Ripken Baseball

Now is the time for mastering the basics. I’ve been doing some traveling lately with Cal and John Habyan for our Coaching Clinics.

Last weekend we were in Chicago. The weekend before that, Richmond. Coming up later this month, we’ll be in Boston. Out of that tour, there’s no doubt that Mother Nature has been putting a hurtin’ on the Northeast this winter.

Richmond was mild… somewhere in the teens or twenties. Chicago was downright cold, never getting out of the single digits. And I don’t really expect Boston to be any better than it is here in Baltimore, as we stare down a Nor’easter this weekend.

That’s why this is the best time of year to master the basics of baseball, a point Cal and I try to get across to the coaches attending our clinics. Teams are stuck indoors this time of year and they’re not going outside any time soon. In that atmosphere, there’s no need to overload kids with more advanced aspects of the game.

Trying to cover bunt defenses and pickoff plays just doesn’t make sense in the confinements of a gym.

Break baseball down and you’re dealing with a simple catch and throw game. That’s all it is and that’s what you need to focus on as a coach in these winter months. Enforce proper fielding positions, make sure your players are throwing and catching correctly. Let these basics slide now and you’re looking at a tough season when spring and summer finally roll around. No team is beyond refining the simple fundamentals of catching and throwing.

Improve catching and throwing now and you’ll find the more advanced pieces come easier when you do get outside.

At our Coaching Clinics, we cover some of the more advanced aspects of baseball: the daylight play, situational defense, rundowns, disguising signs. It’s all great stuff, but it’s meant to give these coaches ammunition for the entire season. Don’t go covering all those things when you only have a gym floor to work with.

Take the time indoors to master the basics and save the advanced instruction for when you hit the field.

Interested in attending the upcoming Ripken Baseball Coaching Clinic in Boston? Head to www.ripkenbaseball.com for more.