Skills and Strategies – Baseball

Basic Skills
Throwing
-Throwing is the most important basic skill required of a good defensive player. The ability to
throw accurately and quickly will make it hard for the opposition to score and advance runners.
Having the correct throwing technique will allow you to hit your targets with greater consistency.

Execution:

1. Keep ball at chest -Throwing hand holding the ball in our glove right in the middle of our
body, around chest height.

2. Line up to your target -Have your feet and shoulders in line with your target.

3. Your front side and back side will be working together -Stay in a straight line to your
target so you don’t fight against your body.  Let it work for you, not against you.

4. When taking the ball out of the glove, keep it facing the ground as long as possible-
Your glove hand should follow along with what your throwing hand is doing. It should feel like
you are leading your glove to your target with the heel of your glove hand. This is a strong
position to throw.

5. Take the ball from facing the ground to facing behind you- Keep thinking of taking the
ball from facing down to the ground to facing the centerfielder (if you were pitching off the
mound). This position will create as much torque as possible for your body.

6.  Throw the baseball- The last thing to fire is your throwing hand and the ball to come out. 

7. Use your fingers and wrist to throw- The big muscles set everything up for your little
muscles to really fire and get the most out of your throw. Just working on using your wrist
and fingers more you will really see a difference in the velocity of your throws.

Pitching
-Pitching is a skill that puts the game to a play. It is performed by a pitcher, one of the key
players in baseball who stay at the center of the playing field called diamond.

Execution:

1. Starting stance- In the starting stance, a pitcher should have good balance and keep his
shoulders relaxed and body squared off to the plate.
2. Wind up- Once the pitcher gets his sign from the catcher in the starting stance, he needs
to initiate the pitching delivery with a simultaneous hand pump (may choose to lift his hands
over his head, over and behind his head, only to his chest, or keep his hands
still) and rocker step(is a small transfer of weight from the pivot foot ‘pitching arm side foot’
to the free foot ‘glove side foot’).
3. Leg lift- Once the pivot foot has been positioned, the pitcher is ready for a forward rock
into the leg lift.
 4. Maximum knee height- As the pitcher lifts his knee up to maximum height, stopping the
thigh slightly higher than parallel to the ground, but not so high that it causes a loss of
balance.
5. Stride- Moving the body away from the rubber sideways and directing the entire pitcher's
mass at the target has the single biggest influence on final pitch velocity.
6. Stride foot contact- Upon stride foot contact, the pitcher should land flat-footed – not on
the heel and certainly not on the toe – locking the front foot to the mound so that it does not
move.
7. Arm cocking- RHPs will have the ball cap high and above, with the throwing elbow
slightly below the shoulder, and the forearm nearly perpendicular to the ground with the palm
of the hand facing the shortstop.
8.

Hitting
-Hitting is the most enjoyable part of the game. It is hard to hit a round ball with a round bat
into a specified area, especially if you only have a split second to react. A good hitter needs
excellent hand-eye coordination, a fast reaction time, good technique and confidence.

Catching
-Catching correctly not only keeps you from being hurt, it also makes it easier for you to get
ready to throw the ball. Catching and throwing are the 2 fundamental defensive Baseball skills. In a
game your ability to catch and throw quickly helps you throw out a base runner attempting to
advance to the next base

Fielding
-Good team fielding makes it difficult for the opposition to score runs and gives the pitcher
and catcher extra confidence. It is important to practice the basic fundamentals of fielding a ball hit
along the ground and in the air, as well as knowing where to throw the ball. A good fielder will
rehearse specific plays so they know exactly where to throw the ball if it is hit to them.

Base running
-Sharp aggressive base running can put a lot of pressure on the defensive team. Good base
running is about being fast and smart. It is just as important to know and understand the current
game situation at all times (including the number of outs and the defensive team's fielding
placements) as it is to move around the bases quickly.

Strategies
Steal
-When a base runner takes off for the next base on the pitch and advances safely to the
base; considerations include taking a lead (for leagues that permit leads), watching the delivery of
the pitcher and understanding the difference between a pitch being delivered and a pickoff throw,
getting a jump and executing a crossover step toward the next base, running hard, and sliding to
avoid the tag.

Delayed Steal
 -Similar to a straight steal, except the runner waits until the ball crosses home plate to break
for the next base. The goal is to get the defense to relax and think the runner is not going and then
break toward the next base. Often when the runner doesn’t try to steal with the release of the pitch,
the defense assumes the runner is not stealing and does not communicate to the catcher that a steal
is being attempted. The middle infielders, caught flatfooted, may not be able to get to the base in
time to receive a throw. Thus, the catcher either holds the ball because no one is there or throws the
ball into centerfield because no one is covering second base. A good time to try a delayed steal is
when your opponent’s middle infielders don’t move toward second base after each pitch.

Double Steal
-Like a straight steal, except two runners are involved. One version of the double steal calls
for the trailing runner to break for the next base and draw a throw. The lead runner then breaks
quickly for the next base. (This strategy is common when runners are on first and third.) Another
version of a double steal is when runners are on first and second and both players try to steal on the
pitch.
Hit and run
-When a runner takes off on the pitch as if stealing second and the batter does everything in
his or her power to make contact with the ball. This helps eliminate the possibility of grounding into a
double play and allows a team to more easily move runners to scoring position. Don’t use this
strategy if the opposing pitcher is wild (thus making it difficult for the batter to make contact) or if the
hitter is not skilled enough to make frequent contact. The batter should swing to protect the runner
no matter where the pitch is thrown.
Bunting for a hit
-Requires slightly different footwork from the bunting technique, but the basic difference
between the two is that the player bunting for a hit waits longer to drop down from a hitting to a
bunting position. This strategy is best used if the first baseman and/or third baseman are playing
deep or if the batter is a fast runner with good bat control.

Sacrifice bunt
-A bunt where the batter’s sole responsibility is to place the ball where the only play is at first
base so that the runners can advance successfully. The batter gives him- or herself up so that the
runner can be in a better position to score a run.
Sacrifice fly
-When a batter hits a fly ball that scores a runner from third. Young hitters have difficulty
doing this intentionally, so you should discourage hitters from trying to hit fly balls if you think it may
cause them to drop the back shoulder habitually. More often than not, a sacrifice fly just happens in
the course of trying for a hit rather than as a planned strategy. Whenever a runner is on third with
fewer than 2 outs, the runner should get back to the base to tag up on any ball hit in the air, including
line drives. One of the biggest and most costly mistakes a young base runner can make is to break
from third immediately when a line drive is hit toward the outfield. If this happens and the ball is
caught, the runner has no opportunity to tag up and score.
Hitting to the opposite field
-Generally used in two instances: when a coach wants the hitter to advance a runner by
hitting behind him or her (to the right side of the infield when a runner is on second, for example) and
when a hitter tries to pull every pitch or swings so hard that the front shoulder pulls away from the
pitch.(A right-handed batter pulls the ball by hitting it to the left of second base, and a left-handed
player pulls Tactics and Strategies 181 the ball by hitting it to the right of second base.) By
concentrating on hitting to the opposite field, the hitter lets the ball travel to home plate, which should
force him or her to take the front shoulder in toward the pitch.
Automatic take on 3-0 count
-This strategy is common. This means no fake bunting on 3-0 counts. That strategy is
designed to rattle the opposing pitcher into throwing ball four, which is something that we do not
condone. Let the pitchers pitch and the hitter hit!

Signals to Players
-Develop a simple system of hand signals to set plays in motion, and teach your players that
a sign stays on until you signal that it no longer applies. Have your players watch the entire series of
signs instead of pick up a sign and turn immediately to the batter’s box, because you may still be
giving additional decoy signs. However, don’t overload your players. If they have trouble grasping a
strategy or remembering a signal, simplify or drop it. Usually you should try to have one sign that is
an indicator, such as touching the bill of the cap with the right index finger. The next sign given after
the indicator is the play that you want to put on. This technique is designed to keep the other team
from figuring out your signs. You might give some decoy signs that don’t mean anything unless
preceded by the indicator. If your players have trouble understanding this type of system, consider
making the real sign the first sign you give. Players can’t execute what they can’t understand.

Positioning
-Positioning is a primary concern of any team defense. In baseball, it’s not as simple as
telling your players, “If your opponent does this, you do that.” Instead, you’ll have to base your
positioning instructions on the hitter’s preferred batting side, your pitcher’s abilities, the game
situation, and how the batter reacts to pitched balls.

Backups
-In most games and practices, a few throws and batted balls inevitably get by the fielders (or
more than a few). That’s why every fielder has backup responsibilities .

History/Background – Baseball
While the exact origins of baseball are unknown, most historians agree that it is based on the
English game of rounders. It began to become quote popular in this country in the early 19th
century, and many sources report the growing popularity of a game called “townball”, “base”, or
“baseball”.

Throughout the early part of that century, small towns formed teams, and baseball clubs were
formed in larger cities. In 1845, Alexander Cartwright wanted to formalize a list of rules by which all
team could play. Much of that original code is still in place today. Although popular legend says that
the game was invented by Abner Doubleday, baseball’s true father was Cartwright.

The first recorded baseball contest took place a year later, in 1846. Cartwright’s Knickerbockers lost
to the New York Baseball Club in a game at the Elysian Fields, in Hoboken, New Jersey. These
amateur games became more frequent and more popular. In 1857, a convention of amateur teams
was called to discuss rules and other issues. Twenty five teams from the northeast sent delegates.
The following year, they formed the National Association of Base Ball Players, the first organized
baseball league. In its first year of operation, the league supported itself by occasionally charging
fans for admission. The future looked very bright.

The early 1860s, however were a time of great turmoil in the United States. In those years of the
Civil War, the number of baseball clubs dropped dramatically. But interest in baseball was carried to
other parts of the country by Union soldiers, and when the war ended there were more people
playing baseball than ever before. The league’s annual convention in 1868 drew delegates from over
100 clubs.

As the league grew, so did the expenses of playing. Charging admission to games started to
become more common, and teams often had to seek out donations or sponsors to make trips. In
order for teams to get the financial support they needed, winning became very important. Although
the league was supposed to be comprised of amateurs, many players were secretly paid. Some
were given jobs by sponsors, and some were secretly paid a salary just for playing.

In 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings decided to become a completely professional team. Brothers
Harry and George Wright recruited the best players from around the country, and beat all comers.
The Cincinnati team won sixty-five games and lost none. The idea of paid players quickly caught on.

Some wanted baseball to remain an amateur endeavor, but there was no way they could compete
with the professional teams. The amateur teams began to fade away as the best players became
professionals. In 1871, the National Association became the first professional baseball league.

References
http://www.baseballnewzealand.com/play-baseball-1/basic-skills

http://www.gybl.net/2e5ca83d-a7fd-45d1-95f7-8735947a7429/Text/Documents/2960/15059.pdf

http://www.seanlahman.com/baseball-archive/brief-history-of-baseball/#:~:text=While%20the
%20exact%20origins%20of,the%20English%20game%20of%20rounders.&text=Although%20popular
%20legend%20says%20that,a%20year%20later%2C%20in%201846

http://probaseballinsider.com/baseball-instruction/how-to-throw-a-baseball-part-2-mechanics-of-
throwing-2/