Infielder

Question
Coach,
Recently at my son's LL practice a lot of the boys were hurrying their throws to first base and were throwing the ball off balance and without a crows hop. I explained that if they had plenty of time to get the runner out that they should take a few steps towards first base, pat the ball in their glove and then take a small crow hop during their throw. Another coach adamently said that they should never pat their glove wiht the ball. Without making a seen with the other know it all coach I let it go. I was taught not to hurry your throw on a routine grounder with plenty of time to get the runner. What is your opinion on patting the glove with the ball while your positioning yourself to make the throw?

Answer
Lou,
         I believe that you should field the ball the same way every time no matter if you have time or if you need to rush.  The only difference is how hard you throw the baseball.  At the little league level it is tough because some players can't reach firstbase with out some sort of crow hop.  I wouldn't recommend patting the glove with the ball.  Only because this may become a habit.  This may become something the player must do and when he does develop a better arm and quick release which may slow him down.  When Little league players get older you don't want them to making unneeded movements.  But again you can make a good argument that some players need to take their time to get into a good position to make a strong accurate throw.
        I would rather see players with weak arms take an extra shuffle and then make a throw.  A shuffle can change easier into a slide step move once the players arm becomes stronger and the quicker release becomes more beneficial.  At the level your son is playing at, make sure he has good throwing mechanics with accuracy no matter if he takes a shuffle, crow hop, or pats the glove.  Once proper throwing mechanics and accuracy are obtained he can start working on the release.  The players with bad mechanics always seem to rush but the players with great mechanics always look smooth even though they are moving and releasing quickly.  

Thank You,
John Priest
Nokona Batman
Nokona Baseball Factory