Baseball 101
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ARE WE DOING A GOOD ENOUGH JOB TEACHING KIDS HOW TO PLAY CATCH?
Baseball is a game of playing catch. Why don't we spend more time teaching kids how to throw properly and how to properly receive a thrown ball?
While reading the content below, think of how many balls are missed during warm ups, pre-game infield/outfield and in games. In my experience as a coach and player from T-ball to the professional level, Playing Catch, the foundation of the game, is the skill that is not given enough serious attention.
Note: All phrases in Dark Blue are key teaching phrases that are to be used repeatedly each day when kids are performing any activity that involves throwing and catching.
Receiving Throws
Note: Many kids’ gloves are flat, difficult to open and/or do not open much more than the width of a baseball. Train each player to press the webbing of their glove to the heel of their hand (perpendicular to the natural fold of the glove). This will open the web and fingers creating a larger opening in the glove. This is a habit for kids to get into at the beginning of each day at the ball field.
Teaching Point I
Ready Position
- Feet wider than shoulder width with knees bent
- Feet are square to the direction of the throw (on every throw)
- Hands and elbows in front of body
- Hands held with palms facing in; 3 o’clock & 9 o’clock (clapping hands position)
Note: This hand position is optimum for the player to generate quick and powerful arm action to assist them in moving quickly to a hit ball.
Teaching Phrases:
- Ready Position prior to every throw or pitch
- Hands and elbows extended in front of the body
Ready Steps
Older kids (10-12) and younger ones with good leg strength can be taught to take ‘Ready Steps’ as the pitch is headed to the plate. This is a ‘one-two’ action with the player lifting and replacing their feet while in their stance. This action provides a ‘running start’ for the defensive player enabling them to get a better jump on a hit ball.
Teaching Point II
Catch Every Ball with the Glove Extended in Front of the Body. Young ballplayers do not have well developed shoulder muscles. Therefore they are reluctant to extend their arms far in front of their bodies to catch. The result is kids often attempt to catch balls near their bodies behind their line of sight. We need to teach the importance of having their Glove Between Their Eyes and the Ball on every catch.
Teaching Phrases:
- Glove Between Eyes and the Ball
- Hands & elbows extended in front of the body
- Watch the ball into your glove (esp. kids eight and under); two hands
Teaching point: The coach must be a strict disciplinarian and be consistent with the expectation that the ball be caught in a proper relationship to the body every time. Consistently catching thrown balls takes focused practice. This is a game of playing catch and the fundamentals of this core skill must be taught on an on-going basis throughout the season.
Note: The brain in most children age eight and below (some 9’s and a few 10’s) has not yet developed the capacity to judge an object flying directly towards them. We should not expect, or require, these children to get in front of a thrown ball (overhand throws). For the younger player we demonstrate a catching position they are comfortable with, but is still sound fundamentally. We teach them to position their glove arm at a 45 degree angle so that it is outside their shoulders but is still extended 'in front' of them so their glove is in their line of sight – Glove Between Their Eyes and the Ball.
Teaching Point III
Move Feet to Catch
- Pre-pubescent kids, as a rule, do not utilize their legs nearly enough in their athletic actions
- - Train your kids, with strict emphases, to Catch the Ball with Their Feet, by moving to the ball with their feet and to avoid reaching laterally for thrown balls
- Require them to make every effort to catch each thrown ball between their shoulders
Teaching Phrases:
- Anticipate a less than perfect throw every time
- It is the responsibility of the player receiving the ball to make it a good throw
- Move Your Feet to Catch
Teaching Point IV
Catching Balls Thrown to a Base
A major issue that keeps youth players from consistently catching balls thrown to a base is their reluctance to move away from the base to catch throws that are off-line.
Kids watch a lot of baseball on TV. One of the most common camera shots is of the first baseman receiving a throw while stretching for the ball. What the kids do not see is the foot position of the first baseman prior to the ball being thrown. The first baseman initially stands with their feet square to the throw. They only stretch when they determine that a ball in flight is on target.
Proper footwork for receiving a thrown ball begins with both feet square to the throw while standing in front, behind, or next to the base (depending on the direction of the throw and the base runner). The feet then adjust to the ball once it is in flight. If there is a force play at the bag and the ball is on target, the player first moves their throwing side foot (in most cases) onto the bag and then stretches for the ball if needed.
Straddling the bag on tag plays becomes important at the Majors level where the game is moving faster. However, when using this technique the concept of Ball First, Base Second still applies and must be constantly reinforced by the coach. We must make it clear that the player who is straddling the bag to receive a throw is still responsible to Move Their Feet to Catch a ball that is off line, in which case they have to vacate the bag to Catch the Ball First.
Teaching Phrases:
- The Base is for the Runner, The Ball is for the Defense
- Ball First, Base Second
Throwing
The focus of this discussion is throwing for the position player. However, most of the throwing mechanics for the pitcher are the same as those used by the position player. When reading, keep in mind that the feet and lower half of the body are the keys to most every athletic movement and are the focal point of teaching the proper mechanics of throwing (and receiving throws, as well as fielding ground balls and fly balls).
The cornerstone of throwing (and pitching) is the Power Position. This is characterized by the feet, at a minimum, being outside the width of the shoulders (at the conclusion of the stride made in preparing to throw). Also, the elbows are raised to the level of the shoulders creating a straight line from elbow to elbow through the shoulders.
Power for throwing is generated by the large muscles in the legs and torso, which is then transferred to the throwing arm/hand near the end of the throwing action. From the Power Position, the hips, legs and feet rotate to the target and the ‘front side’ elbow (which has been raised to shoulder height) pulls back in a straight line to, or beyond, the torso. To illustrate the effort put into the back action of the elbow, I tell kids to imagine someone is standing behind them and that they are trying to knock the wind out of that person with their elbow.
It is during the Power phase of the throw where the majority of the energy contributing to velocity is generated. The result of this action is the throwing arm/hand is brought to a position ‘out front’ of the midline of the body to the Release Point (The ear is the midline of the body). When a ballplayer uses their big muscles to bring their throwing arm/hand ‘out front’ they greatly reduce the possibility of arm injury. Most arm injuries result from the player/pitcher accelerating their arm before it passes the midline of their body, which puts a tremendous amount of strain and pressure on the small muscles in the shoulder and elbow.
Once the arm/hand reaches the release point ‘out front’, the wrist snaps and the arm accelerates from the release point down toward a point outside the opposite knee#. It is within this small space that the arm muscles are fully activated.
Note: During the wrist snap, teach your ballplayers to move heir fingers evenly through the baseball. A common mechanical flaw, especially in younger players is they allow the hand to rotate to the side of the ball (palm facing in toward the body). This is a natural movement because the hand is moving to an anatomically correct relationship to the body (palm facing in). Velocity and accuracy are lost when this happens -- while the twisting action puts stress on the elbow and can lead to injury.
# The action described above is used by the outfielders, catcher and the pitcher. The follow through for an infielder is slightly different than that described above, but does not generally come into use until the teen years. The unique finishing action of the infielder is not much of a concern for 12U players.
A final and very important point: On every* throw the position player makes they are to Gain Ground (shuffle/move their feet towards their target) leading into the throw and then Allow their Momentum to Continue toward the target following the throw.
* The exceptions to this rule are the first couple of minutes of throwing at the beginning of practice and the short overhand feed made to second base by a middle infielder when a ‘double play’ ball takes them away from second base.
Recapping the three movements in the throwing action**:
1) Stride to Power Position^
2) Turn (hips) and Pull (front side elbow straight back) – bringing hand to release point
3) Throwing hand/arm accelerates through release point
** Once kids get the basic mechanics of the throwing action down, THEN teach the following finer points
a) “Four Seam Grip” – characterized by the fingers placed across the ‘horseshoe’ created by the seams of the baseball
b) Have palms pointing away from the body when reaching the power position
c) Head remains still, centered and pointed toward the target throughout the entire throwing action
d) The momentum of the body Continues in a Straight Line Towards the Target following the release of the ball
Practicing Playing Catch (instead of “Warming-up”, “Getting Loose”, Etc.) – Dynamic Warm-up Routine
I strongly urge that we not use the term “Warm-Up” when referring to the throwing activity at the beginning of practice. Warm-up infers a slow, leisurely activity. I prefer to describe the throwing activity at the beginning of practice as “Practicing Playing Catch”. Baseball is a game of playing catch and the throwing activity at the beginning of practice needs to be a focused and intense activity…because playing catch is the essence of the game. Prior to Practicing Playing Catch take your team through a thorough running and stretching routine (5-6 minutes should be enough) resulting in each player having a good sweat going.
Teaching the Proper Throwing Action
1) Stride to Power Position^ --- 5x
2) Turn and Pull (with no baseball)^* --- 5x
3) Side shuffle 20’ ^^ --- 3x
4) Shuffle, shuffle, Pull and Snap (with no baseball)^*^ – 2X
^ Focus on stride length and getting elbows up (to shoulder height)
^* Focus on big muscles bringing arm forward to release point
^^ shuffle with elbows at shoulder level (power position) and hands together (for balance)
^*^ Working from power position; complete the throwing action and allow momentum to carry on following the ‘throw’.
Practicing Playing Catch (Dynamic Warm-up) Routine
For 2-3 minutes, play catch from 30’-40’ (depending on age) with no shuffle. Focus on Front Side Up, then a crisp Turn and Pull bringing hand to Release Point; at Release Point focus on wrist and fingers snapping through the baseball and the arm Accelerating Through Release Point. Note: Emphasizing and re-emphasizing to your players to be aware of their release point during this first phase of the Practicing Playing Catch routine, every day, will accelerate the development of their throwing mechanics and will be the first step in them developing the good habits that will reduce the chances of injury to their arms.
Note: In this and each subsequent drill or activity that involves throwing, continue to demand that your players Move Their Feet to Catch and Move Their Feet to Throw.
Then…
..move players back to 50’-70’ (depending on age). The next 3-4 minutes of the Practicing Playing Catch routine the players Gain Ground when they throw and Allow Their Momentum to Continue following their throws. If they execute this action properly each player will end up 8’-10’ from where they began the action. At this point in the activity they must then back up to their starting point (their partner will need to give them a brief moment to get back).
This is an intense activity. Each player is in a Ready Position prior to each throw, they Move Their Feet to Catch, get their feet under then and Gain Ground to Throw and Allow Their Momentum to Continue after they throw. They then move back 8’-10’ to their starting point. This highly dynamic exercise and requires much more discipline and effort than kids are accustomed. Three to four minutes of this activity will increase their heart rate, build a sweat and develop Championship habits. They will be plenty warm and exercised.
Next…
…Cut Man Footwork. Move your players another 10’-15’ apart. Have all the balls in the hands of one line of players. They will all throw to their partner (Cut Man) at the same time. The players in the ‘Cut Man’ line, together, at the prompting of the coach, call for the ball (using whichever communication phrase your team uses…I am partial to the statement “Hit Me”). The line of players with the ball Gain Ground to Throw and Allow Their Momentum to Continue after throwing the ball. The line of Cut Men Move Their Feet to Catch, Turn Glove Side*, then Gain Ground in making a throwing action toward an imaginary destination base. The cut man should have moved 5’-8’ toward their imaginary target following their Gaining Ground footwork and completing their Momentum Toward Their Target. After completing their Cut Man footwork, that group waits for the coach’s prompt to make a return throw. Once all players are ready, the coach prompts the return throw by having the line of Cut Men call for the ball. This activity must have all balls thrown from the same line of players simultaneously. This is for safety and so the coach can observe the ‘Cut Man’ group making sure they use proper footwork and complete the relay throwing action.
Down and back 3-4x per day is plenty. Note: This activity is tremendously beneficial when the coach maintains a high level of expectation that the ‘Cut Man’ group is disciplined in their footwork.
* Ideally we teach kids to ‘Turn Glove Side’. My experience with young players (10U and many 11’s and 12’s) is that getting them to do this consistently can be challenging. The most important thing is that they get their momentum going toward their target when they throw.
Advanced players (some 11’s and 12’s, but primarily 13+) can be taught to adjust their feet and position their shoulders to be in line between where the ball is coming from and where it is going. Save the teaching of this advanced play until the kids have shown consistency in their discipline in Moving Their Feet to Catch.
The final activity in the Practicing Playing Catch routine…
..takes place in the infield; the drill is called “Catch, Tag and Throw”. In this drill we emphasize to the players that the base is not their concern, the ball is.
In this drill, position your players around the infield, three per base. The base they are positioned at does not matter. They are not playing a position, they are practicing receiving and making throws. The drill begins at home plate and the ball is thrown around the infield, home to third to second to first to home and on around the infield. The receiving player stands in a Ready Position in front of the base. They Move Their Feet to Catch, Move Their Feet to make a tag on the ground in front of the base on the side of the base where a runner would be sliding, get their feet under them, then Gain Ground to throw to the next base and then Allow their Momentum to Continue toward their target. They then circle back and get back in line at their base.
Players at the First Base tag the ground on the home plate side of the base. Again, the base a player is at is not the concern, the footwork, catching, tagging and throwing activity is the concern.
Continue the throws around the infield until each player handles the ball 3-4 times. This final phase of the practicing Playing Catch routine takes 3-4 minutes.
Note: “The bases are for the runners”. Many kids are so focused on being attached to the base that they forget (or were never taught) that the ball is their primary concern. Prior to a throw, the base is nothing more than an indicator of the approximate area where the player receiving the throw is to stand. They are to stand in a Ready Position with feet square to the throw and feet not touching the base (no getting into a stretch position at any time during this drill). It is not until they catch the ball, or confirm that the throw is very accurate, that they need to concern them selves with the base: Ball First, Base Second. The only impact the base has on the drill is it directs the kids to where they will apply the tag.
Final Note: In the Catch, Tag and Throw drill, as with the others, the coach will need to be constantly reminding he players to Move Their Feet to Catch and to Gain Ground to Throw, because these very important fundamental skills are generally ones that have not been taught and emphasized previously in the players’ careers. It will take a lot of effort on the part of the coach to instill these good habits.
After your players become disciplined in their footwork you can run the drill counter clockwise around the diamond. Running the drill in this direction around the bases requires additional effort for the players to position their feet and get moving toward their target to throw.
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Playing Catch is the essence of Baseball. I strongly urge all coaches to make proper receiving and throwing of the ball, using the feet and legs, the focal point of each drill and throughout each practice, every day, all year, season after season. More games are lost as a result of poor fundamentals on defense than are won by outstanding pitching or batting.
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Put your child in an environment that makes Playing Catch Properly a central component. Enroll them in our Summer Sandlot Games Camp today. Throughout the camp we reinforce the importance of playing catch properly while continually teaching the techniques and fundamentals that are described above.
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If you have any questions , or would like further explanation, regarding the information provided above, please email me at baseball101@baseballpositive.com or call 206 714 5276.
© 2009 by Mark Linden. All rights reserved.