If you ask any coach what the most difficult part of their job is, most of them would say “dealing with parents.” I have talked to coaches who have been coaching for several decades, and they agree that today’s parents can be more difficult and demanding than they have ever been. There is little doubt that while a good group of parents can make your season pleasurable, a tough group of parents can make the season a living nightmare for you and your players. You will never be able to totally eliminate all parent problems, and no matter what you do, you will never be able to eliminate problems from the most extreme parents. There is just no reasoning with unreasonable people. However, there are several things you can do to minimize parental problems and use parents to your benefit as a coach.
I feel that we have been fairly lucky at my school to not have a large amount of parental complaints and problems. I have heard some horror stories from coaches in our surrounding districts and I assumed that our parents were just different from theirs. It was brought to my attention that there are parental complaints in our district and they can be significant, but they are rarely directed toward our program. While I do believe that the parents in our district are knowledgeable about baseball and are very supportive of our program, I know that for the most part they are no different from the parents in other district, or in the other programs in our school. So why small amount of problems with our program?
It dawned on my as I was writing the first two paragraphs of this post, that this has not always been the case in my coaching career. I was a very young head coach during my first few years (I became a head coach at 23 years old) and I think we had problems at that time because parents did not know me and simply did not trust me. Having recently become a parent myself, I realize that your kids are the center of your life, and you always want to the best for them. So if a significant portion of their life is being controlled by someone they do not know or do not trust, problems may ensue. Many of the problems at the beginning of your coaching career are simply unavoidable. I do feel that as your coaching career moves on, there are several steps you can take to have more effective communication with parents and prevent many problems before thy start.
Start by give parents a significant role on the team. I believe that most parents want to be supportive of their kid’s athletic programs and want to help out in any way possible. Some may do this with the expectation that it will help their son gain more playing time. Make it very clear that a parent’s involvement in the team will have no effect on their playing time. Then do the more difficult thing which is to make it true. It very difficult to sit the kid of the parents who help make major improvement to your field, but if they are not one of your best nine, you have to sit them. The integrity of your program will be better off in the long run.
With that being said many parents do simply want to help, and they truly mean it when they say “let me know if there is ever anything we can do to help.” Your goal should be to find a way to have them enhance your program. We establish parent committees every year at our spring meeting. We have a Double Header Food Committee that is responsible for supplying food for each team between games of a double header. We also have a Spring Trip Snack Committee. This committee is responsible for supplying healthy snacks for team each year for our four day trip to St. Louis each April. Additionally, we have a senior day committee and a banquet committee. While we have several parents signing up for multiple spots, it gives our parents a way to become involved in our program and lets them contribute in a positive way. There are several other ways to get parents involved including field work and team dinners just to name a few. This approach can have two very positive affects. This will grow trust between the coaching staff and the parents, and you will enhance some aspect of your program, or take some of the work away from yourself. Remember, always make it clear that their participation in parent committees does not guarantee their son’s playing time, their son’s performance will determine that.
Getting parents involved is a fantastic way to alleviate many parent problems in the short term, but if you want long term success with parents in you have to start building a relationship with them before they get to you. Getting involved in the youth organizations in your area is a great way to start to build positive relationships. We have implemented many youth camps and clinics that help build that trust between our coaches, our players and the surrounding community. The biggest benefit to this is when you have do have to have a difficult discussion with a parent (and it will happen) they will be familiar with your philosophies and there will hopefully be some level of trust built up. It makes those conversations easier to have.
Some of the things we have done in past include, a winter, summer, and early spring youth camp. This camp allows young kids access to our players and our facility as we teach them the things they will need to know as they progress toward high school. If your facilities allow for it, invite parents to watch. We have also implemented a youth coaches clinic. This is one of my favorite days of the year. We host youth coaches from our organization, as well as from surrounding youth organizations to attend a free coach clinic. We usually try to have one or more guest speakers talking on a number of topics as well as having our staff present a number of various skills and coaching philosophies. This gives parents an insight into what will be taught at the high school level, as well as lets them see what your program is all about before they get there. This has been one of the biggest factors in developing trust between our program and the community.
As successful as the other camps and clinics we have implemented have been, by far the biggest hit has been our father-son camp. Dads and sons attend for 2 hours on two separate Sundays. At this camp we do not coach the kids at all. We coach the dads and let them coach their sons. We run through a variety of different offensive and defensive drills with the dads, and allow them to coach their kids throughout the camp. We also have father/son competitions where they can win official gear from our team. This has been a tremendous hit and it is a very enjoyable to day for the parents, staff, our players, and most importantly, the young players who attend.
Implementing the above ideas and developing positive relationships will not diffuse all parent complaints, but it will help to limit them. Some people are unreasonable and will find things to complain about no matter how great of a job you are doing. In the next section I will discuss the best ways to manage parent complaints in season and how to handle difficult situation when they arise.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Developing an athlete centered coaching style Part III: Troubleshooting
Sorry it has been a while since my last post. We moved back to Illinois from South Carolina and school began again (my real job). I wanted to write a quick post on some trouble shooting within developing an athlete centered coaching style.
When I began coaching the answer to any issue we were having on the team had two components, yelling and running. This was a very effective short term motivator and many times the behavior was corrected almost immediately. At the time, this was the only means I knew and I thought it was very effective because I was seeing results. What I noticed was, while I was changing the short term behavior, we were having the same issues every year. We were not making any long term change in our programs behavior. That is when I knew I needed a new approach. The teams were becoming "my" teams, not the athlete's team. I needed to make a change and take the team from my team to our team, then to the kid’s team.
Transitioning to an athlete centered team will not happen overnight. In fact, if you try to make the transition extremely quickly, it will probably fail. The players my first few years were so used to me running everything and telling them exactly how to behave in every situation that they would have fallen flat on their face had I suddenly turned it over to them. The transition needs to happen slowly (usually a couple of years). The most difficult question for me to answer as I was making this transition was “how do I discipline my athletes without yelling and conditioning?”
Below is a quick list of actions that can be taken to discipline athletes without conditioning.
1.) Communicate. If there is a problem, simply talking to athlete, listening to their side and expressing your concern over a behavior goes a long way. If the athlete knows you have their best interest in mind, a simple conversation will take care of 90% or more of the problems on a team and you will be surprised what you can learn by listening.
2.) Take a breather before making a decision. Many times discipline is dished out during an emotional time and this is when mistakes can easily be made. Do not let the problem sit too long, but make sure you are calm and collected and you have carefully thought through your actions prior to taking them.
3.) Take away a privilege. The obvious one in this realm is playing time in games, but I know coaches who take away practice time as well. We used to make kids run and do extra field work if they were late to practice, now we simply have kids sit out a portion or all of practice. Our tardies have decreased significantly (even at our before school practices in the early spring) since we switched away from conditioning as a punishment.
4.) Lean on your athletes. If there is a discipline matter that can be discussed with the entire team or with your captains, listen to them and get their take on the situation. We often think of peer pressure as a negative influence, but it can be surprisingly positive as well. If you create a feeling of family on your team, athletes will not want to let their fellow teammates down.
There are many other ways you can deal with discipline other than the traditional yelling and conditioning. I challenge you to be creative. The traditional means of discipline are easy because we are familiar with them and they do change behavior in the short term. Instead of short term behavior change, try to change the culture in your program to where certain behaviors are unacceptable because they will let the team down, not because they face the threat of conditioning or verbal reprimand.
When I began coaching the answer to any issue we were having on the team had two components, yelling and running. This was a very effective short term motivator and many times the behavior was corrected almost immediately. At the time, this was the only means I knew and I thought it was very effective because I was seeing results. What I noticed was, while I was changing the short term behavior, we were having the same issues every year. We were not making any long term change in our programs behavior. That is when I knew I needed a new approach. The teams were becoming "my" teams, not the athlete's team. I needed to make a change and take the team from my team to our team, then to the kid’s team.
Transitioning to an athlete centered team will not happen overnight. In fact, if you try to make the transition extremely quickly, it will probably fail. The players my first few years were so used to me running everything and telling them exactly how to behave in every situation that they would have fallen flat on their face had I suddenly turned it over to them. The transition needs to happen slowly (usually a couple of years). The most difficult question for me to answer as I was making this transition was “how do I discipline my athletes without yelling and conditioning?”
Below is a quick list of actions that can be taken to discipline athletes without conditioning.
1.) Communicate. If there is a problem, simply talking to athlete, listening to their side and expressing your concern over a behavior goes a long way. If the athlete knows you have their best interest in mind, a simple conversation will take care of 90% or more of the problems on a team and you will be surprised what you can learn by listening.
2.) Take a breather before making a decision. Many times discipline is dished out during an emotional time and this is when mistakes can easily be made. Do not let the problem sit too long, but make sure you are calm and collected and you have carefully thought through your actions prior to taking them.
3.) Take away a privilege. The obvious one in this realm is playing time in games, but I know coaches who take away practice time as well. We used to make kids run and do extra field work if they were late to practice, now we simply have kids sit out a portion or all of practice. Our tardies have decreased significantly (even at our before school practices in the early spring) since we switched away from conditioning as a punishment.
4.) Lean on your athletes. If there is a discipline matter that can be discussed with the entire team or with your captains, listen to them and get their take on the situation. We often think of peer pressure as a negative influence, but it can be surprisingly positive as well. If you create a feeling of family on your team, athletes will not want to let their fellow teammates down.
There are many other ways you can deal with discipline other than the traditional yelling and conditioning. I challenge you to be creative. The traditional means of discipline are easy because we are familiar with them and they do change behavior in the short term. Instead of short term behavior change, try to change the culture in your program to where certain behaviors are unacceptable because they will let the team down, not because they face the threat of conditioning or verbal reprimand.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Developing an Athlete Centered Coaching Style: Part II
If you read my last post, you know that I am a huge proponent of a coaching style that revolves around the athlete and not the coach or coaching staff. I know that there are many different styles, and many people have success with all kinds of different methods. I don’t even know if an athlete centered style is the best way to get the most out of an individual team in a given year. It is very possible that a much more demanding “motivate through fear” style may very well work better in than an athlete centered coaching style in terms of wins and losses. So why, if I am not sure that this method gets the most out of players, and if it may be possible I could have more successful teams in other methods do I believe that this coaching style is best for me and my teams? It is the best method for me because it is the best way to teach young athletes how to be problem solvers, how to think on their feet, how to play under pressure, and how to develop as people.
Before I get to some of my tips for how you can foster this on your team, I want to give you a few examples from our past season that will give you an idea of the reasons I chose this type of style. At the beginning of our season, our coaching staff had several discussions about the lack of heart we were seeing, about the lack of leadership among the players, and about some of the off field decisions that were being made amongst some of our players. A prime example of this took place at the end of our Spring trip. We were to leave at 7am the next morning and we had a 5 hour bus ride ahead of us before playing a game against a very talented team. On the bus ride up, it came to our attention that several of our players had stayed up well into the early morning hours in their rooms the night before. We came out very sluggish, and played very sloppy baseball that next day. We did actually win that game, but keep in mind that this coaching style is not about wins and losses, it is about how do you play on a given day, and what can you do to make yourselves better.
After this game, several others like it, a few disciplinary issues, and a few of those sloppy games that turned into ugly losses, we were at a crossroads in our season. It seemed as though this group was not capable of developing leadership, and was not developing the internal motivation that is necessary to be successful under an athlete centered leadership style. As a staff we discussed abandoning the athlete centered coaching style and taking more control of the team. The players on the team were very talented and we would have been able to have a successful season from a wins and losses perspective had we turned to a coach centered style. And while we did take a few steps to correct some of the minor disciplinary issues we were seeing, we ended up going in the opposite direction. At our next practice I publicly challenged each individual player and coach, including myself, spelling out exactly what that individual needed to do to make us a successful team. After doing this, we stepped back further as a staff and let the players make or break their season. To my surprise, the players that we challenged to be come leaders did. They began holding others accountable for their effort, their off field actions, and their contributions to the team. The effort in practice was elevated, the level of play on the field was elevated, and we focused on our play on the field, not the results or what other thought of us. In the end, it turned out to be arguably the most successful team in our school’s history, and certainly the best success story of a team coming together that I have seen as a coach.
The second example of how an athlete centered coaching method worked for us this year was on display in one of our biggest plays of the season. In the Sectional semifinal, with a runner on third and one out in a one run ballgame, our opponents attempted a suicide squeeze. Our pitcher threw a pitch high and inside forcing the batter to abandon his squeeze attempt, and leading to their runner being out in a rundown between home and third. This was the absolute correct play by him, but he had never once practiced that in practice and had never done it before in a game. Why was he able to make a play that he had never practiced before in the highest leverage situation of our season? I believe it is because he was not afraid to make a mistake. We had discussed that situation, and every time we are simulating suicide squeezes, I jokingly told our pitchers that if they buzzed the tower on me (I simulate the hitter in our bunt defenses) it would be the last last thing they did. This obviously stuck in his head, and combined with the fact that he knew that if he took a chance, and it didn’t work, I would not breathing down his neck dwelling on his mistake, and he would not be blamed for a loss, led to him making our play of the year.
Here are a few of the things you can to do move toward this athlete centered coaching style.
1.) Clearly define roles for each player (and coach) at several points during the season.
2.) Give each player a path to success for they to maximize their potential, then put the ball in their court to follow through on it.
3.) Have athletes (not just captains) lead as many activities as possible in practice.
4.) Create a competitive atmosphere in practice where players have to make decisions, and make plays, not just follow the coaches instruction.
5.) Put pressure on players in practice, make it game like
6.) Treat mistakes as learning opportunities, not as punishable offenses.
7.) Allow athletes to make choices whenever possible, listen to their input, and take what they have to say seriously.
8.) If you raise your voice, make sure you do so at a meaningful time. If you constantly yell, it will lose its effect, and your messages will be lost.
9.) Discern between mistakes that are made because of a lack of knowledge, a lack of skill, or a lack of effort. If a mistake is made because of a lack of knowledge, teach. If a mistake is made because of a lack of skill, practice. If a mistake is made because of a lack of effort, motivate.
10.) End practices and/or games on a light note. We end ours with a joke because no matter what happened in that practice or game, there are more important things in the world than baseball, it should be kept in perspective. I believe this also helps with players not being afraid to make mistakes.
I will have one more quick post on athlete centered coaching which will cover trouble shooting an athlete centered team.
Before I get to some of my tips for how you can foster this on your team, I want to give you a few examples from our past season that will give you an idea of the reasons I chose this type of style. At the beginning of our season, our coaching staff had several discussions about the lack of heart we were seeing, about the lack of leadership among the players, and about some of the off field decisions that were being made amongst some of our players. A prime example of this took place at the end of our Spring trip. We were to leave at 7am the next morning and we had a 5 hour bus ride ahead of us before playing a game against a very talented team. On the bus ride up, it came to our attention that several of our players had stayed up well into the early morning hours in their rooms the night before. We came out very sluggish, and played very sloppy baseball that next day. We did actually win that game, but keep in mind that this coaching style is not about wins and losses, it is about how do you play on a given day, and what can you do to make yourselves better.
After this game, several others like it, a few disciplinary issues, and a few of those sloppy games that turned into ugly losses, we were at a crossroads in our season. It seemed as though this group was not capable of developing leadership, and was not developing the internal motivation that is necessary to be successful under an athlete centered leadership style. As a staff we discussed abandoning the athlete centered coaching style and taking more control of the team. The players on the team were very talented and we would have been able to have a successful season from a wins and losses perspective had we turned to a coach centered style. And while we did take a few steps to correct some of the minor disciplinary issues we were seeing, we ended up going in the opposite direction. At our next practice I publicly challenged each individual player and coach, including myself, spelling out exactly what that individual needed to do to make us a successful team. After doing this, we stepped back further as a staff and let the players make or break their season. To my surprise, the players that we challenged to be come leaders did. They began holding others accountable for their effort, their off field actions, and their contributions to the team. The effort in practice was elevated, the level of play on the field was elevated, and we focused on our play on the field, not the results or what other thought of us. In the end, it turned out to be arguably the most successful team in our school’s history, and certainly the best success story of a team coming together that I have seen as a coach.
The second example of how an athlete centered coaching method worked for us this year was on display in one of our biggest plays of the season. In the Sectional semifinal, with a runner on third and one out in a one run ballgame, our opponents attempted a suicide squeeze. Our pitcher threw a pitch high and inside forcing the batter to abandon his squeeze attempt, and leading to their runner being out in a rundown between home and third. This was the absolute correct play by him, but he had never once practiced that in practice and had never done it before in a game. Why was he able to make a play that he had never practiced before in the highest leverage situation of our season? I believe it is because he was not afraid to make a mistake. We had discussed that situation, and every time we are simulating suicide squeezes, I jokingly told our pitchers that if they buzzed the tower on me (I simulate the hitter in our bunt defenses) it would be the last last thing they did. This obviously stuck in his head, and combined with the fact that he knew that if he took a chance, and it didn’t work, I would not breathing down his neck dwelling on his mistake, and he would not be blamed for a loss, led to him making our play of the year.
Here are a few of the things you can to do move toward this athlete centered coaching style.
1.) Clearly define roles for each player (and coach) at several points during the season.
2.) Give each player a path to success for they to maximize their potential, then put the ball in their court to follow through on it.
3.) Have athletes (not just captains) lead as many activities as possible in practice.
4.) Create a competitive atmosphere in practice where players have to make decisions, and make plays, not just follow the coaches instruction.
5.) Put pressure on players in practice, make it game like
6.) Treat mistakes as learning opportunities, not as punishable offenses.
7.) Allow athletes to make choices whenever possible, listen to their input, and take what they have to say seriously.
8.) If you raise your voice, make sure you do so at a meaningful time. If you constantly yell, it will lose its effect, and your messages will be lost.
9.) Discern between mistakes that are made because of a lack of knowledge, a lack of skill, or a lack of effort. If a mistake is made because of a lack of knowledge, teach. If a mistake is made because of a lack of skill, practice. If a mistake is made because of a lack of effort, motivate.
10.) End practices and/or games on a light note. We end ours with a joke because no matter what happened in that practice or game, there are more important things in the world than baseball, it should be kept in perspective. I believe this also helps with players not being afraid to make mistakes.
I will have one more quick post on athlete centered coaching which will cover trouble shooting an athlete centered team.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Developing an Athlete Centered Coaching Style: Part I
There are several different coaching philosophies that have produced on the field results. Fans of professional and college sports teams often think that a coach who is constantly yelling is constantly coaching. Listen to a local sports talk radio station of a struggling team and you will hear several callers declare that the current coach should be fired and someone needs to “light a fire” under the players. What does that phrase really mean? Several coaches have had successful careers by “lighting fires” under their players and getting them to do what is expected of them by being forceful, threatening and frightening. The all time wins leader in NCAA basketball history, Bobby Knight, made a living out of “lighting fires” under his players. His methods were considered very old school, and many fans romanticize about coaches like Bobby Knight and feel that his methods are the best way to get the most out of kids and professional athletes alike.
I would like to respectfully disagree with those people who feel that this method of coaching is the most effective. Again, this “coach as a tyrant model” can get results on the field, but what are we teaching these athletes about decision making, about having confidence in themselves, and about being leaders? One of the major objectives of youth sports should be to develop character in our players. If we simply give orders, and make demands on them, all they will learn how to do is to take orders and follow directions. These abilities are valuable and will serve the athlete well later in life, but later in life, their future employers are looking for someone who can be a leader, think critically and make decisions. These are the qualities I believe we should be bringing out and developing in our athletes.
It is my belief that the best method to both get results on the field and in an athlete’s life is by adopting an athlete centered coaching style. Without doubt the toughest thing about adopting an athlete centered coaching philosophy is the coach’s feeling of a loss of control. As a coach we believe we should be the leader of the team. Even though this thought process is correct, think about how a well run business is organized. The CEO (coach) has a board of trustees and managers below them (assistant coaches and/or captains) who lead innovative, creative, and independent employees (remainder of your players). If a multimillion dollar corporation can succeed by giving power to people who work for the CEO, surely a youth, high school or college sports team can run in a similar fashion.
One thing that will calm the coach’s fear about giving up some of the control of his team is to understand how much of the control should be given to his players and assistant coaches. The first thing a head coach should do is to make an honest assessment of how much his assistants and players are capable of doing on their own. Assistant coaches who are very knowledgeable can be given a lot of control. If your assistants are new, or not very knowledgeable, it is the head coach’s job to help them grow as coaches, and to give them one or two areas of the game learn and be in control of at practices and during games. Start them small and as their confidence and knowledge grows, so can their responsibilities.
The same can be said for your players. If you have a veteran group of players, you can give them a lot of control of practices, and have some input on in-game decisions. However, if you have a young, inexperienced team, you (and hopefully your assistants) are going to have to do a lot of the instruction yourself. Remember the ultimate goal should be to give control to your players as the season goes on. Look for ways you can have athletes run drills. Continue to give them more and more control as they get more and more comfortable. If you have a few players who stand out as leaders, look for ways to give those players more responsibility.
The transition from a coach centered team to an athlete centered team is a difficult one for a coach to make, and it must be made at the right pace. If it is made too quickly, you will see your team’s on field performance slip due to a lack of direction and instruction, if you make the move too slowly, you will be stifling your assistant coaches and players development as problem solvers and leaders.
The next few posts will describe ways to transition from a coach centered team to an athlete centered team.
I would like to respectfully disagree with those people who feel that this method of coaching is the most effective. Again, this “coach as a tyrant model” can get results on the field, but what are we teaching these athletes about decision making, about having confidence in themselves, and about being leaders? One of the major objectives of youth sports should be to develop character in our players. If we simply give orders, and make demands on them, all they will learn how to do is to take orders and follow directions. These abilities are valuable and will serve the athlete well later in life, but later in life, their future employers are looking for someone who can be a leader, think critically and make decisions. These are the qualities I believe we should be bringing out and developing in our athletes.
It is my belief that the best method to both get results on the field and in an athlete’s life is by adopting an athlete centered coaching style. Without doubt the toughest thing about adopting an athlete centered coaching philosophy is the coach’s feeling of a loss of control. As a coach we believe we should be the leader of the team. Even though this thought process is correct, think about how a well run business is organized. The CEO (coach) has a board of trustees and managers below them (assistant coaches and/or captains) who lead innovative, creative, and independent employees (remainder of your players). If a multimillion dollar corporation can succeed by giving power to people who work for the CEO, surely a youth, high school or college sports team can run in a similar fashion.
One thing that will calm the coach’s fear about giving up some of the control of his team is to understand how much of the control should be given to his players and assistant coaches. The first thing a head coach should do is to make an honest assessment of how much his assistants and players are capable of doing on their own. Assistant coaches who are very knowledgeable can be given a lot of control. If your assistants are new, or not very knowledgeable, it is the head coach’s job to help them grow as coaches, and to give them one or two areas of the game learn and be in control of at practices and during games. Start them small and as their confidence and knowledge grows, so can their responsibilities.
The same can be said for your players. If you have a veteran group of players, you can give them a lot of control of practices, and have some input on in-game decisions. However, if you have a young, inexperienced team, you (and hopefully your assistants) are going to have to do a lot of the instruction yourself. Remember the ultimate goal should be to give control to your players as the season goes on. Look for ways you can have athletes run drills. Continue to give them more and more control as they get more and more comfortable. If you have a few players who stand out as leaders, look for ways to give those players more responsibility.
The transition from a coach centered team to an athlete centered team is a difficult one for a coach to make, and it must be made at the right pace. If it is made too quickly, you will see your team’s on field performance slip due to a lack of direction and instruction, if you make the move too slowly, you will be stifling your assistant coaches and players development as problem solvers and leaders.
The next few posts will describe ways to transition from a coach centered team to an athlete centered team.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Scoring Runs Without Hitting Part IV: Helping players out of slumps
Even great players such as Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, and Alex Rodriguez go through slumps at some point each season. Jeter once went 0-21, Pujols, who is one of the greatest home run hitters of all time, went 110 at bats (almost 1/6 of a season) without hitting a home run, and Arod has gone 0-21 on two separate occasions in his career. Stories like this can sometimes help athletes who may be going through a tough period at the plate themselves.
Young athletes who are in slumps feel as though the pressure of the world is on their shoulder. In the cases of Jeter, Pujols and Arod, there is a lot of external pressure from fans and media, but that is not to say that what your players is dealing with is any less stressful. With young athletes, virtually all of the pressure they feel from a slump is self imposed or is external from parents and coaches. Let’s examine what you can do as a coach or parent to help your athlete break out of a slump.
Most young players will look for something external to blame their slump on. The most common culprits will be the umpires and their equipment. It is important that as a coach you are teaching your players from day one that they should only worry about things they can control, they cannot control the umpire’s calls and should not spend much of their time and effort worrying about them. It is also important that you practice what you preach. If you are telling your players not to worry about umpires, you had better set a good example.
Young players will also look toward their equipment, specifically their bat, as an excuse for their slump. If this is happening, the coach or parent should examine the player’s bat to ensure that it is not too big, too heavy, too short, or too light. If the overall size of the bat fits the player, that is one more thing that we should not allow our players to use as an excuse for their slump. Point out to them recent success they have had with that bat and try to minimize any discussion focused on their equipment as a reason for their struggles.
The fact of the matter is, the slump doesn’t need to be “blamed” on anything. As you have seen above, slumps happen to even the best players. The coach and player should focus their energy on changing whatever may be actually causing the slump. Sometimes it is literally just a string of bad luck. If the player been hitting the ball hard and taking quality, productive at bats, they really aren’t in a slump, they are just not getting results. If this is the case, encourage your hitter to keep doing exactly what he has been doing, he will see positive results eventually.
Players also believe that if they are in a slump they must be doing something mechanically wrong. This is not always the case. It is entirely possible that their swing is exactly the same as it was when they were having more success. If there is something minor that can be adjusted, make that adjustment, but I caution you against making major swing changes during a season when you are playing games on a regular basis. Making the change will be very difficult, and you will likely see a decrease in performance as the change is being made.
In my opinion, the best thing you can do for a slumping player is to help them keep their mind quiet while they are at the plate. One of the simplest things a hitter can think during their at bat is “get a good pitch to hit.” This may be the ultimate culprit of their slump anyways. No matter how quick their hands are, or how flawless their swing mechanics, if they are swinging at bad pitches to hit, they will not be very successful. Likewise, even if a player’s swing is flawed, or they are not the most talented hitter, they give themselves a good chance to hit if they swing at good pitches to hit.
As you can tell, slumps are as much or more mental than they are physical. Your role as a coach or hitting instructor can often be one of a psychologist when dealing with a struggling player. By keeping this one thought in their head and not cluttering their mind with complex swing thoughts, and the external baggage that goes along with a slump, you give your player a good chance of getting back on track and busting out of their slump. This approach can also be used if you have a team that is going through a slump. Instead of trying to correct individual swings, or putting pressure on your team by demanding they improve their performance, simplify everyone’s approach to “get a good pitch to hit.” Emphasize that if they do this, they have had a successful at bat regardless of the outcome.
Summary:
I hope you have enjoyed reading my four part series on how to maximize your offense when your team is not hitting. I will be adding a special, timely post on how to help ensure your player's safety during the extreme heat many of us are dealing with.
Young athletes who are in slumps feel as though the pressure of the world is on their shoulder. In the cases of Jeter, Pujols and Arod, there is a lot of external pressure from fans and media, but that is not to say that what your players is dealing with is any less stressful. With young athletes, virtually all of the pressure they feel from a slump is self imposed or is external from parents and coaches. Let’s examine what you can do as a coach or parent to help your athlete break out of a slump.
Most young players will look for something external to blame their slump on. The most common culprits will be the umpires and their equipment. It is important that as a coach you are teaching your players from day one that they should only worry about things they can control, they cannot control the umpire’s calls and should not spend much of their time and effort worrying about them. It is also important that you practice what you preach. If you are telling your players not to worry about umpires, you had better set a good example.
Young players will also look toward their equipment, specifically their bat, as an excuse for their slump. If this is happening, the coach or parent should examine the player’s bat to ensure that it is not too big, too heavy, too short, or too light. If the overall size of the bat fits the player, that is one more thing that we should not allow our players to use as an excuse for their slump. Point out to them recent success they have had with that bat and try to minimize any discussion focused on their equipment as a reason for their struggles.
The fact of the matter is, the slump doesn’t need to be “blamed” on anything. As you have seen above, slumps happen to even the best players. The coach and player should focus their energy on changing whatever may be actually causing the slump. Sometimes it is literally just a string of bad luck. If the player been hitting the ball hard and taking quality, productive at bats, they really aren’t in a slump, they are just not getting results. If this is the case, encourage your hitter to keep doing exactly what he has been doing, he will see positive results eventually.
Players also believe that if they are in a slump they must be doing something mechanically wrong. This is not always the case. It is entirely possible that their swing is exactly the same as it was when they were having more success. If there is something minor that can be adjusted, make that adjustment, but I caution you against making major swing changes during a season when you are playing games on a regular basis. Making the change will be very difficult, and you will likely see a decrease in performance as the change is being made.
In my opinion, the best thing you can do for a slumping player is to help them keep their mind quiet while they are at the plate. One of the simplest things a hitter can think during their at bat is “get a good pitch to hit.” This may be the ultimate culprit of their slump anyways. No matter how quick their hands are, or how flawless their swing mechanics, if they are swinging at bad pitches to hit, they will not be very successful. Likewise, even if a player’s swing is flawed, or they are not the most talented hitter, they give themselves a good chance to hit if they swing at good pitches to hit.
As you can tell, slumps are as much or more mental than they are physical. Your role as a coach or hitting instructor can often be one of a psychologist when dealing with a struggling player. By keeping this one thought in their head and not cluttering their mind with complex swing thoughts, and the external baggage that goes along with a slump, you give your player a good chance of getting back on track and busting out of their slump. This approach can also be used if you have a team that is going through a slump. Instead of trying to correct individual swings, or putting pressure on your team by demanding they improve their performance, simplify everyone’s approach to “get a good pitch to hit.” Emphasize that if they do this, they have had a successful at bat regardless of the outcome.
Summary:
I hope you have enjoyed reading my four part series on how to maximize your offense when your team is not hitting. I will be adding a special, timely post on how to help ensure your player's safety during the extreme heat many of us are dealing with.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Scoring Runs Without Hitting Part III: Getting runs across
Scoring Runs Without Hitting: Part III: Getting runs across.
In this installment of “Scoring Runs Without Hitting,” we will look at how to score runners from third primarily with less than two outs, and a few techniques you can use to improve your chances of scoring a runner from third with two outs.
Squeeze bunt:
I am not a big fan of the suicide squeeze play. When it works, it looks glamorous and there is virtually no chance of throwing the runner out. When it doesn’t work, it can lead to game changing outs. My personal belief is that the reward doesn’t out weight the risk in virtually all cases. If the pitcher throws a pitch that is unbuntable, if the the batter bunts through the pitch, or if the batter pops the ball up, you are staring one or two outs straight in the face.
I do believe that a safety squeeze can be a the a good strategy in the right situation. Again, knowing your personnel is crucial when deciding if you should attempt a safety squeeze. You will want an average or above average runner at third and an average or above average bunter at the plate. The batter squares late (like a suicide) and tries to bunt the ball to the first basemen (sorry to pick on them but they are usually the worst athlete on the infield). The runner from third takes a slightly bigger than usual secondary lead and breaks toward the plate when the ball is down. This much safer than, and equally effective to a suicide squeeze.
A very good time to attempt a safety squeeze is with runners at first and third and nobody out and your #9, #1, or #2 hitters at the plate (again depending on personnel). The plus side of a safety squeeze at this point in the game is you will likely score the run from third and move a runner into scoring position with one out. The negative of a safety squeeze in that situation is that you will likely make an out and may take yourself out of a potential big inning.
Hitting with runner on third and less than two outs:
There are two main types of balls in play that will score runs with a runner at third and less than two outs, groundballs infielders playing deep, or flyballs of medium or deep depth. Your players should know what type of hitters they are and should know use that knowledge to know what their objective is in their at bat. Stronger hitters should be looking to drive the ball to the outfield early in the count, then just put the ball in play late in the count. Weaker hitters should be trying to put the ball in play on the ground (even with a drawn in infield, think lots of holes) in all counts.
The biggest goal for all hitters in all counts in with a runner at third and less than two outs should be to put the ball in play and hope something good happens. This may mean shortening your swing with one strike instead of two. Strikeouts with less than two outs and a runner on third can kill a team in a close, low scoring game. I would not recommend swinging at pitches that you would not normally swing at. Remember, taking a walk in almost any situation is a good outcome.
A few other tactics:
With one out, runners at first and second and a potential double play ground ball, if your runner is average or above average at second and goes hard between second and third, automatically send the runner from second home. In the event that they don’t turn the double play, or they bobble the ball at first, you may be able to steal a cheap run.
When you have runners at third and two outs, have your runner be a little more aggressive on passed balls and wild pitches. As soon as they see the down angle of the ball, they should take an extra step or shuffle, and be ready to break for the plate if the ball bounces far enough from the catcher.
1st and 3rd offense:
I will not get specific with the techniques of different first and third offenses, but putting in some good first and third plays to steal a run could be a good idea. A few of the ones to investigate are walk off from first base, run and stop, delayed steal from first, double steal and many others (sounds like another possible topic!).
Summary:
Even when you are not hitting, if you can get a runner to third base, there are a lot of different ways you can score them from there. Work with, and talk to your players to get them to understand the different possible situations they may be put in if the game is low scoring, close and late.
In this installment of “Scoring Runs Without Hitting,” we will look at how to score runners from third primarily with less than two outs, and a few techniques you can use to improve your chances of scoring a runner from third with two outs.
Squeeze bunt:
I am not a big fan of the suicide squeeze play. When it works, it looks glamorous and there is virtually no chance of throwing the runner out. When it doesn’t work, it can lead to game changing outs. My personal belief is that the reward doesn’t out weight the risk in virtually all cases. If the pitcher throws a pitch that is unbuntable, if the the batter bunts through the pitch, or if the batter pops the ball up, you are staring one or two outs straight in the face.
I do believe that a safety squeeze can be a the a good strategy in the right situation. Again, knowing your personnel is crucial when deciding if you should attempt a safety squeeze. You will want an average or above average runner at third and an average or above average bunter at the plate. The batter squares late (like a suicide) and tries to bunt the ball to the first basemen (sorry to pick on them but they are usually the worst athlete on the infield). The runner from third takes a slightly bigger than usual secondary lead and breaks toward the plate when the ball is down. This much safer than, and equally effective to a suicide squeeze.
A very good time to attempt a safety squeeze is with runners at first and third and nobody out and your #9, #1, or #2 hitters at the plate (again depending on personnel). The plus side of a safety squeeze at this point in the game is you will likely score the run from third and move a runner into scoring position with one out. The negative of a safety squeeze in that situation is that you will likely make an out and may take yourself out of a potential big inning.
Hitting with runner on third and less than two outs:
There are two main types of balls in play that will score runs with a runner at third and less than two outs, groundballs infielders playing deep, or flyballs of medium or deep depth. Your players should know what type of hitters they are and should know use that knowledge to know what their objective is in their at bat. Stronger hitters should be looking to drive the ball to the outfield early in the count, then just put the ball in play late in the count. Weaker hitters should be trying to put the ball in play on the ground (even with a drawn in infield, think lots of holes) in all counts.
The biggest goal for all hitters in all counts in with a runner at third and less than two outs should be to put the ball in play and hope something good happens. This may mean shortening your swing with one strike instead of two. Strikeouts with less than two outs and a runner on third can kill a team in a close, low scoring game. I would not recommend swinging at pitches that you would not normally swing at. Remember, taking a walk in almost any situation is a good outcome.
A few other tactics:
With one out, runners at first and second and a potential double play ground ball, if your runner is average or above average at second and goes hard between second and third, automatically send the runner from second home. In the event that they don’t turn the double play, or they bobble the ball at first, you may be able to steal a cheap run.
When you have runners at third and two outs, have your runner be a little more aggressive on passed balls and wild pitches. As soon as they see the down angle of the ball, they should take an extra step or shuffle, and be ready to break for the plate if the ball bounces far enough from the catcher.
1st and 3rd offense:
I will not get specific with the techniques of different first and third offenses, but putting in some good first and third plays to steal a run could be a good idea. A few of the ones to investigate are walk off from first base, run and stop, delayed steal from first, double steal and many others (sounds like another possible topic!).
Summary:
Even when you are not hitting, if you can get a runner to third base, there are a lot of different ways you can score them from there. Work with, and talk to your players to get them to understand the different possible situations they may be put in if the game is low scoring, close and late.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Scoring Runs Without Hitting: Part II, Moving runners over
“Get ‘em on, Get ‘em over, Get ‘em in.” This is the motto of many coaches who believe in generating runs though small ball. As we discussed in Part I, there are some days where your team just will not hit. On those days, hopefully you get good pitching and you are able to get a few runners on base (see Part I). When you do get runners on, the coach has to make a difficult decision. Do you try to make something happen by putting runners in motion or bunting, or do you let your hitters try to break through and come up with a few big hits.
To many coaches, the answer is clear, you try to force the issue and try to make something happen. Even though this may seem obvious, I caution you not to just automatically put on a sacrifice bunt, straight steal or hit and run in an attempt to break through. I encourage you to consider the situation carefully to determine which of those methods will work best in any given situation.
Know your personnel:
It sounds very simple, but many coaches do not truly know who on their team can bunt, bunt for a hit, run, get good jumps, or put the ball in play consistently. In order to obtain this knowledge, you should take time out of practice to watch baserunners stealing live against pitchers and catcher, watch hitters sacrifice and bunt for hits against live pitching. You should also take time out of practice to time players in the 60 yard dash, home to first, first to third, and from their leadoff to second base. All of this information will play a role in your decision to bunt, hit and run, straight steal, or let your hitters try to move the runners on their own.
Sacrifice bunt:
If you read the introduction to my blog, you know I am a bit of a numbers guy and you can probably guess that I am not a huge fan of the sacrifice bunt. This doesn’t mean that I don’t see value in bunting, I just don’t believe that trading an out for 90 feet is a good idea in most situations.
On a day when you are not hitting, or you are facing a pitcher who doesn’t give up too many hits, I see very little value in bunting a runner from first to second. Remember, you are not likely to get a hit on this day. If you bunt a runner to second, you still need one of your next two hitters to get a hit in order to score a run. If you are only likely to get a few hits, the chances that they will occur on one of the next few at bats is not very good. I feel that moving a runner from first to second with a sacrifice bunt should be used only when the batter is a weak hitter, doesn’t handle the bat well, cannot bunt for a hit, and isn’t likely to get on base via base on balls. If that is the case, you might want to consider pinch hitting for that player anyways.
I do believe that moving a runner from second to third, or from first and second to second and third is a much better move, especially in a close and late situation. Getting a runner to third with less than two outs in a low scoring game is a big deal. There are several ways you can score from third with less than two outs (see Part III) and in a game where you may not score many runs, every run is precious.
How do you know when you should sacrifice bunt a runner from second to third? If the middle of our order is up, or one of your better hitters is up, I would recommend letting them swing away. Even though you aren’t hitting much on that day, I still believe it is a bad idea to take the bat out of your best hitters hands to move a runner 90 feet. I would also advise against bunting a runner to third if you have a very fast, good baserunner on second. If you have one of your best baserunners on second, it may be a good idea to let your hitter swing away with no outs, then try to steal third with one out if he doesn’t move the runner or come up with a big hit.
Moving a runner to third by a sacrifice bunt is a good idea when you need only one run late in the game, or if have weak hitters who put the ball in play coming up. They may not be likely to get a hit, but they may be able to hit a ground ball or sacrifice fly to score the runner. Likewise, it is a bad idea to bunt a runner to third in front of someone who strikes out on a regular basis.
A lesson that I learned early in my coaching career is to be careful bunting runners over to put your best hitter at the plate. During one of my first years of coaching, we had runners on first and second late in the game with our number two hitter up. Our third hitter was by far our best hitter, so I bunted the runners to second and third hoping he could come up with a hit to give us the lead (we were down one run). As you might expect, the opposing coach intentionally walked our best hitter to set up a double play, which our number four hitter inevitably grounded into. Lesson learned.
Bunt for a hit
If you feel as I do that giving up an out to move a runner 90 feet is not a good trade in many situations, bunt for a hit is a much better alternative to sacrifice bunt. Bunting for a hit (as a method to move runners) is best used when there are no strikes, nobody out and runners on first, second or first and second.
When bunting for a hit, your hitters show a little later (around the pitchers foot strike), and try to put the ball on the third base line. When we are bunting for a hit we are trying to put pressure on the defense. The best possible outcome is that we will cause the infielders to rush their throws and we will be able to advance multiple bases on an error. The next best outcome is that we will beat the throw to first. A neutral outcome would be if we make an out but advance the runner. Anything other than that would be considered a negative outcome.
Be sure that you practice bunting for a hit as much, or more than you practice sacrifice bunting since it is a more difficult skill to master (different bunting techniques will likely be a future blog topic). Next time you feel compelled to sacrifice bunt, give bunt for a hit a try. If your hitter goes to one strike, then you can use another method of trying to move the runner.
Hit and Run
Hit and run is a good tactic to use when you have a good runner on (not a great runner), when you have someone at the plate who handles the bat well and is able to put the ball in play. I will generally try a hit and run in a fastball count (1-0, 2-1) or after a pitcher throws a ball with a curveball with less than two strikes (very rarely will a pitcher throw a curveball for a ball then come back with another).
If you are unable to move the runner with no outs, you should consider using a hit and run with one out. A hit and run opens up the infield, it puts pressure on the opposing defense, and creates an opportunity for a big inning. If your hit and run is successful, you will have moved the runner to 3rd (not just to 2nd) with one out.
Straight Steal
Obviously a straight steal has a high “risk/reward” play. To minimize the risk and maximize the reward, choosing the appropriate time to run is key. Trying to move a runner into scoring position with two outs, or trying to move a runner to third with one out are examples of times when the reward of a successful steal attempt may outweigh the risk of being thrown out.
I personally believe that a straight steal can be a good strategy when used in the correct situation. One of the biggest keys is to know the numbers. Make sure that you time the pitchers delivery to home, and the catchers “pop” time (the time from his glove to the glove at the base). You should also know your players leadoff to second base times in a game situation (you can get these times during practice by setting up realistic. If the pitchers delivery time plus the catcher’s pop time is less than your runner’s leadoff to second time, stealing may be difficult. If the pop time plus pitcher’s deliver time is more than your runner’s time, you should have success stealing.
That is a very simplistic view of stealing a base, and we all know there are many more variables that go into it. Another key to stealing a base is choosing a curveball count. Curveball counts are any count where the pitcher is ahead (0-1, 1-2, 0-2) or any even count where the pitcher threw a fastball strike on the previous pitch. Additionally, knowing how a pitcher has attacked different hitters in your lineup may help you pick a curveball to run on. A full count is also a good time to run when you have a hitter who puts the ball in play.
Another strategy you can use to help your runners in this case is to have your hitter “protect” the runner with less than two strikes. If you put the straight steam on with less than two strikes, your hitter should swing through any pitch they don’t want to hit in order to give protection to your runner. Make sure they swing slightly after the ball has crossed the hitting zone and that they do not interfere with the catcher.
Summary
While those are not the only means to move a runner 90 feet, they should give you a good idea of when and how you can move the runners. Ultimately, coaches should choose which strategy matches the individual situation and their team’s personnel. Remember, the goal in this scenario is to move runners when you are not hitting. Each of these strategies comes with its own risks and rewards. As you can see, your decision of how to move the runner is not as easy as it seems from the outside, there is a lot that goes into deciding when to bunt, when to steal, or when to hit and run. All you can do is prepare yourself with enough knowledge to make the best decision for your situation.
In Part 3, we will explore the ways to get runners in from third when you are not hitting.
NOTE: I will discuss more of the technical aspects of the sacrifice bunt, bunt for hit, hit and run and straight steal in future posts.
To many coaches, the answer is clear, you try to force the issue and try to make something happen. Even though this may seem obvious, I caution you not to just automatically put on a sacrifice bunt, straight steal or hit and run in an attempt to break through. I encourage you to consider the situation carefully to determine which of those methods will work best in any given situation.
Know your personnel:
It sounds very simple, but many coaches do not truly know who on their team can bunt, bunt for a hit, run, get good jumps, or put the ball in play consistently. In order to obtain this knowledge, you should take time out of practice to watch baserunners stealing live against pitchers and catcher, watch hitters sacrifice and bunt for hits against live pitching. You should also take time out of practice to time players in the 60 yard dash, home to first, first to third, and from their leadoff to second base. All of this information will play a role in your decision to bunt, hit and run, straight steal, or let your hitters try to move the runners on their own.
Sacrifice bunt:
If you read the introduction to my blog, you know I am a bit of a numbers guy and you can probably guess that I am not a huge fan of the sacrifice bunt. This doesn’t mean that I don’t see value in bunting, I just don’t believe that trading an out for 90 feet is a good idea in most situations.
On a day when you are not hitting, or you are facing a pitcher who doesn’t give up too many hits, I see very little value in bunting a runner from first to second. Remember, you are not likely to get a hit on this day. If you bunt a runner to second, you still need one of your next two hitters to get a hit in order to score a run. If you are only likely to get a few hits, the chances that they will occur on one of the next few at bats is not very good. I feel that moving a runner from first to second with a sacrifice bunt should be used only when the batter is a weak hitter, doesn’t handle the bat well, cannot bunt for a hit, and isn’t likely to get on base via base on balls. If that is the case, you might want to consider pinch hitting for that player anyways.
I do believe that moving a runner from second to third, or from first and second to second and third is a much better move, especially in a close and late situation. Getting a runner to third with less than two outs in a low scoring game is a big deal. There are several ways you can score from third with less than two outs (see Part III) and in a game where you may not score many runs, every run is precious.
How do you know when you should sacrifice bunt a runner from second to third? If the middle of our order is up, or one of your better hitters is up, I would recommend letting them swing away. Even though you aren’t hitting much on that day, I still believe it is a bad idea to take the bat out of your best hitters hands to move a runner 90 feet. I would also advise against bunting a runner to third if you have a very fast, good baserunner on second. If you have one of your best baserunners on second, it may be a good idea to let your hitter swing away with no outs, then try to steal third with one out if he doesn’t move the runner or come up with a big hit.
Moving a runner to third by a sacrifice bunt is a good idea when you need only one run late in the game, or if have weak hitters who put the ball in play coming up. They may not be likely to get a hit, but they may be able to hit a ground ball or sacrifice fly to score the runner. Likewise, it is a bad idea to bunt a runner to third in front of someone who strikes out on a regular basis.
A lesson that I learned early in my coaching career is to be careful bunting runners over to put your best hitter at the plate. During one of my first years of coaching, we had runners on first and second late in the game with our number two hitter up. Our third hitter was by far our best hitter, so I bunted the runners to second and third hoping he could come up with a hit to give us the lead (we were down one run). As you might expect, the opposing coach intentionally walked our best hitter to set up a double play, which our number four hitter inevitably grounded into. Lesson learned.
Bunt for a hit
If you feel as I do that giving up an out to move a runner 90 feet is not a good trade in many situations, bunt for a hit is a much better alternative to sacrifice bunt. Bunting for a hit (as a method to move runners) is best used when there are no strikes, nobody out and runners on first, second or first and second.
When bunting for a hit, your hitters show a little later (around the pitchers foot strike), and try to put the ball on the third base line. When we are bunting for a hit we are trying to put pressure on the defense. The best possible outcome is that we will cause the infielders to rush their throws and we will be able to advance multiple bases on an error. The next best outcome is that we will beat the throw to first. A neutral outcome would be if we make an out but advance the runner. Anything other than that would be considered a negative outcome.
Be sure that you practice bunting for a hit as much, or more than you practice sacrifice bunting since it is a more difficult skill to master (different bunting techniques will likely be a future blog topic). Next time you feel compelled to sacrifice bunt, give bunt for a hit a try. If your hitter goes to one strike, then you can use another method of trying to move the runner.
Hit and Run
Hit and run is a good tactic to use when you have a good runner on (not a great runner), when you have someone at the plate who handles the bat well and is able to put the ball in play. I will generally try a hit and run in a fastball count (1-0, 2-1) or after a pitcher throws a ball with a curveball with less than two strikes (very rarely will a pitcher throw a curveball for a ball then come back with another).
If you are unable to move the runner with no outs, you should consider using a hit and run with one out. A hit and run opens up the infield, it puts pressure on the opposing defense, and creates an opportunity for a big inning. If your hit and run is successful, you will have moved the runner to 3rd (not just to 2nd) with one out.
Straight Steal
Obviously a straight steal has a high “risk/reward” play. To minimize the risk and maximize the reward, choosing the appropriate time to run is key. Trying to move a runner into scoring position with two outs, or trying to move a runner to third with one out are examples of times when the reward of a successful steal attempt may outweigh the risk of being thrown out.
I personally believe that a straight steal can be a good strategy when used in the correct situation. One of the biggest keys is to know the numbers. Make sure that you time the pitchers delivery to home, and the catchers “pop” time (the time from his glove to the glove at the base). You should also know your players leadoff to second base times in a game situation (you can get these times during practice by setting up realistic. If the pitchers delivery time plus the catcher’s pop time is less than your runner’s leadoff to second time, stealing may be difficult. If the pop time plus pitcher’s deliver time is more than your runner’s time, you should have success stealing.
That is a very simplistic view of stealing a base, and we all know there are many more variables that go into it. Another key to stealing a base is choosing a curveball count. Curveball counts are any count where the pitcher is ahead (0-1, 1-2, 0-2) or any even count where the pitcher threw a fastball strike on the previous pitch. Additionally, knowing how a pitcher has attacked different hitters in your lineup may help you pick a curveball to run on. A full count is also a good time to run when you have a hitter who puts the ball in play.
Another strategy you can use to help your runners in this case is to have your hitter “protect” the runner with less than two strikes. If you put the straight steam on with less than two strikes, your hitter should swing through any pitch they don’t want to hit in order to give protection to your runner. Make sure they swing slightly after the ball has crossed the hitting zone and that they do not interfere with the catcher.
Summary
While those are not the only means to move a runner 90 feet, they should give you a good idea of when and how you can move the runners. Ultimately, coaches should choose which strategy matches the individual situation and their team’s personnel. Remember, the goal in this scenario is to move runners when you are not hitting. Each of these strategies comes with its own risks and rewards. As you can see, your decision of how to move the runner is not as easy as it seems from the outside, there is a lot that goes into deciding when to bunt, when to steal, or when to hit and run. All you can do is prepare yourself with enough knowledge to make the best decision for your situation.
In Part 3, we will explore the ways to get runners in from third when you are not hitting.
NOTE: I will discuss more of the technical aspects of the sacrifice bunt, bunt for hit, hit and run and straight steal in future posts.
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