What are the best things I can do as a parent to encourage my son’s interest in baseball?

Have fun with it! Come up with fun games to work on youth baseball skills development rather than just running through baseball drills.

Also, keep in mind that youth baseball and youth softball are very difficult sports to play. A Hall of Famer from the Big Leagues gets 3 hits in 10 at-bats. What other sport can be successfully played with a 70% failure ratio???!!!

Posted by Duke Baxter at 08:26 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

What are your thoughts on the right age for a child to be part of a travel baseball team?

I don’t have children old enough to play travel ball, so that is a hard question for me to answer.

Looking at as many ball players that I see, however, I would say that the age of 10 is a good age for travel ball. It also depends what you mean by travel ball--there are so many different types of travel teams. Some play year-round, while some play 9 months out of the year.

I have always said this: For a player to become a better athlete you should play different sports to work on different types of agility and body movements that are specific to that sport. For example, basketball requires a lot of jumping, side-to-side agility and endurance that is great for baseball players.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 09:50 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

My 7-year-old son is afraid of the ball when batting. Do you have any tips for making him feel more comfortable?

One of the things that I do with players who are afraid of the ball is talk to them and explain that it is part of the game.  You are either going to hit the ball or be hit by it.  A lot of ballplayers have been hit by the ball, and even though it hurts a little bit, we brush it off and keep playing.  One of the very important parts of the game is teaching ballplayers how to get out of the way of the ball properly.  To get out of the way of the ball, you turn toward the plate and tuck your arms back, creating a curve to your back.  That way the ball will hit the fattier part of your body--the back of the legs, arm, and buttocks.  This technique has really helped many players I’ve worked with who were afraid of the ball.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 06:07 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

There are all types of products out there designed for use on your leather glove—gels, microwavables, you name it.  Me?  I’m old-school.  I use Barbasol shaving cream.  I put a little on the glove and work it in.  I don’t know if there’s any research on its effectiveness, but it’s always worked for me!

Posted by Duke Baxter at 03:54 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Taking good care of your baseball glove makes a huge difference in its lifespan.  Here are tips to help ensure your glove lasts you a long time:

1. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for use and care.  A no-brainer:  They built it, so they know best.
2. Keep your baseball glove in a cool, dry place when it is not in use.
3. Don’t leave your glove where the heat could affect the leather, say in the trunk of your car when it’s hot.
4. If your glove gets wet, dry it lightly with a towel and then let it air-dry.  Don’t be tempted to put your glove near a heater (or in the oven!), as this can dry out the leather.
5. Don’t over-oil.  A few times each season is plenty.
6. Keep your laces tight.

Follow these tips, and you should get years of great use from your glove.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 03:42 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Take a tennis ball or pliable ball that bounces and go into your basement. Find a hard wall and toss the ball against it. Pretend that you are actually getting a real ground ball and catch the ball with good mechanics and shuffle like you are going to make the throw. Go through the play in your mind visualizing that it is real. Make this drill as real life as you can.

The great thing about this is that you can throw the ball to your right working on backhands, to you left working on forehands and slow rollers that you will need to charge.

You can simulate all types of plays and this will help you with your agility on the field because of the movements you will be making. Have fun with this easy and fun drill.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 04:17 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Have fun! It is very overwhelming to run a practice if you are not prepared. Treat the players like they know nothing about the game and start everything from scratch. By doing this it will force you to teach them the game and that way you will all be on the same page.

Always have a plan. You must go to every practice with a well thought-out plan. The players will know right away if you are just trying to wing it. They want structure, and if you can show them that you prepared yourself for the practice, they will know that there is structure. Explain to them what they will be covering and you will see that the practice will go much smoother.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 02:42 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I feel that players can learn a lot more from college games because those players are still hungry for the game. They hustle and play the game hard. With the pros, you often see guys walking out to their positions and not being as serious.

You will learn a lot from just watching and reading the situations on the field and seeing where guys are throwing certain balls when they are in certain situations.

You can also learn a lot from the commentators talking about the game. They will often talk about certain pitchers and mechanics as well as hitters and flaws. They do a very good job of slow motion and they break down the game fairly well. So, yes, you can learn an awful lot from watching games on TV.

Posted by Duke Baxter at 04:06 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

I am a big advocate of playing all the positions. When I went to college in Florida I had gotten a scholarship to play third base. After winning a job as the starting third baseman our second baseman tore his ACL by someone sliding into him on a double play. What were we to do? I told the coach I could play second base and my backup played third. I went on to be an All American second baseman.

I played all of the infield positions in high school and this allowed me to be versatile for my team.  I played shortstop, second base and third base in Pro Ball. This helps you to better understand the game because you as a player now know who should be covering the bags where people are going and you never know what position you are going to best at.

Try all positions and have fun. As you get older and are playing competitively you will start to lean to certain positions. The best weapon a coach is a player that can play multiple positions. If, for example, you only know how to play shortstop and the coach already has a very good shortstop, what happens? Bench maybe. But if you can easily slide over to second you then make the lineup. Play multiple positions!

Posted by Duke Baxter at 05:35 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)