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Its soccer season for our family and I know many of you are in the middle of football, soccer, and/or fall baseball leagues. I coached soccer last year but decided I wanted to coach basketball this year so I'm enjoying going to the games this fall as a parent rather than a coach. This past spring was one of the most difficult I've ever had as a coach so the break this fall is especially nice.
Our team didn't do well recordwise, which normally doesn't bother me, but for some reason I had a difficult time motivating the players to play hard. I've coached teams where we ended up with poor records, but for the most part I've always felt proud that the teams have played hard and I've always enjoyed the experience of coaching the kids. I would rather finish dead last with a group of kids that want to learn and try hard, then finish first with a talented group of kids that don't want to listen or give a good effort. In youth baseball you often don't get much choice of where your team will fall along that pendulum. I'm very passionate about sports, especially baseball, and I have a really difficult time coaching when players won't play hard. Most everything else I can handle but that's a tough one for me to deal with. I believe I need to learn a few things from last season to be able to handle that type of situation better.
This year I'm reducing my involvement to a more manageable level. I'm hoping last year was something I can learn from to help keep my future volunteer opportunities as personally rewarding as possible.
Until next time,
Don Edlin
QCBaseball.com
"I try to take pleasure in those opportunities rather than fight the mental side of what it would be like to fail. I certainly try to go into the batter's box with a solid plan for that at-bat. There's probably more pressure on the pitcher in those situations than there is on me. If I can wait long enough to get a pitch I know I can handle, it's going to work out most of the time."
--- Paul Molitor on hitting in pressure situations
I try to add drills and games to the drills section of the site on a regular basis and you can help out by contributing your favorite drill or game. Simply reply to this email and describe the purpose and execution of the drill. It's a great way to help build the section of great drills and games that coaches can draw from. You can see the format of the drills section by going to the following section and selecting a drill: Baseball Drills.
Hitting Approach and Hitting Zones
Learning plate discipline can be difficult for players of all ages. The hitting approach section has been updated with information on developing a strategy based on the strike count and the location of the pitch.
A couple of drills were added to compliment the hitting approach information and links can be found on the page above. In addition a Pitch Trajectory drill has been added to help baserunners and your defense work on situations when the pitch is thrown in the dirt.
I'm happy to be able to provide a guest article this month from the National Pitching Association.
By Gary Heil, NPA Co-founder
So many times it happens that Baseball is about boys and their fathers. Many good players credit their dads with helping them develop their skills. But for every helpful dad, there seems to be ten fathers who, with the best of intentions, do their sons more harm than good when it comes to their experiences on the mound. This is not because they have ill intentions, but mainly because they are misinformed about what is true about pitching today. They are thinking that what worked for them, should work for their sons.
The other day I watched as a well-meaning dad, who just happened to be the boy's coach as well, tried to teach his pitcher/son to throw more 'over the top,' as he explained it. Unfortunately, the dad was unaware of the problems that he was causing his son by trying to change his son's natural arm angle during delivery. The scene was just too familiar. The coach's son stood on the mound trying to throw strikes but was having difficulty finding the plate. Meanwhile, his father kept telling him from the dugout to 'get on top of the ball'. It became clear from watching the dad that what he meant was to throw the ball from a directly overhand position.
Had this been the boys natural arm slot it might have been marginally helpful. However, it was clear that it was not his natural throwing slot. It was obvious, as the boy's head continued to tilt to the left as he tried to force his arm 'over the top'. You could see him rubbing his shoulder after every pitch - the result of the impingement created by trying to force an unnaturally high arm position. But, trying to please his father, he tried to continually raise his arm position and things got progressively worse causing his father to tell him to 'throw strikes'. The boy gave his father a look that could only be interpreted as 'you throw strikes if it is that easy' as he began to cry in frustration.
The pitcher had considerable talent but couldn't possibly pitch successfully from that position. Throwing from an unnatural position can only lead to frustration or injury. Unfortunately, neither dad nor son understood the 'no win' path that they were on.
To say it kindly, there is far too much misinformation about 'the best arm angle' from which to pitch a baseball. Well-intentioned dads and coaches have not been trained to recognize a pitcher's natural arm angle and therefore, often teach as they were taught. 'Get on top of the ball'; 'get to the goal-post position'; 'create more of a downward angle at release' are all too often the refrain from too many dugouts.
Simply put, the pitcher's arm angle belongs to the pitcher. Trying to have all pitchers throw from the same arm angle is a recipe for disaster. It's not that much different than forcing a left-handed person, to do everything right-handed. Randy Johnson throws sidearm. Mike Mussina throws more over the top. Orlando Hernandez throws from more arm positions than I can count in one sitting. The point being, that there are many different slots for different kinds of pitchers. In most cases, arm angle at delivery is a 'non-teach' unless the pitcher has been put in an unnatural position.
When the issue is addressed, the first step must be to help the pitcher find his natural position. To do this, begin by addressing the pitcher's balance, posture, and head position during the delivery. When you find the position where the pitcher can deliver the ball while maintaining balance and posture, as well as ensuring the head moves only toward the plate, you'll know you're on the right path.
'Over the top' works for some pitchers, but not for all. It's not even safe to say that it works for most pitchers. Our job as coaches must be to help our pitcher's discover their natural talent. Changing what a pitcher does with his throwing arm usually does more harm than good and should not be attempted without the best of professional advice.
I left the field that day hoping that dad would get some help before his son got hurt, lost his confidence, or worse yet, lost his love for the game of baseball.
Reprinted by permission of the National Pitching Association
www.nationalpitching.com
These situations vary from base to base but there are a couple of general rules that apply to all situations. First, runners should always tag up on a foul ball as it's the only way to advance on that play. Once a runner has determined that a ball is going foul, he should immediately tag up and make a determination about whether to advance or not. Second, runners should always freeze and/or get back on a line drive. This can be an easy double play ball for the defense if the runner doesn't react properly. The runner should only advance once he determines the ball will get through.
Runner on Third
The rule for the runner is to tag up on all fly balls. If the ball is caught the coach may determine that he wants to send the runner. This can't happen in most cases if the runner is not on the base and ready to run when the ball is caught. If the ball is misplayed, the runner will still score easily.
The only exception to tagging up at third is on a shallow fly ball hit to the infield or shallow outfield where the runner won't be able to score on a caught ball. In this situation still have the runner tag up once he reads the ball off the bat. As he or the coach reads that he won't be scoring on the play if the ball is caught, he should begin to move off the base towards home and go as far as he can and still easily get back to third after the ball is caught. If the ball is not caught, he is then in position to score on the play. This can be a tough play for the runner and third base coach to read, so always have the runner tag first. Try to determine who is most likely to catch the ball. If the infielder is closer to the play and running with his back toward the infield, tagging may be the best option as you still may be able to score the runner as the infielder's momentum is taking him toward the outfield. If he misses the ball and the outfielder isn't right there, the runner still may be able to score. If the infielder or outfielder is able to catch the ball while facing the infield, there won't be much chance to score while tagging up. In this case the runner should move down the line in anticipation of a misplayed ball.
Coaching Note: Many coaches are more aggressive sending a player from third when the fly ball results in the second out. With a runner on third and one out, be aware of who is on deck, how fast your runner at third is, and how well the outfielders throw. The combination of these three items should help you determine what type of chance you're willing to take on a fly ball.
Runner on Second
I was always taught that a cardinal rule of baseball is to never make the first or third out at third base. Why the second out is left out of this cardinal rule is a little confusing. Most likely it has to do with the fact that a runner may be able to score on a ground ball to the infield or a fly ball from third base with less than two outs, so it might be worth the risk to try and get him to third base with one out where you wouldn't be willing to take that risk with no outs. Coaches love to score runs without the aid of a base hit and getting a runner to third with less than two outs increases the chances of scoring him. Anyway, regardless of the cardinal rule, the idea is to be sure you're going to make it when advancing to third base. The reasoning behind this is that the runner is already in scoring position, meaning he will most likely be able to score on a base hit.
It makes sense to be careful when trying to advance to third on a fly ball, but what can be difficult is the decision on whether to tag up or not. On a ball hit to the outfield that is not caught, the runner who is tagging up at second may only be able to make it to third instead of scoring on the play. If the runner is confident the outfielder is going to catch the ball (routine play), and he can make it easily to third, then tag up. Otherwise he should come off the bag and increase the distance from the bag as he gains confidence that the outfielder cannot catch the ball. These are judgments made by runner and can be difficult decisions. There are situations where a runner will be off the bag and will have to return to second when the catch is made and other times where a runner will be held at third instead of scoring because he was tagging and the ball was not caught. As a coach try to realize that these situations can be some of the most difficult for players to learn and get a knack for.
Right field vs. left field
One fact to keep in mind is the difference in throwing distance to third base from right field vs. left field. The throw from right field is much longer and makes tagging up and getting to third base much easier than the same type of fly ball being hit to left field.
Runner on First
In most cases the runner on first will not tag up on a fly ball. The throw from the outfield to second base is the shortest throw from most of the outfield and leaves little chance for a runner to advance from first successfully. On a ball hit deep to the outfield the possibility for advancing is much better, but the possibility of things going wrong outweigh the benefit of taking the extra base. Having the batter rounding first base while a runner is tagging up at the same base is never a good thing. In addition a ball that is dropped by the outfield could actually be picked up quickly and a force out made at second. Finally the runner may only be able to advance to second or third on a ball he normally might be able to score on. The hitter is also held up as he can't advance until he is sure the runner will be moving on to the next base. In youth baseball you may want to make it easy on the players by telling them to never tag up at first base unless the ball is foul. As they get older there will be situations where you will want them to tag up. Runners on first and third is a good example where you might want the runner at first to tag up. In this case having both players break on the catch and reading the throw can provide an opportunity for at least one of them to advance.
© QCBaseball.com, 2005. All rights reserved.
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