Instruction

Pitchers 3 most important rules...pitch, pitch, pitch!

Nothing helps you

become a good pitcher more than pitching.

Depending on your age you should be pitching a minimum of 50 balls per day, 3 times a week, all through the off-season.

Tips for Better Fielding

· Be physically ready for the ball to come to you - staying on your toes and positioning yourself so you can see the batter.

· Decide what to do in advance! For example, with a runner on third and less than 2 outs, infielders need to decide whether to try to force the runner out at home, or get the out at first, if a ground ball is hit to them. Make sure to get the easy outs.

· Make conservative decisions with your skill level in mind. Only take a chance if you are confident in your ability to complete it - and keep in mind the skills of any other players involved (i.e. can our catcher field the ball cleanly if I rifle it too them on one hop from center field?).

· Gain control of a ball hit to you as quickly as possible. Basically this boils down to not letting balls to get by you, and is especially important in the outfield, where singles all too frequently become inside the park home runs due to a misplay.

· Once you're in control of the ball, don't throw it away! Outfielders and infielders have slightly different agendas. Outfielders need to get the ball in to the infield as quickly as possible, and even if their throws are a little off target, it's generally OK. Infielders, on the other hand, need to be sure not to rush their throws, since errant throws lead directly to extra bases for the other team.

· Communicate with each other, especially on fly balls: go for fly balls until called off; if you have a definite play on the ball, call for it. Never assume what another fielder will do. Take command!

· Outfielders: when in doubt trying to catch a fly ball, go backwards! The most common mistake in judging fly balls is to assume they will go shorter than they actually do. Fielders will take a few steps forward, then gulp as the ball flies over their head. This is especially hard to do on balls hit directly at you, they always look like the will bounce in front of you, even if they end up ten feet over your head.