Teaching youth baseball is a rewarding experience for both
parents and coaches alike. While parents have an obvious investment in the
teaching of the fundamentals of the sport of baseball to their children,
coaches, make a significant investment of their own in time, effort and
emotion. From a personal perspective, one of the greatest rewards is indeveloping relationships with and positively affecting
the lives of individual youth baseball players. The lessons of sports such as
in baseball are positive and well documented. For coaches, there are also the
internal rewards they get from seeing each player develop and from watching a
youth baseball team improve as a group and learn to play together under their
coaching tutelage.
Astute
coaches improve the performance of the team as a whole by employing youth
baseball drills to improve the individual performances of team players and
there interactions together. There are three main categories in which youth
baseball drills will have an immense effect on the performance levels of
players.
Youth
Batting Drills - one of the most important of the youth baseball drills. The
vast majority of youth baseball players have the most fun when they hit. The
better they are able to hit, the more fun that they will have, and the greater
their interest in the sport of baseball. Coaches and parents who teach baseball
drills in batting must stress the importance of a well-balanced stance that is
comfortable for the individual player, picking the ball up as it leaves the
pitcher's hand, and keeping the body weight back until the pitch is delivered.
Youth Fielding Drills - an integral part of teaching the defensive position. Of
course, there are sets of baseball fielding drills that are unique to each of
the nine fielding positions in the game of baseball. However, there are
baseball drills common to all fielding positions. One of the key youth baseball
drills in catching ground balls is to keep the fingers of the fielding glove on
the ground for ground balls, and raising the glove to catch the ball on the
bounce, instead of lowering the glove. Another one of the instructional keys to
fielding is to catch the thrown or batted ball with the wrist in an upward
position for balls at or above the waist, and to turn the wrist upside down to
catch balls below the waist. There are many ways to take a single drill and
apply it so the whole team can practice at once. Youth Throwing Drills - the most basic of all youth baseball drills, and many
instructors feel that it is the most important fundamental of all. It is vital
for parents to make sure that their children develop proper throwing techniques
from the time they can throw a baseball, around the age of eight or so. The
importance of throwing a baseball with proper grip can not be overestimated.
Youth throwing drills must emphasize four important elements: Throw the ball by
gripping it with the index finger and middle finger on the ball; point your
shoulder opposite from your throwing hand in the direction of your target; step
in the direction of your target when you release the ball; and follow through
after you release the ball with your back leg so that both legs are parallel
upon the completion of the throw.
You
can find many youth baseball drills on the Internet covering hitting, fielding
and throwing. Some drills are free and some require subscription or for you to
order a DVD. Free baseball drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a
variety and see what works best for you as the coach and your youth baseball
team. Always remember that drills should be age appropriate. The right fielding
drill for a 14 year-old boy will not suit and 8-year old and vice versa.
There
are many baseball coaching resources and communities like Weplay
available to help with any questions you might have. Don't underestimate the
passion of the community around you. We are all here to help the kids.
By
Trevor Sumner who works for Weplay.com, a youth baseball community
dedicated to providing parents, coaches and athletes the tools and information
they need to celebrate the love of the game. Weplay
has one of the most comprehensive baseball drill libraries in its
active baseball community.