Little Leaguers and Catching Fly Balls

Little Leaguers and Catching Fly Balls
By guest author: Marty Schupak

There is no set age for young players when they start to feel comfortable catching pop ups. Many of the really young players are afraid of getting hit in the face by the ball and will camp under a pop up very apprehensively. Unless catching a fly ball is practiced, their nervousness can lead to injury. There are numerous drills a coach or parent can practice with their players. Some drills will work for some athletes and not for others.

One of the first drills I do is to hit a soft covered ball off a paddle. I explain to the kids that I only want them to make contact with the soft covered ball with their glove. I do not want any kids catching the ball. Telling them not to catch the ball will do two things. First, you are making the drill uniform, with the goal attainable by everyone on the team. Second, the weaker kids will not feel bad if everyone catches the fly and he or she only makes contact with his glove. And, you want the really young kids to experience as much success as they can. This success will lead to more and more confidence when a real hard ball is used.

Another technique I have used is one of those velcro paddles with velcro balls for the young kids, and they love it. I toss up the Velcro ball as high as possible and they take turns catching it. This is another great confidence builder, and the success experienced with many repetitions will help immensely when catching a real hard ball, which is the ultimate goal. Wiffle balls and tennis ball are also good to practice with. Progression is the key. And you can even set up competitions with catching any of these balls. Even the young players love contests and competitions.

So remember that the key to teaching young players to catch fly balls is to do it by progression. Having them dive into the deep end with no experience might open up the possibility for an injury with never extinguishing their fear of the ball. Successful repetitions will lead to confidence and give them the best odds of mastering this skill.

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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", “Pitching Drills & Techniques”, and author of the popular book, "Youth Baseball Drills". He is a principle with Videos For Coaches and 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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Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Youth Softball - What Every Youth Coach Should Know

Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Youth Softball - What Every Youth Coach Should Know
By guest author: Steve Polk


If you are coaching youth baseball, coaching youth softball, or coaching youth basketball, there is one thing you need to know before you begin coaching youth sports no matter what the sport.

You Could Be Sued

Did you hear the story of the guy coaching kids baseball that was sued because of an injury that took place during a practice? Seems a 12 year old baseball player was injured during a drill to teach the kids how to catch a fly ball. The player couldn't find the ball due to the sun getting in his eyes and the ball hit him in the head.

Not only did the coach get sued but also the league the kid played in. In another story a softball coach who got sued when a player on his team slid into 3rd base and tore her meniscus. The parents claimed the coach didn't teach their daughter how to slide properly. The parents won the case and $125,000.

It really doesn't matter what youth sport you coach. You could be a soccer coach for youth, or any of the others mentioned here. You could be sued for the seemingly most innocent of things. An off the cuff remark or joke could be interpreted as being harassment or an innuendo of some kind. A kid not paying attention gets hits by a ball, or as kids sometimes do play practical jokes on one another and someone gets hurt. You end up getting sued.

Insurance Doesn't Solve The Problem

Your team or league may have insurance, but that doesn't stop a parent from filing a law suit against you. You could be totally not at fault and end up getting the case dismissed, but still have a bill from your attorney.

The Solution

There are a few companies that provide a low cost what is best referred to as a legal insurance plan. Such a plan will cover most if not all your legal expenses should you ever be sued. Such plans range from $17-$36 per month depending on what state you live in.

In The End It Doesn't Matter

In conclusion it really doesn't matter whether you are coaching youth baseball, softball, basketball, or soccer. If you are a coach you run the risk of being sued. It's becoming common place in this crazy world of ours. You just may want to look into a legal insurance plan.

Coaches You Run The Risk Of Getting Sued

Go right now while it's on your mind to http://coachyoucouldbesued.blogspot.com/ to find a low cost plan to cover legal expenses should you be sued so you don't have to worry and can get back to doing what you love most, coaching youth sports.

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




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