Baseball Talk: Hitting, Pitching, Catching Strategy

Braves, your original stereotypes do a very good job at pointing out coaching biases and what used to be very ingrained thought. Basically they were a Little League coaching strategy that still works, to some extent, today, even for coaches of older kids. Thinking more about it, you can point to some of those stereotypes and can see the positions that get more coaching than the others. Coaches seem to spend more time on the better athletes and the original stereotypes point those out, true or not.

Which positions that receive more, or less, coaching is probably going to depend on the team's makeup. If the outfielders are competent, then they'll get less attention. As long as they're running them down and catching the ball, coach is going to be satisfied. That's more time to spend somewhere else.

Football has position coaches to help each position while baseball usually has two coaches, three at the most. And there's a good chance that at least one of the coaches doesn't know his head from his ass, compunding the coaching problems.

Part of the coaching problem, as I see it, is the kids who don't start that may not be getting the necessary coaching to make them better. Getting yelled at for missing a ball isn't coaching. At least it isn't good coaching.

 

Braves, I have to agree that overall outfield is the least coached postition. IMHO, most of the coaches around never played outfield. What is the first thing they do at practice, split the groups. So the coach never heard the lessons, and the stereotype about outfielders is "go catch the ball and get it back in now". I have had the good fortune to see some quality outfielders for several years now and they do make a difference when coached properly. How many times have we seen a throw down to second get by in a West Charlotte game, yet there stands the runner, because Matt Wiley was PLAYING his position, backing up second. How many times have we seen Rob Davis backup up errant throws past the 1st baseman from his right field position.

But I also agree with Prepster. Catchers have the most to learn, but most coaches do not have the intricate details in their mind to be able to properly prepare a catcher for higher leverl baseball.

 

Thanks guys..great responses.

 

Senior leadership, what a topic! My experience is that the underclassmen look to the veterans to set the tone.

When the younger folks were freshmen and sophomores, probably playing JV ball, they probably watched the varsity practicing and playing and, those who were real ballplayers, couldn't wait to move up and play at that level. Most of the freshmen and many sophomores were physically smaller and less mature, and probably were impressed how far the varsity players could hit, throw, field, and run.

When they mature a bit, and are able to play varsity ball, they move to a higher level of competition, similar from going from rec league regular season to all-star tournements where they see a strong line-up from lead off to #10 hitter, rarely any weak links. Their game has to be kicked up a notch.

Upperclassmen, especially seniors, need to be aware that these younger players need to be shown how to compete in the higher level of competition. This is shown by actions, rather than be told what's needed to compete successfully. This starts with off season conditioning, drills, etc. It continues with non-coached get togethers to work out, long toss, bp, etc.

Coaches can only manage the talent, they can't coach desire or work ethic. This needs to be passed down from older players to the younger ones to establish a tradition.

The way the coaching carousel is in the CMS system, I can't see any other way.

Enthusiam and team spirit is contagious and begins with the veterans. When I go to high school games, the teams I appreciate most are the ones who you see standing at the dugout fence cheering their mates on. You can tell by the enthusiam if this is the players idea or if the've been instructed to do so by the coach.

Once the tradition is established, it's hard to destroy a program. Look at I, Butler, South, Providence, etc. The younger ballplayers can't wait to play for these teams. Though the coach can run the program, the veterans carry the tradition.

 

Top Of The 7th

top of the 7th, u r the home team...runners 1st and 2nd..no outs..game tied 0-0....what do u do?

 

sorry braves,
back to the topic i believe the least coached position hast to be the catcher, there are only a select few who really no how to teach catchers. most guys who were good catchers in high school switched positions in college because he was to good an athlete, also most coaches around the area, were middle infielders or pitchers, go figure.

 

Here are my votes:
Least taught -- outfield
Worst taught -- catcher
Most over-coached -- pitcher

And baserunning -- largely ignored yet so, so important.

One of my "mantras" to players has always been -- "baserunners are precious." Nothing gets to me more than seing a guy get picked off or a guy thrown out on a stupid baserunning play. Still, most coaches leave it to the players to react in the game without talking about when to go from first to third on a hit, when to score on a hit, why to freeze on a line drive, why to never make the third out at third, etc. -- the game situation is so important to the baserunner (outs, whose hitting, count, where the fielders are) but "thinking baserunning" is becoming a lost art -- it seems now to be challenge, challenge, challenge, even if you run into stupid, big-inning-killing outs.

One of my favorite sayings is that "baseball is the most overcoached and undertaught sport" -- I think Branch Rickey said that first. Nothing could be more true.

 

I gotta agree with Dodgerblue..... You nailed it 100%.

 

1. Can the kid at the plate bunt, because if he can he should be.
2. Who's on deck? If it's a bad hitter maybe you let the kid at the plate swing away.

I'd have to say in a 0-0 game that the man at the plate should be bunting.

 

DodgerBlues hit the nail on the head with "least, worst and over".

My son's travel team works on defense by position. Each out fielder is worked on what angles to take to both fly balls and groundballs. Angles for left fielders are not the same as for rightfielders and totally different for centerfielders.

Catchers are worked with alone and then with the infielders. Pitchers are worked over and over on fielding their postion and exactly where to go when the ball is put into play.

First and third are coached on where they should position themselves depending on the situation; hitter, outs, score, inning. etc.

High school coaches don't seem prepared to just work on one situation for an entire practice, i.e., fielding bunts or 1st and 3rd situations. These need to be reinforced at some point each week, but that rarely happens. It seems that "batting practice" is more important and takes more time than learning the game. And don't even go into not teaching kids how to run the bases!!