Coaching Youth Baseball Catching Drills & Skills Pt 1

[renukaboo]

We want to get our son ready for t ball. here in CO, children as young as four can join. Our son is three, but he has so much energy and is so hyper and energetic. Would he be fine going into t ball or is his energy level an issue?

[rossy2512]

In 1988 I used to Chalk the Bear Creek Little League Fields as an after school job while attending Watkins Junior High

[frederikeithb]

@ the two handed catcher and the under armer. I believe two handed catching is encouraged mostly for grounders. And although the kid in this video is beyond his year at what they are doing, I believe he said this is for beginners. Great video. Hope to see more.

[therealjohnnyjohnson]

yeh do you have any tips on how to control what that kid is doing at 3:19 because thats what alot of kids in my league do. SPACESHOTS! should of edited that out. And I like the part before that when you throw the baseball and then you see a hacky sack nice editing. Overall great video ,I did learn a little. And thats All I wanted.

[sfrick81]

This is really helpful! THANK YOU!

[MrDanandy]

Excellent Video Thanks for putting it out here for everyone to learn.

[toddhkennedy]

Great video. I' going to try this with my daughter today. The hard ball to the noggin a few times, didn't go over so well. Thanks!

[MamasChoice]

Made me smile I L-O-V-E baseball.

[phills234]

Well...seems nice that a linebacker's son can catch a soft toss at 5 years old...but its not a realistic game scenario. My 5 year old can rip a 35 mph ball at the batting cages and there is not a kid who can catch it, not even himself in the field. Why teach a drill now, when its more realistic for 7 year olds. I teach my t-ballers to throw low to first base, so it can be scooped up. Mom is happy, the kid is happy and the dad is proud. Bet your son picks weeds in the outfield too. Be nice!

[wulfpack97]

@phills234 Sometimes we teach techniques to win games and not to make a better player. Teaching the fundamentals of catching is easy and necessary for later years. You speak of confidence because they can stop a grounder but imagine the joy when they caught their first ball. I have coached for almost 20 years at all stages and have seen coaches sacrifice technique just to win a little league trophy. One coach put his fastest player at center and he would chase all runners trying to get to second

[cheesecakeman45]

is this in katy

[youthbaseball]

Yes, I shot it at the Bear Creek Little League Complex.

[damotorcyclekid]

The drill is designed to get the kid to postion his glove correctly. This is one of the hardest things to teach. Using two hands is not always feasible or necessary. Great drill coach, I have implemented into my coaching drills. Thanks!

[tomasm007]

Great video!

[sardonicveracity]

Two hands please ...."thumb to thumb"

[Baseballtips]

Hey Coach - Really would like to see two hand catches with any and all these drills.

best of luck!

[mdlloyd2010]

great info and ideas... you addressed the "dads and coaches"... don't forget about the moms out there!

[mrdawud]

Thanks for posting this. I have a 6 year old starting his second year of T-ball and a 4 year old that wants to learn for next year. This was very helpful.

[bcsulli]

Great points

[ProudToBeCoda]

very helpful, thank u

[harvardbulldog]

Excellent video. Thanks for the good advice.

[gedixon7]

Great job on the video.  I think I will try this method with my 7 year old.

[jackbaseball12]

Good job, coach.

[ebarnes419]

great video man! thanks for the tips.

[tchrsalazar]

Great drill thanks

[6quack]

Rolled up socks make great 'soft balls'. They work indoors and out. They can be used for catching and hitting.

Bare handed drills are a great step to help kids over come the natural fear of getting hit with a ball.

Finally, teaching one handed catching is preferred at an early age. We don't want the bare hand to get hit with the ball.

[varsityeagle89]

awesome tips..

[gabrielknock]

Thanks coach.. these really help

[bubblediddy]

Also putting the kids on their knees will help them in framing the catch. Kids will learn naturally the proper way to turn their hands. This will work for ground balls also. They will learn to reach out and get their eyes behind the ball.

[rinkster22]

Actually, at Tee-ball age, it is better to teach the kid to catch with their glove hand only. That is the quickest way to teach the player to squeeze the ball in the glove and to not try and literally catch the ball with two hands. The non-glove hand is never used to catch the ball but rather to secure the ball and quickly take it out of the glove. That is not necessary for tee-ball age players. It is better for them to master the proper use of the glove. (I am talking balls in the air)

[jdrhi]

No. Kids should be taught, ESPECIALLY at an early age, to use both hands when catching a ball. Glove or no glove, it is the proper way to catch a ball. As I stated previously, breaking the habit of one handed catching is difficult as they get older. They should be attacking the ball.....stepping towards it....and reaching for it with both hands.

[MoreFireLord]

thanks for the video.

[lilhyperfingers]

About how far away from your son are you?

[youthbaseball]

I stand about 15 to 20 feet away so that he has time to track the ball to his hand/glove

[jperona]

Great drill...thanks for taking the time to do this video. Very helpful...my son struggles catching because of the underhand catching...I will use the barehand drill to correct.

[slurveface45]

I totally agree i used to catch the ball with my glove upside down until i was about 5

[mike05401]

This is great - I'm a brand new T-ball coach and I need all the help I can get! Love to see a hitting off a tee video when you get the chance.

[solidsnake35]

its all about soft hands.

[jdrhi]

Coach.....you sould be teaching the kids to use TWO hands when catching a ball. One handed catching is a poor habit, and one that is hard to break as the children get older.

[jimmybryght]

I am starting a new LL team in Northern Cal and I would really love to see more of these, coach!

[hangons]

Great job...

[youthbaseball]

Please add comments/questions as I prepare new videos to help coaches and dads work with new & young players. Your input is valued.

[Setam10]

thx coach..great vid..