Articles | Baseball Made Fun

DO NOT Buy a New Bat Until You Read This….USA Baseball 2018 Youth Baseball Bat Regulations

March 3rd, 2017Ryan Basham32 Comments

USA Baseball announced back in late 2015, that there would be new youth baseball bat regulations going into effect in 2018. With the change right around the corner, we thought you may need a reminder heading into the 2017 season. We want you to be prepared for the rule change and make an informed decision on your next bat purchase, so here we’ve answered the USA Baseball Bat Standard FAQs. USA Baseball Bat Standard FAQs WHAT is changing? USA Baseball and its national member organizations have developed and adopted a new standard method for testing the performance of …

Curveball Hitting Drills

February 27th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

Use the following curveball hitting drills for hitters that that are having difficulty with offspeed pitches . They are also great drills for everyday use with teams around the 12 – 15 year old age range. Each year, starting around that 12 year old year, they will begin to see more and more breaking balls and other offspeed pitches. Front Arm Connection Drill Purpose: This drill is to help hitters feel their hands stay back. If the hands and arms of a hitter start before the lower body begins to open, they are going to have a …

NCAA College Baseball Recruiting Tips For Parents & Athletes

February 22nd, 2017Steve Farley0 Comments

Steve Farley (Steve@therecruitingcoaches.com), former head baseball coach at Butler University and recruiting consultant for The Recruiting Coaches, offers parents and athletes some important NCAA / College Baseball recruiting tips. There is a lot of misinformation in the college recruiting process. Here are …

How Do You Hit a Curveball? Use These 3 Important Cues…

February 17th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

A defining moment for many youth baseball hitters occurs somewhere between the ages of 12 and 15. This is typically the age range when most pitchers begin throwing curveballs and other breaking balls. That first taste of changing speeds and movement on pitches can be a real eye opener for young hitters. Flaws in their mechanics and mental approach will become magnified. If they don’t learn to make adjustments quickly, they are bound to have many frustrating at bats in their future. That frustration, sadly, can mount to a point that would make anyone want to quit the game …

Baseball Cut Off Positions Cheat Sheet

February 16th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

Throw out more runners and cut down on extra bases given to your opponent by executing cut off plays correctly. Studying the correct baseball cut off positions for each position on the field should be a point of emphasis for every coach and player at all levels of baseball. Teams that effectively execute cut offs and relays can keep the opposition out of big innings by limiting the extra bases they are able to take. In order for these to work, players must be strong in their communication. As the outfielders are going after the ball, infielders should be …

Keeping Baseball Bunt Coverages Simple

February 10th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

Like a lot of concepts in baseball, bunt coverages can be made very simple, or very complex. If you understand and teach your players the philosophy behind what you are trying accomplish defensively in each situation, there won’t be much question about what to do when the time comes during a game. Keep your bunt coverages simple with the following tips and strategies. DEFENSIVE PHILOSOPHY VS. BUNT On defense, you are ultimately trying to minimize the occurrence of big, multiple run innings. If a team is going to give you an out you should take it. Only attempt …

The Best Baseball Batting Order Strategy For Youth Teams

February 7th, 2017Ryan Basham4 Comments

The best baseball batting order strategy for your youth team is probably going to be a bit different from your average Major League baseball team. American League managers have the luxury of having professional hitters one through nine in their lineup, National League managers one through eight (sorry pitchers). They also have multiple professional hitters on the bench that they can bring in at any given moment to pinch hit. The average youth team out there has, obviously, a much different make-up. Whether you are a little league, high school, or travel coach, the optimal batting order for your team …

Little League Coaching Tips: What I’ve Learned from 25 Years of Directing Youth Camps

January 30th, 2017Steve Farley2 Comments

Editor’s Note — The following article was written and shared with Baseball Made Fun by former Butler University head coach and director of youth camps, Steve Farley. Do you spend time coaching and instructing youth league baseball players? Here are a few simple (but important) Little League coaching tips I’ve learned from directing youth camps for the past 25 years: Take note of distractions and do your best to avoid them. If you are going to speak to a group of kids, be conscious of what is going on behind you. If you put yourself in front of a plain …

How to Time the Baseball: The 3 Critical Factors

January 27th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

Timing. It’s an elusive topic in baseball. No matter the level I was playing at, discussions about timing were few and far between. If it was brought up, it was generally just to point out the problem of bad timing, not how to fix it. Why is this the case? Is knowing how to time the baseball simply a natural ability that can’t be learned? Absolutely not! Just like anything else, it can be trained and developed. Understand and fix your timing issues with the 3 Critical Timing Factors below: Factor #1: WHERE ARE YOU VISUALIZING CONTACT WITH …

Baseball Hitting Drills: Timing

January 27th, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

“Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing.” — Warren Spahn When it comes to baseball hitting drills, timing is often overlooked. Usually drills are used to help fix a mechanical flaw in the swing, or simply to eat up some time at practice. Most coaches and players will agree that timing is equally important, if not even more important than swing mechanics. So why aren’t we working on it regularly?! Make the most of your practice time, and use these drills to work on one of the most difficult and important aspects of hitting. Contact Point Visualization Drill: This …