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Baseball Coaching Tips For Youth Baseball Coaches - "10 Things Every Youth Baseball Batter Must
Know"
Things Every
Batter Must Be Remember:
1. "Think YES, YES, YES, On Every Pitch" Prepare yourself to hit every pitch.
Convert to no or "hold off" only when you see that the pitch is a ball.
2. Track the ball from the pitchers hand to
the cather's mitt.
3. Expect the fastball, adjust to off speed pitchers. Expect the ball away, adjust to the ball
on the inner half.
4. With a runner in a "steal situation" get depth in the box.
5. Move up in the box when
the bunt might be on.
6. Never look back at the umpire after a "called" strike.
7. Never speak or exchange
words with the catcher.
8. Know the speed and tendencies of the pitcher. They will determine whether you are up or
back in the box.
9. Be ready to attack a first pitch fastball. It may be the best pitch that you get.
10.
If the color is "green" attack the first pitch that you like. If the coloe is "red", do not swing
until the pitcher throws
a strike. "Red" is called when baserunners are needed badly or when the pitcher has walked two of the last three batters.
Good Sayings For Communicating With Batters in the Box.
Players should Know All
Hitting Terms.
"See it out, See it in, See it off!" - Tells the hitter to keep the head down and see the ball out
of the pitcher's
hand, into the strike zone, and off the bat!"
"If it is close enough to call, its close enough
to hit!"Reminds a hitter with two strike to swing at anything close. Do not go down "looking".
"31-Zone, Nothing Above,
Nothing Below!" The batter with a 3-1 count is looking to hit a perfect pitch to hit in a tight zone. The batter should lay
off anything above or
below that zone.
"Base Hit, Ball Four, Something Good For Us On this Pitch". The batter
has a 3 ball count. The batter
is looking to hit the pitch hard or get a base on balls.
"Don't Guess - See, Read
& React" Tells the batter who has two strikes to even the stance and hit anything close. Do not gues or look for a certain
pitch but rather hit the ball "where it is pitched". Pull or Punch.
"Nothing Above the Hands" If a batter has a tendency
to chase high stuff out of the zone, this reminds the batter to start with the hands at the top of the zone
and do not
chase anything above those hands.
"Squash The Bug" or "Shoelaces to Pitcher" - The correct action of the hitters back
foot.
"Trigger"-The hitters final inside turn movement before the swing.
"See The Ball Flat"-See the ball
until it goes flat against the bat and comes off.
Baserunners Should Always Be Taught To:
1. Always know the situation.
2. The player's job is to start movement
to the next base.
The coach's job is to stop it.
3. Anticipate the "dirt ball" pitch. Expect the ball in the dirt.
Read the "dirt ball" and use the off speed or fastball in the dirt to advance or take the next base.
Start yourself! "Make
a decision and live with it! Trust your eyes!
3. Take the proper lead depending on the situation and number of outs.
4. Pick up the 3rd base coach early.
"A True Story That Shows The Importance
of Running Out Everything To First Base."
It was a high school game. The home team was batting, down one run, 3-1, with
bases loaded and two outs. The count was 3-2 and runners were moving on the pitch. The batter, who was the home team's #2
hitter, got a fastball on the outter half. He was expecting it and he got "all of it"! He ripped a hard linedrive right at
the second baseman's open glove.
The batter seeing the ball go into the fielder's glove immediately slumped in disappointment
half way to first. He goes down to his knees with his face in his hands. He was basically "feeling sorry for himself". In
the meanwhile he wasn't aware that the ball went through the webbing of the secondbaseman's glove. The secondbaseman had to
look behind himself, go get the ball and throw to first for the out. The secondbaseman was quick as a cat so this didn't really
take long. However, the batter has great speed and would have been safe at first. The saddest fact of all is that the two
runners moving on the pitch crossed homeplate. They both would have scored and the home team would have won the game if the
batter would have just done what his coaches had told him hundreds of times since his Little League days, "Run Everything
Out, Don't Assume Anything & Don't Think Until You Know!
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