Batting Practice III

  Teach. Teach before, during and after practice. Skills are developed in practice. They are displayed in games.

Give constant positive encouragement. From LL to the major leagues, that is the hallmark of a good coach. Get to know your players’ skill and talent level so that you can give them sincere praise when deserved; kids can see through phony compliments.

Timing is crucial when hitting ground ball fungos during BP. Hit the fungo immediately after the hitter has contacted his pitch (the fungo coach can see where the batted ball goes as he tosses his ball in the air).

The coach pitching BP should wait a few seconds before he delivers another pitch to allow the fielder to field his ball. Don’t rapid-fire balls to the hitter.

The infielders should let all batted balls go by them except the fungo. This keeps them focused on the task at hand and prevents two balls coming at them at once.

Don’t have them throw to a base. Teach them to throw the ball back to the fungo coach so it lands to him on one hop. (This is a learned skill. Put air under the ball so it takes a nice, easy bounce. There shouldn’t be an extra coach catching the returned ball. Coaches are needed elsewhere. In addition, this prevents arm overuse and keeps the kids facing home plate for safety.)

This way of fielding ground balls is a tried and true method and you will find there is a rhythm to it. I have noticed that an added benefit is increased concentration, more ground balls during one practice session, no boredom and a lot more fun. Everyone has a job to do during BP.

 More tips like this one can be found at www.eteamz.com/company/instruction.