Teaching Baseball Mental Techniques

Joe Mauer Quick Swing Baseball Trainer
Teaching Baseball Mental Techniques
By Robert Bulka

Physical Vs Mental Skills

Ask any baseball fan what it takes to succeed as a baseball player and they usually talk about bat speed, arm strength, foot speed and power. You very rarely ever hear them mention the mental skills required to excel in the game. The important mental techniques include focus, concentration, confidence and composure. That is why it is important to start teaching baseball mental techniques early in a player's development.

Why is having the mental tools so important to making it in the game? All you have to do is look at the minor league farm clubs to see that the vast majority of players there have the physical skills needed to make it to the next level but don't have the cognitive skills to take them there.

How do you go about teaching baseball mental techniques?

There are some tips for developing the mental skills needed to make it to that elite level: teach visualization, use the 10 second rule and overcoming failure.


Visualization Since baseball is a game of adversity and failure is ever present, using visualization techniques help to clear the mind of negative thoughts, avoid distractions and provides a mental road map for the task at hand. Visualization is a very good baseball mental technique.
10 Second Rule Many young bright baseball stars lack the maturity to control their emotions and it takes them off their game. The 10 second rule is designed to help control the reactive emotional outburst of dissatisfaction. The tip is to count to 10 before you react or speak after a tense situation. This is a great tip when teaching baseball mental techniques.
Overcoming Failure As I stated before, baseball is a game of constant failure. If you get a hit thirty percent of the time you are considered an above average hitter. If you're a pitcher you are constantly dealing with walks, hits, home runs, past balls and errors committed by your teammates.

Conclusion

Teaching baseball mental techniques is an absolute necessity if you want to make it to the big leagues.

Robert Bulka is a former college baseball pitcher and current coach in the New York Metropolitan area. For more great tips for teaching kids how to play baseball go to http://TeachKidsBaseball.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Bulka

Joe Mauer Quick Swing Trainer

Joe Mauer Quick Swing Trainer



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Top 10 Worst Baseball Parent Excuses of All Time

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By Nick Dixon

The word "excuse" is a bad word to most coaches. A parent excuse is a reason given by a parent to explain or justify their son's poor performance, tardiness, or inappropriate behavior. Coaches really would prefer that someone simply say they were wrong or give a legitimate reason rather than a ridiculous excuse.

If you coach any sport, you are going to hear your share of excuses from parents. Most parents refuse to make excuses. They understand that behavior and actions have consequences.

However, there is that small percentage of parents that are always ready with a reason or excuse for their son's behavior. Some of the worst excuses are those that parents try to use to justify getting their player to practice or a game late. It is no wonder that players use excuses when their parents do so frequently.

The Baseball 2Day Coaching Journal surveyed baseball coaches. One of the questions was "What is the worst excuse you ever heard from a parents? Here are the top 10 worst parent excuses of all time:

#10--- "I can not get my son to any games or practices because I'm pregnant."

#9---- "My son does not like playing 3rd base because he says the balls come to him too fast."

#8----"You should play the 12 year olds the entire game, they have earned that right."

#7----"I could get my son to practice his father had the kid and he did not bring him back on time."

#6----"The game started late (8:00) and it was too late for a kid to be out!

#5----"We did not know that we had a game today."

#4---"I know he did not play well, but he did not get into bed to after midnight. He was watching TV."

#3---"The reason he did not play well was because he ate 3 hotdogs before the game."

#2---"He did not hit the ball because he did not have his new bat. That old bat just does not hit as good."

#1----"I could not get him to practice Saturday, because I had to go to the casino."

Unbelievable as they may sound these excuses were used. I am sure that you have heard some excuses that are just as amazing. Thanks for reading my article. Have a great day! Nick

The Coaches Best Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

Little League Baseball Tryouts And The Draft

Little League Baseball Tryouts And The Draft
By Marty Schupak

In most youth baseball leagues, autumn is the time of year that baseball leagues have registration and also assign players to teams. Tryouts and the player draft are always one of the most interesting times of the year. Some managers try to gain an advantage during this time. There is always a scramble to secure assistant coaches. Parents who have experienced the process, know that some managers will pick an assistant not according to the assistant's ability to coach, but by the ability of his talented child. Another technique done which is highly unsportsmanlike is for the manager to discretely suggest to a player to "dog it " during the tryouts so that manager can get a player of first round ability in the later rounds of the draft.

There is very little a league can do about a manager picking an assistant to secure a spot on the team for his child. Drafting the actual teams can be done in a fair manner. A fair process is for the league managers and league director to pick each team with similar ability and throw them into a hat. For instance, a league will have eight teams consisting of twelve players. Assuming each team has a manager and coach and their two kids, all the managers and coaches will sit in a room and rate the players and assign ten players to teams one through eight. Once it is agreed that the eight teams of ten are pretty much equal, throw the teams into a hat and each manager will pick a team. The league will have more parity with this system and this will limit some of the complaints. One word of advice when using this technique is to make sure enough pitchers are part of the ten players on each team.

The success of a league begins in the autumn. There have been seasons where some teams do not win a single game. The team assignment process can make for a better year for each player individually, as a team and as a league. A league that has parity will make for a better season and in fact will help that league in All Stars with each player experiencing a competitive season with some excellent close games. It is up to the league President and league director to make every effort to make sure each team is fairly equal in ability and take away any advantage that some managers try to gain.

http://www.YouthSportsClub.com

Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 18 years and is the video creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice", "Backyard Baseball Drills","Winning Baseball Strategies","Hitting Drills & Techniques" and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is also President of the Youth Sports Club, a group dedicated to making sports practices and games more enjoyable for kids.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marty_Schupak


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Baseball Tips - When Do You Know Your Son Will Make it?

Baseball Tips - When Do You Know Your Son Will Make it?
By Tom Read

If you're getting pretty good at baseball, you will soon want to be able to deliver powerful hits. However, this doesn't just rely on pure force - the proper technique is needed. This article will tell you how to hit a baseball the right way.

The first thing you will want to do is to get some strength in your hand and wrists. This is more important than being all bulked up. Little guys and big guys can hit hard, but they need to have strong hands and writs. Another thing that will help you deliver a perfect hit will be to swing your body as you hit, using your hips first and hands last. You will want to have quick hands and an even faster pivot.

The next things you will want to do will be to forget all you saw on TV. Those are pros that developed their own technique over the years, so this means that they know what they are doing. However, until you develop your proper technique, you will want to finish the hit with both hands - so forget what you saw on TV!

Now that you know how to hit a baseball, you can start practicing. Practice makes perfect and turns into an individual hitting technique. But until then, baby steps are required, so you will want to be patient. Most young players want to be pros after a few hits, but this doesn't happen over night. Remember - practice, practice and practice again if you want to be a great baseball player.

There are a lot of other ways you can hit a baseball, and there's plenty of information available online. Of course, the best way to learn how to play right would be to have someone with experience watch over you and guide you trough your game.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_S._Smith



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Baseball Youth Digest - 6 Things You Should Know Before You Buy New Baseball Cleats Or Shoes

Baseball Youth Digest - 6 Things You Should Know Before You Buy New Baseball Cleats Or Shoes
By Nick Dixon

Baseball Youth Digest: Before you purchase a new pair of baseball cleats, there are certain things that you should know about the baseball shoes. These things are related to how the cleats are made and how to size your new game shoes. This article lists and explains 6 important things that every baseball player, coach, and parent should know about baseball cleats.

Before you buy a new pair of baseball shoes, make sure to read and know the following facts about baseball shoes:

1. You should know the rules that you must comply with as they regard cleat length and kinds of cleats allowed. Some leagues do not allow players to wear metal cleats. The length of your cleats or studs must comply with league and association safety rules. Most leagues have a 1/2 inch length rule. Younger kids should have shorter studs to add stability and prevent turning of the ankles.

2. Molded baseball cleats have studs that are molded of plastic, rubber, or other urethane material. These studs or "cleats" are attached permanently to the sole of the baseball shoe. These molded cleats are usually made to last one season. Rubber molded cleats are recommended for use on hard surfaces. Molded baseball cleats are cheaper than detachable cleats.

3. Detachable baseball cleats have studs that can be removed and replaced with other stud designs. Replacement cleats have considerably less durability than permanent cleats. It is important to frequently check the detachable cleats because a gap between the sole and the stud does exist. Detachable cleats can be used for longer periods of times because the studs can be changed and replaced.

4. Combination baseball cleats use both metal and plastic cleats, as well as cleats of different shapes and lengths. Combination baseball cleats are used in wet and extremely muddy conditions. Combination baseball cleats provide excellent traction and control in slippery turf conditions.

5. Baseball players with speed often size their baseball cleats a 1/2 size smaller than their normal shoe size. Under or tight sizing your baseball shoes 1/2 size keeps the foot snug in the shoe. This snug fit prevents a sliding or slipping motion of the players socked feet inside the shoe when the runner accelerates to steal a base.

6. Make sure to lace your shoe tightly to insure a snug fit. As said before, a snug shoe reacts better to the movement of the foot inside the shoe. Many players are buying shoe designs with Velcro rather than shoe laces. They feel that Velcro can be use to get a tighter "lace up". Velcro also does not come untied like regular shoe strings or laces.

For more great articles on coaching and playing baseball visit the Baseball Coaching Digest, Youth Baseball Digest, Baseball Parent Guide, and the Little League Digest. Good luck to you and your team. Have a great day, Nick

The CoachesBest Baseball Store has a great selection of 1400 Baseball Products. Check out the BatAction Hitting Machine baseball pitching simulator. This high speed training machine is 100% Guaranteed to raise Batting Averages and has a full year warranty.

Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, a sports training company established in 1999. Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of the BatAction Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Derek Jeter Hurricane Hitting Machine, the SKLZ Target Trainer, the SKLZ Derek Jeter ZipnHit Pro, and the SKLZ Strikeback Trainer. Dixon is also a contributing writer for BaseballCoachingDigest, the Youth Baseball Digest, the Baseball Parent Guide, the Baseball 2Day Coaches Journal, and Blog4Coaches.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Dixon

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4 Highly Recommended Baseball Coaching Articles for High School Little League, Cal Ripken, Dixie Youth, Babe Ruth Pony, and all other Youth Baseball C

4 Highly Recommended Baseball Coaching Articles for High School Little League, Cal Ripken, Dixie Youth, Babe Ruth Pony, and all other Youth Baseball Coaches


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Bunting is a skill that must be taught and practiced just like throwing hitting, and fielding. It is wise for t-ball or Little League coaches of coach pitch teams to introduce every young player to the basics of bunting. This article outlines 10 recommended coaching points for teaching and introducing bunting to beginners.

Baseball Coaching Digest - What Baseball Coaches and Umpires Expect From Each Other
Baseball coaches and umpires often have a love/hate relationship. Coaches often make the job of an umpire more difficult. Umpires sometimes hurt the feelings of a coach with a crucial call. Coaches expect a high level of professionalism from the umpires in the crew working a game. Umpires expect a high level of professionalism from the coaches of both teams. Here I outline 5 things coaches expect of umpires and 5 things umpires expect of coaches:


Little League Digest - The KISS Rule of Teaching Youth Baseball Players a Proper Swing
Coaching baseball is not rocket science. I believe in the KISS rule of coaching young baseball batters. The KISS or "Keep it Super Simple" rule means that the coach will present the batting instruction in a way that it is easy for young baseball players to understand, visualize and perform. This article explains the 6 simple steps in teaching youth baseball batters using the "KISS" method.

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Coaching Baseball - The Importance of Teaching Batters to Hit the Ball Where it is Pitched

Great hitters at all levels share one common skill. They know when and how to attack every pitch location. Great hitters read and react to every possible pitch location. If you watched the 2008 Baseball College World Series, you quickly realized that great college hitters can catch up to any fastball regardless of the velocity. You saw batters over and over, on the ESPN TV Coverage of the CWS in Omaha, hit mid-90s to upper-90s fastballs with amazing power and bat speed. You also saw college baseball batters that apply and execute one of the most important and basic skills of hitting a baseball, the skill of "hitting the ball where it is pitched". The philosophy of most pitching staffs today is that the job of the pitcher is to allow the batter to get himself out. Pitching coaches teach and coach the pitcher to keep moving the ball in or out, up or down, and to never leave it over the plate. A batter often does not get the same pitch in an at-bat and may not see the same pitch in several at-bats.

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