Youth Baseball Drills | Youth Baseball Tips , Instruction and Drills

Pitching Drill | Youth Baseball Fun Pitching Game

This is more of a youth baseball pitching game than a drill. But we think it is a fun addition to a practice and wanted to share this youth baseball pitching game.

King of the Mound | Youth Pitching Drill

First have  all your players  line up on the pitcher’s mound. The first player will step on the rubber and attempt to throw a strike. If he throws a strike, he goes to the back of the line.
If he misses, he is on the hot seat ( you can actually put out a bucket to sit on or just have the player stand near mound).
If the next player throws a strike, he is out of the game. If the second player throws a ball, the first player goes to the back of the line and the second player is on the hot seat. Keep going  until only one player is left. That player is the king mound. Winning this drill should earn a player some pitching time in the next game.
You can actually give a few more places to allow some success for your players that do not pitch often but want a chance. This game gives them something to strive for. We hope they will practice before/after practice , or at home so they can win King of the mound and get some game time.

Purpose of this pitching drill

This is a good game for those kids that want to pitch  but have not yet practiced enough to take the mound. It offers an opportunity for all players to pitch and explains the why for you as a coach. You can actually have this as a station and leave your normal starting pitchers out(doing a different drill at another location) so that others have a chance for the reward.
Players learn the game in practice. However, practice does not have to be drudgery. If you turn the drills into games you can keep your player’s attention and that will allow them to focus better and learn more. Keep drills and practice games short and competitive will help youngsters get the most out of their time on the practice field.

via youth baseball news

Fun and simple youth pitching game

Baseball Hitting Drills | Stop Rolling the Wrist Hitting Drill

Who wants to be a better hitter in 1 week ?

The Problem: Rolling the wrist on contact
Here is a great baseball hitting drill and what problem it corrects.
Baseball hitters often roll the bat on contact for several reasons. First, they are coached to do so from the earliest age on. This method of training will never allow a hitter to maximize his/her ability, only resulting in ground balls and ‘outs.’
Baseball Hitting Drill |The Super 8 Hitting Solution: “Land the Plane”
To avoid rolling the bat, the batter’s bottom hand should face down, with the top hand facing up when coming in contact with the ball. For visualization, instruct batters to imagine the bottom hand landing the plane, and the top hand crashing the plane.
To increase your hitter’s batting speed, try this “Landing the Plane” baseball hitting drill:

• Starting with bottom (lead) hand
• Stance position, bottom hand (lead hand) starts at shoulder point.
• Palm open, facing down.
• Players other hand on hip.
• Front heel lifts, player loads.
• Hips rotate square to pitch—hand at shoulder moves straight to front of body, where hands would be while bat is in contact.
• Hand remains palm down.

To increase your hitter’s batting speed, try this “Crashing the Plane” youth baseball hitting drill:

• Move to top (power) hand
• Same stance but with palm open, facing up and forward.
• Hips rotate square to pitch, hand will move to same location, but with palm up.

As with any youth baseball hitting drill, repetition is key. So do the drill again, incorporating these enhancements:

• Put both hands together, but with bat added, starting at the shoulder area.
• Move bat into contact (hands should be in same position as before.)
• Open your hands while in contact position.
• Top hand should be open, palm up, under bat.
• Open bottom hand, palm down, over bat.

Tip: Finish the swing successfully by making the top hand continues under the bat, through contact, and first extension. The bat will finally roll as it comes to the second extension position, just before stroke completion.