A baseball coach chats about the importance of coaching the game in the capital!

It is fair to say that most Londoners are into football, rugby and cricket but in my opinion they are very much aware of the existence of baseball and softball in the capital. For all that I believe that baseball and softball have a future not only in the capital but in the rest of country since they are family games which bring together people from all walk of life and allows them to socialise in a pleasant environment.  Consider the evidence.  Besides, isn't it better to be different!  For ages I have been tiptoeing around certain issues that began as inspired solutions to certain obstacles in my way but the lack of support that I have had from those in the position to help my establishing baseball in London and the rest of the United Kingdom has been nil which I have had no answer to but which have to be passed. However, circumstances prompted me to do something about them and with a little effort I have been gathering enthusiasm for my quest. Ever since I have had the chance to appraise skills and adequacy in baseball I have done so without having had to confine my findings to certain limits as I am very partial to the truth. Certainly, being popular has never been a concern of mine as I have always believed that is better to help someone help himself than rescue him, only to leave the source of his problems untouched. Of course, I respect other people's opinion and I accept that they may feel differently and may criticise me for not stepping in the Status Quo of existing methods of coaching as they might think I should but I think that sticking with what one's believes ought to be one's priority. Indeed, there are issues in life that one will find inescapable and that's life but they are not anything to be concerned with since they are which accents exactly such situations and forces those that are unsolved to a head. Certainly, success in coaching baseball involves ensuring one's facts are in order and, rather, one must not allow anything to distract one as one will soon find that others would recognise the potential in what one is doing, and, as such, one would find that they would be eager to lend a hand as soon as they have realised that one's solutions to issues were more exciting than theirs. The odds indicate that their enthusiasm will only grow as soon as they have seen the benefit of doing things one's way and the production line begins to bring into existence the sought article. Hopefully, they one day would return the many favours one has extended to them. The road to the top is full of twists and turns but to the victors the spoils, and, indeed, when one is driven by a passion for perfection one needs to be magnanimous, speak with authority, have a good all round knowledge of the game and be sure of oneself at all time for no one wants to listen to a coach who is quaking in his boots. The aim is to help one's players to progress with aspirations that one day they will make it big and into the Majors, and with new ideas on the level they might do so and come up smelling of roses without never taking a back-seat. A no-nonsense attitude to complaisance and the eradication of the myth that it is the taking part that counts must be encouraged and, in my view, it is a good recipe for success since every moth needs wings to fly. Indeed, training the young ones to shine in the dark by giving them a helping hand in their quest for brilliancy is my pursuing; for me that is what coaching is all about.  Moreover, drawing from my direct personal experiences as a player and coach, discipline and absolute determination makes all the difference in the world when it issues us challenges and, indeed, the most important lesson life has ever taught me was to impose strict rules on myself and be tolerant to the deficiency of others. Indeed, of all the good deeds I have done in my entire life, coaching children to play baseball has been by far the most rewarding of them all since I think teaching kids new skills is what makes coaching baseball a unique profession. Albeit, I believe that dreams in baseball are made on the field of playing I utterly disagree with the view that they are made while one is dozing one's lives away. Nay, nay, dreams are not made while you are asleep, on the contrary, one needs to be very much awake for it is fundamental that one raises one's game in order to keep one's dream alive. Certainly, the difference between mediocre and superb lies on attitude, approach and dedication to a cause where enterprise and ardour are the most important items for making it big. Therefore, it is essential that young players concentrate fully in which the coach ask them to do and how a particular drill must be follow so that he can determine what steps to take in order to correct deficiencies in players' abilities to rise to challenges and all the rest. Bear this in mind, impatience is not a good trait in baseball and one must learn to listening in order to be heard and seen. Energy is my favourite word but I deplore snobbery and racial prejudice. Sweat is now pouring down my face, I take a deep breath, need a glass of water, the glass is half-full, drink from it and go back to my coaching today's drill which is entitled:

The Keys to youth Swing Development   

The tee ball drill will enable a coach to help young players to correct deficiencies in their swing while teaching them batting fundamentals that must be acquired in order to be a good hitter of the ball. It is of paramount importance that the correct grip of the bat and the correct stance are shown to the learner. Albeit the stance is elementary it is a very important issue in swing development. Feet just a little bit wider than the shoulders, the knees bent, the hands must be at shoulder height and close to the body. The bat should be in a vertical position, the back elbow down, the head level so that the tracking eye has a clear line of sight to the ball and the bat must be kept still before the swing is executed. Certainly, a tee ball is not pitched to the batters and the ball must be hit from a stationary position, placed in front of a home base. A Constant batting objective is the shifting of weight towards the back leg before taking a short stride with the front leg while the foot, the front hip and shoulder remain closed. The hands move backwards and the leading arm stretches across the chest (Watch for bat wrapping and for hands dropping), turn the back foot at a 90 degree angle. Watch for front shoulder, and the hip opening, this should produce a strong hip rotation. The belly button must be pointing to where the ball goes after it has been hit and the bat should be driven by the legs and hips, not hands, ensuring that the player makes a solid contact with the ball towards the fielders. From the coaching point of view repeatedly hitting the ball off the tee will improve a player's swing and at the same time he will discover that there is a sweet spot on the bat at the end of the barrel when he makes a clean contact with the ball. 

P. Figueras