“Baseball is a game of inches,” is an often-used phrase and nowhere is that more evident than with base running. Saving an inch or two when running the bases makes all the difference whether players are out or safe and makes a difference in the win/loss column. A couple inches here and there mean a couple of extra wins a year, which may mean a championship.

Unfortunately, many coaches do not teach the little things that save those inches. ”It could be argued that base running is the most taken for granted aspect of baseball, but that is a story for another day. Good baseball coaches do not neglect the importance of those little things that save those valuable inches. Following are some tips that coaches should not allow players to neglect when practicing base running. Many of these may seem basic and just common sense but they take continual practice and reinforcement to perfect.

Good base runners:

* Know the game situation before running
* Know where the ball is at all times and when they do not, check with the base coach immediately
* Have a knowledge of the defensive alignment before the pitched  ball
* Look down at the base when they are close to it – this may seem obvious but many players take their concentration away from which part of the bag they actually are placing their foot.
* Hit the front part of the bag when running through it and the inside corner of the bag when rounding the base
* Touch the correct part of the base with the foot that is there without ever breaking stride
* Run hard all the way through 1^st base and hard when rounding bases until the defense has them stopped
* Know exactly when to round the base and how to round it correctly
* Realize the play is not over once arriving at a base; staying alert until the ball is back to the pitcher’s mound
* Take the correct distance lead-off from the base – generally, a three and a half step lead from 1^st  base at the back part of the base and a walking lead from second and third, a couple of steps to the outside of the baselines
* Are in the maximum balanced position when in a lead off position, ready to go either way
* Take a secondary lead which has their right foot landing as the ball reaches the hitting zone, prepared to go either direction, based on if the ball is put in play or not
* Always having an anticipation of pitched balls being thrown in the dirt

As noticed, there are many little things that go into good base running and things that must be practiced often. Another highly under practiced part of base running is sliding. Knowing when to slide, how to slide, and different methods of sliding are very important things to make the difference between winning and losing.

I have seen so many kids season ruined before the season even gets close to starting. Dad or team coach takes player(s) to the batting cages and sets the speed at game speed on their first day of hitting, after a long offseason. It is important to realize that hitters’ eyes are not close to ready for such speeds, not to mention their bat speed and timing. The result is that many hitters begin to cheat to catch up to the ball by either jumping at the ball or stepping out and opening up early. Once these habits develop and/or players timing is off from the beginning, they never recover.

Following are some preseason hitting tips

1. Always good to begin preseason training by practicing on the batting tee and with short flip work, so players can concentrate on good fundamentals without worrying about timing the ball.
2. Begin early batting practice sessions with slow speeds so hitters feel comfortable waiting for the ball.
3. An initial no-stride approach is good for the same reason, especially when facing batting machines.
4. Hitting balls to the opposite field is important, like always, but especially on slow pitching so players are controlling the bat and waiting for the ball to get deep in the hitting zone.
5.  Speeds should be gradually increased with subsequent practice sessions.
6. Always a good way is having batting practice throwers alternate slow pitches with faster ones to help gain the same swing on all speeds, as well as for waiting and good timing on all speeds of pitches.

As hitter’s eyes and bat speed improve, game-like speeds are appropriate, with attention to good mechanics always a priority.

I am often asked about whether college baseball showcases are worth attending. In general, I answer, “Yes, if affordable and if the showcase is not an apparent money grab. Attending one or two is a good experience for kids for a few reasons. One, it gives player (& parent) an idea of how they compare to other college interested players. Two, baseball showcases place pressure on players to perform while being watched, which is a valuable experience for players. Three, it may lead to a college opportunity, which was the goal of attending, of course. The best-case scenario is when a player’s skills standout compared to others, but even when they do not, player motivation may be the result from the gained confidence or knowledge of what needs to be improved.

As mentioned, attending should be done with caution because many showcases advertise things that they do not deliver on. People should do a little research to make sure what is advertised is done by checking with players, who have attended in the past, and with high school coaches. Additionally, reading the wording of the showcase very carefully may give a clue as to its authenticity. Invitations are often worded in ways that mask the reality. Words like, “Past colleges who have attended are such and such” or “Coaches from these schools have been invited,” etc. often suggest that those schools were there in the past or were simply invited to come, with no guarantees they will attend. Once again, a little research is recommended before sending your money off.

As implied, the best part of showcases is that they often give players a better idea of where they stand compared to other players. Therefore, players should be sure before attending that they receive honest evaluations at the completion of the showcase. Additionally, when players receive any interest from prospective colleges after showcases they should not be afraid to ask questions as to what the coaches liked and did not like about their play. This feedback is important to know what to continue to work on and what level of college they may be best suited.

Showcases are just one of the avenues that can help kids find a suitable college to play. Finding a college to play college baseball is a process involving letter writing, showcases and “networking.” Parents and coaches should let others – friends, coaches, friends of friends, colleagues – know that the player wants to play college ball. This type networking often leads to college playing opportunities, as much as showcases do.

Three important ingredients of a good baseball swing are staying compact, staying inside the ball, and staying through the ball. The following drills involve using two batting tees. These drills work on good hitting fundamentals and just as important, give hitters a better understanding of what those ingredients mean.

1. “High, Low tee drill” develops a compact swing and eliminates a long, uppercut swing. Place one tee a foot behind the other with both in line towards the pitcher. A ball is set on each tee with the ball closest to the catcher a ball and a half width lower than the front ball.Inexperienced hitters will often hit both balls at first or ground balls only, but with practice, line drives on the front ball will be the result. For pitches below the waist, balls are set two balls width apart to prevent hitting down on the ball. Remember, good line drives with backspin are always the goal when hitting on the batting tee.

1.       With the Holidays coming, it is a good time to assess your child’s baseball equipment for next season. Do they need a new bat, glove, etc…? If yes, do some research so that you have a good idea exactly what brand, size bat they need and desire – remember once used, gear is not returnable, so getting it right can save you later.

2.       A batting Tee with a net or tarp to hang in the basement or garage is a must for the serious ballplayer’s preseason and in-season hitting practice.

3.       Attending a Holiday or winter baseball program is a good start for the upcoming baseball season, or at least as a refresher training, so there is isn’t a huge break before next season.

4.       Watch a baseball movie or two on snowy winter evenings. A good way to feel warmer and remind you that spring training is right around the corner.

5.       Begin planning your preseason baseball workouts with a day-by-day or week- to-week written schedule and follow the schedule the best you can. Plan on at least a day or two a week of baseball training beginning 6 weeks before the first day of practice or tryouts.

6.       New Year’s Baseball Resolution – kids should do at least one thing each day to prepare for the upcoming season – even just 5 minutes per day is good – things like squeezing a rubber ball, 10 pushups, etc. are good.

Remember, “Doing something right and doing something “almost right” is the difference between success and failure.” (Author unknown) With that in mind, it is always a good idea to “catch” up on your baseball instructional manuals for new ideas and new drills to keep practices vital, challenging, and fun.

Baseball is a difficult game to begin with. Add in a child, who is very hard on himself when he fails, and parents have the recipe for many unhappy nights. This type child is often difficult to reason with and parents may feel like their child needs outside help. That may be true. First, parents should try the following with the understanding that many very good baseball players began as high self-pressured players, only to come to grips with it and have successful careers. Additionally, self-pressured kids are often very hard workers and very passionate about baseball, all admirable traits in athletes, and ones that adults should be careful not to take away.

Thing parents should try:

* Be positive and do not add fuel to the fire by putting extra expectations on kids. This may seem like common sense but many adults unwittingly add expectations to their kids and do not apply common sense when it comes to their own child. Parents often think they are being positive but do little things that add pressure.

* Be patient – another common sense piece of advice. With patient adults around them, most highly self-pressured athletes learn to deal with failure over time. Usually, those that do not learn to cope quit playing at a young age.

* Emphasize the importance of team goals and not individual accomplishments. Talk about team play and only talk about their child’s performance if the child brings it up. Do not dwell on the child’s performance and discuss other life topics.

*Show empathy when a child is obviously distraught but help them keep it in perspective with positive statements like, “You will do better next game” and “Your hard work will pay off in the future, guaranteed.”

* Miss the child’s games occasionally so kids realize the world and their parent’s lives do not revolve around their sports career.

* Discipline players for any inappropriate, embarrassing or over the top negative behavior, especially by threatening to have them miss a game or two. Following through with the discipline when proposed, when they do not adjust, is necessary and positive parenting also.

* Find a knowledgeable coach for players so any answers and confidence they may be lacking is available. Many self-pressured players become frustrated because they do not know how to make necessary adjustments. Knowledge from a professional instructor can help.

Of course, listening to and having open communication with kids is always important to help them cope with the many life issues in their lives, even beyond the ball field ones. Baseball frustration may be avenue of behavior that is the result of other, hidden issues in a child’s life.

One thing I always ask my baseball and softball students is “How many of you have a batting tee?” and the answer is usually encouraging with a number of hands being raised. I follow that up with “How many of you use your batting tee regularly? To which very few hands shoot up. I admire their honesty and cannot say that I blame kids for not using the tee much because they, nor most parents and coaches, know how and when to use their batting tees to get much benefit from them. For most ballplayers, hitting balls off the batting tee is usually a boring exercise with no positive feedback coming from the practice. If nothing else, I teach all how and when to use the batting tee so there is positive feedback that is not boring, at least not for the serious ballplayer.

One of the first things I tell ballplayers is to use their tee like a golfer uses the driving range – before games to get loose and to reinforce good habits and after games to make adjustments, based on any bad tendencies in recent games. Of course, when hitters are in a good hitting groove, there is no reason to work after games, as hitters do not want to swing their way out of a good groove.

Tips for Using a Batting Tee for Positive Feedback

1. Set a home plate down first and line yourself up, as in a game, before placing the tee down.
2. Good swing mechanics are confirmed with knee-high pitches.
A. Place the tee in the middle of home, at the knees and about six inches in front of the lead leg.
B. Consistent line drives up the middle are the goal on this centrally located tee location and hitters should not be satisfied until that is the result on at least 8 out of 10 batted balls. When hitting at close distances to a backstop, hitters should tie an object, as a glove, up on the backstop directly up the middle and waist high for better feedback on batted balls. Up the middle shots on this tee location means hips and hands are squaring up correctly in the desired manner. Groundballs the hitters’ pull side are definitely not the desired results on this pitch.
3. Once hitters can consistently hit line drives on low pitches, they are ready to move the tee to different pitch locations. The tee at chest level will help prevent a long looping swing and develops the desired compact swing. Inside pitches are worked on by putting the tee about two feet in front of hitters and on the inside corner and outside pitches on the outside corner and just about 3 inches in front of their body.

Few other points

1. Line drives, at least as high as contact level, are always the goal on all pitch locations. Having hitters concentrate on hitting the inside back of the ball are the best way to get those line drives.
2. Learning and performing various hitting drills on the tee are great for developing better swings and for avoiding “tee boredom.”
3. Adjustments – When hitting many groundballs – low tee locations should be worked on predominantly (see # 2 above). When hitting pop-ups or striking out often, chest high pitches should be practices more (see #3 above).

Finally, it bears repeating that players should line themselves up the same distance from the batting tee as they stand from home plate in a game, so that batters are working on realistic pitches. Most ballplayers do not stand the correct distance away from the batting tee or set the tee too far towards the catcher or pitcher, thus making the practice non-beneficial.

Let me warn you that this drill is only for kids under the age of thirteen. As all coaches know, once kids hit the age of thirteen, their personalities change and this drill will not work very well. In fact, try this and coaches will get the “Are you serious” look from players. However, for kids under thirteen, this is a fun drill, especially for early in the season when players are learning the basics of fielding ground balls. It also serves as a good practice warm up drill.

Team Fielding Drill for Guaranteed Fun

Players are separated into two groups and set about forty to fifty feet apart, with one player behind the other.

One ball is used and the drill gets started by one of the players at the beginning of the line rolling the ball to the player at the beginning of the opposite line, who fields the ball. After releasing the ball, the player runs to the back of the line where he rolled the ball to (opposite group).

However, as player releases the ball, they are required to yell out; to the player he is rolling the ball to, a fielding instruction, beginning with “Stay Down.”

Easy enough – after everyone has gone through a few times with each player yelling stay down as he releases the ball, the coach has players add the instruction of “Line it up” so kids are now yelling “Stay Down, Line It Up” after each toss to their teammate.

The coach adds a new instruction every few minutes with the third instruction being – “Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands,” and the fourth one, “Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands, Look It In.” and the last last one “Stay Down, Line It Up, Two Hands, Look It In, Get Rid of It.”

By the end, as you would guess, kids are all tongue tied, confused, and laughing as they attempt to say all those things as they are rolling the ball to their teammate. Of course, coaches should be explaining what each yelled instruction means and insist that players are doing those with each groundball. It is a fun way to have players learn groundball-fielding fundamentals, where the players are instructing other players and learning at the same time. Coaches will see a marked improvement of fielding fundamentals in a short time, or at least from practice to practice.

Finally, this drill can be done for different types of ground balls – slow, fast, left right, bare hand plays, glove only, etc….

Clutch baseball players are able to focus in the moment. They do this by understanding the things they can control, which is simply the ball and the situation at hand. Clutch hitters understand that they can only control two things: getting a good pitch and taking a good swing. Clutch pitchers believe in the pitch they decide to throw and keep the same rhythm that they have had success with in the past. Clutch fielders perform the routine fundamentals, as if they were doing it in their back yard. With this mindset, players actually “slow the game down,’ as the saying goes.

Additionally, players, who often come through under pressure more often than not, believe that they are the “right player,” at the right time and place, in that particular game. Clutch players do not over-swing, try to throw too hard or attempt something they have not done before, but simply slow the game down by staying within themselves, with a relaxed focus.

Coaches can help players become more clutch with the following tips:

Coaches should:

1. Put players in known clutch situations in practice. “Two outs, bases loaded, game on the line,” is the famous practice line, which can apply to batting, pitching, or fielding practice. This practice develops the sense of having “been there before,” when players are confronted with this situation in a real game.
2. Not over-coach by making more of a situation than it is, by becoming more animated than in normal game situations or by telling players what to do as the play is happening. Coaches, who remain calm, helps players remain calm. Overloading players with distracting instructional tips, especially during intense game situations, is never good coaching.
3. In practice, explain to players that no one will remember for very long if they do not come through in the game but everyone will remember, for a long time, if they come through. With this advice, players feel like they do not have much to lose, which eases the pressure.
4. Tell players that you believe in them and that they are the right player for this game situation.
5. Never show above normal disappointment in front of team or players when they do not come through, so that players will not shy away from wanting to be up in future, clutch situations.
6. Remind players that they will be better prepared the next time, after having been through the situation, win or lose.

Finally, coaches who can bring a little humor to an intense situation may relax players into performing better.

As coaches, we constantly try to convince our players to practice the same way they play in games, with the same focus and intensity. Then coaches proceed to take pre-game infield practice in an un-game like manner. Hitting the ball to a player, who knows the ball is coming in a position-by-position designated way, is not game-like. With this traditional infield practice method, fielders know when the ball is coming to them and relax until their turn. Of course, in a game, players do not know this. We want to develop players that expect every ball to be hit their way and not to relax, thinking it might not be. Additionally, the traditional infield practice is often boring, where players just go through the motions. This lack of enthusiasm for pre-game infield practice is one reason it has been phased out in pro baseball.

A better infield practice plan is available. I suggest that coaches take infield more “game-like” in the following manner:

It is simple – hit the ball to any position at any time. Adding the new dimension of hitting the ball to any position randomly, and at any time, makes players alert, as in a game. Coaches also call out where runners are on base right before hitting the ball. In this manner, players learn how to adjust their positioning based on the coaches designated situation; as well as learning their positions’ responsibilities, and where to throw the ball. This method also serves to help players’ mental game as they have to imagine the game situation in their heads.

Time permitting; this random approach is with outfielders also, with the ball hit to any field at any time, and with called-out situations. Of course, coaches do not have to abandon the traditional way of taking infield, but using this method infuses energy into a team and helps players learn the game quicker. Any coaching methods that develops players’ enthusiasm for and increases their energy levels, are good. In addition, coaching that helps youth baseball players learn the finer points of the game, and much quicker, is also a good thing. With these modifications, players become fielders that are more alert, with more winning baseball soon to follow.