The Rules of T Ball - Get Ready to Play!

The Rules of T Ball - Get Ready to Play!
By Adam Niebs

This game is the entry sport to baseball and the rules of t ball are easy! The age range is generally four to eight years old. Players of two teams take turns hitting a ball off a batting tee set on home plate. Batters try to get on base and run to home while fielders try to stop that from happening. The elimination of pitching gives kids a chance to participate without the fear of being hit by a pitched ball. Tee ball develops the basic baseball skills of hitting, running, fielding and throwing. The players gain an understanding of the fundamental rules of t ball.

In T ball there is no pitcher and he is used somewhere else on the field. The ball looks just like a regular baseball, but is made from a soft, foam like material. It is placed on top of an adjustable tee at a height that is perfect for the batter. The tee is at home plate with coach nearby.

In most leagues, score is not kept and the rules of t ball are made to allow participation from all children. An inning is finished when each kid has had a turn hitting the ball of the tee. In some leagues and depending on the skill level, you can use the traditional three out baseball rule. The game is played on a smaller field and your outfield will usually see some action.

Umpires are not used and many parents assist during the game. Parents play a key role and are seen in the dugout, on the bases and at the plate. They also help with the practice sessions.

When it comes to equipment, the rules of t ball are generally the same too. Kids wear regular baseball uniforms, hats and rubber cleats. The bats are lightweight, aluminum and are typically 25 to 26 inches long.

T ball is a great way to get kids introduced to the game of baseball. It's America's pastime and dates back to the 1940's!

A great way for your child to learn the rules of t ball is by using the Little Tikes T Ball Set. This all in one kit is the best tool for your little slugger to begin learning. This set is an awesome skill builder and a great introductory to the game of T Ball! Learn and practice at the local park or in the comfort of your own back yard.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_Niebs

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Want Baseball Fun? Know your Players!

Kids play baseball because it is fun. However, what is fun for one kid may not be fun for another. A good youth baseball coach understands these differences and can personalize his interactions with kids to maximize their fun. Getting to know each kid as a unique individual leads to more fun and gives the coach additional insight into how to motivate each kid for enhanced performance. Tips for A Perfect Season is a video newsletter by author Dan Clemens. Each segment contains tips, suggestions and ideas for the youth baseball coach to improve the youth baseball experience for everyone involved. Clemens is the author of A Perfect Season: A Coach's Journey to Learning, Competing, and Having Fun in Youth Baseball.

Kids Baseball - Coach the Fundamentals of Throwing and Catching

Kids Baseball - Coach the Fundamentals of Throwing and Catching
By Kenny Buford

When coaching kids' baseball, an important first step is identifying the mechanical elements of each skill and then using that knowledge to teach the fundamentals of the game. Most beginning players will not know the proper technique for gripping, throwing, and catching the ball. Establishing these skills early will ensure players feel more confident and have fun playing the game.

Proper Grip

Start by teaching how to grip the ball:


For proper grip, the ball should only contact the fingers and thumb, not the palm of the hand. However, because beginning players' hands are often small, they might have to use their whole hand in the grip.
Players should grip the ball across the seams, with their fingers spread over the top of the ball and their thumb positioned on the bottom. Those with big enough hands should use only the index and middle fingers, while those with smaller hands can use three fingers to grip the ball across the top.
As the grip is released, players should focus on keeping the fingers directly behind the ball. Following through with the fingers after the throw will increase the velocity of the ball.

Throwing Fundamentals

Next, coach proper throwing technique for a basic overhand:


Players should begin the throwing motion by taking a step with the foot opposite of the throwing arm. The step should be in the direction they will be throwing.
The front shoulder and hip should be positioned so that they are pointing in the direction of the throw.
The front shoulder should be positioned toward the target, and the rest of the body is turned to the side. The arms should be extended from the body in a T-formation.
As the arm begins the throwing motion, the elbow should be as high as the shoulder and the hand should be higher than the head.
The front foot should now start forward, stepping toward the target.
As the arm continues the throw, the front shoulder and hip should turn so that they face toward the target.
The ball should be released above and in front of the head, snapping the wrist right before the release and pushing through with the fingers directly behind the ball.
Follow through the throw by bending the back slightly forward.

Basic Catching Technique

To coach catching, follow these steps:


Keep arms bent and relaxed, and provide a target for the thrower.
Hold the glove open toward the thrower, keeping the fingers up. If the ball is thrown low, switch to position the fingers down.
Use the bare hand to cover the ball once it is caught in the glove.
After the catch, bring the glove, ball, and throwing hand up to the chest and prepare to throw.

And if you'd like to see more free kids baseball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:
http://www.baseball-tutorials.com
Kenny Buford is a kids baseball coach, and the owner and publisher of Baseball-Tutorials.com, the web's #1 resource for kids baseball drills, practice ideas, and coaching tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Buford

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Baseball Practice - Guide to Running Efficient Practices

Baseball Practice - Guide to Running Efficient Practices
by Guest Author Kenny Buford

When planning their season, coaches put a lot of thought into how each baseball practice session should go. There are often several goals to accomplish, and when working with young players, things tend to move slower than anticipated. In order for practice to be effective, coaches should focus on quality, not quantity. The team will be much better off if each player practices a move correctly ten times than they would be practicing it rushed and incorrectly twenty times. Coaches should use the following tips as a guide to running smooth, effective practices.

Drill Rotation

The most efficient method for practicing several drills within a practice session is through the drill rotation. With this approach, the coach will set up various stations throughout the field where players will work on specific skills. Players will be divided into small groups that rotate through the stations together. The simpler the skills, the better, because explaining a complicated drill each time a group comes to a station will waste time that could be spent actually practicing.

Help is Key

For this method to be successful, it is very important to have assistants or parents to oversee each station. These helpers should be able to understand the drills and know what to watch for to make sure players are performing them correctly. They don't have to have coach's knowledge, but they should be told what improper form looks like so they will be able to correct players as needed. While the players are warming up, brief the helpers on each drill they will be overseeing. Ideally, enough helpers will be available so the coach can be able to observe at all the stations.

Watching the Time

Before practice begins, the coach should know how much time players should spend at each station. However, he should also be aware that sometimes more time is needed. Being flexible is crucial when coaching young players, and coaches should remember that it is important for each player to be able to practice the skill correctly. Make up for lost time by making sure players are hustling from station to station, and take notes on where each group left off so they can practice that drill at the next practice.

Make it Fun

Finally, coaches should focus on keeping practice fun. In addition to regular drills, some of the stations should be games where the players work on the skill while competing with their teammates. Young players can learn just as much from games as drills, and they often work harder when there is a competitive edge. Additionally, having fun at practice will instill a love of the game and make the players excited to come back the next time.

And if you'd like to see more free kids baseball drills and coaching tips, go here to watch a free video:

http://www.baseball-tutorials.com

Kenny Buford is a kids baseball coach, and the owner and publisher of Baseball-Tutorials.com, the web's #1 resource for youth baseball drills, practice ideas, and coaching tips.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenny_Buford

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Coaching Youth Baseball - Preventing Injuries

Coaching Youth Baseball - Preventing Injuries
by Guest Author Jake Wyatt

Youth baseball coaches have many duties. An important one is to reduce the risk of injury to players during practice and games. There are several things a youth baseball coach can do to help prevent injuries in their players. Some involve practice and pre-game routines, other involve teaching the players what they can do on their own time to keep their injury risk low.

The coach should require the following before all practices and games:

1. Significant stretching. The coach should establish a stretching routine for his team early in training so that players will know what to do before practices and games. The coach should ensure that adequate effort is put into the stretching routine by all players.

2. Running. The coach should require a certain amount of running at every practice and before every game. This cardiac warm-up will get the players ready for the physical activity that is to come.

It is important that the warm-up routine be well defined and communicated to the players. All players should start at the same time. The coach needs to be involved in these activities, not spending this time visiting with parents.

During practice, the coach should always watch a player's form in all activities. Improper form should be addressed and worked on until corrected. Proper form in pitching, hitting and throwing the ball will substantially reduce the potential for injury.

The coach should encourage, and perhaps require, the players to do some training on their own. This could involve the following:

1. Age appropriate weight training or band work.

2. Calisthenics, such as sits up, pull ups and push ups.

3. Cardio work, such as jumping rope or bicycling.

4. Yoga. Most kids will think this is silly, but yoga can increase flexibility and therefore reduce the risk of injury.

If a coach is diligent, he can reduce the risk of injury to his players significantly. This will lead to more enjoyable games for all involved - players, coaches and parents!

In order to be the best possible baseball player, training should happen year-round and be a joint effort between the coach, the player and the parents. Get more free tips to improve baseball performance, reviews of e-products related to baseball, and links to training resources at http://youth-baseball-training.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Wyatt

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"Daddy Ball" - And Other Youth Sports Sins

"Daddy Ball" - And Other Youth Sports Sins
by Guest Author Doug Rogers


It seems that every corner of our society has its own lingo. During a recent ski trip with my teenage sons I discovered my ignorance of an entirely new foreign language, that of the snowboard subculture. I was ashamed to ask for clarification of such (apparently) basic terms as "dropping in" (i.e., starting downhill), "throwing down" a trick (i.e., doing a trick), "knuckling" a jump (landing on the hump instead of the down slope), or "rag-dolling" (falling severely, with arms and legs wildly flailing). Fortunately, none of these terms had application to my own skiing style anyway, since I wasn't about to "thrown down" anything, at least not on purpose.

As spring approaches and our kids are about to begin another sports season, I began thinking about the many catchy terms I've heard used in reference to the sometimes wacky world of youth sports. Some have been around forever, some are recent creations and some I may have even made up myself. But the more terms I recalled, the more they collectively started to represent another "lingo" of their own. As I started to write them down I could see that they were slanting towards a particular theme; a theme that represented an over-zealousness and loss of perspective from which most of us have probably suffered at some time. In the spirit of sharing, I thought I would list the index of our many "sins" defined by this lingo. Here goes:

The Crazies -- Those who engage in any manner of overzealous behavior with respect to youth sports, segmented as follows:

Vocal Crazies -- Inclined to yell, scream, insult, criticize, argue or complain.

Physical Crazies -- Inclined to spit, throw stuff, slam stuff, shove or engage in fist-a-cuffs.

Obsessive Crazies -- Inclined to be constantly thinking about, constantly talking about and constantly worried about anything having to do with our kids' sports (especially how our own kids stack up against the other kids).

Daddy Ball -- Dads who coach teams on which their own children just happen to be the starting shortstop, point guard, quarterback, lead-off batter; not to mention, annually selected for every all-star roster.

Daddy Vision (or Mommy Vision)-- Parents who see their children as the next coming of Derek Jeter or Mia Hamm when the rest of the world sees a very nice kid with average athleticism.

"Duh" Coaching -- Describes any painfully obvious coaching directives shouted towards players on the field. Common examples include:

(e.g., after a dropped fly ball,) "Ya' gotta catch that, Jimmy!".....Duh.

(e.g., to a pitcher on the mound,) "C'mon Jimmy, throw strikes!".....Duh.

(e.g., to a pitcher who was up 0-2 in the count, but just threw two balls,) "Don't lose 'im, Jimmy!".....Duh.

First Son Syndrome (FSS)-- A condition suffered by parents of first-born sons in youth sports, marked by symptoms of obsessive worry over every bobbled ground ball, and excessive celebration over every successful journey to first base. (Symptoms diminish significantly with each successive sibling born.)

Glory Days Disease (GDD) -- A sad and pathetic disorder among parents who live vicariously through the athletic exploits of their children. Tell-tale symptoms include statements like, "Hey, when I was 12 years old we won the District 3 championship," while believing that others are actually emotionally moved by such information.

Kids as Commodities -- The practice of parents engaged in analytical commentaries about the relative athletic abilities of 8 to 12-year-old "players" (aka, kids), wherein their various skill-sets are compared and dissected in a manner fitting for ESPN SportsCenter.

Only Child Syndrome (OCS) -- A more severe form of FSS with no hope of diminishing symptoms over time.

"Oh C'mon!" -- A term used by Dads to express great exasperation over any bad call, missed tackle, dropped ball, or anything else they find irksome on the field of play (best delivered with head thrown back and arms thrown in the air).

"Heyyy!" -- A term used by Moms to express great indignation any time their son or daughter gets, bumped, checked, fouled or has the ball taken away (legally or otherwise, it doesn't matter).

"You gotta' be kidding!" -- A term used by parents to articulate their disagreement with an official's ruling on the field of play.

"Get your head in the game!" -- A term used to motivate a player who is perceived to be playing below par.

The chances are we are all probably guilty of one or more of these sins at least to some degree. As I list them in print, some of them are actually pretty hysterical when you think about it. Of course, I guess it becomes less funny to think that all of these terms represent words that are actually said and events that actually happen - all the time. The kids probably don't think they are too funny. So as we head off to those first lacrosse and baseball practices of the season it's probably good to look at this self-deprecating "lingo" and laugh. Because if we do, it means we realize how ridiculous we can all behave when it comes to our kids and sports. Better still, we might be able to catch ourselves the next time we start to transform into any version of....."The Crazies!"

Share your own "Crazy lingo" by sending to: stories@niceguysfirst.com
Doug Rogers is a retired corporate executive who now devotes his time to speaking and writing about Nice Guys.

http://niceguysfirst.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_Rogers

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