Baseball players not often taught properly

The game of baseball is all about fundamentals. As a successful coach in my sixth season (winning championships each of my first five), I am used to getting players on my teams that haven't been taught properly how to field, throw, bat, and baserunning. Those are the basics of the game. There's communication, plays, and signals and such as well, but those come later. The fundamentals should be taught at a young age in Little League, hopefully T-ball starts the learning process and it continues on from there. But the number of middle school and high-school Freshmen who don't understand these simple concepts is simply amazing.

I assume the reader understands the concept of the game. The focus is on the fundamentals of fielding, batting and throwing, starting with the most important part of the game, and most over-looked, which is defense. Coaches and parents, take note.

DEFENSE

When fielding ground balls, line your body up so the ball is directly centered with your chest. This allows maximum movement to either side if the ball should take a bad-hop, and it allows you to set your body up to block the ball if needed. The fielder should line his or her body up while charging the ball. To charge the ball, the fielder needs to run hard to the ball. If there's a ground-ball and you let it come to you, that runner has three or four extra steps. You'll never get him. But if you charge the ball, you take away those steps, and he's out.

If it's a slow roller, the fielder will take a direct line to the ball.