T Ball Ready Position - Coaching Ready Position in T Ball

Tee Ball Ready Position - Coaching Ready Position in Tee Ball
By Guest Author Brian McClure

In coaching t ball probably the first thing to do is teach the Ready position. You cant do nothing if your not ready so..What is the Ready Position?

1. Feet spread a little wider than shoulders
This gives balance and ability to move any direction

2. Balance on the balls of your feet:not the heels.
Sometimes when the kids are getting a little disinterested I may state (loudly of course) On Your Toes! This will wake them up and get them in position

3. Butt Down!

Most important..if your butt is down the knees bend and the hands go down with them. This gives balance.

4. Hands in Front

Two hands(I like to have kids (the first few practices) practice a few ground balls catching them in front without a glove to get them used to catching with two hands and then try it with the glove on.

5.Eyes on the Ball

Cant catch what you cant see. Catch the ball in front with two hands Safety too. If there is a bad hop your hands will move to protect and catch. How do I Coach and teach the ready position? Lets keep it simple.. It would be best to have the kids divided into at least 2 groups. This gives the most repetition and is the most efficient use of time. It will also keep them from getting bored to quickly. Pretty much every drill in t ball should be done in groups for these reasons.

1. READY! Spread your feet a little, get your butt down, hands out in front.

2. Toss a few ground balls without gloves

3. Ground balls with gloves

4. GET IN FRONT OF THE BALL! Now lets get them moving. Remember Eyes on the Ball? Toss a few balls to either side of the player and get them to move in front of the ball. (Some coaches like to use the belly button for this but I still like using the eyes and it has been effective for my coaching)

5. CHARGE! With this command you should toss some slow rollers and get the players moving in to the ball. It will happen I guarantee you.

A Special Note for Parents: I started working with my latest T baller during winter in the house. Showed him relaxed(which was hands on knees) and then Ready. We would practice this just a few times. I would say Relax! and he would go in to the relaxed position..I would say Ready! and hands come up and butt goes down. Then we would catch some tennis balls without a glove..then we would do a few with the glove. You will have to help them a few times with this but if you do this a few times a week...When the weather is nice enough to go outside you can do the above drills. At that first practice when Coach states Everybody Ready! You will be very proud. The Ready Position is the beginning of coaching youth baseball.

Author- Brian McClure
http://www.coaching-youth-baseball.com/

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Competitive Baseball Teams - When to Start Playing at That Level

Competitive Baseball TeeBall Teams - When to Start Playing at That Level
By Guest Author: Tom Read

A World Series for tee ball, really? Every summer my home town hosts a world series for tee ball teams. I do not think tee ball is the age to start playing travel baseball. So when is the best time to leave the comfort of recreational baseball and move on to competitive baseball? You know the cost, the time commitment, and the pressure is going to greatly increase. When should you and your son make that leap?

You are only going to become better by playing better competition. So why not jump to a competitive team at the first chance? Well, first off, the cost is going to go through the roof. Competitive teams travel a lot. And that right there is a big cost. The price to play in these tournaments is also very expensive. And a lot of teams have paid coaches. That comes from you. Most teams have fund raisers, but they are no fun and usually do not cover a third of the cost. Competitive baseball is a financial drain.

Next is time commitment. After investing all this money, the team wants to perform well, and that means practice, practice, and more practice. Maybe year around. Recreational teams practice once a week, maybe twice. Competitive teams three or four time a week, maybe more. If the weather is bad, recreational teams cancel practice. Competitive teams find an indoor facility. More practice time, and more cost.

The last big concern, and this should be your biggest concern, is the increase pressure on your son to perform. It starts with tryouts. Players are put thru certain drills, and then some make the team and some get cut. It is a pressure cooker for a young boy. Recreational teams usually have playing time rules. Not so much with competitive teams. Everybody will get some playing time, but it is no way equal. Remember, they want to win. So if your son makes the team, then there is always the pressure to play well, or be riding the bench.

If your son is good enough, then at some point he will need to play competitive ball to get better. When depends on you and your son. Consider the above three points before deciding. Talk it over with your son.

My rule of thumb is not before ten, and at least by thirteen if you hope to play high school baseball.

After my many years of coaching, watching and traveling to out of town baseball games, I decided to share my baseball tips and stories that I have learned and experienced along the way. To check out more articles that I have written, please visit my website at http://baseballknowledge.info

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