Baseball Drills - Offensive Pressure Creates Opportunities

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By Nate Barnett

One of the best ways to force long innings (when you are on offense of course) and to win more games is to put added pressure on the defense. There are multiple ways of doing this, a couple of which are outlined here. Understanding the concerns of a defense and exploiting those concerns are valuable techniques any good coach will insert into his baseball drills.

Pressure Cooker #1 - Run Like the Wind:

Don't skip this part because you, your son, or the team you coach has little speed. You don't need any to understand this concept. The more offensive movement is created on the base paths, the more potential there is for defensive mistakes. Create movement the following ways:

A. Bigger lead offs. Most youth baseball players don't get a proper lead off at any base. Because of this, the defense doesn't feel the perceived threat of the runner. How long is a good lead? A runner should be able to rotate and dive (body fully extended) back to the bag in time if he is watching the right movements from the pitcher. Getting aggressive leads will do two things. First, it will force the pitcher to split concentration between the runner and the hitter. This will help out the hitter as pitch location may improve with the lack of focus from the pitcher. Secondly, the more throws drawn by the runner at first base (primarily) can results in potential overthrows as well as an increased opportunity to utilize a stolen base or a hit and run play.

B. Take aggressive turns on the bases. I frequently see many younger players after hitting a baseball, jog down to first base and take a small turn around first. This puts zero pressure on the defense. The first goal on any hit to the outfield is to reach second base. The mentality that every hit is a double will help runners become more aggressive. Obviously I'm not advocating running bases wildly, I'm simply promoting adding some extra heat on the defense to provoke some mistakes.

Pressure Cooker #2 - Have a Pitch Plan

It's quite common to watch hitters all the way through high school swing at pitches quite out of the zone. Most of the time this is caused from a lack of a game plan, or improper teaching during baseball drills. Each hitter should have a specific pitch plan based upon his hitting strengths. Every hitter has a special pitch, or one that is more favorable to hit than others. This needs to be the focus early in the count. No other pitches should be offered at early in the count other than the favorite pitch. The only thing that would change this scenario would be if a coach called some sort of offensive play.

A more selective approach to hitting will put pressure on defensive two different ways:

A. More pitches will be thrown by pitchers which will (hopefully) force a pitching change earlier in the game. Since more relievers in youth baseball are not as good as starters, this is a plus for the offense.

B. Getting better pitches to hit will create more baseballs in play. The more balls hit hard there are, the greater chance there is for a mistake by the defense.

Finally, there is no secret that perceived pressure causes more mistakes. If an offense can manufacture pressure and remain confident in doing so, they will enjoy watching an error filled defense play more timid and give games away.

Nate Barnett is owner of BMI Baseball designed to improve the mental game of baseball in athletes. Learn how to help your game by improving the skill of mental baseball

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3 and 0 Count Baseball Strategy

By Jack D. Elliott

The 3 and 0 count baseball strategy is a common issue for all coaches. Do you tell your team to take the pitch or give certain batters the right to swing away?

Conservative baseball would have you take the pitch on the thought you are likely to gain a walk with another ball. This assumes the pitcher will throw yet another ball after three balls in a row. Ideally, you would force a wild pitcher to throw more pitches causing him to give more walks and have him taken out of the game.

A more aggressive strategy would be to allow batters to swing if they get a good pitch. Since most high school pitchers will try to bear down and throw a good fastball for a strike, the odds are you will be getting a good pitch to hit. If you have a good hitter at the plate, it would make since to give him a chance to swing at the pitch. The catch is you may end up helping the pitcher by hitting a fly ball or a ground out.

Based on this situation, you really need to know your lineup. Is the hitter at the plate one who can hit this pitcher's fastball well? If the hitter is not, it would make no since to swing a way. However, if the hitter can see the pitcher's pitches well and is a good hitter, it would be more advantageous for him to swing if he is likely to get an extra base hit. If he will merely be able to likely get a single, it would be more sensible to take the pitch.

Another factor to consider is whether there are runners in scoring position. If there are runners in scoring position, good hitters should be allowed to swing away as you have a better chance for getting an RBI. Also, if you are unlikely to get a hit from the batters following him, it would make a lot of since to let the good hitter swing.

When it comes down to it, whether to take the pitch or swing away on a 3 and 0 count depends on the hitter. If you believe they can drive in a run or get an extra base hit; then, it is to your benefit to have them swing away. However, for most hitters in high school, you will want them to take the pitch as this will give you an additional base runner and force the pitcher to throw more pitches. This could result in him throwing more balls or having a more fatigued pitcher late in the game.

Jack Elliott, is a former player and fan of the game. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article, please click here: http://www.baseballtrainingtechniques.com/Baseball-Strategy

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