Coach Kevin Chronicles: Get Ready for Little League Season
Kevin Mahoney (Coach Kevin) is the General Manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones and a member of the Board of Directors for Oceanside Little League with nearly two decades worth of youth baseball coaching experience. He will be sharing his expertise in the Coach Kevin Chronicles over the coming weeks as
Kevin Mahoney (Coach Kevin) is the General Manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones and a member of the Board of Directors for Oceanside Little League with nearly two decades worth of youth baseball coaching experience. He will be sharing his expertise in the Coach Kevin Chronicles over the coming weeks as we get ready for baseball season.
Entry # 2 - Friday, February 7th
Most youth baseball games are won by the team that can play catch the best. I am not referring to how well a team plays catch during pregame warmups. I mean during the game. Every time the ball is in play at least two players will have a catch. This is the pitcher and the catcher on a ball not put into play, a groundball to the shortstop turns into a catch between the shortstop and the first baseman.
How much and how often a player should throw a baseball is a question that leads to disagreements over philosophies that maybe we will get to down the road. For now, we want to get our arms active for the throwing that will be coming sooner than later.
Hopefully, you got outside and got moving and did some work with the tennis ball. Doing more of that is great, but now let’s add some specific movements and basic stretches for your throwing arm. Take care of your arm and you can play this great game for a long time.
Trying to do this arm routine every other day:
- Arm Circles: Short circles forward & backward, big circles forward & backward.
- Arm above the head and try to grab the middle of your back. Use the opposite arm to push the arm down as far as you can reach.
- Right arm across the body, grab the elbow to stretch. Left arm next.
- Wrist Pull Downs. Extend your Right Arm / Left, arm out with the palm up, grab the fingertips with the opposite arm, and pull your fingers down/back creating the stretch.
- Wrist Pull Ups. Extend your arm out with the palm down, grab the fingertips with the opposite arm, and pullyour fingers up/back creating the stretch.
Entry # 1 - Friday, January 31st
The temperatures may saw otherwise, but Little League season will be upon us soon. Now is a great time to be sure you are physically prepared to take the field when the umpire yells “Play Ball!”. Being physically prepared can help reduce early season soreness and make sure that you hit the ground running.
Baseball is a game with a series of movements on every pitch. Yes, warming up and stretching is important on before practice and on game days, but being active before the season is just as important. Now is a great time to begin moving around each day. This does not need to be anything specific to baseball. Ride your bike, take your dog for a walk, or go outside and run around with your friends.
Hand-eye coordination is extremely important in baseball and over the course of the next couple of months you can work on that with a wall and tennis ball. Find a wall and simple throw the ball against the wall and try to catch the ball with your glove hand (without a glove) before it bounces a second time. If you can do this for ten minutes a couple of times a week you are well on your way to being ready for Little League season.