Baseball Coaching Digest - Trick Play Alert - Fake Time Call by the Batter

Baseball Coaching Digest - Trick Play Alert - Fake Time Call by the Batter
By guest author: Nick Dixon


This offensive baseball trick play is often used by youth baseball teams to confuse young and inexperienced pitchers and to get balk calls. The ploy uses the inexperience and lack of knowledge of a young pitcher to get a balk call.

Here is how the "Fake Time-Out" play is done:

After the young pitcher begins his pitching motion, the batter simply raises his front hand and acts as if he is asking for time to the pitcher instead of the umpire. The player will in most cases, not say anything, but simply raise the front hand as if calling time. This front hand movement mimics the raining of the back hand to the plate umpire to as for time to be called. The action is done to disrupt the pitchers concentration. The very young pitcher will fall for the "prank" and stop his delivery. If the pitcher stops or alters his normal delivery and pitching motion, it is a balk.

How does a youth baseball coach prevent his young pitcher from falling victim to this trick?

Here are 3 recommended coaching points:

1. Coaches must coach their players to always finish the pitch unless one of the umpires calls time. It is recommended that coaches make sure that youth pitchers know that the only person that can call time out is one of the umpires. If a player, coach or fan yells "time", "stop", or anything abruptly, the pitcher should finish the pitching motion. If it is the opposing team, the umpire will rule verbal obstruction and warn the other team.

2. If the batter steps out of the box, raises his hand or verbally calls time out, the pitcher should not hesitate, stop, or change his delivery. The pitch should be thrown.

3. Make sure that your youth pitcher knows that one of the umpires is the only person that can stop play once the pitching motion has started.

In summary, this trick play does not work well if coaches take the time to inform their players of the rules regarding calling time.

I hope that this article is useful to you and your team.

Good luck til next time, Coach Nick

Make sure to visit the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog for daily articles and post on every aspect of coaching baseball.

Check out the Baseball Coaching Digest Blog for daily articles and post an every aspect of coaching baseball.

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Four Tips to Improve Youth Baseball Performance

Four Tips to Improve Youth Baseball Performance
By guest author: Jake Wyatt

Here are two tips to improve batting performance and two tips to improve pitching performance.

BATTING TIP NUMBER ONE: Learn how to judge the pitch.

When kids are just learning how to play baseball, they are taught to swing at all pitches. With a pitching machine or an unskilled pitcher this can work. As pitchers get better, they will stop throwing strikes when they know the hitter is going to be swinging at every pitch. That's when batters need to begin to watch pitchers and learn how to judge pitches. Pitchers try to psyche out hitters, be a hitter that psyches out the pitcher.

BATTING TIP NUMBER TWO: Watch and evaluate your performance.

When you are not able to work with a professional trainer, have someone videotape your batting practice. You can look at your performance in slow motion to evaluate what you did right (when you hit the ball well) and what you did wrong (when you missed).

PITCHING TIP NUMBER ONE: Watch Major League Pitchers.

When watching major league baseball games, play close attention to the form of the pitchers as they wind up and throw. Especially note the movement of their arms, legs and body. If you have a DVR, record games and watch top pitchers over and over and in slow motion. Slowly practice their movements in front of the TV and a mirror until these movements become second nature to you.

PITCHING TIP NUMBER TWO: Train all year long, not just during baseball season.

Being a good pitcher requires work all year. During the teenage years, a boy's body is growing and changing very quickly. Training all year will help you adapt to your body as height and arm length change. When a formerly good pitcher goes through a growth spurt, he may have to relearn pitching with his longer limbs. Also, training all year will help keep the core strong, which is vitally important for good pitching.

In order to be the best baseball player you can be, training should happen year-round and be a joint effort between the coach, the player and the parents. Get more free tips to improve baseball performance, reviews of e-products related to baseball, and links to training resources at http://youth-baseball-training.com.

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How To Use Baseball Defensive Hands Drills

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How To Use Baseball Defensive Hands Drills
By Guest Author Jim Bain

The game of baseball is known as "a game of inches," resulting from so many close plays which determine out or safe, fair or foul. Few people realize that many of these close plays are the results of hundreds of hours of practice and drills on the part of the defense.

There are of course many things required to have a good defensive infield, and two of them are "soft" and "quick" hands. This combination of feel and speed allow for quick ball transfer, glove to throwing grip and quick release, ball thrown to target.

Here are two drills which will enhance softer and quicker hands for an infielder.

The quick hands drill; the intent of the drill is to have the players throw the ball around the horn as fast as possible to develop quick reactions necessary to complete double plays, be sure the players realize this.

If possible divide your players into two teams and have them compete against one another. Nothing brings out the 110% effort from each player better than competition. Have each fielder assume his position, including the catcher.

You, as the coach along with your stop watch, position yourself behind the pitcher mound where you have clear sight of all players. Begin the exercise with the catcher throwing to first, first to second and so on. On the second round begin timing the rounds.

Be sure to stress the two thumbs method of catching the ball. The two thumbs method means catching the ball with the glove while holding your throwing hand slightly behind and to the side of the glove as if your thumbs are crossing.

This method allows for a two handed catch if the throw is off line and allows a fast transfer from the glove to the throwing grip because your bare hand is adjacent to your glove. No need to waste time bringing your throwing hand up or over to the glove.

As this drill continues, yell for the player to throw to a different base or home. This will force them to turn their hips and set in order to throw hard, which is imperative for turning quick double plays.

Rest:

Return to practice, drill on actually turning double plays from all bases and situations. Be sure to incorporate the quick throw drill they just completed by verbally pushing and encouraging them.

This is an excellent drill for increasing the speed and accuracy of your infielders in turning a double play.

Soft Hands The soft hand tool is an inexpensive training aid which can greatly increase fielding skills.

To perform this drill you'll need a Soft Hand Tool or Glove and balls, either baseballs, tennis balls or rubber balls.

The huge benefit of this drill is with the usage of the Soft Hand Tool the player has the illusion he is using a glove, but must catch the ball as if fielding bare handed.

Stand 20' away from the fielder and throw him ground balls, which he'll field with the soft hand tool. In order to catch and maintain possession of the ball the player will, for lack of better verbiage, caress the ball.

This method of fielding supports the development of soft hands while fielding the ball. In addition to ground balls throw balls which hop once before reaching the player.

Jim Bain - Former Minor league baseball player, who since retiring has dedicated his life to teaching baseball to youth. Visit his exciting info packed website: http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com

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

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6162800

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