Coaching Resource

 Day 1 - the kids have no clue; Coaching Mindset is you are simply exposing them to the material. Many will not show much of a grasp of what is being taught.

Day 2 - the kids are thinking, "Oh I remember doing this".  They will begin to grasp to some extent, because they recall having done the activity before.

Day 3 - kids are thinking, "I know this stuff" ...we must get on them to stay focused because they 'think they already know it'.  We remind them, if necessary, that 'knowing in their brain' does not mean they can DO the action.

Their muscles need to 'know'.  Muscles are Dumb ; muscles need a lot of repetitions to get it right, and to be able to Do It naturally/instinctively (Muscle Memory).

Day 4 and beyond they are reinforcing their Muscle Memory. (dumb muscles forget; they need constant 'Reminding').

Executing Relays well, and the skills involved, contribute to improved Ball Management.  Youth teams cut down on the number of bases conceded unnecessarily, and reduce the number of runs given up, when Relays are run correctly. 

(Note: ‘Relays’ don’t always involve a throw to Home.  Often the Relay Player cuts and holds the ball. Successfully getting the ball to the Cut-Relay Player puts the defense in control over runners, forcing them to stop attempting to advance.)

Practicing Relays correctly develops a critical Team Skill, while giving players an increased sense of the value of Ball Management.

Three Parts to improving Relays.   The first part takes no additional time.  Run the ‘Hitting the Cut’ drill, one day for 6-7 minutes, immediately after playing catch at practice.  Follow that up on game day, running the drill for just a few minutes, long enough for each player to make 3 throws.  The third part, using the Mini Diamond, gets players a massive number of reps in one, 15-minute session at practice.  After that, the team reviews Relays for 5 minutes prior to a game, using the Mini Diamond.

(Note: set up 2 diamonds, with 6 players at each diamond)

1)  Better Throws: when a relay is executed correctly, each throw is about the same distance: approximately 60’-65’. 

This is the distance of throws when our kids play catch prior to practice. 

Explain to the team that, when playing catch, they are practicing Throwing & Catching, not just ‘warming-up’. 

Also, when throwing 60’-65’, they are practicing Relay Throws.  Establishing this mindset when playing catch, we turn the activity into a ‘throwing and catching drill’: Playing Catch Practice.

2)  DRILL: Hitting the Cut: ‘Box’ Mentality

3)  Massive Relay Reps in a Short Period of Time (We train Relay Positioning and Communication using a Mini Diamond)

• Mini Diamond - Super Tool

• Relay to Home

• Relay to Home, Ball Past Outfielders

The Combination of:

1. Improved throwing

2. Discipline in hitting the Cut-off

3. Better Positioning & Communication

…results in better Relays and improved Ball Management.

UTILIZING A BUNT#

• Close games in Play-Offs and/or All-Stars^

• An opportunity to succeed: players with weaker swing skills

KEY POINTS

Moving the bat into bunting position* involves two simple movements:

1. Quarter Turn of the feet and legs

2. Barrel comes straight over the shoulder to armpit level; as the barrel is moving into position, the top hand slides up the bat

Drill Descriptions

Twist

Switch Heels - 1

Switch Heels - 3

Sideways Karate Chop - 1

Sideways Karate Chop - 2

Skip-a-Rock - 1

Skip-a-Rock - 4

Both arms extended, equally, towards the opposite side Middle Infielder, accomplishes two things:

1. Full plate coverage

2. Sets the angle for bunting to the opposite side of the field

(slight bend in the elbows is ideal; tougher for young kids because of lack of strength)

Use Legs to Bunt Low Pitches: start with the barrel at armpit level (top of the strike zone); bend at the knees to lower the body and bat to reach pitches below the top of the strike zone (takes time and practice for some/many kids to develop leg strength to execute this action

Bunting to the pull side:

• After getting into bunting position, bring the knob of the bat back towards the body:

• Bat pivots on the top hand, which remains relatively still

• Ideally, the bottom hand elbow remains relatively still, while the bottom hand pulls the knob back

(we would like the batter to get to where they land the bat in ‘pull side’ position at the conclusion of the action of bringing the bat over the shoulder; a big ask for kids other than those who are most skilled)

When to Move Into Bunting Position:

• Sacrifice: when the pitcher moves their stride foot (leg lift or beginning of the stride

• Bunt for a Hit: when Pitcher’s hand reaches ‘Release Point’

Bunt the ball approximately 15’ off the line; don’t risk bunting foul:

• Sacrifice: 15’-20’ off the line

• Bunt for a Hit: 10’-15’ off the line

 # Strategy, Rule of Thumb: Visiting team plays for the Lead (objective is to get ahead by one run; then get more); Home team plays for a Tie (then see if it can get another run)

^ it is suggested to have batters swinging the bat during the regular season to maximize in-game swing skills

* the batter does not ‘square around’ and face the pitcher

This Drill develops a player’s awareness of the base in relationship to the location of a thrown ball, teaches ‘Ball First, Base Second’ priority, and trains sound throwing technique:

• Utilizing the Legs to power the throw

• Creating straight-line momentum towards the target

We also want to constantly remind players to be conscious of their wrist snap at release, which improves accuracy.