Florida Sports

Posts Tagged ‘Youth’

Coaching youth football allows you to teach young football players the fundamentals of the game and bring individual talent together to play as a cohesive unit. That said, success on the gridiron begins on the practice field. Learning and implementing proper youth football skills & drills during practice will have you, your coaches, and players ready for the big game. There are no shortcuts when coaching youth football. Hard work, discipline, determination, in addition to coaching football fundamentals is what produces winning football teams and successful youth football players.

Below are some of the skills needed to become a good football coach, and you can find the football drills needed to run a practice properly in books or online from others football coaches at free websites like Weplay.com.

Youth Football Coaching Skills

Be A Good Role Model – youth football players are an observant bunch. They imitate their role models whether on or off the field. It is the football coach’s responsibility to display the character that they want to see in their players. Character traits such as consistency, emotional control, honesty, and integrity are important.

Teach Football Fundamentals – practice to the players strengths and determine where they are weak. Pay particular attention to teaching football skills such as stance and footwork when players are performing youth football drills. Be sure you’re your players are focusing on all aspects of the drill and do not become sloppy in any area.

Use Creative Football Plays In Practice – like most children, youth football players need variety in their practices. Vary the practice schedule from day to day to keep them interested and continually learning. Keep the football drills short enough that players don’t lose interest and concentration.

Use Constructive Feedback – too many youth coaches “channel” football coaches they see in the movies. They believe that coaching football drills involves acting like a drill sergeant. While this attitude can have its place in the coach’s arsenal, it should not be the sole motivator. Teach them. Explain the who, what, where, why, and how of the football drill. You’ll end up with more intelligent youth football players.

Be Positive – youth football coaches must look to the positive aspects of the situation. Negative emotions bring negative results. The kids are going to be making mistakes throughout their lives. It’s important for a youth football coach to teach them how to overcome mistakes and even to capitalize on them. A successful and well coached football team masters the fundamentals, handles adversity, and brings home the championship due to the team’s attitude. Positive expectations will most likely bring positive results.

Teaching youth baseball is a rewarding experience for both parents and coaches alike. While parents have an obvious investment in the teaching of the fundamentals of the sport of baseball to their children, coaches, make a significant investment of their own in time, effort and emotion. From a personal perspective, one of the greatest rewards is indeveloping relationships with and positively affecting the lives of individual youth baseball players. The lessons of sports such as in baseball are positive and well documented. For coaches, there are also the internal rewards they get from seeing each player develop and from watching a youth baseball team improve as a group and learn to play together under their coaching tutelage.

Astute coaches improve the performance of the team as a whole by employing youth baseball drills to improve the individual performances of team players and there interactions together. There are three main categories in which youth baseball drills will have an immense effect on the performance levels of players.

Youth Batting Drills – one of the most important of the youth baseball drills. The vast majority of youth baseball players have the most fun when they hit. The better they are able to hit, the more fun that they will have, and the greater their interest in the sport of baseball. Coaches and parents who teach baseball drills in batting must stress the importance of a well-balanced stance that is comfortable for the individual player, picking the ball up as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, and keeping the body weight back until the pitch is delivered.

Youth Fielding Drills – an integral part of teaching the defensive position. Of course, there are sets of baseball fielding drills that are unique to each of the nine fielding positions in the game of baseball. However, there are baseball drills common to all fielding positions. One of the key youth baseball drills in catching ground balls is to keep the fingers of the fielding glove on the ground for ground balls, and raising the glove to catch the ball on the bounce, instead of lowering the glove. Another one of the instructional keys to fielding is to catch the thrown or batted ball with the wrist in an upward position for balls at or above the waist, and to turn the wrist upside down to catch balls below the waist. There are many ways to take a single drill and apply it so the whole team can practice at once.

Youth Throwing Drills – the most basic of all youth baseball drills, and many instructors feel that it is the most important fundamental of all. It is vital for parents to make sure that their children develop proper throwing techniques from the time they can throw a baseball, around the age of eight or so. The importance of throwing a baseball with proper grip can not be overestimated. Youth throwing drills must emphasize four important elements: Throw the ball by gripping it with the index finger and middle finger on the ball; point your shoulder opposite from your throwing hand in the direction of your target; step in the direction of your target when you release the ball; and follow through after you release the ball with your back leg so that both legs are parallel upon the completion of the throw.

You can find many youth baseball drills on the Internet covering hitting, fielding and throwing. Some drills are free and some require subscription or for you to order a DVD. Free baseball drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a variety and see what works best for you as the coach and your youth baseball team. Always remember that drills should be age appropriate. The right fielding drill for a 14 year-old boy will not suit and 8-year old and vice versa.

There are many baseball coaching resources and communities like Weplay available to help with any questions you might have. Don’t underestimate the passion of the community around you. We are all here to help the kids.

We are deep into spring already, and baseball and softball seasons are in full swing. Children are practicing and playing on fields all across America. And parents are faced with decision making. It’s off to the sporting goods stores to purchase softball baseball equipment. But which softball baseball equipment do you buy for your little slugger? It’s best to have an idea before you start shopping. Don’t let overzealous sales clerks talk you into baseball softball equipment you don’t need.

Usually it is as easy as what type of child you have. Boys play baseball and girls play softball when they are children. So then it is down to what position they play. Once you figure all this out, you can begin to purchase your child’s softball baseball equipment.

First, let’s examine softball equipment. Softballs are larger versions of baseballs. Softballs range from 11 to 12 inches and contrary to their name are hard like baseballs. They should be provided by the team, but your child will need some of their own to practice. Since softballs are large, it only makes sense that softball gloves and mitts are also larger. Each child will need one of their own. Softball bats are a different story. Softball bats are actually shorter than baseball bats. Softball bats are no longer than 34 inches long. These should be provided by the team also, but once again it’s good to have one for practice.

Baseball & softball bats can be made out of a number of materials. In the beginning, players used baseball & softball bats made from wood. As the sports and technology progressed, baseball & softball bats were made from metal. These are the ones you see being used most. Finally, there are carbon fiber baseball softball bats, but they are a little high tech for youth teams.

So what other softball gear might your child need? Protective helmets for all players are an important safety item of softball equipment. Every batter needs one. Every player needs cleats as well. Here, youth baseball cleats would probably be fine. If your child opts to be a catcher, then they’ll need shin guards and a chest protector and mask as part of their personal softball gear. Perhaps the catcher is the most expensive position to consider.

The final piece of softball equipment needed is softball uniforms. There is a standard to softball uniforms, but they do differ in colors, names and sponsorships. This is where a team can get creative with their softball gear and really make them their own.

So what about the baseball side of softball & baseball equipment? Well, it really isn’t that different from softball equipment. Baseballs are 9 inches and baseball bats are no longer than 42 inches. As discussed previously, there are three materials to choose from in baseball softball bats. Baseball players use gloves and wear helmets. Each child should have one of each, as well as a pair of youth baseball cleats. As with all youth shoes, make sure your child’s youth baseball cleats fit them properly. Catchers in this sport wear shin guards, a chest protector and a mask as well. Baseball uniforms are hard to distinguish from softball uniforms. Again this is an area where teams can show their creativity.

I love baseball season, every part of it. I love the crack of the bat. I love the green of the grass. I love the peanuts and hot dogs. But most of all, I love the smell of baseball mitts. It was time to get the kids new baseball mitts. This is shopping that I love. They didn\’t need new baseball mitts every year, but I just couldn\’t resist buying them new ones. To say our house is full of baseball mitts is an understatement. They are in every room. We have infield baseball gloves and outfield baseball gloves. We even have left handed baseball gloves for one of my sons. Every glove is a Wilson a2000 glove. We are baseball loving family who has brand loyalty.

The very first baseball mitt I ever bought was a Wilson a2000 glove. I had to buy my own baseball mitt because my single mom couldn\’t afford to get me one. I saw the Wilson a2000 glove in the window at the sporting goods store and I became obsessed. I hung a picture of the Wilson a2000 glove on my wall and started a newspaper route. I got up at five in the morning everyday and in a few short months I had enough to get my baseball mitt. I ran to the sporting goods store like a maniac when the school bell rang. When I got my Wilson a2000 glove I was so excited. I used that Wilson a2000 glove until it fell apart.

Having to buy my own Wilson a2000 glove might be why I get the boys new gloves every year. I\’m just thankful that I can afford to. I always want them to have the baseball mitts that they want. They are just like me though when it comes to the Wilson a2000 glove. It\’s fortunate that I can get infield baseball gloves, outfield baseball gloves, and left handed baseball gloves in that model. My oldest son plays center-field so he has outfield baseball gloves. My middle son plays third base and he has infield gloves. My youngest son plays shortstop and he\’s the one that get the left handed baseball gloves.

All this baseball mitts purchasing has spawned a new hobby. The boys and I are interested in vintage baseball gloves now. We went to Cooperstown on vacation last year and the boys were fascinated with all the memorabilia, especially the vintage baseball gloves. While we were a lunch we met a man who told us all about researching and buying vintage baseball gloves. He was really interesting. I think we talked to him for hours. When we got home from our trip, we got online to research the vintage baseball gloves the man told us about. We saw some vintage baseball gloves that were for auction. We bid on a few of the vintage baseball gloves and actually won one. It is the only baseball mitt in our house that isn\’t a Wilson a2000 glove. It is a Nokona.

If you are planning on getting a gift for your kids, the discount youth baseball bats are just perfect. Before purchasing discount youth baseball bats you do need to consider some factors. The consequences of using a poor baseball bat is that you either end up not playing comfortable or seen as a risk for your health.

Youth baseball bats do not have to be expensive and it price does not indicate the quality of the bats. Discount youth baseball bats are not the cheap ones that you would often come across.  It’s just that it’s a lesser than the branded ones. However before purchasing discount youth baseball bats make sure that you test them.

Apart from testing the discount youth baseball bats, you will have to give thought to the weight as well as the length. The grips of discount youth baseball bats can differ. It does not necessarily mean that everyone will find every discount youth baseball bat comfortable. Some players opt for lighter discount youth baseball bats whilst others opt for heavier ones. By trying before purchasing discount youth baseball bats, you can check if it will suit your kid.

One important factor to note when buying a discount youth baseball bats is to check if the baseball bats taper at the end. Check to see if the bottom of discount youth baseball bats touch the ground when you swing it. If it does not, it can possibly create disappointment for most players.  Discount youth baseball bats also should not have concave ends. Discount youth baseball bats should be well rounded, if not it will affect the motion of the baseball when hit.

Check the discount youth baseball bats back end.  The back end needs to be secure, if not it can easily fall off when playing. Some discount youth baseball bats are sold without secure back ends. When going for discount youth baseball bats, do not be misled by price or brand name. Make sure that it’s comfortable for your child. Do not be attracted to fake discount youth baseball bats which are not worth the money invested but also can create injuries to your health. Do not let fake discount youth baseball bats affect your kid’s performance.

Discount youth baseball bats can be purchased online or can even be bought through local stores. Brand new youth baseball bats cost around 0 at the lowest and can go higher if bought at local stores.  Online stores offer a variety of discount youth baseball bats in which case there’s no sales tax or shipping charges. It’s so easy to purchase it online, you can access the discount youth baseball bats as well as be able to check for the reviews. Apart from saving money, when purchasing discount youth baseball bats online it will save you time.

Folks that are do-it-yourselfers know the value of a hammer that fits in their hands just right. It seems to make the job go much easier and ends with a more successful outcome. If you like to cook, then you know the benefits of pots, pans and cooking utensils that you are comfortable with. Having the correct tools at one’s disposal seems to make projects less of a chore and more of a joyful experience.

The same thing can be said for sports and, in particular, youth baseball. Youth baseball is one of the healthiest of all participatory sports activities for kids because it teaches fair play, integrity, teamwork and sportsmanship. Successful handymen and cooks need good quality tools that they are comfortable with in order to have positive outcomes to their projects. In like manner, youth baseball players need equipment, either aluminium bats or wood baseball bats, with which they are comfortable in order to be successful at hitting a baseball.

Youth baseball bat reviews help parents, coaches and players alike select the baseball bat most appropriate for the players. There are marked differences that are documented in youth baseball bat reviews of aluminium bats and wood baseball bats on a youth baseball level.

Aluminium bats, such as the Easton, Worth and Mizuno model baseball bats, are lighter and have more strength to propel the ball when it strikes the bat. Baseball bat reviews note that, in youth baseball, aluminium bats can generate more power through the hitting zone. This is because the aluminium bats transfer power better and are lighter than the wood baseball bats, and the additional bat speed means that the ball is met with more force. Thus, the ball will travel further and faster upon contact with aluminium bats.

The big drawback with aluminium bats is that too much power may be generated with these bats. However, there have been only a very small number of related injuries, although any increase in injuries is naturally cause for concern for youth baseball parents. If players, especially pitchers, learn to field their positions, this point becomes moot.

Wood baseball bats are the old tried and true piece of baseball batting equipment for players. Youth baseball bat reviews acknowledge that these bats are susceptible to breakage, and can become very costly for parents and organizations. However, wood baseball bats are the only approved type of bat used in the Major Leagues, so proponents of wood baseball bats base their argument on this fact.

Aluminum baseball bats are more popular and more durable than their wooden counterparts, and are more expensive. As an example, Louisville Slugger Baseball bat types have diversity in pricing. Their wood baseball bats start at and range up to 0, while their aluminium bats have a price range of up to 0 per baseball bat.

Beauty remains in the eyes and hands of the baseball player, and youth baseball bat reviews continue to address these divergent opinions.

Tyrone Braxton

Youth Football Plays

Our youth football plays are designed for teams looking to improve their offensive and defensive performance. If you are coach football, at any level, this downloadable playbook is worth a look! Designed by 13 year starting PRO Tyrone Braxton, the book includes full color plays, hot route reads, tips, diagrams, drills and strategies to prepare your athletes. It’s also connected to Wristband Interactive, “Football’s Greatest Invention”

Our youth football offensive plays are basic enough that the developing players can grasp and execute the play scheme, but they are also complex enough to challenge the defense and defeat the formation that the defense has chosen.  The combination of basic and yet complex is what the playbook chapters in the book are all about. 

An entire section is devoted to tips for young players as well.  The earlier a young player begins to develop the techniques for effective play, the sooner these effective techniques become a habit and are ingrained for the remainder of a player’s football career.

TB’s Playbook includes:

 Plays to beat man coverage
 Plays to beat zone coverage
Defensive plays and strategies
 Tips for defensive backs
 Tips for receivers
 Tips for quarterbacks
 Stories about his Journey

 

Braxton played college football at North Dakota State University where he earned all-conference honors as a senior and won 3 National Championships in 4 years. He was a Defensive back and punt return specialist who earned all-conference honors as a senior after posting 128 tackles, one INT and two FR. He led the conference with five INTs and a punt return average of 15.0 as a junior. He was a member of the North Central Conference champion outdoor 400-meter relay squad and competed in the national championship. Braxton was drafted by the Broncos in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft.

Millions of young football fans cherish the idea of wearing the NFL clothing representing their favorite National Football League team. What keeps many from that dream is the price. Some NFL merchandise is pricey, particularly good quality jerseys. Many are being sold for hundreds of dollars, and the higher the quality, or rarer the item, the higher the price. Of course, there are cheap knockoffs of authentic NFL merchandise, however most young football fans will tell you quickly that these simply aren’t what they want. They want clothing that looks good, and something close to a real NFL jersey. The NFL brand carries a lot of weight with them.

Of course some NFL jerseys sold in retail outlets or online aren’t the real thing. If you’ve seen a real NFL jersey hanging on a wall in a football pub, you know how huge they are. Two people can fit comfortably into them. The jerseys were design for large men wearing even larger shoulder pads. Only the quarterbacks and kickers have shoulder pads that are comparatively smaller than the well padded ones that linebackers wear.

For small children however, a real NFL jersey is too heavy with designs that are too detailed for the child to appreciate. Kids like it simple and comfortable and they won’t appreciate an authentic NFL jersey so there’s no point in wasting money on it. A kids jersey needs to be made of a softer material with stitching that won’t cause itching and chafing. You can buy authentic NFL kids clothing online at an NFL shop. Many people buying sports jerseys or receiving them as Christmas gifts discover that they’re perhaps made for pickup football at the local park and not as casual wear.

Many NFL jerseys are purchased as collector’s items. An authentic team jersey signed by a well known National Football League star can fetch a good price at auction. Most recently, throw back jerseys have become popular. These have the designs, colors and team logos from year’s long past. You may even have throwback jerseys signed by former popular players like John Riggins, Jim Marshall, Dwight Clarke, Terry Bradshaw, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Ken Stabler, Fran Tarkenton, and even coaches such as Mike Ditka.

NFL Merchandise is a very popular Christmas gift item. Sports fans appreciate these collectibles, particularly those that are unique. Sports Bars often lacking in decor ideas, are perfect locations for framed football jerseys. Nothing makes a better statement for your sports bar than the appearance of a signed NFL jersey up on the wall. You might want to have a jersey handy and ask a pro player to pay your bar a visit. Have them sign the Jersey. Then you’ve got a collectible that can impress your football fan patrons.

Baseball Caps for Football Fans

Another in-demand type of NFL merchandise is baseball caps with the various team NFL logos on them. It’s probably the least expensive way to adorn yourself with an NFL branded logo. Some merchandise manufacturers make NFL caps that have a rubber fan face built into it. Besides being a fun way to show you’re fan fanatic, it might help keep you warm on cold game days in these coming months.

For the rabid NFL or college football fan, an impressive Christmas gift is a headwig, or rubber fan face for wearing at parties or the game. And the price of this fanwear is great. For less than twenty dollars, you have some authentic NFL merchandise with the fan’s favorite colors and logo on it. Other items carried at an NFL shop are oversized inflatable footballs. These are a lot of fun for backyard play and take a lot of the seriousness out of the game. You can never have too much fun. For your car, you might want to block the Sun’s UV rays from your kids in the backseat. It doesn’t hurt to have a Steelers logo, or Jets logo, or Raider’s logo on it as well. Show your team pride.

The most popular teams for fan merchandise aren’t always what you’d expect. Fans in certain cities are very loyalty and spirited and they are more likely to get into the culture of football and adorn themselves with NFL branded clothing. Some of the more highly sought team merchandise is that of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Merchandise sales for the Steelers rose strongly after their recent win at the Superbowl.

Other teams that sell a lot of NFL merchandise are the Seattle Seahawks, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. To find an NFL teams merchandise check online via Google or Yahoo. You’ll find Chicago Bears Merchandise available at NFL.com or via the Bears official web site, and there are other NFL shops that offer official Chicago Bears merchandise. From collectibles to wearables, there are plenty of gift ideas for Christmas 2006. Stats show that fan interest in NFL football has continued to climb. Attendance at actual NFL games has risen and more games are shown on TV. That means fan-related items such as caps, fan faces, and headwigs are going to be present at all the games. Share the spirit this year with a visit to an NFL shop online.

There are many valuable youth baseball conditioning techniques to increase your players’ abilities by maximizing their strength, range of motion, and flexibility. Just as a car can only travel as fast as its engine will allow, in like manner, baseball players can only perform to the degree that their bodies will allow. If coaches, parents and mentors ensure that their players are involved in recommended youth baseball conditioning training, they will be increasing their players’ chances to fulfil their maximum potential.

Here are some advised youth baseball conditioning techniques that are recommended for youth baseball coaches for the development of their players:

Pitching Better through Swimming – Swimming can actually strengthen the shoulder muscles and enable pitchers to throw the baseball harder while protecting pitchers from devastating shoulder injuries. It is recommended that pitchers swim in free style for two minutes with a series of 4 repetitions. If the player can not swim, then the pitcher can stand waist deep in water under adult supervision and push the water away from the body with a hard thrust and fingers spread apart. This should be repeated for 2 minutes at a time.

Sprint to Success – One of the traditional youth baseball training programs remains the best. Players need to build up their endurance in order to play the entire game with strength and energy. Wind sprints are the best way for youth baseball players to build up their endurance and, at the same time, bond with their teammates. If your players run wind sprints as a team or in bunches, such as pitchers, catchers, infielders and outfielders, you will be building up their endurance and the team will become closer as a unit. Ten 60 yard sprints are a good way to start, and you can lengthen the distance and repetitions over time.

Squeeze that Ball – Another simple youth baseball conditioning exercise can be done everywhere from the ball field to the schoolyard and even to bed. Baseball players can increase their wrist strength by squeezing a rubber Spalding ball. Yes, these pink balls are still of infinite value to baseball players – pitchers, to increase the speed of their pitch; hitters by increasing their bat speed and, therefore, the distance of their drives; and fielders by increasing the strength of their throws.

Stretch Before Games – Stretching and warm-ups are a key element of baseball conditioning training protocols to prevent injuries. Prior to every game and practice, baseball coaches should lead their team in a regular series of stretching and warm-up exercises for at least 10-12 minutes. Before the players begin playing baseball, make sure to cover all major muscle groups including shoulders, legs, arms, hips, and back.

Of course these are just a few, simple youth baseball conditioning exercises among many. Baseball coaches should be familiar with a wide variety of exercises and should weave these into a more holistic conditioning training plan that is appropriate to the age of their players.

Combined with a variety of baseball drills that make the game fun and build the fundamental skills needed to play, a strong baseball conditioning training regimen will ensure that players reach the top of their game and avoid unnecessary injury.

Teaching youth baseball is a rewarding experience for both parents and coaches alike. While parents have an obvious investment in the teaching of the fundamentals of the sport of baseball to their children, coaches, make a significant investment of their own in time, effort and emotion. From a personal perspective, one of the greatest rewards is indeveloping relationships with and positively affecting the lives of individual youth baseball players. The lessons of sports such as in baseball are positive and well documented. For coaches, there are also the internal rewards they get from seeing each player develop and from watching a youth baseball team improve as a group and learn to play together under their coaching tutelage.

Astute coaches improve the performance of the team as a whole by employing youth baseball drills to improve the individual performances of team players and there interactions together. There are three main categories in which youth baseball drills will have an immense effect on the performance levels of players.

Youth Batting Drills – one of the most important of the youth baseball drills. The vast majority of youth baseball players have the most fun when they hit. The better they are able to hit, the more fun that they will have, and the greater their interest in the sport of baseball. Coaches and parents who teach baseball drills in batting must stress the importance of a well-balanced stance that is comfortable for the individual player, picking the ball up as it leaves the pitcher’s hand, and keeping the body weight back until the pitch is delivered.

Youth Fielding Drills – an integral part of teaching the defensive position. Of course, there are sets of baseball fielding drills that are unique to each of the nine fielding positions in the game of baseball. However, there are baseball drills common to all fielding positions. One of the key youth baseball drills in catching ground balls is to keep the fingers of the fielding glove on the ground for ground balls, and raising the glove to catch the ball on the bounce, instead of lowering the glove. Another one of the instructional keys to fielding is to catch the thrown or batted ball with the wrist in an upward position for balls at or above the waist, and to turn the wrist upside down to catch balls below the waist. There are many ways to take a single drill and apply it so the whole team can practice at once.

Youth Throwing Drills – the most basic of all youth baseball drills, and many instructors feel that it is the most important fundamental of all. It is vital for parents to make sure that their children develop proper throwing techniques from the time they can throw a baseball, around the age of eight or so. The importance of throwing a baseball with proper grip can not be overestimated. Youth throwing drills must emphasize four important elements: Throw the ball by gripping it with the index finger and middle finger on the ball; point your shoulder opposite from your throwing hand in the direction of your target; step in the direction of your target when you release the ball; and follow through after you release the ball with your back leg so that both legs are parallel upon the completion of the throw.

You can find many youth baseball drills on the Internet covering hitting, fielding and throwing. Some drills are free and some require subscription or for you to order a DVD. Free baseball drills allow you greater flexibility in trying a variety and see what works best for you as the coach and your youth baseball team. Always remember that drills should be age appropriate. The right fielding drill for a 14 year-old boy will not suit and 8-year old and vice versa.

There are many baseball coaching resources and communities like Weplay available to help with any questions you might have. Don’t underestimate the passion of the community around you. We are all here to help the kids.