Calling all youth travel/select baseball coaches......

[Smoked Toag]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place?

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day?

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers?

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field?

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt?

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers?

 

[bulldawg989]

Not a coach but my 10-year old plays on a travel/tournament team...

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place? Try them everywhere, coaches will get a feel for what they can/can't do and should play them in positions that fir their strenghts

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day? I wouldn't

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers? My son's primary position is catcher and does pitch a little. One of our better pitchers also does some catching as a secondary position.

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field? Ours usually rotate to the outfield

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt? Yes

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers? Never to early to start, we throw 2-seam, 4-seam and changeup so getting them to understand pitch selection is good but hard at this age, they need to be confident at the plate not wondering/guessing with a clouded head, if that makes sense.

 

[Drebin]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place?

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day?

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers?

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field?

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt?

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers?

1 - Never lock a kid into a position. Move them around. Experience at multiple positions make players more rounded defensively. Learning the nuances of footwork and the types of throws that have to be made is critical to their development. Plus, as a coach, you want multiple options per position in case of injury or other factors that would make kids miss tournaments.

2 - I might throw a kid twice if he's only thrown a single inning in his first appearance. Once he's gone multiple innings, he's done for the day.

3 - Absolutely. But if I have a catcher who pitches, I have him pitch the first game of the day. It's always a bad idea to pitch a kid after he's caught a game in the same day.

4 - It depends on the position. When I take a kid out, he goes and sits down. But many times your pitchers are also your best defenders at other spots. So it really depends on the game situation and the position he would be playing.

5 - Absolutely. Bunting is an important part of the game and a lot of coaches overlook it. Everyone in my lineup needs to be able to get a bunt down. That doesn't mean I'm going to bunt like crazy in games, but there's situational relevance to getting a bunt down and I like for kids to understand the importance of giving yourself up for the team. This also goes for making sure they put the ball in play on the ground and hitting behind runners.

6 - Situational. I personally tell a kid, strike one is for him, strike two is for his team, and strike three is for me. We teach our kids to adjust their strike zone and aggression depending on the count. If the hitter is ahead, shrink your zone and look for a pitch and be aggressive. If the pitcher is ahead, widen the zone and be selective.

Flame away.

 

[SteelCurtain74]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place? Yes on multiple positions and we encourage it

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day? Typically, no but if you're in bracket play and are playing 3 or 4 games, we may pitch a kid an inning or two in one game and an inning in another game but it's rare

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers? Yes, but typically try to have it so they are not doing both on the same day or same game

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field? Depends on the other positions that pitcher plays. We have a couple of kids who also play 1st base so we will move them to 1st. Most of the times he'll sit the bench for the rest of the inning.

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt? Yes

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers? We teach them to be selective until two strikes, then they need to be protective of the plate. The problem in teaching selective hitting is the inconsistency from the behind the plate umpire from game to game or even within a game. Most umpires do a great job of consistency, but we've been in games where the strike zone in the first inning was vastly different in the 4th, 5th or 6th.

 

[Smoked Toag]

1 - Never lock a kid into a position. Move them around. Experience at multiple positions make players more rounded defensively. Learning the nuances of footwork and the types of throws that have to be made is critical to their development. Plus, as a coach, you want multiple options per position in case of injury or other factors that would make kids miss tournaments.

2 - I might throw a kid twice if he's only thrown a single inning in his first appearance. Once he's gone multiple innings, he's done for the day.

3 - Absolutely. But if I have a catcher who pitches, I have him pitch the first game of the day. It's always a bad idea to pitch a kid after he's caught a game in the same day.

4 - It depends on the position. When I take a kid out, he goes and sits down. But many times your pitchers are also your best defenders at other spots. So it really depends on the game situation and the position he would be playing.

5 - Absolutely. Bunting is an important part of the game and a lot of coaches overlook it. Everyone in my lineup needs to be able to get a bunt down. That doesn't mean I'm going to bunt like crazy in games, but there's situational relevance to getting a bunt down and I like for kids to understand the importance of giving yourself up for the team. This also goes for making sure they put the ball in play on the ground and hitting behind runners.

6 - Situational. I personally tell a kid, strike one is for him, strike two is for his team, and strike three is for me. We teach our kids to adjust their strike zone and aggression depending on the count. If the hitter is ahead, shrink your zone and look for a pitch and be aggressive. If the pitcher is ahead, widen the zone and be selective.

Flame away.

Not gonna flame, I'm the one asking for the info. I agree with most of that. And it seems like most of the people who's commented (and me) generally agree. I differ a little bit, as in, I generally don't teach bunting unless it's a smaller kid, as I want them to be aggressive hitters. But I certainly can't argue with doing it, especially if you have the time.

But I see the downside to these things too, every spring. Many teams (and respected teams - but of course, you have to consider the people doing the 'respecting') where kids play one position, that's all - ever. They over-pitch (not by a ton, but certainly cross the line), over-throw (in the name of 'hard work' and over-rely on walks/bunts (because that generates runs obviously). It's tough because at this age, there's winning and development. It takes a long time to do both unless you've got the best players.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

In order to get the benefits of TJ surgery

I recommend throwing them two games per day, at least two days per week. If your kid can’t handle that by the age of 8, he’s not going to be worth the expense of travel ball anyway. It’s better to find out now. You may need to consider soccer or gymnastics. If he is good enough, over pitching is the best way to fast track that TJ surgery. Hopefully he completes his rehab by 9th grade, then the scouts can really be wowed, and you can be the most important dad in the bleachers.**

ETA: if you are considering bunting, go ahead and get that Girl Scouts application. Hit Dingers or peddle Thin Mints, you choose.

 

[Drebin]

Not gonna flame, I'm the one asking for the info. I agree with most of that. And it seems like most of the people who's commented (and me) generally agree. I differ a little bit, as in, I generally don't teach bunting unless it's a smaller kid, as I want them to be aggressive hitters. But I certainly can't argue with doing it, especially if you have the time.

But I see the downside to these things too, every spring. Many teams (and respected teams - but of course, you have to consider the people doing the 'respecting') where kids play one position, that's all - ever. They over-pitch (not by a ton, but certainly cross the line), over-throw (in the name of 'hard work' and over-rely on walks/bunts (because that generates runs obviously). It's tough because at this age, there's winning and development. It takes a long time to do both unless you've got the best players.

My opinion on bunting is this: bunting is still considered being aggressive. That's how you have to teach it. If I have a really fast kid who recognizes that the third baseman is playing back and can put a bunt down and steal a couple of bases, it can change the game, and I am teaching my team that this is an aggressive way to be productive. It's less about winning games and more about teaching situational awareness. The same for sac bunts. When we celebrate as a team when a kid gives himself up to move runners, kids learn that this can be a form of aggression and can appreciate being asked to do it.

Bottom line to me: baseball is a game of failure. Kids are going to fail, and in developing kids, the most important things you can teach them is how to move on from failure, and how to fail productively. Everyone wants to hit dingers, but if there's a runner on second and a kid has two strikes on him, I'd rather see him shorten up and hit a ground ball to second to move that runner to third than see him strike out - especially looking.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Everyone wants to hit dingers, but if there's a runner on second and a kid has two strikes on him, I'd rather see him shorten up and hit a ground ball to second to move that runner to third than see him strike out - especially looking.

This illustrates a issue I've been thinking about. In my 10U age group, most all kids can steal at will. So anybody who gets on base will wind up at third within 2 pitches. So I am straddling the fence on offense AND defense, trying to figure out the fine line between accepting reality and actually teaching baseball.

Offense:

1) Baserunning - do you just send them (or coach them to go, by watching pitcher) and then rely on the coaches to yell and get them back in case of a fly/line out?
2) Do you have kids take in order to advance baserunners? This takes away hitting opportunities.

Defense:

1) Do you coach the catcher to throw it down to 2B or 3B when you know the runner has you beat anyway, thus risking an errant throw?
2) Do you spend time working on double plays, which are almost nonexistent because the kids have such an advantage on the basepath (unless it's a sharp ground ball up the middle where the SS can step on 2B and then get the out at 1B too)?

I like to think we can avoid all this by just coaching hitting and solid defense/pitching, but that's not reality. The crazy baserunning is just a reality now, starting at 9U. Not sure what age it is where a catcher can actually control this issue - probably 13 or 14U.

 

[Drebin]

This illustrates a issue I've been thinking about. In my 10U age group, most all kids can steal at will. So anybody who gets on base will wind up at third within 2 pitches. So I am straddling the fence on offense AND defense, trying to figure out the fine line between accepting reality and actually teaching baseball.

Offense:

1) Baserunning - do you just send them (or coach them to go, by watching pitcher) and then rely on the coaches to yell and get them back in case of a fly/line out?
2) Do you have kids take in order to advance baserunners? This takes away hitting opportunities.

Defense:

1) Do you coach the catcher to throw it down to 2B or 3B when you know the runner has you beat anyway, thus risking an errant throw?
2) Do you spend time working on double plays, which are almost nonexistent because the kids have such an advantage on the basepath (unless it's a sharp ground ball up the middle where the SS can step on 2B and then get the out at 1B too)?

I like to think we can avoid all this by just coaching hitting and solid defense/pitching, but that's not reality. The crazy baserunning is just a reality now, starting at 9U. Not sure what age it is where a catcher can actually control this issue - probably 13 or 14U.

9/10 and below, stealing bases is just part of the territory. At that age, I want my catchers working on fundies - blocking balls in the dirt particularly, to minimize extra bases as much as possible. But at that age, you're going to give up runs. I want my pitchers focused on throwing strikes and pitching to weak contact, my catchers catching/blocking pitches in the dirt, especially strike three, and most importantly, my defense making routine plays.

If you have catchers throwing behind runners or trying to throw out runners at that age, they can be little Yadiers out there, but that doesn't mean your fielder is going to catch the ball to make the play, or even be where he's supposed to be. That's why I want my guys focused on making the routine plays and limiting damage as much as possible - no walks, no errors, make the routine plays. It's a plus if I have a pitcher out there that does a good job of holding runners and we work on that too. A lot of kids will take off early on the bases and if you have a pitcher that can handle the situation without panicking (stepping off, running at the runner, putting a good throw on him), you can control the run game that way. A lot of times, I won't even hold on a base runner if I have a pitcher throwing strikes because it may be more valuable in that situation for them to be in good defensive position to make a play.

Once they get into 11/12 and up and the bases get more spaced out, you can start trying to control the run game a little more with your pitchers and catchers.


As far as offense, I want my kids aggressive on the bases, but the correct way. Certain situations are automatic steals at that age, no matter the speed of the baserunner. But I want all my kids getting good, aggressive leads, reading the pitcher and getting a good jump without going too early. I also don't just automatically send them first pitch depending on who the kid is. There may be benefits to not running them and just getting good aggressive secondary leads.

A lot of coaches run because they're trying to win tournaments. I want to teach my kids to do it the right way so they can develop into a kid more likely to make his high school team and get a shot to play at the next level.

 

[beachbumdawg]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place?

Yes - don’t lock a kid into a position - his athletic ability during puberty will do that

My 13u plays - Corner infield/outfield & pitches in games - practice he also gets reps in the middle inf

My 10u/11u - plays MIF/OF/P and C primarily - he gets work at 3B as well

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day? No

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers? If they play both - reduced pitch count

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field? Depends if one day or two day tournament

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt? Yes albeit I despise bunting to give up outs - I love putting pressure on a team - watched a friends team in their first 10u tournament get bunted on 9ABs in a row - they couldn’t catch up to the velocity so they resorted to bunting

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers?

0 or 1 strike count you hunt your strength after that what’s hittable (chalk to chalk) in the zone (vertical

See inside

 

[Smoked Toag]

9/10 and below, stealing bases is just part of the territory. At that age, I want my catchers working on fundies - blocking balls in the dirt particularly, to minimize extra bases as much as possible. But at that age, you're going to give up runs. I want my pitchers focused on throwing strikes and pitching to weak contact, my catchers catching/blocking pitches in the dirt, especially strike three, and most importantly, my defense making routine plays.

If you have catchers throwing behind runners or trying to throw out runners at that age, they can be little Yadiers out there, but that doesn't mean your fielder is going to catch the ball to make the play, or even be where he's supposed to be. That's why I want my guys focused on making the routine plays and limiting damage as much as possible - no walks, no errors, make the routine plays. It's a plus if I have a pitcher out there that does a good job of holding runners and we work on that too. A lot of kids will take off early on the bases and if you have a pitcher that can handle the situation without panicking (stepping off, running at the runner, putting a good throw on him), you can control the run game that way. A lot of times, I won't even hold on a base runner if I have a pitcher throwing strikes because it may be more valuable in that situation for them to be in good defensive position to make a play.

Once they get into 11/12 and up and the bases get more spaced out, you can start trying to control the run game a little more with your pitchers and catchers.


As far as offense, I want my kids aggressive on the bases, but the correct way. Certain situations are automatic steals at that age, no matter the speed of the baserunner. But I want all my kids getting good, aggressive leads, reading the pitcher and getting a good jump without going too early. I also don't just automatically send them first pitch depending on who the kid is. There may be benefits to not running them and just getting good aggressive secondary leads.

A lot of coaches run because they're trying to win tournaments. I want to teach my kids to do it the right way so they can develop into a kid more likely to make his high school team and get a shot to play at the next level.

We actually agree more than initially thought.

 

[beachbumdawg]

This illustrates a issue I've been thinking about. In my 10U age group, most all kids can steal at will. So anybody who gets on base will wind up at third within 2 pitches. So I am straddling the fence on offense AND defense, trying to figure out the fine line between accepting reality and actually teaching baseball.

Offense:

1) Baserunning - do you just send them (or coach them to go, by watching pitcher) and then rely on the coaches to yell and get them back in case of a fly/line out?
10u team - we practice base running ad nauseam - reading pitcher; hit n run; secondary leads; reading the dirt ball
2) Do you have kids take in order to advance baserunners? This takes away hitting opportunities.
Not typically but have on a situational basis

Defense:

1) Do you coach the catcher to throw it down to 2B or 3B when you know the runner has you beat anyway, thus risking an errant throw?

If they receive the ball clean and the pitcher is quick to the plate fire away
We threw 8 out at 2B last year in 9u and 4 at 3b

Catcher by committee this year so we’ll see

2) Do you spend time working on double plays, which are almost nonexistent because the kids have such an advantage on the basepath (unless it's a sharp ground ball up the middle where the SS can step on 2B and then get the out at 1B too)?

Absolutely we do every practice (it’s about development)

We turned a few double plays last year with bases loaded and no free running


I like to think we can avoid all this by just coaching hitting and solid defense/pitching, but that's not reality. The crazy baserunning is just a reality now, starting at 9U. Not sure what age it is where a catcher can actually control this issue - probably 13 or 14U.

The catcher is just part of the puzzle to control running

We slide step with runner on 1b; we’ll inside move with runner at 2B


Moving to 13 is like watching 9u all over again sometimes

Inside

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I recommend throwing them two games per day, at least two days per week. If your kid can’t handle that by the age of 8, he’s not going to be worth the expense of travel ball anyway. It’s better to find out now. You may need to consider soccer or gymnastics. If he is good enough, over pitching is the best way to fast track that TJ surgery. Hopefully he completes his rehab by 9th grade, then the scouts can really be wowed, and you can be the most important dad in the bleachers.**

ETA: if you are considering bunting, go ahead and get that Girl Scouts application. Hit Dingers or peddle Thin Mints, you choose.

Should master the curve by 10, right?

 

[Smoked Toag]

I recommend throwing them two games per day, at least two days per week. If your kid can’t handle that by the age of 8, he’s not going to be worth the expense of travel ball anyway. It’s better to find out now. You may need to consider soccer or gymnastics. If he is good enough, over pitching is the best way to fast track that TJ surgery. Hopefully he completes his rehab by 9th grade, then the scouts can really be wowed, and you can be the most important dad in the bleachers.**

ETA: if you are considering bunting, go ahead and get that Girl Scouts application. Hit Dingers or peddle Thin Mints, you choose.

You'd be surprised at the number of coaches that will throw kids out there on back to back days at 50+ pitches each. I assume we are all at minimum fairly educated about that stuff here, so we will quibble about small stuff, but not this egregious over-throwing deal. Even some decent coaches will do it when winning is on the line. It's common for a 9U or 10U to get near 100 pitches over the course of a day, justified by the fact that it's 2 games rather than 1. I don't care who the kid is and what their mechanics are, that's too much. Way too much.

 

[Drebin]

You'd be surprised at the number of coaches that will throw kids out there on back to back days at 50+ pitches each. I assume we are all at minimum fairly educated about that stuff here, so we will quibble about small stuff, but not this egregious over-throwing deal. Even some decent coaches will do it when winning is on the line. It's common for a 9U or 10U to get near 100 pitches over the course of a day, justified by the fact that it's 2 games rather than 1. I don't care who the kid is and what their mechanics are, that's too much. Way too much.

It's not a big deal for a kid to throw three innings on consecutive days. USSSA has a good innings usage matrix: for 12 U and under: Max six per day, max three per day if you wish to use a kid the next day - and a max 8 for a tournament. Kids at that age aren't throwing max effort and even if a nitwit coach has them throwing breaking stuff, it's not usually the type of effort that exposes the elbow.

 

[jethreauxdawg]

No doubt

My post was making fun of those coaches/dads. It’s sad but we’ve all seen those stupid parents that are sad when little Timmy needs TJ surgery at 13. Not sad because the kid needs surgery, but they enjoyed being the coolest parent at the Hampton Inn when Timmy struck out 10 batters in both games that weekend. I’m not accusing anyone in this thread of doing that.

 

[Beretta.sixpack]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

I just assist coach for the last 3 years 9-10 and now 11U ....we have a former college player player as our head coach and i will answer these how he does them:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place?
YES....play as many as possible. We are 11U, mostly 5 graders, and coach wants to see them make middle school/HS teams. He tells them when they go to a tryout, and the question comes up about position, the answer is "all of them" or "everywhere"

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day?
our HC is a former college pitcher.....HELL NO, unless they throw under 10 pitches in a previous game. He is very conservative.

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers?
YES

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field?
Depends on who is bringing in and if it is in the middle of an inning. we only roster 10, so one player is on the bench. depends on the plan. We don't typically let a pitcher throw more than 50 pitches....55 is most that i can remember. Again, our HC is very conservative with their arms

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt?

HELL YES....we spend time every single week bunting....even do bunt games, bunt competitions....yes, a lot.

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers?

NOPE. We are only hunting fastballs. if you like it, you swing it. We will signal "take" on a pitch, but they will know from the coach.

This is how we do it....i have not read the other responses at the time of answering, so they could all be different. We are high end AAA/low end majors level 11U. Take it for what its worth.

 

[garddog]

Inning counts are crap. Kids 13 and under should never throw over 50. Preferably 40 pitches per day. It isn't just elbows that can be hurt. Aggressive kids won't admit they are hurting or getting a twinge. I have umpired and coached and seen it all. Take care of kids at the younger ages and don't make them hate the game or their coach.

 

[philduckworth]

Just a few questions to see what/how folks do it, primarily 7-12 year olds:

1) Do you let kids play multiple positions, or do you lock them into positions early so they get used to one place?

2) Do you pitch kids twice in one day?

3) Do you allow pitchers to also be catchers?

4) If a pitcher starts and goes a relatively long distance (50+ pitches) and you pull him, do you send him to another position or take him out of the field?

5) Do yeah teach kids to bunt?

6) Do you teach them to be selective with pitches or be free swingers?

1. Yes, definitely multiple positions.

2. Follow the Dr. Andrews, Smart Pitch Count chart. I can't stress this enough. Never pitch twice in one day. Never pitch twice in a tournament unless you only threw 20 pitches or fewer the previous day.

3. Try to develop 2 catchers so they both can pitch. Kids love and need to get experience pitching.

4. You can put him at another position except for catcher.

5. No, screw that. Let their high school coach teach them how to bunt. If you teach them, you might be tempted to bunt them in a game.

6. Not necessarily free swinger, but teach aggression. Start teaching approach.

 

[hatfieldms]

Let their high school coach teach them how to bunt? Every high school coach in America will fully expect them to know how to bunt a baseball before they make it to high school

 

[philduckworth]

Let their high school coach teach them how to bunt? Every high school coach in America will fully expect them to know how to bunt a baseball before they make it to high school

Ok Cohen. It will take them 5 minutes to learn. No bunting until at least 14u.

Also, don't waste practice time on bunt D. The pitcher is 50 feet away. He can handle it.

 

[hatfieldms]

Lol. Ok

 

[Cooterpoot]

Is your kid a freakish athlete with the goal to play college ball or just trying to play with his friends or hoping to play for his HS? There's a difference.
My advice is figure that out, then say 17 the rest and just tell him to have fun. It's a huge commitment depending on the goal. Commitment isn't for everyone. And I'm talking both parents and kids. And remember, it's his "dream" not yours.

 

[Bulldog Bruce]

Not going to answer point by point just some general commentary. My dad was the pitching coach for many kids on Long Island. He would not allow any of them to throw any sort of curve or slider until 13 or 14. We pitched with 2 seam and 4 seam fastballs and palm ball change-ups. Just use different finger pressure on a 2 seamer and you can get it to move out and in. We didn't do pitch counts back in the day so I have no commentary on that.

Have all kids learn the fundementals and that includes bunting. It also includes fielding both the outfield and infield with proper form for those positions.

Have kids try all sorts of different hitting approaches so they can find what works best for them. Open stance, closed stance, square stance, close to the plate, away from the plate (which I personally think is a lost approach), up in the box and back in the box, hands high, hands low, flat bat, straight up bat, wide stance, narrow stance, different leg kicks and strides, stand tall or crouch. Try each way for a period of time and you will find what best suits the batters abilities. Same with selective vs aggressive. Some people just naturally gravitate to a style. Tweak as needed. Have an agressive batter take a strike and have a selective one swing at any strike at times. In otherwords give them room to discover what works best.

 

[Cooterpoot]

I'll say this too. I'd never pay the costs of travel ball if I didn't believe the coach understood the game and gave at least a little **** about the kids. And I coached a lot of travel ball from California to New York, but I wouldn't let my kids play for me beyond 10-12 years old. They need to be exposed to as many good coaches as possible. My oldest kid played for Craig Biggio one season (he had a kid on the team). Played for a pitcher from the Mets who I can't remember. And a catching coach from the Mets/Braves. But the best was a fireman from California who was a Fastpitch softball guy (had two kids played at AZ). Best I've ever seen teaching defense. Best hitting coach was from Virginia but coached at Purdue (Biggio had some good advice too).
I won't tell people not to throw the curve before 12, because they're going to be doing it anyway at home in most cases, but it's pointless. At what point did we completely stop bunting? That's launch angle bro BS. Every kid that's capable should play multiple positions and another sport too. Pitching twice in a day is stupid as hell but it happens a lot in local travel. Not so much in high end travel. You won't find many kids that can handle the wear and tear of catching and pitching.
Not after the age of 10 anyway. And for gods sake, don't get caught up in the launch angle BS. The idea you can calculate in your mind, the angle to which you're going to swing is non-sense. It's a BS idea/term taken from Ted Williams true purpose of getting on plane early and keeping the bat through the zone. Don't let them tell you to get in the cage and hit the top of it 10 feet in front of your kid. Don't let them convince you you have to pull every HR. Teach them to make adjustments at the plate.
Make sure they love what they're doing. If you're having to beat their *** or yell at them all the time to get them to work at it, they don't love it. But you will have to push them a little when the distractions come at certain ages (the poon is powerful). Otherwise, save your money.

 

[Smoked Toag]

Is your kid a freakish athlete with the goal to play college ball or just trying to play with his friends or hoping to play for his HS? There's a difference.
My advice is figure that out, then say 17 the rest and just tell him to have fun. It's a huge commitment depending on the goal. Commitment isn't for everyone. And I'm talking both parents and kids. And remember, it's his "dream" not yours.

I'm asking coaching questions, not questions about my individual kid.

 

[Cooterpoot]

Good luck if you're in MS!
If by chance you don't have these in your library, buy them.
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Run a good practice is your job. There's little game management beyond getting each kid as equal playing time as possible. Winning is irrelevant but parents ***** about losing. Parents will decide about what their kids can/won't do for some things like positions (If they suck at a spot, tell the parents and try them where they fit best or replace them) and pitching stuff. If they want to 17 up little Jimmy's arm, it's their call and tell them that using those exact words. It's not your job to be their hitting, pitching, and fielding coach unless you're qualified and want to do it for side pay. Beyond telling them and their parents what you see, let their coach fix it. Travel kids should be going to coaches for that on their own. Tell them that too.

 

[goodknight]

Lots of good information out there on pitching for kids 7-12. Worst thing that’s done is over pitching them and coaches teaching and using the curve too much in this age bracket. All you need to do is look at the drastic increase in arm surgeries in HS. Their a lot of coaches more worried about their own W-L record vs developing kids the right way. You should never over pitch a kid just to win a weekend tourney. Age 7-12 you should be letting every kid learn to pitch if they have a desire and use them not to over pitch your “studs” in meaningless weekend tourneys.

 

[beachbumdawg]

Lots of good information out there on pitching for kids 7-12. Worst thing that’s done is over pitching them and coaches teaching and using the curve too much in this age bracket. All you need to do is look at the drastic increase in arm surgeries in HS. Their a lot of coaches more worried about their own W-L record vs developing kids the right way. You should never over pitch a kid just to win a weekend tourney. Age 7-12 you should be letting every kid learn to pitch if they have a desire and use them not to over pitch your “studs” in meaningless weekend tourneys.

If taught properly and thrown correctly, the curve is less stress on your arm than a fastball

Now my 10 year old throws 2/4 seam and change up when he pitches in games but we are starting to work on other off speed for when he turns 11/12

My 13 year old throws 2/4 seam, slider(s) and change - he started throwing his slider at 12 and began working on shapes after watching Bednar last year - 11 to 5 to righty’s (more depth) and 930 to 330 on lefty’s (more horizontal)

I’m pretty strict with arm care, pitch counts and post pitching care/lifting

I’m also anti-poles and triangles

 

[Smoked Toag]

If taught properly and thrown correctly, the curve is less stress on your arm than a fastball

Now my 10 year old throws 2/4 seam and change up when he pitches in games but we are starting to work on other off speed for when he turns 11/12

My 13 year old throws 2/4 seam, slider(s) and change - he started throwing his slider at 12 and began working on shapes after watching Bednar last year - 11 to 5 to righty’s (more depth) and 930 to 330 on lefty’s (more horizontal)

I’m pretty strict with arm care, pitch counts and post pitching care/lifting

I’m also anti-poles and triangles

Yeah seems to me the TJ epidemic showed up around the time of the velo era. Combined of course with over-pitching, which always happened to the best players anyway, even in rec ball, because they were the best players so of course coaches used them. But now with travel/select ball, kids are simply playing more games so that just adds stress.

I think the whole 'don't throw curves until puberty' is still probably ok advice, but it's not really the reason behind TJ.

 

[GloryDawg]

Ok Cohen. It will take them 5 minutes to learn. No bunting until at least 14u.

Also, don't waste practice time on bunt D. The pitcher is 50 feet away. He can handle it.

Go full Bonds mold, cover up with body armorer, crowd the plate and make them pitch that prefect pitch to hit a homerun. ******