WELCOME Coach Steve Rau & Coach Blake Barthol

Keys To Effective Practices Keep them moving with stations Quick, yet effective warm up to prevent injuries Defense first after warm-ups Practical drills Game simulations Make it fun

Practice Organization  Dynamic Warmup  Throwing Be aware of proper mechanics Progress into long toss Pitching staff has different routine  Team Defense Coach lead 9 innings  Position Defense Divide players by position Work in drills, fungos, etc.  Offensive Stations or Modified Game Drills and Batting Practice  Baserunning/Conditioning/Competition/Fun

Dynamic Warm Ups Arm Hugs Arm Circles Trunk Rotations Knee Hugs Walking Quad Stretch Inverted Toe Touch Straight Leg March Walking Lunge Finish the warm up with Lead- Hold-Breaks These are just a small sampling of movements

Hitting Mechanics Bat is gripped in the fingertips Feet are slightly wider than shoulder width Hands about 3 inches perpendicular to the back shoulder with relaxed elbows Short stride or other timing mechanism Keep hands at shoulder height at toe touch; backside tall. Good hip turn Quick inside path to the ball Full extension of the arms to the direction of the ball Head gets buried into the back shoulder Hit off a stiff front leg Finish long Tempo and rhythm

Where To Be At Toe Touch

Effective Hitting Drills Regular Tee (inside and outside) High Tee 2 Tee Drill (stay inside the ball) Front Flip Wall Drill #1(swinging next to the wall) Wall Drill #2(swinging with wall behind hitter) Oppo-Flip Tracking Mini Wiffle Balls One arm drill (top and bottom hands)

Pitching Mechanics Balance, Direction, and Timing Short step back, pivot in front of rubber Lift knee to at least parallel to the ground Stay tall and vertical Hands separate with the lowering of knee Thumb down on baseball Lead with glove or elbow to the target Stride is in a straight line to the target and is ¾ or more the length of the body Elbow at shoulder height or above Finish with strong follow through and a flat back

Using the legs

Pitching Drills Z- drill  Knee  Balance Point  Goal Post (optional)  Full wind up Line Drill Step behind drill/momentum drill Backside hold Tennis Ball Can Bullpen work and live pitching is a must

Throwing Drills Rotations Ready, Break, Throw Walk throughs Relay Drill Long Toss Various target drills

Fielding Drills Bare hand catches Pick Ups Bat Drill Pick Drill Drop Step Drill Square Drill Paddles

Fun Skill Games Indian Baseball Sniper Relay Drill Two – Pitch Game Stickball Baseball Glove Football

Defending The Bunt GET AN OUT! Standard Bunt Defense  1 st baseman charges  2 nd baseman covers 1st, cheats a little  Pitcher gets what he can until called off  3 rd baseman makes a read on the ball Rotation Bunt Defense  Objective is to get the out at third  1 st and 3 rd basemen charge  Shortstop covers 3rd, 2 nd baseman covers 1st

Thank You There is so much more to cover with this great game and this clinic only touches the surface of how to be a successful baseball coach and player. Our knowledge comes from over 50 combined years of playing and coaching experience, in addition to learning from some great baseball minds. Just remember, as coaches we're always striving to learn more and we never stop being students of the game. Feel free to ask us any questions. We want you to have the opportunity to get the most out of your time spent here.