Covering the Base The second rule of defense is to cover a base. If the first baseman cannot get the ball they will usually be covering first base. In children’s baseball the throws are often inaccurate. This puts a premium … Read more

Equipment Helmet The catcher’s helmet should cover the entire head. The foam rubber padding inside should give full coverage of the skull and ears. The face mask may be attached to the helmet or not but must rest comfortably on … Read more

Control The essence of pitching is control. The pitcher holds the ball more than any other player. This gives the pitcher control of the game’s tempo. The pitcher controls when the pitch is thrown, where the pitch is thrown, how … Read more

On the Way to First When the batter swings the bat they should start running to first base. If there are less than two strikes there is no penalty for starting toward first when the ball is not hit or … Read more

Physics and Technique The power of the swing depends on the amount of energy transferred to the bat by the batter. The greater time one spends accelerating the bat the more energy (speed) one can give the bat. The harder … Read more

What each position requires Pitcher A pitcher must have control. Given control they should be able to throw fast. Given the above they should have a slow pitch too. Catcher The catcher must be able to catch the ball. They … Read more

Get a Grip Unless a fielder is very lucky, when they get the ball they will need to throw it somewhere. Thus, the throwing hand should be used to pick up the ball. It saves time and the glove is … Read more

Flys The easiest ball to catch is one that has spent at least half a second in the air. Gentle tosses to players twenty feet away are about as easy as it gets. The player has time to put the … Read more

The feet A strong throw starts with the feet. The thrower should step directly toward the target (or maybe an inch or two to the glove hand side of a line from the thrower’s nose to the target). The step … Read more

In the Air When the ball is in the air, whether hit or thrown, it will be spinning. (We will ignore the knuckle ball since young players cannot throw it properly since their hands are too small and they cannot … Read more