YMCA T-ball

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Coaches Guide

Coaching Tee Ball – Positions

First base

Show where 1st baseperson = is to stand when no runner is on base and when one is on the base. Practice fielding plays; ball thrown to 1B by infielders.

Second base
Position player in place, anticipating action. Practice fielding plays; such as, tagging a runner out= .

Shortstops

Show positions: one betwee= n 1B and 2B; the other between 2B and 3B. Practice action; such as, fielding bal= ls and throwing to 1B or 2B for an out.

Third base

Show position, anticipating action. Practice action; such as, player diving to knock down ball.

Pitcher

[Stands in pitcher's area = but acts as an infielder.] Practice action; such as, fielding ball and throwing= to 1B.

Catcher

[Stands behind and away fr= om home plate until ball is hit] Demonstrate: after ball is hit, adult removes= tee and bat; catcher moves up to cover plate. Practice actions: catcher tagging base runner out, catcher throwing to 1B.

General infield activity =

Staying behind Playing Line until the ball is hit. Catching short fly balls. Field balls and throwing t= o a base or to home plate. Tagging runners on the base path. Relaying a ball fr= om an outfielder to a base; to the catcher at home plate

Outfielders [there may be five or more]= =

Position players. Practice catching fly balls in a crowd. "I've got it" Practice catching gr= ound balls and throwing to infield. Have one outfielder receive relay from anoth= er and throwing to an infielder.

Batter

Give basic hitting instructions. Practice hitting ball, then dropping bat properly and running= to first.

Base Runners <= /p>
Instruct actions at 1B [Co= ach at 1B signals to run past base or to turn and go on to 2B] Instruct that fo= rced runner on base must advance. non-forced runner can hold position on base. player on base watch what next batter does; where the ball goes. Instruct sliding.

Coaching Tee Ball – Skills

HITTING
Batting -- the stance, swing and follow-through

Adjust the tee with b= all set even to the hitter's waist.

Face tee with feet sp= read shoulder-width apart.

Bend knees, body in slight crouch.

Weight on balls of fe= et.

Grip bat; hands toget= her above knob.

Hold bat firmly; don't squeeze.

Bring bat up and away from the body.

Keep shoulders level;= bat and head steady.

Eyes on the ball.

Short step with the f= ront foot at start of swing.

Swing level and bring= the bat through the center of the ball.

Watch bat hit ball; k= eep head down.

Weight shifts to front foot; back foot stays on the ground.

Extend arms and follow through; swing around.

Drop the bat; do not throw it
Key points: Eyes on the ball, no cross-handed hold, position of feet, stride [weight shift], rotation the swing

FIELDING

Eyes on the ball. Watch the ball go into the glove. Cover the ball with the other hand

Ground Ball

Stand legs apart, shoulder-width or wider. Bend knees. Get low. Lean forward. Run to the ball. Keep body in front of ball. Glove low to the ground. Scoop or catch the ball and cover it.

Fly Ball

Run to where the ball is going. Call for the ball: "I've got it." Stop and wait for the ba= ll. Hands together, fingers up, shoulder high or over the head. Watch ball into= the glove and cover.

Thrown Ball

Bend knees slightly. Watch= the ball. On a ball thrown to player above the waist: Hands together facing out; thumbs up. Catch and cover. On a ball thrown below the waist: Hands together facing down; little fingers touching. Catch and cover.

THROWING
Grip and motion

Thumb under the ball. Two = or three fingers on top. Don't worry about the seams. Eyes on the target. Legs apart; foot on throwing arm side behind the body. Arm back and up, front shoulder turned toward target. Step toward target with foot opposite the throwing arm. Right-hander with left foot; left-hander with right foot. Push off on back foot as throw begins; end with weight on forward foot. Release = the ball in front of body and follow through.

RUNNING
Base running

Run on the balls of the fe= et. Pump arms back and forth. After the ball is hit Run behind the tee, unless left-handed. Look at first base, not where the ball has gone. Run outside t= he foul line. Run straight through first base; don't jump on it or slow down. Watch and listen to coach for instructions. When on base Keep one foot touc= hing the base until the next batter hits the ball. Lean forward; when ball is hi= t, push off base. Know where the ball is. When passing a base, try to touch it= on the side without stopping.

Coaching Tee Ball – Drills & Games

Bounce to the Bucket. Large basket or cooler put on a base. Outfielders try to throw and bounce the ball into the open container.. Can = be done as a game with 10 points for getting the ball in, 5 for hitting the bu= cket and 1 point for the nearest bounce, no matter where the ball ends up. This drill/game teaches throwing from the outfield to a base.

Catch. Two or more players play catch. Keep score of the number of successful catches.

Catching Contest. Players are in pairs and throw the ball back and f= orth between each other. Last pair that has not dropped a ball wins.

Catching Flies. Hit or throw fly balls to fielders by using a soft baseball, rubber ball or tennis ball. Repetition and practice are the key to success.=

Catch the Coach. Coach runs from home plate to first base. After a f= ew steps, couch shouts "tag me" to a player holding a ball, who runs= after the coach and tries to tag him out. Coach to decide where/when/if the runne= r is successful.

Catch the Players. Coach starts four or more players about 10 seconds apart from home plate to circle the bases. Coach starts last, trying to tag= the players [alternate: snatch off their caps.]

Crab Drill. Player is in basic fielding set position stance, crouched forward with glove open and down. Player takes three or four steps as coach rolls the ball.

Crow Hop. Classic throwing drill. Player takes a short step and a ho= p in the direction of the intended throw.

Distraction. Coach rolls the ball to a fielder, but another player r= uns in front of the fielder and tries to break the fielder's concentration on catching the ball.

Dive. Coach throws or hits ball to one side or the other of a fielde= r, who has to dive to make the catch. Then, throw to 1st base.

Just Block It. Coach hits ball directly to a fielder. Emphasis is on stopping the ball from getting through to the outfield. OK to just block the ball; [better, of course, to catch it.] Can be a game with a point scored f= rom every block, two for a catch and zero if the ball is not stopped

One and Two. Two players play catch. Thrower scores 2 points if ball= is ball is caught at or above the shoulders. 1 point if caught between waist a= nd shoulders. No points if caught below the waist or not caught. First player = to score 10 points wins.

Run Down. Two fielders and a runner, who tries to run from one base = to another without getting tagged out. Participants rotate positions.

Track Meet. Two players at home plate. At the "start", one runs to 3rd base, the other to 1st base. They continue running [in opposite directions] around the bases. First one to return to home plate wins.
Note: to avoid collisions, instruct the runner that begins via 1st b= ase to touch 2nd base from the outside corner; the other runner, coming from 3rd base, touches the inside corner of 2nd base.