Deland Little League: News
Thursday, September 921 outs DRILL
It is a pressure packed, intense drill that involves the whole team.First of all I put out my defensive team, probably the one that will start the game the next day. I grab a fungo and have a base runner ready to go on my contact. I hit the ball, the base runner reacts to the hit, and the defense must make the play correctly and flawlessly.The object is to get 21 outs in a row WITHOUT mishandling the ball!!! We start at zero and when the ball goes from my bat, to the defense, gets thrown for an out, and then relayed back to my catcher, there can be no mistakes, one out is recorded. All throws must be hard, accurate and handled with preciseness. If the ball is bobbled, misplayed, or thrown awry, we start again at zero. When the ball hits the catchers glove, everyone on the team yells the number of outs, or we start over. If someone doesn't hustle or run out a fly ball, we start over. If you don't run the bases correctly, or the pitcher doesn't back up a specific throw, we start over. We look for and expect perfection.A variation of this, would be to have the defense switched every 3 or 6 outs. This can be a good conditioner if you can do it right. It is critical for this drill to be successful that your rules are strict and that the players have the awareness NOT to stray from them at all!!! If you do this drill one time and slack off on the expectations, the next time you do it, you will be wasting your time. Do this drill with extreme focus and your game faces on, or don't do it at all. We even throw some music on in the press box to simulate the background noise during a game. By the way, we screw up a lot when we are on out number 20...
Thursday, September 16
PRACTICES DON'T HAVE TO BE LONG TO BE GOOD
Back in the late 70's an old college professor of mine was fond of saying, "Don't confuse activity with accomplishment." Jump forward about eight years and imagine me observing a coach running practice for his little League team. At the start of practice most of the 10, 11, and 12 year olds are very enthusiastic. As the practice progresses I notice only two forms of activity taking place. One has the head coach throwing batting practice, with each hitter getting 10 to 15 swings while each pitcher takes a turn throwing to the assistant coach as the others stand and watch. I, too, stand and watch and I don't know who is more bored- the players or me. When I saw a member of the board of directors, I commented on how poorly I thought the practice had been run. The board member responded, "If you think you can do a better job, then volunteer to coach." (Me and my big mouth.)
But I did just that. And my first practice, though planned differently, ended up being two tedious hours of batting practice and pitchers throwing on the sidelines. Exactly what I had been so critical of myself! After that first practice I told my wife that there must be a better way. Even though I had a master's degree in Phys. Ed from Arizona State University, baseball was the major sport I was least knowledgeable about.
So, I decided to research alternative practice methods. I observed a variety of teams during practice ranging from 7 year olds to college level players. I noticed that the best practices were not necessarily the longest and that the most organized coaches wasted little time. On most of the drills every player was involved. It was amazing the way some coaches integrated fun and learning and how creative some of the drills and games were.
I began to use some of these techniques with my team. After a little trial and error I was actually able to run a more effective practice in half the time.
To run a practice like this does take preparation - mostly at the beginning of the season. But coaches need not look at this as a chore. It can be as much fun for you as it is for the players.
The youth baseball coach, whether it's Babe Ruth League, Little League, or local Park and Rec Dept., should make a list of drills at the beginning of the year that they are interested in trying. The idea is to be creative. When my oldest son was 8, I began a practice with a simple relay race, consisting of two lines of six players each. To put a baseball theme into the race, I had each player wear their glove and hold two baseballs in it. The learning benefit of this relay race was to teach kids the importance of squeezing the glove. Another year I was teaching players how to bunt. When the team took batting practice, I put one cone 10 feet directly in front of home plate and another cone 10 feet to the the left of the plate. Each player gets two bunts before his regular swings. For each bunt that goes between the cones, the player earns two extra swings. This motivated the players to focus when they bunted. And, it worked!
If a coach plans five to seven drills of ten to twelve minutes in length for each practice, the players will be more attentive and less bored. Don't worry about players not liking certain drills. About a third through the season they will let you know which ones to weed out.
The youth baseball season is unlike any other season. Fathers sneak out of work early, families rarely eat dinnner before 8:30 at night and the laundry room is active day and night. As parents and coaches, we should make practices more interesting and fun because during a typical little league season, players spend as much or more time practicing than in actual games.
So, be creative and have a great baseball season.
Marty Schupak has coached youth baseball for 12 years. He is the creator of "The 59 Minute Baseball Practice" video. If you would like information on purchasing the video, call 1-800-332-1993 or visit his web site at: http://59minbballprc.com
Thursday, September 16
RUNNING AN AGGRESSIVE OFFENSE FROM THE COACHING BOX
Baseball coaches who run an aggressive offense-- squeeze, hit and run, and double steal-- obviously have need of a sign system that will enable them to communicate with the players and adapt to changing situations and personnel quickly and efficiently.
A good sign system will include all or most of the following:
"Indicators" that alert the players that a "live" sign may be on its way.
"Wipe-offs" that negate every live sign that has been flashed to that point.
"Activators" that tell the player to proceed with the designated play (a green light).
"Decoys" -- meaningless signs, at least in the context of the sequence in which they appear.
Perhaps the most common way of flashing a sign is through touching a particular part of the body or uniform, e.g., an ear or the bill of the cap.
Coaches from youth to semi-pro ball often use a simple system in which the first letter of the object touched matches the first letter of the corresponding sign. For example, a touch of the hat will call for the "hit & run", a touch of the belt for "bunt", and a touch of the sleeve for "steal".
Another popular sign system emphasizes the number of touches or taps rather than the location of the touch. For example, 1 tap will call for a take, 2 taps for a bunt, 3 taps for a hit & run, and 4 taps for a steal.
The coach will flash an indicator to have the players start counting and another indicator to signal them to stop. The number of relevant taps in between specifies the play.
Still other methods of transmitting signs involve the coach‚s position in the coach‚s box (front, middle, or rear), the number of times he claps his hands, the number of fingers he holds up, whistling, and calling out colors, names, or numbers.
Regardless of how the coach delivers the signs, his system must be easy to comprehend and remember.
Tips on Making Signs Easy to Recall Under Game Conditions:
1. Use a single indicator immediately followed by the live sign. Even with a wipe-off included, a player must interpret a maximum of three signs per sequence.
2. The first or second sign flashed is live (with no indicator). An activator and/or a wipe-off can be added to confuse the opponents.
3. The last sign flashed is live (with no indicator). This is effective since players tend to look away once they‚ve seen the live sign, but before the coach is finished flashing decoys. Some coaches "release" the players‚ attention by concluding every sequence with a simple gesture, like clapping the hands.
4. The only sign flashed twice in a set of signs is live.
5. Designate either hand as the "hot" hand. The first sign flashed with that hand is live. Logical Patterns. If the signs consist of taps to specific locations on your body or uniform, arrange the locations in a logical order. For example, begin with a closed fist as the first sign in a set and ascend up the arm with taps to the wrist, elbow, shoulder, and chest. Another option is to divide the chest into quadrants and arrange the signs in a box pattern.
Memory Devices. When numbers represent the plays, it will be helpful to train the players to memorize the plays in sequential order. A mnemonic can turn the plays into a memorable phrase. For example, the players can remember Take, Bunt, Hit & run, Steal as "Thomas Baker High School!". When you flash the number "3", the players can run through the mnemonic phrase and notice that the third word is High, which means Hit & run".
You can use any kind of memory device that will help the players recall signs when the pressure is on and the game is on the line.
Groups of Two. In systems that incorporate multiple variations of the basic plays, you may split the live signs into two groups whenever possible, e.g., running plays (straight steal, delayed steal, early break) vs. bunting plays (straight bunt, slash, squeeze).
Likewise, the body or uniform can be divided into two sections-- left side / right side, upper body / lower body, skin / cloth, or school colors, e.g., blue / gray.
Signs consisting of numbers, as well as innings, automatically fall into two groups-- odd vs. even.
Systems based on "two‚s" break down into bite-size pieces that will improve the players‚ retention and provide a ready-made way to accomplish the other important goals of a flashing system-- to catch the opposition off guard and prevent them from decoding the signs.
Suggestions for Camouflaging Live Signs:
Change or Rotate Periodically. Change the indicator before every game, each time you face the same opponent, or during a game based on the inning or count.
The "Hot Spot" system uses a floating indicator which changes with every sequence of flashes. The first spot touched becomes the indicator for that sequence. You can flash the live sign anytime after returning to the hot spot.
The other option is to hold the indicator constant and rotate the live signs. When using the "first (second) sign" method, make the first sign live in odd innings and the second sign live in even innings. When using two distinct groups of signs or two halves of the body, alternate between the two.
For example, in odd-numbered innings put the hitting/bunting signs on the left arm and running signs on the right arm. In even-numbered innings, simply switch sides.
The use of uniform colors can make a system difficult for the defense to crack, especially if you use home and away jerseys and change the signs according to the location of the colors on your body.
When using the "four quadrants of the chest" in your sign system, you may rotate the quadrants periodically. A mnemonic device can again help the players memorize the signs. In using the "Thomas Baker High School" mnemonic, for example, the player need only know which quadrant is the Take (Thomas) sign in any particular inning to figure out which quadrants represent Bunt, Hit & run, and Steal.
Divert the Defense‚s Attention. You may have two people flashing signs-- a decoy whose signs are visible and obvious, and a play caller whose signs are much less visible and simpler, e.g., arms crossed or hands in the back pockets.
This technique works great when all signs emanate from the bench and the two flashers are clearly visible to the players.
Another way to divert the attention of potential sign stealers is by using the sign not given as the live sign. The opponents may be so focused on what you are touching that they won‚t notice what you‚re not touching. In short, you may flash all but that one sign in your sequence-- which will make it the play. For added deception, add an activator and wipe-off.
The most important rule when devising a system is to keep it simple. A very basic set of signs can be highly effective with just one or two wrinkles thrown in.
Simple Ways to Frustrate the Opponents:
1. Give the same meaning to two different signs. Have two bunt or two steal signs. You can also have a sign that means "repeat the same play called on the previous pitch".
2. Use an "activator only" in pre-arranged situations. If you want particular plays executed in certain game situations or when certain personnel are at bat or on the bases, discuss this strategy ahead of time. You can then flash decoy signs and just an activator to set the play in motion.
3. At the very beginning of an at-bat, flash a play you want executed on a specific count, e.g., suicide squeeze on 2-0. When that count arrives and the defense sees you standing motionless, it won‚t expect anything.
4. Flash a sign when the defense is not watching. For example, to the next batter while he‚s still in the on deck circle. Use simple, "one syllable" gestures immediately after a play and before the defense settles into their positions for the next pitch.
5. Give a "green light" for players to steal, swing away, or bunt at their own discretion. Then flash only a "red light" sign if you want them to hold their position.
Final Points About Maintaining an Effective System:
Flash live signs, but omit the indicator or activator so that the live signs appear to be meaningless.
Intersperse a series of live signs with a few decoy signs. For example, if "steal" consists of four taps to the face, touch the face twice, then tap the leg and chest before completing the final two taps to the face.
Practice in front of a mirror to develop a smooth delivery.
Flash decoy signs with as much emphasis as live ones, and live signs with as much casualness as decoys.
Also, spend five minutes every day reviewing signs and running through scenarios with the players.
Use signs during inter-squad games and offensive drills to mimic game conditions.
Since players are more likely to understand and remember a system they help create, encourage them to participate in designing the system.
(Author‚s note: We‚d like to express our gratitude to all the high school and college coaches who contributed to this article and whose names are not disclosed to protect the secrecy of their flashing systems.)