Baseball Videos

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Teaching Catchers

Here are some articles on how to teach catchers:

Sample Tips:

I will never make a better, more accurate throw then one made when I am balanced, under control, and have my momentum going towards my target.
Never pick up the baseball with only the glove or only the bare hand. The hand and glove must work together. This can be referred to as "raking" the baseball. A common error is made when a catcher tries to pick the ball up with only one hand. If the ball is not fielded the first time, the catcher may panic and continue having trouble picking up the ball, kick the ball, or field it and make a bad throw because they are in a hurry. Two hands will give you a greater opportunity to field the ball the first time.
I believe one of the main reasons for bad throws by catchers after fielding is that the catchers pick up the ball before being set up and aligned properly for the throw. Then, when they have picked up the ball the brain kicks into “throwing mode” and they make the throw regardless of how they are aligned to the target.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Tips on Bunting

A video on the basics of Bunting. I like to focus on the first style he talks about - the pivot bunt.

More on Bunting:

A good article from a very successful college coach who uses bunting a lot:

http://www.baseballnews.com/features/smallball.htm

"The fundamentals of bunting are pretty simple. You keep your balance, see the ball and get the bat out in front and watch the ball off the bat. Get your angle early. Most guys who don�t bunt very well don�t get into the proper position prior to the ball getting to them. So they don�t track it very well, and they don�t get the angle because they are rushed. So there is a timing and a rhythm to it that needs to be followed. You need to keep it simple to be consistent."

An example of a MLB Bunt for a base hit.

We don't want our hitters attempting to deaden the ball because that is when hitters pop it up. So I just have them be firm with the bat and try to get the ball on the ground quickly. This allows the bunter to stay on top of the ball and let the ground deaden.

"When you get an early first bounce on a bunt, it helps the runner so he can get a good jump."

"I like to see the top hand up on the bat to a point where the barrel is resting between the thumb and forefinger with those fingers out of the way of the ball striking the barrel. Those fingers are firm on the bat. Then you slide the bottom hand up a little bit as well so you have balance. When you have balance, it is easier for you to control the bat and see the ball.

"Another key teaching point is to keep the barrel of the bat in position so you have the proper angle prior to the ball hitting the bat. Then you can see the ball and the bat come together so that contact zone is out in front of the eyes and slightly off to the side so you don�t foul a ball off into your face."