TIPS FROM THE COACH
Regardless of how organized your practices are, players can not possibly get enough reps in a couple of two hour practices a week to allow them to master the skills of baseball necessary to maximize the amount of success/fun they can have playing baseball. They need to engage in a home training program.
So many players these days play so many games on multiple teams, travel and rec, that they actually practice infrequently. Games are ‘showtime' but provide very few reps. In a game, a batter may get 3 ABs and handle maybe 3 fielding opportunities. None of these kids ever plays in a pickup game or plays ‘workup' with his buddies as we did back in the olden days. They play organized games and more games. They need to engage in a home training program to allow them to get sufficient reps to allow them to advance their skills. After every practice or game the coach should give them ‘homework' to be performed before the next practice or game. This might actually require Dad to get his "couch potato butt” up and play with his kid.
All of the drills in the BASEBALL SKILLS AND DRILLS video series and the Tips From The Coach video series are applicable to a home training program. After each practice or game give each player an individualized ‘homework' assignment. You might assign Billy to do 50 pitching delivery drills in front of his mother's full length mirror before the next practice or game. He is to focus on making 50 perfect deliveries. The mirror will give him feedback as to whether his mechanics are in order. This will help to solidify proper pitching mechanics into his muscle memory. You might assign Jason to do 15 lead hand cuts, 15 follow hand cuts and 15 two hand cut on his tee station, in his garage, executing each rep as perfectly as he can. This drill and how to make a tee station in the garage are featured in the FUNdamentals Of Hitting video. This is where quality hitters hone their swing. By utilizing the StayBack Tee , the hitter can learn to keep his weight back. I strongly recommend that everyone get some Pickleballs, with them he can take quality BP right in the front yard, without worrying about breaking the neighbors windows and when he hits one back and drills you in a tender spot, you are still alive and breeding. Everyone needs a HANDS BACK HITTER . It is the finest training aid I have encountered and it's FUN!
I just recently repaired the hole in the sheetrock in the game room from my son tossing a tennis ball against the wall working on short hops and quickening his hands. Generations of kids have learned to catch fly balls by tossing a ball onto the roof and catching it. For more drills you can do at home to help your young ballplayer to be the best that he can be, checkout BACKYARD BASEBALL DRILLS .
I've found that to kids the ‘W' word (work) can be a dirty word. So, try to get them to think of it as a game. Have them announce an imaginary game as they would hear it on radio, while doing their drills. For instance while simulating the pitching delivery in from of the mirror, he might announce,” Roger Clemens winds, he kicks he throws and sits down Bonds. Oh, he can't touch the "Rocket”.
Yours in Baseball Bruce E Lambin
THE COACH