When a player (at any age) extends their arms and hands out in front of them; not necessarily ‘in front of their face’, but in front of the space occupied by their body. The result is they have both the ball and their glove in their line of sight. This positioning of the glove, within the player’s line of sight, and gives the brain a better chance of coordinating the glove with the ball. Most young children, because of the lack of shoulder strength to support the weight of their arms (and the glove), hold their glove (and elbows) close to their body when preparing for, and attempting to make, a catch.
Important: We will often see the kids position their glove outside their shoulders when attempting to catch. They recognize they will often miss the ball and are smart enough to not stand directly in the flight of the ball. However, a child can still extend their glove out ‘in front’ of where their standing and not have their glove directly in front of them.
Note 1: Given the fact that this age group has great difficulty catching the ball, a most efficient playing catch scenario involves each player with an adult (mom or dad) as their throwing partner. Yes, you read correctly; we should strive to have a 1:1 adult-player ratio at Tee-Ball practice. Parents, how long will our kids be this small and cute? We can make 60 minutes a day, a couple days a week, to spend time with our own child.
It is important to understand that Little League International specifically states that any time player is throwing a ball that another player is to be catching the ball. The above suggestion is contrary to LL rules. The rule is well intended, but given that scientific research supports the idea that asking a 5-6 year old human to catch a flying baseball contrary to our knowledge of human brain development.
An adult throwing partner can make more accurate throws increasing the chance to the player catching the ball. The adult will catch throws more often. In this scenario the kids get many more repetitions resulting in quicker skill development.
If we find that each child does not have an adult to play catch with it is critical that we immediately establish this very important rule with the kids, “NO CHASING MISSED THROWS!!!” If we allow kids to chase missed throws our practices turn into kids chasing balls instead of developing skills.
The solution is to have an adult or two behind each row of kids playing catch. These adults have a few balls in hand and when the kids miss the throw, those adults roll another ball to them. - We don’t throw the ball to them, because they can’t catch ;)
If we do not have extra adults available to back up the throws, place 3-4 balls a couple feet behind each player. When they miss a throw they can immediately pick up another ball and keep the skill building process going.
'Palm-up' Catchers
Most Tee-Ball teams will have a player or two who, when attempting to catch a thrown ball, regardless of how high the throw is, will hold their glove with the palm facing up, as if they are balancing a tray of food or drinks. When a ball is being caught above chest level we want the kids to 'point their fingers up' so the palm of the glove is facing the ball.
Fixing this is simple, but not easy:
First, explain and demonstrate to the player that the glove hand fingers point UP on balls that are coming to them above chest level. Second, help them learn the proper muscle movements to get their hands/fingers in the proper position to receive a high throw. The drill is simple...face the player with both of you in a 'Ready Position' with the hands at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock. Move your hands from the Ready Position to 12 o'clock, so your thumbs are touching and your fingers are pointing up. Have the player mirror that action, move your hands back to 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock, then repeat these actions,, with the player mimicking your movements, over and over 5-10 times.
note: when the hands get to '12 o'clock', don't have them directly in front of the face; have the hands slightly to one side of the face or the other. Tell the player which side of the face the two of you will complete the 'fingers up' action, prior to doing the drill. Repeat the actions a few time with the hands completing the movement on each side of the face. We don't wan to imply to the kids that they want their hands directly in front of their face when they catch....one, they are blocking their view of the ball; two, we really don't want kids trying to catch the ball right in front of their face.......just in case they miss ;)
Throwing at this age is not going to look pretty early on for most kids. Not much at this age will look pretty :) but it's all cute and fun if we adults see the game of Tee-Ball from the proper perspective.
Before teaching throwing we need to clarify a misconception that most every kid (and many adults too) has; they think the ball is thrown with their arm. We need to state emphatically to the kids, “You don’t throw the ball with your arm!” (This is done, initially, to get their attention and wake them up to the concept of utilizing their leg strength to power their throws. We come back and acknowledge that the arm IS part of the throw, but the use of the legs is a bigger part of the action being successful), you throw the ball by “Moving Your Feet”.
First, explain to the kids that when they are preparing to throw they want the glove side of their body pointing at their target - NOT their chest.
Next, they want to lift their elbows up to shoulder height and point their glove elbow at their target (or, if it’s easier, have them point their glove). They are now in a "Power Position".
Now they are ready to 'throw'…
We instruct our players to 'Shuffle' towards their target (“Move Your Feet”) twice, with their head pointing at their target ('Your head is your steering wheel'). After two* shuffle steps they 'Pull' their glove elbow back and 'Snap' their throwing arm and hand down.
* Many kids will shuffle more than twice; some will shuffle many times. Not to worry. Moving their feet to throw is a new concept and action; it will take them some time and repetition to coordinate the transition from the shuffle action to the upper body (arms) action.
The teaching phrase we use is, “Shuffle, Shuffle, Pull, Snap”.
It will take a couple days for the kids to do two things at once: shuffle their feet and throw the ball ('walking and chewing gum'), but they will get it and the result will be stronger and more accurate throws. (We will need to stretch out the distance between the kids playing catch with each other once they learn to move their feet, because the distance they are able to throw may double in a few days).
Most players will struggle with using their glove elbow to pull back when throwing. First, it won’t compute that the arm with the glove helps the throwing motion. Second, it takes practice and coordination to execute this pulling action. Third it takes a fair amount of strength to use and control the action of the glove arm.
Even with instruction many players will not learn to utilize their glove arm in the throwing action over the course of the season. We want to keep teaching it however, so that the concept is in their head and in subsequent years they’ll be better prepared to incorporate this into their throwing action.
Some kids have a tendency to throw the ball in a high arc. This is a habit we want to nip in the bud right away and eliminate. A simple and fun approach to the kids playing catch, in order to break this habit, is to instruct them to throw the ball to their partner on a bounce (which may turn into several bounces).
Instruct the kids when throwing to that the ball needs to be thrown ‘level with the ground’. This discourages the high arcing Moon Toss. On the receiving end there are many benefits. The players have a better chance of catching (or stopping) the ball and they get experience with the ball taking a bounce in front of them…they will see this a lot over the season and their baseball careers
Receiving Throws at a Base
First, we need to explain a couple things to the kids (and continue teaching these points throughout the season):
1. The Base Belongs to the Runner
Kids on defense (‘Fielders’) think if they are the first, second, or third baseman that that base is theirs. One of the first things they do when they go out to the field is stand on ‘their’ base.
A quick way to educate the kids is to take them over to a base (third works well). We stand at the third baseman’s position (approximately 10’ away from the base). We tell them “I am the third baseman”, and then we point at the base and ask, “Who does that base belong to?” Their response will be “The third baseman’s!!!” (kids love to show us how much they know).
Then we go stand on the base and ask them, “I am the third baseman. When I stand on the base, am I safe?” They will give you a silent and bewildered look. Then ask them again, “Who does the base belong too?” Hesitantly, and likely in a much softer voice, one or two will say, “The base belongs to the runner?” – BINGO! …the base belongs to the RUNNER, NOT the fielder.
We then tell them they are not allowed to touch the base unless they have the ball…
2. Ball First, Base Second
Ask the players, ‘Does the ball come straight to you every time?’ The response we will hear is a loud and clear, ‘No!’
The ball rarely comes straight to us when we are at a base. And if the defensive player doesn’t have the ball they can’t get the base runner out. The defensive player’s sequence of actions is “Ball First, Base Second”.
To solidify the rule that a defensive player must first have the ball in order to touch the base tell them that the ball is the ‘Key to the Base’. In order to touch the base they must first have the key.
An important thing to note is that in youth baseball the base works like a magnet. Once the defensive player touches the base with their foot they have a hard time removing their foot from the base, even if a throw is off line. Keep in mind kids see older players (HS, college, and pros on TV) catching accurately thrown balls while having their foot on the base. What the kids don’t understand is that they are playing baseball on a completely different level…and the game of baseball is played completely different by little kids.
Knowing the base is a magnet and that most throws will not be accurate, having the rule that the defensive player is not allowed to touch the base before they get the ball frees them from the powerful magnetic force of the base.
3. “Ready Position”
We teach the players that they need to be in a “Ready Position” anytime they might be required to catch the ball (when standing at a base, when the batter is getting ready to hit the ball off the tee, when a ball is being hurled in from the outfield).
4. Don’t Look at the Runner
Kids recognize that the ball needs to get to the base before the runner in order to get the runner out. Understandably they are curious of where the runner is in relation to the base prior to them getting the ball. Unfortunately this curiosity often dominates their attention and they take their eyes off the ball.
We want to constantly tell our kids to not look at the runner and keep their eyes on the ball. They need to catch the ball first if there is any chance of getting the runner out. They can’t catch the ball if they are not looking at it.
After a few scrimmages we ask our kids, “Is the runner safe more often, or out?” The obvious answer is the runner is safe most of the time. We can now emphasize the fact that the runner is safe a lot, so getting an out on each play is not a big concern. We want to teach our kids to put all their attention on the ball and catch it first. With that accomplished they have a chance of getting an out.
Another question is, “Can you catch the ball when looking at the runner?” This question helps them recognize that they need to keep their attention on the ball if they are going to have any chance to get the runner out.
Finally, we must be patient with the reality of the distraction the runner poses. The issue will not go away during the course of the season; it will remain an issue until the players reach, at least, the age of 9 or 10. At the Tee-Ball level we begin the discussion and it will continue over the next few years.
5. Stomp the Base
Safety (and fun) Point: When the kids tag a base we tell them to ‘stomp’ on the base. They think this is a lot of fun, but more importantly it has a safety component. A player cannot run and stomp the base at the same time. In order to stomp on the base they must slow down.
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from C.T..
Recommended article:Key Questions to Ask When Ordering Children's home indoor adjustable mobile basketball standOver the course of a Tee Ball season there are times when a defensive player who is 15’-20’ from a base with the ball in their hand will race the base runner to the bag. In most cases the kids are running perpendicular to each other with the result of the kids reaching the base at the same time, while running fast, and a potentially dangerous collision occurs.
Positioning at the Base
First Base - stand between the base and the ball; right next to the base (but not touching).
Second and Third Bases - stand on the side of the base the ball is coming from; right next to the base (but not touching).
Home Plate - stand on the pitcher’s side of the plate; right next to the plate (but not touching).
These are the most basic teaching points for positioning at a base. As simple as they may seem, it will take the most of the season for most kids to get it; don’t be surprised if some still don’t. But just because they don’t get it exactly right doesn’t mean they are not benefiting. Much of the information we are giving them now will be incubating during the off-season and be ready to bloom when they get this information in the next season.
These basics do not put them in the correct position in all situations. Following these simple rules will result, at times, with the infielder in the way of a runner rounding second or third base. However, these situations don’t come up often…and kids (base runners) are pretty alert to avoid collisions.
We have two primary goals when teaching kids how to position themselves at a base:
Keep the defensive player from standing right on top of the base
Breaking the misconception that a player stands in a ‘Stretch Position’ to take a throw…
…oh, you didn’t know that a player at a base doesn’t initially stand in a Stretch Position to take a throw?!
I am not meaning to pop off to my readers. Actually I am chuckling a bit when I write this because many adults misunderstand how a player - including first basemen – stands at a base to get ready to take a throw.
Next time you go to a pro game, or college (many HS first basemen have not been properly taught how to take a throw), when a ground ball is hit to an infielder, instead of following the ball, shift your eyes to the first baseman.
A first baseman runs to the base and gets in a “Ready Position”! It is not until After the ball has been thrown and the first baseman sees that the throw is accurate that they Then move into a ‘stretch’ position to catch the ball.
PLEASE, do not allow the kids to stand in a stretch position when taking a throw at a base, or when playing catch (many stand in this incorrect position when playing catch). You will be saving them, as well as their future coaches and teammates a lot of grief. Breaking older kids of this improper habit is very difficult.
With that clarified we can move on to teach the kids where the defensive players’ positions are, and their basic defensive responsibilities.
Note: Early in the season do not invest too much time and energy in teaching kids specifically where they need to stand at a base. Simply put, there are more important things for them to learn. Also, it takes more time and effort than we really want to invest to get the kids disciplined in standing correctly in relation to the base. This is another teaching point that we will address during the season, but not with high expectations for mastery. While some learning and application with take place, our fruits of our labors will pay off in subsequent seasons as the kids become more familiar with the game of baseball.
Defensive Positioning
Infielders - The first and third baseman stand 10’ from the base. Do not tell them a distance (they will start doing a heel to toe measurement from the base to their position), tell them to stand “Four Giant Steps” away from the base when the batter is getting ready to hit.
Have the shortstop and second baseman stand half way between the corner base and second base. This is not 'regular' baseball positioning (remember: this is not regular baseball). The reason we position them exactly between the bases becomes clear when we start teaching ‘Infield Base Coverage Responsibilities’.
Catcher - Strapping a 5 or 6 year old into ill-fitting catchers gear when they are not catching pitches is a bit illogical. Consider having the catcher wear only a helmet with a face mask (to protect them if they get hit by a bat). When I run camps for kids this age I use a 3’ x 3’ garden gate as a protective barrier. This is placed 10 feet behind home plate. The catcher squats behind the screen. After the batter drops the bat the catcher runs out to their position…
The catcher’s Defensive position is just in Front of home plate; where they need to be standing in order to take a throw and make a play at home.
Defensive Responsibilities
“Baseball is a Game of Movement”
Young kids’ idea of moving in the game of baseball is usually in relation to fielding the ball. When working with older kids a common coaching statement is ‘Know what you are going to do with the ball when it is hit to you’. While this is very important it doesn’t address the fact that the kids who don’t have the ball hit to them also have responsibilities on defense. And those responsibilities involve the need to move around the field.
At the Tee Ball level our objective for the season is for the infielders to learn that when the ball is not hit to them they run and cover a base. The teaching phrase we will use over and over is, “Ball or Base” …if you don’t get the ball, you cover a base. And you run fast to the base to cover it!
The first few days we work with the kids on this concept, they will struggle. However, after a while most will get the idea. While they will get the concept, it will take longer for them to execute it well. Expect it to take at least half the season before some of the kids are reacting properly when they are needed to cover a base.
For most it will take till the entire season, but we will see progress being made along the way. As they progress in learning to move without the ball and cover a base it is very satisfying as a coach. And their coach the following season will benefit tremendously.
Teaching Base Coverage Responsibilities
Before we get into learning the drill regarding this fundamental baseball concept keep in mind that we will start working only with the four infielders. Initially we will leave the pitcher standing in the middle of the field with no instructions. Later, after the kids get some understanding of the concept of infielders covering bases we will then add the pitcher to the mix. In the next year or two, as coaches, we will come to learn that the pitcher has a lot of coverage (movement) responsibilities on defense.
We will drill our kids in this concept, but time they will get the most opportunities to develop the habit of covering a base when they don’t get the ball is in our daily scrimmage.
Rules for base coverage responsibilities:
1. If an infielder does not field the ball they cover a base (“Ball or Base”).
2. The third baseman and first baseman have one base.
3a. The shortstop and second baseman have two bases; one to their left and one to their right.
3b. If the ball goes to your left and you aren’t fielding it, run to the base on your left. If the ball goes to your right and you aren’t fielding it, run to the base on your right.
It is understood that early in the year most of the kids on defense will want to attack the ball and will not recognize that some/many balls that are hit, are not 'theirs'. The 'positional movement' drills will start the kids on their way to recognizing that one infielder gets the ball and the other infielders cover a base.
We teach kids their movement responsibilities through the 'Two Players, One Base' drill.
Pitcher
The information below* is more for your information as an adult, than for teaching to the kids. Not until around age 9 are youth players able to comprehend and follow this instruction. At the Tee-Ball level, its best to let the child playing defense at the pitcher position to just hang out in the middle of the diamond. They will get plenty of balls to field. : ) As the season progresses, we will see many situations where the two infielders on one side of the field will be on the ground wrestling for the ball, leaving one of the corner bases (1st or 3rd) uncovered.
We coaches may choose to point out that often a base is not covered and instruct the pitcher that, when they see this, they run over to the base and cover it. The reality is they will recognize this too late and not get to the base ahead of the runner. That sis OK though. They will begin to grasp the fact that there are times where they are needed to cover a base (not just stand in the middle of the infield watching). Simply the experience of recognizing this, followed by running over to the base will be a great education for them. Next year (or the year after), when they have matured more and are more in tune with what is going on around them, they will take these experiences and will be able to more quickly learn to execute the pitcher's defensive movement responsibilities at game speed.
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*The pitcher follows the same rules as the shortstop and second baseman. The base to the pitcher’s left is first base, the base to their right is third base. If the ball is hit to the pitcher’s left and they don’t field it, they run to the base on their left (first base) and cover it IF it is unoccupied; otherwise they stop short of the base^.
The same rules apply for balls hit to the pitcher’s right. Ideally we only want the pitcher to go after balls they can field before it crosses the invisible line between them and first or third base. We don’t want them running back towards the infielders after the ball. This is much easier said than done, however.
^Possibly at the Coach/Machine Pitch level of play, and definitely at the Player Pitch levels, we train the pitcher, when the base is covered by a teammate we train the pitcher to continue running past the base, into foul territory, to back-up throws to the base.
Why do we want the pitcher covering a base?
Often both infielders on the side of the field the ball is hit to will go after the ball and neither will cover the corner base (first or third). The pitcher is the ‘insurance policy’ to be sure the base is covered.
As stated earlier, we will not drill the pitcher in this responsibility early on. Our time will be used to get the four infielders to develop their base coverage habits.
This does not mean we will not teach the idea, verbally, of the pitcher covering a base. We will point this out each time it comes up. The reality is that verbal instructions are not nearly as effective as the players drilling the actual actions.
Later in the season, once the four infielders are demonstrating they are getting the concept of covering the correct base we can then start investing practice time on drilling the pitcher position.
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