 2 players (size, athleticism, potential, aptitude) it is the ability to minimize anxiety and fear that will make the difference in performance. The following are Tips that can help improve the on-field performance of all players.

COACHING JUNIORS AT CLUB LEVEL

by Eddie Bray (North Shore Major League)

• We should endeavour when coaching to develop in all players’ skill levels and an understanding of all facets of the game. That is, as junior coaches we are not primarily there to ‘coach to win’, but more importantly to build the depth of junior baseball.  Leave the ‘coaching to win’ attitude to ‘rep baseball’; there is no place for it at club level. If you develop players’ skills appropriately winning is an inevitable outcome anyway!

Too many times I see junior teams hiding behind a Pitcher / Catcher combination and nothing else. The team wins and is ‘successful’; ultimately the players as a whole don’t develop and are not well rounded in skills.

The big losers are the players, the club, and baseball in the long run! 

• Set performance standards early and be realistic.

Good work ethics and an early introduction to key fundamentals will greatly advance the playing ability of the player. In many cases drills used by major leaguers are just as applicable to U/10’s. The only variable between the two is the ‘skill level’ and ‘intensity’ of the drill. Outcome for all should be the same.

• Be open with parents and players at the start of the season regarding expectations on & off the field. Never compromise expectations or standards!
• Involve parents in ‘training drills’. The benefits are:
  • Additional assistance (arms & legs).
  • Frees you up to demonstrate and talk to players.
  • Increases club knowledge base.
  • Gains ‘buy in & acceptance’ from parents, they are actively involved and contributing.

• Ensure you have a strong ‘support’ base:
  • Umpire.
  • Scorer.
  • Manager (needs to good organizer and administrator).
  • Assistant Coach (2 = 1 x adult, 1 x junior from U/16’s).
• Stay calm and positive (easier said than done).
• Never reward ‘bad behaviour’. That is should a player mess around:
  • Send them on laps, sit ups, squats, etc.
  • Send them home.

Do not send them to the dug out. Teach the kids training and being on the diamond is a privilege. If the player won’t respect the opportunity to play baseball then they don’t deserve to be on the diamond or the facilities of the diamond (i.e. The dugout).

TRAINING

• Structure training sessions as follows:
  • Good stuff (something that’ll make a kid want to be there).
  • Warm up (allow you to talk about the game and set objectives).
  • ‘Meat & Potatoes’ (the hard work = Long Toss, Fielding, Etc).
  • Reward (finish with games that reinforce training and provide a fun competitive environment).

A SUGGESTED TRAINING PLAN

Batting (30 minutes).

(I only recommend using ‘soft toss’ whiffle hitting stations).

(Kids always want to bat or play games. Starting here ensures they’re there on time)

• ‘Behind the batter’ soft toss.
• ‘Vertical drop’ whiffle hitting.
• ‘To front knee’ soft toss.
• ‘Stick Ball’ soft toss.
• ‘Live hit’ whiffle hitting.

Warm Up (30 minutes)

(standard running and stretching warm up programme).

(The time to talk about the week-end game and training objectives).

Long Toss (time = part of warm up)

Infield Work  (30 minutes)

• Plays at 1^st Base (mix up with deep and shallow)
• Double Plays
• Plays at Home
  • (mix up with deep and shallow)
  • (infield in & runner on 3^rd late in game)

• Catchers Cover
  • (finish with ‘Catchers Cover’ + ‘4-1 off’)

Outfield Work (30 minutes)

• Drop step and running onto ball
• Tracking, running on, & throwing to a cut
• Outfield playing through cut to home
  • (note, bullpens should occur during the field work 1 player at a time).

Games (20 minutes)

(the ‘reward’ for training hard finish on a ‘fun note’).

Examples are:

• Baseball shuttle race.
• ‘Around the bases’ Relay Race.
• Whiffle baseball.

Training session = 2¼ hrs approximately.

Batting Drills (whiffle ball drills)

Behind The Batter Throw (hitting into either a net or home plate fence)

• Place target on back fence (this is where the ball is to be thrown to)
• Thrower kneels on 1 knee approx 10ft behind the hitter on the outside of the strike zone.
• Hitter looks back at the thrower (this is ready to hit position).
• Thrower throws ball through strike zone with reasonable speed.
• Ball must be thrown with sufficient speed to make it ‘hard work’ for the hitter to catch up to the ball (flat throw not soft toss)
• Hitter tracks ball through strike zone and swings hard to ensure they ‘catch up’ to the ball.

Vertical Drop (hitting into either a net or home plate fence)

• Ball ‘dropper’ is positioned on outside of plate and hangs ball directly above home plate.
• Ball is dropped straight down on count of 3 (i.e. 1 – 2 – 3(drop)).
• Hitter swings hard through strike zone making solid contact with ball with flat swing and good extension.

‘Front Knee’ Soft Toss (hitting into either a net or home plate fence)

• Soft Tosser Kneels on ground at 45° angle from home plate       (outside corner).
• The ball is thrown at an upward angle into middle of strike zone level with the front knee of the Hitter.
• Hitter swings through ball as per a normal pitched ball.

‘Stick Ball’ Soft Toss (hitting into open space)

• As per ‘Front Knee’ drill but using a ‘cut down’ broom handle & golf whiffle balls.
• ‘Cut Down’ broom handle should be same size as whatever the size of the bat the hitter regularly uses (i.e. 28” Bat = 28” Broom Stick).

‘Live Hit’ Whiffle Hitting (hitting into open space)

• Pitcher kneels 35ft in front of hitter.
• Pitcher pitches whiffle balls to a hitter.
• Hitter hits as per a normal ball in ‘game situation’.

Long Toss Throwing

• The purpose of this drill is to develop arm strength & incorporate the technique of running through either a fly ball or ground ball to get maximum power into the throw.
• Throwers slowly move back and extend the distance between themselves and the person they are throwing with. Ensuring there arms are loose and without discomfort.
• It is imperative that the coach ensure players throw ‘Rainbow’ catch. That is the ball is thrown in an arc that resembles a rainbow.
• Players continue to extend the distance between them until a point where the ball now travels with 1 bounce after a crow hop throw before it reaches the other thrower.
• Players then begin to retrace the progression in throwing downwards until they are back close together.
• Note, this drill is not designed to put stress on the arm but rather to strengthen and condition the arm. ‘Rainbow’ throwing is critical to this drill and the drill must be carried out on a regular basis to be effective.

Outfield Work

‘Drop Step & Running Onto Ball’ Drill

• Area required 80ft maximum.
• The fielder stands closely to the thrower.
• The thrower throws the ball (30 ft) as if it were a fly ball at a slight left or right angle behind the fielder.
• The fielder ‘drop steps’ back tracking the ball in flight.
• The fielder runs beyond the point the ball will begin to drop and props to come forward.
• The fielder takes to steps forward and catches the ball maintaining forward movement with his glove the throwing target side of his body.

‘Tracking, Running On To Ball, & Throw To Cut’ Drill

• Two groups = 1 group at Left Field /1 group at Centre Right Field.
• A receiver (the cut) positions himself at 2^nd base with an empty bucket.
• The objective is to hit a fly ball in between the two groups and have 1 player run onto and catch the ball while another player backs up the fielder from the opposing group.
• Once the ball has been caught the fielder throws the ball to the ‘cut’ (who places the ball in the bucket).
• The two fielders then cross over and change groups.
• Note, do not hit the ball until both fielders have already commenced running into the space between both groups. We are trying to encourage them to run hard and track a ball on the run.

Infield Work

Catchers Cover

• Drill starts with fielders stationed at all infield positions.
• Ball is hit to 3^rd Baseman, who throws to 1^st base.
• 1^st Base makes an out at 1^st and throws to catcher.
• Catcher pivots and throws to 3^rd.
• 3^rd Baseman catches and tags at 3^rd and returns to Catcher for tag.
• Ball is hit to Short Stop, who throws to 1^st base.
• 1^st Base makes an out at 1^st and throws to catcher.
• Catcher pivots and throws over to 2^nd base (Short Stop receives).
• Short Stop catches and tags at 2nd and returns to Catcher tag.
• Ball is hit to 2^nd Baseman, who throws to 1^st base.
• 1^st Base makes an out at 1^st and throws to catcher.
• Catcher pivots and throws over to 2^nd base (2^nd Baseman receives).
• 2^nd Baseman catches and tags at 2nd and returns to Catcher tag.
• Ball is hit to 1^st Baseman who throws over to 3^rd Base.
• 3^rd Baseman makes a tag and throws home to Catcher.
• Catcher rolls ball out in front of him (as per bunted ball) and throws ball to 1^st Baseman on inside.
• 1^st Baseman makes the out at 1^st and plays home.

‘Catchers Cover’ + ‘4-1 & Off’

• Drill is as per Catchers cover except on final time around with drill (assuming drill is repeated a couple of times at each IF position).
• On final time as the fielders make play at their base and throws home they then:

1. Continue moving forward to Catcher.
2. Catcher then rolls ball out on ground in front of them.
3. Fielder (3^rd, SS, & 2^nd) makes throw to 1^st Base and comes off of field (3^rd Base returns to his base.
4. 1^st Baseman is final fielder and he makes his play to 3^rd Base and comes off.

Note, I have not expanded on warm – up routines, ‘Plays at 1^st Base’, ‘Double Plays’, & ‘Plays at Home’ drills as these are all pretty straight forward.

GOOD LUCK!

SEASON PRACTICE TIPS:

• Allow water breaks between stations. Individual breaks take too much time.
• On a baseball field and during practice, everyone should hustle. Players jog everywhere they go-no walking.
• All players should participate in picking up baseballs, equipment, setting up the field, etc.
• Coaches and players should be at the field and ready to go 10-15 minutes before practice.
• Practice has an enemy. The enemy is time. Plan practices ahead so there is no hesitation about what to do.
• Some teams have limited use of a field. If, for instance, the time is limited to 1 hour, have the players at the facility one-half hour ahead of time and get the stretch run, and throw routine accomplished, off to the side. The time can also be used for specialty drills such as rundowns. Skull and teaching sessions can also be included.
• A team ultimately plays exactly the way it practices. If you expect 100% in games you should get 100% effort in practices. Intensity should be kept at game speed throughout practice. There is no magic light switch to turn off and on. This is difficult to do but if the coach requires undivided attention to the details, those ‘little things’ he will develop quality players and very effective teams. “Practice at game pace.”
• Try to make practice fun and challenging at the same time. Use positive reinforcement.
• Because of the time factor, practices should be conducted with a sense of urgency. Spend the first few practices teaching your players how practices are going to be organized and what is expected of them. Early in the season this will have to be constantly reinforced. After a while it becomes routine.
• Spend time before or after practices with an individual that needs help in a certain area. A great deal of teaching can be accomplished in a short time with one-on-one instruction.
• It is important to work on defensive drills immediately after the stretch, run and throw routine. The arms are still hot and fresh and the players’ concentration level is higher. Batting Practice will be the ‘carrot’, that will help them get through defensive work at a higher intensity.
• Run conditioning drills at the end of practice. You don’t want your players exhausted when working on skills.

A proper batting grip is essential. Its purpose is to control the bat while allowing the hitter to generate maximum bat speed with minimum effort.  Much has been said about the lining up of the “knocking” or middle knuckles of the hands. We don’t think it’s enough to just tell a kid to line up his middle knuckles without explaining why. This can be uncomfortable for young players due to their small hands and may need reinforcing. Nevertheless, it should be taught from day one…

The knuckles should be slightly ‘misaligned’ with the top hand ‘knocker’ knuckles between the middle and top knuckles of the bottom hand. An easy way to teach this (from Mike Epstein) is to “have the hitter place the bat barrel between his feet and lean it against his body. Have him to pick the bat up by the handle with both hands. This places his hands in the correct grip: the “knocker” knuckles of the top hand will be aligned perfectly between the “knocker” knuckles and the big knuckles on the bottom hand.”

Another way to show this is to use an axe handle to demonstrate the correct grip. We teach the hitter to grip the bat at the point where the fingers join the hand. Usually this will align the middle knuckles somewhat but more importantly, it provides flexible or “flippy” wrists. This flexibility is what provides the crucial “late” bat speed that is prevalent in all great hitters and nonexistent in average hitters. To see this first hand, pull out some of your baseball cards at home. See how the bat appears to be a “blur” in the contact zone? This would not be possible if the bat is gripped in the palms. There would be no blur. The bat would be moving much slower through the contact zone. Just before and during contact, this allows the hitter to maximize his bat speed by “throwing his hands” into the “palm up/palm down” position where the bottom hand is facing palm down, and the top hand is facing palm up. The wrists do not roll over until well after contact with the ball is made.

A youth coach can tell if a hitter has a proper grip (from the dugout or mound) by looking at his wrists. They should be bent at a 45’ angle to the forearms and gently waggling the bat head back and forth or side to side during his stance and load. The waggle is important. How they do it is not.

It is common for young hitters to grip the bat further back in their palm, especially the top hand. This ‘wrapping’ will cause the hitter to hit with a ‘casting’ motion, (hitting around the ball) reducing his power and bat speed. The bottom wrist should be flexed “in” and not flat.

The grip pressure is also an important factor. It must begin extremely light or loose during the stance, load and stride, because it will tighten during the swing. In the contact zone the grip will be extremely tight. If a hitter begins with a tight grip or one that is in the palms of the hands he will actually have to slow his bat speed down in order to maintain control of the bat in the contact area. Instead of accelerating, he will be decelerating through the contact zone.

Another factor that contributes to a poor grip in youth players is the pressure to get a base hit instead of just being encouraged to hit the ball hard each at bat. Kids are often taught to “just make contact” or “don’t kill it, just meet it”. Our ‘teach’ is to “hurt the ball when you hit it.”

Another problem with youth players (and parents) is a false sense of accomplishment they get from swinging a –7 to –11 aluminum bat. Kids often think, “what is the coach talking about? I don’t need to change my grip. I have plenty of bat speed. I have a few home runs and regularly hit the ball harder than anyone on my team”. Parents often think, “Don’t fix it, if it ain’t broke”. “My son has made all stars 3 years in a row. How much more bat speed does he need”? Unfortunately when these kids enter high school at age 15 and start swinging –3’s and wood (-1’s) against 18 year old pitchers that have 3 years of weight training under their belt, they often fail.

Tim coaches in one of America’s hot beds for youth and high school baseball (Atlanta, Georgia). He says that many of the incoming freshmen he sees each year grip the bat tightly and in their palms. At that point it’s almost too late. The competition in high school is fierce. Kids aren’t usually willing to take a step backwards in order to go 2-3 steps forward as a hitter. They usually only have 2 hours to 2 days to impress the coaches at tryouts. They are not apt to try/risk anything that could make them look worse.

Should a coach change an incorrect grip of an 8 year old even if he is by far the best hitter in the park? ABSOLUTELY! You are obligated to teach him skills that will not only make him better now, but 5-10 years down the road as well. Our advice to youth coaches is to make every player grip the bat properly. No matter how unnatural or uncomfortable it feels. Encourage them to ignore the result while they work to develop more bat speed during every tee, soft toss, self toss, and BP station. Their hand eye coordination will be better than you think. Bat speed is teachable by coaches that give their kids the freedom to fail while they learn.

One note about batting gloves: This is “old school” but we believe serious hitters should not wear batting gloves. (If your hitters use gloves wear them only at games.) Without gloves you get direct feedback and a more natural feel of the bat. Without gloves a coach can gauge a hitter’s work ethic. Is he swinging the bat enough away from practice? A serious player will develop calluses as he develops as a hitter.

If you do allow gloves make sure they are a tight fit so the hitter gets a good ‘feel’ of the bat. Batting gloves are made of thin grain leather and they shrink (and stink) due to sweat and wet weather. When they shrink, the palm of the glove protrudes over the palm of the hand. This causes the bat to be gripped in this area instead of where the fingers and hands join. When a hitter’s gloves shrink he should buy a new pair.

A DRILL: A good way to reinforce the correct grip is to have the hitter stand at the plate, stride, swing and literally throw the bat at the pitcher’s mound. If the grip is correct the bat will sail directly to the mound. If he has wrapped the bat it will travel toward the third base side of the mound. His hands will not be in the “palm up-palm down” position. The top hand will turn over early. Both hands must work together to deliver a severe blow. (This drill can also be used with a hitter whose top hand is dominant or with a hitter who steps in the bucket).

As you can see there is a lot to teach when it comes to the batting grip. This is one of the basics that coaches should look at initially when teaching hitting.

An important element in running a successful Batting Practice is to use a bagman in centerfield. One player is designated to receive batted balls. He places them in the bag/bucket. All balls hit into the outfield should be thrown to him. This is important not only for keeping BP going at a steady pace but to give the players in the outfield a chance to work on throwing accuracy and developing arm strength. The bagman also gets the benefit of working on the skill of catching the baseball. When the batting practice pitcher’s bucket nears empty he calls, “balls in” and the bagman runs the balls to the mound, being careful to not get hit by a batted ball. This way BP never has to stop while the players pick up balls. Foul and bunted balls can be picked up when you change groups. (More advanced ages should use screens.) Better use of time means more swings for your hitters. Try it. You’ll like it.

Click on the following link to find an excellent website on Baseball Hitting Mechanics.  You can register for further updates if you wish:

http://www.batspeed.com/mechanics.html

Many times coaches and players see the results of a swing and do not fully understand what is causing poor contact with the ball.  Here are several examples of poor contact and the most frequent cause of this type of swing:

• HARD POP FOUL AWAY – Most frequent cause is late loading, late trigger, late launch or a lazy top hand. The batter must learn to load or “trigger” the hands to the proper launch position earlier. The batter must learn to allow the top hand to “rule the swing”. The top hand must be strong through the swing.

• WEAK POP FLY – Batter may be overstriding, long striding, or dipping the back side. A collapsed front leg can also contribute to this problem. The batter must hit with a stiff front leg. The batter must “maintain stack” to eliminate head travel and lunging. Try a wider stance IE. Feet wider than knees, & no stride at all, works wonders with players u12 down to maintain balance thru the swing plane.

• SWING AND MISS – Timing may be the problem if the hitter is normally a good hitter. The hands may have a “hitch”. A quick fix to this is to lay the bat on the shoulder or on the side of the shoulder and have the batter launch the hands from there. Have the batter track three pitches to the mitt or screen before any swings are taken. The batter must learn to see the ball “go flat” on one side when the bat hits it.

• DRIBBLER IN FRONT OF THE PLATE – The batter is not allowing the ball to come in. The bat is “arched” upon contact. Meaning the bat is hitting the top half of the ball with an upper cut swing. The batter is “almost missing the ball”. The batter must allow the ball to come in a 10th of a second longer to get in the “flat bat” zone. Contact in this area insures that the bat will travel through the ball and not over it. Those dribbling grounders to the pitcher can quickly be eliminated by teaching the hitter to be a little more patient before attacking the ball.