Baseball Positive

01/13/2021

THE SWING ZONE …a mental approach for greater hitting success

Successful batters stand in the batter’s box expecting to swing - YES!

They anticipate that each pitch will be right down the middle, belt high; a great pitch for them to crush. Their mindset, as the pitcher starts their delivery, is: “YES! I am going to swing”.

The expectation of a perfect pitch to hit remains heightened with the ball approaching the plate as they load up and get physically prepared to execute a swing, “YES, YES, YES…”
Only at the very last moment, if they see the pitch is not going to be a good one to hit, does their thinking change to ‘no’, don’t swing.

Working with in our young hitters, our objective is to ingrain their habit of thought, and physical preparation for every pitch, to be: “YES! YES! YES! …..no”.
This is the mindset and approach we want them to have on every ball pitched to them, be it in batting practice, a game, or wiffle ball in the backyard…

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This is the second of a 3-part series on helping kids with the metal side of hitting… The Pitcher Is Your Servant The Swing Zone Batting Is Not Fair Note: Part 2 assumes the kid(s) you are working with have a rudimentary understanding of their swing and/or demonstrated the abilit

01/08/2021

SAVIORS OF THE GAME …parent helpers
Why are practices not productive and fun? Many would agree that a major reason is logistics; the time required to set up each drill, to transition between drills and breakdowns in the flow the current drill we are running. Planning can be partially attributed to these concerns. But a real factor is we are dealing with kids. Yes, it is true, young people do not always follow directions perfectly, and they can legitimately misunderstand instructions. In the drills themselves, kids make physical mistakes that slow and delay the drill activities.
COACHES please comment below with your techniques for running faster paced practices, or your experiences with unproductive practices and tell about the circumstances.
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http://www.baseballpositive.com/blog-page-set-up/2020/9/8/saviors-of-the-game-parent-helpers

Why Do Kids Quit Playing? Great numbers of youth softball and baseball players leave the sport each year because the game is not fun. The game  is not the issue; it is the experience kids have participating in  the game.  A large part of participation is practice. The

01/07/2021

WILD PITCH/PAST BALL WITH A RUNNER ON THIRD
…this quick and easy drill saves runs

Possibly the number one reason a runner on third base scores on a wild pitch or passed ball is home plate being left uncovered. This is the responsibility of the pitcher. Get into the head of most youth baseball and softball pitchers to find out what they think of as their role on the field, many have a list with one thing on it …Pitch.

In the situation we are addressing, since the pitcher is not getting the ball, their responsibility becomes Cover the Base. Establishing in the pitcher’s mind that they have this responsibility starts with teaching the game to the the team...
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Common in youth baseball and softball is a pitched ball getting past the catcher.  This is especially a concern with a runner on third base. At the youth level of play we see quite a few runs scored as a result of wild pitches and passed balls. Three common reasons for allowing the runner t

01/07/2021

MENTAL APPROACH TO HITTING - THE PITCHER IS YOUR SERVANT
…establishing a positive mindset when stepping into the batter’s box

This is the first of a 3-part series on helping kids with their mental approach to batting.

“Hey Pitcher! bring that ball to me. You need to throw it right here…through the strike zone. And if you do not bring that ball to me, I do not have to swing. If you don’t bring that ball to me; I go to first base for Free…. so c’mon, Serve it up!”.
COACHES please comment below and share what you tell your hitters to help them improve their mental approach when batting.
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http://www.baseballpositive.com/blog-page-set-up/2021/1/2/mental-approach-to-hitting-the-pitcher-is-your-servant-establishing-a-positive-mindset-when-stepping-into-the-batters-box

This is the first in a 3-part series on establishing confidence in young hitters through a positive mental approach:   Part 1:   The Pitcher Is Your Servant …establishing a positive mindset when stepping into the batter’s box Part 2:   The Swing Zo

11/24/2020

IS THE STRIDE IN THE BATTING SWING EXTINCT?
…these two videos provide insight on the answer

A misconception about the stride is that it adds power to the swing. The stride is a precursor to the swing. Professional hitters and coaches will tell you that the role of the stride is timing; not power generation. Incorporating a stride or a leg kick into the swing, as a timing mechanism, can benefit some athletes. For a few, this action enhances the rhythm in their actions for maximizing power generation…

COACHES, please comment on your experience; the good, bad, and ugly, with players who do, and do not stride.

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When should we begin teaching kids to stride? What role does the stride play in a youth ballplayer's swing? This blog post explains how to teach kids to generate more power in their swing and increase the frequency of making solid contact.

11/16/2020

IMPROVE YOUR TEAM’S PITCHING AND DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE
…teach your catcher proper positioning in relationship to the batter

The role of the catcher extends far beyond receiving pitches. The catcher is an integral part of the team defensive unit; required to make throws to bases on bunted balls and balls tapped in front of home plate; when runners attempt to advance via a steal and on blocked pitches in the dirt.
The closer the catcher is to the field of play, the quicker they can field balls in front of them and they are closer to the bases when making throws. Shortening the distance of throws results in greater accuracy and can be the difference between an out or safe call on bang-bang plays...

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http://www.baseballpositive.com/blog-page-set-up/2020/11/16/z8xuiay13cgrflv4zae11jceear34s

COACHES: Please comment with ideas of how you make time in your practices for catcher specific training. ...or any other thoughts regarding the development of catchers at the youth level of play. ................No doubt there are a lot of coaches out there who could benefit from your insights, and who would be very grateful!!

Would we like to increase the number of strikes our pitchers throw? …improve our pitchers’ confidence; reduce the number of past balls and wild pitches in a game; improve the quality and effectiveness of our Team Defense. We can accomplish all these objectives by teaching our catchers to positio...

10/27/2020

YOUTH SPORTS CONSTANTLY PRESENT OUR KIDS WITH MOMENTARY SETBACKS
…these are opportunities to teach them that life is an ongoing series of challenges

10/26/2020

SSOFTBALL/BASEBALL: THE UNIQUE CULTURE OF THE GAME
…down time on the bench brings out special personalities

This VIDEO ----- is Soooooooooo ----- Much ----- FUN

Managing the personalities of your players and building a positive culture. Discipline is important for a team's success. However, coaches understand that the stressful nature of the game and the downtime when a team is batting calls for giving some leash, allowing player personalities to come out

10/24/2020

RUNNER TAGGING FROM THIRD
…who is the cut?

The Federal Way team may have scratched out a run, won the State Championship, won the Regional (in Pacific’s place), and THOSE kids, coaches and parents may have enjoyed the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel to Williamsport and the play in the Little League World Series. …But they will never know.
It can be argued, the Federal Way team was a ‘victim’ of having a coach who was ‘too knowledgeable’…

COACHES, please comment below about your struggles and successes in teaching kids cut-relay plays.

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The Little League World Series.  When was that last played?  Seems like forever after having most of 2020 cancelled.  Thinking back to previous years’ broadcasts, they included profiles about individual kids and teams telling of their journeys to Williamsport.  Th

10/24/2020

HEAD GAMES..the key to successful athletic performance

When searching out resources for improving youth baseball and softball skills we find oodles of drills on YouTube, tons of devices that surely will make the difference. However, often it is the most basic tweak that has the most significant impact on improving performance.

COACHES and PARENTS, please comment on your observations of head movement while watching kids play.

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How do we give our child or the players on our team an edge in developing their skills?  What is the latest technique, gadget or drill that can help them improve their performance?  When searching out resources for improving youth baseball and softball skills we find oodles of dri

10/23/2020

IS THE STRIDE IN THE BATTING SWING EXTINCT?
…these two videos provide insight on the answer

A misconception about the stride is that it adds power to the swing. The stride is a precursor to the swing. Professional hitters and coaches will tell you that the role of the stride is timing; not power generation. Incorporating a stride or a leg kick into the swing, as a timing mechanism, can benefit some athletes. For a few, this action enhances the rhythm in their actions for maximizing power generation…

COACHES, please comment on your experience; the good, bad, and ugly, with players who do, and do not stride.

Read the Full Article

It can be argued that Baseball, more than any other sport, resists letting go of long-held traditions.  Throughout its history, dating back to the mid 1800’s, coaches taught batters to stride in preparation for their swing.  However, over the past couple of decades, we see fewer an