Tips for Coaching Coach Pitch Baseball
Coach pitch baseball is a youth baseball level that falls between tee ball and standard player pitched leagues. These leagues typically involve children ages 6 to 8. Coaches put the ball in play in these developmental stages of the game to help their players succeed and gain confidence in their batting game. Although pitching is part of the responsibility of the coach, it is not the only requirement to be successful at coaching this level of player. Follow some basic tips to help you become a better coach for your coach pitch league.
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Level Pitches
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It's easy to believe that tossing a nice, slow arching pitch to your batters is the best way to get them to hit the ball. However, nothing could be further from the truth, according to youth baseball website WebBall.com.
Inexperienced hitters such as the ones you'll likely have on your team need an easy target to practice on. A slow moving ball will drop more rapidly to the ground, making it harder to make contact. The same principle applies to a high arching pitch. It simply moves too much to be easily hit.
Try adding some speed to the pitches to keep them moving in a straight line toward the catcher's mitt at the batter's hand level. The batter will be able to hit the ball easier, which will boost confidence and make them enjoy the game far more than if they struggle at the plate.
Get Basic
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Don't forget to teach the basics when you are coaching a young group of coach pitch players. Some kids do not begin playing until they reach age 8 in some cases and they may not know some of the seemingly obvious aspects of the game, according to Baseball-Tutorials.com.
Try testing them with a base running drill. Send your players to various bases, including home plate. Stand in the middle of the field and say, "Go!" See if any players run in the wrong direction or simply stand still not knowing what they are supposed to do. Correct them and they will get better immediately.
Know Your Batters
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As the season progresses you'll be able to figure out what pitches each of your batters tends to do best with. In games, be sure they see the pitch they like to give them a better chance of getting on base. This will boost confidence and give them an enhanced game experience.
Careful Communication
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Working with young children requires a delicate touch when it comes to communication. You must be very clear when asking players to perform a task. And while you'll have to speak up for them to hear you in game situations over the cheering of fans or other noise, be careful not to appear as though you are yelling at anyone or the players may react by completely shutting down, according to WebBall.com.
Never Practice With A Machine
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You are a coach in coach pitch baseball so you must always pitch in practice. Although pitching machines make batting practice easier for coaches, they do not help the player's game as much as a real pitch from a real person.
Pitching machines deliver the ball the same way, at the same speed and to the same spot each time, according to WebBall.com. A human pitch will vary, which is an important factor. The batters should get used to reacting to a pitcher's wind up and delivery. It will make them better players later on.
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