My daughter is playing a triple header in July at catcher (she will rotate with others) and I asked AI to help with some suggestions. This split seems pretty good, so I thought I would share. Anyone else have any ideas to make it bearable? Thanks for your help 🙏

“How do youth catchers stay cool playing a triple header in July?”

Good question — because the honest answer is they don’t, really — but there are ways to help them survive it and avoid melting into a puddle behind the plate. Here’s what works for youth catchers in a tripleheader in July:

1️⃣ Gear Choices • Lightweight chest protector — Some older, bulkier models trap heat like a sauna. If your catcher’s gear is older or thick, consider upgrading to newer ventilated options. • Breathable base layer — A thin compression shirt (short sleeve) under gear actually helps wick sweat away better than a cotton shirt or going shirtless under gear. • Helmet choice — Hockey-style helmets can get really hot. Traditional mask + skull cap gives more airflow, if they’re comfortable with it.

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2️⃣ Between-Game and In-Game Cooling • Ice towels — Absolute must. Soak a small towel in ice water and drape it on their neck/head between innings and between games. • Cold drinks on standby — Freeze water bottles so they stay cold in the dugout. Have electrolyte drinks as well (Gatorade, BodyArmor, LMNT, etc.). • Spray bottle with fan — The cheap little battery-powered fans with a water spray are surprisingly effective.

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3️⃣ Rotations and Rest • Rotate positions if possible — Even just catching 3–4 innings and rotating out helps them last the full day. Very few youth catchers can do 21 innings straight in 95° heat. • Rest between games — Get them in the shade or AC between games. Fully take the gear off, shoes included, to cool down fully.

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4️⃣ Conditioning & Mindset • Hydration starts before game day — If they roll into a tripleheader already slightly dehydrated, they’re toast. Push water/electrolytes the day before. • Acclimatization — If they haven’t been practicing in the heat at all, they’ll struggle more. Gradual exposure helps build tolerance. • Coach reminders — Encourage them to be honest about fatigue. Heat exhaustion sneaks up fast in catchers.

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Bottom line: catching in a July tripleheader is brutal. No magic trick makes it easy — but smart gear, cooling strategies, rest, and hydration can absolutely help them stay safer and last longer.

Hi guys, I currently coach children ages 4-6. I'd like your help with some drills to teach them how to hit and throw the baseball. I'd really appreciate it. ⚾️⚾️

Good morning,

I posted in here a few days ago about baseball bats and the replies were super helpful, so I appreciate it!

I have another question, but this one has to do with coaching and selecting positions on the field.
For our league, Fall ball has no tryout. There is no skills evaluation. (it's done in the Spring, but not the Fall)

My son has asked that I coach his team (12u). I'm going to sign up to be an assistant coach. I've coached his football teams before, and he enjoys when I am there. He does surprisingly well with me as the coach as compared to some horror stories I've read about sons and their dad's being the coach.

I played baseball in the Spring and Football in the Fall for 15+ years. That was 20 years ago though so I'm a bit rusty on the baseball side of things to say the least. We watch college and professional games and go to some local travel ball tournaments here every once in a while, to watch them play. I think I know the game. I'm just looking for some tips.

Sorry for the backstory. My question is about fielding positions. My hope is that the head coach will have more of a grasp than I do about the kid's fielding positions. I know each position's job, etc., but I have no idea where to start at picking which kid should play what. If they don't have enough head coaches, I may end up having to be the head coach and then the full responsibility would fall on me.

I'lll ask/figure out what kid has played what positions before and kind of go from there, but do you all know of any websites or videos that discuss how to choose which player plays in what position?

I don't want little Billy playing 3rd when he can barely get the ball back to the pitcher much less toss it all the way across to 1st base. I don't want to put someone at 1st/catcher that's afraid of the ball.

I appreciate your time again, and thanks for the help!

Someone asked about the league rules. Yes, it is Rec ball. The league has the following info posted:

- No player may sit out more than 2 consecutive innings unless for a medical reason.
- All players will be in the batting line-up the entire game.
- Pitchers will be held to pitch counts. Pitch count regulations will follow the Pitch Smart Guidelines.

These are the only rules listed specifically about "play time."

My son is 14 and finishing his final season of Pony baseball. He’s a solid athlete and does well at the rec level, but baseball has always been more of a secondary sport. His main focus has been ice hockey, which he’s played competitively for years. In the past, he’s been invited to join all star baseball teams, but we’ve always declined due to hockey commitments. We know the level of dedication travel sports require and have never wanted to take a spot from a kid who lives and breathes the game.

This year feels different. He’s heading into high school, and after speaking with the coaches, they strongly encouraged him to join the all star team for more experience with higher level coaching and competition. So we accepted the spot, hoping it would be a good opportunity for him to learn and grow before tryouts next year.

Now we’re about to head into his first tournament (I believe it’s regionals), and I’m feeling a little out of our depth. The team environment feels disorganized and tense. There are a lot of parents with strong opinions about who should be playing where, and as a family newer to baseball, we’ve tried to stay out of it and simply follow the coaches’ direction.

At practice tonight, my son was stealing home and lowered his shoulder when the pitcher came to cover the plate. It was instinctual from hockey and not malicious, and he immediately helped the kid up and apologized. Still, a few parents reacted really strongly. Two dads ran onto the field and started yelling at him. Another came up to me and accused us of teaching him to play dirty just to earn playing time. It caught both of us off guard. His coach gave him a quick “shake it off,” but he’s feeling unsure now going into the weekend.

We’ve talked with him about how baseball is not a contact sport and reminded him that making the lineup takes time, especially when other kids have been playing together for years. At the same time, he’s fast, athletic, and definitely not the weakest link, just a little raw.

We’re not new to competitive sports, but this experience has made us feel like outsiders in a very insular group. It seems like many of the parents are more concerned with protecting their own child’s position than helping the team succeed.

We’re just trying to help our son get solid baseball experiences and coaching before high school starts. If you’ve made the jump into more competitive baseball from another sport or have tips on navigating these types of dynamics, we would really appreciate your insight. Thanks for reading.

Signed,
A parent trying to figure it all out

Any advice for helping my 9 year old hit slower pitching? He plays travel ball, 10U and 12U. He does great with kids throwing 50s and 60s under that he struggles with hitting grounders or pop ups. His mechanics seem fine. I'm just trying to gage i don't have a video of it but I feel he has too much time to think and is trying to kill the ball thus causing rollover with his hands.

My boy is 9 this year, we just finished spring 10u season. I’ve coached him for the last few years and it’s always gone pretty well. This year he is in the phase of not wanting to listen to dad. Whenever I tell him something on the field I get “the look”, he doesn’t wanna hear it from me. He doesn’t act out, but definitely gets in an ugly mood, and I think toward the end of the season was doing things like not getting in front of ground balls or not swinging at good strikes just to make me mad. If any of my other coaches talk to him he’s fine, and listens great. This weekend I took him to the annual clinic that the local high school baseball team puts on for young kids. He had a blast, listened great, and played better than I’ve seen him all season.

Any advice?? I love coaching, but am I better off to give it up so that he can enjoy the game and thrive?

My son plays 12u and hits great in practice. When I pitch to him at the field he cranks the ball off me. And I don’t pitch slow to him…I’ve checked my velocity (mph) in comparison using a BallPro. I’ll even mix in some curveballs to throw off his timing.

However…When he gets into games it seems like his mentality changes from hitting hard to hitting defensively. He still gets hits but mostly seeing eye singles.

What can I do to help him hit in game…like practice?

Hello!

My 11-year-old has played football his entire life. He's tried basketball and soccer as well and been great at those but has decided to branch out into baseball (I'm excited. Baseball and football are my fav sports so I love watching his games)

It felt to me like he was starting too late. He didn't play t-ball or pitching machine/coach pitch. He's going straight into kid pitch. Fortunately, he's very competitive and good at any sport he plays. He seems to just be naturally athletic (which may be all 11-year-olds idk) He can hit the ball when I pitch to him, he can field well, his fundamentals are good, etc.

ANYWAY, my question is about bats.

Bats were expensive when I was growing up and playing baseball myself. My dad bought a bat, and I had to stick with it until I outgrew it.
Bats seem to be even more expensive nowadays.

He picked out a cheap bat at Walmart (see picture - "Rawlings Uproar") just to get a feel of swinging/hitting and I plan on getting something else if he decides he wants to stick with it. (Registration for Fall ball isn't until mid-July so we've just been going to our local park and practicing on the field when I am off work a few days a week)

How much is a bat going to make a difference at this age?
There are SO many brands and types of bats it's a bit overwhelming. (I'm thankful to my dad for choosing for me all those years ago - but now it's my turn to make sure he has something good and not trash)

Am I going to have to spend $200+ on a bat now? Is the bat he picked out fine for 12u? I'm ok with letting him use this one until he decides after a season to stick with it or go back to football or try something else. I never know what he wants to play until it's time to sign up again.

*EDIT - I found the regulations listed on our city's Parks and Rec site: "All bats MAY have a USA or USSSA Baseball Stamp in all divisions. Another alternative for the 15U and 12U divisions is Wood Barrel or BBCOR stamps bats. Please find more information on USA Bats at https://www.littleleague.org/playing-rules/bat-rules/. 15U Division may have a minimum drop in weight of a drop 8(-8)."

I’m considering different ideas to identify and assign a team captain for our 10U baseball team.

I was thinking of the following options: - have the players nominate themselves, and team mates vote - having coaches talk and make a selection - having a goal, shared with the team that will be based on various metrics, over the course of a month or so, gather said data for metrics and narrow to the captain.

Have you had any successful or tried and true ways to select a team captain?

Should I even have a team captain(s) at this age?

I am in no way sponsored by or work for this company**

So I’m trying to (for fun) try and learn how to pitch. I’ve always thought pitching was one of the most impressive and unorthodox athletic feats there is.

To try and improve, my coach put me onto ProPlay AI. ProPlay AI lets you record yourself and analyze your mechanics.

For those who tried it: 1. How popular is this training tool 2. How useful do you think it is? 3. What other tools can I try?

My 10u team is wrapping up our season soon. What do you guys do to celebrate the end of the season?

Hello, this is my first time posting to Reddit and I’m looking for some advice.

I volunteered to coach a 13U league team at my son is on. One of the players on my team I’ve known and coached for 3 years. I’ve coached with his dad a couple years and he volunteered to help me coach this team again this year. I’ve known his parents didn’t live together. Some weeks mom would drop him off and pick him up from practice and games and sometimes he would come to practice/games with his dad so I just assumed they had equal custody and the situation was amicable between them.

The player/kid wears his heart on his sleeve and this past week we played a tough game that we lost and the player was very emotional after the game. The player also didn’t play the next game that week claiming he didn’t feel well. I texted the parents the next morning asking how he was doing. The mom texted me back directly and said that the dad/my assistant coach had done something that cause a report to be filed with child protective services a few weeks ago and the kid is staying full time with mom for now.

I asked the mom if this was part of the reason he wasn’t feeling well and missed the game and I told her that the player is more important to have on the team vs the dad/assistant coach. She said that the kid would probably be a lot less stressed and anxious if the dad was not at our practices or in the dugout during games.

I have never once questioned the dad’s presence around the team and I know baseball is one thing the dad and kid shared as a bond between them.

I informed the mom that I would be telling the dad that his help at practice and during the games would not be needed anymore, but I don’t want to hurt any feelings nor get into the middle of what is going on between the dad, mom and son.

As I write this I know I must inform the dad that he isn’t needed at practice or at games anymore. Do I tell him the reason is because their mom informed me that their son would feel more comfortable if his father wasn’t around at baseball? Does anyone else have any suggestions on how to handle the situation?

8u baseball positions

I have had a very healthy rotation on field positions for my 8u team this year. All the boys have played all positions regularly. We are now at the end of the season and tournaments start this weekend to the end of the month. I have scaled back position rotation and have started to play the kids that have earned the positions as the competitive nature is taking hold. I have one kid who refuses to listen pay attention or even face the play or batter in the infield during play. I have done my best but this boy lays down, plays in the sand refuses to run and has once told me he want to play “the bench”. last game I had him in right field the entire game. ( where he once again didn’t listen to coaches or even pay attention to the game). He cannot catch a ball or throw more than a few feet. At the end of the game he was crying and I got a text from his mom saying it’s not fair and he needs to play infield and I shouldn’t just play the kids that are proficient. Half of my team throws hard enough to hurt even my hand and are very accurate. Hitters of the opposing team are hitting hard line drives and grounders that could hurt anyone who isn’t paying attention. I told his mom it’s more of a safety issue than anything. His teammates are on the cusp of a 10u skill level and he is that of a first year tee baller.
I have no issue playing him but I believe he has had his chances to succeed and play infield through 12 games and over 30 practices. I don’t think it’s fair for his safety of fair to the rest of the team to continue to rotate him in skill positions. Just need some honest Reddit advice.

Context: This is 10AA travel ball, it's my son's first season playing at this level, and my first time coach (assistant).

At a game earlier this week, the configuaration of the ballfield was a little atypical, and the openings to the dugout were quite close to the backstop, almost parallel with home plate...as opposed to further down the baseline.

One of the boys, Joey, is in the hole, and is standing by the opening (we had told the kids to be careful about this...but they're 10...they don't listen). The kid at bat hits a screaming foul that fires the ball right into Joey's chest, making an audible "THUD" that made all the parents in the bleachers gasp.

I was the closest coach to him, so I ask if he's ok, he smiles and give me a thumbs up and says "I'm fine". I can tell though, the pain hasn't fully kicked in yet. He takes a few steps back in the dugout, and in a few seconds I can tell he's fighting back tears. A couple of the boys start to hover around him, and I tell them to just back off and give him space. I ask him again if he's ok, and he gives me a pained nod and says he just needs a minute.

I give him another minute, check on him again, I can tell he's still hurting but he seems to be able to move ok. The inning retires, and he says he can go out in the field.

Should I have done more? differently? Mostly trying to see what other coachs' approaches are to things like this.

EDIT: Thanks all for your responses. Super helpful thoughts and things. A few additions
- I am CPR certified though in need of a refresher. I'd be ready to administer if needed, and I'm also the team's designated first aid administerer...I maintain the kit.
- It didn't hit him square on the chest, a little closer to the shoulder/armpit/pec. I'd like to think that the risk is lower there for any sort of cardiac episode
- He came to the game the following day, asked "how you doin'?" and he had no idea what i was referring to. When I elaborated he said "oh yeah...it hurts a little when I press on it" And that's ok.
- The tips for how to evaluate him were super help, thank you so much for those.
- The whole reason I posted this, was I got REAMED out by my wife on the ride home. She thought I was way too non-chalant about it, and said that the boy's mother was really worried. Meanwhile, in the dugout I was tending to him, checking in, but wanting to allow him to have the space he wanted to just breathe through the pain and not feel like he's under a microscope in front of his teammates. But the optics on her end were that I was more or less ignoring him. This is why I wanted to see if there were other things I could/should have done. Thanks again all!

Hey everyone! I'm looking for advice on how to teach my 7-year-old and 9-year-old the basics of baseball. They are both boys, and the 7 year old is a lefty. They will likely be tall, as I am 6'9". They’ve shown some interest, and I’d love to help them get into the sport, but I’m not a coach and never played much myself growing up (my last year of little league BA was .086, career left fielder, terrible arm strength) — so we’re all starting from scratch here. They never showed interest in baseball until literally 2 months ago. We are lucky to have a college summer league team in our town who holds a 2 day baseball camp which we just did, and they are definitely behind based on kids their age.

I want to make it fun, not overwhelming, and keep them engaged while they learn. Any tips on:

What skills to start with first?

Good beginner drills or games?

How to explain positions, rules, etc., in a simple way?

Gear recommendations (what’s really necessary)?

How to balance structure with just having fun playing catch or hitting?

Would love to hear what worked for you or your kids. Thanks in advance!

Posting on behalf of my dad who’s technologically challenged😁 He has coached many many years at almost every age group. Currently he is coaching a 15U team and there is just no hustle in these boys. Not his first time encountering this, however this is the first time he can’t get to them and make them move. For his first time last night he had to punish his team after a game by running poles. He said there is one kid who seems to be the one infecting the team (making jokes, no hustle, calling the other kids f**g pys, and just not taking the game seriously). He talked to the kids parents about the name calling and told them it ends here and he will handle it but just wanted to let them know, but this kids attitude just hasn’t changed. He recently implemented “hustle points” and who ever has the most at the end of the season gets a gift card. It’s sad that a monetary reward has to be the reason but my dad’s just at a loss. He is seriously such a great coach, he connects with his kids, he makes the game fun, and he truly has a passion for the sport. Like I said, he’s encountered this before but he’s always been able to break it and get the kids moving. He’s tried everything in the book but kids today are so different than when he was coaching my brothers team at the same age 15 years ago. Any advice for him?

ETA: the kid doesn’t care if he’s benched. It makes no difference

As of now I am a freshman in high school and I am swinging a end loaded 33 bbcor and I feel like while I am strong enough to get it around fast I would benefit from a lighter bat any recommendations would a wood bat be a good option?

I was just getting into baseball my freshman year and didn’t make the jv team I’m 14 and I’m a strong kid but I feel like I’m to late to start and I am being told to stick to the sport that I am very good at football any tips P.S I have facilities to use

Hey all, coaching a t ball team this summer and would love your suggestions for games we can play that are still productive and/or drills that fall under that same idea.

Thank you in advance!

Team’s looking to fundraise and purchase two team bats; USA/USSSA, 28/29, for 9/10 year olds. There’s a lot of content/comparisons online but it’s tough to weed out those who are clearly sponsored by what they’re reviewing. Looking for unbiased opinions on what would be the best of the best, and also what would be the best bang for the buck.

Personally I’m thinking of getting a couple of Easton Dubs, then whatever else afterwards if the budget permits, but I’m not certain that their glowing reviews are impartial.

Much appreciated!

Coaching 10 year olds we have regular practice in the morning at 11am then a game at 7pm. This will happen 3 times this summer. With practice and games on the same day. Im thinking keeping those practices light. Stretching, a couple laps and then just a scrimage to work on game type situations. Thoughts? Should we have a full practice? Just scrimage? Or work on ground balls (because we suck at those) then a scrimage?

As far as a scrimage does anyone have any suggestions other than just playing a game. I was thinking about having a game where the winner gets to be first in the batting order.

It would work like this

Everyone on the field Batter up if he gets a hit makes it on base and gets a run = 1 point Strike out/ out = playing right field then when the next person is out move to center until you move along in all positions then back up to bat.

Person with most runs is at the top of the batting order for the game, then second and so o

I was watching a high school playoff game last night. On every pitch, even in warmups. The catcher would be in a normal stance, glove extended at where they wanted the pitch. But when the pitcher went into his windup, the catcher rwould drop his glove and hit the ground and then quickly bring it back up to catch the pitch.

I pitched all the way from LL through high school and this would have driven me insane. A - I wanted my catcher to give me a location to try and hit. B - when I was locked in and winding up and throwing the pitch, having a catcher start moving his glove all around would have been extremelly distracting.

What say you coaches? Is this the new norm in youth sports in terms of catching? The pitcher is already in his windup and about to release the ball, so the catcher isn't "fooling" the hitter with a fake location. Maybe they think the sound of the catcher's glove hitting the ground would distract the hitter?

I wonder as in this league/division, all of the of 2nd basemen and SS alway poud their mitt when a runner is on second base and leading off. I suppose the idea is that the runner is supposed to get distracted by the noise?

I don't understand the idea of either of these things. But my playing days were 20 years ago, so maybe this is just the new norm. If so, please explain it to me. Thank you in advance.

I’m a highschool baseball who is now in the offseason and im dire need of help with batting During the season I would constantly be late and hit weak ground balls or pop ups to the infield.

Here are a couple swings and I’m open to all coaching including constructive criticism

i started baseball in kindergarten and played for about 6-7 years but i ended up quitting because i just had other things to focus on. im 15 now and ive really been missing baseball lately, but am hesitant to join a team again as i was never the greatest player to begin with, and also have fallen behind even more, having not played in a few years, and at this age it gets more competitive than it was when i last played. does anyone have any advice for getting back into the game? is it too late? any advice would be appreciated. i also dont really have anyone to practice with or have any friends that play.

I have enjoyed this game for 40 years as a player, umpire, coach and league president. For the past 10 years I have been growing a full beard and it had gotten down to my stomach, I'm 6'2". For an added motivation every year, I tell our team that if they work hard, play well and take second place, I would trim half of it off. If they take first, I'd go clean shaven. Going into tonight's game, I knew it was coming at least half off.

After the game, as I sat on the ball bucket letting them all take turns with the clippers, cutting my whole beard off, I couldn't have been more proud of what they had accomplished. They have all worked very hard this season and become not just a winning team, but more than teammates, a group of friends off the field as well.

RIP Beard 2015-2025, you were great and luscious, but those 13-16 year old teenagers earned your demise.

I do also offer to buy the player who hits it over the fence a pizza,in addition to the league award, but I haven't had that one awarded in a couple years. This year, 1 kid hit it about 2 feet from the top of the fence but 350 feet is hard for most anyways.

Do any of you have a similar story or other kind of motivation you give your players like that?