What You Need To Play
Tips
Understanding the Suicide Squeeze
Sep 7th
What is it? Generally used late in the game with only one run needed to tie the game up or to break the tie, the squeeze play is a maneuver in which the runner on third and the batter coordinate for a possible steal home. The runner takes a secondary lead as soon as the pitcher’s arm reaches a forward motion and the batter squares out for the bunt. The runner waits for the outcome of the bunt before making the decision to take off for home or to retreat back to third.
In the Suicide Squeeze, however, the runner on third More >
Learning Basic Skills:
Fielding Grounders
Jul 7th
Fielding grounders is probably one of the most basic maneuvers in baseball and softball, but is often a hard concept to grasp for beginners. We’re not going to talk about the grounders that rip past you with no time to think or react. Rather, we’ll discuss the more typical type of grounder. Most grounders will come to you at a medium to slow speed, depending on your position. These grounders tend to give you a bit of a reaction time.
Coaches teach four basic things for fielding grounders (these tips are for beginners): (1) Get in front of the ball More >
Learning Basic Skills: How to Play Pickle
Jun 3rd
Pickle (also known as a Hotbox or Rundown) is a baseball situation, and popular kid’s game, that actually has nothing to do with food. Instead, “pickle” in this instance describes the difficult situation you may find yourself in when stranded between 2 bases with on of the basemen in possession of the ball.
Teams should practice successfully getting out of the pickle (for runners) and successfully foiling the pickle (for the fielders). To set this up, either practice directly on the field, or place 2 bases 20-30 feet apart. This drill will help runners build up their anticipation and base running More >
Baseball/Softball Glove Buying Guide
May 5th
Choosing an appropriate baseball glove or softball glove is not necessarily as difficult as it may seem at first. When selecting a glove, there are many factors to be considered. Field position, level of play and preferred features will all play an important role in your decision. Gloves differ in size, amount of padding, webbing, pocket depth and more. Below, we explain what each feature means to a player.
When choosing a glove, it is always best to try it on first. If you prefer to buy online, you should still shop around to find the brand, size, style and options More >
Coach’s Guide To Interacting With Parents
Apr 26th
Being a coach can be hard enough without parents becoming an issue. But the fact is that a good parent-coach interaction is important to the team’s success.
Most parents are very supportive and try not to complain. Furthermore, most issues are non-issues and have a way of working themselves out over time. If you are well-organized, coaching well, are modeling great sportsmanship and your teams are competitive, you won’t hear many complaints.
Many parents are simply misinformed, don’t really understand the game or just love to complain. The bigger issue is usually the “player agents”… akin to stage moms. These parents believe More >
Sports Nutrition:
Fueling Your Little Athlete
Mar 22nd
All too often, we complain about how inactive this generation has become. With all the technological options keeping so many occupied, it’s refreshing to still see so many kids at the local baseball field, hockey rink, gymnasium or swimming pool. These parents have done a great thing by keeping their kids active!
Right after sign ups, parents scramble around for the proper equipment… which, of course is necessary to keep them safe. So, we’ve addressed the outside… let’s work to get the inside healthy! It’s a well known fact that athletes require a special diet to fuel their activity. Much like More >
Staying Fit in the Off-Season
Nov 22nd
A good off-season workout routine is crucial to hone your skills and prepare you for in-season play and performance. Proper form, consistency and attention to detail will keep you in optimum shape to help you endure long inning appearances when the season finally rolls back around.
Baseball-specific drills are repetitive in nature, so it is imperative that you first learn the skill correctly to know what “normal” feels like. You want to know what the movement or motion is supposed to feel like to keep you from developing bad habits. Schedule frequent sessions with your coaches during your off-season to make More >
How To Slide Properly
Oct 28th
Sliding is a very effective strategy that, if done wrong, can also be quite dangerous. Many sliding injuries can be avoided by simply teaching your players HOW to slide properly. As with any play in baseball, sliding takes technique and practice. Please remember that sliding into a base properly is much more difficult than just dropping to the ground and letting the momentum take you to the base.
So how do you keep sliding a part of the game without sacrificing your players? First and foremost, teach young players that they should NEVER slide head first. A head first slide puts More >
How to Play Outfield…
It’s Not As Easy As You May Think!
Oct 18th
The outfield is generally not the most sought after position in Little League. Most balls hit by Little Leaguers are hit in the infield and, as a result, most young players want to pitch, catch or play a base. Putting your best players in the infield is logical since that is where the action is. This changes as batters become more powerful and the outfield positions become more important… generally by high school.
So what makes a good outfielder? It takes a lot more than being a good catcher, fast runner or a great leaper to become an outfielder. You need More >
Protecting the Plate
Oct 11th
The role of the catcher may be one of the most demanding of any baseball position, both physically and mentally. A quality catcher needs to know more than how to catch and throw the ball. He needs to be able to think on his feet and make split second decisions all game long. While catching is obviously physical, the position also requires a great amount of mental strength. A catcher who can handle the mental part of the position will quickly rise to the top.
The team naturally depends on the catcher a lot since he is the last defense to More >
