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0.9. DRILL: RELAY DRILL

purpose: To teach outfielders that a good throw to a cut off man must be chest high. players and Equipment Needed: Two outfielders and baseball.

Description: The outfielders stand 120 feet apart. One outfielder flips a ball behind him, turns and races for the ball, scoops it up, wheels to his glove hand side and throws a strike to his partner.

0.10. DRILL: FLY BALL DRILL - THROWING FLY BALLS. purpose: To work on the fundamentals of catching fly balls. players and Equipment Needed: Two outfielders and baseball.

Description: The outfielders stand 120 feet apart. One outfielder throws a fly ball to his partner who catches it and throws a fly ball back. They work on all different types of situations: to the right, left, front and especially going back on ball, over each shoulder and directly overhead. Practice watching the ball all the way into the glove.

0-11. DRILL: SLIDING CATCHES DRILL

Purpose: To teach players to slide alongside of ball making a shoestring catch. Teach outfielders that this method will prevent collisions with another player, a fence or a wall.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two outfielders and baseball.

Description: Drill can be done outside in the outfield grass or inside on a gym floor. Long sweat pants should be worn by outfielders to prevent injury. One player lobs a short fly to his partner who races in, slides feet first towards infield and catches the ball alongside his body while sliding. Each player takes about 10 tries and then exchange. Repeat this drill twice a week in the preseason until this fundamental is learned.

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0-12. DRILL: ALLEY CATCHES AND CUT OFFS - THREE MAN DRILL

Purpose: To teach outfielders to coordinate on ground balls and fly balls that are hit between them in the alleys or gaps.

Players and Equipment Needed: Three outfielders and baseballs.

Description: Two outfielders take their positions, one in center field and the other either in left field or right field. The latter is referred to as a "flank" outfielder. A ball is thrown or fungoed in the air or on the ground in the gap between them. The players coordinate in making the play, communicating who should make the catch and who should back up. In general, the center fielder takes a deeper angle toward a ball hit in the gap than the two flank outfielders. This means that the flank outfielder will pass in front of the center fielder in making this play. Therefore the flank outfielders will usually catch line drives hit in the gap above the waist because they are passing in front of the center fielder, and the center fielder makes a lot of low catches. On a high fly ball hit in the alley, the center fielder usually calls off the flank outfielder. The exception is a throwing play when the flank outfielder may have a stronger arm. This is one of the hardest ideas to teach outfielders, so spend as much time on this drill as you can. The more time you can devote to it the better your outfielders will communicate, and fewer fly balls will fall in. 97

0-13. DRILL: POP-UP DRILL

purpose: To teach outfielders and infielders to coordinate their catching of pop flies that are between the infielders going out and the outfielders coming in.

players and Equipment Needed: Fungo hitter, bat, baseballs, and the outfielders and infielders.

Description: Fungo hitter hits high pop flies into the short outfield area and the designated players work on the mechanics of the play. The key is the incoming outfielder reaching an early decision (by the fourth stride) and saying, "I've got it, " or "You've got it. ". In general, the outfielder has the priority on the call and must make an early decision whether he is going to take it or call for the infielder catch it. An early call will prevent collisions and injuries. All collisions come from late calls or no calls. You can have the right side working together: first baseman, second baseman and right fielder. You can have left side working together: third baseman, shortstop and left fielder. You can have the middle working together: shortstop, second baseman and center fielder. Spend as much time as you can on this during preseason. 98 Chapter 3

0-14. DRILL: TWO MAN PEPPER - SAME AS SB-13.

This drill is excellent for outfielders to practice playing the ball off the bat and working on ground balls.

0-15. DRILL: SUN GLASSES DRILL

Purpose: To teach players proper utilization of their sunglasses and not to lose the ball in the sun.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two outfielders with sunglasses, baseball and glove.

Description: One player throws a pop-up into the sun and the other player works on flipping his glasses down, shading his eyes with his glove and catching the fly ball. A player can throw pop flies to himself and accomplish the same thing. It takes coordination and practice to do this drill. If this is being practiced indoors, use a gym ceiling light as the sun. It's a small thing but it will prevent embarrassing doubles and triples - and ulcers from the pitchers.

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0-16.. DRILL: LEARNING TO TO PLAY PLAY THE THE WALL WALLDRILL DRILL

Purpose: To teach outfielders how to properly play fly balls that carry to the outfield fence.

Players and Equipment Needed: Outfielders near a fence, fungo hitter, baseballs.

Description: A fungo hitter, standing about 150 feet from a fence or wall, hits fly balls that carry to the fence and outfielders race back and try to make the catch. We teach outfielders to feel for the fence with their throwing hand and make the catch with their glove hand alone if need be. The key is to always get to the fence as fast as you can, find it with your bare hand and prepare to make the play. Balls can also be fungoed off the fence so that the outfielders get practice fielding balls that rebound off the fence. They must learn to judge when a ball can be caught on the fly at the fence and when to back off and field the ball off the fence. Part of the drill is to learn how to field a rebound, wheel and throw in one motion while picking out where the relay man is. The relay man must learn to shout loudly to identify where he is. It's imperative that you spend time on this drill because of the potential injuries that develop from running into the fence.

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0-17. DRILL: ONE-LOOK DRILL

Purpose: To teach players to hear the crack of the bat, take one look, race to the spot where they think the ball is going and make the catch. Great outfielders, Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle, had that great ability to take one look, race to the ball and make the play.

Players and Equipment Needed: Fungo hitter, outfielders and baseballs.

Description: Set up a couple of stations. The fungo hitter calls out "ready" and the outfielder assumes his outfield stance and looks at the ground. The fungo hitter hits the ball and, as soon as outfielders hears the crack of the bat, he gets one look to find the ball and then must race to the spot where he thinks the ball is going to come down and makes the catch. He is allowed only one look. The fungo hitter will try to hit two balls over the outfielder's head and the next one in front of the outfielder. I consider this drill the best outfield drill we have. Here's where we develop great outfield skills.

0-18. DRILL: LINE DRIVE DRILL

Purpose: To teach outfielders how to handle a line drive straight at them.

Players and Equipment Needed: Fungo hitter, outfielders, baseballs.

Description: Outfielders position themselves about 175 feet deep. The fungo hitter hits line drives right at the outfielder who must judge the ball and make the catch. The hardest play for an outfielder is the line drive coming directly at him because it is difficult to judge. It might sink, sail, break to the right or left, or keep coming right to him. We spend a lot of time on the "line drive" and the "one-look" drills. 10 1

0-19. DRILL: THROWING CONTEST purpose: To work on throwing accuracy to the bases. players and Equipment Needed: Fungo hitter, one infielder, outfielders and baseballs.

Description : From a deep outfield position outfielders throw balls on one hop to second base. They get one point for a perfect throw. Then they throw to third base. Then move them in to their outfield positions and throw to second and third. Then finish by throwing to home plate. Always throw from the proper distance so they don't hurt their arms. Make 15 throws each and the winner gets a prize. 102 Chapter 3

0-20. DRILL: PREGAME DRILLS

Purpose: To get mentally prepared for the game, to set the tone for the game, to impress the opposition with our strong accurate throwing arms, and, most importantly, to take pride in teamwork and team unity.

Players and Equipment Needed: Everyone in position, arms and legs stretched, warmed-up and ready to go.

Description: Develop your own warm-up routine to prepare your team for the game but do not tolerate any nonsense in pregame work, especially when they take the field for pregame practice. We have outfielders alternating throwing two balls to second base, two balls to third base and two balls to home. If they know the purpose of this drill they will realize its importance relative to the game, and they'll bust their tails. Then they break into two groups to work on catching fungoed fly balls and ground balls while the infield warms up on the field. The average pre-game time is 12 minutes, so a lot must be accomplished in a short time.

0-21. DRILL: IN GAME WIND SPRINTS

Purpose: To set the tone for team hustle and team pride.

Players and Equipment Needed: The outfielders in a game.

Description: Have your outfielders race on and off the field at the start of an inning and at the end of an inning. In a nine-inning game, this amounts to eighteen 50 yard sprints. That's a lot of good conditioning work if the outfielders treat them as wind sprints. But its psychological effect is much more important - your hustling outfielders establish pride and aggressiveness for the entire team.

0-22. DRILL: BETWEEN INNING WORK

Purpose: To have outfielders treat between inning warm-up drills as work time. Work on the long catch, work on ground balls, work on fly balls in the sun, etc. Have a purpose every time you go onto the field

Players and Equipment Needed: The three outfielders in a game and a fourth outfielder.

Description: A fourth outfielder has two outfield balls and an extra ball in his pocket in case one gets away on a poor throw. He races out with the three starting outfielders and they proceed to work on same drill. They have each inning programmed; first inning work on long throws, second inning work on ground balls, third inning work on sun flies, etc. Tr_ 103

0-23. DRILL: DRAWN IN OUTFIELD DRILL

purpose: To teach players to get in the proper position when the winning run is on third base with less than two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

players and Equipment Needed: Outfielders, baseballs and a fungoe hitter.

Description: Create the situation for the outfielders by putting a runner on third and saying there are two outs. The outfielders have to move in to the proper depth to be able to catch a fly ball and throw the runner i out at home. One call by the coach from the dugout during a game should bring them in to the proper depth. You might want to establish two possible depths by either calling "Half-way" or "All the way in". You make the call and see if they position themselves correctly. Then fungoe fly balls and have them cut down the runner on third base tagging up and breaking for home. Don't assume that the outfielders don't need to drill on this situation. They do! It must be worked on. When it arises in a game it is a crucial play and you don't want to create confusion and tentativeness.

0-24. DRILL: GAME AWARENESS DRILL

Purpose: To teach youngsters to be in the game all the time by constantly talking to each other and reminding themselves of each position and i situation.

Players and Equipment Needed: Entire team in their positions.

Description: With everyone in their positions describe a situation and have each player respond accordingly. Give them an inning, where the runners are, the score, the count on the batter, and describe the hitter (for example, a right-handed pull hitter) . Establish who talks to whom; the shortstop communicates with the third baseman, the left fielder and the center fielder, the second baseman communicates with the first baseman and the right fielder, and the pitcher and catcher communicate. Keep each other abreast of the score, number of outs, the count, etc. Outfielders should realize that if the count favors the hitter, he is more apt to pull the ball. If the count favors the pitcher, the ball is more apt to be hit straight away. They must know what pitch is called by the catcher. The middle infielders are responsible for relaying signs. They must be prepared and back up every play. During every play everyone has a position to cover and a specific responsibility. They are never to be standing at their positions as a play is developing in the field. Go over specific plays, such as first and third situations, during this drill by reviewing everyone's responsibility. This is a drill that determines your team's mental approach to the game.

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0-25. DRILL: RUN-DOWN DRILLS

Purpose: To teach the outfielders the mechanics of run-down plays.

Players and Equipment Needed: Entire team with baseballs.

Description: While you practice run-downs with the infielders teach the outfielders how and when to back up the bases. Occasionally, as they race into the infield to back up a rundown play, they may have to get involved, perhaps if another player forgets his assignment. For this reason we teach the outfielders the proper method of run-down plays and let them participate in the drill.

0-26. DRILL: WRITTEN EXAM ON OUTFIELD ALIGNMENTS

Purpose: To teach the outfielders by diagrams where they belong in every game situation.

Players and Equipment Needed: Outfielders with pencil and paper.

Description: Outfielders should be tested and graded at least twice prior to the season on all their assignments, especially on their positions in certain situations. I suggest that one of the outfielders be appointed a captain, so that he can lead the group at all times. I believe that baseball teams should have four captains: one catcher, one pitcher, one infielder and one outfielder. This leadership will greatly aid in the breakdown drills so necessary for defensive success. 4 TEAM DEFENSE DRILLS

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4 TEAM DEFENSE DRILLS

Thus far I have given you drills by positions, but often you' 11 do drills with the entire team. In this chapter I will outline how you can use these drills to organize your practice based on which skills your players must work on. All of these drills must be done often in the preseason. Once the season starts you can choose which would be most effective given the performance of your team in the last few games. If your players have learned these drills and your philosophy behind them in the preseason, it is easy to accomplish a great deal with them in a short period of time during the season, reinforcing your philosophy.

1. Team Catch - Everyone loosening up together, playing catch with a purpose; play catch like an infielder, play catch like a catcher, play catch like an outfielder and play catch like a pitcher.

2. Team Drop Ball Drills - Infielders working together, outfielders working together, catchers working together and pitchers working together all working on the mechanics of the drop ball drills.

3. Relay Drills - Break down into several groups with those players involved in relays getting ample time in the middle and relaying balls to the baseman.

4. Bad Hop Drills - Break down and perform.

5. Run Down Drills - Break into 2 or 3 groups and work on run down drills. This drill should be worked on at least twice a week for 15 minutes each time.

6. Defensing Bunt Situations - Team working together defensing all bunt situations. This must be done 2 or 3 times per week in the preseason and twice a week during season. Fifteen minutes of drill work should be ample time, take more time if needed. Do not neglect defensing the bunt.

7. Defensing first and third Double Steal Plays - Like bunt situations, this drill must be practiced frequently. Don't let the offense be the aggressor in first and third situations. Have the defense thoroughly prepared for potential offensive plays.

8. Defensing the Squeeze Play - Teach the team the proper mechanics of defensing the play. The catcher has to be alert and call for a pitch out when he anticipates the play. T 107 9. Defensing Base Stealing - Pitchers, catchers, infielders, all cognizant of time: pitchers use good moves to the bases, good pick off plays, pitchers use glide step to home, catchers aware of their release time. As coaches, we must spend many hours on this phase of defense. We must make every player on the defense aware that they can't give up a "free base."

10. Defensing Fly Balls: Establish a clear "Fly Ball Priority": Who has priorities on the catch? Who makes the call? No injuries will result through collision if these drills are taught properly. a. Infield pop ups b. Outfield gaps c. Foul line in short left field, foul line in short right field d. Short center field e. Pop fouls in front of dugouts f. Above the pitching mound

11. Pre-Game Defensive Drills - Sets the tone on how the team is going to play. Hustle, enthusiasm, knowing why the drills are done in a certain way. All throws on the money. Hustle, pride and excellent fungoe hitting. Good infield and outfield practice is only as good as the fungoe hitters.

12. Game Situation Drills - coach creates all situations, fungoes balls, has runners running and all the proper plays being made. Coach creates late- inning situations, shouts infield depth calls and the team knows exactly what to do. A coach should have his team so thoroughly prepared that he should be able to fall asleep in the dugout and not be missed.

13. Written Drills Game Situations - Coach prepares test with diagrams and tests the team on defensive situations. They must know where to go on every play.

14. Rule Book Test - All team members must know the rules. The coach will refresh his knowledge of the rule book by preparing and grading the test.

15. A Game of W.A.I.T. - W.A.I.T. means, "Why am I there?" Infielders and outfielders are put in positions by the coach in certain situations with certain hitters up. They have to realize why the coach has put them in a particular position. Example: Why does the coach want the infield all the way in, with a runner on third and the score tied in the second inning of a 7 inning game? Normally the infield doesn't come in until the late innings of a game. What's your reasoning coach? W. A. I. T.? Why am I there? In most cases, these situations have been covered in practice. Quiz your team thoroughly in the preseason so they aren't confused with your calls in a tight game. This drill avoids indecision. The better the team, the better the coach, the better the defense, the better the instruction in game situation drills.

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16. Double Play Drills - Do them until the players cry for help. The pitcher's best friend is the double play.

17. Individual Ground Ball Work - Field 100 a day if possible and throw a bull's-eye to the base. If arms get fatigued, cut down the distance.

18. Defensive Attitude - The coach sets the tone and the players pick up on it and they become believers. They take on the personality and philosophy of the coach.

Key words and phrases:

> No walks! > No stolen bases! > No errors! > Defense the bunt situations! > Defense first and third double steal situations! > Defense always knows the count, score, inning, outs: develop complete game awareness! • Great defense comes from great drill work! • Have complete confidence in their ability to make the play! • Confidence comes from the coach making positive remarks about performance!! OFFENSE 5 OFFENSIVE CONCEPTS 11 0 Chapter 5

5-1 THE MENTAL ASPECTS OF HITTING AND BUNTING

Here is a list of fundamentals of hitting. These fundamentals emphasize the mental aspect of hitting. Drills can make you a better hitter but you can become a great hitter only when you have the right mental outlook.

1. PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES "I must know my own physical capabilities and work at my game according to these capabilities."

2. MENTAL TOUGHNESS "I've got to be tough at the plate. No "lovey-dovey" baseball, no conversation, just be fierce and aggressive."

3. NEVER GIVE AN INCH "I never think for one moment that the pitcher is especially quick today, or he has a heck of a slider, or "no way I can hit his curve". As soon as these things creep into my mind, I'm conceding the edge to the pitcher."

4. BE READY "I must get "up" every time I go to the plate."

5. BE A GOOD TWO-STRIKE HITTER "The only concession I make to the pitcher is with two strikes on me I take a little off the handle of the bat, choking up an inch or so for better bat control. I think "middle" so that I keep my head in longer and I can be even more aggressive. Be really a "tough out"."

6. NEVER GIVE UP THE PLATE "No way is he going to drive me away from the plate with an inside pitch. The only reaction I have when the pitcher dusts me back or knocks me down is, as I'm getting off the ground, I look him in the eye and communicate that his death-hour has arrived."

7. THERES NO "I" IN TEAM "I must have the mental ability to hit with the team concept in mind. I must have the understanding that the team wins, not me. I must be willing to try and walk if we need a runner, bunt for a base hit if we are down, have the mental discipline to work at hitting the ball to the opposite field to take advantage of the open side to advance the runners. If I have to take a strike in a catch-up situation, so what? That's when I really bear down and get tough." Coach, once you convince your team of this concept of "team" baseball, not "I" baseball, you will be capable of coming back from any deficit - create the rally, bring the tying run r 111 to the plate, drive home the winner! 8. FAST BAT "Fastball or curve, it makes no difference to me. My bat speed is so good, I am so quick, that I know the fastball can't get by me. I can make the adjustment, so consequently, I can go up looking for the breaking ball."

9. PRE-GAME MENTAL PREPARATION "My concentration and thought processes begin long before I get to the park. I think about it in the locker room. I think and work on a game plan in batting practices."

10. GAME CONDITION PITCHING Game condition pitching is your most important batting drill. There are many ways to improve your hitting: batting tees, practice swinging on your own, flip balls in the air and hit them. These are all great teaching aids to get the proper batting form and mechanics, but the best batting practice is game condition pitching. I do not believe that "live pitching" should be anything but this. The best teaching aid in the batting cage is players pitching to each other, throwing breaking balls, fast balls, changing up, pitcher against hitter. The reason is that the most important thing in hitting is waiting. And it is only through live pitching that you pick up the spin and the pitcher's body action that tells you to stay back, wait and explode. It's pretty hard to do when you have only a fraction of a second to do it in. Once you gain proper hitting form, attain bat speed, then the ability to adjust to spin and variation of speed becomes the most predominant thing in hitting. "WAIT, then EXPLODE" - this can only be accomplished through live pitching.

11. THE BUNTING GAME Effective use of the bunt game will add 80 points onto your team batting average. a. Drag bunt for the base hit, then fake the drag bunt to keep flanks up. b. Have great command of your sacrifice bunts so they not only advance the runners but also result in base hits for you. c. Have the ability to swing away from a bunt stance and hit through an open diamond. When infielders are drawn in they have lost 50% of their fielding range. d. Then they will respect your bat control and not play in as much when a sacrifice is called for, so you can actually bunt for a base hit in a bunt situation.

12. SACRIFICE BUNTING The sacrifice bunting game is paramount for the success of baseball offense. Bunting starts in the mind. Here is the psychology of teaching

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the sacrifice: "I've got to WANT to sacrifice bunt". The word is "Sacrifice" bunt. Who is being sacrificed? YOU! You are giving yourself up for the team. What greater glory can a person have than to give himself up for the team's success. Everybody should know how to bunt and, on certain occasions, even the bombers should bunt. You must be able to slash hits from a bunting stance. Your hitting success opportunity has increased 50% because of the drawn in infield.

13. BUNT FOR A HIT Bunt for a base hit - this skill is paramount in my hitting philosophy. Here are a few pointers. a. Bunt first, then run - this is the most common fault in bunting. b. Left hand hitter - clear front foot, back foot strides at pitch, hands out, head down. c. Right hand hitter stride and "chop wood". d. Bunt on the chalk if you bunt foul, you get to bat again.

14. ANALYZE THE PITCHER a. What kind of pitch has he been throwing you? b. Does the pitcher fall heavily to one side? If so, bunt to the other side, he'll never be able to field it. This should be a dugout comment in the first inning.

15. CONCENTRATION a. Prior to the game - I must prepare myself for the pitcher that I'm going to face that particular day. Block out everything but him pitching to me. Visualize him in action - leg kick, release point, type of pitch, and actually attack the ball in your mind. Study him as he warms up. Hitting is a reflex action triggered by the eyes, so attacking balls in my mind is the start of visualization in hitting. b. Batting practice - I must have a good batting practice. Discipline myself to hit line drives. Don't try to hit home runs. Hit the ball to the opposite field, this will help keep my head in and track the ball from the pitchers release point. c. In the on-deck circle - now I'm really zeroing in, nothing distracts me, I can't wait to get up to the plate. d. At the Plate - No way he can get the ball by me. Relax, concentrate, fast bat. e. After the game - Reflect on your performance. How did he pitch me, what got me out? Recall the pitches, make a few written notes. Always use positive thoughts in these reflections. Even Ted Williams made an out 7 out of 10 at bats. Adopt a positive mental attitude, relax, forget about baseball, (see a movie or read a good book), come back the next day ready to go 5 for 5. Proper rest is a key to being a successful hitter.

16. MENTAL TOUGHNESS AT THE PLATE 11 3

The pitcher has the psychological advantage that he gets three days rest, three days to think about getting me out, plus the fact that they can bring in a fresh pitcher at any time of the game. Thus I have to psychologically get up 4 to 5 times a game. I have to get aggressive. I have to think, "that pitcher just slapped my mother in the face". That pitcher is no friend, and he's got nothing on the ball. None of his pitches can get me out. I'll rip him. 11 4 Chapter 5

5-2 OFFENSIVE QUOTES

1. You never have enough runs. 2. The game's never over until it's over. 3. We've got to get the tying run to the plate. 4. On base percentage, not batting average, is the most important offensive statistic. 5. Hit them where they ain't. 6. Know your capabilities at the plate and hit accordingly. 7. Sixty-five percent of runs scored by winning teams are scored in one inning. Play for the big inning. 8. There are 24 ways to score from third. Sometimes the problem is getting there. 9. Being a good drag bunter and the threat of being a good drag bunter increases you batting average by 60 points. 10. Don't strike out. In the old days, striking out was considered "worse than death". 11. In key situations the "team man" is glad to give up his time at bat to advance the runner. He wants the coach to give him the sacrifice bunt sign 12. Bunt on the chalk, if it goes foul, you bat again. 13. Bunt first, then run! 14. Team men don't worry about their batting average, they worry about the team's winning percentage. 15. The good hitters want to hit against the best pitchers, the others are no challenge. 16. A great slide will win a lot of games. 17. You don't have to be fast to be a good base runner. 18. Home to first is a 30 yard dash! What's your 30 yard dash time? 19. A good base runner doesn't need a third base coach or a first base coach, he has complete "game awareness" and runs on his own instincts. 20. Never give up! We are never out of a game. 11 5

5-3 HITTING AND BUNTING ABSOLUTES

A. HITTING ABSOLUTES: PREPARING TO HIT i. Width of Stance: The feet are spread to shoulder width, the back toe is turned on a slight angle of 15° towards the pitcher. Wide stance insures a "short stride." 2. Type of Stance: Slightly closed, the front foot is slightly forward from the back foot alignment, or at least a straight away stance. Slightly closed stance gives a good "length of stroke" to the ball. Length of stroke helps power hitting. 3. Plate Coverage: Position in the batter's box must enable the hitter to cover the outside of the plate with his bat. Bat length today in the major leagues averages 34 inches in length and 31 ounces in weight. Most hitters prefer to stand towards the rear of the box to give them a moment longer to pick up the spin of the baseball. 4. Weight Distribution: Weight is very slightly on the back foot. Don't put too much weight on back foot, as it will cause a lunging effect during the swing when the weight is shifted from back to front. 5. Degree of Knee Bend: Knees are slightly bent 15° to 20°. 6. Bat Grip: Bat grip is vital. The bat is held more in a finger grasp than in the palm of your hands, with the second knuckles of the fingers in alignment on the bat handle. This grip will give the best wrist action and popping of the bat. 7. Choking the Bat: Choking the bat is a lost art, but if the hitter wants better balance, he should choke the bat about an inch from the bottom of the bat. 8. Launch Position: Hands are parallel to the back arm pit and close to the body. Bat angle is 45° towards the head, extending from the shoulders. Front arm is relaxed and resting on rib cage. The back arm is not extended high in the air, but relaxed and close to the back arm pit. 9. The Trunk: The upper body, like the knees, is slightly bent forward (15° to 20°). 10. Shoulders: Level. 11. Head and Neck: Neck must be relaxed. Head must be kept steady without any bobbing, during the course of the swing. Use deep breaths and neck rotation to loosen up, it will help combat neck tension. 12. Eyes: Eye focus is paramount, any bobbing of the head will hurt the tracking process of following the ball. 13. Bat Action Prior to the Swing: Try to learn to keep the bat relatively quiet. The more pre-swing movement, the more chance of error. 14. Relax and Concentrate: If you're not relaxed, concentration is impossible. Tension inhibits body reaction. 15. Body Movement Prior to Swing: Limited body movement is okay. Don't get involved in a lot, because there will be more chance of error. Move to relax, then get ready to hit. 11 6 Chapter 5

16. Staying Tall: Hitter has to stay back which keeps the body tall. The key is to stay relaxed and concentrate. Now you're ready to "load and explode"!

B. THE SWING - LOAD AND EXPLODE. Here is a list of absolutes we constantly review with our hitters. Each idea has a name, so all we do is remind the hitter of the idea with one word or phrase. For example, I'll notice one hitter is taking too long of a stride, so I'll simply say, "Short!" and this reminds him to take a shorter stride. This simple way of communicating works even in the heat of a game. I have put the name of the absolute in parentheses.

1. Length of Stride (Short) : Keep it short - 6 to 8 inches. A short stride helps you to hit the off-speed pitch, like curve balls, change ups and splitters. It also keeps you from lunging at the ball. 2. Direction of Stride (At Pitcher) : Right at the pitcher, keep the front foot closed to the pitcher, drive hard off the back foot. Pivot the back foot and drive into the "explosion" portion of the swing. 3. Knee Positions (Bend) : Front knee 45°, back knee 90° towards pitcher. 4. Hips (Explode): Hips explode. The angle of the hips will depend on where contact with the ball is made. Outside pitch hip angle - 30°, middle pitch - 45°, inside pitch - 75°. 5. Shoulders (Must Load and Explode) : Will adjust to the height of the pitch. They must stay tall in the mind of the hitter. We call out "throw down" (the bat) , so the batter hits down on the ball, avoiding popping up. 6. Lead Arm and Lead Shoulder (Stay Closed): Stay tight to body, stay closed as the body is rotating to prepare for the swing. 7. Hands (Relaxed): The hands are relaxed and with the shoulders form a backwards C, coming up and cocking (the load) ready to explode at the ball 8. Wrist and Hands at Contact (Turn over): Wrists explode. Just prior to contact the front hand palm is down, back hand palm is up at point of contact. The wrists turn over after contact is made. 9. Bat Speed (Quick bat) : This is paramount. The load and explode create bat speed - the faster the bat speed, the further the ball goes. 10. Follow Through (Follow through) : Don't break the hands on the follow through. On belt high and higher pitches, the follow through will end over the opposite shoulder. On low pitches, because of the plane of the bat to make contact, the follow through will be above the opposite shoulder. 11. Hitting Concentration (Concentrate): a) You have to concentrate to concentrate; b) It's okay to look for a pitch, most hitters do. Looking and guessing are not the same; c) Work Ethic - Hit and hit some more. Game condition practice is always the best way to practice hitting. You must stay back and wait; d) Persistence - "No matter what, I will 11 7

succeed". You cannot get down. You must work out of slumps. 12. Gillespie Power Hitting Vest (A Coach on the Field): The Gordie Gillespie hitting vest works. In six years, I've never had a player fail to improve who has worn the hitting vest faithfully. We have hundreds of testimonials saying how much it has helped hitters. If a hitter wears the vest on all hitting drills he will show a marked improvement. 13. Type of Hitter (Team Note): Each hitter should know what type of hitter he is and gear his game accordingly. If the hitter is small in stature without a lot of power, then he should utilize the bunt game. He should try to become a person who draws a lot of walks. He is the "on base" man. He chokes the bat and puts the ball in play. Another hitter may be the power hitter who bats in the third position or the clean- up spot. The important concept is to know yourself and work at the hitting game accordingly. It is up to the coach to help the hitters realize their abilities and limitations and give them a hitting plan that best utilizes their talents.

C. DRAG BUNT AND PUSH BUNT: There are two different types of bunts, a sacrifice bunt and a bunt for a base hit. The mechanics of a sacrifice bunt are essentially the same for a right or left handed hitter. However, the mechanics of bunting for a base hit are very different for a right handed hitter versus a left handed hitter. The primary difference is in the footwork. We will first cover the sacrifice bunt. I. The Sacrifice Bunt. 1. The sacrifice bunt is the most under-rated weapon in baseball today. 2. Players must take pride in being able to advance base runners in the critical times of a game. 3. Players who execute the sacrifice bunt must be greeted in the dugout as if they have hit a home run. This sets the tone for the bunting game and its team importance. 4. Thirty percent of bunted balls in amateur ball are fumbled or thrown away. The bigger the game, the more chance for error on a bunt because of the tension of the game. 5. The batter, when receiving the bunt sign to sacrifice the runners to scoring position, ought to step out of the box and make an announcement to the crowd: "I am the luckiest player alive, the coach has just chosen me to sacrifice myself for the team. 6. Feet spread, batter is well forward in the box. Back foot walks up parallel with front foot as close to the front line of batter box as possible. 7. Knees flexed, trunk bent forward. 8. Head low and watching the ball onto bat. Just like playing a game of pool and the bat is the cue stick. 9. Hands and arms well extended in front of home plate, hands softly on the bat, set the angle at 45 degrees towards the third baseman or towards the first baseman, barrel up and "catch" the ball onto the bat. 11 8 Chapter 5

10. Run the 30 yard dash 11. Bunt, then run (not the reverse).

II. Bunting for the Base Hit: The Left Handed Hitter. 1. There are two methods of footwork. The easiest is from the hitting stance, pivot the feet in place while sinking the knees and body to a low position. While pivoting, the hands and bat are extended to the bunting posture. The bat angle is set at 45° towards the third baseman. Catch the ball onto the bat, bunt it 25 to 30 feet down the line and as close to the chalk as possible. Get out of the box and run all out to first base. 2. The second method of footwork for the left handed hitter is to bring the rear foot over the top and in front of the right foot. Step right at the pitcher as he is releasing the ball, get low, set the bat angle and run the 30 yard dash. Bunt on the chalk. Again, bunt first, then run. 3. On the left handed drag bunt, either of the above styles of footwork can be used. The hands are extended and the bat angle is now towards first base, and we try to bunt the ball between the first baseman and the pitcher, making the second baseman try and field the ball. 4. Left hand hitters should drag the bunt towards left hand pitchers because their follow through takes them towards the third base line. They should push the bunt towards third base on right hand pitchers because their body action is going towards first base. Right hand bunters should drag bunt towards third base on right hand pitchers, and push bunts towards first base on left hand pitchers.

III. Bunting for the Base Hit: The Right Handed Hitter We will cover the drag bunt down the third base line in detail. The only difference between the drag bunt and the push bunt down the first base line is the arms are extended more towards the pitcher and the bat angle is set toward right field. The batter has to "run through the ball", so to speak. Otherwise, the mechanics are the same. 1. Regular batting stance in the box. The hitter has read the position of the third baseman, he must not let the third baseman know he is bunting by any change in his batting stance. 2. Feet are ready for the quick adjustment of the bunt: right foot drops to the rear of the batters box while the front foot has a slight jab step forward. 3. Knees are the key to getting in a low position. The knees form a "genuflect" position. Right knee almost on the ground, left knee bent at 45°. 4. Back and trunk get low. Back is bent over 45°, bringing the head close to the barrel of the bat and the eye level as close to the ball as possible. 5. Arm position is set at the angle of the bat. The arms bring the bat quickly to the bunting zone and with the bat angle set to bunt the ball down the third base line. 119

6. Hands are soft, ready to feather the ball. The top hand slides towards the trademark and with a loose fingertip grip to meet and deaden the ball. The batter wants the bat to give way in his hand. Left hand (bottom hand) holds the bat firmly in a finger grip. Batter is taught to think he is "catching" the ball on his bat. 7. Head and eyes watch the contact of the ball onto the bat. S. Batter now becomes a trackman. From the low position of bunting stance, he explodes to first base. 9. With a stop watch, we time batter/runner in his "90 foot dash". 10. Break the Tape and Nod the Bag: At the finish of the 90 foot dash, he lunges his chest forward and drops his head toward the base (break the tape) to make sure he tags the front of the base. We call this "nodding the bag" with your head. Finishing properly determines whether you are out or safe on a close play. 11. The runner must now find the ball. After nodding the bag he looks into foul territory to see if the ball got away. He applies the brakes and prepares to advance to second base if there has been a bad throw. 12. At least once a week time your runners from home to first. Players will get faster times if they are made aware of their 30 yard dash time. 120 Chapter 5 OFFENSIVE DRILLS

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6-1 HITTING AND BUNTING DRILLS

H-1. DRILL: PRE-BATTING RITUAL

Purpose: To have a player develop his own mental pre-batting ritual.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a self-drill, a mental drill.

Description: Like a pilot checking his instrument board prior to takeoff, a hitter has a hitting checklist. He checks feet, knees, hips, shoulders, grip on bat, launch position, head, position in box, comfort zone, deep breath, front side relaxed, concentration and ready to go. Every time he goes to the plate he should go through his ritual. Constantly review each of your player's rituals. Let him know it's an important aspect of his approach to hitting.

H-2. DRILL: MIRROR DRILL

Purpose: To have player review his own hitting mechanics by using a full length mirror. Good hitters continually review their batting style. This is an excellent drill for frequent evaluation.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a self-drill . Full length mirror and bat.

Description: Hitter positions himself in front of mirror and goes to work. He should take 50 cuts at "phantom" pitches in all locations of the strike zone with concentration on the pitch location that gives him a problem.

H-3. DRILL: POINT DRILL

Purpose: To have a coach or partner help in checking the mechanics of the hitter.

Players and Equipment Needed: Partners, coach and player, bat.

Description: Coach gets 10 feet in front of hitter and says "ready", then points to a location in the strike zone. The hitter swings the bat through the location pointed to. The hitter.should swing at 25 pitches with the coach concentrating on his mechanics on each location and swing. If there is a mechanical flaw in one zone, the coach constantly points in the trouble area. 123

H-4. DRILL: STRENGTH PRODUCERS purpose: You must generate bat speed if you are going to be a good hitter. Bat speed is the essence of power. The following are exercises produce forearm strength. players and Equipment Needed: All of these exercises are one man, or self , drills.

Description: a) Finger Tip Push-Up: Do as many as you can, striving to get to 100 total. What you can't do from the fingers, do from the palms till the 100 goal is reached. To be done daily. b) Wrist Roller Drill: Five pound weight tied on a doll rod. Rope with weight attached is five feet long. Player holds the rod chest high with the weight on the floor. He rolls the weight to his chest and then slowly lowers the weight to the floor. The hands get excellent work with this rolling action. Do 25 repetitions. It is a difficult drill but the results are great. c) Weighted Bat Drill: A weighted bat should weigh no more than 42 ounces. Do not practice swinging a bat that is too heavy and swings the hitter. The hitter should take 45 practice cuts daily, then go back to his regular bat. d) Rope Skipping Drill: Speed skipping, or as fast as you can make the rope go for 30 seconds time, will give the hands and forearms an excellent workout plus aid the total body in conditioning. A 10 minute rope- skipping session, with 30 seconds "all-out", 30 seconds "easy intervals", will help bat speed. A heavy rope skip will have the forearms really burning. e) Tire Drill: Start with a set of old tires supported by a pole standing shoulder high. The hitter swings a bat against the tires. The hitters' mind set is that he is cutting down a tree. He takes one down swing and then one up swing. He should swing hard, the impact of hitting the tires will produce the feeling of hitting a baseball. Like the wood chopper, the drill will produce strength in the hitting muscles. This is a good practice swing tool.

H-5. DRILL: BATTING T WORK

Purpose: To work on the mechanics of hitting a baseball at various locations using a batting T. This is an excellent drill to isolate a particular pitch location and work on the necessary swing to produce the best results. T work, if done properly, is an excellent break down drill. It teaches the hitter proper bat angle to drive the ball to the opposite field, as well as location and bat angle to pull the high, inside corner, fast ball.

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Players and Equipment Needed: This is a self drill or a partner drill, baseballs or, preferably, tennis balls and a net.

Description: It is important to hit off the batting T properly. Young players seldom are taught the correct fundamentals of hitting off a T. A routine should be followed. Set the ball on the T at the location desired. Each location requires a different bat angle when swinging the bat. When hitting the ball to the opposite field, the bat angle is a 45° angle from the foul line. The ball is hit off of the back hip. To pull a high and tight pitch, the bat angle is 75° to 800, and the ball and bat make contact well in front of home plate. After the pitch location is established, the hitter should look out to an imaginary pitcher and his release point. He then proceeds to hit the ball. He must make sure his stride foot is on the ground well before contact is made. A common fault of T hitting is to have the stride foot in the air as contact is made. If you wish to gain the benefits of T work, you must work on "pitch location" for every swing and attack the ball with the proper swing for that location. This takes concentration and purpose. Very few hitters can hit to the opposite field with purpose. If they work off the T plus use other similar drills, they can learn to hit the other way and increase their batting average by 30%. 125

H-6. DRILL: BACK-SIDE FUNGOES

Purpose: To teach staying back and the proper downswing. It also can be used to help teach hitting the other way.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a self drill, a bat, a couple dozen tennis balls and a net.

Description: The hitter fungoes the tennis balls into the net. The most important part of the drill is to flip the ball into the air with the back hand and not the front hand. Flipping with the back hand and hitting the fungoe will remind the hitter to hit off of his back side. He must visualize that he is hitting hard ground balls to the shortstop. He hits the ball in the chest to the belly button area of the body and reminds himself to stay on top of the ball. This is the same thought process as in hitting the high fast ball. If he wants to practice hitting to the opposite side, he positions his body to hit that way into the netting. He flips the ball and attacks it off his back hip with the bat angle at 45° from the foul line. The hitter will feel awkward for awhile because of using the back hand to flip the ball, but after a week or so, they will have it mastered. Hit 100 balls; 50 high pitches and 50 opposite field pitches and spend 10 minutes daily on this drill. I consider it to be one of our three best hitting drills.

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H-7. DRILL: FLIP DRILL - PITCH LOCATION

Purpose: To concentrate on the necessary mechanics of hitting by flipping balls in various locations. This drill gives the maximum swings in the shortest amount of time.

Players and Equipment Needed: Partner drill; bucket of tennis balls and net.

Description: One player is the flipper, the other the hitter. The flipper should inform the hitter of the pitch location and continue to work in that location until the hitter is satisfied with those particular mechanics of his swing. For example, the flipper or hitter calls "high fast ball", then he flips 20 up and in. Then they work on the next location. I consider it imperative that pitch location be talked about and practiced with flip drills. Each hitter should hit about 25 flips and exchange until they each hit about 100 balls.

H-8. DRILL: GAME-CONDITION FLIPS

Purpose: To create a game situation flip drill.

Players and Equipment Needed: Partner drill; bucket of tennis balls and net.

Description: The flipper does not give location and varies the speed of the flip. The hitter has to react to speed and the location of the ball. The flipper has to allow the hitter to get set after each pitch. Change- ups can be created by faking to flip ball, then flip it. It's a fun drill and creates game condition pitching and reaction. By flipping a tennis ball quickly from 15 feet distance, the batter will have to react as quickly as if he was hitting a 90 mile an hour fast ball from a pitcher at a distance of 60 feet. Each player hits 25 and then they exchange. Hit 100 pitches total.

H-9. DRILL: SOFT-TOSS

Purpose: Pitch from 25 feet to give the hitter maximum number of swings in a short time period.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two players, bucket of tennis balls, screen and netting.

Description: Soft-toss is an elongated flip drill. Instead of being off to the side of the hitter, as he is in flip drills, the flipper is centered, kneeling behind a small screen. Thrower must throw and quickly get his head and body behind the screen for protection. Pitching from Y 127

25 feet increases accuracy and endurance of the thrower, and gives the hitter a maximum number of swings in a short time period. Pitcher throws firmly and can spin balls, mix speeds and location to try and give hitter a lot of different pitches. Mixing up pitches creates game condition hitting, so necessary in becoming a good hitter.

H-10. DRILL: TWO MAN PEPPER

Purpose: To teach bat control by hitting one hoppers to his partner and giving a batter the feeling of hitting "on top" of the ball. This drill gives maximum hits in a short time period.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two players, gloves, bat and baseballs.

Description: This is a two man game. They stand 25 feet apart and hit 25 one hoppers and exchange. There has never been a good hitter who couldn't hit pepper well. The better the hitter, the better the pepper player. Two man pepper creates more swings for the hitter because only two people have to exchange. In just a few minutes they can get in 100 hits.

H-11. DRILL: THREE MAN PEPPER - HITTING THE OPPOSITE WAY

Purpose: Pepper teaches the hitter bat control and three man pepper is used to teach the hitter how to hit to the opposite field.

Players and Equipment Needed: Three players, bat, baseballs.

Description: One player pitches from 30 feet. The third player is stationed on a 45° angle from the hitter depending on the type of hitter. The right hand hitter's fielder is stationed to the hitter's right, the left hand hitter's fielder is stationed 45° to the hitter's left. The batter hits a one hopper the other way to the fielder who quickly returns the ball to the pitcher, who throws another pitch to the hitter. Each hitter hits 15 balls and then the players rotate. This is an excellent drill to master mechanics of hitting behind the runner.

H-12. DRILL: THREE MAN BUNT GAME - SACRIFICE AND DRAG

Purpose: To give the players a maximum amount of sacrifice and drag bunts in the shortest amount of time.

Players and Equipment Needed: Three players, baseballs, bat and gloves.

Description: Players can use their gloves as the third and first base foul lines. One player pitches from a distance of 30 feet, the other player is the ball shagger. The pitcher calls outs "sacrifice bunt" and the location of the bunt, the first or third base line. He then throws the

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ball at a good velocity to the hitter who sacrifices in the direction called. The hitter bunts 10 sacrifices and rotates. The hitter then hits 10 drag bunts and rotates. The pitcher must fire the ball to simulate game conditions. Players can create competition by trying to bunt balls into their gloves like miniature golf. You can create competition by having three man teams compete against each other, scoring points for getting the ball closest to the glove. Coaches must always find time for the three man bunt drills. The better the team, the better they bunt. Championships are won by teams that can execute the bunting game.

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H-13. DRILL: GAME CONDITION WIFFLE BALL

Purpose: To create game condition batting practice in a small area with many players hitting without the fear of being hurt by a hard ball. This is a super indoor drill as well as an excellent pre-game batting concept for outdoors during the regular season.

Players and Equipment Needed: As many players as possible, divided into two man stations, wiffle balls, bats and gloves.

Description: Players pair up, one pitcher and one hitter. (The pitcher can use his glove to protect his face from a batted wiffle ball. It can sting.) The batter uses his glove as a home plate. In a gym you can use the corners and two middle stations for a total of six hitting stations. Players hit 15 and exchange. After two rounds of 15 each to warm up, they then go into the "game condition" concept. Game condition wiffle ball is fun and mixing pitches is the key to learning. Every game is a world series in itself. A league can be formed, standings can be kept and posted. I guarantee that there will be an immense batting improvement made if a proper approach is made to "game condition" wiffle ball. r 129 H-14. DRILL: SACRIFICE AND SLASH WIFFLE BALL DRILL

Purpose: To teach and practice the sacrifice bunt and to slash hit from a sacrifice bunt stance in a crowded area, without the fear of being injured by a hard ball.

Players and Equipment Needed: Players divided into two man stations, wiffle balls, bats and gloves.

Description: Players pair up, one pitcher and one hitter. The batter sacrifices one wiffle ball pitch, then, from a sacrifice bunt hitting stance, he takes a short quick back swing and slashes the next pitch, trying to hit a hard ground ball past the drawn in infield. Players take 10 of each and then exchange. Pitchers throw from a distance of 30 feet and throw fast balls from a stretch position.

H-15. DRILL: DRAG AND HIT BEHIND THE RUNNER WIFFLE BALL DRILL

Purpose: To work on the fundamentals of the drag bunt and opposite field hitting in a confined area, without the fear of players getting hit with a hard ball.

Players and Equipment Needed: Players divided into two man stations, wiffle balls, bats and gloves.

Description: Players pair up, one pitcher and one hitter. The batter drag bunts one pitch and then hits the next pitch to the opposite field. Batter hits 10 of each and then exchanges. Do as many as time will allow. If you teach a player to hit out of a bunting stance and hit behind the runner, he will probably lead the league in hitting.

H-16. DRILL: TWO STRIKE HITTING - WIFFLE BALL DRILL

Purpose: To review fundamentals of two strike hitting which are: choke up on the bat, think middle and don't strike out.

Players and Equipment Needed: Players divided into two man stations, wiffle balls, bats and gloves.

Description: Players pair up, one pitcher and one hitter. Coach yells, "two strike hitting". Pitcher tries to get a third strike by the hitter with a wiffle ball. The coach should use this drill any time he wishes during hitting drills. Keep reminding them: "Don't strike out." "Put the ball in play. " "Choke up. " "Move the ball. " "Think middle. " "Striking out is worse than death."

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H-17. DRILL: GAME CONDITION RUBBER BALL

Purpose: To learn the fundamentals of hitting and pitching by playing a one-on-one game with a rubber ball.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two players, rubber balls and a bat.

Description: One pitcher, one batter, a wall to throw against and play ball. Players make up their ground rules and play the game. A great way to develop as a hitter or a pitcher. The great Willie Mays credits his hitting success to playing stick ball. Many other city kids made the big leagues because they played rubber ball in the streets or on the play grounds. As a kid, there are many regulation size and weight rubber balls on the market. Encourage your players to play rubber ball because many of them have never played this game. I sincerely feel that children's baseball would be far better off if they formed two man rubber ball teams and competed rather than play little league baseball as it is today. Eighty percent of the kids playing little league are afraid of being hit by the ball. And why not? It hurts!! Eliminate the fear of the ball and there would be a lot more love for the game.

H-18. DRILL: INTRA-SQUAD BUNTING GAME

Purpose: To concentrate on the complete bunting game.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two intra-squad teams, coach directing the game.

Description: The teams can only use the bunting game for this drill. The players are allowed to drag bunt, hit behind the runner, sacrifice bunt and hit from the sacrifice bunt stance. The teams can play as many innings of this type of game as the coach desires. These four fundamentals are mostly over-looked by baseball teams and yet if a player masters these techniques, he will become a star. There is not one current major league player who has command of these four fundamentals. 131

H-19. DRILL: INTRA-SQUAD, TWO - STRIKE HITTING

Purpose: To teach the importance of not striking out.

Players and Equipment Needed: Intra-squad teams and coach directing play.

Description: Every hitter has two strikes on him when he gets in the batter's box. If you strike out twice, you can't bat again until the next game begins. You can play defense, but you lose your turn at bat. The team that strikes out the least wins the game. Regular baseball rules apply for the defense.

H-20. DRILL: PRE-GAME BATTING PRACTICE - WIFFLE BALL CONCEPT

Purpose: To maximize the number of hits and bunt attempts that a player gets in pre-game practice by using wiffle balls. When on the road, pre- game batting practice is usually confined to 30 minutes. That means that the coach is going to pitch batting practice (with the fear of getting hit in the head) because he is the only one who can throw strikes. At best, each batter will bunt two and hit six and you hope you get through the batting order once in the allotted time. For home games, you have more time to practice hitting, but nobody wants to pitch batting practice because their arms get sore. The first string catcher doesn't want to catch batting practice because he has to catch the game, or he's always getting nicked with foul tips. The second string catcher says that he will catch but the coach forgets to give him a chance to hit. I hope some of these examples might apply in your program, all of them did in mine. I have a solution and this is what we do and have done for the last six years. Wiffle ball batting practice.

Players and Equipment Needed: Full team, wiffle balls, bats and gloves.

Description: Players divide into partners with a bucket of wiffle balls and form six stations in the outfield Suppose you have 30 minutes for batting practice. In the first 6 minutes, each hitter hits 3 minutes of flip drills. Next, one player pitches from 20 feet and one hitter hits for 5 minutes, then they exchange. The last 8 minutes, 4 minutes each, the players work on bunt, slash hitting from the bunting stance and drag bunting. Totals - they will have hit 40 flips, 40 hits from the pitcher, and they will have bunt and slash another 25 balls. In 24 minutes, they will have hit or bunted a moving ball 100 times at the same speed as they would have seen in a usual batting practice (where they might have bunted two and hit six) . The problem is that some coaches might be embarrassed to incorporate wiffle balls into pre-game practice. I think it's better to win than worry about being embarrassed. By the way, I asked Will Clark what he does in the winter to work on his hitting and he replied, "I hit wiffle balls in my garage."

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H-21. DRILL: GILLESPIE POWER HITTING VEST

Purpose: To learn to keep the lead arm close to the body during the swing, thus generating bat speed and power.

Players and Equipment Needed: The player with a vest during hitting drills.

Description. The "Gillespie Power Hitting Vest" is a device worn around the chest and connected to the lead arm. It helps youngsters develop their hitting skills by teaching them to keep their lead arm close to their body instead of sweeping out over the plate. It continually reminds the hitter to swing the bat correctly. It is a must for young hitters. The hitting vest should be worn for all hitting drills.

H-22. DRILL: CORRECTING THE SWEEPING SWING - WALL DRILL

Purpose: To develop a quick swing and to get away from sweeping the bat.

Players and Equipment Needed: The player, bat and a wall.

Description: Hitter assumes his batting stance, facing the wall, with his feet only 36 inches from the wall. He then practices his batting swing trying not to hit the wall with his swing. He will have to be very careful in the early going because his "sweeping swing" will drive the bat into the wall. He will soon learn to keep his hands inside and tight to his body. His bat will speed up and he will soon be able to hit the inside pitch on the fat part of the bat instead of the handle, which is the result of a sweeping swing. The power hitting vest will aid him in getting the bat through the proper plane. 133

H-23. DRILL: TO CORRECT THE LOOPING SWING - WALL DRILL

Purpose: To correct the hitter who has a long, looping swing. The longer it takes to get the bat to the ball, the more chance of missing it or being late on the pitch. Loopers have trouble especially with high fast balls.

Players and Equipment Needed: The player, bat and wall.

Description: The player stands at a 900 angle to the wall facing the phantom pitcher away from the wall. He stands with his back foot one foot from the wall. He swings his bat at an imaginary pitch and because he has a loop in his swing, the bat will strike the wall. He continually works at the drill until he shortens his swing and breaks the bad habit of looping. He will be quicker to the ball and be able to get on top of the high fast ball.

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H-24. DRILL: CHAIR DRILL

Purpose: To make sure that the front side is not leaving too soon, getting the head too far out in front causing a "power shortage".

Players and Equipment Needed: one player, folding chair, bat.

Description: Player takes batting stance facing the phantom pitcher with the chair pressed against his back leg. He then practices swings to see how much space he has between his leg and the chair. If he has a tendency to get out too soon, there will be a large space between his hip and the chair. He must learn to stay back and hit off the back side if he is going to hit with any power. I

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6-2 BASERUNNING DRILLS

Many of our baserunning drills are done with shortened bases to give our players more repetitions in the same amount of time as if we ran the full 90 feet. We want to improve their mechanics without getting fatigued too quickly. For this reason we use "box drills", meaning that we set up a box with the players' gloves representing the four bases. This can be done anywhere on the field so we can set up several stations or boxes and get the entire team involved. You don't want anyone standing around. The length of the base paths can be as short as 45 feet depending on the drill. It's your choice.

B-1. DRILL: BOX DRILL - HOME TO FIRST BASE - GETTING QUICKLY OUT OF BATTERS BOX

Purpose: To teach players to get out of the batter's box quickly. Swing and explode the body towards first base. Coach, you liken the drill to track men practicing their starts from the starting blocks. Use several "box stations" so that all the players are working.

Players and Equipment Needed: Four players each with their own bat and four bases at each station.

Description: The four players form a square, 45 feet between bases. On a command from the coach, all the players swing at a "phantom pitch", break and run to their right to the next base. They should go around the square three times swinging, and then twice drag bunting and twice sacrifice bunting. The essence of the drill is to improve starting times from the batter's box. The bases are shortened to emphasize the one skill of breaking out of the box.

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B-2. DRILL: BOX RUNNING - STEAL OF SECOND

Purpose: To work on the break towards second base. Set up a couple of boxes so that all positional players are working.

Players and Equipment Needed: Four players, a pitcher, and four bases.

Description: Box is set up with 45 feet to each base. Each positional player takes his 10 foot lead off and looks at the pitcher in the middle of the box. The pitcher, from the stretch position, will feign a pitch to home. The runners will all break to the next base concentrating on their take off. Whatever method of start is taught, jaB-step, or cross over method, is up to your program. This box drill can give you 20 breaks in a few minutes time.

B-3. DRILL: BOX DRILL - DELAYED STEAL

Purpose: To teach players to utilize the delayed steal and practice the mechanics of the steal in a box drill.

Players and Equipment Needed: Four players, a pitcher, and four bases.

Description: Players take lead off and work on the delayed steal mechanics when the pitcher breaks his hands and pitches to home. The technique taught in the delayed steal is shuffle step, shuffle step, shuffle step and break for second. Each player can get 16 breaks (four times around the box) in three minutes. 137

B-4. DRILL: BOX SLIDING DRILL

Purpose: To teach sliding in a condensed area (45 foot box). We teach the fade away slide, the stand up slide, and sliding head first. players and Equipment Needed: Four players, a pitcher, and four bases.

Description: Player takes lead, breaks for the next base when the pitcher feigns a throw to home, and slides into the next base. The coach calls out the slide he wishes performed. If the drill is being used outdoors, break down in the outfield and take spike shoes off. If you are indoors, be sure sweat pants are worn and long sleeve jerseys are covering the elbows to protect against floor burns.

B-5. DRILL: BOX DRILL - HIT A DOUBLE WITH A SLIDE INTO SECOND BASE

Purpose: From 60 foot bases, work on the proper rounding of first base, tagging the inside of the base continuing to second base and sliding away from a phantom throw and tag.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two players, a pitcher and four bases.

Description: One player at home and one at second base who is using second as a home plate. The pitcher signs a pitch to the plate, the batters swing and run a course to second base, sliding away from a tag put on by the next runner-to-be. Players concentrate on rounding first base, tagging the base on the inside corner, going directly towards second base and making a good slide.

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B-6. DRILL: BOX DRILL - HIT A TRIPLE WITH A SLIDE INTO THIRD

Purpose: To give player a feel of rounding first and second base properly and then making a good slide into third base.

Players and Equipment Needed: Two players, a pitcher and four bases.

Description: Sixty foot bases. The batter/runner swings at a phantom ball and legs out a triple. Coach emphasizes foot work necessary to tag first and second bases properly and a good slide at third base.

B-7. DRILL: BOX DRILL - INSIDE THE PARK HOME RUN - COOL PAPA BELL DRILL

Purpose: To give player a feel of rounding all the bases properly and then making a good slide at home.

Players and Equipment Needed: Players and four bases.

Description: Batter/runner swings at phantom ball and player circles the bases. This is a great conditioning drill. You can set up the bases from 45 feet to 90 feet distances. We call this the "Cool Papa Bell" drill in honor of the great African-American speedster. Cool Papa Bell, a great player in the Negro Leagues in the first half of this century, is said to have run around the bases in 17 seconds. At that speed he could have beat the legendary Jesse Owens around the bases.

B-8. DRILL: STOPWATCH HOME TO FIRST - WHAT IS YOUR "30" TIME?

Purpose: To check runners speed from home to first - 30 yards. If you time your runners they will get faster.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a team drill. Set up several stations of home to first base with a person keeping time at each station.

Description: You can use a wiffle ball and a bat at each station, use flip drill, flipping wiffle ball at the hitter, who hits wiffle ball and breaks to first base. Each player should get timed four times and given his best time. Runners must be taught proper running mechanics, to break the tape at first base, to nod the bag with their head so they don't miss it, to break down after the tag of the base, and to look into foul territory to see if the throw got past the first baseman. A

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B-9. DRILL: STOP WATCH - STEAL OF SECOND BASE

Purpose: To make players conscious of their running speed to second base from their lead off position at first base, which is 10 to 12 feet, depending on the runner's ability to get back to first on a throw from the catcher. The Purpose is for runners to get faster by timing them.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a team drill. Set up several stations of first to second base with a person keeping time at each station.

Description: Players must slide at second base. The fastest time will be accomplished with a head first slide started at 8 to 10 feet from the base. The same drill can be used from second to third base.

B-10. DRILL: STOP WATCH - STEAL OF HOME

Purpose: To teach players to steal home and make them conscious of the time it takes to make this play. Home can be stolen a lot more often than people believe. It is one of the most exciting plays in baseball.

Players and Equipment Needed: This is a team drill. Set up several stations of third base to home plate with a person keeping time at each station.

Description: Runners take a lead off third base and look at a pitcher who goes into a wind up at each station. As soon as the pitcher starts his windup, the steal starts. The runner is timed from the start of the wind up until he dives head first across home plate.

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B-11. DRILL: BALL IN DIRT- RUNNERS AT FIRST AND SECOND BREAK FOR NEXT BASE

Purpose: To teach runners at first and second base to read the catcher's block of a low pitch and with the ball coming off of the catcher's gear to advance to the next base beating the catcher's block and scramble throwing effort.

Players and Equipment Needed: Pitcher and catcher in full gear, working on blocking pitches in the dirt.

Description: Runners take a lead at first and second bases, pitcher throws low pitch to catcher who blocks ball with his chest. Runners read the block, break for the next base and slide into the base. The catcher should scramble after the ball and go through the proper mechanics of throwing out one of the runners.

B-12. DRILL: HIT AND RUN DRILL - BOX DRILL

Purpose: To teach runners to break for second on the hit and run, to see the ball being hit at them, jump over ball and race to third base.

Players and Equipment Needed: Four players and four bases.

Description: Two runners break on the pitch (hit and run) and two players roll ground balls at them trying to hit the runners. The runners try not to get hit. Use rubber balls so that they don't hurt the runners. T 141 B-13. DRILL: BOX DRILL - WALKING LEAD AND BREAK FOR HOME DRILL

Purpose: To teach runners the proper fundamentals of the walking lead which is the essence of attacking home plate on an infield ground ball, a passed ball, or short wild pitch.

Players and Equipment Needed: Three runners, pitcher and a pepper hitter visible to all runners in the box.

Description: Players occupy three bases in the box, all working as if they were on third base taking a normal lead off position, plus two or three step walking lead towards home. The pitcher delivers the ball from a distance of 30 feet to the pepper hitter, who hits a ground ball back to the pitcher. As soon as the ball strikes the bat and takes a downward plane towards the ground, the runners break at full speed towards home plate.

B-14. DRILL: BOX DRILL - WALKING LEAD AND DRAG BUNT DRILL

Purpose: To practice the walking lead from third base, with the batter dragging a bunt and the runner breaking for home. This acts as a safety squeeze play. The batter has been alerted by a sign that he is to drag bunt on any pitch he wishes. The runner is aware of the sign and is ready to break to home as the ball is bunted.

Players and Equipment Needed: Three runners, pitcher and a pepper hitter visible to all runners in the box.

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Description: Players occupy three bases in the box, all working as if they were on third base taking a normal lead off position, plus two or three step walking lead towards home. The pitcher delivers the ball and the batter drag bunts and the runners break on contact.

B-15. DRILL: RUN DOWN DRILL

Purpose: To teach players how to get out of or break up a run down.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team drill with all players involved and rubber balls being used by the defense.

Description: The infielders will take half the outfielders and work on run downs. The pitchers and catchers will take the other half and run them down. Keep alternating the groups so that everyone who becomes a base runner works on breaking up the run down. The key for the runner is to break hard towards a base, trying to force an early throw by the defensive player with the ball. When the early throw is made, the runner applies the brakes and turns about, running in full force in the other direction at the player waiting for the return throw. He tries to line himself up with the defensive player receiving the throw so he can be hit in the back with the ball. Make each player aware that if he can run into the fielder while going back to a base (without going out of the base line) interference will be called on the defense. T 143 B-16. DRILL: RUNNING ON THE LEFTYS LEG LIFT

Purpose: To teach the runner how to steal second base by gambling on a lefty with a good pickoff move. As the pitcher's stride foot leaves the ground the runner should break towards second base. If the pitcher goes to first, the runner is taught to see the throw as he brakes, stay tall on his path to second base, get in line with the middle infielder receiving the ball and slide late trying to get hit with the ball in the back.

Players and Equipment Needed: Left hand pitcher, first baseman, middle infielders, rubber baseball and baserunner.

Description: The coach can set up a couple of stations creating this situation of running on the "lefty's lift." As the throw comes to first, the runner continues to race towards second, getting in the path of the throw, hoping that the throw will glance off him and go into the outfield.

B-17. DRILL: FIRSTS AND THIRDS

Purpose: To have the offense capitalize on the many ways offenses utilize the first and third "double steal" situation.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team drill, runners, total infield defense and a catcher and pitcher.

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Description: Offense is working their offensive double steals, while defense is working their defensive plays. One coach should control the offensive plays while another coach controls the defense. The offense has to keep in mind this axiom: with two outs, we must score the run before the runner at first is tagged out in a run down. The offense is trying to get the defense to trade an out for a run. Alternate the runners as best as you can. Game condition is the best way to practice first and thirds, both offensively and defensively.

B-18. DRILL: TAG UP DRILL

Purpose: To teach runners to tag up on fly balls and break to the next base as a fly ball is caught by the fielder.

Players and Equipment Needed: Box drill with all bases occupied and a coach catching a fly ball.

Description: Box drill with a 45 feet distance between the bases. Coach is in the center of the box. Set up a couple of stations. Runners take lead offs. The coach throws a pop up to himself, high enough for the runners to retreat to the base and break to the next base when the coach catches the ball. It will take two minutes to go around the box twice or do 8 tag up situations.

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B-19. DRILL: BEAR CRAWL AND SLIDE DRILL

Purpose: To teach runners to get over the fear of sliding, plus cushion the momentum and take away some of the pain when the thigh hits the ground.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team drill, players use their gloves as bases.

Description: Players form one line facing coach and throw their gloves 25 feet in front of them. The glove acts as a base for the slide. The players get in a bear crawl position (hands and feet on ground), they bear crawl as quickly as they can and slide into base. We work on our three types of slides, the stand up, fade away and head first slides. Players can do 20 slides in several minutes without hurting themselves. It's also a great conditioning drill.

B-20. DRILL: RUNNING TO THE SIGNS DRILL - PRE-GAME

Purpose: Every practice and every game, we practice our offensive signs while running sprints in the outfield prior to a game or at practice. This is a daily mental review as well as a good physical loosening up process for our players.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team drill, break into a couple of groups with two coaches giving signs.

Description: A group of players gets a sign from a coach, who then acts as a pitcher feigning a pitch to home plate and the runners break according to the sign given and run 60 feet. The other coach goes through the same routine at the other end and the runners go back and forth about 12 times. Coaches can use steal of second sign, steal of home sign, running on the lefties lift sign, first and third signs, walking leads, etc. The important thing is that the constant review leaves very little chance of missing a sign in the game.

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B-21. DRILL: RUNNING TO THE SIGNS DRILL - PRE-GAME

Purpose: Every practice and every game, we practice our offensive signs while running sprints in the outfield prior to a game or at practice. This is a daily mental review as well as a good physical loosening up process for our players.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team drill, break into a couple of groups with two coaches giving signs.

Description: A group of players gets a sign from a coach, who then acts as a pitcher feigning a pitch to home plate and the runners break according to the sign given and run 60 feet. The other coach goes through the same routine at the other end and the runners go back and forth about 12 times. Coaches can use steal of second sign, steal of home sign, running on the lefties lift sign, first and third signs, walking leads, etc. The important thing is that the constant review leaves very little chance of missing a sign in the game.

B-22. DRILL: MIRROR DRILL - AFTER GAME DRILL - REACTION DRILL

Purpose: To react to another runner and try to beat him to the next base or going back to the base.

Players and Equipment Needed: Team Drill, break into partners.

Description: Players break into partners, one player is a few feet from his partner, and directly behind him. He mirrors the player in front of him. Whichever way he breaks, the back man tries to beat him to his destination. We run this drill 20 times over a distance of 90 feet. Use this drill after a game to condition the squad and work on improving our quickness. This is an excellent drill for reaction and conditioning. It also is a very good foot work drill.

Final Remarks on Baserunning Drills: The key to running and sliding drills is trying to go all out on each drill. Running speed can be improved in two ways, running against somebody, or running against the clock. Sliding wins games. Players cannot be afraid of injury and must attack the bases without any concern for their bodies. 7 TEAM OFFENSE CONCEPTS

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TEAM OFFENSE DRILLS

In this chapter I outline the different offense drills we work on during the season. This list will help you organize your practices by letting you easily pick out the specific drills your team needs to work on.

7-1 HITTING AND BUNTING DRILLS

1. Mirror - Self Help

2. T Work - Location and game situation

3. Flip - Location and game condition

4. Soft Toss - 20 feet game condition

5. Back Side Fungoes - Getting on top of ball

6. Two Man Pepper - One hop get on top of ball

7. Three Man Pepper - Hitting the opposite way

8. Rubber Ball Drill and Game

9. Game Condition Wiffle Ball

10. Sacrifice and Slash Hit Drill

11. Drag Bunt and Hit the Opposite Way Drill

12. Two Strike Hitting Intra-Squad

13. Intra-Squad Bunting-Only Game

14. Wall Drill - Shorten the arch of the swing

15. Wall Drill - Shorten the length of the swing

16. Chair Drill - Don't let the front side leave

17. Strength Producers a. Finger tip push ups b. Wrist rollers c. Weighted bat d. Skip rope for the forearms 149 7-2 TEAM BASE RUNNING DRILLS

1. Box Drills - Home to first base a. Swing and run to first base - working on starts out of the box. b. Bunt and run to first base - working on starts out of the box.. c. Drag bunt to first base - working on starts out of the box.

2. Box Drill - Run past first base a. Swing and run to second base - working on starts and proper arch at first base. b. Swing and run to third base working on starts and proper arch at first base. c. Swing and run to home base - Cool Papa Bell Drill - Circle the bases.

3. Box Drills - Lead off drills a. Start at first base - Lead off - Steal second base. b. Start at second base - Lead off - Steal third base. c. Start at third base, Lead off - Steal home.

4. Walking Lead - Score on ground ball.

5. Box Drill - Working at first base using delayed steal to steal second base.

6. First and Thirds - Using double steal situation to work on set plays established by the offense..

7. Hit and Run Drill - Box Drill - Runners start at first, start to second base, jump over base, hit to right field, proceed to third base.

8. Box Drill - Tag up on fly ball drill.

9. Run Down Drills - Avoiding the run down tag play.

10. Box Drill - Ball in dirt drill - break for the next base.

11. Running on the Lefties Left Drill - Avoiding the tag at second base.

12. Bear Crawl - Slide drill.

13. Running to the Signs - Pre game warm up drill.

14. Using the Stop Watch to Improve Running Speed - What's your 30 yard dash time?

15. Mirror Drill - Reaction drill to increase speed and endurance.