Coaching Tips | Baseball Made Fun

This is the Best Deal on Baseballs…PERIOD

March 27th, 2018Ryan Basham0 Comments

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If you’re a coach, facility or organization owner, or a serious baseball player or parent, you know that baseballs are not cheap. The cost of baseballs seems to have risen quite a bit over the past 5 to 10 years. If you are someone who is going to be buying a lot of baseballs for your players and teams to use for practice, you’re probably looking for a great deal on a quality ball. It is hard to find, but not impossible. And you don’t need to resort to buying those synthetic leather “Official League” balls that we all …

Tips and Drills for Teaching Kids to Catch a Baseball

September 14th, 2017Ryan Basham14 Comments

Catching the ball can be quite difficult for a young player who is new to the game of baseball. Most young kids are not very coordinated with their dominant hand, let alone with a glove on their non-dominant hand. It can be quite awkward for them at first. Here are a few tips and drills that I like to use when I’m teaching kids to catch a baseball. The glove Ask your players to point to the part of the glove that they are trying to catch the ball with. You’ll find that many will point to the palm …

The SIMPLE PHRASE that can teach ANYONE how to hit the baseball FARTHER

August 21st, 2017Ryan Basham0 Comments

I’ve been a hitting instructor to kids of all ages for over a decade now. The way I have taught hitting has evolved a lot since I first started, and I’m confident that my teaching methods will continue to evolve as long as I’m instructing. Through constant research, experience, trial and error, I’m constantly searching for and implementing more effective ways of teaching hitters. When I first started teaching and wanted a hitter to learn how to hit the ball harder, I was using the same phrases I’d been taught from my coaches growing up. I’m sure you …

Knowing when to bunt the baseball…and when NOT to

April 20th, 2017Ryan Basham6 Comments

The bunt can be a great weapon. But how do you know when to bunt the baseball? As coaches and players we have to look at it as a strategic decision of give and take, and risk vs. reward. I’ve witnessed teams at the youth levels, all the way up to the collegiate levels over-utilize the bunt. When doing so, they are effectively taking the bat out of their hitters’ hands, and taking away the possibility of a big hit at times when it is not necessary. On the other hand, I’ve also seen teams that hardly ever use …

12 Essential & Fun Baseball Drills for Beginners

April 14th, 2017Ryan Basham2 Comments

These 12 Essential & Fun Baseball Drills for Beginners are a MUST HAVE for every tee ball and Little League coach. Make these drills a regular part of your practice plans and routines, and your players FIELDING, THROWING and HITTING skills are sure to improve. These are also great drills for moms and dads to work with their kids at home. They’re SIMPLE and FUN, and your player will enjoy working on them with you. Beginner Fielding Drills Bean Bag or Frisbee Toss Purpose: This drill is to improve a player’s glove hand skills and help them get better at catching a …

Overcoming the Fear of Getting Hit by the Baseball

April 7th, 2017Ryan Basham6 Comments

The fear of getting hit by the baseball is one of the most difficult things to overcome for many beginners. It can be evident when they are hitting, fielding a ground ball or fly ball, or even just playing catch. In each case, using softer balls, like a safety ball or tennis ball is the first step in helping the player overcome the fear. When Playing Catch You will see many beginners and young players who move their body away from the ball as it comes to …

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 …