Friday, August 8, 2008

Coaching and Strategy in Baseball

School teams have one coach who directs all play, offensively and defensively. He usually sits on the bench and gives signals to the first-base and third-base coaches, who in turn pass them on to the batter or base-runner.

The head coach of a team is responsible for planning all the pre-game strategy and the tactics during the game. He makes up the lineup, placing his hitters in the batting positions he believes will bring the most runs. In planning the lineup, he must also consider which players are hitting the ball well, which players are in a slump and which players do well against the pitcher they will have to face.

Batting Order. - Most coaches stick to the same formula in making up a batting order. The No. 1 hitter is fast afoot, an excellent judge of a ball and a strike, and a player who is hard to pitch to because he is small or has an unusual stance. This player should have the ability to draw a great number of walks, thus getting in position to start his team toward a run.

The No. 2 hitter should have about the same qualifications as the lead-off man, but he should be good as a bunter and a batter who can hit to right field. A single to right field by the No. 2 batter, if the lead-off hitter is on base, most likely will result in a first-and-third situation.

The Nos. 3, 4 and 5 batters should be the power hitters. There is really not much difference in whether the No. 4 hitter should bat third, or vice versa. However, it is good policy to have your strongest batter hit in the No. 3 spot. In this way he is certain of getting up in the first inning, and over the nine innings may get more chances to bat than the Nos. 4 and 5 hitters. It's interesting to note that Babe Ruth, baseball's greatest slugger, batted in the No. 3 spot throughout most of his career.

The No. 6 hitter should be a bit stronger than the No. 7 batter since he may have more opportunities to drive in runs than the No. 7 man. The No. 8 batter is perhaps the weakest hitter in the lineup, with the pitcher following in the No. 9 position.

Many school coaches who have a pitcher who is also a fine hitter, will place the pitcher much higher in the lineup. There is nothing wrong with this strategy, particularly if the pitcher is strong and physically able to carry the hitting, as well as the pitching burden.

Signals. - Each hitter should know just when to be alert for a signal. Sometimes the situation is so obvious that the hitter automatically knows he is on his "own" at the plate.

With bases empty and one or two strikes on the batter, it's quite obvious that the coach is not going to tell him to "take" a pitch. To take a pitch means to let one go by. This signal is usually given when the batter is ahead of the pitcher in the ball-and-strike count, or if the coach wants the batter to take the first pitch from the pitcher in the hope that it will be a ball.

Don't be discouraged if you are ordered to take a pitch as you get to the plate. There is nothing wrong with this strategy, especially if the pitcher is inclined to have a little control trouble. A pitcher who gets behind in the count constantly is in trouble, and when the count gets two balls and no strikes, or three balls and one strike, you may then get the pitch which you will be able to drive out for a safe hit.

Follow your coach in all things, and your baseball will only get better!
About the Author:
Tips & Tricks On How To Play Baseball Like A Pro - These Little-Known Secrets Will Have You Hitting The Longest Yard Over The Boundary Fence! Click Here For Free Online Ebook http://www.baseballhittingdrills.net/

Thursday, August 7, 2008

All About Discount Softball Bats

You can find softball bats manufacturers' closeouts & factory seconds, cosmetically blemished softball & baseall bats, mitts, baseball gloves, softballs, cleats and other sports gear. You will probably find some of the best deals anywhere on quality softball, baseball and hockey merchandise. At stores with a mixture of current seasons stock plus insane deals on cosmetic blems, over runs and prior seasons closeouts.

When shopping for discount softball bats, follow the coaches' rules. They understand what's best for their players. We're talking world-class softball players here, not the weekend warriors on the diamond with a cooler of beer and sandwiches. So we're talking world-class coaches.

The first move is to head your nearby superstore of sporting goods. Even if you plan to buy online, where you can discover some of the finest deals, take the time to visit a brick and mortar store first. It's important to find a sporting goods store that will let you exam different bats. That way, you can precisely feel which bat works for you. Sure, you can use online reviews to aid you narrow down which bats you want to test, but at no time rely on these reviews alone. They are based on the reviewers on personal feel for the bat.

Once you have a bat in your grasp, the first thing you want to look for is length. Standing with your arms straight down to your sides, check where the knob of the bat is. It should be lined up with the crease between your wrist and your hand. You likely need a longer bat if the knob is at your palm level. You want a shorter bat if the knob is at your forearm. Just because you're looking to buy discount softball bats does not mean you should sacrifice comfort, your talent level, or your chance for improvement.

Then get a sense for the weight of the bat. Remember, it should feel like the heaviest hunk of wood that you can swing without losing swing velocity or swing mechanics, or knocking yourself out. It may be a matter of ounces

Once you have a bat selected, make note of it and race home to surf to your favorite discount softball bats vendor online. Then you can be assured that the bat that comes in the mail will be perfect to up your game.

Be sure when shopping discount to look carefully and you will find great products that unfortunately will no longer be selling at great discount prices. Some colors and or sizes may vary but the quality is usually the same. Take advantage of this opportunity when you find it because when they are gone they're gone forever as a rule! Usually Very limited quantities and colors in stock.
About the Author:William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. William writes frequently on many subjects that may be of interest to all. Discover all the joys and secrets of baseball at Baseball's Holy Grail

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Proper Batting Helmet Sizing

It's a sad fact that one of the number one reasons for sports related injuries among children is that they were wearing sports equipment that was ill-sized or weren't wearing it at all. When you consider how hard a baseball or softball actually is and how fast and hard they are thrown even in children's games; the damage that can be done by the impact of a ball to a child's head is enormous. One of the reasons many children give that don't wear their safety gear such as batting helmets, at all times during a game is that the batting helmets aren't comfortable. Usually once a parent looks into it, they will find it is not really the batting helmet at all, in all actuality it is a case of the batting helmet not being fitted to the child properly.

No one has to tell you that your child should be wearing a helmet at all times and you can help make that a reality for every game if you work with your child when you're buying a batting helmet and make sure that the batting helmet fits comfortably so the child will be protected as well as comfortable while playing.

A batting helmet should fit snugly but not so snug your child has a headache. When the child moves his head from side to side the helmet should stay in place not move around. Inability to see due to a helmet shift is another reason that injuries sometimes happen, make sure that your child has a well fitted helmet by doing a little smart batting helmet sizing for your child before you buy.

The foam on the interior of the helmet is a must-have for your child's safety. It keeps the head away from the outer shell of the helmet in the event of an impact. While the odds are not high that your child will get beaned with a ball when playing, you need to prepare for something like that "just in case" and your child's head will be protected in the small chance that something like that happens.

Last word, don't skimp on the batting helmet that you choose. You're basically buying safety and you don't want cheap safety. You want the best you can get and that may be the difference between purchasing some unknown off-brand with questionable plastic parts and may or may not have quality foam and a name brand that has been inspected and meets safety standards. Choose the batting helmet that will offer the ultimate protection and one that is properly sized for your child.

Use these tips and make sure that you get the best fitting helmet for your child. When you have a properly fitted batting helmet, you may just find you have the opposite problem and you can't get your kid to take it off - even to go to sleep at night!
About the Author:Rick Grantham writes for BooYahVillage. He has written numerous articles on sporting goods, sporting tips, and Fan Gear.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Origin and Early History of Baseball Explained

Henry Chadwick, called the father of baseball, its first writer and the inventor of the box score, claimed that American baseball was positively descended from the British game of rounders, which became "town ball" in this country, then baseball. He was an eyewitness to the evolution, having seen rounders played as a boy in England, and rounders, town ball and baseball in this country.

A. G. Spalding, founder of the famous sporting goods house, a fine pitcher himself, and publisher of the "Baseball Guide," claimed that such a theory was nonsense and that baseball was purely an American invention. A committee was appointed to investigate the matter. The findings of the committee - that baseball had been invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday, a distinguished Civil War General, in Cooperstown, New York - were based wholly upon evidence submitted in a letter written by a man who stated that he had observed the actual invention when he was a schoolboy in Cooperstown.

Many accepted the findings of the committee even though there seemed to be much more evidence to support Chadwick's claim than that of Spalding. To this day, even though numerous baseball authorities have repeatedly poked holes in the Doubleday theory, there are many who still believe this old story. It should be noted that Abner Doubleday himself never made any claims whatever to having had any influence on baseball. He had died years before the findings were published.

By the early 1840s, the baseball games played in this country had been pretty well standardized into "Town Ball," played East of New York, and "the New York Game," played, naturally, in New York. They were alike in many respects but Town Ball was patterned more after the ancient rounders, while the New York Game seems to have been largely taken from cricket. In 1842, the New Yorkers drew up the first diagram of a baseball field and grown men began to take this boys' game seriously and to see in it possibilities for a great sport.

In 1845, the Knickerbocker Baseball Club of New York was formed, the first such organization in history. It was an amateur group with duly elected officers. No professional organization was to appear for twenty-five more years. The Club immediately began drawing up a set of standard rules and making plans for a more satisfactory playing field. Draftsman and surveyor Alexander Cart-wright was given the task of preparing a diagram for a new type of field.

By the following year, Cartwright had prepared the diamond diagram which, except for minor changes, is the baseball field used to this day wherever baseball is played. The Knickerbockers also established uniform rules which set the pattern for present-day ball.

The First Game. - The Knickerbockers then issued challenges to take on all comers and the first baseball game ever played under organized rules took place on June 19, 1846, at Elysian Fields (near Hoboken), New Jersey. "The New York Nine" was the opposing team and they beat the Knicks 23-1 in four innings.

So depressed were the Knickerbockers that they played no more inter-city games until 1851, but limited their play to practice games. After five years of practice, they evidently believed they were ready for another go at the game and took on the "Washington Baseball Club of New York" on June 3, 1851 on the same Elysian Fields.

Both teams were tied at the end of the ninth, but the Knicks got two runs in the tenth to win the game 22-20.

From this small beginning, the great game of baseball has developed into the huge game it is today.
About the Author:
Tips & Tricks On How To Play Baseball Like A Pro - These Little-Known Secrets Will Have You Hitting The Longest Yard Over The Boundary Fence! Click here for FREE online ebook! http://www.baseballhittingdrills.net/

Monday, August 4, 2008

Groomsmen Gift Ideas You Can Swing, Bat, And Dunk

Most men like sports. This is a universal truth. But try giving your groomsmen a tennis ball or a sports drink as a wedding gift, and you can see for yourself that liking and receiving are words and worlds apart. Still, this does not mean sports-related presents are out of the question. You may give your groomsmen presents that remind them of sun, sport, and outdoors. Just make sure that your groomsmen gift idea can last longer than one sports game or workout.

Golf Gadgets
A gentleman's game, golf is played in leisure and with class. Help your buddies set course records with the following groomsmen gift ideas:

1. Personalized Hampton Executive Putter Set
This item is truly golf on-the-go. It is an attractive golf set for executives. The set includes a shiny wooden case, a handle constructed of brass, and an engraved plate that includes the same metal as the handle. Inside the box of this groomsmen wedding gift, golf-lovers can find a putter that can be broken down, a practice cup made of wood, and a pair of golf balls.
Price: about $45

2. Groomsmen Golf Balls Set
This is a groomsmen gift idea that is perfect for avid golfer friends. It includes two premiere golf balls that are built to last and built to travel far. Three golf balls and attractive gift sleeves are included in this set. Portions of tuxedos are printed on the golf balls.
Price: about $12

3. Deluxe Golf Ball Monogrammer
This present will give your groomsmen's golf balls a personal touch. Golf balls launched into a lake or treetop will always be challenging to find. This is why this is such a great groomsmen gift idea. It will definitely makes it easier for a golfer to find his balls. The golfer's initials are attractively plastered on the balls. In fact, this groomsmen wedding gift kit makes monogramming as easy as one-two-three...fore!
Price: about $25

Batty about Bats
America's favorite pastime can also be an inspiration for coming up with groomsmen gift ideas. In fact, bats are special groomsmen gift ideas that score a home run every time!

1. Engraved Hall of Fame Mini Baseball Bat
Step up to plate and get this perfect groomsmen wedding gift for fans of the game formerly known as Rounders. Two lines of engraving can be added to the 18-inch long bat.
Price: about $25

2. Personalized Mini Baseball Bat Groomsmen Gift
This gift is made of real ash and contains grain that is a light brown. It can even be personalized with lines of text. Win the pennant with this bat!
Price: about $25

Be Like Mike
Though Michael Jordan has retired from basketball, guys around the world still dream of being "like Mike." The following groomsmen gift ideas keep the spirit of his air-ness alive.

1. Personalized Photo Sports Ball
This is the perfect groomsmen gift idea for the hardcore basketball enthusiast. An uploaded picture can be copied on the ball. Then add a personalized message above and below the photograph.
Price: about $35

2. Personalized Basketball Coach Framed Roster Graphic
This groomsmen gift idea includes your favorite basketball team's information and colors. It also displays personalized information, such as the team name and player roster. The gift is enclosed in an attractive frame.
Price: about $35

3. Personalized Wood Mini Basketball
These are made of solid wood maple. They even include basketball seams and engravings that lasers created!
Price: about $30

You can't go wrong with carefully picked sports items. If the groomsmen of your wedding are sports fanatics, your sport-related presents will make them feel like champions.

About the Author:Put vitality back into groomsmen gifts! ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com has an array of groomsmen wedding gifts that will have your buddies leaping with joy.

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Baseball Basics: How to Field

A team that has players who can throw and catch fly balls and grounders better than its opponents, and can come up with the clutch fielding play, is going to be hard to beat. The team that has the most agile fielders - those players who have fast reflexes and can change direction in a split second - will also have the better fielders. Thus, if the pitching and batting of the two opposing teams are of equal strength, the better fielding team will then be more formidable.

Good fielders, like good hitters or pitchers, do not require special physical qualifications. However, the player with the sharper reflex action will usually develop into a better fielder in a shorter space of time than a player of normal reflexes. This does not mean that the player of average reflex action cannot become a quality fielder.

The player of normal reflex should not be discouraged because he sees other players who seem superior to him as fielders. Better reflex action can be obtained by constant practice and proper conditioning of the body. By leaping, twisting and lunging for grounders, fly balls and throws, the fielder of normal reflexes will soon sharpen his reflex action and will in time work himself into a better than acceptable fielder.

Fielding in reflex action means the player performs his movements without thinking about them. His movements become natural and graceful and he is able to twist his body in any direction. Ground balls take many unexpected bounces; fly balls get caught in wind currents and may take sudden drops or carry farther than the fielder anticipated. The good fielder can adjust himself to these sudden hops and changes of ball direction.

Choosing a Position. - In choosing a position a player should select one he thinks he can play best; then concentrate on learning all the techniques involved in playing that position. Do not pick a position because your favorite major-leaguer plays it. That's not mature reasoning and you will only hurt your chances of making the team if you can play better at another position.

Try to analyze your strong and weak points and then try out for that position where you can fit in, and also, at the same time, convince the coach that you are the best candidate for that specific fielding spot.

A player who is below average height and who can field any position equally well, should not try out at first base. It's common sense that if you can catch a grounder while stationed at second base, shortstop, third base, just as well as at first base, you should concentrate on trying out for any of the latter three positions. This is because you would not be able to use your limited height to any advantage if you tried out as a first baseman. A first baseman must stretch high for high throws and well into the diamond for low throws. The coach would be more inclined to use a fielder at that position who has more height and reach than a player of limited height.

Infielders' Stance. - There is a basic fielding stance for all infielders.
The infielder has good stance when his body is in a squat position, bent at the waist, knees turned out. His arms and hands are between his knees, enabling him to touch the ground without any undue strain. From this position, he is able to field a ball that hugs the ground, and he is in proper position to straighten up and grab a ball that may take a sudden bounce upward.

With practice and determination, you can become a great infielder.

About the Author:
Tips & Tricks On How To Play Baseball Like A Pro - These Little-Known Secrets Will Have You Hitting The Longest Yard Over The Boundary Fence! Click Here For Free Online Ebook http://www.baseballhittingdrills.net/

Saturday, August 2, 2008

How To Coach Little League Baseball

There are several aids which can be helpful in the training of your baseball team.

Sliding Area.

The time to teach sliding is when a boy begins to play baseball. He is closer to the ground and eager to learn. Let the grass grow 6 or 8 inches high in foul territory at the end of a bullpen or outside the outfield fence. This is all the cushion the player needs.

Place a loose (detached) base in the center of the sliding area. Every boy who is physically fit should practice sliding every time he goes to the field, sliding three or four times to the right and three or four times to the left so that he forms the correct habit pattern and has no fear of sliding. He should wear sliding pads, basketball trunks, or heavy swimming shorts to avoid skin burns.

Pitching Target

The pitching strings, introduced to professional baseball by Branch Rickey, provide a target for a pitcher. Two strike zones are recommended. They are erected over home plates in the bullpen. (The bullpens, incidentally, should face in the same direction as the pitcher's mound and home plate.) They can be built of scrap lumber, painted white, and anchored to the ground with wooden pegs for this purpose.

Poles 2 by 4 inches can be stuck into the ground approximately 10 feet apart with the 4-inch sides parallel to the pitcher's mounds. The poles should be lined up so that cords strung between them will be directly above the front of each home plate. One string should be at the average knee-high height of Little League batters and the other string at the average armpit height of a majority of batters in each league.

The strings, which can be obtained in hardware stores, should be of strong white cord similar to a carpenter's marking line. Once the cross-strings have been stretched, vertical strings at the width of each home plate should be strung between the cross-strings directly above the sides of a home plate to complete the strike zone.

Practice pitching mounds should be erected the proper pitching distance from the strike zones, and again practice pitching slabs can be built from scrap lumber, painted white, and anchored to the ground with wooden pegs.

When pitchers warm up, using the strike zone for a target, this practice can be made more realistic by having a batter stand in the batter's box. In this way the batter has a chance to judge strikes and balls and become familiar with the pitched ball, and the pitcher gets used to pitching to a batter.

After a few sessions, the batter can start his swing and then pull back to get the practice of checking his swing when the pitch is bad. This is a good drill for the batter, but he should never go through with the swing because it would break the strings and might injure someone working out elsewhere.

Batting Range

If there is space near your playing field, develop a batting tee range. A net or canvas can be strung between poles or buildings. The size of the area is not too important, but an area from 8 to 10 feet high and 30 feet wide is recommended. This would take care of three batting tees and batters at one time.

By using a woolen practice ball, the batting tee area could be set up beside a building or any other barrier which would eliminate the necessity of going a long distance to retrieve the batted ball. A woolen practice ball will carry far enough in flight to determine whether the batter is hitting line drives, grounders, or high flies, and will eliminate the breaking of windows and other hazards of that nature. Again if no area is available, tees can be set up behind the regular field backstop and balls can be hit against the backstop. Use a rubber-covered baseball, plastic ball, or tennis ball if woolen balls are not available.

With these few aids, training your team can become much more effective.

About the Author:
Free Online Ebook Reveals How To Teach Youngsters To Use A Little League Baseball Bat In 5 Easy Steps Click Here For Free Online Ebook http://www.littleleaguebaseballbat.com/

Friday, August 1, 2008

Top Picks in Baseball Collectibles

Is someone in your family a fan of baseball collectibles? Or maybe you, yourself, have an affinity for amassing large quantities of memorabilia from America's favorite past times.

There are several different types of keepsakes you can acquire to add to your baseball collectibles. One item that will put a big smile on any fan's face is an autographed baseball. A ball that was held by an icon has special meaning for those who look up to him.

Another road you can take in adding to a fan's baseball collectibles is giving them baseball cards. Some fans like to invest in packs of trading cards, while others will appreciate an autographed card of vintage value.

Dating back to the 1950s, bobble head dolls have been a popular baseball collectibles addition. Now, they're mass-produced, but there are many bobble head dolls that were limited in quantity, making them more valuable.

Sports equipment is also now a hot commodity with baseball collectible enthusiasts. If you're able to get an autographed baseball bat from a beloved player of the game, it'll be a big hit with any avid fan.

While we've primarily focused on the items themselves, don't forget about getting your hands on the best guides to baseball collectibles. This is a treasure because it helps the fan acquire items that not only have the most sentimental value, but also the best potential for a financial investment.

Barry Halper's Collection of Baseball Memorabilia details the 2,500 plus collectibles that were sold through the famed auction house Sotheby's. It includes photos of the rare baseball collectibles from Barry Halper's stash of fan favorites.

Another great choice to help aficionados of America's favorite past time learn all about the finest memorabilia available for this sport is the Beckett Almanac of Baseball Cards and Collectibles.

Guides like these will help novice and seasoned collectors alike learn the value of memorabilia before they invest. And it also helps them determine the value of their own collection so that they don't inadvertently get rid of something that may turn out to be a rare find and worth far more than the price they originally paid.

You probably won't go wrong getting a fan any sort of addition for their baseball collectibles. People who love the game can never have too many of any one keepsake and having double of something is often a blessing because it means they have the luxury of trading one of the pair for something they don't yet have.

About the Author:
For tips on baseball pitches and baseball drills, visit the Baseball Tips website.