'nuther baseball question....

[BANDERSNATCH]

I help coach my son's travel team (11-and-under) and I was wondering how some of you experienced coaches signal baserunners? Do you signal them in the same sequence as the batter's signals....or give a seperate series for the runner? I've told my players that if I want the runner to steal then I will give that signal directly following the batter's signal. They seem to be missing this though.....

One guy had told me that his baserunners know that if he EVER puts the steal signal in the series that they are to steal....

Bandy

 

[reylamb]

I have always used seperate signals, but not quite the same as traditional signals. We alwyas had the steal sign based upone where the 3rd base coach was positioned when giving the signs. If he was behind the bag, steal. If he was in front of the bag stay. If he was out of the box steal, in the box stay. If the coach clapped his hands after the sequence and said something like hang tough, or keep your head in there, or make solid contact, that was the steal sign, no clapping was stay. If he turned his back to the hitter after giving the signs steal, if he stayed watching the hitter stay. Any one of these, and many others could be the steal, and we would use them all during the course of a game. That way the runner did not have to follow the entire sequence of signs, which at times could be hard to observe from different locations on the field.

We just used otherwise non-noticable things like I mentioned above that no one would ever give second thought to. I mean, who notices if a coach gives the signs in the coaches box or out? They were very simple for the runners to notice. We actually had one kid on my HS team that ran a 4.2 40. His steal sign was simple. Coach would say, hey Coulter, swipe that bag on the next pitch.

 

[Duff]

When I coached i tried to make it simply as possible for the kids. I never felt the hitter should have any signals other than bunt or hit and run. a 3-0 count, take us mandatory.

Anyway, I always used a signal as a starter, say touch the bill of cap. Nothing matter until I touch the bill of my cap. After the starter:

If I touch my belt-bunt
If I touch my shirt sleeve-steal
If I hit my fist together-hit
Fist then sleeve-hit and run

Hope u can understand what I mean

 

[Arrow Flinger]

I always used one set of signals and used an indicator, then batters signal, then runners signal. The runners have to get use to catching the signals. They will miss some but they will learn. The way I did it was have my first base coach say " check the signals" to every runner and watch them to make sure they do. After a while, they got use to it and didn't need the reminder. I think it is better to teach them from the start the way they will have to do it when they are older.

 

[DaddyPaul]

I played a little ball in college and coached a middle school team here in Florida. We never had different signs for the batter and the runner. If you give the steal signal after the indicator the batter pretty much knows that he is not stealing. The same for the base runner, if you give the bunt sign he knows that was for the batter. For the young teams I always used the tip of my cap as the indicator and my belt for bunt, I touched my chest (shirt) for steal and swiped down my forearm for steal. Unless the sign immediately followed me touching the bill of my cap it meant nothing. We used to also have the batter slide his hand down the the big end of the bat to acknowledge that he received the sign. Another thing was to indicate the number of outs to the runner by holding your hand in line with your body or out to the side. In line with the body meant he was to stay, outside the body meant he was on his own. Keep it simple.

 

[BANDERSNATCH]

Thanks guys. I'll talk these options over with the manager and see what he wants to do. Most of these guys have only played rec ball before so the stealing/leading off is new to them. good experience though.

Bandy

 

[leadoff]

I say keep it simple for the youngsters. The main thing is having them get used to receiving signals. It really gets me when I have kids come up to my team who forget to step out of the batter's box for a signal or who look somewhere else other than over at me when they are on the basepaths and the pitcher is beginning to toe the rubber.

I deal with older kids at the varsity level, so we can get a bit more complicated with signals. I never give separate batter/runner signals. I always want my batter to know when my runner will be moving. For example, in softball, on an early count steal I expect my batter to protect the runner by showing bunt and pulling back. I obviously want the runner to know when the bunt is on and hit and run is self-explanatory.

I like an indicator/touch/close system. I find this system is easy for the kids to grasp yet hard for the oposing team to decipher. Plus, you can always change the indicator and/or close. I usually work around three main signs (steal, bunt, hit and run). I have an "add-on" sign that I will use to signal a slap bunt, delayed steal, and so on after the original sign is given. I also have a take sign that can be thrown in the mix. Say, for example, I give the steal sign, followed by the bunt sign, and then add-on the take. That puts my runner in motion while the batter shows bunt and pulls back. Also, some of my faster, smarter runners have the green light when they are on the bases. I have a separate sign for them that takes the green light off when I want them to stay.

I also try and teach my players to think ahead of me in situations. In other words, the batter and runner should be aware of bunt situations, hit and run counts, and favorable steal counts. Anticipate the play!