Baseball Coaching Tips - Some Are Simply Not True

False Baseball Coaching Tips

By Larry Cicchiello

Here is a list of 7 baseball coaching tips or beliefs that are overused and were either wrong from the start or have become totally obsolete:

Come on Johnny, get your elbow up. The reference is to the height of the back elbow when hitting. You will very often hear this hollered to a young player by a coach, manager or one of his parents. Some young players raise their back elbow up by their back ear. This is not a comfortable position for most hitters. It's much more efficient to have the back elbow just below shoulder height. If a hitter wants to make an adjustment up or down, only then should the back elbow be raised or lowered.

If you're going to get beat, get beat on your best pitch. Let's say that a pitcher's best pitch is the fastball and the batter is a very good fastball hitter. Let's say that the pitcher's second best pitch is a good curve ball and that batter has had trouble with his curve ball in the past. It would make no sense for that pitcher to get beat on his best pitch, the fast ball, with the game on the line. Forget this myth.

Don't look at the ball, just run. All good base runners DO look at the ball. This is not to say that if you hit a grounder to the infield you should be looking at the grounder while running to first base. On the other hand, there are many, many times where you should be looking at the ball. Good base runners very seldom need a coach to guide them while running. They watch the ball, the fielder and watch the play unfold. The infamous quote of, "don't look at the ball, just run," should be changed to, "don't just run, look at the ball."

Come on Jimmy, level swing. Many young players hear this hollered out so often that as soon as they start their swing, they try to make sure it's level. This is one of the worst baseball coaching tips they will ever hear. The proper baseball swing is not level at all. If a hitter levels out his swing at the very beginning, he can be virtually guaranteed he will be late on every fastball because he is not being "short to the ball." The swing starts out going downward with the back of the bottom hand facing the pitcher and not facing the sky. Only at the point where you are making contact should the swing be level, with one palm facing up and the other palm facing down. Being a fraction of a second late when swinging the bat is an eternity!

Catch the ball with two hands. This is often hollered out to a younger player who is catching a pop up or a fly ball. Baseball gloves have come a long way in the last few decades.They are much bigger and better. Putting your bare hand next to your glove hand when catching pop ups or fly balls will be more trouble than it's worth. It can easily interfere with your catching the ball with these very good, modernized gloves.

Touch the bases with your right foot when running. The concern used to be that if a runner touches a base with their left foot, they may trip over the base with their right foot. That is obsolete now. It makes no sense whatsoever to "stutter step" and lose precious time when running around the bases.

The perfect count to put on the hit and run is 2-0 or 3-1. This started several decades ago is very played out. To have a batter be forced to swing at a 2-0 pitch that would be a ball and make the count 3-0 is senseless.The same holds true on the 3-1 count. To have a batter be forced to swing at a 3-1 pitch that would be ball 4 is a scary strategy.

In 95% or more of all cases, good baseball coaching tips of fifty years ago are still good today. There are a few things however, that have evolved.

Larry is the successful author of several very user friendly eBooks and CD's covering 320 topics on playing or coaching excellent baseball. ANY player, coach or parent who wants to help their child will be fully equipped! Check out some FREE baseball tips on hitting and FREE baseball pitching tips at LarryBaseball.com.

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Baseball Hitting Tips with Don Mattingly: The mental approach to an at-bat

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Can We Stop Pitchers Being Beaned?

Can We Stop Pitchers Being Beaned?

By Jim Bain

Alex Cobb, Tampa Bay Rays, MLB pitcher is the latest victim of being struck in the head with a ball off the bat of a hitter. Why the sudden increase in this type of injury?

It's hard to fathom today's players hitting the ball harder than home run kings Babe Ruth or Hank Aaron, and other legendary players of the past. However, no different than all other sports, today's Average professional athlete is stronger and faster than yesteryear's superstars.

This can be construed as equating to instead of a pitcher facing 1 or 2 players in the line-up capable of hitting a screamer off the bat, they face 8 or 9 if pitching in the American league.

Basic mathematics, more risk equals more injury.

Injury in sports is an unfortunate element regardless of how many safety factors are implemented, however this type of injury should definitely not only raise a red flag, but wave it violently in regards to amateur baseball.

The nearly 100% usage of composite bats, used in little league through college, is nearly as dangerous as giving players a loaded gun and playing Russian Roulette. The live round will eventually be fired.

The make-up of these composite bats amplify the speed and power of a ball as it leaves the bat, turning an average hitter, into a power hitter. Considering the shorter pitching distances and undeveloped skills to attempt to avoid a ball hit directly back at the pitcher, this creates a severely dangerous situation. I realize manufacturing composite bats is a huge business, but changing the process to making wood bats instead would soften the economic blow. Some people may say who cares about any economic impact on a business when we're discussing our children's' safety, but let's be realistic, it'll be a major objection.

I'll conclude my opinionated article with this 2 cents worth of opinion. We, as coaches advanced coaches have failed miserably in teaching players the basic principles of pitching mechanics.

I'll also add little league coaches have done an outstanding job of teaching in relation to high school, college and professional coaches. Lost my mind? Not hardly.

Remember hearing the pitcher is another infielder after he throws the ball? At one time, finishing their pitching motion in a fielding position was every bit as important as learning how to throw a curveball.

If you're fortunate enough to have access to old baseball cards, check out the pitchers' photos on the card. Chances are the picture will show the pitcher in one of two poses, a windup or finishing in a fielding position.

Somewhere along the line a pitcher or two became dominate throwing with unorthodox or non-traditional pitching mechanics, falling off the mound instead of ending in a fielding position. Not knocking it, but sports is a result driven business and if eliminating the basic ending fielding position of the pitcher results in more strikeouts and wins, so be it.

Basic physics, for every action there is an equal reaction.

Elimination, or non-stressed fielding position, equates to pitchers being in an awkward or totally impossible position to avoid being struck by a hard hit ball, much alone field it.

Pitchers being hit by screamers off the bat is not a new phenomenon, but for whatever reason, the head becoming an ever increasing target, seems to have elevated. Perhaps as an omen?

I'm not suggesting we move the pitching distance to 70 feet, or lower the mound or anything else drastic in order to address this issue. In fact implementing half thought out actions would be the worse thing we could do.

All I'm saying is baseball is America's sport. Let's not make the mistake football did in regards to ignoring concussions. If there is something we can do to reduce this type of injury, then let's do it. If not, then so be it. But let's not ignore it.

Jim Bain, former Minor league baseball player and member of "Baseball Coaches of America" shares his advice on baseball coaching baseball drills on his exciting info packed website: http://www.learn-youth-baseball-coaching.com

Be sure to check out his 2 books on Amazon, "The Pitch" and "Season of Pain". Great reading about baseball.

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