Coaches Clinic http://www.youtube.com/user/LancerBaseball33

2014

Offensive Philosophy

“BASE 2” Big Inning (3 + runs) Answer when opposition scores Score First Extend the lead 2 out runs Defensive Philosophy

“BLAZE”

1st Batter Out Limit Freebies (walks, HBP, E’s, extra bases) Attack the strike zone Zeroes after we score End the inning with a K

Pitching Drills Pitching Philosophies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Have  control  and  more  importantly  command  of  your  pitches.   Hitters  are  out  or  on  in  3  pitches  or  less.   Attack  the  strike  zone.   Older  pitchers:    Curves  and  changeups  on  any  count  for  strikes.   Field  your  position  well.   Back  up  bases  consistently.   Keep  runners  close.   Intense  focus  in  side  sessions,  pre  game  warm  up,  and  between  innings.     Keep  the  leadoff  hitter  off  base.  

Drills: 1. Four  corner  spot  drill  with  shoulder  rotation     2. No  stride  glove  side  at  target  back  foot  rotates  but  stays     3. No  stride  glove  side  at  target  back  foot  rotates  and  releases     4. Towel  Drill     5. Chair  Drill  with  back  foot  on     6. Chair  Drill  to  balance     7. 1,  2,  3,  4,  5  Drill     8. Step  behind  and  throw     9. Bullpen  Sessions   a. Catcher  down  and  away  early.   b. Hitter  in  if  possible   c. Work  from  Wind  Up  and  Stretch   d. Chart  pitches  

Hitting Fundamentals 1. Proper  stance  –  Athletic,  balanced,  relaxed.    Feet  should  be  square  and  toes  pointed  straight.    Head  turned  and   eyes  level  looking  at  the  pitcher.    Bat  at  45  degree  angle  towards  the  body.    Bottom  hand  slightly  closer  to  the   catcher.    Knob  facing  catcher’s  feet.       2. Rhythm  –  Get  the  body  moving  to  stay  loose.     3. Load/Stride  –  Hands  need  to  either  coming  back,  or  the  body  needs  to  walk  away  from  the  hands  to  create   separation.    Hands  should  get  back  in  a  slow  short  controlled  manner.    The  stride  should  be  short  with  the   weight  remaining  balanced.       4. Contact  –  Swing  should  be  short  and  end  at  contact  with  the  hands  in  a  palm  up,  palm  down  position.    The  back   elbow  should  be  connected  with  the  upper  body  at  contact.  Shoulders  should  be  slightly  angled  towards  home   and  they  should  match  the  plane  of  the  bat.  Chin  should  be  over  the  back  shoulder  and  eyes  should  be  looking   down  the  barrel.         5. Extension/Follow  through  –  Finish  high  and  balanced!    Finish  through  the  ball.    

Drills: Dry Swings Flips Soft Toss Balance board Heavy Bag Wiffle situations Muhl balls Fungo drill Bunt square Structured BP

Infielding Techniques •

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Good  Fielding  Position/Stance   o Good  athletic  position   § Feet  shoulder  width  or  just  outside  shoulder  width  apart,  with  right  foot  slightly  in  front  (left  toe   to  right  foot  instep)   § Knees  slightly  bent   § Big  chest  with  back  flat  (no  shoulder  slouch)  at  45  degree  angle   § Glove  hand  arm  slightly  bent  at  the  elbow  with  hand  held  out  in  front  of  the  body  (belly   buttonish-­‐good  cue  for  kids)   • No  flippers  (when  kids  flip  there  glove  at  the  last  second  as  they  are  approaching  a   ground  ball)   § Eyes  focused  on  the  ground  in  front  of  them  like  there  is  a  ground  ball   o Drill  work/conditioning   § Have  infielders  hold  that  stance  for  whatever  an  age  appropriate  time  is  for  you  kids.   § Shuffle  drill   • Have  player  get  into  a  good  athletic  position  (no  glove)  with  his  partner/coach  directly  in   front  of  him,  about  8-­‐10  feet  away.    On  a  ‘go’  call  from  the  coach,  player  shuffles  right   and  left,  fielding  a  ball  at  each  end  of  his  shuffle  and  passing  it  back  to  his  partner/coach   while  being  rolled  another  ball  in  the  other  direction.   o Players  should  only  shuffle  about  2  shuffles  off  the  midline/where  the  coach  is   standing.    So  from  endpoint,  the  player  is  shuffling  4  times  (two  to  get  back  to   the  midpoint  and  two  to  receive  the  groundball)  once  the  drill  begins   • Works  on  staying  in  a  good  stance/athletic  position  and  conditioning   Pre-­‐Pitch  Creep  Step   o Gets  players  in  a  good  fielding  position  with  good  balance  and  on  the  balls  of  their  feet,  ready  to  move   in  either  direction  for  a  groundball  with  better  quickness  due  to  the  energy  created  by  ‘creeping’   towards  the  plate  upon  the  pitch   § As  the  pitcher  winds  up  to  the  throw  the  pitch,  infielders  very  slowly  move  forward,  toward  the   plate,  by  taking  2  steps  with  EACH  foot  (so  4  steps  in  all)  and  ending  in  a  good  stance  as  the  ball   is  crossing  the  plate,  ready  to  move  in  either  direction     • Infielders  must  work  on  timing  all  pitchers  from  the  wind  up  and  stretch   o Drill  work   § Have  a  coach  simulate  being  a  pitcher  in  an  open  area  (don’t  necessarily  have  to  be  in  their   positions  on  the  field)     • Simulate  the  wind  up   • Simulate  from  the  stretch  (if  appropriate)       Infielder  Drill  Work   o Cone  drill   § Place  cones  in  a  diamond  formation.    Distance  from  top  of  diamond  to  bottom  of  diamond   should  be  about  3-­‐3  ½  feet.    Cone  setting    the  width  should  be  placed  about  1-­‐1  ½  feet  off  the   midline  and  slightly  closer  to  the  top  of  the  diamond  (so  the  infielder  works  on  a  more  forward   angle)   • Place  a  ball  on  the  ground  off  the  top  of  the  diamond’s  cone    with  enough  room  for  the   player  to  get  in  front  of  the  cone  and  about  where  his  glove  will  field  a  ground  ball   (about  3  feet)   • Player  straddles  the  bottom  of  the  diamond’s  cone.   o Right,  left,  right  steps  to  get  to  the  outside  of  the  wide  cone   o Plant  off  the  right  foot  and  start  heading  towards  the  ball  placed  on  the  ground   in  front  of  the  top  cone  in  the  reverse  steps  (left,  right,  left  steps)  

Glove  hand  in  front  of  body  and  good  athletic  position  throughout  the   movement  of  the  drill   o At  the  end  of  the  step  sequence,  players  should  be  able  to  place  his  glove  just   behind  the  ball,  in  a  good  stance/athletic  position  with  his  right  foot  slightly  in   front  of  his  left  (left  toe  to  right  foot  instep)   § Pause  player  at  this  point  and  make  corrections.  Check  their     • Feet  –  right  foot  in  front  of  left   • Eyes  down  (should  see  button  on  top  of  their  hat)   • Good  stance   o Continue  drill  by  having  player  scoop  up  the  ball  with  their  glove  hand  ,  covering   the  ball  with  non-­‐glove  hand,  bringing  both  to  their  throwing  shoulder  and   begin  footwork  for  their  throw  to  first.   • Footwork  for  throws  (should  simulate  angles  of  each  individual  position)   o 2nd  base     § More  of  a  side  shuffle  toward  first  base   o Shortstop   § Right,  left  with  right  foot  stepping  in  front  of  the  left  foot  toward  first   base  (or  about  a  45  degree  angle)   Progressions  (as  ability  gets  better,  add  the  following)   • Roll  ball  very  slowly  and  not  very  far  away     • Progress  further  and  further  away;    add  speed  to  ground  ball  at  an  appropriate  rate.   o Player  should  never  be  rushed  around  the  cone  to  field  the  ball.    This  would  not   be  an  appropriate  way  to  challenge  player  ability,  but  rather  teach  them  bad   habits.    Players  will  learn  to  time  everything  up  by  changing  footwork  in  the  drill   to  get  to  a  good  fielding  position  upon  receiving  the  ground  ball   o

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