Posted on 12 April 2010. Tags: Baseball, coaching
What has happened to the game of baseball lately? The games are getting longer and parent’s patience are getting shorter. Why do the youth games take so much longer to play? Why are games lasting well over 2 1/2 hours for a 7 inning game? Are the strike zones suddenly smaller so there are more pitches? Are players trying to imitate the pre-pitch antics of the Mike “Human Rain Delay” Hargrove, or Nomar or David Ortiz? Are the pitchers that much slower in between pitches? Are they not throwing strikes? Whatever happened to hustling on and off the field in between innings? Nowadays players waltz out to their positions.
I had to give up coaching baseball after 20 years because I wasn’t getting home until 7:15 after a 4:00 start. Thus I was missing my kids’ games. I remember getting home by 6:00 on a regular basis. We had many games that were over by 5:30? Why the gradual slowdown of the game? What is happening out there?
MLB is also experiencing longer games. This may be more to time in between innings to maximize the ad revenue. However, teams are more deliberate in changing pitchers, having mound discussions, and taking their sweet time in between pitches. The effect is with a 7:30 start time, games are lasting until 10:30-11:00. This makes it hard for families to attend a weeknight game.
When was the last time you saw the conclusion of a World Series Game?
Big question: What can be done to speed up the game? Of course, we need to figure out why the games at all levels are taking longer.
Posted in General Topics
Posted on 16 May 2008. Tags: Baseball, hitting
Coach, my five year old is getting ready for his first organized baseball action. Can you help me teach him to hit? J.R., Owings Mills, MD
The first place to start is with Tee work. If you are going to buy one, find a Batting Tee that can be adjusted for height. If you are looking for a cheap alternative, find a traffic cone. They make great batting tees. I recommend Tee work for all ages, not just little kids.
Start with no stride. Many parents want their kid to step into the ball. Stepping causes the body to move forward and you want to eliminate as much movement as possible. Work on using the hands and just rotating the hips to hit the ball off the tee. Make it fun by measuring how far the ball goes. As he tries to swing harder, be certain that he maintains good balance. He will start to overswing and you will need to pull him back to find the hardest swing but still maintaining balance.
Move to soft toss. Align your son as if there is a home plate. You will flip him balls from the opposite batter’s box. You will be on one knee slightly in front of him. Flip balls underhanded about a foot in front of his front hip. Again, work on having him rotate or “Pop” the hips and use his hands. Work on tossing the ball on a line and not in a big loop. It is harder for little ones to follow the ball when it changes vertical planes. As he experiences success, flip to varying heights to mix it up.
If he begins hitting the ball consistently, introduce the front foot step by having him pick up his foot when you drop your hand to toss the ball. He should pick up his foot and put it down not more than two inches forward. Do not let him slide forward with his body. This is one of the most common hitting faults. The picking up and putting down of the foot will serve as a “hitting trigger” as he gets older. Click here for some videos on this topic.
Posted in General Topics
