T-BALL" PLAY GUIDELINES
(Kindergarten and 1st grade)
2007 Schedule
MWGSL Tee-Ball Rules
(Revised October 2003)
2. Rag balls, batting tees, and aluminum bats will be used. Cleats are not allowed on the field.
3. Baseball gloves are necessary.
4. Practices and games will be on the same night. The first 45 minutes will be
used for instruction, and the last 45 minutes will be used for game time. Those times can be
modified to keep the girls interested.
5. Team stretching, and warm-up should occur at the beginning of each practice.
6. Teams will consist of 8 to 10 players or less.
7. All children will play equal amounts of time.
8. Each team will bat through the order once before ‘switching sides’.
9. One or more coaches from each team is encouraged to be on the field and
at the plate with the players to guide them and help them.
10. Batters will bat from a Tee Stand.
11. There are no strikeouts, or outs called.
12. Make sure your team is sitting in the designated area while waiting to bat.
13. Have all of your player’s shout each other’s names when throwing the ball to
one another. This helps the children become familiar with each other as
well as makes them aware that the ball is coming.
14. MWGSL Tournament team players and Parent volunteers must be available to help with practice
and to officiate the game.
Officiating will include:
· Maintaining a safe playing environment
· Keeping players spread out
· Teaching general Tee-Ball and softball skills and concepts
· Enforcing general rules
· Encouraging the players! On both teams.
15. MWGSL Staff will also be available if players need assistance or First Aid.
The Tee Ball league is designed for learning, participation, teamwork,
sportsmanship, and fun. Coaches are reminded to keep it light, and emphasize the
positive. Encouragement fosters self-confidence and self-respect.
Tee Ball Tips For Coaches
1. As a coach, get organized, develop a plan, and prepare to work hard. Learn
as much about tee ball and softball as you can. Prepare to learn enough
about softball to be able to present the material in “kid terms”.
2. Successful coaches know their audiences and common visual imagery to
establish a connection with their players. For tee ball players, these images
are best when they are a bit dramatic: point out the belly button toward the
part of the field where you want to hit the ball (get your hips rotated), make
your arm like an elephant’s trunk when throwing (don’t launch the ball like a
catapult, THROW it), and point the button on your cap in the direction the ball
came from when fielding a ground ball (keep your head down), for instance.
3. A coach must possess certain qualities. A coach has to be a good teacher,
he/she has to be patient, be confident and decisive, be nurturing when
his/her players get hurt or make mistakes. You have to be able to get as
much as he/she can out of your players without going too far.
4. Tell player’s parents not to assume that the game of tee ball is just like the
game of softball or baseball; try to tell them the difference because it might spare you
an untimely laugh and them the humiliation of asking a silly question.
5. Try to be a coach on the field and a parent off the field.
6. Try to get parents assistance. Parents are willing to help out if they aren’t too busy and they tend to learn that the more they participate in the operation of the team, the more they also stay in touch with the challenges coaches encounter as they try to build the team. Be very patient with the children. Repetition will be commonplace.
7. The only way to build a good team out of a group of individuals is through effective practice. On the field, you have to be a teacher as well as a coach. Teach them what they need to know, show them what you taught them, practice the things you taught them over and over, and then be prepared to
do it all over again.
8. Practice, by definition, presumes repetition. Repetition is the keystone of successful game preparation.
9. Practice base running. If you don’t remind the players about catching the ball and making a good, smart throw, they won’t do it in the game. Attention to the basics is essential. To make the most of your practice time, break the team up into two or three groups, depending on the number of coaches, space, and equipment you have available for the workout. You will accomplish more. Proper dugout behavior is essential to good order on the ball field during the game. Players on the side acting like monkeys are very distracting to the team and the coaches.
10. Have FUN!!
Thoughts for Tee-ball:
With two teams, have two very specific areas clearly marked, spread apart, and follow a tight schedule. Each team should have 15 minutes at each ‘station’. There should be at least one adult at each station. If there is no coach, tournament team, assistant coaches will play that role.
1. Have a place for one team to do batting, base running, and fielding:
· Set up the field (nice and big), with the tee at home plate, and the bases with cones on top of them, and the stars spread out.
· Start with children running the bases saying the name of the base as they go by. Do this twice.
· Have one child at bat, while the others are in the field in “ready position”. Have them stand on the stars just to stay in position.
· Have each child hit three-four times and run to first after the last one.
· Make sure each child has a turn at bat.
· Have them rotate positions, i.e. have the one playing first base hit, and when he or she is done have them play third, and move everyone one position.
2. Have another place for one team to do ‘ready position’, throwing and
fielding grounders:
· First do stretching.
· Then demonstrate proper throwing technique. Have them throw to each other. Make sure they look to where they are throwing. Pair them off in two’s.
· Next, show them the “ready position”. Have them stand in a straight line to practice.
· Show them proper technique for fielding grounders. Throw the ball and have them field it one at a time.
3. Start the game 45 minutes after the start time:
· Have the batting team sit far away from the tee. Have the batter hit the ball and run to first. Ask a parent, either a coach or spectator to help out with telling the children where to run. Have each child hit once and advance one base. Last one runs all the bases.
· Fielders: have them stand on the stars in the ready position. Instead of picking one person to get the ball, when the ball is hit (quickly) determine who is closest. Have that child field the ball and throw it to first. If the ball tends to be hit to the same area, switch where they stand. Use the stars only for keeping the children spread out.
· Tell parents that they must remain off of the field. If they would like to help, they can help coach or just something as simple as coaching a base – telling children where to run. That small task makes a huge difference. Base coaching is easy and important.
· Play until all of the children have hit. If they bat through the order quickly, have them bat twice.
4. It’s important to keep the children moving and motivated. Have fun, be silly, be loud, be a role model.
T-Ball Batting (These basic mechanics also apply to balls being pitched to a batter.)
T-Ball is the first step in organized baseball and softball. T-Ball is the building block of the future of our fast softball league and high school teams. Teaching the proper mechanics will give a child confidence on and off the field. As a coach and as a parent, you are responsible to pass as much accurate information as possible.
Batting Mechanics:
In order to use the batting tee correctly, a player or coach must know the proper mechanics. Here are a few steps to focus on.
Step 1
“Keep your eye or head on the ball” is a phrase many have heard. During practice have the young player swing off the tee. The batter will swing and after contact the player’s head should be resting near the back shoulder starring down at the tee he/she just struck the ball. This will teach a player what is referred to in professional baseball/softball as Head Discipline.
Step 2
Swinging Down (not level) – Young hitters love to try to hit fly balls. Lifting the ball off the tee is especially bad for young hitters learning to swing the bat. A Major League hitter swings down at the ball. He does this because it gets him to the ball faster. When a ball is pitched, a downward swing creates backspin. Depending on where you hit the ball, a hitter will hit hard line drives, singles,
doubles and homers. Look at big league hitters on deck. They are constantly swinging downward.
Since the ball on a tee has no movement, the proper mechanics of swinging down on a tee should produce low line drives and hard hit ground balls. You may find this type of T-Ball not as entertaining as hitting high pop-ups. Remember, allowing players to continue incorrect mechanics can damage a players batting ability and discourage her from to continuing to play. Always remember the idea of T-Ball is for young players to have FUN, LEARN, and prepare for the next level of play.
The Grip
If you are right-handed, the right hand is placed above the left hand. The reverse is true for left-handed players. The second joints of the fingers of your top hand should line up somewhere between the second and base joints of the fingers of the lower hand.
The Stance
The distance you should stand from the plate can be measured and adjusted by bending over slightly from the waist and placing the top of the bat on the outside corner of the plate while holding the bat with your regular grip. Stand opposite the plate with your feet parallel, shoulder distance apart. Your body should face the plate, with your left shoulder and head facing the pitcher. The knees should
be relaxed and bent just a little. Your hips should be relaxed too, parallel with the ground and square with the plate. Hold the bat back of your head about shoulder high. Do not rest the bat on your shoulder. Your arms should be bent at the elbow and held comfortably away form the body so that they are free to move. Keep the forward arm fairly level with the ground. The back arm should be
dropped just a little in order to permit more power in your swing.
Youth Softball Hitting Tips
Balance and good mechanics are in common. Balance means having your weight centered over the middle of your body. Mechanics means hitting the ball using the proper technique.
Balance
First relax. Now place your feet shoulder
width apart. Stay relax- a little flex in the knees reduces tension. Now get
your three “eyes” to connect if you drew straight line from each eye. The 1st
eye is your belt buckle; the 2nd eye is your left foot; the 3rd
eye is your right foot. Turn your left foot in (to the right) slightly and
turn your right foot in (to the left) slightly. Now, if you drew an imaginary
straight line from all three eyes they should connect. Adjust as needed, but
keep your weight centered over the front part of your body (with left shoulder
closer slightly). Now you are balanced. Stay relaxed.
Mechanics of the Swing
Use 1-2-3-4 approach. Do this after you are balanced. As the pitcher commits to pitch (he crosses the rubber or moves forward to the plate) follow these steps.
1. Turn left shoulder in slightly.
2. Stride directly toward the pitcher- landing
softly. It’s extremely important to keep back on the stride, and when the
front foot lands, the hands should be back.
3. Squash a bug with your back foot, but don’t turn, (roll) your ankle over,
or you’ll lose balance.
4. Follow through with your swing. Remember to relax. Holding the bat with a loose top hand helps you to be loose up top. You will automatically tighten up when you swing.
Drills:
These one-arm hitting drills with a batting tee will improve your balance and your swing. Note: These instructions are written for a right-sided hitter. (Just reverse arm for a left-sided hitter)
Get A Grip:
You’ll need a tee ball, a bat and a tee. First, lay the bat handle onto your right hand (or the hand you feel more comfortable with). Usually that’s the same hand you use to throw or write with. That’s your batting hand (for a right-sided hitter, your right hand). The bat should rest against the base of your fingers, not on the fatty part of the lower palm. The left hand should now grip the bat below the right
hand. Tip
Make sure you line up the knuckles on the hands – this is important, as it will help you develop an “inside swing” (shorter route to the ball).
Take A Stance
Get comfortable in front of the tee. There’s
nothing wrong with “choking up” on the bat handle, or positioning your hands
higher up on the bat handle, whatever is comfortable for you. Place the bat on
your right shoulder. Take a swing. Note that each arm makes a different
motion. Your right arm makes a punching motion down and out. The left hand
makes a karate chop from your shoulder to the tee.
Work with one arm…
Work separately. First, the front arm, the one that faces the pitcher. For right-handed batters, that’s your left arm. For lefty batters, that your right arm. Set up a batting tee and a home plate (piece of paper, towel or other object as a plate). The tee should be in front of the plate – hitters hit the ball in front of the plate not over the plate (so never stand directly in front of the tee when practicing).
Remember; hit the ball in front of the plate. Stand at the plate with as if you’re going to hit a baseball. Your feet are shoulder width apart. You don’t need a bat yet. Grab the front of your shirt with your right hand. You might feel silly, but it’s important to keep holding onto your shirt to achieve proper balance. Put your other left hand on your right shoulder. Now slice your left hand down toward the tee at a 45-degree angle, karate style. You’ll do this same exercise with a ball on the tee and holding a bat (you’ll have to choke up on the handle). Remember that your right hand must hold onto the front of your shirt. With the left hand, hold a bat so that it feels comfortable as you swing it away from you. Chop the bat down toward the tee and hit the baseball. Don’t worry about where the ball goes. Try to hit the ball in the middle, not on top or the bottom.
…Then the other arm
Now you will do the drill for your right hand. Make your left arm hug your chest while making a punching motion toward the tee with your right hand. Next, pick up the bat and repeat the punching motion. You’ll have to choke up on the handle for comfort. Drive your bat down and out.
Sweeping the Table
A good swing has follow-through. You hit down toward the tee and out, as if you were hitting through a line of baseballs on a tabletop. This is called, “sweeping the table.”
Base Running
This is a very important skill to practice with the players as it may be a new concept to many of them.
· Have all of the player line up at home plate. Have the players follow you as you run the bases. Have them yell out the name of each base as they round it. This will help them remember the name of the base. After they have done this, have them run the bases one a time. Start them in a line facing
first base. As the first player reaches first base, send the second, and so on until you have all of the children running around all of the bases.
· Line players up at home plate, with a parent stationed at first base. Have the players run to the first base one at a time. When they all have arrived, move the parents to the next base, and repeat until reaching home.
· Have Parents or other adults stationed at each base to aid with directions.
DRILLS
1. Divide the team in half and let each player
hit from the tee and run the bases concentrating on listening to the coach
while he/she runs. The coach will instruct runners to ‘go ahead” or “stay” on
base.
For discussion - make up some different situations and test the player’s
knowledge of base -running. When to run...when not to run...when to return to
base...etc.
Throwing & Fielding
The Grip
Grip the ball with your third and fourth fingers resting against the ball as far around the bottom of the ball as you can comfortably reach. If your hands are small, modify the grip so that the third and fourth fingers are spread around the side and bottom of the ball to provide better support. If possible, the fingers should cross the seams of the ball to prevent slipping when releasing the ball. Only the finger pads should touch the ball. The finger pads have the best ability to feel the ball and allow maximum joint action for whipping the throw. Do not allow any other part of the hand or palm to touch it. You should be able to see daylight between your hand and the ball. Grip the ball firmly and you are ready to go!
The Motion
The moment your grip is secure, shift your weight to the rear foot, move your front foot a stride toward your target and swing your throwing arm back behind your body until you can feel a pull across the elbow and the hand bends back from the wrist. The upper arm, forearm and wrist should be bent as far back as they will go. This maximum backward stretch will develop power for your throw. When the arm and weight are completely back, you are ready to whip the ball forward. Shift your weight forward on your front foot to brace yourself for the forward action of the throw. As your weight shifts forward, your entire body comes forward and pivots around so that you are more nearly square to the target. The whip action starts from the shoulder. The forearm starts forward when the elbow is above your shoulder. The wrist snaps forward just as the ball is released. The ball is released as the hand points toward the target. As the ball leaves your hand, allow your hand to continue toward the target and your whole body to keep moving in a full follow-through. When you release the ball, you will be off balance unless you let your rear leg move forward to about shoulder distance from your supporting leg. If you stop the follow through, you will lose power and accuracy. The steps for a good throw are to bring the ball back in a coil like wind -up, unleash the power and follow through.
In using the overhand throw, raise the upper arm shoulder high, lift the forearm above the head and flex the wrist so that your hand points behind you. The upper arm is lifted overhead as you Move the arm forward. The follow-through is downward.
Catching and Throwing
Ground balls are a good place to start. They are easier to track and catch than balls in the air and even players with undeveloped throwing skills can roll grounders to each other. You will probably want to introduce throwing and catching. Practice throwing balls by having players throw to a coach and catching balls thrown by a coach before having them throw to each other.
Divide the kids up into groups of two and give each pair a ball. Have them stand about 12 feet apart and throw the ball back and forth. (Use a rubber ball in this exercise) give the kids some simple instructions: “Throw the ball so that your partner doesn’t have to move to catch it.”
· Next, work on developing distance and accuracy in throwing. Put a set of bases in a small diamond (about 20’ between bases) and divide the team into groups of four. With each group put the players on the bases and practice throwing the ball around the diamond. Emphasize:
Let each group throw the ball around the diamond a
couple of times and rotate groups.
1. Partner Fielding
Partners roll, and then throw back and forth.
2. Introductory catching
Partners toss and catch at close range. Have the players shout their partners name as they throw. This encourages correct form and use of the throwing hand in the catching process.
3. Circle Fielding ⌂ Coach in the Middle
1. Go around the circle, in order, feeding each player a grounder and having him/her throw or toss it back (good for initial skill evaluation).
2. Feed grounders in random, keeping everyone alert and in ready position.
3. Feed in random order using more than one ball.
4. Player in the Middle.
Everyone gets a brief turn being the “leader”.
4. Line Fielding
1. Coach throws grounder to each player in turn, and player throws to coach.
2. Repeat until each player has had a turn.
Relay
Two coaches, two lines. Each group tries to be first to complete some specified number of fielding attempts, throws, or some (smaller) number of successful attempts in a row (without an error.)
Entire team works together to field some number of grounders (OR some number of successful grounders without an error) before progressing to the next drill.
1. Coach hits grounders (instead of throwing them).
2. Players field balls and then tag nearby base (take turns playing base).
3. Players field balls and throw.
4. With all fielding drills, progress to fly balls, and mix grounders and fly balls in at random.
Using the Batting Tee
This section will teach you a simple drill using your batting tee to hit pitches over the inside and outside corners of the plate. The goal is to use the same swing for every ball.
1. Place the tee on the outside back edge of home plate.
2. Stand next to the plate and make contact following your normal swing.
3. (Remember from Hitting Instructions above?) Your batting hand makes a punching motion; the lower hand on the bat makes a karate chop.
4. Do not try to hit a homerun. Line drives are what you want. Home run power can come later on.
5. You’ll find that you’re driving the ball to the opposite field from where you’re standing. If you bat on the left side of the plate, the ball is going to right field.
6. Now move your tee to the front of home plate. This time, when you hit the ball it should head straight out to center field.
7. Finally, place the tee on the inside edge of home plate. Try to “pull the ball.” If you’re batting right-handed, you’re standing on the left side of home plate and the ball should be going to the left field.
8. Young players have a hard time with outside pitches. They want to go after the ball, so they reach out, which takes the strength out of their swing.
(These guidelines where modified from an article
written by Lar Gilligan –
two-time All-American and former Chicago White Sox and St.Louis Cardinals
organization player. They are intended to give a brief insight into coaching
Tee ball to children who have never played before and also as an extended
source of information for older players, managers and coaches.)