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Nick Dixon - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
Nick Dixon is the President and founder of Nedco Sports, the "Hit2win Company". Dixon is also an active and full time high school baseball coach with over 25 years experience. Dixon is widely recognized as an expert in the area of baseball training, practice and skill development. Coach Dixon is better known as the inventor of several of baseball and softball's most popular training products such as the Original BatAction Hitting Machine, SKLZ Derek ... [More]
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- Coaching Baseball - The Importance of Teaching Batters to Hit the Ball Where it is Pitched
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Great hitters at all levels share one common skill. They know when and how to attack every pitch location. Great hitters read and react to every possible pitch location. If you watched the 2008 Baseball College World Series, you quickly realized that great college hitters can catch up to any fastball regardless of the velocity. You also saw college baseball batters that apply and execute one of the most important and basic skills of hitting a baseball, the skill of "hitting the ball where it is pitched".
- Coaching Youth Baseball - Things to Say During the Game to Build a Batters Confidence at the Plate
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] In coach pitch baseball and youth baseball the batters are getting their first experience at hitting live pitching. Here are few things that youth baseball coaches should say to youth baseball batters during an at-bat. These communications are most often conveyed to the better by the 3rd base coach.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - The Catcher, Your PR Player
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This article explains one of the most important roles that your catcher will play in every game. The role is that of being the team's public relations representative with the umpire staff. The catcher's attitude and behavior can have a huge effect on an umpire's attitude.
- Coaching Youth Baseball - 25 Common Baseball Terms and the Meaning of Each
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Coaching Little League or Youth Baseball requires a good knowledge of the game. Many good youth baseball coaches have never played the game before. They make it their mission to study and learn the game. This article presents a list of 25 common baseball coaching terms and gives the meaning of each.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Base Running Basics
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are certain base running rules that every base runner should learn. Here is each base and basic rules that players should know about each.
- Youth Baseball Coaching - 8 Elements of a Super Baseball Swing
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The perfect baseball swing is a thing of beauty. There are few movements and actions in sports that are practice more often than the baseball swing. Players take thousands and thousands of practice swing during a season. The key to game swing quality is practice swing quality. There are certain basic rules that every batter should remember when taking a swing in practice and games.
- 3 Things Every Tee Ball Baseball Batter Must Be Taught When First Learning to Hit
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] It is important that very young baseball players receive proper instruction in baseball hitting mechanics. Young baseball players benefit greatly from top quality instruction and teaching that is easy to understand, simple to execute, and consistent from one lesson to another.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Trick Play Alert - Fake Time Call by the Batter
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Article discusses the Fake Time Call trick play used by baseball teams to disrupt the motion and concentration of young baseball pitchers. Coaches should warn their pitchers, particularly young pitchers, not to fall victim to this trick play and underhanded play used by some teams to draw a balk.
- Coaching Baseball - Four Valuable Coaching Tools That Every Baseball Coach Should Own
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This article is about 4 relatively inexpensive components that are valuable baseball coaching tools that are available in your favorite mass merchant store. I feel that these components should be in the carry bag of every baseball coach at every level of play.
- Baseball - First & Third Double Steal Defensive Strategy
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The "First and Third Double Steal" situation is when the batting team has a base runner at first base and a base runner at third base. Often times the offensive teams will put on a base running play to attempt and confuse, fool, or trick the defensive team into making a mistake that will cost them a run.
- Coaching Baseball - Bunting - How to Execute the Sacrifice Bunt
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Bunting is a skill that must be learned and practiced on a regular basis. It is often one of the most neglected aspects of a team's offensive strategy. There are various techniques of bunting and each should be taught and practiced. This article discusses 10 coaching points of teaching players how to execute a sacrifice bunt.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Deep Lead in the Outfield Base Running Play
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This offensive play is called "Deep Lead in Right Field". The play is run when a team has base runners at 1st base and 3rd base. The play is used to put pressure on the defensive team in an attempt to force an error that will allow the runner at 3rd base to core.
- Coaching Little League Baseball - Bad Habits Make For Bad Coaching
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Article discusses 10 bad habits of bad Little League Coaches. These bad habits make it impossible for a coach to be an effective coach and role model.
- Coaching Youth Baseball - Coaching Your First Baseman
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Here are important points and skills that you must teach your First Baseman. Tips cover teaching the proper way to get to the bag, set up to receive the throw and how to stretch.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Stop and See - 1st & 3rd Double Steal Base Running Play
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This 1st and 3rd Double Steal Play known as the Stop and See Steal. This play is used by offensive teams to score a runner from 3rd base by stopping the stealing runner short of the bag and tag.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Fake 3rd Out Defensive Trick
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The Fake 3rd Out is a trick play ran by defensive teams to trick an unsuspecting base runner. If the base runner is not alert and aware, he may step off the bag and give the defensive team a cheap out to end the inning. Coaches should make their players aware of sure plays and tactics to prevent this trick from happening to their team.
- Baseball Coaching Digest - Illegal Use of the Courtesy Runner Rule
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Baseball coaches must be alert for one way that opposing offensive teams may illegally use the Courtesy Runner or Speed-Up rule. How does a team illegally use a courtesy runner? Here is the procedure outlined:
- Baseball Coaching and the Importance of Goals For Team and Player Motivation
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league. There are many four letter words used by coaches that I can not use here. Here I want to discuss the 4 four-letter words that can and will determine the amount of success a coach has during the coming season. The four words are Goal, Plan, Work and Time.
- 12 Baseball and Softball Batting Cage Buying Tips
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are some basic points that you must know before buying a batting cage. When you buy a batting cage you are making an investment that should provide you with years and years of top quality batting practice. Here I discuss what I believe are the 12 most important things to consider when you purchase your home, team, school or backyard batting cage.
- Defensive Drills For Coaching Youth Baseball Middle Infielders
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The article outlines 4 Baseball Middle Infielder Defensive drills for coaching youth baseball middle infielders. The drills are used to improve fielding skill, teach ground ball fundamentals, build player confidence, and quicker hands.
- Coaching Youth Baseball - The Basic Truths of Coaching That Every Coach Should Remember
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Great Coaches are great coaches for a reason. They love the game. They love the kids. They love to instruct and teach. They love to mentor and minister to youngsters hoping that something they do will help that kid become a better person.
- Coaching Baseball - 20 Points For Coaching Baseball Catchers
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are many skills and much knowledge that baseball catchers must have to be successful. A good baseball catcher is the foundation of a championship baseball team. If you have a "solid" catcher that can field, throw and "talk" then you are well on your way to building a strong team. Here are 20 coaching points we teach our catchers.
- 7 Keys to Building Good Work Habits in Young Baseball Players
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] This baseball coaching article discusses the value of work and how to motivate players to work harder. Working and learning to work are one of the vital elements required in the building of a successful baseball team and program. In baseball coaching work and baseball playing involves a lot of things.
- A Dozen Things That I Feel Every Youth Baseball and Youth Softball Batter Should Remember
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] When the coach gives the runner or runners a steal sign get deeper in the batter box. This extends distance for the pitch coming in and the throw by the catcher. This slight movement may give the runner a little more time.
- Baseball Hitting - The 3 Basic Elements of the Major League Baseball Swing
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The "Major League" baseball swing is a thing of beauty. If you watch it in slow motion, you will see that there are 3 common elements of the swing that that most major league baseball players have in common. Baseball batting practice repetition makes the Major League Baseball Swing consistent with the same 3 basic elements exhibited with every swing of the bat.
- Baseball Pitching Know-How - The 30 Cardinal Sins of a Baseball Pitcher
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Every baseball team's fortune lies in the hands or the "arm" of the pitcher on the mound. This can be said for pitching at every level from Little League Baseball to High School Baseball to College Baseball and to Major League Baseball. As I was watching the College World Series on ESPN last June, I noticed that every pitcher did the little things perfect. Every pitcher had basically the same approach to the game. Every college baseball pitcher in Omaha tried to get ahead of the batters, pound the strike zone with good pitches, and let their defense make plays behind them.
- "Shove-Up Baseball" - A Great Baseball and Softball Practice Game
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Adding variety and preventing boredom is an attribute of great coaching. Little league and youth baseball practice can be both fun and productive at the same time. Great coaches know the importance of having a pure fun day every one and a while. The game "Shove-Up" is definitely not an activity that you would use every day, but as a "change of pace" activity, it serves well to motivate kids and teach competitiveness. How is "Shove-up" played?
- Baseball Parent - Make Your Kid a Major League MVP
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] I know that the title got your attention. Everyone knows and respects the Major League Baseball players like Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez. Many parents dream of having their little league player growing up to play college baseball player and Major League Allstar. Do you know and realize how small the actual percentage is of little league baseball parents that ever see that dream come true? Just helping your kid become a solid little league player that loves and enjoys the game of baseball should be the goal of every baseball parent.
- Coaching Baseball - Two True Base Running Blunders That Teach a Lesson
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] We all know the importance of good base running. We know that "solid" base running scores runs and wins games. We also know that poor base running can easily cause a team to lose a game. The following two stories are true stories of base running mistakes that cost the team a win. All the team had to do to win was to have the base runner advance to the next bag. These two stories are great stories that you can tell to your players to teach young players two important rules of base running.
- Coaching Baseball - Strategies For Facing Overpowering Pitchers
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Every one of us has at one time or another, either as a player or a coach, had to face what is considered the "unhittable" pitcher. You know what I mean, the pitcher that is undefeated because he has an overpowering fastball, nasty curve ball, and a 3 pitch arsenal of potent pitches that intimidates the average team while he is just warming up. Coach Dixon discusses is strategies that can used when your team faces a dominating and overpowering pitcher. The main strategy in this situation is that you must have a "strategy" that you and your kids believe will work. The trick is have several scenarios and plans that you will apply as the game progresses.
- Youth Sports Coach - Watch What You Say
[Recreation-and-Sports] Volunteering to coach youth sports can be one of the most rewarding experiences in your life. It is a privilege to spend time teaching, coaching and mentoring youngsters in one of the most critical stages of their mental and physical development. Many kids do not have positive role models in their life. Many kids do not get the attention and the discipline that they need and desire. The main thing I want to discus today is the importance of thinking before you speak and the fact that your words greatly affect the self esteem of your players.
- Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Two Windup Variations Used to Disrupt a Batter's Concentration
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are two simple actions that a pitcher can use to distract or disrupt a batters concentration. The two actions are the "double pump windup" and the "start over" pitch deliveries that are done to change a pitchers regular windup. Both of these actions are used when there are no base runners on base. They both serve as effective ways to disrupt the concentration of opposing batters.
- Coaching Youth Baseball Pitchers - 4 Common Pitching Flaws That Should Be Corrected Immediately
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Young pitchers need frequent practice. Daily practice allows players to improve daily and it also allows the coach to observe and see any bad habits or flaws that a young pitcher may have "picked up". There are 4 Common Pitching Flaws of Young baseball Pitchers that a coach should identify quickly and correct. Here is a brief description of each of these flaws and a coaching point related to each.
- The 10 "Must Do's" of Coaching Baseball and Softball
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] I have compiled my list of the "MUST DO'S", that I feel every coach must coach by! These reflect the duties and responsibilities accepted when one becomes a coach. Here are my "MUST DO'S".
- Baseball Practice Planning Tips and Sample Baseball Practice Schedule
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] There are many four letter words that baseball coaches know, but few are as important as the word for today, PLAN. There are very few volunteer jobs more challenging, time-consuming or rewarding than being a coach in your local league.
- Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Multi-Purpose Baseball Pitching Drills to Improve Control
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Learning correct baseball pitching mechanics are the first step in the making of a pitcher. Once proper mechanics are mastered these two drills can be used to hone skill, increase concentration, build confidence, and improve control. Here are two drills that can bed used to help improve a pitchers control. The two drills are "Pitch Tracking" and the "20 X 4" Pitching Drill.
- Coaching Baseball Pitchers - Absolute Best Drill You Can Use to Improve Control and Build Confidence
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Learning correct mechanics are the first step in the making of a pitcher. Once proper mechanics are mastered these two drills can be used to hone skill, increase concentration, build confidence, and improve control. Here is a great drill that can be used to improve your pitchers' control...
- Coaching Baseball Batters - 3 Common Baseball Swing Mistakes and Corrections
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Coaching youth and high school baseball batters requires a watchful eye and close attention to detail. Baseball coaches must identify and correct any flaw in a batters hitting mechanics. Players should not be allowed to practice their swing over and over without correcting their mistakes. Good baseball coaches are always on the constant lookout for any bad habits that a young player may develop. Here I discuss three of the most common hitting mechanical flaws and my approach to correcting each.
- Baseball Coaching - 10 Tips For Improving the Quality of Your Baseball Practice Time
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Wasting time is something that baseball coaches should avoid. There is nothing more precious to a player, to parents, or to assistant coaches than time. Time spent at the baseball field must be considered valuable or constructive time. We are coaches because we love the game and we want to help young players grow up to great adults.
- Coaching Baseball Beginner Batters - The Batting Grip, the Bat Angle and Proper Hand Positioning
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Hitting a baseball is a skill that can be learned and improved with proper coaching and instruction. It may be a difficult task, but with the correct fundamentals and techniques hitting can be one of the most rewarding activities in all of sports. There is nothing that is more satisfying and rewarding than hitting a line-drive in the left-center gap to help your team score the go-ahead run.
- Teaching Young Batters to Use the No-Stride Technique For a Good Baseball Swing
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] If you watched the College World Series on ESPN last June, I am sure that you saw, as I did, player after player, use the no-stride technique. The batter after batter, came to the plate, at the College World Series in Omaha, and used the No-Stride Method of Hitting. Baseball coaches at all levels of baseball, from little league to the pros, are teaching the "wider stance and no stride approach" to hitting. Here I cover the basics of teaching and coaching the "No-Stride" hitting method.
- Teaching Young Baseball Batters to Have Better Eye Focus and Visual Concentration
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The eyes are the hitter's brain when it comes to hitting. A batter can know the count, know the situation, know the pitcher, and know how to swing, but if the eyes are weak or fail, then they will likely suffer defeat at the plate. How many times have we heard a successful batter say that "I am really seeing the ball right now"? Batters that are "hot" at the plate always say that they are really seeing the ball well.
- Teaching Baseball Batters to Use Hip Movement and Leg Leverage to Generate Power
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] When you watch several elite baseball batters hit the ball, you quickly see some common traits. The great high school, college, and pro baseball players all generate incredible power with the lower body, legs, and hips. A good baseball swing incorporates the hips and lower body into the swing. Most of the batter's power is generated by the hips and the leverage created by the front leg. How many times have you heard the following "That batter swings with all arms, and has no power"?
- Coaching Baseball - 4 Things the On-Deck Batter Should Always Do and 4 Things He Should Never Do
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Baseball coaching is teaching the big and little details of the game. Every position or location on the field requires a player to observe and to be aware of what is happening. Many young batters on deck often do no pay attention to what is happening. They are often guilty of looking into the crowd or even talking to someone through the fence. On-deck batters that do not closely observe the pitcher and the catcher are missing a greatly opportunity to "scout" the opponent.
- Coaching Baseball - 12 Things That 3rd Base Coaches Should Say to Baserunners
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Fewer things in baseball are more embarrassing for a young baseball player than to make a base running mistake that cost his team a run. Some of the most devastating and demoralizing mistakes in baseball are made by baserunners at 3rd base. When a runner gets to third, the team momentum and confidence is increased. The team and the player, and the fans feel like they are going to soon score a run. But, to have that chance of scoring removed by a blunder by the runner or coach can take the momentum completely away from the team.
- Baseball Pitching - Coaching Pitchers to Succeed by Starting With the Basics
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The coaching of baseball pitchers does not require a degree in "pitchingtology". There is no such degree to my knowledge. I just made that up. My point here is that coaching baseball pitching is not rocket science. However, having a basic knowledge of the terms and mechanics is a must.
- Coaching Baseball Pitchers - The Use of Visual Anchor Points For Curve-Ball Accuracy
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] The skill of throwing a good curve ball accurately is a skill that must be taught and coached. Teaching curve ball control and accuracy is vital to a pitcher's success at any level. Here I discuss the method I use to teach and coach our high school pitchers to vary their curve ball location and to accurately control the spot to which the ball will break.
- 4 Baseball Pitching Drills For Little League Players
[Recreation-and-Sports:Baseball] Teaching, training and developing young baseball pitchers takes a lot of time, patience, and practice repetition. Many young pitchers need to practice pitching skills daily. To keep the interest level high, it is best to use a variety of drills on alternate days to prevent boredom. Here are 4 baseball pitching drills that can be used to train youth and beginner pitchers.
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