Outfield

The Basics of Baseball

by Jake Nordstrom

 Outfield Instructions

 

http://youtu.be/z9YTiXIHF74
 

·      When a fly ball is hit, you need to take a drop step (step back with whatever foot side the ball is on) and then start to run in if you need to.

·      Do NOT backpedal. When you backpedal, you are just trotting backwards to the ball, barely covering any ground. You need to take a drop step, and run to the ball.

·      If there are runners on 2^nd or 3^rd, once you get in position to catch the ball, take one or two steps backwards. Then when the ball is about 15 feet from you, take your crow hop (a leap of momentum) towards the base you are going to throw to. This will create momentum for your throw, making it easier on your arm. This will also give you a good chance of throwing the runner out if he tries to advance.

·      If the ball is hit to another outfielder, you need to run over behind him in case the ball happens to get by him. Now, instead of an easy out turning into a double or triple, it will possibly only be a single.

·      If there is a pop fly (NOT A LINE DRIVE) and you won't be able to get to it on foot, don’t be afraid to dive for it. The worst thing that could happen now is that you miss it and it hits the ground. Nothing more. trust me, your coach would rather see you dive for it and give the play 100%, then to miss it with half effort.

·      If a line drive is hit to you, you do NOT want to dive for it. If you miss the ball, a base hit will now be turned into a double or triple. You just need to get in front of the ball and knock it down, making sure it doesn’t go past you or through your legs.

·      If a ground ball is hit and gets past the infield, you might need to dive to cut the ball off. Once again, the worst thing that could happen is it gets by you and your backup will get the ball and throw it in. 

 

                         Outfield Play Examples

 

  

                

                                               http://youtu.be/CObh1Z5o-sE

 

        Outfield Conclusion      

 

http://youtu.be/DUBTRhGzQGw
 

Most kids complain that they play the outfield too much. What they don’t notice is that the outfield is actually a really important position. If an outfielder doesn’t know what he is doing and the ball is hit to him, then trouble could be coming your way.

 

Join me for my next blog for on how to be a good team leader and etiquette in the dug out. Please subscribe to my blog by pressing the “Join This Site” button in the upper right-hand corner of this page. Thank you!

 

Special thanks to my baseball friends, who always make playing baseball such a passion for me.

Infield

The Basics of the Infield Positions

Hello! My name is Jake Nordstrom, and today I will be talking about the infield positions. I will basically explain what each position is and what to do with a ground ball, on a double play, and during bunting defense. Hope you enjoy!

http://youtu.be/QDqBIROsIIc

1^st Base

• First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond that must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team.

• A first baseman is the player on the team that is playing defense who fields the area nearest first base, and is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base.

• At first base, the runner is always forced out, so there will be no reason to tag the runner if the base is tagged first.

• In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, 1^st base is assigned the number 3

Ground balls:

• On a ground ball to you, you need to let the player covering the bag know that either you can take the bag yourself, or if you need him to take it for you.

• On a regular ground ball to anyone, your only job is to get to the base and catch the ball that is thrown by the player who fields it.

Double Play:

• On a double play ball, if the ball is hit to someone other than you, get to the base (as you would in any other situation) and let the second baseman or shortstop know if he should throw the ball to first by yelling “1, 1, 1”!
• If the player throws the ball when not needed, an over throw may end up with the runner advancing one or two + bases.
• When a ball is hit to you, after you throw it to second base, you will either cover the bag yourself, or the pitcher will cover it for you.
• If you do cover first, you still need to let the shortstop or second baseman know whether or not to throw it by saying “1, 1, 1” or “Eat it, Eat it, Eat it”.

Bunt Defense:

• When a hitter shows a sign of a bunt, you immediately charge toward him.

• The pitcher or second baseman will then charge over toward first base and cover, awaiting your throw. His job it to yell “Inside! Inside!” alerting you to throw the ball inside the diamond.

http://youtu.be/6jH3u-0vovA

2^nd Base

• Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond that must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team.

• A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base.

• The second baseman often possesses quick hands and feet, needs the ability to get rid of the ball quickly, and must be able to make the pivot on a double play.

• In addition, second basemen are usually right-handed; only five left-handed throwing players have ever played second base since 1957 in the major leagues.

• In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, 2^nd base is assigned the number 4.

Ground balls:

• When a ground ball is hit to you, all you need to do it get in front of the ball, knock it down, and throw it to first.

• A second baseman is supposed to have quick hands, so even if you have to dive, you should be able to get up and still have a ton of time to throw him out at first.

Double Play:

• If the ball is hit to the shortstop or third baseman, you have to go to second base, put your left foot on the corner closest to them, and wait.

• When the ball is thrown, once you catch it, you need to hop off the bag AWAY FROM THE BASELINE, and push off your back leg to get it to first.

• If the ball is hit to the first baseman, you need to go over to first base and communicate with the pitcher to say who will cover the bag.

• If the ball is hit to you, then you need to give the shortstop a nice under-hander (or overhand, depending how far away you are) so he can slide his foot over the bag and throw to first for a double play.

Bunt Defense:

• On a bunt, no matter where it is bunted to, you need to sprint over to first base, just in case the pitcher is sleeping and forgets to cover.

• This is one of the easiest things to do, but it is so often messed up, so you still need to practice it.

http://youtu.be/1MmtEGg8ev0

Shortstop

• Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base.

• Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the ball slightly, so more balls go to the shortstop than any other position.

• In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the shortstop is assigned the number 6.

Ground balls:

• On a ground ball, unlike the second baseman, you need to stay on your feet and get momentum towards 1^st base.

• You need to create an angle, get a good hop, and have a good, strong, accurate arm to throw him out at first base.

• Once you go onto your knees, there is no way you will have the time to throw him out anymore, so hold on to the ball.

Double Play:

• On a double play that is hit to the first or second baseman, you need to cover second base, but you don’t do it like the second baseman.

• When you are getting close to the base, you need to slow down so when the player fielding the ball throws it to you, you can catch it, swipe your foot over the bag, and throw to first.

Bunt Defense:

• On a bunt, the only thing that you ever have to do is if there is a runner on second, you need to cover third in case the runner tries to steal third.

• You need to tell the player who fields the ball whether he is trying to take third or not, since you have the best view, by saying “3,3,3!”

• When the player throws to first, if the runner is going to third, you still need to tell him if he is going or not.

• If he is already going to be safe, you need to let him know that he shouldn’t throw it, by saying, “Eat it, Eat it, Eat it”!

http://youtu.be/Q5T14UQBW6g

3^rd Base
 

• Third base, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a base runner must touch in succession to score a run.

• The third baseman requires good reflexes in reacting to batted balls, as he is often the closest infielder (roughly 90–120 feet) to the batter.

• The third base position requires a strong arm, as the third baseman often makes long throws to first base.

• The third baseman sometimes must throw quickly to second base in time to start a double play.

• The third baseman must also field fly balls in fair and foul territory. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, 3^rd base is assigned the number 5.

Ground balls:

• On a ground ball, just like a shortstop, you need to create an angle towards first base, and throw him out. Nothing complicated.

Double Play:

• The only thing that you have to do on a double play, is if it is hit to you, is to give the second baseman a nice throw so he has a chance to throw the runner out at first.

• One bad throw could mess up the whole play and end up with the runner scoring.

Bunt Defense:

• When you see the hitter square to bunt, you immediately charge forward.

• Once you field the ball, if there is a runner on base, you need to see where he is. If you can throw him out, do so.

• If you can’t throw him out (or if there is nobody on base) throw to first.

http://youtu.be/yJSAdcjgET4

Pointers:

• In the in field, you need to know how to communicate.  Almost any play in baseball needs team communication.  A team is a family.  If you don’t talk, you won’t have chemistry on the field. Talking LOUDLY is an important part of making these plays.

• As a player, you need to keep the energy level positively high. Don’t become quiet and lose hope in the game. Talk to the pitcher, talk to your teammates, give encouragement to everyone and keep the tempo of the game alive.

• You need to be one step ahead of the game at all times. Whatever the situation is, you need to know what you should do when the ball is hit to you. If you should throw to first, to second, look the runner back, think of every possible play available. You need to have a mental checklist of what you should do on every play BEFORE the pitcher throws the next ball.  Be attentive, be READY...but most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!

Join me for my next blog about playing in the outfield. Please follow my blog by clicking the “Join This Site” button in the upper right hand corner of this page. Thank You!

http://youtu.be/Wc1S8fNDMhM

If you have been forwarded this issue and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please send an

e-mail to jakeplaysbaseball@gmail.com or press the "Join This Site" button in the upper right hand corner of my blog.

 

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Special thanks to my awesome Pirates Little League Team! Lets go all the way!!

Also special thanks to my friends and teammates, Wilder, Ely and Billy that helped me out (last minute) with this video. I couldn't have don't it without you guys. Oh yeah, thanks to you, too, Dad.



Pitcher & Catcher

The Basics of Pitching and Catching 
for Beginners

http://youtu.be/_7qUUtxb_PM 

Most importantly...

Let's have some fun!

http://youtu.be/rifpv_bxCKs 

What You Will Learn Today...

The Basics of Pitching

http://youtu.be/UcwLvkOEyks

• In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the baseball from the pitcher’s mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk.
• If the pitcher is “on”, the game can move very quickly, if not, it will be up to the other defensive players to help defend the team in the field.
• Today, we will start with the basics.  For more advanced level ball players (Travel Ball/Competitive Play), you will have to worry about balks, lead offs, pick offs, early runners, all of that stuff. For now, I will keep it basic.
• The pitcher’s main job at the mound is to pitch strikes, earned or unearned.
• An earned strike is when the pitcher throws a good pitch in the strike zone.
• An unearned strike is a pitch that is called a strike, but is really a ball.

• On the mound there are two different positions to pitch in, the windup and the stretch.
• A windup is when the pitcher takes his time to do a longer windup.
• A pitcher would use the windup when there are no runners on a base, a runner on second and third, a runner on third, or bases loaded (all bases are occupied by runners).
• The stretch is when the pitcher is in a hurry to throw the ball.  A pitcher would throw from the stretch when there are runners on 1^st or 2^nd, 3^rd, or 1^st and 2^nd.
• The stretch is used in any other situation or when you want to keep the runner as “close” to the base as you can.
• The biggest mistake a pitcher can make is to use either the windup or stretch when the other not needed. If there is a runner on third base, there is no reason to use the stretch unless you are going to try and pick off the runner and take the chance of throwing the ball away.
• When bases are loaded, you have the choice of doing either the wind up or the stretch, whichever one you are better at.

• The first pitch that any pitcher should learn to use is a simple fastball. If it is 4-seam or 2-seam, it doesn’t matter. As long as it is a fastball, it still counts. When you are getting better at baseball and moving up to more advanced levels, you will learn to throw off-speed pitches like change-ups, curves, cutters, etc. I will only talk about fastballs today and later in my blogs, when I get to more advanced techniques, I will talk about off-speed, but for now, only fastballs.
• To grip a 4-seam fastball, make the seams look like a horse shoe with the opening facing to the left. Put the pads of your fingers on the seams and try to get some back-spin on the ball. Now all you have to do is find your accuracy and speed. The 4 seam will travel in a straight line towards the catcher.
• To throw a 2-seam fastball, put your index and middle fingers on the two seams in the middle of the ball under the horse shoe. The 2-seam fastball (if thrown correctly) will cut to the left or right (depending on what hand is primary for you). If you are young, don’t be expecting to get your ball to cut right away. I am 12 years old, and my 2-seam doesn’t move at all. So don’t sweat it.

• The key to getting better at pitching is to practice, practice, practice.  Don’t be afraid to give it a try.  Raise your hand and tell your coach that you’d love to try to pitch.  If you continue to play competitive ball, during tournaments, relief pitchers come in very handy.

• So now that you know about how to throw a pitch, you need to rely on your catcher to know what he is doing, so that it what I will be talking about below.

The Basics of Catching

http://youtu.be/GYMkR1B6ydc

• Some would argue that the catcher is the most important player on the field, or is it the pitcher? Either way, catcher is definitely a very important position in the game of baseball. The catcher’s #1 job is to catch strikes. Now you might be thinking, “what if it is a ball?” Good question. You always want to try to catch the ball if you can, but you always want to try and make it a strike if it doesn’t require too much exaggeration.
• In Little League, most umpires will be willing to make the strike zone about a whole baseball outside the plate either way. If the ball is a little bit outside of those boundaries (and only a little bit), then you can “gather” the ball towards to your chest plate. Don’t jerk the ball towards your chest, or you have a way less chance of getting the call. Make it a swift, casual motion. If the ball is outside of the boundaries and it is even too far out of the gathering boundaries, just let it pass. You will get plenty more opportunities.
• If you do this technique correctly, then you should be able to get about 6-9 more strikes than if you didn’t frame it at all. As I said before, the catcher’s #1 job, is to catch strikes.  
• A catcher also needs to learn how to block. Most catchers in little league (me too) are scared of an incoming ball that is in the dirt. There are two things that you could do in this situation.
• Either you could spring out of the way, or get down and try your hardest to block the ball, and if there is a runner on, get him out. No matter what you do in baseball, as a catcher, you will get hit. I am not saying that you should practice at home and kill yourself by getting hard baseballs thrown at you. I am saying that you need to be prepared in case you experience this in practice and games. There is a saying, “It is better to have it, and not need it, than to need it, and not have it.”
• The catcher is one of the leaders of the infield. You can call plays, throw runners out, block balls, but a great skill to learn is to communicate with your teammates.

• If the pitcher is having a bad day, the infield is quiet, and the opponents are just crushing the ball, you should realize that you just need your team to get motivated again.
• If you take the time to slow the game down, talk to the pitcher, give the infield a little heads up to chatter in the infield, you could get out of the inning! It isn’t really that complicated at all. You just need someone to take charge. That is what the catcher does.

Join me for my next blog where I will explain the other positions in the infield. Until then, practice, practice, practice!

If you have been forwarded this issue and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please send an

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Special thanks to my awesome Sliders Baseball Travel Team! You make playing ball so much fun!



Hitting Drills

Hitting Drills

http://youtu.be/VC25-MnXrig

 

Last month I went over "the Basics of Hitting". This month I thought I would give you some examples to IMPROVE your hitting. If you practice these drills consistently, you will start to improve a little more with each practice. It is also important to VISUALIZE yourself improving. Think about your form, visualize the perfect swing, have a positive attitude about IMPROVING and being successful at hitting.

Next month, I will be talking about each fielding position and what that position is responsible for. Join me by clicking the “Join this Site” button in the upper right corner of my blog.

Enjoy!

Fence Drill

The Fence Drill is a drill that effectively makes the player keep his hands inside when he swings.

• Line up your bat's length away from the fence, wall, or whatever you are using.

• Don't let your bat hit the fence.

• Explode when you swing.

http://youtu.be/bkdMvgRDD10

1-2-3-4 Drill

The 1-2-3-4 Drill is a drill that improves your player's timing and balance.

• To make this drill effective, you will have to rock forward, back, forward.  When you rock back for the second time, load and swing.

• Someone will be tossing you soft or hard balls from behind some kind of net.

http://youtu.be/lxSsLD8t980

Inside-Outside Drill

The Inside-Outside Drill is meant to help the players hand (bat) eye contact.

• A coach will be tossing soft/hard balls to you from behind a net.

• Inside- Hit the ball out in front.
• Outside- Wait on the ball and explode.

http://youtu.be/bnfSYfSRD5k

Bunting Tips

These Bunting Tips are the three main ways to bunt successfully. Most players just try to tap the ball into play. Most of the time, they miss. With these three techniques, you will succeed more than not.

• There are three different techniques to use when you bunt.
• Normal Bunt- Swivel your feet around to face toward the pitcher's mound.
• Parallel Bunt- Make your feet parallel to the pitcher. This is a sacrifice bunt.
• Off-set Bunt- With your back foot, take a step forward towards the pitcher. This is a good running position to get on base, so show your bunt later.

http://youtu.be/a5EHrdJzpWo

The Hit 'N Run

The Hit 'N Run is a great play for getting the runner a few extra bases, but it takes maximum participation from all players.

• Hitter
• The hitter MUST swing at the next pitch, NO MATTER WHAT! 
• The batter will wait until the pitcher is just releasing the ball to steal. 
• In case the player can't make contact, you might still have time to get back to the base (if done correctly).

http://youtu.be/mzILd68A9yQ

 

If you have been forwarded this issue and would like to be placed on the mailing list, please send an

 

e-mail to jakeplaysbaseball@gmail.com or press the subscribe button in the upper right hand corner.

All newsletter archives are located at http://JakePlaysBaseball.blogspot.com/

If you want to be taken off the e-mail list, please let me know at jakeplaysbaseball@gmail.com

Baker, Dusty, Jeff Mercer, and Marvin L. Bittinger. You Can Teach Hitting. Carmel, Ind.: Bittinger Books ;, 1993. Print.

Special thanks to Dusty Baker for writing a great reference book on Hitting.