OFFENSE
Base Running:
Base running-Run through 1st, break down with short choppy steps after going full speed through the bag while looking toward the fence for the ball. IT DOES NOT MATTER WHERE (front, middle or back) OR WITH WHAT FOOT HITS THE BAG. When running the bases never break stride, this will slow the player down. Players running for extra bases, home to 2nd, 1st to 3rd, etc should run in a straight line and veer or ‘banana’ and cut the bag two/thirds down the line. AGAIN IT DOES NOT MATTER WHAT FOOT HITS THE BAG, only that the inside corner of the bag is touched.
Pop-up slide-Get both arms shooting up over head as you get down. One leg is tucked under the other leg and lead leg is extended toward the bag but is slightly bent. Keep both arms up and you plant the lead foot on the base. Your momentum will let you "pop-up" and get ready to keep running to the next base.
Hitting:
Hitting focus-
Squish the bug with a strong back foot on the ball of the foot (not ballerina on tip-toe), bat starts from back shoulder, hands straight to the ball with a quick swing on contact (hands stay inside the ball-not loop around to the ball), after contact swing gets long and finishes on opposite shoulder, while head stays down. Keep it simple. Front leg should almost be straight locked out, while back leg is in a V. “Short and quick to the ball, finish long”
Tee Work- Greatest hitting practice anyone can do. Focus should be on balance and mechanics. Tee can be placed on inside part of the plate out on front of the hitter so they can work on the inside pitch. Tee can be placed on the outside part of the plate almost behind the hitter so they can work on the outside pitch. Balls inside are pulled, balls outside are hit away, balls down the middle are hit up the middle.
Soft Toss- One of the most improperly used drills. Soft toss should be done at a 45 degree angle in front of the hitter, not parallel or behind. Balls should be quickly tossed into the hitters hitting zone. Tossed balls can be varied giving the players help on hitting change-ups. During the normal toss of the ball, the coach should begin to raise hand quickly to the normal toss release point but not toss the ball allowing the players front foot to step and land. Once this happens the coach can continue tossing the ball so that the player can now react and drive the ball. Batters will tend to allow their hands to drift away from their body when working soft toss, keep an eye on this.
Soft Toss/Squish Bug Drill- Incorporate soft toss drill with focus being on having the player squish the bug prior to the ball being tossed. The player's hand should follow forward slightly as the rear foot pivots prior to the ball being tossed. Strong on the back foot on the ball of the foot, not on the tip toe.
Heavy Ball- At practice bring a traffic cone or wide topped tee. Have a partially deflated basketball, or soccer ball for T-ball and Coach Pitch. Use the cone/tee and allow the players to hit the ball into a net. The key for this drill is to make sure the player drives through the ball and does not stop his/her swing. Keep in mind balance and mechanics when doing this (very important). The idea is not to "kill" the ball and fall over hitting it, but to work on driving through the ball upon contact. Muscle memory will help the player drive through the baseball when the player strikes at it so the swing does not slow down. **TIP**: At home grab your self an old used tire, some bolts with washers and a 4x4 fence post. Cement the fence post in the ground and attach the tire with the bolts in two places. Use the tire just like you would the baseketball.
Gilmore Drill- Using the heavy ball application or just a normal baseball set-up a tee and place the ball on the tee. From here the player can take their batting stance at the tee. The player will then take a cross step back with his/her front foot and then with their back foot. The hitter will then step into the ball driving the ball with his/her hips into a net. "Just like the movie Happy Gilmore"......
Batting Practice (BP)- While having BP you don’t need every player on the field. This is a great time to either have other players working in groups, pitchers working on the side, etc. Place three fielders in the outfield and another player in the middle of the infield/outfield with a bucket to receive the hit balls. Players shagging have a great opportunity to work on catching fly balls and grounders. Get parents involved with help collecting and shagging balls too. If you have enough coaches and parents to help split the team into groups of 3 or 4 players giving yourself 3 groups. Group #1 can stay in the field with help of parents/coaches, group #2 can work on bunting/soft toss or other hitting drills outside the playing field, group #3 will be at live BP rotating after about 10 swings each. After twenty swings each rotate groups. Another option it to use tennis balls for BP. You can get three hitting stations going at once, two getting live pitches from a coach and one hitting on the tee into a net. hitter #1 can be positioned down by 1st base, hitter #2 can be positioned by third base while hitter three hitting into a net. Each hitter will rotate to all three stations while other players shag. Once finished send in your next three and so on.
Balance Board- Set up a batting tee to hit off of. Use a 4 to 5 foot plank of wood, 2x4 for advanced players or a 1x4 or 6 for others. Set the plank up next to the tee and allow the player to take position on the wood with the balls of his/her feet on the wood. The player will take a short stride and strike the ball off of the tee. The player must demonstrate proper mechanics (squish the bug and follow through) when striking the ball while maintaining balance on the board. Once player strikes the ball and finishes they should hold their finish for several seconds to ensure proper balance.
Bottom Hand- Using a small bat (T-ball size approximately 27", larger for older kids) and a batting tee. Set a ball on the batting tee to be struck by the batter. The batter will use the small bat holding in his bottom or front hand only. The top hand will be placed across chest. The hitter will work on striking the ball, with the proper mechanics and finish. This will help with balance, bat control and finish.
