re: Youth baseball coaching tips

Axe bat swing trainers (weighted bats) and a blast bat sensor.

Its rec....just make sure they're having fun, that is literally the only thing that matters.

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If it happens which is rarely, it's usually a kid who is already a great athlete at another sport but is just trying out baseball and is raw.

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exactly or they are already a great athlete just never played any sport before...suddenly they realize im pretty good at this.

but even then....baseball and basketball are so skill driven that its stupid hard to catch up. Baseball is the hardest to catch up on cause you cant just depend on height like you can in basketball. you have to be skilled...period.

and i dunno why i got downvoted for saying its rec, just let them have fun because hardly any chance any of them play past 12 years old. its the truth. hell there is less than prolly a dozen leagues that even have 13-14 year old teams in the whole state.

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You know that there are benefits to rec sports aside from becoming Mike Trout right?

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Don’t get me started on the downstream effects of everyone abandoning rec sports.

We are doing both rec and select, and it’s tough, but I didn’t feel right about just leaving rec altogether. It’s too important to the community, though most people don’t seem to think it matters.

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You know that there are benefits to rec sports aside from becoming Mike Trout right?

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absolutely 100%. my oldest plays league and youngest is in tball.

and thats what the rec system is for....teach those kids to play the game, teach them to compete, teach them how to win/lose, let them have fun and to get them exercise.

i didnt say anything to the contrary. I have been coaching rec ball for 7 or 8 years now so im well aware and i have one in travel so i know both sides.

like i said....if they are in league at 11-12....teach them how to play, try and grow their confidence but most importantly make sure they are having fun

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Don’t get me started on the downstream effects of everyone abandoning rec sports.

We are doing both rec and select, and it’s tough, but I didn’t feel right about just leaving rec altogether. It’s too important to the community, though most people don’t seem to think it matters.

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your right at the lower levels. imo at 11-12 and even by 10 to some extent....the better kids leaving for travel is a good thing imo. gives kids that normally wouldnt get much playing time....a chance to play and to play all over. gets them more at bats and keeps them from just quiting becasue they feel they are not good enough.

just my opinion.

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Get your practice organized to where you have people hitting live pitching, tee work, and soft toss simultaneously. That way every player gets three hitting drills every practice no matter what.

Then get a pitching machine to throw strikes at them over and over for a while. Take the bat away from them and let them watch pitches come in for a little bit. Let them see that it's not going to hit them, then let them hit.

That will get their mind off of getting hit and get them more dialed in to hitting and being more confident at the plate. And it will also teach them what a hittable pitch looks like.

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I coached for seven years, ages 9 through 16, and this is more or less what I did. Soft toss and doing the batting tee the CORRECT way build confidence.

But more than anything, I think what some coaches do wrong is do live batting practice the wrong way. Some coaches let their pitchers attempt to throw BP, and the ball goes all over the place. Other coaches try to pitch BP, and they can't consistently throw strikes, either.
So it becomes a self-defeating exercise.

I had a JUGS pitching machine, but there's no replacement for the kids seeing live pitching and learning how to pick up the ball out of the pitcher's hand.

More than anything they need to be seeing strikes to hit in practice. If you're not throwing them strikes, it's a waste of time and some of them are going to be hit by the pitch.

When my son was 9 years old, he had a coach who used to make the pitchers throw batting practice -- at 9 years old! Then he would lean against the backstop, smoke cigarettes and yell, "C'mon, son, bow your neck!"

That's when I decided that I needed to be a baseball coach.

Good luck to you. The problem is solvable. (You might also Google the name "Tom Emanski".)

My first question would be "How much baseball have you played?" "To what level?" "At what position and how was your hitting?"

Today there are videos on the internet full of teaching strategies to make players better. Make use of them.

I took a new team, formed by me because I resented the fact that kids not chosen the year before, still resided on the intramural team the following year. The first half we were exactly what I expected .....wishing for a run much less a win. But I dedicated myself to those kids that were promised the moon and received nothing. Every team meeting was conducted with the players backs next to backstop while their parents sat in the stands behind them. Mom, Dad and the entire team learned baseball together. I would point out the breakdowns and pinned it down to one inning where they got off stride because of a mistake. That turned to quicksand, then I focused on how to get out of the jam and back on track.

The second half? I got kicked out intentionally in the first game during the 4th inning. My Assistant Coach was working late. The coach I had worked with for three years asked if he could take over. This is what the team heard when he stepped in. "Ray fights for you. He made a promise to you and did exactly as he said he would. He formed your team and took all of you first. It's time you show him you've learned from him. Play like he expects you to play."

They won 8-3. The kids exploded. I walked down from the scorer's booth and celebrated with them. Then the break down "You did this. Not me. I can only teach and make adjustments where needed. You just beat the best team in the league. You are not a laughing stock now. It's time to bring it all together and make this consistent. We finished second in the second half. No one was laughing at those kids any more.

Years from now, you'll run into a kid you haven't seen for years. He'll be married with kids of his own and will be thrilled to see you again. And thank you for making an impact in his life. Focus on what you do for them and don't give up.

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Earnest_P

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BTW for those looking for the baseball world videos......you know the Tom Emanski "Back to Back AAU National Champions"

here is the instructional videos

LINK


there are other great videos out there too for those working with your own kids or with a team.

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Most kids cry b/c they got hit...not bc it hurts

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some kids at that age still fight tears when they strike out too. They're crying because they're embarrassed.