Baseball Coaches Clinicfor

Reading Little League Baseball

Presented by: 

Pete Moscariello

Scott Farris

Reading High School Baseball Coaches, RetiredCo-Owners, Personal Best Mental Training

 

Thank You

Dan Robinson&

Reading Little Leaguefor approving-organizing-

recruiting-copying -inviting us

Personal Best Co-OwnersPete Moscariello• Head Baseball Coach at Reading HS for 35 years

• 560-208 career record; .730 winning pct.

• 14 league championships; 1 state championship

• 8 times Middlesex League Coach of the Year

• 2 times Boston Globe Division II Coach of the Year

• Inducted Mass. Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

• Inducted Reading Memorial High School Athletics Hall of Fame

• 2011 Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association Baseball Coach of the Year

• 2012 Mass. Baseball Coaches Association President’s Award

Scott Farris• Owner of 4 successful businesses

• Assistant Baseball Coach Reading High School 20 years

• 2010 National BCA District I Assistant Coach of the Year

• 2009 Mass. Baseball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year

• 1992 Mass. HS Wrestling Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year

• One of area’s most sought-after instructor in hitting-pitching-mental toughness

Tonight’s Objective

• To help Reading Little League players learn, improve, and have a successful and enjoyable baseball experience.

• We will do this by teaching coaches key baseball coaching skills & strategies that you can apply this spring and beyond.

Last Year – did Skills and Drills first. This year, reverse it.

Tonight’s Agenda

I. Why do you coach?

II. What you need to coach effectively

III. Player-Coach & Parent-Coach Relationships

IV. What you do is Important and Why

V. Practice Organization

VI. Skills and Drills

VII. Personal Best Mental Toughness Program

Reading Little League Baseball Coach

I. Why do you coach?

What are your goals and objectives?

Let’s discuss

II. What you need to coach effectively

• Equipment• Assistant Coaches• Field Space• Practice Plan – will show you later• Knowledge of the game• Knowledge of working with kids

(and most of all - the “Why do you coach” reasons)

What you NeedEquipment: Load up the SUV !

baseballs, tennis balls, wiffle balls, bats, bases, L-screen, helmets, catcher’s gear, home plates, bases, cones

Personnel : Assistant Coaches !

Field Space :full diamond, outfield space, section of field; become master of using small spaces effectively!

More Needs• Knowledge of the game from tonight’s classfrom books, DVDS, online, own experiences

• Knowledge of working with kids• trust your instincts• treat each player the way you’d want your

own son/daughter treated

III. Relationships

Coach – Player•Expectations for effort, behavior•Encouragement & positivity•Feedback – be clear on what they

are doing correctly and on what they need to improve.

Players don’t care what you know until they know that you care.

•Feedback Sandwich

•Catch them doing something right

•Frequent, clear, honest, positive, communication is key

III. RelationshipsCoach – Parent• Be honest, calm, positive in all discussions.• Pre-season meeting and/or email about your rules, policies,

expectations.• Then regular communication (emails, texts to parents)

throughout season can prevent issues.• “We are all interested in Billy having a positive experience;

we can talk about how to work together to make that happen.”

• Bottom line – if parent wants to have input, tell him/her to grab a fungo bat and a clipboard and come to practice!

III. Relationships

Coach – Coach• Constant communication!• Must be on same page regarding goals – long and short

term• Clear delineation of duties and responsibilities at

practices and games.• Encourage input and ideas from all coaches• Make it clear – Head Coach makes final decision in all

matters• Off-field time together is important

IV. What you do is Important

• Winning vs. Development• Spending Time vs. Investing in Kids• You are a model – behavior, sportsmanship,

character• Mr. Messenger – Reading Youth Baseball 1965

• What kids remember• How will you be remembered? What impact

do you want to have on your players? WP

IV. What you do is Important

We believe that coaching baseball brings us great

satisfaction knowing that we have made positive and

permanent impact in our players’ lives.

video

V. Practice OrganizationAbsolutes:

• Start and End on time

• Set goals for each practice

• Have a plan – specific, timed

• Utilize space and coaching personnel

• Keep players engaged

• Insist on effort & energy (and model it)• Less Talk, More Action (minimize down time)

• Communication and Feedback

Practice Plan should include:

• Warm-up• Throwing• Individual defensive skill work: P, C, INF, OF

• Team Defense• Hitting & Bunting• Baserunning• Team Offense • Competition & Fun• Conditioning• Mental Training

Sample Practice PlanLink

Handout after page

17

VI. Skills and Drills• Dynamic Warm-Up• Throwing• Catching the thrown ball• Fielding Ground Balls• Fielding Fly Balls• Hitting• Bunting• Baserunning• Pitching & Catching– will not discuss

tonight, but handouts pages 2-10

Warm-Up• Dynamic Warm-Up • Why dynamic and not static?• When, how, what to do• Exercises

• Throwing • Warm body first• 30 feet – 60 feet – 90 feet• Proper grip and mechanics each throw• Move to catch ball – 2 hands

Handout page 1

Throwing Mechanics

• Most important defensive skill!• All players must be strong throwers• Mechanics• Drills (see next page)• Throw every day

Throwing Drills•1 knee•2 knees•Cocking position•10 toes•Walking Figure 8•Follow Through•Hop, Hop, Throw•Goal Post•Long Toss

Positional Throwing•INF: backhand, forehand, slow rollers, DP feeds•OF: self-toss, ground balls, gap•C: throws to bases, bunts, BID and recover•P: bunts, change up, hit the hat

Catching the Thrown Ball

•Mechanics•DrillsCoach toss – high, low, FH, BHWall catchPartner catch

Fielding Ground Balls - Infielders

Types of Ground Balls:

•Straight on

•Glove Side

•V-Cut

•Backhand

•Slow Rollers

Infielder Mechanics

Ground Balls Drills1.Start in fielding position – Straight – Dry

2.Start in fielding position - Straight – Roll Ball – no glove, with glove

3.Start ready position– Straight – Roll Ball – no glove, with gloveRepeat 1, 2,3 – Start in forehand, backhand position

Coach/partner throw GB – S, L, R - no throws / with throwsLittle GlovesCones – for angle and for V-cutShort Hop DrillDive Drill – from kneesFungo – S, L, R - no throws / with throwsSlow Rollers – no throws / with throwsIn position (SS, 3B, etc.): roll or fungo GB, throw to 1, 2, 3, 44 Corner GB DrillSituational ground balls – runners on 1, 2, 3, 1&2, loaded, etc.

Video Oregon State

Fielding Ground Balls - Outfielders

• Outfielder Mechanics• Drills do all INF drills – train Outfielders like Infielders

Then: Roll GB to OF: nobody on base, runner on 1st, runner 2nd

Fungo GB – one hop throws OF in position – situational GB with throws , no runners OF in position – situational GB with throws , with live runners Balls in the gap Balls near the fence

Double Plays - feeds & pivots

3rd baseman feedsshortstop feeds2nd baseman feeds1st baseman feedspitcher feeds

pivots : SS, 2nd baseman

Double Play Drills

• Coach roll ground balls – work on feeds only

• Coach feed – work on pivots only

• Coach feed – work on pivots and throws

• Coach roll ground balls – work on feeds,

pivots, throws

• Coach fungo – with full infield

“Okay, three more. Just like I’ve done a million times.”

Our obligation as coaches is to prepare our players for what will occur in baseball games. We do this by teaching skills and strategies and having them do them many, many times.

That way, they will play with confidence, knowing they have performed the skill in practice “a million times”.

Infield Positioning

• Back (regular)

• In

• Half-Way

• 2 up the middle

• Strategies

Tag Plays

• Positioning

• Footwork

• Glovework

• Drills

Fielding Fly Balls

Types of Fly Balls

•At outfielder

•Glove side

•Throwing hand side

•Back

•In

Outfielder Mechanics

Fielding Fly Balls - Drills• Self-toss

• Partner (coach) toss

• OF Drill series

• Frisbee

• In position – coach toss / FB priority

• Fungo – no throws / with throws

• Fungo – at, left, right, in, back

• 2-line communication

• Fence drill

Team Defense Drills

• Bunt Defense• 1st & 3rd defense• Steal Defense• Cutoffs and Relays: no runners and live runners• Purdue Hustle Drill• Rundowns• 2b/SS – double plays, 1b/3b/C – bunts• UMaine team defense drill• 21 outs• 1-2-3-4• Fly Ball / Pop Up communication drill• 3 groups: P-C-1b, P-SS-2b, P-3b-C• Fungo Scrimmage; Overhand Toss Scrimmage• Rotation Game• Fun Competitions

HittingMechanics

DrillsDrySoft tossOverhand TossMachineLive BP – coach pitch

Coaching hitters /// Using Video

Handout page 11-14

Hitting Drills Feet wide Offset I, IIStep drill 1-2-3-4Head down tuck loadSplit grip back leg VOne-handed follow throughReverse angle skip a rockOpposite field 2 teesHigh ball close front eyeLow ball velocity tossMiss, hit, hit bounce drillWarm up, hit on back toePull drill drop drillLF, RF bat parallelStride board tap drill

Handout page 15-17

Team Hitting Drills

• Runner on 3b, 1 out

• Runner on 2b, 2 outs

• 2-inning scrimmage

• Score a run, stay up

• R on 1; bunt him up, move him over, get him in

• Overhand toss scrimmage: fly ball = 3 outs

Examples of Effectived BP

(Overhand Toss)

1) 4 wide, 4 opposite

2) 1-hoppers through infield (6)

2) 3 Bunts, 3 Bombs

Or

1) Miss, hit, hit (6)

2) LF, RF (6)

3) Game Winners (3)

Bunting“I could go down to the bowling alley and find

ten guys who can bunt.” – John Doherty

Mechanics

Drills

• One line bunters – coach toss

• 4 bases – for location

• Cones and targets

• Include bunting in every BP round

Strategy

Baserunning

• Home to 1st

• Home to 2nd

• 1 to 3 , 2 to 4

• Aggressive baserunning

• Sliding – bent leg, hook, head first ?

Baserunning• “starting position, when to “lead”

• Stealing

Situations to teachR on 1, R on 2, R on 3, R 1&2, R 1&3, R 2&3, BL

Teach each situation separately

Drills: React, Fungo Scrimmage,

OT Scrimmage, Stealing, Reading BID

Competitive Drills & Team Building

Hitting GamesFootball PassBox TagRock, paper, scissorsBunting CompetitionHead and Shoulders ThrowingLong Toss – Hit the HatSnickers Pla y of the DayTeam PushupsThrowing relay racesCone BallBaseball Obstacle Course

Thank you

We wish you great success

If we can help in any way, please give us a

call

Has presented over 200 workshops and sessions on Mental Toughness and Peak Performance to:

College & HS Teams: baseball, softball, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, soccer, wrestling, hockey

Parents-Coaches-Professionals-Students: workshops and courses on mental toughness, leadership, coaching

MIAA – Gillette StadiumBCA Convention - Raleigh, NC Baseball Bash Convention – Richmond, VADave Gallagher Baseball - Trenton, NJ

“Personal Best had a profound impact on my sales career at EMC. The messaging and techniques that Personal Best teaches are exactly what I needed to better my performance as an EMC Sales Rep. In my opinion, the entire EMC community would benefit from the strategies that Personal Best promotes.”

-- Jim Murphy, Director of Sales Strategy, Data Protection & Availability Division, EMC Corp; Reading HS and Northeastern University Hall of Famer. Former professional football player

“Coach Farris and Coach Moscariello have greatly influenced my attitude, mental toughness, and ultimately my success as a high school, college, and professional baseball player. I would highly recommend Personal Best to athletes at any level.”

--Steve Langone, Head Major League Scout, Boston Red Sox; Reading HS and Boston College Hall of Famer. Former professional baseball player.

We will teach youMental Toughness Skills:

• Present Moment Focus• Positive Mindset• Positive Self-Talk• Confidence• Focus on the Process, not the Outcome• Visualization• Performance Routines• Goal-Setting• Leadership & Team Building• Response to Adversity

That will enable you to be more:• Confident• Focused and Present• Positive• Relaxed• Intense• Competitive• Able to Respond to Adversity• Productive . . . In school, at work, in performance, at home

Personal Best Handouts

In packet pages 18-24