Goals:

  • Introduce players and volunteer coaches to Pro coaches and develop positive relationships
  • Introduce fundamentals and basic terminology that they will hear throughout the season

Priorities: players enjoy the clinic; any coaches attending feel educated; players learn one or two things to help them

Basic Structure

You will have access to the outfield and batting cages at Joe Wagner this weekend. It’s unclear if the infield is open. Think basic summer camp structure compressed into an hour or 90 minutes.

Warm up games: do not need to involve a baseball. Think relay races or other competitions

Baseball warm up: actual baseball-specific activity

Throwing warm up and fundamentals

Fielding games

Wiffle and tennis-ball hitting

Games and competitions at the end

Feel free to modify the program as needed for the kids you have. A great game to set up is over-the-line to get kids hitting and fielding in a simple format.

Important fundamentals and terms to cover Week 1:

  • Throwing
  • Start with ideal release point and work backward from there
  • “Wrist pops” to get back spin and good arm position
  • Intro concept of aligning shoulders or elbows
  • “10-toes” throwing – shoulders/elbows do not have to be perfectly aligned with target, but close to it
  • Intro concept of shifting weight then rotating body second
  • Rockers: players shift weight back and forth, rotating hips and shoulders once they are on their front leg. EARLY ROTATION is #1 cause of bad throws
  • Intro crow hops and using legs for power
  • Fielding
  • Ground balls: focus on ideal fielding position, good triangles and ball “centered” under the body. Footwork and throwing come later
  • Fly balls: focus on getting settled under the ball
  • Game: players wear helmets – throw tennis balls up high and have them run under and “catch” ball with top of helmet
  • Hitting
  • Focus on teaching ideal contact position, avoid over-coaching other mechanics. We’ll get more advanced in upcoming clinics
  • Palm up/palm down, elbow/arm position, leg/head triangles

Tee games, whiffles, and tennis balls today…NO LIVE PITCHING with hard balls

Posted in Development