Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule

Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule
By Nick Dixon
The word is PLAN

There are many four letter words that baseball coaches know, but few are as important as the word for today, PLAN. There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time. In part one I discussed the important of the word Goal and the importance of setting a goal to drive a team toward success.

The Baseball Coaches four letter word of today is P-L-A-N:

Planning is one of the most important responsibilities of a head baseball coach is planning. Planning is organization. Planning is delegation of duties and responsibilities to your assistants. You must plan every practice. You must plan your season. You must have a game plan going into every game. Planning practice after you start is a sign of bad coaching. If the team has practice at 3:00 PM, and the head coach turns to the assistant coaches as the team is warming up, and says, Well, guys what do you think we need to do today? A team with a coach like this is destined to have a difficult year. The coach is not organized and does not have the dedication to do his coaching homework at home before he arrive at the field. Have a plan and a schedule before you arrive at the field. The practice plan should be in the can! Planning as you go will waste valuable practice time that will never be recovered. It is extremely important to have a daily practice schedule written down. You must decide on each practice activity for that day, the assigned amount of time to be spent doing each drill or activity, and the objective or reason for doing the activity. A written practice schedule is a must! You practice plan must be detailed, easy to read, and easy to understand. Your practice plan begins with the first minute of practice and ends with the last minute. Every minute is scheduled. Include breaks and transition times from one activity to the next. You should write out the practice plan, run copies, and give each coach a copy. The schedule will have time slots, each coach drills and duties, and location of each activity.

A sample practice plan:

3:00 to 3:12 Team Stretch and Warm-up

3:12 to 3:27 PFP (Pitching Fielding Practice)

3:30 to 3:45 Outfield Drill Work & Infielder Drill Work

3:45 to 4:00 Team Defense, Infield, and Outfield Cuts

4:00 to 4:45 Team Batting Practice

(4 Groups, 4 Station, 12 Minutes and Rotate to the next station

-Station 1 On-field Batting Practice -Station 2 Batting Cage Work -Station 3 Bunt Station -Station 4 Tee & Soft-toss

4:45 to 4:55 Break

4:55 to 5:15 21 Outs Drill

5:15 to 5:25 Base running Drills/Conditioning

Coaching Note:

6 Pitchers will throw after practice bullpens. List Names. The greatest difficulty in having a practice schedule is staying on time. You must have a set rule that when drill time is up, the drill ends. If the drill was performed so bad that it needs to be done again, it will be done over after practice. Always have a coaches meeting after each practice to discuss what the staff has to say about the day practice. You also need to ask what they think the next practice schedule should cover. Listen to your assistants and consider what they say when you make out your next practice plan. Another part of having a plan is the delegating of responsibilities. You can not do it all. Recruit some good volunteer coaches to help you.

Good coaches always delegate task and duties to assistant coaches. Let certain coaches work with certain positions. One of the crucial assignments on every team is the position of pitching coach. You must have a coach that oversees pitching practice, bullpen work, and that calls the pitches during the game. Another important role is that of the team hitting coach. The hitting coach is often the offensive coordinator and 3rd base coach. This coach oversees all batting drills, batting practice and base running practice. Organize you pregame routine. Plan it, write it down, and make sure every coach know it by heart. Have a set time when you start stretching and warming up. Have a set time that you take pregame defensive infield and outfield warm-up. a set time that players may have 3 minutes to go to the restroom if they need to. Have a set time that you have a team huddle. Plan what you are going to say during this team moment. Having a plan is having a purpose, a time, and a place for everything and everyone.

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

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High School Baseball - Pre-Game Warm-Ups for Winning Fielders

High School Baseball - Pre-Game Warm-Ups for Winning Fielders
By Kenny Buford

For high school baseball games, each side only has fifteen minutes on the field for the pre-game warm-up. Coaches should focus on keeping the routine quick and simple. These fielding warm-ups will effectively get players loose and focused on the game.

Outfield Warm-Up

For the outfield warm-up, the coach should hit to the outfielders from the pitcher's mound.

Round One

For this round, the coach will hit a ground ball:

To left field


Left fielder will throw to second base, short stop covers and second baseman backs

To center field


Center fielder throws to second base, SS covers and second baseman backs

To right field


Right fielder passes to second base, second baseman covers and SS backs

Round Two

For this round, the player in short stop position should be stationed in the line of throw for a possible cutoff. The coach will hit a ground ball:

To left field


Left fielder throws to third base

To center field


Center fielder passes to third base

To right field


Right fielder lobs to third base

Round Three:

For this round, the first baseman should be positioned in the line of throw for a possible cutoff. The coach will hit a fly ball:

To left field


Left fielder will throw to home plate

To center field


Center fielder tosses to home plate

To right field


Right fielder lobs to home plate

Infield Warm-Up

Start by throwing the ball around the horn (catcher to first base to second base to short stop to third base and back to catcher). For the fielding portion of the infield warm-up, the coach should be hitting from home plate.

Round One

For this round, the coach will hit a ground ball:

To third base


Third baseman tosses to first base
First baseman passes to catcher

To short stop


SS lobs to first base
First baseman throws to catcher

To second base


Second baseman get the ball to first base
First baseman throws to catcher

To first base


First baseman lobs to third base
Third baseman tosses to catcher

Round Two

For this round, the coach will hit a ground ball:

To third base


Third baseman gets the ball to second base
Second baseman throws to first base
First baseman tosses to catcher

To short stop


SS will throw to second base
Second baseman tosses to first base
First baseman lobs to catcher

To second base


Second base lobs to short stop
SS gets the ball to first base
First base throws to catcher

To first base


First baseman tosses to second base
Second baseman passes back to first base
First baseman throws to catcher

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

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


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Batting Cages - Helping You Improve Your Game

Batting Cages - Helping You Improve Your Game
By Michael C Logan

Let us understand what a batting cage is; it is an enclosure within which a batter can practice his batting. It is a netted cage made especially for baseball players to practice their batting skills. It is therefore well secured for the players to practice. These days there are various varieties for us to choose from. We can choose the one that would be appropriate for us.

A Batting cage can be paired with a pitching machine that lets out balls so that even a single person can practice and doesn't need someone to practice with him. The floor of one can be a slight slope, to feed the balls into the pitching machine. The combination of the Pitching machine and Cage allows the player to get a complete training session.

Batting cages are made for the safety of batter's. They are made so that a batter can practice without worrying about anything and feel free to use any direction he would like to use to hit the ball. It is a netted cage made especially for baseball players to practice their batting skills. This concept was put into being to enable the batsmen playing baseball would have the freedom to practice without worrying about where and how they are hitting the ball.

The batting cage also saves space. You don't necessarily require a huge back yard or a huge open space to start practice. All you need is some place to put it and you are set. This resolves the space issue that you otherwise might face.

A Batting Cage is very useful for new players. It allows them to experiment with their strokes for the game really well. They can hit the ball freely and keep improving the strokes with every ball they hit. This something that new players must practice well. Since they are new they need to get the hang of hitting the ball. Being new it is understood that the ball will be hit all over the place but the right or correct direction hence it allows them to get the sense of direction while hitting the ball. It also resolves the concern of damaging any neighbors property. So you can hit in any direction you like and still be on good terms with your neighbors. Jokes apart, practicing really requires determination and hard work which would be impossible if you had worries of hitting your neighbors cars or windows etc. You would also not need to worry about getting hurt yourself. It's really safe for you and people around you.

When going to practice in the batting cage you must remember to use your safety gear so that you don't end up hitting yourself or hurting yourself. What's more, go and get yourself one and practice. You have a variety of options available online to choose from. Choose one that suits your pocket and you and get started!

Our entire selection of pitching machines & batting cages are on sale now. Also enjoy free shipping on your Baseball Pitching Machines.

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

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Catchers Receiving Drills at The Baseball Academy

Catching instructor Joe Wilkins (www.joewilkinscatching.com) puts his catchers through some receiving drills at The Baseball Academy. Please view this video by clicking "watch in high quality" at the bottom-right of the video screen!

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Baseball Drill: Hitting the 3 Basic Strike Locations - Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine

Little League Pitching Drills

Little League Pitching Drills
By Jim Bain

Let's discuss a Pitcher Tip on cold weather training. In fact, let's look at a couple of issues related to off season training.

Throwing Weighted Baseballs is a somewhat new and innovative technique more and more college baseball programs are implementing. I bring this subject up now, because throwing weighted baseballs is done Only During the Off Season! Once Spring training begins or you move to throwing off the pitching mound...stop throwing over weighted balls.

As I said, this type of training is somewhat in it's infancy for the greater portion of baseball programs, but initial findings seem indicate positive results in increasing arm strength and velocity.

***The caveat to this new program is it must be implemented correctly and slowly or the findings reverse dramatically with arm injuries soaring. ***

So, as a Pitcher tip, let's examine a sample routine which has been used with great success.

The Coach or player should plan on utilizing this workout routine for a duration of 2 months, no longer than 3 months and that depends on other outside influences, such as moving to a pitching mound. The workout should be performed no more than three times a week, mixed in with other strength and conditioning programs.

The Player should jog, in place or moving, for no less than 5 minutes and must work up a good sweat. At the conclusion of jogging the player should perform his stretching routine, which hopefully is a full body stretching exercise.

He then performs his 10 Minute Workout. You heard me right. Ten minutes. I know that doesn't sound very long, but a 3 minute boxing round doesn't sound too long unless you're getting your butt kicked or it's the 12th round. Then that apparent short time seems an eternity.

Pitcher Tip: Throw at:

60' for 3 minutes;90' for 3 minutes;120' for 3 minutes - finishing with;60' for 1 minute. A cool down.

OR an alternative method to use is: Throw a:

6oz. Ball, 20 throws at 70';4oz. Ball, 20 throws at 70';5oz. Ball, 20 throws at 70'.

This variation in weight, but not distance, does not provoke a change in pitching form or mechanics, only increases muscle strength.

It Must be stated Never Throw a Baseball Over 6 Oz.! Anything weighing more will only tear muscle down and result in a series of injuries.

Try and imagine this workout like this. If you're training for an endurance race of 20 miles while carrying 50 lbs of gear, you don't try to run the 20 or carry the 50 the first day of training. You ease into it increasing the difficulty as you increase your strength and stamina. No different here.

Since we're on off season training, I'll assume the weather is most likely cool to cold. Here's a Pitcher Tip for cold weather.

1. You must protect your hands. Drying and cracking finger tips and cuticles can not only be painful, but they can result in you unintentionally over compensating for the pain and reek havoc with your mechanics and form.Using hand creams will help relieve any drying and cracking problem.

2. In cool weather it is imperative you work up a good sweat before stretching and then throwing. You can wear your jacket while warming up, but do not throw with your jacket on. Always remove it prior to throwing.

3. Wear a cap, preferably a sock cap of some sort vs. a baseball cap. A person loses 90% of his body heat through his head. Keep the head covered and warm, the body will tend to stay warm.

4. Always carry a clean dry shirt or sweatshirt in your bag so when finished you can remove the sweat soaked shirt with a dry one. Always have a coat and gloves, regular winter gloves or at least batting gloves to wear. You never know when the practice session will last longer than your throwing schedule. You don't want to be caught outside in a wet shirt and no gloves.

Finally, if at all possible find a place you can throw inside. A school, gym, baseball school, batting cages. Anywhere inside is better than cold throwing outside. If there are no alternatives, use the tips above to stay warm and healthy.

Jim Bain is a reknowned baseball expert achieving success as a player, coach and writer. His desire is to educate future coaches and players on how to play the game of baseball. "To pay back the great coaches I had as I grew up." he was quoted as saying.

He has created a website for baseball. http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Bain

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