This is where it all starts. Little League Baseball. One of the more enjoyable times in a child’s life. The smile of their face when they get that first hit. The smile on their face when they catch that fly ball. The smile on their face when they strike out a hitter.
When they first start playing, it is usually tee-ball. Every game is fun. No pressure to get a hit. Nobody yelling at the umpires. And everybody gets equal playing time at every position and everyone goes home happy, including the parents. Wouldn’t it be nice if every season was like that?! My question is, why isn’t it? When did LITTLE LEAGUE baseball become a “we have to win” sport. Parents and the parent coaches need to realize and remember what this level of baseball is all about. Parents put their kids in these leagues to play and have fun. Hopefully they will learn a little something along the way but don’t expect your child to get great instruction from a volunteer parent. Don’t get me wrong, there are most definitely some good little league coaches out there, but they are very hard to come by.
Players in little league should get even playing time at whatever positions they want to learn. I always recommend coaches passing out a questioner before the season, to see what positions each player likes.
Parents and coaches also need to understand that the umpires are volunteers too. They will make mistakes often and have not so good strike zones. That is just the way it is, so do yourself and the kids a favor and keep your comments to yourself. Being vocal to a volunteer umpire, in little league, sets a horrible example to the kids. Don’t forget, they are like sponges. If you act like that, guess how they will think is the right way to act!
Lastly, they whole winning thing in little league, in my opinion goes too far sometimes. I can understand it at the 12 year old age but until then, that’s not what it should be about. Parents and coaches need to check their egos at the door and let the kids have fun. Remember, this is little league baseball and should be a great memory in these kids lives. Make it fun, teach them how to do their best and what it means to be a good teammate.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
The name of the game is to throw strikes. A pitchers number one goal should be this. If we throw strikes, we will get contact which is what we want. Many young pitchers think they are suppose to strike out all the hitters. Yes it’s fun, but it shouldn’t be the number one thing on a pitchers mind.
I always noticed it as a player but it is even more apparent now as a coach how different every player is. Don’t get me wrong, there are things every player has to do to be successful. For example, every single hitter has to have good balance, stay square to the ball and make sure the front foot is down and hands are separated from the body to give themselves the best chance to make solid contact. 
As a ball player, you are expected to be at the top of your game everyday. This is an expectation that the people watching the game have. But anybody who has played this game for an extended period of time knows that this just doesn’t happen. 
I was fortunate enough to watch Yu Darvish pitch from the 5th inning on during his bid for a perfect game on April 2nd. It was awesome. He mixed his pitches perfectly, no pun intended! When I was in Japan during the 2006-07 seasons, he was a rookie over there dominating as a 20 year old. 
We have had a request to explain some popular baseball sayings that you might hear on the filed or on TV. Here you go:
I was talking with a student a couple weeks ago, who is a sophomore in HS, about his season last year. He had a rough time during school ball but had a much better summer. After more talk, it came out that he felt that he deserved more playing time during school ball and didn’t take it well. He then took more of a leadership role during summer ball where he had much better results.
A good coach is a true teacher. Many youth, High School and College coaches will call pitches for the pitchers during a game. Often it is not explained to the pitcher why we called that pitch in that count. What happens is the player becomes a robot and never learns to think for themselves. If a player is talented enough to make it to pro ball, this can be a serious downfall. Pitching is so much more than just throwing pitches. It’s mostly about the mind game. How should I pitch in different game situations? How can I set up the next pitch and the pitches after that? What is my go to pitch to get out of this situation? 
One of the best experiences in my baseball career so far. Japan is a beautiful country and we would love to visit it again someday. 
Major League Baseball, it doesn’t get any better. It’s the absolute highest level any one player can play at. It’s where you have to be to become a hall of famer. In our generation, it’s where you have to be if you want to make truck loads of money playing the game of baseball.