Good Strategies For Winning in Little League Baseball

Little league baseball

Little league baseball can be a ton of fun. You get to lead a team, work with kids, develop players and have a nice back and forth with fellow coaches and parents. You even get to put your own imprint on the team’s custom baseball uniforms, sometimes get you help work out the schedule, and you get a front row seat to one of the world’s greatest sports. It’s even better when you can actually, you know, win.

To do that, you need to lay out a proper foundation and build a winning tradition. That starts in practice with a lot of the groundwork you set out for your players and coaches. A good little league baseball strategy or two doesn’t hurt, either. There are many different angles you can take, but if you’re just getting started, you more than likely will take all the help you can get. Let’s take a second to consider some of the best strategies and then you can decide what works best for you and your team:

Elite Defense

Playing great defense is easier said than done. You need top notch pitching, you need more than one reliable arm, you probably need a consistent and reliable closer, you need strong fielding and you need players in the dirt that aren’t afraid of the ball. Talent will really help a good defense become a great one, but you can also dictate how well your defense performs with your decisions as a coach. Knowing when to bring your fielders in or drop them back, what specific locations they should be placed in, what types of pitches should be thrown for certain batters – the list goes on.

It’s true that it’s “only little league baseball”, but a good defense can combat a good offense in baseball any day of the week. Normally good pitchers don’t grow on trees, but even if you don’t luck into the kid with a cannon arm, you can at least do some scouting work to know how to work around the opposition’s strengths and you can also position your defense to best react against certain players and plays. This won’t come easy right away, but how you pull the strings is going to end up being very key for how effective your team’s defense ends up being.

If you can make it happen, though, a good defense can take pressure off of your hitters. The less pressure the players feel to perform at the plate, the more relaxed they’ll be and naturally they’re bound to perform better.

Batting Order

The best way to properly utilize batting order is to set it up so your top hitters are smack dab in the middle of the order. A big piece of this is going to be assessing your hitting talent and figuring out who your strong and weak hitters are. The average hitters can be placed at the beginning as well, but are probably best used to close the order or can be placed closer to the middle.

Leading off should be one of your weaker hitters and you can start sliding in your stronger hitters as early as the second spot. It might be more ideal to put your best hitter in the third slot, though. This way, if your weak hitters can somehow get on base (or even just one of them do), you can spark your offense with your first top hitter, who will then be followed by the best hitters after him. You can switch it up and see what works best, but how you piece together your batting order can be very key, both for offensive chemistry and for natural flow. From the other side, putting your best hitter first can really backfire, as he can always get on base, but if the next 2-3 hitters aren’t good at connecting, he’ll often be left stranded.

Depending on how deep you want to get into it, you can track player statistics in various situations and near the middle of the year and definitely be tournament time, you’ll know exactly where everyone fits the best.

Communication

Our last little league baseball strategy isn’t a strategy in itself, but it’s absolutely crucial. Communication at a high level starts from the first day of practice all the way through the final game of the year. It involves top shelf communication with each individual player, the team as a whole, coaches and parents. Letting everyone know directly what is expected of them, using positive reinforcement and also pointing out flaws that can be corrected will go a long way in improving your team over the course of the season.

That’s the starting point and a base idea, but it gets much more focused when you consider how much communication can help you in the actual game. From hand signals to pitcher/catcher communication, from fielding controls to third base coach decisions, there are constantly moving pieces that you, your players and your coaches need to try to be on the same page on. Where does your pitcher go on a bunt, what happens if someone is rounding third, where do your players need to be lined up on a deep ball, and on and on. Set out a plan for communication from day one and win or lose, you’ll always be on the same page with the entire team. You won’t always win because of elite communication skills, but not losing because a breakdown in communication is a reward by itself.

There are always more practices and strategies to consider when discussing little league baseball, but these three areas are a good spot to start. Hopefully they help you as you head into practice or at least confirm things you already thought. With that, good luck to you and your team this spring!

2016 NBA Trade Rumors: 7 Players That Need to Get Traded Now

NBA 2016 Trade Rumors

It’s January, which can mean a lot of things. It’s the New Year, the NFL playoffs are here and teachers are counting the days until summer. Oh, and NBA trade rumors are alive and well. It really is one of the best times of year, as the anticipation and speculation is about a million times more intense than the actual trades that end up going down. There’s good reason for it this year, too, as several big names keep coming up in trade rumors and a ton of players either could or most certainly should be relocated.

Which ones need to be shipped off somewhere else more than others? We’ll take a look at that in this column, which explores five guys that absolutely need to be traded one way or another before this year’s deadline hits. We’ll leave out DeMarcus Cousins and Dwight Howard for now, as we’re sure to cover them more specifically as the days go by. For now, let’s touch on seven guys that have either worn out their welcome in their current NBA towns or just need to go to a new city:

Ty Lawson, PG, Houston Rockets

The Rockets acquired Lawson this summer in hopes that he could put his past troubles behind them and give them a play-maker at the point guard position. One reasons was to take some ball-handling pressure off of star shooting guard James Harden, as well as boost their offensive output from the point guard position. Unfortunately Lawson has become a further distraction off the court and has not developed into the answer they were seeking on it. The best solution at this point is for both parties to go their separate ways. Lawson could still potentially be the starting point guard answer in the right city, while Houston could seek some scoring to come off of their bench in a trade.

Brandon Jennings, PG, Detroit Pistons

The Pistons for now seem to be content with Jennings working his way back from a torn Achilles, but with Reggie Jackson firmly planted as the team’s franchise point guard, the writing appears to be on the wall that a trade is coming. Jennings still needs to prove he’s the same player after a horrific injury, but if he can, his trade value will see a boost and several teams could express interest in making him their top point guard. Numerous teams could come calling, with the likes of the Knicks and Rockets potentially showing interest.

Kevin Martin, SG, Minnesota Timberwolves

K-Mart is an aging scoring threat stuck on a young, rebuilding team that won’t be competing for a playoff spot anytime soon. On one hand he can still ball and be a key source of offensive production, but on the other he’s taking crucial minutes away from younger talent Minnesota would like to groom. The natural move figures to be a trade for a pick or two, with Martin landing with a team as a starter or key scoring reserve. Teams like the Bulls and Thunder could use an offensive spark at the guard spot off the bench.

David Lee, PF, Boston Celtics

Lee wasted away as a buried bench piece last year with the Warriors and now he’s doing the same in Boston with the Celtics. We’ve still seen flashed of his double-double talent over the past two years, so it’s highly arguable that the aging big man still has something to give to the right team. He’s likely no longer going to be a key starter anywhere, but anyone looking for scoring help inside could try to swing a trade. He’s just too buried behind Boston’s plethora of big men, so he’s likely to be moved before the deadline.

Markieff Morris, PF, Phoenix Suns

Morris is probably the biggest name on this last that 100% can, should and will be moved. He publicly expressed his disdain for the Suns this past summer and has since dropped out of the rotation completely. The relationship doesn’t appear salvageable at this point, pointing to a certain trade in the near future. The Rockets have expressed interest in upgrading at the four spot and Morris could end up being a great fit in Houston. A number of teams will want a competent stretch four like him, though, so whoever is willing to give up the most may land Morris.

Joakim Noah, C, Chicago Bulls

Noah is a special case, as he still can be of use as a defensive stopper, but injuries and age have eroded him down to more of a bench presence. He’s still useful for the Bulls when healthy, but with the presence of so much talent down low in Chicago, he’s quickly become fairly expendable. That could have the Bulls looking to move him in order to acquire some extra offense off the bench. You could even throw in Taj Gibson in that discussion.

Timofey Mozgov, C, Cleveland Cavaliers

Mozzy has regressed in his second year with the Cavs, as he’s more of a slow and methodical talent and hasn’t been supplying the team with any real impact on offense. Without that offensive boost, he’s just a big body that can rebound and block shots. With Anderson Varejao healthy and Tristan Thompson signed to a huge deal, he should quickly become expendable for a Cavs team that could probably still use another shooter. Cleveland may want to hold onto Mozgov to make sure they don’t take a hit in the depth department, but with numerous teams already reportedly inquiring about his availability, it’s not crazy to think he could be on the move after just one season in Ohio.

Think some more NBA players could be on the move before this year’s deadline? Tell us about them in the comments below!

Posted in NBA

College Football Championship: Alabama vs. Clemson Preview

College Football Championship: Alabama vs. Clemson Preview

The College Football Championship game arrives on Monday night, putting the finishing touches on the second ever College Football Playoff. Friends and colleagues Nick Saban and Dabo Swinney will face off in the national title game, as the undefeated (14-0) Clemson Tigers try to take down the Alabama Crimson Tide (13-1) and end with a perfect season en route to a national title.

If the Tigers can pull off the win over Alabama, they’d deliver college football’s first 15-0 run. While that’d make history and would be a fun ending to a crazy season for Clemson, it may not necessarily be likely with Alabama being the more experienced team and entering as the betting favorite.

So, who wins? Let’s break down some of the key players and situations of the college football title game to help us pick the winner:

Heisman X-Factors

DeShaun Watson is the ticket to a win for Clemson, just as has been the case all year, while running back Derrick Henry is probably the answer for Alabama on offense. We have two Heisman candidates facing off in this one, as Henry won the award in December and Watson was a contender all year for the award and was even a finalist.

While it’s debatable whether or not Henry was more deserving, it’s pretty obvious that both of these guys are the heart and soul of their respective team. For Clemson, Watson brings a dual threat under center and makes their up-tempo offense one to fear, as he can kill defenses in a number of ways. Henry, on the other hand, can also control the pace of the game, punish defenses with his bruising style and also run right past them due to his explosive speed. There’s little doubt that both will be heavily involved in the outcome for either side.

The Trenches

The harsh reality is that this game is bound to be won or lost in the trenches, as is the case with most football games when you’re playing for all of the marbles. Alabama has a stacked defense and is specifically a problem up front on the defensive line. Clemson has a very capable offensive line, but it’s rather likely they won’t be able to have their way in terms of running the ball, while DeShaun Watson may end up being under constant pressure.

The idea here is that Clemson spreads things out offensively and relies on a dual threat quarterback and a largely finesse offense. The Crimson Tide are much more physical on both sides of the ball, but one of their main weaknesses under Nick Saban at times has been containing elusive quarterbacks and keeping them from extending plays. Their struggles a few years ago against Johnny Manziel showcased this at it’s highest point, and now they have a similar matchup with Watson, who is even more explosive than Manziel ever was. Whether or not the Crimson Tide can shut him down early could be rather key in the pace of this game.

Coaching Duel

Nick Saban is a legend and no one will debate that he already is one of the greatest college football coaches ever – if not the best already. A title win this year would probably earn him that title for sure, as he’d secure a fifth championship (one short of Bear Bryant’s record of six). Doing so may not be easy necessarily, as Dabo Swinney has an unorthodox approach and Saban himself has even admitted that he’s been a bit of a “trail blazer” and that his style keeps the opposition on their toes.

The Winner

A classic clash between a seasoned veteran of the game and a younger up and comer makes for good hype and could make for an even better chess match. The stronger bet is the wiser Saban, but the young vs. old or student vs. master story-line is alive and well in this one.

Ultimately, Alabama just does seem to be the better, more balanced team. Their defense is more talented and more physical, while their running game sets the tone for their entire offense. Their coaching is also far more experienced and proven at a high level. Talent and coaching usually win out, but there has to be a shadow of a doubt in some people’s minds that Clemson, at a perfect 14-0, could just have football uniforms a better overall team and maybe even be a team of destiny.

I’m open to both being very possible, but from a logical perspective, this is Alabama’s title to lose.

Pick: Alabama 31, Clemson 21

Think we got the outcome wrong? Give us your thoughts on tonight’s college football title game below!

3 Tips For Coaching Pitchers in Little League Baseball

Tips for coaching pitchers

It’s always helpful to get some advice on how to coach in little league baseball, but one of the most important aspects is pitching. You usually need talent to start with, and then how to hone that talent and control it can be quite key – especially when not at an advanced age. There are a lot of ways to do it, but if you’re a coach in need of some helpful advice to nudge you in the right direction, join us as we touch on just a few.

1. Stay Natural

One thing you never want to do is try to make a player someone or something they’re not. That means completely re-working pitching techniques isn’t really advised, and you should be focused more on fine tuning instead. Completely going back to square one and changing the way a kid throws is a bit crazy. It’s like trying to completely change a decent basketball shot and hoping it’s suddenly elite. It rarely works and it can really mess with the player’s head, effectiveness, confidence and consistency. The best thing to do is find the biggest flaws in their techniques and just try to iron the wrinkles out as best as possible.

While staying natural with delivery, this means focusing on footwork, release and placement first and foremost. It’s best to focus on one aspect at a time and try various drills that can both test and improve these pitching skills. A well-rounded versatile pitching skill-set usually isn’t discovered over night and even the kids that do come in naturally gifted almost always still have some blemishes or bad habits you can have them work on. From how they first line up to their posture to their release, you can get as picky as you want in what could be holding their game back.

Still, all of this aside, the best thing to do is to let the kid naturally throw the way they always have and work from the ground up in terms of development. Some coaches and baseball experts will be totally fine with completely re-working throwing fundamentals, but generally you’re going to set the player back even further and it’s a dangerous practice. Instead, build around their natural throwing motion and enhance it, rather than try to replace it.

2. Keep it Simple

Refining or completely re-tooling pitching mechanics is a long and arduous task. You can’t take it lightly, but you also can’t beat it into someone with relentless reps. There needs to be a balance, and you can’t accomplish everything at once. Whether you’re working on wind up, release, footwork, velocity or placement, the best thing to do is to keep the work focused on one aspect at a time and overall keeping it simple.

3. Have Fun

It’s always very important to keep a sport fun and loose, even when practicing, training and developing. Working hard on improving your game should not be a chore and positive rewards should not go unrewarded or at least should be acknowledged. But the foundation of steady improvement is keeping the entire environment fun and relaxed. Players don’t always like to work on mechanics and depending on what drills you do or what you’re asking of the player, it can really bog them down. Make sure you keep a good balance between enjoying what you’re doing versus doing something to specifically improve one aspect of a pitcher’s skill-set.

Got your own tips for helping little league baseball pitchers improve? Feel free to offer your insight in the comments below!

2016 NFL Playoffs: Wild Card Preview and Picks

NFL top 5 games

The NFL playoffs arrive on Saturday afternoon, as the AFC sends out it’s four Wild Card teams to go head to head for the right to take on the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos in round two. Sunday the action intensifies, as the NFC showcases four more teams fighting for the right to travel to Carolina and Arizona, as well.

It’s highly possible the victors this weekend only prolong their fate of experiencing an inevitable playoff loss, but on the other hand, many champions have come from the first round. It’s anyone’s guess if the Texans, Chiefs, Steelers, Bengals, Packers, Redskins, Seahawks or Vikings can go the distance, but in what feels like a fairly wide open field, who is to say they can’t?

We’re getting a little ahead of ourselves, though. Regardless of whether any of these teams can or will make it to the Super Bowl, they play this weekend and we’re all going to be watching because post-season football is about as intense as sports get. To gear up for the playoff matchups, let’s break down all four games and pick a winner:

Chiefs @ Texans

This might be the ugliest (and most unpredictable) game of the week, as two elite defenses face off in what should be a pretty low-scoring game. That doesn’t mean it won’t be interesting, as the 9-7 Texans have one of the best defenders in the game in J.J. Watt trying to take down the Chiefs at home. KC got the best of Houston in week one and comes in hot with 10 straight wins, however, so they hold a mild edge.

Pick: Chiefs 17, Texans 13

Steelers @ Bengals

Divisional matchups are always tough to gauge, as anything could happen in the third meeting of the year between the Steelers and Bengals. Andy Dalton and DeAngelo Williams will both sit this one out, leaving Cincy with a backup quarterback to guide their offense at home against what could be a very one-dimensional Steelers offense with no running back. Many peg the Bengals as the winner here due to Pittsburgh’s suspect pass defense, but their pass rush and run defense may be enough to keep them in the game. Then it could just come down to who can make a big play between the seasoned Ben Roethlisberger or the inexperienced McCarron. It’s almost impossible not to pick Big Ben.

Pick: Steelers 19, Bengals 13

Packers @ Redskins

This is another tough one to pick, as Green Bay has looked extremely pedestrian for a good 10 weeks now (4-6 over that stretch), but still finished a respectable 10-6 and nearly won the NFC North. They back into the playoffs and will be on the road, but it’s still awfully hard to see Aaron Rodgers bowing out against Kirk Cousins. Cousins isn’t trash, though, as he’s really turned things around and has the Redskins coming in ablaze with four straight wins to close out the regular season. It’s Washington’s 6-2 mark at home that could be the difference in this one, although this game does have the tools of a shootout.

Pick: Redskins 23, Packers 20

Seahawks @ Vikings

Seattle will be without running back Marshawn Lynch when they travel to Minnesota on Sunday, where they’ll be greeted by a mad Vikings team and negative temperatures. It’s going to be a very tough spot for both teams, while we’re going to have to lean hard one way or the other: banking on Adrian Peterson having a huge day or Seattle’s defense putting the clamps down just like they did a few weeks ago. When it comes playoff team, always bet on the elite defense.

Pick: Seahawks 31, Vikings 16

Think this weekend’s NFL games end differently? Give us your picks and analysis in the comments below!

Posted in NFL

5 Little League Baseball Coaching Tips

Little Leagu Baseball coaching tips

If you’re just getting started on your first ever season as a head coach of a little league baseball team or just are looking to brush up for the new year, there are always things you can focus on to better yourself as a leader of your team. It can range from the basics to drills, to baseball uniforms, to common practices and so much more. To gear up for another run of little league baseball, let’s take a look at some really basic, yet very helpful coaching tips.

Knowledge is Power

You never can know everything, but when you’re taking over a little league baseball team, you need to know quite a few things. Number one, you should have a pretty good handle on baseball. You know the rules, you have an idea how to manage a team and you know strategy. That will help you keep your team in line, command respect and actually be productive on the field. Other things to know are all of your league rules and requirements, player strengths and weaknesses and how to communicate in general.

To be an effective coach and leader, you need to be able to hand down knowledge of the game and what to do in various situations. This applies to life situations, practices and of course games.

Get Help

No matter how smart you think you are – and especially if you think you’re not – you want help to run a little league baseball team. Parents, friends or fellow coaches will do, so long as you’re not the only guy running practices and coaching the team. You took the head job and that’s on you, but to maximize the potential of each player and the team as a whole, getting extra help is always a good idea. You could bring in people specifically for pitching, hitting, base running, and the list goes on. This isn’t a Major League Baseball team, but whatever help you can get that isn’t misguided and can actually be used, you should take it. You still get last say in everything the team does, but the more help you can get, the better off you and your team will be.

Safety First

We don’t list it here first, but this is an age old little league baseball tip that is really simply a must. Whether you’re in practice or in a game, the number one objective is always to enter and exit with everyone healthy and in as good as spirits as possible. Players who are playing hurt should be monitored at all times and whenever you can help it, players with even remotely serious injuries would just rest during practice (or go through a light individual practice) and likely also sit out of games. During the game, baseball can be aggressive just like any other sport, with balls possibly hitting players, players running, diving and sliding, and so on. On top of taking every precaution to being ready for any potential injury (first aide kit, etc), you should also understand the league protocal when it comes to injuries and relay that to your fellow coaches, players and parents.

Winning Isn’t Everything

While winning is the main goal of games, it’s best to go in knowing that this isn’t MLB and winning really isn’t everything. Players and teams collectively are rewarded when they win, but you need to be sure to keep spirits high even when you’re not performing well. The real goal is to coach up each individual player and have the respective players come together to form a well knit team. Your job is successful if you can do that, even aside from a win-loss record.

Once you have that thought down, how you handle defeat is also quite key. Remember, these are young kids looking for role models, for an example, for any kind of direction on how to approach and react to the game. Pouting and complaining is uncalled for, especially when it can involve blaming umpires, individual players or anything of the sort. Teach your players to be humble and to credit the other team with a win fully, and to use a loss as an opportunity to address weaknesses in practice.

Keep it Fun

It’s baseball! This is still a fun sport that should be able to be enjoyed, no matter how individuals fare or if the team wins or loses. You obviously don’t want to teach a full acceptance of losing to the point where the kids don’t care about losing or even given up prematurely, but you should try to balance a desire to win with just enjoying the game. Keep the dugout light and fun, while also trying to keep the players focused on individual assignments, cheering their teammates on and staying involved in the game even when they’re not in it. Celebrating wins and carving out time during practices for fun drills also can help to remind everyone that while the goal is to win, little league baseball is also about having fun.

There are more little league baseball tops to break down and specific things we can go over, but these five tips can go a long way in getting you set out in the right direction in your first season at the helm. In summary, do your research so you know the sport, the league and your own players. Make sure you have the appropriate help and that you’re not putting too much on yourself. Make sure every player is safe, prepared and dedicated, but do your best to also make sure everyone knows that a loss doesn’t mean the end of the world and that through it all, this is still a fun game meant to be enjoyed!

Little League Baseball 101: Basic Practice Tips and Advice

Basic baseball practice tips and advice

Whether you’re a veteran little league baseball coach or a young parent taking over a team for the first time ever, it’s always good to read up on helpful tips to get you headed in the right direction. Winning each game and the end of season tournament is the long game you always want to consider, but the development of each child comes first and foremost. We’ll touch on the key things you’ll want to consider when you start out on your first practice and prepare for your first game this spring. Before you even order your team’s custom baseball uniforms, be sure to consider all of these aspects:

Have a Plan

First thing’s first, no matter what level of baseball you’re at, you want to come in prepared and have a plan. A common misconception is if you’re walking around with papers you don’t look like you know what you’re doing. Sometimes, sure, but for the most part you actually look organized and like you have a plan. And in reality, if you have something to refer to to keep practice in order, you are prepared. Keeping a cheat sheet of sorts around for your basic practice outline, individual assignments and practice drills is a great way to know precisely when and where certain things need to be done. You generally only have an hour or two to go through everything during a little league baseball practice, so making the most of it is key.

Having a plan and executing it are two very different things, as are having a plan and thinking you have a plan. We’ll go over some pretty key tips to help you go into your first/next little league practice with confidence.

Set Guidelines and Rules

You either already have a firm plan in place or you’re ready to learn one right here as we go. That’s part one, and part two is setting your own rules and guidelines for yourself, other coaches and the players to follow. Set the time with a perfect baseball uniform that each practice starts and ends and have that be very strict. Players that are late run laps or sprints and every rule you set in place remains constant. Setting and executing rules and regulations within the team helps build character, but more importantly, it holds everyone accountable.

Saying “it’s just little league baseball” is lazy and nothing good is ever built without a sound foundation. Keep things concrete from the very beginning and let everyone involved in the little league practices know where they stand and what is expected of them. Your practice isn’t an NFL training camp, but it also isn’t a playground where people can come and go as they please and once there can do whatever they wall. Structure is key, and you’re the coach, so make sure whatever rules you set up are followed through with every time just as you announce them to start the season.

Player Development

Notice we haven’t even talked actual little league baseball tips yet? That’s because foundation is truly so very key when dealing with young minds. Just like parents and teachers would, you need to consider that you are shaping young lives, both in a sport and in life. With every rule, coaching tip and personal move, always keep in mind that these are still young kids and that they have feelings and personal opinions. Develop the player, but don’t forget about the child.

Basic Practice Outline

1. Get Started & Warm Up

Once your rules and guidelines are in place, they’re there for everyone to know and there won’t be any surprises when someone slips up and needs to received proper punishment. Then you’re free to start off your practices as you see fit. The best way to do this is to do the same thing every time the team first meets up, to help build continuity and a routine. This can be whatever you want, but common ideas to first get started are a 10-minute jogging sessions with some basic calisthenics (push ups, jumping jacks, sit ups, etc). This gets the blood flowing and let’s everyone know right away when they get to practice that they’re coming there to work and to better their craft as little league baseball players. Obviously depending on age and level you can determine how rigorous this is to start out, but generally it’s fairly laxed and everyone works as the same pace. Pick out a team leader to guide the team in the calisthenics while you meet with the other coach(es) and gear up for the rest of the practice.

This is a good place to start and outside of a light jog and calisthenics, you don’t need much more for a warm up, as everyone will be ready to go. That being said, there are other things you can do to start each practice and if you really want, you can even alternate how you open up practices.

2. Throw Around

Throw around can be part of the warm up session or even take the place of calisthenics, but the extra movement being playing catch is good for the mind and body. It loosens players up and gets them mentally and physically prepared for the practice. Doing a throw around session separately gives them one more thing to do as part of your opening routine and it’s obviously also a huge fundamental part of little league baseball. Playing catch can be broken down to groups of two or three or you can develop a full team strategy that works on infielding. Infield drills usually cover that, however, so starting out with light tossing is suggested.

One key thing to keep in mind is that this should be ordered and monitored. For one, you can’t just have players go and throw wherever they want. Have one set of players line up on one of the white foul lines, with his partner across from him about 10 feet. This should help avoid anyone getting hit with stray balls. It’s good to have someone (or yourself) watch the tossing, too, so you can make sure no one is misbehaving, but also to watch that the technique is strong on the throws and catching.

3. Drills

The actual drills you do are completely up to you, but it probably would be a good idea to switch them up every practice. This may be the one area of your practice that completely deviates from your regular routine. That helps keep players thinking and on their toes, while every practice you’re coming up with new challenges to boost their game. One day can be offensive drills, another defensive, another simply endurance, etc. The list goes on.

Good examples of drills you can conduct are sliding, base running, bunting, pop up catching, ground ball catching and third base drills (knowing what to do and when to do it at third). Some drills you can split the team up for, and others you’ll want to keep everyone together.

4. Batting Practice

BP is a hugely important for all players to hone their swing and perfect their vision and timing at the plate. You can use tee’s, use a rotation of pitchers or even take the team to the batting cage. One way or another, they need work at the plate. A good 30 minutes is probably plenty of time to get every player a few reps at the plate and this is not an activity that takes up a lot of energy, but still has them using focus and effort to improve a key part of their skill-set. This is best done toward the middle of practice so it can both be used as a bit of a break (you can also schedule a min-break in your practices if you feel it’s needed), but it’s also obviously extremely beneficial to every player.

5. Defense

After getting some work in at the plate, it could be a good idea to next focus on defense for a good portion of practice. Obviously on offense you’re largely dealing with hitting and running, so with that already touched on earlier in practice, you’ll want to spend a good deal of time on the defensive side. Whatever you don’t already potentially cover in your selected drills portion of the practice as discussed above, you can slide in here. You can work on double plays, pitcher decisions, catcher decisions, plays from the outfield and the list goes on.

6. Scrimmage

Not every practice needs a full team scrimmage, but it never hurts to take what you learned or went through each day and put it in a full speed, live game atmosphere. You can work to schedule this in for every single practice, or you can choose special days during the week where the team will conduct a brief scrimmage, putting offensive and defensive knowledge to work. This allows you to test your little league baseball team in a game setting and see what specific individuals may need to work on.

Ending Practice

You can decide how to end your practice, but however it does end should always be similar or even exactly the same from day to day. Rounding the team together for a mini-rally at the mound to discuss your upcoming game, practice times and the like is encouraged, and this is where you can discuss specifics of the practice and anything else you need to relay to the team. Once this is over, you should have, within your predetermined rules and regulations, already set in motion for players to be responsible for cleaning up the field (picking up bats, balls, etc) and to inform their parents of pick up time and when/where/what time the next game and/or practice will be. For your first ever practice, you can use this huddle to lay down all of your rules and guidelines before and/or after the initial practice.

While everything touched on here is very important, the biggest thing of all might simply be proper communication. Make sure you’re always doing your best to effectively communicate what you expect out of parents, fellow coaches and of course, the players. When everyone is on the same page and working correctly together, you’re well on your way to building a positive (and successful) foundation.

This isn’t the end all, be all to little league practice tips, but it’s a good start to get the ball rolling. For more info on specific little league practice drills, tips and advice, be sure to check back at our blog routinely as we look to help new little league baseball coaches succeed in their first go-around this year.

5 Teams That Should Consider Hiring Chip Kelly

Football players on the pitch

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly was a controversial NFL figure over the past two years. He led the Eagles to two consecutive 10-6 runs to begin his tenure, then cut loose numerous star players in an attempt to make his roster “in his image”. It didn’t work out as planned in 2015, and this week it led to his firing.

While Kelly getting handed the pink slip wasn’t a total shock due to such a crazy off-season, it’s an odd move for a guy who won the NFC East in his first year at the helm and produced two winning seasons in three tries. All of this, also, he did without ever having his own hand-picked franchise quarterback.

Kelly certainly came up short in some areas, but he’s already admitted he wants to stick in the NFL ranks and could be on many team’s short list if they end up making a move for a new head coach. Some spots would make a lot more sense than others, though. Let’s break down the top five:

Tennessee Titans

This makes the most sense, as the Titans canned Ken Whisenhunt in the middle of the year and Mike Mularkey has never been the answer anywhere he’s gone. The opening is there to be had, but the big thing that connects the dots is that Kelly coached Titans franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota at Oregon. After failing to land him in last year’s draft, the writing on the wall could have him in Tennessee running his offense with the guy perfectly made for it.

Miami Dolphins

Miami fired Joe Philbin earlier this year and is in a similar situation as Tennessee, as they have a decent interim coach in Dan Campbell but it’s tough to know if he can be a long-term answer. It doesn’t seem like it, since the Fins won two games immediately after he took over, but they’ve tailed off considerably ever since. That could have Miami looking for someone who can best maximize beleaguered quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who some point to as the reason why the Dolphins can’t take it to the next level. Tannehill’s athleticism could actually be a perfect fit in Kelly’s up-tempo system, so if the Titans job isn’t open, perhaps Kelly would see this as the perfect fallback option.

Cleveland Browns

Kelly’s system is at it’s best when it has an athletic quarterback who can push the tempo and roll out read-option plays at will, so if Tennessee and Miami want to go in a different direction, maybe going to Cleveland and getting the most out of Johnny football uniforms is in order. Kelly did at one time recruit Manziel to play at Oregon, so there is an untapped connection here. The Browns have yet to cut ties with head coach Mike Pettine, but rumors suggest GM Ray Farmer is out and Pettine could be close behind.

San Francisco 49ers

Jim Tomsula has been the perfect stop-gap answer between what was a great head coach in Jim Harbaugh and whoever it is that eventually takes over the 49ers full-time, but keeping him on as “the guy” seems like a mistake. It wouldn’t be shocking to see San Francisco move on from Tomsula after one unspectacular season, and that could be to go get the available Kelly. With two athletic quarterbacks in place in Blaine Gabbert and Colin Kaepernick, Kelly would have some talent to work with to try to maximize his system.

New York Giants

Eli Manning wouldn’t really fit what Kelly does, but there could be an opening in the Big Apple is the G-Men finally decide to fire Tom Coughlin. Coughlin helped get Big Blue two Super Bowl championships, so the Giants brass has remained patient with him. However, four seasons of missing the playoffs may have taken their toll. Kelly wouldn’t really be the perfect fit here, but it should would be interesting to see him move to another team inside the division.

Got a better idea as to where Kelly could wind up in 2016 or think he returns to college football? Let us know in the comments below!

Taking a Look at NBA’s Top Alternate Uniforms

NBA top alternate uniforms

The NBA is probably the best sport when it comes to personal branding, image and accessory showcasing. It’s a league full of big personalities, confidence that can be confused as cockiness and elite swagger. It’s also full of some of the most eclectic uniform bases you’ll see in any sport, as the league has various promotions that stem from team-based to Christmas Day uniforms, and most teams offer up interesting alternate uni’s.

BleacherReport.com recently took a look at the first half of the season to see which alternate custom basketball uniforms were best. You can see the video here.

Stephen Nelson and Lance Fresh broke down their favorite five, taking a look at the Cleveland Cavaliers black alternates, the Dallas Mavericks “skylines” alternates, the Toronto Raptors black and gold digs, the retro Memphis Grizzlies uni’s and the Miami Heat camo uniforms.

Miami’s camo digs took the top spot in B/R’s breakdown, but we tend to think the Dallas Mavericks alternates should be #1. Heck, perhaps a different team’s alternate jerseys should be in the top five or be considered the best. Then again, maybe we haven’t seen the best yet and another NBA squad will unveil a cool alternate look before the season is up.

Which top-five uniform was your favorite? Let us know in the comments below!

Posted in NBA

2016 College Football Playoff Preview and Predictions

College football playoff preview and predictions

The 2015 college football season culminates in 2016, when the four best teams compete in the second ever College Football Playoff. We even have some new football uniform also faces this year, as Clemson, Michigan State and Oklahoma have all earned their way into the promised land, while Nick Saban’s (Alabama) Crimson Tide return for the second time to try to take back the national title.

Alabama makes for the only team in the history of the College Football Playoff to make multiple appearances in the small tournament, and even though that’s a short history, it’s still an interesting narrative. Ranked as the #2 team in the College Football Playoff bracket, the Crimson Tide will be tasked with taking on the Michigan State Spartans. If they can win, they can get back to the national title game for the first time since winning it in 2012.

While Alabama’s run is a fun story-line, this year’s College Football Playoff is not without controversy, as many college football fans felt scorned with their favorite (and arguably deserving) teams being left out of the mix. Still, everything is set up for quite the dramatic finish. Let’s break down both games and see who is slated to become the next college football champion:

#1 Clemson Tigers vs. #4 Oklahoma Sooners

It’s tough to knock the Clemson Tigers getting the top seed in this year’s College Football Playoff, as they went a perfect 13-0 on the year and own impressive wins over Notre Dame, Florida State and North Carolina. They’ve had a fantastic run behind dual threat passer Deshaun Watson, who was a Heisman finalist and averaged over 400 total yards per game on the season. Watson will once again be key on December 31st, when the Tigers try to stay undefeated by knocking off Bob Stoops’ Sooners.

As great as Clemson has been, it’d be foolish to over-look Oklahoma, who were a strong 12-1 on the year, with their only loss coming against Texas in a close game. That loss was fairly incriminating in many folk’s minds in regards to Oklahoma not deserving a spot in this tournament, but their 12-1 run still speaks for itself. Any doubt will likely be cast aside in this contest, as a Sooners upset over the perceived best team in the nation would validate them being voted into the College Football Playoff.

That’s not likely to happen, however. Watson is just too big of a force to handle, while Oklahoma has been better known for their elite offense than a studly defense. It’s possibly they could find a way to pull out a win in a shootout, but they’ll definitely be fighting uphill in this one.

Pick: Clemson 40, Oklahoma 31

#2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #3 Michigan State Spartans

It’s highly arguable that Alabama is the best team in college football and the favorite to win this tourney, as they own just one loss on the year against a good Ole Miss team (at the time ranked 16th in the nation). Record aside, Alabama is led by one of the greatest coaches in history in Nick Saban and fields a borderline NFL-level defense. They also boast a strong rushing attack led by Heisman-winner, Derrick Henry.

Michigan State is no slouch, though, as they also lost just once in 2015 (a fluky 39-38 loss to conference rivals, Nebraska). Led by quarterback Connor Cook, the Spartans sport a strong offense, but are best known for pulling games out and controlling games at their own desired tempo. Doing either of those things against such a balanced Alabama squad should be too much to ask, however. Ultimately, the Crimson Tide are on a mission and have the better defense. They should move on to the title game.

Pick: Alabama 31, Michigan State 24

We’ll press pause at this point and return at a later date to asses the national championship game. For now, we can all get excited for these two games, the special custom football uniforms being worn just for this tourney, and the potential of an Alabama vs. Clemson title game.

Think the first two games shake down a different way? Let us hear about it in the comments below!