Baseball Training Sitemap

1. Batting - Batting or "putting the wood to the ball", is the key to the success or failure of the ball club and the individual.

There is no great mystery about what makes a boy a good hitter. He has to have:

1. A certain amount of natural ability
2. A mastery of the fundamentals
3. Confidence in his ability to hit

The phrase "natural ability" covers a great deal. It means strong arms, wrists and hands; quick reflexes, good coordination, perfect eyesight and speed afoot.

2. Fielding - Each position has its own peculiar requirements. The first baseman has to learn things no other player need bother about. Ditto the shortstop, catcher, pitcher, or out-fielder.

There are a number of points about catching and throwing the ball, however, that apply to all players. A fielder, for example, should always try to use both hands when making a catch. The hands should "give" and be "soft" when the ball strikes them. If the ball is being received above the waist, the thumbs should be together with the palms facing the ball, fingers spread and pointing skyward.

3. Running - Of all the baseball skills, running the bases is the simplest to master. Yet, its teaching and practice is often sorely neglected among amateurs.

As with many other aspects of baseball, the situation that develops after the ball is hit tells the runner what to do. If, for example, he is trying to beat out an infield roller, the runner's only concern is to get to 1st ahead of the throw. If the ball goes through the infield for a single, the runner wants to make a turn at the base.

4. Pitching - The value of the pitcher cannot be overestimated. He is not only the most important cog in the defense of any baseball team, he is also the life and spirit of the ball club. A strong, competent, confident pitcher can carry a weak team a long way-especially in the lower age groups. Weak pitching, on the other hand, will often keep an otherwise sound team in last place. If a boy has the potential, gets the proper instruction and works hard, the results can be mighty rewarding.

5. Catching - A baseball team cannot function well without a good catcher. Strangely enough, not much effort is devoted to developing catchers among amateur players. If we were to guess why, we'd say this:

• The job doesn't appeal to youngsters starting out because it looks too complicated.
• It takes a lot of courage for beginners to get behind the bat.
• Managers, as a rule, don't know too much about catching.

6. 1^st Base - On a ball hit to any infielder, the first baseman hustles quickly to the bag to establish himself as a target. He wants to catch the ball as soon as possible and, simultaneously, tag the base for the put-out. He will be knocked down by the runner, however, if he stands on top of the base. If he stands in back of the base and the runner passes between him and the thrown ball, the ball is apt to hit the runner and the put-out opportunity will be lost. The only logical place to stand and receive the ball is in front of the base.

7. 2^nd Base - The second baseman has to be the most agile, acrobatic individual on the ball club. No other player, in carrying out his assignment, need shift direction as sharply, quickly and as many times as the second sacker. It's "Jack be nimble, Jack be quick" every moment.

Our second sacker is the key to the double play, one of the most powerful defensive maneuvers in baseball. That's why old-time sportswriters often referred to him as "guardian of the keystone."

8. Shortstop - The shortstop, a combination of infielder and outfielder, is normally the best all-around infielder on the club. To do his job well, he needs good hands, a powerful arm and sprinter's legs. Like the second baseman, he has to be agile and quick. And he has to know how to make the double play!

The shortstop doesn't have as much trouble making the DP as the second baseman because he's traveling in the general direction he has to throw and he has the fielder, the runner and 1st base in front of him. Still, he ought to have a combination of steps that permit him to tag the base and effectively fire the ball to 1st.

9. 3^rd Base - The boy who plays 3rd base need not be as fast a runner as the second baseman or shortstop, but he cannot have lead in his feet or slow hands and do a good job at that spot. Furthermore, he needs a strong and accurate arm and he wants to be as good on ground balls and pop-ups as anyone else in the infield.

With no one on, the third baseman's normal fielding position is about six feet back of 3rd and about 10 feet inside the line. With a runner on 1st, he probably should move in a few steps to have a better chance at the double play.

10. Outfield - A ball club's outfield has three major assignments when in the field:

1. Take a base hit away from a batter whenever possible. (Catch the fly ball).
2. Cut down the length of base hits. (Hustle and work together to hold the batter and/or runners to the minimum number of bases).
3. Keep runners from advancing whenever possible. (Throw to the right base; throw strongly and accurately).

11. Maneuvering - The youngster learning to play baseball needs more instruction about conduct on the bases than one might suspect. Most are not aware of the fact that there are basic principles that can be applied to base running.

The base runner who flounders-makes a false start, back-pedals, starts again, then stops-usually does so for two reasons. First, he is inexperienced.

12. Stealing - A base runner can travel the 90 feet between bases in about three to four seconds. A ball can be thrown that same distance in less than one second. It is obvious then that any boy who wants to steal a base has his work cut out for him. Let's assume you are the runner now, and breakdown and examine the whole process of leading away, returning to the base, and breaking for the next base.

13. Signs - The Manager, and no one else, decides whether the team will bunt, hit-and-run, steal, etc. Usually stationed at the 3rd base coaching line (or on the bench), he uses either voice or body signals to tell batter and base runner what the play will be.

Whether a player is experienced, or inexperienced, he'll make the right move if he sees the Sign and understands it. But the sign is on and off in an instant. To catch it, both batter and runner have to be looking at the Manager at the proper time.

14. Bunt Defenses - When a baseball team is in the field, it must function as a unit to properly defend against the team at bat. When the ball is hit, every player on the defense has an assignment-a place to go, a maneuver to execute.

The fielders, of course, try to anticipate plays in advance and determine what will be done if a runner steals, if a pitch is bunted, if the batter lashes a hit to centerfield, etc. To make adjustments, the fielders consider several things: The kind of hitter at bat, the strength of the pitcher in relation to the hitter, the type of pitch to be used and the general strategic situation, such as the score and inning.

15. Base Hit - When a runner is on 1st and a batter hits a single to right field the defensive unit swings to the positions diagrammed in Fig. 42. The centerfielder naturally moves to his left to help the right fielder either by backing up, or by calling the play. The left fielder moves in, to back up a possible throw to 2nd. The third baseman covers 3rd with the shortstop some 15 to 20 feet in front of him and in a direct line with the right fielder. The second baseman covers 2nd, the first baseman takes a cut-off position some 15 to 20 feet in front of the catcher but in a direct line with the right fielder. The pitcher, as soon as the ball is hit, runs to a spot at least 15 feet behind 3rd and in a direct line with the third baseman and the right fielder.

16. Defense - Now we come to some of the more complicated defensive decisions-what to do before the pitch when the bases are loaded, runners on 1st and 3rd, etc. Here again, the defense has to decide, in advance, what it is going to do. A situation-by-situation explanation may help your understanding of this problem.

The infield, first of all, can play at three depths-all the way back, which is as far back as it can go to make the average put-out at 1st on a ground ball; all the way "up", which is as far as it dare go to handle a hot smash and throw a runner out at the plate; "half-way," which is just between the two extremes.

17. Pick-offs - The second baseman and shortstop have the responsibility of keeping the outfield "informed" on each pitch. If no sign is given, the outfield can assume the catcher has called for a fast ball. If the catcher calls for a curve, the infielder might make some natural movement-a hitch of the belt, a kick at the dirt, a tug at the pant leg.

Up to the high school level, the relay of a catcher's sign to the outfield is not necessary, except on a pitch-out.

18. Rundown - Sometimes when a runner is caught off base, whether it be by the pitcher, catcher, or any other member of the defensive team, he attempts to get free by dodging back and forth along the base line.

The team without a defense for these antics, is a team that's going to lose many a base runner, many an out, and, perhaps, many a ball game.

19. Percentages - Ball players say a team has to play "percentage baseball" to be successful. They're right. But, what is "percentage baseball?"

A Manager, first of all, is something like a checker player. As he directs the team on offense, he very often has a choice of moves. In a given situation, he knows from experience that move A has a better chance of succeeding than move B. If he makes move A, he's playing the "percentages." If he makes a different move, he's playing "against the percentages."

20. Sacrifice - The Manager signals for the Sacrifice Bunt when he wants to move one or two runs into the best possible scoring position and is willing to give up an out to do so.

With only 1st base occupied, it's best to place the ball along the base lines in such a way as to eliminate the possibility of a play at 2nd.

With 1st and 2nd occupied, the bunt should be made up the 3rd base line and hard enough to get by the pitcher. This will force the third baseman to field the ball, eliminating the possibility of a play at 3rd and usually 2nd.

21. Hit-and-Run - The hit-and-run play is one of the best offensive plays in baseball. The team £t bat employs it to move the defense from its normal position and-if a base hit results-to give the base runner or runners an opportunity to take an extra base.

The runner or runners break for the next base as they would to steal. The batter swings at the pitch, good or bad. If the pitch is far outside, he throws the bat at it to protect the runner from the catcher's throw. The batter tries to hit the ball on the ground to the unprotected part of the infield.

22. More Signs - Ball players and managers "talk" with each other through the use of signals, which may be given by voice, or by body movements. However they're given, the "Signs" should be both simple and complicated; simple for the team using them, complicated for the opposition. That's a contradiction, of course. The point is this: a team cannot use a set of signals that are hard to "read" or someone will surely miss one at a crucial moment. On the other hand, they cannot be so easy to read that the opposing team can steal them.

23. Coaching - Good baseline coaches are invaluable. They are particularly important to the younger players. When a 10-year-old gets on base, he's too inexperienced and too excited to do much thinking about his next move. He needs calm, clear, concise instruction.

At the higher age levels, the base runner needs just as much instruction and assistance because the game is getting faster and more complicated.

24. Matching Players - Until a boy gets to be 13 or 14 years old, it's usually pretty difficult to decide, in a final sense, the position he's best suited to play. At eight, he may look like a good 1st base prospect. At 12, because of physical changes alone, he may look more like an outfielder. It's a definite mistake to say early in a player's life that he's going to be a pitcher and nothing else. Even in the Major Leagues there are many examples of players being changed from one position to another.

25. Practice - To get the baseball program started-and it's never too early-the manager first needs to know: