How to Play High School Baseball
Playing high school is a step up the ladder. When young people play baseball in youth leagues, it is largely a learning experience where the main goal is to learn the game and try to put the fundamentals to use. When you get to the high school level, everyone knows how to play the game and many players have excellent talent and skills. The players are out on the field to work as a team and win the game. They continue to learn the game and make progress, but there is also an important goal in trying to win for each other.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Do the little things that your coach will ask of you when it comes to competing. No matter what your talent level, you need to know how to bunt and sacrifice to help the team win. You have to know when to slide feet first and when to slide head first. You have to block the ball in the field and get your body in front of it to keep the ball from getting by you. You have to think of what's best for the team and make that your priority.
-
2
Work to develop your hitting. Hitting a pitched ball is often thought of as one of the most difficult things in sports. As players reach the high school level, many pitchers throw with power and can also break off sharp curve balls and throw a hard-to-hit change-up. Work on hitting the curve, the change-up and the well-placed fastball in batting practice. During the game, try to think along with the pitcher. Not only do you need to gauge his talent, you have to try to think along with him as your at-bat progresses.
-
-
3
Learn the proper footwork when throwing the ball in from the outfield when there are runners on base. It's not enough simply to catch the ball and throw it in when there are runners on base with less than two out. Learn how to catch the ball as you are moving in, so you have momentum when you let the ball go. If you can catch the ball at head height, you have a great chance to get rid of the ball quickly and cut off the runner who is trying to advance from second or third.
-
4
Know the best way to run the bases. It's not a smooth circle when you are going from first to third on a base hit. In your final steps before you reach second, you angle out toward right field and then cut sharply over the base so you can head straight into third without wasting steps. Your coach may use the words "belly out" or "banana" when you are running the bases to remind you of the proper way to approach the next base.
-
5
Pitch with a plan in mind when you are on the mound. Yes, you want to throw strikes, but you don't want to throw the ball over the middle. You want the batter to swing at pitches that are just off the plate or over the corner and take pitches that are strikes. This is called setting up the hitter and it's what the best pitchers do with regularity.
-
1
