What do you tell a 8 year old Pitcher to work on when Coaching a Little League baseball player.?
438809
http://www.qcbaseball.com/index.html\n\nthis is a pretty good informational site.  basically the most important thing would be proper mechanics.  teching a kid proper mechanics and them struggling would be more beneficial long term than just letting them throw and doing better.  without proper mechanics, kids will end up getting hurt.
168269
I agree.  Little League games are all about fun and learning about the game; not all its little nuances and whatnot!  I mean, who cares about doing a shoestring catch in the outfield or laying down a bunt to advance the runners when you're playing Little League with 10-11 yr olds?  Just let them have fun, and play safe, and just teach them the basics if you're a coach.  If they're interested as they get older, they will learn the small trickier stuff.\n\nI used to be an referee, a coach, and a player myself - if parents would just support their kids without ridiculing them for not doing well or not embarrassing themselves (and their kid!) by saying "Oh, he's my son!" every time the kid gets a double or a triple, and just enjoy the game for what it is, root for your team, and buy the kids some ice cream after the game regardless of who wins.  \n\nOh yeah - no yelling at the umpires or the referees!  They're not there to be paid; they do it for free most of the time, and they're human just like you and I.  They do the best they can, too.  Lay off the comments and just thank them for a thankless job well done after the game.
432774
I have coached a lot of players this age as a professional trainer. The three main ingredients for success are probably talent, drive and luck and if your daughter has all three she has a good shot. Supportive (but not overly aggressive!) parents certainly helps.\n\nSuggestions:\n\nMake sure she plays on a 'high profile' club or select team that enters tournaments where college coaches are likely to attend. Visibility is the key, particularly in those last two HS years.\n\nIf she hasn't already she needs to develop personal training habits so that fitness levels and (equally important) skill and first touch levels are constantly maintained and improved.\n\nMake sure your daughter knows her strengths and as much as possible ensure the coach plays her in positions that emphasis her strengths.\n\nCollege based soccer camps are good shop windows\n\nEncourage your daughter by all means but she needs to be self motivated or this will not happen. If she loves the game and is fortunate enough to have knowledgable, caring coaches she has every chance.\n\nFinal thought - allow her some time to be a youngster and to enjoy life. All work and no play - well you know...\n\nGood luck!
497159
My husband and I go through this every time we coach our daughters teams, she is ten.  We learned that we have to make it exciting and fun.  Even if it is all about learning the game, they don't have to know that.  We usually split up into two groups, he takes half and I take half.  We both work on something differ net, we tell the girls that if they do better tan the other girls, they will get a Power-Ade, or some little prize.  Of coarse by the end of practice, they have all won the same thing, but they all have bragging rights for something different.  Someone was the best hitter, catcher, pitcher, 1st baseman, and so on.  And of coarse we use positive reinforcement.  Try to be their friend, not just their coach.  Kids like to be talked and listened to, not just talked AT.  Make it seem like a GAME, which it is, not a job.  Hope this helps.
343411
Do you have someone that can pitch for you?  If so, have them throw you some BP.  Have them intentionally throw you a low of low pitches.  And then you just need to stand up there and swing at as many of them as you can.  Get the confidence to know that you can hit them.
516482
I think you should definitely handle this before it becomes negative. This guy obviously has potential to not be a good sport and interfere. To avoid conflict I would explain to him that yelling to the players is distracting, conflicting....etc. Just bull your way through calmly. If he does not understand that is is problem not yours as long as you are a good coach and handle him appropriately that is your only obligation. I wish you the best of luck in the situation. Plus my sons play softball and side line coaching is not allowed. The coaches are good guys they have a unwritten verbal rule "no side line coaching" I sometimes do not go by this. LOL but I just get a look and I know to sit down and shut up. But I still feel welcome and a team parent.
565137
Tell them that becuase they are the littler school that when they play those other bigger schools that they have no pressure on them. Tell them that because they are not expected to beat the bigger schools (which i am asuming is the case) the bigger school has to play harder, all you have to do is go out, play good ball, and play smart. If your pitchers are struggling then tell them that they need to relax and make the batters hit the ball, let their defense do the work for them, tell your pitchers that you dont want strikeouts, you want groundouts and pop ups. Tell your batters to be more patent at the plate, work the count tell them that if they are up with a man on 3rd and 1 out to just put the ball in play, you dont need a double or a triple or a homerun, just groundball or a fly ball to the outfield. Have your bigger and better hitters try to hit the hard ground , it will make them hit the top of the ball and drive it and will also put back spin on the ball so it will carry on line drives. Hope this helps your buddy out.
682329
One of my favorite drills...and the kid's too...was teaching the "alligator catch." Its a pretty simple drill teaching to kids to use both hands. Have them put their glove on the ground and cover the top with the other hand. From several feet back roll the ball to them. It helps if you let them make the sound of an alligator chomping. As they get better, this can become an off the ground drill. Good luck. And REMEMBER....Tee ball is the where the basis of baseball fundamentals begins. It's not about winning...it's about learning. Don't push the kids too hard at this level and cause them to give up.
313094
A first base coach is basically a person who motivates the batter/runner to get there as fast as possible. "RUN RUN RUN, DIG DIG DIG, GET THERE, GET THERE, GET THERE". Without a runner a base no score can get on the board. The next step is to tell the runner to advance to 2nd base. You only tell them to go on when it was a really good hit and you think they can get there fast enough b/4 the ball. If not, always tell them stay to be on the safe side. If your not sure, tell them to "TURN & LOOK" This is when they just barelly round the bag and look for the ball, if defense makes a mistake(like dropping the ball or over threw the ball) they will already have a lead on going to 2nd. Always, talk to the runner and keep their head in the game. They're kids and their attention span is still short!  Like..."if she hits it on the ground, just run your heart out to 2nd. if it gets pop up in the air, stay until I say go." Kids can get nervous and forget what to do when on the spot. \nI could go on and on, I wish I were in your position. Just have fun with it, and remember to teach good sportsmanship above all!
629317
3 quick tips\n\n1) Keep simple stats on your 1st 3 games(while they're still "gearing up"). At mid season start complimenting  them individually for bringing up their average, RBIs, cutting down on strike-outs etc. Motivate them to get better!\n\n2)Pizza party or ice cream for a "best effort" game - win or lose!\n\n3) If they are coming out flat after a rough loss, challenge them for just 1 or 2 more hits this week than last...and let the kids help motivate themselves.\n\nIt's all for fun, but winning and being recognized for getting better are great motivators
104568
My suggestion is to go to either the city or county recreation deparment and inquire about Little League Baseball. You can also contact Little League Baseball at their website I have listed in the source section.
783177
I'm sure there are, but everyone pitches differently. My son took lessons from 2 different people and they both taught different styles. Just throw the ball - work on accuracy first and speed second!\nA great tool is set an old tire on post with tire opening at strike zone then throw, throw, throw!
1101383
Bring in a designated hitter.  If the batter aint getting it done.
645686
i dont know about the local little league rules youd have to look that up but on every other level yes they are... go to one of the league umpires and ask them
800796
It all depends on what you need to work on. by knowing your weakness it helps out a lot. Here are some hitting tips. get about 3 of your baseball buddies and get 3 balls(plastic woffel balls) and a bat, have your 3 friends stand about 40 feet back depending on the wind. have them discuss which one is going to throw the ball. only one should throw. once they have decided get in your batting stance. tell them you are ready, they will all 3 go through a pitching motion and the one person will throw the ball but you don't know which one have them throw the ball accurate it don't have to be fast. this will help you pick the ball up as soon as the pitcher releases the ball. it sounds stupid and might seem goofy but the results will show in a big game situation. make sure you don't swing at balls. you don't want to start bad habits even if its only a woffol ball. what you do in practice is reflected in what you do in games.
880440
Tell them you would be an asset to their school:\ngive three assets about yourself.\nyour personal skills, atheletic skills, organization skills,personality, grades, workmanship, educational skills, etc\nthen, explain thoses skills or talents you have.\n\nthen tell Fenway how important it would be for you to increase your skills at their school beause how great they are.(everyone loves a compliment)
736064
I have the same problem with u12's team i manage i make them sit out for say 5 mins if they mess about extend the time if they keep doing it.\nanother way is tell them that you pick the team from the players that train the hardest by this i mean no messing about and do every thing you say when you say , best behaved is captain for the next game is an incentive, small trophy 4 a week is another you will get control but its going to be a long process , dont 4 get the attention span at their age is short tell them that if they train well you will play a game with them at the end good game is Robin Hood put all the balls in the middle get plrs in a circle around the ball they then WALK to the middle and take 1 ball at a time when all balls have gone then they get 2 rob the other plrs who ever has got the most after 1 min is the winner , another play head tennis 2 teams ball cannot touch the floor or 1 bounce allowed feet,chest,head the ball but no hands most points after 2 mins wins keep games short keeps the interest going are you a qualified coach? not being funny but it might help you control kids better if u r, check out www.fa.com they have coaching courses on there /www.topleague.co.uk says its a free site for coaching ideas animated pics to give u ideas,www.footy4kids.co.uk is another  free one specially 4 kids small rewards often work small bag sweets to who ever trains the best its called bribery lol hope this helps best of luck 2 u and the team i know what u r going through as i am in same boat email me if you want and maybe we can help each other out coach77cfc@yahoo.co.uk