thavoice;1403830 wrote:For those who have coached the bases long enough you know that the good baserunners are off and running before the coach tells them. You can remind them on certain things between pitches but for the most part baseball instincts kick in for the players. I have had some very fast guys be poor baserunners and not be able to steal effectively, and some other ones who were slower that were great baserunners. The difference is instincts on the diamond. We always used to say that if the coach has to tell you to go and you werent already in motion then it is too late.

I agree with these statements.

thavoice;1403830 wrote:For those who have coached the bases long enough you know that the good baserunners are off and running before the coach tells them. You can remind them on certain things between pitches but for the most part baseball instincts kick in for the players. I have had some very fast guys be poor baserunners and not be able to steal effectively, and some other ones who were slower that were great baserunners. The difference is instincts on the diamond. We always used to say that if the coach has to tell you to go and you werent already in motion then it is too late.

That all sounds a lot more like recognition than not understanding. We can make such nuanced observations about other sports all day as well. Variances in recognition and reaction is hardly confined to just baseball athletes.

Everyone always talks up the strategic side of their game as if its the toughest thing in the world to get. Every sport has its technicians that can pontificate endlessly about subtle things smarter players do that gives them an edge - and the bias presents itself when people talk about the challenge of teaching those points while seemingly pretending similar doesn't exist in other sports. It's kind of telling you guys are really comparing more of teaching a mastery of baseball to teaching the basics in other sports. One could go on and on about rebounding as you guys have with baserunning.

But honestly the best point made as it relates to this discussion was getting kids to overcome a fear of the ball.

Olympic weightlifting. More people should learn how to properly clean and snatch. It takes most adults months to learn technique. It's unfortunate, because the USA's crop of weightlifters is far, far behind other countries. Not sure why they don't teach it in PE (if they still have them) classes or as sports in high school. Far less injuries than football.

Azubuike24;1404083 wrote:Olympic weightlifting. More people should learn how to properly clean and snatch. It takes most adults months to learn technique. It's unfortunate, because the USA's crop of weightlifters is far, far behind other countries. Not sure why they don't teach it in PE (if they still have them) classes or as sports in high school. Far less injuries than football.

Not in my standards....more applicable for 9th and 10th graders.

Azubuike24;1404083 wrote:Olympic weightlifting. More people should learn how to properly clean and snatch. It takes most adults months to learn technique. It's unfortunate, because the USA's crop of weightlifters is far, far behind other countries. Not sure why they don't teach it in PE (if they still have them) classes or as sports in high school. Far less injuries than football.

Because it's weightlifting maybe? :laugh:Come on it's not the most exciting sport in the world

WebFire;1403046 wrote:The sports are too different to even have the argument. Motocross is demanding in short runs, Nascar is demanding on much longer runs. It's like comparing a CC runner to a sprinter.

I agree. Plus, those former dirt bike riders are now employed as NASCAR drivers. Of course they are going to talk it up.
I'd even say dirt bike racing is like a hard 800m run while NASCAR is a marathon.

said_aouita;1404837 wrote:I agree. Plus, those former dirt bike riders are now employed as NASCAR drivers. Of course they are going to talk it up.
I'd even say dirt bike racing is like a hard 800m run while NASCAR is a marathon.

Sorry, but you know as well as I do, Carmichael doesn't give a fuck. If he doesn't believe it, he's not going to say it, no matter who he's employed by. I'd guess Pastrana has the same attitude. I provided a video that shows what the drivers go through, and being a fan of both, theres no way in hell a motocross rider even touches that in most cases. But I definitely agree with Webbies assessment.

gut;1403933 wrote:That all sounds a lot more like recognition than not understanding. We can make such nuanced observations about other sports all day as well. Variances in recognition and reaction is hardly confined to just baseball athletes.

Everyone always talks up the strategic side of their game as if its the toughest thing in the world to get. Every sport has its technicians that can pontificate endlessly about subtle things smarter players do that gives them an edge - and the bias presents itself when people talk about the challenge of teaching those points while seemingly pretending similar doesn't exist in other sports. It's kind of telling you guys are really comparing more of teaching a mastery of baseball to teaching the basics in other sports. One could go on and on about rebounding as you guys have with baserunning.

But honestly the best point made as it relates to this discussion was getting kids to overcome a fear of the ball.

And you would be very accurate in your opinion. I was more answering to those who feel that since there is a 1st and 3rd base coach in baseball that it somewhat makes it easier as you can tell the kids to go and such.
Later in my career it was all HS kids and those instincts, for the most part, were already set into place. WHen I was in HS and my job was coaching the little kids at the park it was very evident of the kids who had a dad who understood the game and worked with them.

In LL, pony league and even at some extent in FROSH/JV ball there are kids with good speed who relieved simply on that to run he bases. They would get bad jumps but because of their speed they got out of it. I know I would watch some FROSH/JV games to kind of scout some of the new talent coming up and it was easy to recognize those who were instinctive and those who just got away with the speed and when the defensive arms caught up to them at the Varsity level then they found it much more difficult.


At the HS level there are diff keys you can teach the players and they will build and improve on that, but give me a kid with instincts over a kid with speed any day....all other things being equal of course.