When is the best time to throw the curve? When you are ahead of the count with one or two strikes on the batter or surprise the batter by throwing it your first pitch. I only recommend throwing the Curveball the first pitch if you have excellent command and can throw it for a strike. You always want to start the count in your favor.

You can throw the Curveball one of two ways as far as the location of the pitch is concerned. One, you can start the Curveball out in the strike zone and throw it into the dirt hoping the batter will fish for it. Or two, you can start it out as a ball and have it drop into the strike zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it is a strike, and if he does he misses it or grounds out. I prefer the ground out personally so I can throw fewer pitches per inning. When a starting pitcher performs, he should plan on throwing the whole game if he is on a five day rotation; first pitch ground outs are ideal for me.

How to play baseball catcher and to be an effective and productive teammate on a winning team requires skills, ability and capabilities quite different than the other defending position players. What would you guess would be some of the prime characteristics, needed for a catcher, which are not an absolute need for playing the other baseball positions? Maybe we could list a few and then try to back them up with some further meaning and insight for all to understand:

When is the best time to throw the curve? When you are ahead of the count with one or two strikes on the batter or surprise the batter by throwing it your first pitch. I only recommend throwing the Curveball the first pitch if you have excellent command and can throw it for a strike. You always want to start the count in your favor.

You can throw the Curveball one of two ways as far as the location of the pitch is concerned. One, you can start the Curveball out in the strike zone and throw it into the dirt hoping the batter will fish for it. Or two, you can start it out as a ball and have it drop into the strike zone. If the batter doesn't swing, it is a strike, and if he does he misses it or grounds out. I prefer the ground out personally so I can throw fewer pitches per inning. When a starting pitcher performs, he should plan on throwing the whole game if he is on a five day rotation; first pitch ground outs are ideal for me.

I realize it's fall going on winter, but one can always start thinking about next year and what you are going to do different do become an improved coach. I would like to give attitude a big plug here because it is so vital not just in youth baseball, it is vital in all areas of your player's lives. You have a responsibility to impart more than just baseball lessons to your players if you are truly serious about helping your players. As you may already know I'm a big fan of positive attitude from the coaches as well as the players and parents. I feel there is no place on a youth baseball club for tearing down of players no matter what the perceived importance of the situation.

Many people think in order to become a great baseball hitter they must work with a trainer to get the best results possible. Although if you get the opportunity, take it but many people can only do things on their own. Realizing this there are a few simple things you can do on your own to get the baseball training necessary in becoming an efficient hitter. The most important thing is to be yourself. Seriously, it sounds odd but the next time you go to the batting cages watch all the Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Ichiro Suzuki stances used by others around you. Yes those three are great hitters, but with all do respect the way they bat may not work for you. Effective hitting doesn't mean trying to hit it out of the ballpark every time either.

Many coaches attempt to teach fielding to players by first hitting them ground balls. You cannot teach fielding and hit ground balls at the same time! In fact, the bat is the last item a coach should use in teaching the correct fundamentals of fielding. There are many things involved in teaching good fielding techniques. Three very important areas that coaches should try to emphasize to players include: the glove, the ready position, and the fielding position. The Glove - Like any job, fielding is easier when you have the right tool to use and when that tool is properly maintained. It has been my experience that many players, for various reasons, try to use gloves that are too big for them.

There is more to baseball coaching than just strategy and fundamentals. While these are important I am going to cover the aspects that I feel will help you become the best coach you can be. Baseball Coaching Tip #1 - Patience - Without patience you're in for a very long season. Especially at this young age with skill levels being so drastic from player to player and hormones just starting to kick in (obviously depending on age) you will need to exercise extreme patience. Everything from patience of a kid not being able to do a drill correctly to a kid acting up. You usually don't know what is going on at their home. If it's a bad situation they are in, baseball practice may be their escape, even if they don't act like it sometimes. Remember, nobody said this was easy and you certainly aren't dealing with robots so be sure to be patient at all times...

The boys of summer are at again. Whom can we bless for the Great American Pastime? One thing is for certain. It wasn't Abner Doubleday at Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1839 -- as a self appointed commission of American patriots would have us believe. Let us dispose of the Doubleday myth before proceeding. Doubleday was born in 1819 at Ballston Spa, N.Y., of a family outstanding in military and civil life. He attended school in 1835 at Cooperstown where he enrolled in engineering courses. He was appointed to West Point in 1838 and was graduated in 1842 with a commission in the artillery.

He served with distinction in the Mexican and Florida Seminole wars. He fired the first Union shot at Fort Sumter after the Confederate bombardment opening the War Between the States. He became a major-general and died in 1893.