Thursday, November 20, 2008
Controlling Team Behavior: A Coach's Never Ending Challenge
Planning practices, game preparation, player motivation, and parent communication consume much of a coach’s schedule throughout the year. Feeling the pressure to win; coaches emphasize strategy and motivation because they are looked at as key ingredients to being successful.
Upon further examination, many find team behavior and attitude just as important as game prep and practice planning. Some argue that behavior and attitude may be the central factors in helping a team achieve their potential.
Detrimental player behaviors fall into two separate groups: aggressive and passive -aggressive. Aggressive players try to gain assertiveness by outwardly disagreeing with teammates or coaches. When these players do not agree with a new concept introduced, they verbally and visually express their frustration. These players use words and actions to get their way. By disagreeing openly, these players try to display their power over teammates and coaches. Many times, these players use profanity and physical confrontations to handle conflict situations.
Passive aggressive refers to the second group of negative behaviors. These types of players try to gain assertiveness through ignoring or undermining teammates and coaches. These players fail to confront others over disagreements and instead work behind the scenes to harm other’s ideas, reputations, and plans. Passive aggressive behaviors are difficult to identify because most take place in private.
Both types of behaviors are prevalent in players of all ages. If not dealt with appropriately, these behaviors can be extremely distracting to teams trying to reach the next level of achievement and performance.
One bad apple can ruin the whole bunch…….
A famous artist once said,” A masterpiece is created not by what someone chooses to put into a picture; instead it is created by what one chooses to leave out.” This quote is as relevant to sports as it is to art. Coaches must choose their teams carefully. Teams must have good talent to win games, but coaches must examine the big picture when evaluating who is going to make their final roster.
In education, there is the teacher created 10-80-10 Rule on classroom achievement. The rule states that 10% of your class will follow expectations given at the beginning of the year. Another 10% will not follow any direction given the entire year. The largest group, totaling 80%, will fall somewhere in the middle.
Even though these rules are not scientific, they generally turn out to be true. Coaches should consider this formula has they select a roster or starting line-up. If there are too many of one subgroup, the team will drastically be affected. Imagine increasing the roster’s worst attitudes from 10% to 20%. How would that affect the team? Remember as the middle group decreases, the more influence the top or bottom tier players gain. An entire team can be pulled down if coaches do not balance positive and negative forces inside their ball club.
While considering these options, coaches must knowledge the fact that talent impacts winning. That is why coaches cannot disregard all their talented players, even if they exhibit negative behaviors. By balancing a team’s attitude, not only do peers serve as examples for negative players, coaches can work more closely with high-risk players. By giving them individual attention, coaches have time to build relationships with these players
Does it have an affect game performance?
A coach is judged on whether their team wins or loses. Sadly, that is the bottom line in today’s athletic environment. Based on my perspective, I definitely stand behind the fact that a player’s mentality determines the majority of contest outcomes. For me, one personal example I could share occurred three years ago:
“While coaching a 16 and under American Legion baseball team I encountered a player who displayed both aggressive and passive aggressive behavior. He was the team’s most talented player. After striking out, he would throw his bat and helmet. He would use profanity after failure and try to draw attention to himself through visible displays of frustration. Also, he struggled to accept coaching in proper pitching and hitting mechanics. He would not outwardly deny using suggested mechanics, but visually you could tell provided coaching suggestions were not taken seriously.
He, along with the rest of his team, struggled to execute consistently often making silly mistakes to lose close games. In a late season game, our team found itself beating one of the city’s finest programs. This was an exciting feeling since our squad operated 10-12 games under .500. As the home team, we batted in the bottom of the 7th inning with the game tied 7-7.
With a runner on third base and no outs, the above player approached the plate. I let him take a strike before I called for the squeeze play. The player took the sign and acknowledged it by tipping his helmet bill. His action meant he “received” the sign. As the pitch came, the third base runner broke to the plate. The hitter, instead of bunting swung away, fouling the pitch straight back.
I was completely stunned. Being a young coach, I thought it was an innocent mistake by the player. Nervously, I flashed the “squeeze” sign again. Our runner broke and the hitter swung through the pitch for the second time. Our runner was tagged out at home. The inning ended with our team scoring no runs and another opportunity lost to win an important game.”
How could a player be so selfish? How could they place their individual pride above the team’s success? Having only a few years of experience, I remember flying off the handle, yelling meaningless words that communicated none of situation’s real facts. Instead, my emotion got the best of me.
In retrospect, it should have never gotten that far. It was clear that this player’s definition of teamwork was completely opposite of what our coaching staff was trying to teach even at the season’s end. It was obvious that my anger was misdirected; I had only myself to blame for not having safe guards in place to gauge if players were taking on a more team-centered approach. It was a hard lesson to learn.
What’s going to happen in the “real world”……………
At some point during their lives, players must take responsibility for their actions. If young players do not learn to accept responsibility, it will adversely affect their life outside of sports. Too often the media glamorizes athletes who fail in the workplace, marriage, or family life.
Frequently, players who cannot follow the rules tend to develop the same problems off the field. These patterns don’t happen overnight. They are created by coaches who accommodated certain players due to their talent level. By not holding these players to the same rules as others, a dangerous cycle is created.
Finally, players find themselves more prepared to handle “real world” obstacles when they have experienced accountability throughout their athletic careers. Not only does this produce productive citizens, but former players may be able to mentor young athletes who need the same guidance as they did years before.
Upon further examination, many find team behavior and attitude just as important as game prep and practice planning. Some argue that behavior and attitude may be the central factors in helping a team achieve their potential.
Detrimental player behaviors fall into two separate groups: aggressive and passive -aggressive. Aggressive players try to gain assertiveness by outwardly disagreeing with teammates or coaches. When these players do not agree with a new concept introduced, they verbally and visually express their frustration. These players use words and actions to get their way. By disagreeing openly, these players try to display their power over teammates and coaches. Many times, these players use profanity and physical confrontations to handle conflict situations.
Passive aggressive refers to the second group of negative behaviors. These types of players try to gain assertiveness through ignoring or undermining teammates and coaches. These players fail to confront others over disagreements and instead work behind the scenes to harm other’s ideas, reputations, and plans. Passive aggressive behaviors are difficult to identify because most take place in private.
Both types of behaviors are prevalent in players of all ages. If not dealt with appropriately, these behaviors can be extremely distracting to teams trying to reach the next level of achievement and performance.
One bad apple can ruin the whole bunch…….
A famous artist once said,” A masterpiece is created not by what someone chooses to put into a picture; instead it is created by what one chooses to leave out.” This quote is as relevant to sports as it is to art. Coaches must choose their teams carefully. Teams must have good talent to win games, but coaches must examine the big picture when evaluating who is going to make their final roster.
In education, there is the teacher created 10-80-10 Rule on classroom achievement. The rule states that 10% of your class will follow expectations given at the beginning of the year. Another 10% will not follow any direction given the entire year. The largest group, totaling 80%, will fall somewhere in the middle.
Even though these rules are not scientific, they generally turn out to be true. Coaches should consider this formula has they select a roster or starting line-up. If there are too many of one subgroup, the team will drastically be affected. Imagine increasing the roster’s worst attitudes from 10% to 20%. How would that affect the team? Remember as the middle group decreases, the more influence the top or bottom tier players gain. An entire team can be pulled down if coaches do not balance positive and negative forces inside their ball club.
While considering these options, coaches must knowledge the fact that talent impacts winning. That is why coaches cannot disregard all their talented players, even if they exhibit negative behaviors. By balancing a team’s attitude, not only do peers serve as examples for negative players, coaches can work more closely with high-risk players. By giving them individual attention, coaches have time to build relationships with these players
Does it have an affect game performance?
A coach is judged on whether their team wins or loses. Sadly, that is the bottom line in today’s athletic environment. Based on my perspective, I definitely stand behind the fact that a player’s mentality determines the majority of contest outcomes. For me, one personal example I could share occurred three years ago:
“While coaching a 16 and under American Legion baseball team I encountered a player who displayed both aggressive and passive aggressive behavior. He was the team’s most talented player. After striking out, he would throw his bat and helmet. He would use profanity after failure and try to draw attention to himself through visible displays of frustration. Also, he struggled to accept coaching in proper pitching and hitting mechanics. He would not outwardly deny using suggested mechanics, but visually you could tell provided coaching suggestions were not taken seriously.
He, along with the rest of his team, struggled to execute consistently often making silly mistakes to lose close games. In a late season game, our team found itself beating one of the city’s finest programs. This was an exciting feeling since our squad operated 10-12 games under .500. As the home team, we batted in the bottom of the 7th inning with the game tied 7-7.
With a runner on third base and no outs, the above player approached the plate. I let him take a strike before I called for the squeeze play. The player took the sign and acknowledged it by tipping his helmet bill. His action meant he “received” the sign. As the pitch came, the third base runner broke to the plate. The hitter, instead of bunting swung away, fouling the pitch straight back.
I was completely stunned. Being a young coach, I thought it was an innocent mistake by the player. Nervously, I flashed the “squeeze” sign again. Our runner broke and the hitter swung through the pitch for the second time. Our runner was tagged out at home. The inning ended with our team scoring no runs and another opportunity lost to win an important game.”
How could a player be so selfish? How could they place their individual pride above the team’s success? Having only a few years of experience, I remember flying off the handle, yelling meaningless words that communicated none of situation’s real facts. Instead, my emotion got the best of me.
In retrospect, it should have never gotten that far. It was clear that this player’s definition of teamwork was completely opposite of what our coaching staff was trying to teach even at the season’s end. It was obvious that my anger was misdirected; I had only myself to blame for not having safe guards in place to gauge if players were taking on a more team-centered approach. It was a hard lesson to learn.
What’s going to happen in the “real world”……………
At some point during their lives, players must take responsibility for their actions. If young players do not learn to accept responsibility, it will adversely affect their life outside of sports. Too often the media glamorizes athletes who fail in the workplace, marriage, or family life.
Frequently, players who cannot follow the rules tend to develop the same problems off the field. These patterns don’t happen overnight. They are created by coaches who accommodated certain players due to their talent level. By not holding these players to the same rules as others, a dangerous cycle is created.
Finally, players find themselves more prepared to handle “real world” obstacles when they have experienced accountability throughout their athletic careers. Not only does this produce productive citizens, but former players may be able to mentor young athletes who need the same guidance as they did years before.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Preparing for the “BIG” Game: A Look Practice Preparation and Implementation
Every athletic team faces a game they must win. It is the game people have looked forward to since the beginning of the year. Some of these games might be traditional rivalries like college football’s famous Red River Shootout Oklahoma vs. Texas. While other games may decide if a team’s season continues like a game in the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
Winning these games excites fans and leaves them with a sense of accomplishment at the season’s end. These games are not just played in front of a large national audience, but throughout the country on high school and youth sporting fields in every city from Los Angles to New York. On every level, these games mean so much to everyone involved.
Keeping this is mind, coaches have an impossible job. Fans expect their team to win, but that doesn’t always happen. In the end, one team has to lose. What can coaches do to ensure that their team comes out on top? Obviously, there is no exact formula but what if a team’s season is on the line? The following is my perspective on how coaches can tackle these games head-on and help players perform better when the lights go on……
Practice, Practice, Practice……………………………
The first step in game preparation is to making practice situations more challenging than game situations. This concept requires much thought and examination by the coach trying to get their team ready to play. Many times, coaches think by making their practices longer they are giving players more time to prepare. While generally an accepted statement, often this can be fundamentally wrong.
It was been proved that young players only concentrate one minute per their year of age. That means at age twenty a person’s concentration rate should be at the 20 minute level. After eclipsing the time rate, people’s mind tends to focus on something different. Coaches must consider this principle as they create their practice schedule. If batting practice last 1 hour, what are players going to get out of it? How is it going to make them a better hitter? Coaches should contemplate these questions as the construct their plan.
Also, coaches must devise a practice with a mental component as well. Players, no matter what level they are playing on, face many psychological challenges during an athletic contest. Crowd noise, poor referring, or player confrontation are all adverse situations athletes face during competition. Failing to overcome these challenges directly effect how players perform during competition. Coaches need to develop player’s mental strength by putting pressure on them during practice.
Coaches can set up specific individual evaluation in a whole group setting, putting players on the spot and creating tremendous performance pressure. For instance, a coach can put their starting pitcher on the mound with three baseballs. Each baseball represents a mile run for the team. The pitcher is asked to throw three strikes. With each strike thrown a mile is deducted for the conditioning exercise. As the entire team watches, the pitcher will deliver three pitches.
Coaches receive valuable feedback from this drill. What pitcher has positive body language? Does anyone give up? What pitchers can perform under these conditions? Who fails? Pitchers that execute strikes during this practice drill can draw from that experience during the game. Pitching is not the only area where these principles can be used. Hitting, fielding, and baserunning are other areas that can be manipulated to force players to perform under pressure.
It Takes a Village……………..
Teamwork and togetherness are undervalued commodities in sports. They are invisible ingredients that are definitely part of a winning formula. Coaches know how important a sense of “team” can be to a program. To win tough games every squad must work to strengthen their internal attitudes and feelings.
Practice is a time where a team concept can be cultivated by coaches. There is a sense of bonding that a group experiences when they go through tough times together. A team bond leads to trust amongst coaches and players, knowing each have sacrificed a lot for one another.
These feelings don’t just stop at practice; they carry over onto the playing field. In a competitive situation, it is only normal for players to want to start on the field. But, coaches can only use nine players at once. Naturally, reserve players may wish a sense of failure on their competition, thus increasing their playing time.
Though natural, individualistic feelings kill a team centered environment. Forming bonds and trust with teammates allow players to look pass a feeling of “self”. Players start to create roles for themselves helping the team excel using their strengths rather than dwelling on individual wants. Playing in a supportive environment makes a difference when teams are playing opponents with comparable talent and an extra advantage is needed to put a team over the top.
Scouting the Competition……………………………..
Knowing how to attack an opponent is vital in helping coaches prepare their team. Does the opposition bunt a lot? Do they have a left-handed pitcher? How strong are their outfielder’s arms? These are central questions when coaches are evaluating an opponent. By gauging an opponent’s tendency, coaches can set up their practice to target certain skills that help to combat their advantage.
It is important for coaches to have ample knowledge of the opponent, however too much information might be detrimental to preparation. Although it is helpful to know opponent weaknesses, a coach cannot completely change the way their team plays to adapt with an opponent. Coaches must let their team showcase their strengths even if it is risky against a rival program. There is an old coaching saying,” You have to dance with the one that brought you here.”
Scouting can also help shape the role of pitch selection for both hitters and pitchers. Both of these aspects, though relatively small to outsiders, have a direct impact of the game’s final results. Coaches cannot measure the importance of knowing that an opposing pitcher struggles to throw breaking balls for strikes or their clean up hitter takes pitches on the outside corner. These situations can be duplicated in practice and repeatedly worked on before the competition.
Mixing it all Together……………………………………To win an important competition, teams must have a sprinkling of all these areas in their game plan. Of course, there are times when teams “luck” into wins or simply have more talent than their rival competition. Mostly, coaches look to maximize equivalent talent incorporating both a physical and mental approach to gain an advantage on their rivals or “big game” opponents.
Winning these games excites fans and leaves them with a sense of accomplishment at the season’s end. These games are not just played in front of a large national audience, but throughout the country on high school and youth sporting fields in every city from Los Angles to New York. On every level, these games mean so much to everyone involved.
Keeping this is mind, coaches have an impossible job. Fans expect their team to win, but that doesn’t always happen. In the end, one team has to lose. What can coaches do to ensure that their team comes out on top? Obviously, there is no exact formula but what if a team’s season is on the line? The following is my perspective on how coaches can tackle these games head-on and help players perform better when the lights go on……
Practice, Practice, Practice……………………………
The first step in game preparation is to making practice situations more challenging than game situations. This concept requires much thought and examination by the coach trying to get their team ready to play. Many times, coaches think by making their practices longer they are giving players more time to prepare. While generally an accepted statement, often this can be fundamentally wrong.
It was been proved that young players only concentrate one minute per their year of age. That means at age twenty a person’s concentration rate should be at the 20 minute level. After eclipsing the time rate, people’s mind tends to focus on something different. Coaches must consider this principle as they create their practice schedule. If batting practice last 1 hour, what are players going to get out of it? How is it going to make them a better hitter? Coaches should contemplate these questions as the construct their plan.
Also, coaches must devise a practice with a mental component as well. Players, no matter what level they are playing on, face many psychological challenges during an athletic contest. Crowd noise, poor referring, or player confrontation are all adverse situations athletes face during competition. Failing to overcome these challenges directly effect how players perform during competition. Coaches need to develop player’s mental strength by putting pressure on them during practice.
Coaches can set up specific individual evaluation in a whole group setting, putting players on the spot and creating tremendous performance pressure. For instance, a coach can put their starting pitcher on the mound with three baseballs. Each baseball represents a mile run for the team. The pitcher is asked to throw three strikes. With each strike thrown a mile is deducted for the conditioning exercise. As the entire team watches, the pitcher will deliver three pitches.
Coaches receive valuable feedback from this drill. What pitcher has positive body language? Does anyone give up? What pitchers can perform under these conditions? Who fails? Pitchers that execute strikes during this practice drill can draw from that experience during the game. Pitching is not the only area where these principles can be used. Hitting, fielding, and baserunning are other areas that can be manipulated to force players to perform under pressure.
It Takes a Village……………..
Teamwork and togetherness are undervalued commodities in sports. They are invisible ingredients that are definitely part of a winning formula. Coaches know how important a sense of “team” can be to a program. To win tough games every squad must work to strengthen their internal attitudes and feelings.
Practice is a time where a team concept can be cultivated by coaches. There is a sense of bonding that a group experiences when they go through tough times together. A team bond leads to trust amongst coaches and players, knowing each have sacrificed a lot for one another.
These feelings don’t just stop at practice; they carry over onto the playing field. In a competitive situation, it is only normal for players to want to start on the field. But, coaches can only use nine players at once. Naturally, reserve players may wish a sense of failure on their competition, thus increasing their playing time.
Though natural, individualistic feelings kill a team centered environment. Forming bonds and trust with teammates allow players to look pass a feeling of “self”. Players start to create roles for themselves helping the team excel using their strengths rather than dwelling on individual wants. Playing in a supportive environment makes a difference when teams are playing opponents with comparable talent and an extra advantage is needed to put a team over the top.
Scouting the Competition……………………………..
Knowing how to attack an opponent is vital in helping coaches prepare their team. Does the opposition bunt a lot? Do they have a left-handed pitcher? How strong are their outfielder’s arms? These are central questions when coaches are evaluating an opponent. By gauging an opponent’s tendency, coaches can set up their practice to target certain skills that help to combat their advantage.
It is important for coaches to have ample knowledge of the opponent, however too much information might be detrimental to preparation. Although it is helpful to know opponent weaknesses, a coach cannot completely change the way their team plays to adapt with an opponent. Coaches must let their team showcase their strengths even if it is risky against a rival program. There is an old coaching saying,” You have to dance with the one that brought you here.”
Scouting can also help shape the role of pitch selection for both hitters and pitchers. Both of these aspects, though relatively small to outsiders, have a direct impact of the game’s final results. Coaches cannot measure the importance of knowing that an opposing pitcher struggles to throw breaking balls for strikes or their clean up hitter takes pitches on the outside corner. These situations can be duplicated in practice and repeatedly worked on before the competition.
Mixing it all Together……………………………………To win an important competition, teams must have a sprinkling of all these areas in their game plan. Of course, there are times when teams “luck” into wins or simply have more talent than their rival competition. Mostly, coaches look to maximize equivalent talent incorporating both a physical and mental approach to gain an advantage on their rivals or “big game” opponents.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
2008-2009 Baseball Coaching Topics
The following is a list of topics that will be covered this off-season:
1. Preparing for the "BIG" Game
2. Team Behavior: A Direct Effect on Player Performance
3. Clutch Situations, Clutch Players
4. Multi-Sport Athletes: A Look at Today's Baseball Player
I apologize for the delay in articles. I hope the upcoming information will provide some coaching insight to anyone that is looking for off-season ideas and concepts to incorporate with their team for the 2009 season.
1. Preparing for the "BIG" Game
2. Team Behavior: A Direct Effect on Player Performance
3. Clutch Situations, Clutch Players
4. Multi-Sport Athletes: A Look at Today's Baseball Player
I apologize for the delay in articles. I hope the upcoming information will provide some coaching insight to anyone that is looking for off-season ideas and concepts to incorporate with their team for the 2009 season.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Correct Batting Practice Methods For Little League Baseball Teams
Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 20 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills", "Winning Baseball Strategies", "Hitting Drills & Techniques" and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle for Videos For Coaches and is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.
http://www.YouthSportsClub.com
http://www.VideosForCoaches.com
In my twenty years of coaching youth baseball, I am always looking for the most efficient practice methods for every aspect of baseball. It took me only a few years to realize that most youth baseball coaches and myself were running batting practice, not incorrectly, but not efficiently. From what I have seen with the typical batting practice, a coach will pitch a predetermined number of balls for each batter with the fielders fielding the hit balls and throwing them to first base. Usually the coach will yell something like “run the last one out”, and the batter does just that. If the ball is an infield hit, they try to throw him out at first. If it is hit into the outfield, he usually runs until he is thrown out. This is all well and good intentioned, but it is wasting valuable time when a coach wants to run an efficient practice.
Here is the most efficient way of running a batting practice that I've come up with. First of all, let me say this. Batting practice is just what it is, batting practice. Batting practice is not fielding practice or base running practice. So all youth coaches and parents should really define what a youth batting practice is and what they want to get out of it.
Most of my youth practices do not run more than one hour. Every minute of wasted time will affect all other aspects and time of any other drills or techniques I want to accomplish. The first thing a coach needs to have is an over abundance of baseballs. The league will provide baseballs but I always make sure I purchase a few dozen extras. I try to work with three-dozen and keep an extra dozen in my trunk. And don't think I'm not frugal accounting for every baseball at the end of practice. I try to make sure we find each one, and after practice, we comb the field to make sure we got them all. Usually we find extras and end up with more than what we started with.
Now, here is the actual logistics and set up that I do about 95% of the time I run batting practice. I'm a big proponent of bunting. I set up two cones on the third base line, about six feet apart, approximately where the bunt is suppose to go. I set up two empty buckets, one about three feet behind second base and the other one at the far base of the mound toward second. I have another bucket with the baseballs on the mound easily accessible to me. Now, this is a key. As a youth coach who wants a well-run practice and a lot of repetitions for the kids, I move up almost to the front base of the mound to pitch. I do this mainly so I can throw strikes consistently. For safety purposes, an “L” screen would be required from a shorter distance for safety. If your league doesn't have any, make them get them.
I have the first person up at bat with the 2nd and 3rd player ready to go. I have the 3rd hitter (or double on deck hitter) on the outside of the screen hitting balls on a batting tee using pickle balls (plastic) or wiffle balls with another parent feeding the balls on the tee. I always have the number 2, or on deck hitter, ready to hit.
The batter bunts the first two pitches. For each successful bunt, the player receives an extra swing. I usually give a player five swings besides his two bunts. So if a player lays one bunt between the cones, he get six regular swings. If he lays both bunts between the cones, he gets seven swings (the maximum per hitter). Now, there are certain things that have to happen to make this work. Remember there are two buckets strategically located. After the bunts, when the hitter swings away, wherever the ball is hit, the fielder tosses it toward the bucket closet to him. If it is hit to the outfield, he will throw the ball as close to the bucket behind second base. If he hits it to the infield, the fielder will toss it to the bucket behind the pitcher's mound. Reinforce to the players that they must toss to the bucket on one or two bounces or they will tend to play basketball with the baseball and bucket.
Now the point here is that the fielders do not make a play to first and the hitter does not run the last one out. We get more repetitions in a short period of time. The players are always facing the hitter. One might ask, isn't this boring for most of the players in the field? Well, not really. Because of the amount of balls hit in a short period of time, the ball is usually hit all over the place. And the coach throwing batting practice will keep one or two extra balls in his glove and is ready to pitch the next ball right away. When out of baseballs, have the players in the infield hustle to gather up the balls, combine buckets, and we're ready to go again. This works great!
Batting practice is a favorite of any baseball player at almost every level. Do not deny batting practice at any practice. And always look for the most efficient, safest procedure to help enhance your whole practice.
http://www.YouthSportsClub.com
http://www.VideosForCoaches.com
In my twenty years of coaching youth baseball, I am always looking for the most efficient practice methods for every aspect of baseball. It took me only a few years to realize that most youth baseball coaches and myself were running batting practice, not incorrectly, but not efficiently. From what I have seen with the typical batting practice, a coach will pitch a predetermined number of balls for each batter with the fielders fielding the hit balls and throwing them to first base. Usually the coach will yell something like “run the last one out”, and the batter does just that. If the ball is an infield hit, they try to throw him out at first. If it is hit into the outfield, he usually runs until he is thrown out. This is all well and good intentioned, but it is wasting valuable time when a coach wants to run an efficient practice.
Here is the most efficient way of running a batting practice that I've come up with. First of all, let me say this. Batting practice is just what it is, batting practice. Batting practice is not fielding practice or base running practice. So all youth coaches and parents should really define what a youth batting practice is and what they want to get out of it.
Most of my youth practices do not run more than one hour. Every minute of wasted time will affect all other aspects and time of any other drills or techniques I want to accomplish. The first thing a coach needs to have is an over abundance of baseballs. The league will provide baseballs but I always make sure I purchase a few dozen extras. I try to work with three-dozen and keep an extra dozen in my trunk. And don't think I'm not frugal accounting for every baseball at the end of practice. I try to make sure we find each one, and after practice, we comb the field to make sure we got them all. Usually we find extras and end up with more than what we started with.
Now, here is the actual logistics and set up that I do about 95% of the time I run batting practice. I'm a big proponent of bunting. I set up two cones on the third base line, about six feet apart, approximately where the bunt is suppose to go. I set up two empty buckets, one about three feet behind second base and the other one at the far base of the mound toward second. I have another bucket with the baseballs on the mound easily accessible to me. Now, this is a key. As a youth coach who wants a well-run practice and a lot of repetitions for the kids, I move up almost to the front base of the mound to pitch. I do this mainly so I can throw strikes consistently. For safety purposes, an “L” screen would be required from a shorter distance for safety. If your league doesn't have any, make them get them.
I have the first person up at bat with the 2nd and 3rd player ready to go. I have the 3rd hitter (or double on deck hitter) on the outside of the screen hitting balls on a batting tee using pickle balls (plastic) or wiffle balls with another parent feeding the balls on the tee. I always have the number 2, or on deck hitter, ready to hit.
The batter bunts the first two pitches. For each successful bunt, the player receives an extra swing. I usually give a player five swings besides his two bunts. So if a player lays one bunt between the cones, he get six regular swings. If he lays both bunts between the cones, he gets seven swings (the maximum per hitter). Now, there are certain things that have to happen to make this work. Remember there are two buckets strategically located. After the bunts, when the hitter swings away, wherever the ball is hit, the fielder tosses it toward the bucket closet to him. If it is hit to the outfield, he will throw the ball as close to the bucket behind second base. If he hits it to the infield, the fielder will toss it to the bucket behind the pitcher's mound. Reinforce to the players that they must toss to the bucket on one or two bounces or they will tend to play basketball with the baseball and bucket.
Now the point here is that the fielders do not make a play to first and the hitter does not run the last one out. We get more repetitions in a short period of time. The players are always facing the hitter. One might ask, isn't this boring for most of the players in the field? Well, not really. Because of the amount of balls hit in a short period of time, the ball is usually hit all over the place. And the coach throwing batting practice will keep one or two extra balls in his glove and is ready to pitch the next ball right away. When out of baseballs, have the players in the infield hustle to gather up the balls, combine buckets, and we're ready to go again. This works great!
Batting practice is a favorite of any baseball player at almost every level. Do not deny batting practice at any practice. And always look for the most efficient, safest procedure to help enhance your whole practice.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Another Guest Article!!!!
Youth Baseball Practices Don't Have To Be Long To Be Good
Marty Schupak has coached youth sports for 20 years. He is the producer of the best selling baseball video “The 59 Minute Baseball Practice”, as well as “Backyard Baseball Drills”, “Winning Baseball Strategies” , “Pitching Drills & Techniques” plus four more. He is also author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is President of Videos For Coaches and the Youth Sports Club and can be reached at: www.VideosForCoaches.com
Back in the late 70's an old college professor of mine was fond of saying, "Don't confuse activity with accomplishment." Jump forward about eight years and imagine me observing a coach running practice for his Little League team. At the start of practice most of the 10, 11, and 12 year olds are very enthusiastic. As the practice progresses I notice only two forms of activity taking place. One has the head coach throwing batting practice, with each hitter getting 10 to 15 swings while each pitcher takes a turn throwing to the assistant coach as the others stand and watch. I, too, stand and watch and I don't know who is more bored-the players or me.
When I saw a member of the board of directors, I commented on how poorly I thought the practice had been run. The board member responded, "If you think you can do a better job, then volunteer to coach." (Me and my big mouth!) But I did just that. And my first practice, though planned differently, ended up being two tedious hours of batting practice and pitchers throwing on the sidelines. Exactly what I had been so critical of myself! After that first practice I told my wife that there must be a better way. Even though I had a master's degree in Phys. Ed from Arizona State University, baseball was the major sport I was least knowledgeable about.
So, I decided to research alternative practice methods. I observed a variety of teams during practice ranging from seven year olds to college level players. I noticed that the best practices were not necessarily the longest and that the most organized coaches wasted little time. On most of the drills every player was involved. It was amazing the way some coaches integrated fun and learning and how creative some of the drills and games were. I began to use some of these techniques with my team. After a little trial and error I was actually able to run a more effective practice in half the time.
To run a practice like this does take preparation, mostly at the beginning of the season. But coaches need not look at this as a chore. It can be as much fun for you as it is for the players.
The youth baseball coach, whether it's Babe Ruth League, Little League, or local Park and Recreation Dept., should make a list of drills at the beginning of the year that they are interested in trying. The idea is to be creative. When my oldest son was eight, I began a practice with a simple relay race, consisting of two lines of six players each. To put a baseball theme into the race, I had each player wear their glove and hold two baseballs in it. The learning benefit of this relay race was to teach kids the importance of squeezing the glove. Another year I was teaching players how to bunt. When the team took batting practice, I put one cone 10 feet directly in front of home plate and another cone 10 feet to the left of the plate. Each player gets two bunts before his regular swings. For each bunt that goes between the cones, the player earns two extra swings. This motivated the players to focus when they bunted. And, it worked!
If a coach plans five to seven drills of ten to twelve minutes in length for each practice, the players will be more attentive and less bored. Don't worry about players not liking certain drills. About a third through the season they will let you know which ones to weed out.
The youth baseball season is unlike any other season. Fathers sneak out of work early, families rarely eat dinner before 8:30 at night and the laundry room is active day and night. As parents and coaches, we should make practices more interesting and fun because during a typical youth baseball season, players spend as much or more time practicing than in actual games.
Be creative and have a great baseball season!
Marty Schupak has coached youth sports for 20 years. He is the producer of the best selling baseball video “The 59 Minute Baseball Practice”, as well as “Backyard Baseball Drills”, “Winning Baseball Strategies” , “Pitching Drills & Techniques” plus four more. He is also author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is President of Videos For Coaches and the Youth Sports Club and can be reached at: www.VideosForCoaches.com
Back in the late 70's an old college professor of mine was fond of saying, "Don't confuse activity with accomplishment." Jump forward about eight years and imagine me observing a coach running practice for his Little League team. At the start of practice most of the 10, 11, and 12 year olds are very enthusiastic. As the practice progresses I notice only two forms of activity taking place. One has the head coach throwing batting practice, with each hitter getting 10 to 15 swings while each pitcher takes a turn throwing to the assistant coach as the others stand and watch. I, too, stand and watch and I don't know who is more bored-the players or me.
When I saw a member of the board of directors, I commented on how poorly I thought the practice had been run. The board member responded, "If you think you can do a better job, then volunteer to coach." (Me and my big mouth!) But I did just that. And my first practice, though planned differently, ended up being two tedious hours of batting practice and pitchers throwing on the sidelines. Exactly what I had been so critical of myself! After that first practice I told my wife that there must be a better way. Even though I had a master's degree in Phys. Ed from Arizona State University, baseball was the major sport I was least knowledgeable about.
So, I decided to research alternative practice methods. I observed a variety of teams during practice ranging from seven year olds to college level players. I noticed that the best practices were not necessarily the longest and that the most organized coaches wasted little time. On most of the drills every player was involved. It was amazing the way some coaches integrated fun and learning and how creative some of the drills and games were. I began to use some of these techniques with my team. After a little trial and error I was actually able to run a more effective practice in half the time.
To run a practice like this does take preparation, mostly at the beginning of the season. But coaches need not look at this as a chore. It can be as much fun for you as it is for the players.
The youth baseball coach, whether it's Babe Ruth League, Little League, or local Park and Recreation Dept., should make a list of drills at the beginning of the year that they are interested in trying. The idea is to be creative. When my oldest son was eight, I began a practice with a simple relay race, consisting of two lines of six players each. To put a baseball theme into the race, I had each player wear their glove and hold two baseballs in it. The learning benefit of this relay race was to teach kids the importance of squeezing the glove. Another year I was teaching players how to bunt. When the team took batting practice, I put one cone 10 feet directly in front of home plate and another cone 10 feet to the left of the plate. Each player gets two bunts before his regular swings. For each bunt that goes between the cones, the player earns two extra swings. This motivated the players to focus when they bunted. And, it worked!
If a coach plans five to seven drills of ten to twelve minutes in length for each practice, the players will be more attentive and less bored. Don't worry about players not liking certain drills. About a third through the season they will let you know which ones to weed out.
The youth baseball season is unlike any other season. Fathers sneak out of work early, families rarely eat dinner before 8:30 at night and the laundry room is active day and night. As parents and coaches, we should make practices more interesting and fun because during a typical youth baseball season, players spend as much or more time practicing than in actual games.
Be creative and have a great baseball season!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Website to review
A great resource if you are looking for items to help young players. The baseball equipment is almost free (Shipping not included) and it is clearly displayed on the site. Check it out if you are scanning the internet!
www.personalpitchertv.com
www.personalpitchertv.com
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Guest Author #4
Rich Burk is the television and radio play-by-play announcer for the Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League. His work has been endorsed by broadcasters, executives, writers and players at the highest levels of the industry:
“His descriptions are colorful and accurate,” said Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell
“His knowledge and love of the game, and dedication to his profession, are impressive,” said NBC Sports’ Bob Costas
“He has the capacity to make the game come alive,” according to Curt Smith, author of the acclaimed book, Voices of the Game
“I’m amazed at his knowledge and passion for the game,” said Kevin Towers, general manager of the San Diego Padres “He is quite possibly the hardest-working broadcaster in the business. I’m amazed at the details he digs up and saves for exactly the right moment, and at his encyclopedic knowledge of interesting stories,” said ESPN.com Senior Writer Rob Neyer.
“Rich is an excellent interviewer. I’ll take any time of my day to go on the air with him,” said Xavier Nady, outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A Scorebook for All to Follow the Game
All of Rich Burk’s baseball scorebooks are suitable for both seasoned veterans and scorekeeping rookies—each includes beginning and advanced instructions and a detailed, easy-to-read baseball glossary.
The top Broadcaster & Media Scorebook: Burk’s most popular scorebook, the BP16, is the cleanup hitter in his line of products. The BP16 features a unique two-page-per-team layout that provides a pitch-tracking system, clean-looking defensive charts, extra space in the lineup section and scoring boxes, and plenty of blank space for making notes. The BP16 does all this without limiting innings—scorers have the peace of mind of knowing their scoresheet includes 16 innings.
Other Broadcaster & Media Scorebooks: Two other Broadcaster & Media layouts are available with the more traditional one-page-per-team format. The BN12 features 12 innings per scoresheet, while the BN15 includes 15 innings per scoresheet. Like the BP16, these two versions include a defense chart and a clean layout with extra space for writing notes.
Fan & Media Scorebooks: These scorebooks feature a smaller 9” x 7” format (the other scorebooks are 8.5” x 11”). This is the perfect size to fit on a lap at the game or in a press box with limited table space.
Amateur League Baseball & Softball Scorebooks: These scorebooks feature 16 batting positions for those leagues where everyone bats in the lineup. The AP10 layout features Burk’s pitch-tracking system, an excellent addition for those leagues where a premium is placed on the number of pitches thrown.
Further information found at:
http://www.richburk.com/index/Scorebooks]www.RichBurk.com/index/Scorebooks, including samples of the scoresheets, a table comparing the features of Burk’s scorebooks, and tools to help people choose the right book for them.
“His descriptions are colorful and accurate,” said Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell
“His knowledge and love of the game, and dedication to his profession, are impressive,” said NBC Sports’ Bob Costas
“He has the capacity to make the game come alive,” according to Curt Smith, author of the acclaimed book, Voices of the Game
“I’m amazed at his knowledge and passion for the game,” said Kevin Towers, general manager of the San Diego Padres “He is quite possibly the hardest-working broadcaster in the business. I’m amazed at the details he digs up and saves for exactly the right moment, and at his encyclopedic knowledge of interesting stories,” said ESPN.com Senior Writer Rob Neyer.
“Rich is an excellent interviewer. I’ll take any time of my day to go on the air with him,” said Xavier Nady, outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
A Scorebook for All to Follow the Game
All of Rich Burk’s baseball scorebooks are suitable for both seasoned veterans and scorekeeping rookies—each includes beginning and advanced instructions and a detailed, easy-to-read baseball glossary.
The top Broadcaster & Media Scorebook: Burk’s most popular scorebook, the BP16, is the cleanup hitter in his line of products. The BP16 features a unique two-page-per-team layout that provides a pitch-tracking system, clean-looking defensive charts, extra space in the lineup section and scoring boxes, and plenty of blank space for making notes. The BP16 does all this without limiting innings—scorers have the peace of mind of knowing their scoresheet includes 16 innings.
Other Broadcaster & Media Scorebooks: Two other Broadcaster & Media layouts are available with the more traditional one-page-per-team format. The BN12 features 12 innings per scoresheet, while the BN15 includes 15 innings per scoresheet. Like the BP16, these two versions include a defense chart and a clean layout with extra space for writing notes.
Fan & Media Scorebooks: These scorebooks feature a smaller 9” x 7” format (the other scorebooks are 8.5” x 11”). This is the perfect size to fit on a lap at the game or in a press box with limited table space.
Amateur League Baseball & Softball Scorebooks: These scorebooks feature 16 batting positions for those leagues where everyone bats in the lineup. The AP10 layout features Burk’s pitch-tracking system, an excellent addition for those leagues where a premium is placed on the number of pitches thrown.
Further information found at:
http://www.richburk.com/index/Scorebooks]www.RichBurk.com/index/Scorebooks, including samples of the scoresheets, a table comparing the features of Burk’s scorebooks, and tools to help people choose the right book for them.
