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Opening Day Ceremony - Stonington Little League
Date and Time
Sunday May 21, 2023
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM EDTSunday, May 21, 2023
11:00 am
Location
Stonington Little League
43 North Anguilla Road
Pawcatuck CT 06379Fees/Admission
Free Admission
Contact Information
Will Morrissey 860-984-6762
Send Email
Description
STONINGTON LITTLE LEAGUE
The Opening Day Ceremony gives the players a chance to parade from left field to the diamond behind a color guard provided by the Stonington Police Department. Families and friends line the field to cheer on their sons and daughters.
Hartford HealthCare is on hand to present tips to keep the athletes healthy. A benediction is given and recognition awards are presented to deserving volunteers.
In order to fully develop the athlete physically, socially, and emotionally for the current level of play, the following skills have been organized to simply guide coaches in their instruction during practices and games. Furthermore, these skills have been identified as being necessary to master to be prepared for the next level of play. They are not meant to restrict a coach if athletes are ready to move on to more advanced skills.
Hitting- Appropriate bat choice in terms of length and weight
- Wear a helmet (NOCSAE certified)
- Proper grip (index fingers test)
- Stance – feet shoulder width, hands at back shoulder and top of strike zone, elbows below knob, level head, both eyes on pitcher, athletic knees, chin over toes, chest slightly forward, knob to box
- Stance – experiment with normal, closed, or open
- Plate coverage
- Proper load (before stride), stride (after load), hands move back (during stride), swing (knob to ball), and finish (roll hands over after contact, hands on bat at top of front arm, stay balanced)
- Emphasize a pivot on back foot to rotate hips on level plane (“show cleats to catcher”)
- See ball from release to contact (“Ike to Mike”)
- Bat head takes straight path to ball with aggressiveness and quick bat speed
- Strike Zone
- Getting hit by pitch – turn in towards catcher, back to ball
- Bunting – sacrifice and bunt for a hit
- Situational hitting
- Basic approach of hitting it where it’s pitched with no one on
- Recognizing the pitch
- Getting signs from base coach
- T-work, soft toss, batting practice, cage work
- No on deck batter
Fielding- Proper glove choice and equipment
- Proper positioning of fielders depending on count, baserunners, outs, and inning
- Pre-pitch preparation
- Infielder ground balls – direct, to forehand, backhand, and slow rollers
- Outfielder fly balls – to the right, left, overhead, shallow, diving, near fence
- Outfielder ground balls – no one on, runner on, do or die
- Cuts and relays (Player is either fielding, covering a base, backing up a base, backing up a fielder)
- Run downs
- Double plays
- Bunt defenses
- Fly ball priority
- Situations and mental awareness (1st and 3rds, bases loaded, etc…)
- Proper 1B mechanics – heels to bag, stretch w/glove side leg, non-glove foot on bag, chest to ball
- Infielders taking throws from catcher at bag (pickoffs and stolen bases)
- Tagging runners
- Pitchers covering first
- Communicating on defense
- Proper warm up in between innings
- Hustling on and off the field
Throwing- Grip – two to three fingers across horseshoe seams, thumb underneath, pinky on side
- More advanced throwing progression with a partner
- One knee – wrist flips (throwing elbow in glove, only wrist moves back and then forward)
- One knee – turn front shoulder to target, eyes on target, throwing C-motion, elbow up
- T-position (standing like a skateboarder)
- Step and throw (hard throws)
- Long toss (rainbow arch, at least 90ft)
- Move gradually back in to about 20ft
- Quick toss
- Increase distances with progression, emphasize accuracy, and throw to the chest
- Make sure receiver is looking and focus on quality throws
Baserunning- How to be ready as a baserunner before, during, and after pitch
- Getting signs from the base coach
- Home to first – three looks, touch front part of first base, run through, break down
- Home to 2nd, 1st to 3rd, 2nd to home, 3rd to home
- Rounding a bag
- Straight steal
- Sliding – bent leg and pop up
- Proper reads – see the bunt down, freeze on line drives, wild pitches/passed balls, ground/fly balls
- Tagging up or drawing a throw
- Baseline and running lane
Pitching- Proper uniform
- Proper grip
- Two and four seam fastball, change-up
- Stretch and windup positions
- Lower body and upper body mechanics
- Fielding as a pitcher especially covering first base and home plate
- Communicating with middle infielders on double play balls
- Getting signs from the catcher
- Helping catcher locate passed balls and wild pitches
- First pitch strikes
- Moving the ball in and out, up and down
- Intentional walks
- Pitcher and catcher relationship
- Proper warm up before game and in between innings as a starter
- Mental approach, composure, and mound presence
Catching- See the ball and get in a position to catch with feet and hands ready
- Use two hands when appropriate
- The catcher:
- Using proper equipment
- Stances – signal, primary, and secondary
- Receiving, framing, blocking, throwing, taking mask off
- Fielding the position – bunts/balls in front of plate, retrieving passed balls/wild pitches, popups, dropped third strikes, backing up first base
- Always running to the position at beginning of inning
- Tag plays and force plays at the plate
- Intentional walks
- Communication
- Warming up the pitcher
- Pitcher/catcher relationship
- Catcher/umpire relationship
Rules of the Game- Wear uniform properly
- Equipment
- Strike zone
- Dropped third strike
- Batting out of order
- Infield fly
- Advancing and returning to base
- Baseline and running lane
- Legal/illegal slides (Emphasis on no head first sliding when advancing)
- Pitch counts
- Interference/Obstruction
- Charged conferences
- Substitutions
- Leaving early – runner(s) can leave when ball “reaches the batter”
- “Poof Rule” – bases loaded and runner leaves early on infield hit, run disappears
- Sportsmanship and dugout behavior
- Thunder and/or lightening
- No on deck batter
Character- Respectful
- Responsible
- Caring
- Integrity
- Teamwork
- Good Citizen
- Have Fun
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