The TeeBall Coaching Clinic provides t-ball coaches and parents with free t-ball tips, teeball drills, and tee ball articles for teaching youngsters how to play baseball. You will find simple and easy explanations on how to hit a baseball, how to throw a baseball, and how to teach baseball skills to a child. Use our search feature to type in your desired topic to find articles covering it in our archive.
T-Ball University Scoop, Load and Fire Drill tballu.com Uploaded by TBALLUNIVERSITY This T-Ball University Drill (www.tballu.com) is designed to train coaches and parents how to train children on the Scoop, Load and Fire fielding drill. The T-Ball University System provides training for coaches and parents at www.tballu.com. Downloadable drill sheets, practice plans and coaching forms are also available at www.tballu.com.
Tee Ball - A Stepping Stone to Baseball By guest author: Alex Dumas
Most youth sports involve kids that are on their pre-teens. Teams are composed of kids aged nine and up because they are expected to already know the concept of the sport. Let's take little league baseball for example. Most teams or coaches would opt for older kids not because their bigger or stronger, but rather because they have already undergone the basics of baseball. How were they able to achieve it? Tee ball of course!
Tee ball is typically your baseball for kids aged four to eight. Tee ball contains the basic foundations of how to play softball or baseball with one major difference... it does not require a pitcher. Tee ball uses a batting tee in replace of a pitcher. The ball is placed on top of the tee and the batter simply steps up to the plate and swings at the ball. With a successful hit, the batter needs to run to first base or to whatever base he can reach before the opposing team can get the ball to a baseman. The reason why there is no pitcher is to remove any anxiety or fear that kids may have when a ball is thrown towards them.
Tee ball practice is where kids learn to love and appreciate the game. This is also a perfect chance to acquaint kids with the rules of tee ball and how to properly play it. The batting tee is a lot of help in building a kid's confidence. It is easier to hit a stationary ball than a moving one. There is also a higher degree of difficulty with a pitched ball and kids may lose interest if they can't score a hit. A coach's job, aside from orienting the kids on what tee ball is, is to teach kids defensive tactics as well. Offense is quite simple with just two objectives: hit the ball and get to first base. With defense, kids should know where to position themselves and what to do in various scenarios. Simple drills such as passing the ball from base to base or from an infielder to a baseman or how to tag a runner will familiarize kids with the playing field as well as improve their tactics. It will also build their confidence with their teammates.
This sport may be a kid's game but the support from adults and parents are overwhelming. Who wouldn't be proud to see their kid getting a home run? Tee ball is where the future players of baseball emerge.
For more tips and information about tee ball practice, check out http://www.weplay.com.
Don't Forget Your (Batting) Tee Time! By guest author: Olan Suddeth
Most experienced coaches are already quite familiar with the advice I am about to give. In their case, please forgive my restating of what might be obvious, and browse some of the other articles on this site. The new baseball coach, however, would do well to pay attention.
I am about to reveal to you the single most useful tool for improving the hitting skills of your batters. Please, take a seat. I don't want the shock to overcome you. Are you ready?
I present to you: the batting tee!
That's correct. The tee is the single most useful tool for improving the hitting skills of your batters. You may bellieve that your players are too old to benefit from a tee... and you could not be further from the truth. Did you know that major league hitters practice by hitting off of a tee every single day? Are you suggesting that your eight (or ten or twelve) year olds know more about hitting than Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Derek Lee, or other big league stars?
Now that I hopefully have your attention, I will explain why this is. Understand, there is no substitute for live pitching - tee drills cannot help with your batter's sense of timing, or his ability to pick up on or identify pitch location, pitch type, velocity, etc. But unless you have Greg Maddux pitching your batting pracice sessions, there is no way you can hope to put the ball in the same place every time, which allows you to analyze the batter's swing. With a tee, you can really watch what your hitter is doing, make suggestions, and get many, many repititions in in a reltively short period of time. This is the reason that, if you were to take your player to pretty much any professional hitting coach in the country, the first thing the coach would do would be to drag out a tee.
If your player has a hitch in his swing, you can identify it with a tee. If he needs to work on the inside pitch (or the low pitch, or the outside pitch), you can simply move the tee and give him extra repititions. If he has a loop or dip in his swing, you can place a second tee behind the one holding the ball and force him to adapt a correct swing path. With a tee, you can build the all-important muscle memory needed for a good, consistent swing.
I cannot emphasize this enough - very few practices should ever go by without your players hitting off of a tee. This is an absolutely ideal station activity, is easy to place, and if you happen to also own a net, can be done in even the smallest of spaces.
The bottom line: if you do not own a tee, and you coach a youth baseball team, go and drop a few bucks on one today. You will not regret the investment in the best hitting tool ever made.
Olan Suddeth is a little league baseball coach in the Birmingham, Alabama area. His website, Youth Baseball Info (http://www.youthbaseballinfo.com) offers free drills, articles, and tips for youth baseball coches, parents, and fans.
Baseball Time and Money...Well Spent! BatAction.com Baseball Hitting Tips - 100 Swings a Day By Tom Read
An old baseball coach use to say after every practice, "go home and swing the bat 100 times each and every day. If you want to hit against the high level of competition we are going to be playing, swing that bat 100 times everyday". What he did not explain to the players was that doing something over and over makes it easier each time. It eventually becomes natural, second nature. So when that fastball comes flying in, and there is a half second to react, and you know where the swing needs to go, the muscle memory takes over and the swing comes naturally.
Hitting off the tee is a great baseball hitting drill. Take a 100 cuts a day off the tee and you will see your batting average start to climb. Another good baseball drill is soft toss. Here the tosser can change the location and the speed of the ball. Again, a 100 cuts a day of soft toss will bring improvement to your swing. The old coach used to tell the players that even if they did not have a tee to use, or no one was around to do soft toss with them, just go out in the yard and swing the bat thru the air. A 100 times a day. Doing this will get you comfortable with your swing. At game time, you want to be confident at the plate, and comfort brings confidence. You have swung that bat so many times, you know it is not going to let you down. You are concentrating on the pitch, not your swing. At just the right moment, you let loose with that same swing you have taken a 100 times a day.
The last thing I want to say is very important. You play like you practice. Before you start swinging a 100 time a day, you need to have found a good batting stance and good mechanics. It will not help you if each one of the 100 swings is different. Each swing needs to be identical. Find that perfect swing for you and practice it a 100 times a day.
The Ultimate Backyard Batting Station for All Ages
Baseball Drills That Can Make Even Your Mom into a Player! By Abbie Frank
Even as adults, there are some who have great difficulty when it comes to the co-ordination needed for sports like baseball. This is where basic baseball drills or sports drills can help even the most inept adult player. For some of these individuals, having to catch a ball can be a daunting task and considered unpleasant. The reason for this feeling of dread is the lack of basic skills that drills or practice can help improve. While some people just seem to have a phobia about sports in general and being involved even at a basic unorganized level is just to painful a consideration.
The problem with just ignoring basic play is that we end up losing yet another part of the child within us. Further, if we have kids, we tend to shy away from playing things that are uncomfortable for us, thereby possibly passing on our problem to our children. This is a pity as with just a little practice, anyone can go out and enjoy getting involved in a a sport. Practice drills will NOT make us everyday work- a- day people into superstars or national league players, but it will allow us the benefit of being active, being with friends, and being involved without the pain of embarrassment.
A good place to start, as with anything is at the beginning. Get yourself a comfortable baseball glove. Believe it or not, I actually prefer getting my gloves at the local thrift shop. The reason for this is the usually these haven't been abused but have been broken in well enough that they're soft and supple. So they're comfortable and cheap!
Get two and find someone in your family or a friend who just wants to throw a ball around. When starting out, I suggest using a a softball mainly because it's a bigger target to catch. It's also a little heavier and will build up your throwing arm while also being somewhat softer. A softball is just more squishy and is more player friendly especially when the baseball tossing starts to heat up and get faster and harder. No sense in bruising your hand with that fast pitch!
Another good practice drill is batting. Here, I suggest just going to the local batting cage and start out slow. The batting machines can be adjusted to almost any level or ability. Start slow with the goal to just hit or make contact with the ball. The idea here is to increase your eye hand and motion coordination while having a little fun. As you get better, have the speed increased and you'll be batting a thousand as they say in no time.
So don't let inability stand in your way of making some great memories this summer. Get out there and be a part of America's sport...Baseball!
Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects which include family life, home, and health. With a large family that includes 5 boys knowing about sports has been a necessity. Find out more about playing baseball [http://www.baseballequip.outsidemagic.com]
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There are three R's by which every baseball coach should be judged. The main three indicators of baseball success are RESULTS, REPUTATION and RESPECT. This article discusses each and how important each is.
The three R's by which every baseball coach should be judged are:
RESULTS - The number one criteria by which a coach's performance should be judged is results. Has the coach produced tangible results? Has the baseball team or program improved since the coach came on board? Positive results are an indication of a coach's effectiveness. Positive results includes increasing number of wins, winning at a level never before achieved, signs of improving player and team performance, and an overall increase in player and team pride.
Athletic directors and league officials look for coaches that they feel can take their baseball teams to a higher level of performance and competition. They want to see improvement. They want to see results.
REPUTATION - Every coach always earns a reputation. Reputation is one's overall personal and professional character and quality as judged by the people of the community. The only way to earn a good reputation is to work hard enough to earn it. The only way to maintain a good reputation is to continue working hard. A coach's behavior on and off the field plays a huge role in building a good reputation.
RESPECT - Respect is not given, it is earned. In coaching, you earn respect one day, one game, and one player at a time. To be successful in coaching, you must have respect. You must first earn the respect of your players. They must see you as a good leader and teacher with knowledge, drive, and skill. You must earn the respect of your parents. They must feel that you are qualified, dedicated and committed to your job. You must earn the respect of your administration. Your superiors must see enough positive results from your efforts to respect you as a coach and teacher. You must earn the respect of the community. Your fans will begin to respect you when they see a good product put on the field year after year. They want a team that will make them proud. They want a team that always competes. You must earn the respect of your peers. What other coaches think about you is a true indicator of what you have achieved and accomplished. There is no better measure of a coach's performance than having the total respect of opposing coaches.
I hope that you found this article to be informative and useful. Thanks for taking the time to read it. Have a great day, Nick.
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.
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