Little League. Cat & Mouse

[ozzy6900]

I tend to agree with Rich here. The weakest link in this equation is F3. In this area, it's the fat kids who play 1st base. Most of the time, they can't get out of their own way, never mind chase a ball down. An overthrow even on a fenced in field will normally result the runner on 1st making it to at least 3rd before F3 even moves toward the ball. No, I am not being nasty or mean, this is how youth ball works around here.

My son was an exception to this. Tall and thin, when he wasn't pitching, he was the team's F3. Able to catch just about anything thrown at him, stretching into a full split while holding the bag ( ouch) and with a certain F4, turning a sweet reverse DP. Okay, I worked with him daily and he was a great player when he was young, but the norm around here is not this scenario.... it's Fat Albert loving to play baseball.

[PaREF]

The only differences in travel ball and "normal" players are that travel ball plays more games and the coaches actually understand how to teach baseball fundamentals.

I've coached volleyball for 20 years now and learning to perform a motor skill like throwing a ball is a matter of using correct mechanics and repetition. So, yes, you are correct but you're not 100% correct.

My experience shows me that there is no way 9 and 10 year old kids can effectively learn to perform a task like accurately throwing a ball (or hitting a ball) by doing it ONLY in organized practice, no matter how skilled the coach is in teaching. There just isn't enough time to get all of the repetitions they need to become proficient (unless you ignore all of the other aspects of the game and only perform one skill for hours at a time, day after day).

I have found that young kids whose skill levels are higher than average have put in a lot of extra time practicing their technique either with parents, friends, or by themselves. Coaching is important but desire and perseverance are greater. One of my favorite quotes is “the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”

[pastordoug]

While trying to "teach" players the fundamentals is a great goal, however in many of these leagues little Tommy along with about 7 others are out there because of Dad.... When I coached the only thing we hoped for when drafting is to get AT LEAST 3-4 kids who could catch, hit, and throw! Let's not forget that these are Kids and we should let them be kids... IMO more important than learning fundamentals 9 (while certainly important) is the concept of teamwork and good sportsmanship....