provided by Coach John Ditore, The School of Baseball
Have you ever been watching a televised baseball or softball game and heard an announcer praise a ball players great talent but also their great success in the classroom? It may be considered the biggest compliment a young student athlete can receive because success in school is not an easy task. Many baseball players have great talent; however, they lack hard work in the...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
A ball player’s baseball glove is the most important piece of equipment he or he might own. It’s also the first item that young players should obtain before their first day of practice. Gloves come in many different styles and sizes so it can be challenging to pick, but after a few tips you should be ready to pick out a glove with your son or daughter and have...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
Janet H: How do I know what size bat to buy for my son?
Janet, thank you! Purchasing a bat that is too heavy or too light is a common mistake many of us make. To answer your question, I am going to walk you through some easy steps to help you pick out the right size bat for your son. The same steps will apply for fastpitch softball players.
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Sandy Hart: My son is 7 and we play catch in the backyard every night before dinner. What are some throwing mechanics that I should know when helping out my son?
Sandy, thank you for your question. Just picking up a baseball and throwing it can be challenging at any age without knowing the right mechanics. So, we are going to go through everything it takes to through a baseball. Eventually with enough practice, you and your son should be playing catch without...
provided by Coach John Ditore, The School of Baseball
The key to every infielder’s success is proper readiness. We need to expect that every single pitch will end up coming our way off the bat. The sooner we teach ourselves to become fully engaged in the game and know where the ball goes in every situation, the sooner we become mature baseball players. Because of its intricacies, baseball requires our...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
The Baseball Bag
First and foremost, you want to purchase a baseball bag that can fit all of your baseball gear (equipment, uniform, snack, etc.). This mainly depends on the position that you play and the amount of equipment that comes along with that position.
If you are a catcher, you’ll need a bag that can fit all of the...
Question: Hi, I’m Coach Kelly and I coach my daughter’s youth softball team. What are some good sliding techniques that I can use while training my team for the season?
TSOB: Hello Coach Kelly. I think this is an important topic and I’m glad you brought this to my attention. Sliding into a bag is a softball and baseball fundamental that all youth ball players need to be aware of while running the bases. It can be the difference in extending a...
Question from Dr. Hanna: My son is 11 and is entering his first year in Majors. He played almost every position last year but is set on being a shortstop in the future. What are some fielding techniques that I can practice with him at home so he can work on achieving his goal?
Dr. Hanna, thank you for your question. Fielding is a fundamental skill that every ball player should practice. The technique is not extremely complex; however, it does take a great deal of...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
Question from Coach Dave Jenkins, Little League coach from Denver Colorado – What bunting techniques should I be teaching my son’s 11 – 12 yr old Little League team?
Thanks Coach Jenkins, bunting has become an undervalued tool at many baseball levels and its importance should be taught at a young age. I strongly recommend starting your son’...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
In comparison to other sports like football or hockey, baseball is a very low contact sport; however, injuries are still prevalent in playing the game. Some injuries are more avoidable than others and some positions put players at a higher risk for injury. In every case there are steps you can take to lower the chances of injury.
There are several types of injury...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
The hit and run is one of the most basic plays executed in the game of baseball and softball. Base runners are put in motion and the ball is ideally hit in play, which has the ability to make for an exciting offensive attack. Oftentimes coaches will signal such a play to give the offense an exciting boost of confidence that will set up the team for a rally. Therefore, it...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
From a coaching standpoint, one of the biggest challenges in youth baseball is getting your players enthusiastic about practice. Attention spans can be short during practice drills that are not “fun”. Most often your players will be motivated by batting practice, pitching, and live games; however, there are many other fundamentals that are...
provided by Coach Michael Payne, The School of Baseball
The Non-Starter Roles in Baseball article is written to help kids of all ages understand their role when they show up to the field and their name isn’t in the starting lineup. It’s something that every player will encounter sometime in his or her career and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re not a good player. The truth is that...
During my childhood, adolescence, and early manhood, nothing brought me more joy than playing baseball. Winning, competing, and meeting the people who will be my best friends for the rest of my life have been the most meaningful experiences I have had thus far. This doesn’t mean there weren’t countless times when I was frustrated, upset, and dejected by my performance on the field, and it is easy to understand why. Science has proven that hitting a baseball is...