Customer Reviews

Coaching Youth Baseball the Ripken Way

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Very well written book on coaching baseball for all ages. I read this book to get more informed on how to coach 5-6 year old T-Ball. This book provided a very good framework for this age group. Many well timed photographs used to describe practice drills.

Table of contents

Part 1
1 Responsibilities of Coaching
2 Realities of Coaching
3 Reasonable Expectations
4 Baseball Practice Basics

Part 2
5 Hitting and Baserunning Drills
6 Throwing and Pitching Drills
7 Fielding drills

Part 3
Practice Planner
8 Practice Particulars for Ages 4 to 6
9 Practice Particulars for Ages 7 to 9
10 Practice Particulars for Ages 10 to 12
11 Practice particulars for Ages 13 to 14
12 Practice Particulars for Ages 15+

Favorite parts of the book:

Page 6
As coaches, we need to be able to cater to the needs of the kid who can't catch one ball and still make baseball fun and exciting for the kid who can. It's a difficult balance but one that's important to understand at all levels.

We think anyone who coaches young baseball players should read and use this book. One of Cal and Bill Ripken's biggest goals is to get young players to LOVE THE GAME and have fun! We originally picked this book because it is written by the Ripkens (and we think Cal Ripken is one of the best ballplayers of all time!)

The book is not just a list of drills but they also take time to discuss coaching responsibilities and philosophies and reasonable expectations. They include great ideas for practices and how to run games at the younger levels - we wish this book was required reading for ALL volunteer youth baseball coaches. Drills included are several for Hitting and Baserunning, Throwing and Pitching, and Fielding.

The best part of the book is the Practice Planner, where they go over Practice Particulars for each age group (4-6, 7-9, 10-12, etc.) They also tell you what skills you should be teaching kids at what age level. I was amazed at the "basics" that my 8 year old son hasn't learned yet. The Ripkens want kids to learn and have fun doing it so they love the game.

We found ourselves agreeing with everything the Ripkens had to say and we will be using the rest of the spring/summer to "backyard coach" our 5 year old, 8 year old and 10 year old daughter now that baseball is over for the year - keeping it fun, of course! We would love for our children to go to one of the Ripkens' baseball camps, but this book will have to suffice.

I've already coached one kid from tee-ball thru the 11-12 group. Just about to start again with a 4 year old next season so figured I'd buy a few books to do a better job. Got some personal validation when I found out that I have much of the same philosophy as the Ripkens, and also got some great new drills and coaching advice to go along with that. I bought two books, Play Baseball The Ripken Way, and Coaching the Ripken Way, and both have great tips from dealing with parents and then going on to cover just about every aspect of youth baseball coaching and playing that you will need to know, including illustrated drills. I'm a slow reader, these books are interesting and very easy to read, I had no trouble at all getting through them and will definitely continue to use them once the practices start up again. And for the price, way worth it! In my opinion paying ten or eleven bucks for even just a good really good drills would be money well spent, but these books have way more than that.

I bought this book to help with specific tips for coaching my daughter's softball team. Although softball pitching is not covered (after all, this is a bok on coaching baseball) the book provides a multitude of teaching points for teaching kids of all age groups. Although there is some overlap, I would strongly suggest purchasing Play Baseball the Ripken Way: The Complete Illustrated Guide to the Fundamentals also. That title breaks down the necessary skills by age groups and provides a series of drills that can be brought right to the diamond. Both of these books seek to instill the Ripken Way - a philosophy of how to approach youth sports (with obvious emphasis on baseball) with a focus on making the game fun for the kids, while teaching the fundamentals.

When you want to know about baseball in its most fundamental and basic form... Ripken is the name you turn to. Easy to read and understand. Every Dad struggling to instruct a child or team can feel safe to turn to Cal Ripken Jr. This book coupled with his previous book are perfect source documents to increase your baseball IQ. I highly recommend this book.

An excellant book for new and experienced coaches. Full of great drills, practice plans, and advice on how to motivate your players. There is even a section on dealing with parents, a very useful section if you want to enjoy coaching for a number of years.

The drills and practice sections are broken down by age group, not many books do this. The Ripkens stress teaching the fundamentals which is missing in todays high profile sports. They cover it all: hitting, pitching (Cal used to be a pitcher), fielding, time management, game situations, etc...

A must read for coaches who want to succeed!

Lays out the plan to train, manage and teach young players the right way. For less than $20, you get the basic training you need to help your team be their best. Outstanding tool for any baseball coach.

This is a fantastic book. I'm a first time Tee-Ball coach and this book gave me a great start. I now plan to look into other Ripken Way products.

I have just begun reading the book, but what I have read so far is living up to my expectations of what the book should teach. I am always looking for ways to improve my coaching efforts. This book seems like it will fit the purpose.

I've read a bunch of books on coaching baseball, and Ripken's is my favorite. The book covers fundamentals clearly and with a keen eye for what matters. The material supports coaching baseball from about 7 years old through high school ball. I'd call the 'sweet-spot' at around 9-12yo. During four years as a little league coach/manager, I've looked far and wide for ways to improve and enrich our practices and teach skills effectively while keeping the kids engaged. The skills, drills, and the 'why' of it all are all here. "Advanced" skills are clearly separated from basics.

Some important elements I've used recently:
- How to hold and swing the bat
- The four-seam grip of the ball, and why it matters
- The crossover step for quickly moving in the field

This is a book I'll keep coming back to as the players grow.