Coaching Tball

[shnsajax 3592]

So I got volunteered to coach my 5 year old twins tball as we didn’t have a coach already in our area. Any sites, videos, books, etc on how to do this.

 

 

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[txhorns 2418]

Just make sure all of the kids have fun and no one dies.

[txhorns 2418]

Coaching tball is like trying to heard squirrels.  Unless you know absolutely nothing about baseball you don't need videos or anything.  Do your best to get the kids in the right spot on the field.  Let all of the kids play every position.  Try to teach them when to run the bases.  You aren't really teaching them any fundamentals, they won't retain it.

[shnsajax 3592]

Ok good, that was my thought. Going to make my wife go out there with me since she was a teacher for the herding.

Only worry is that my son has a really good and accurate arm and drilling another kid in the face throwing it to them.

[Soldierhorn 206]

Your biggest mistake would be to try and "coach" T-ball.  Your only hard decision is finding a first baseman that can actually catch the ball once in a while.  Dealing with parents is usually the biggest problem. 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[deadshank 24653]

Keep the ball in front of you.

Hit  'em where they ain't.

Don't trust whitey.

 

[txhorns 2418]

Yeah the only position you don't let every kid try is first base.  Rotate your 2 or 3 better kids there so that no one gets hurt.

[shnsajax 3592]

Keep the ball in front of you.
Hit  'em where they ain't.
Don't trust whitey.
 

It’s Boise, we’re all whitey. Though I just realized the odds of getting a Dominican ringer is not likely.


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[Sbbruin 21943]

10 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Don't trust whitey.

 

And see a doctor and get rid of it.

4 minutes ago, txhorns said:

Yeah the only position you don't let every kid try is first base.  Rotate your 2 or 3 better kids there so that no one gets hurt.

Best advice on here.  I coached Tball 2 years and LL 4.  Tball really isn't coaching.  And can be quite comical.

[Nueces River Rat 5610]

Tell the Moms no college or pro scouts will be at these games.

 I am serious.   I miss the days when my now college aged boys played Little League and all that stuff, but some of the so called Baseball Moms ruined the experience thinking as far down as T-Ball, their little Joey  was going to be the next high school baseball star around here.   And as they grew up through the leagues, the more obnoxious they got and their pussy whipped husbands just sat their like idiots or joined in the critiques of the coaches and other players while their little Joey was making errors or striking out himself.  

[txhorns 2418]

1 minute ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Tell the Moms no college or pro scouts will be at these games.

 I am serious.   I miss the days when my now college aged boys played Little League and all that stuff, but some of the so called Baseball Moms ruined the experience thinking as far down as T-Ball, their little Joey  was going to be the next high school baseball star around here.   And as they grew up through the leagues, the more obnoxious they got and their pussy whipped husbands just sat their like idiots or joined in the critiques of the coaches and other players while their little Joey was making errors or striking out himself.  

I always asked all parents to stay for just 5 minutes at the start of the first practice for just this reason.  I sat them down and emphasized how everyone was just there to have fun.  How it's not select team.  How every kid would play every position even if it cost us a game.  That usually cut out a bunch of that crap.  If it didn't I convinced the moms still insisting that their kid was the next superstar that the only way little Jimmy would get there was by that mom taking my dick in her ass.

[shnsajax 3592]

Tell the Moms no college or pro scouts will be at these games.
 I am serious.   I miss the days when my now college aged boys played Little League and all that stuff, but some of the so called Baseball Moms ruined the experience thinking as far down as T-Ball, their little Joey  was going to be the next high school baseball star around here.   And as they grew up through the leagues, the more obnoxious they got and their pussy whipped husbands just sat their like idiots or joined in the critiques of the coaches and other players while their little Joey was making errors or striking out himself.  

Yeah I grew up in Corpus and remember how the parent expectations in baseball and soccer were pretty damn high since it was understood we would pretty much suck at football by the time we were in HS compared to the rest of the state.


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[Nueces River Rat 5610]

4 minutes ago, txhorns said:

I always asked all parents to stay for just 5 minutes at the start of the first practice for just this reason.  I sat them down and emphasized how everyone was just there to have fun.  How it's not select team.  How every kid would play every position even if it cost us a game.  That usually cut out a bunch of that crap.  If it didn't I convinced the moms still insisting that their kid was the next superstar that the only way little Jimmy would get there was by that mom taking my dick in her ass.

   Select leagues have ruined kids sports, IMO.    It's become a $$$ cow for organizers of these teams and tourney's and at the same time causing issues with arms that didn't appear with baseball players well into their MLB careers if they got that far.  But the thinking and attitude of the parents has even hurt league ball.

[Soldierhorn 206]

20 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

Tell the Moms no college or pro scouts will be at these games.

 I am serious.   I miss the days when my now college aged boys played Little League and all that stuff, but some of the so called Baseball Moms ruined the experience thinking as far down as T-Ball, their little Joey  was going to be the next high school baseball star around here.   And as they grew up through the leagues, the more obnoxious they got and their pussy whipped husbands just sat their like idiots or joined in the critiques of the coaches and other players while their little Joey was making errors or striking out himself.  

exactly.  If I had to do it over again, would start the first couple of practices with all the kids in the stands or sitting on the ground with their parents and let them know that this is organized fun. I would direct most of the comments to the parents such as there are no scouts here watching your little mr wonderful.  If you want to yell and scream, it had better be positive, esp if directed at other kids, the coaches or the umps; nobody here is doing this for a paycheck so dont take it so seriously. Safety first; fun second.  What you want is for kids to understand basic stuff like going to first base and not third base after they hit the ball.  

funny crap SHOULD happen! 

I had a nephew that played. he hit the ball and was running around the bases because the opposing kids could not catch the ball to get him out. As he circled third base, his mother was screaming, "GO HOME! GO HOME!"  He stopped and looked at her for a second, changed directions, and started running to the direction of their house. Dumb bohemians. I was rolling on the ground laughing.  She actually had to go catch him.   

Edited June 6, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[Nueces River Rat 5610]

14 minutes ago, shnsajax said:

 

Yeah I grew up in Corpus and remember how the parent expectations in baseball and soccer were pretty damn high since it was understood we would pretty much suck at football by the time we were in HS compared to the rest of the state.


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So you know EXACTLY where I'm coming from.  The school my kids went to has a lot of hardware to it's name and the pressure  to be a baseball legend following the many others who have played is great and the drive to get kids to the level begins almost a T-Ball.  But since the year around baseball nonsense has taken root, I see kids get burned out and when the high school season comes around, they are just ready to get it over.  I saw some of the BS that parents did with forcing their kids to play in these select teams and give up other team sports,  I think some of these same kids were just glad it was over their senior seasons.  And very, very few of them went on to play college ball much less minor/pro ball.  The parents probably spent enough money to pay for two or three years of college.   I'm glad mine played other sports.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Nueces River Rat

[shnsajax 3592]

So you know EXACTLY where I'm coming from.  The school my kids went to has a lot of hardware to it's name and the pressure  to be a baseball legend following the many others who have played is great and the drive to get kids to the level begins almost a T-Ball.  But since the year around baseball nonsense has taken root, I see kids get burned out and when the high school season comes around, they are just ready to get it over.  I saw some of the BS that parents did with forcing their kids to play in these select teams and give up other team sports,  I think some of these same kids were just glad it was over their senior seasons.  And very, very few of them went on to play college ball much less minor/pro ball.  The parents probably spent enough money to pay for two or three years of college.   I'm glad mine played other sports.

Yeah I was playing on the highest select soccer team we had in the early 90’s and while we still played close to year round cause of the weather I still played baseball, football, tennis and swim team as well.

Even in HS we would take breaks from soccer and learned to play rugby for a month or two each year.

[Soldierhorn 206]

Oh, yeah... I would resist any parent that would insist on all parents shelling out money for full uniforms at this age. It's a waste of money and some parents simply cant afford it but are pressured into it.  T-shirt and/or cap is ok; full uniform is simply dumb, IMO

[Mez2 4037]

patience. lots and lots of patience. make sure no one gets hit with a bat. i just finished coaching my sons teeball team and it was...challenging, to say the least. i had 4, 5 and 6 year olds and you can tell the ones who played before or have some common ability to throw, swing a bat. most of my time was spent trying to get kids to stop hitting each other and fighting among themselves and trying to get them to focus in short spurts. the more help you can get the better your practices will be. ask for help. just adjust your expectations and make sure no one gets hurt and wants to play again next season. 

[gyroprotagonist 2595]

In the unlikely event that someone actually fields a ball, don't let them run to try and get to first base before the batter (1st baseman excluded).  make them throw it even though 99% of the time it will be an error.

Watch the Southpark little league baseball episode and remember to try and make it as fun as possible.  More batting practice, more ground ball practice and less putting 9 boys out in the field to simulate a game.

That's all i got.  regardless of what you and other coaches do, they will get 1000% better next year when their hand-eye-coordination improves all on it's own.

 

 

[ztejas 43787]

1 hour ago, shnsajax said:

Though I just realized the odds of getting a Dominican ringer is not likely.

imgur

[Jerry Callo 8862]

Find an assistant.  You don't want 5 year olds waiting in line to hit the ball off of the tee.  Split the group up to minimize waiting which leads to kids playing grab ass.  Also, brush up on coaching terms like grab ass.

[shnsajax 3592]

Already got what I am wearing. Also trying to incorporate the word muff into my everyday vocabulary again.

[Jerry Callo 8862]

[BigDHornfan 6599]

Let each kid take a turn playing "pitcher".  so they all get a chance to field a ball.  

[MNLonghornFUKM 8921]

If they're not committed to Tom Emanskis video tutorial that produced back to back to back AAU champions that's endorsed by super star fred mcgriff... they can go about life being a loser

[orange dream 1267]

Pro tip.  Have everyone get a 5 gallon bucket (or provide them yourself)  put their names on them.  That is the spot for bat, helmet, glove, hat, etc.  So much easier than watching them all try to wrestle stuff into those backpacks that are too big for them.  they are also relatively easy for the little kids to carry themselves.  Tell the parents that your expectation is that the kids will load and carry the buckets to and from practice.  Tell them that unless they are batting at the plate or the one the coach is working with on hitting at practice that the bat is supposed to be in the bucket at all times.  Glove and hat go in bucket when your team is batting and helmet goes on in the dugout whether it's your turn to bat or not so that when someone ignores your bat in the bucket advice and take a swing in the dugout all of their melons are protected.  You can buy the buckets for 3 bucks at Home Depot or on Amazon.

I second the "rotate everyone except for 1st base" advice.  Only use the 2 or 3 kids who can actually catch the ball (or at least make a decent effort to catch) at 1st base.  Pitcher is also spot that probably only has a 2 - 4 person rotation so they don't get hurt.

Avoid the temptation to just have the kids circle the bases on the inevitable train of errors that will happen on each and every play.  Advance one base per hit unless it is hit to the outfield in which case a double is usually sufficient.  The less you let the kids run per hit, the more hitters will get to come to the plate based on whatever your leagues run per inning limit is.

Is it strictly T-Ball or are there some coach pitches allowed / required before the tee?  if coach pitching is part of the process make sure the players get plenty of practice doing that in the same way they will see it in the game.

It really can be a lot of fun!!

 

[Soldierhorn 206]

38 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

If they're not committed to Tom Emanskis video tutorial that produced back to back to back AAU champions that's endorsed by super star fred mcgriff... they can go about life being a loser

 

 

This reminds me of an instructional VHS video that I have (from the mid '80s, IIRC).  It is of Nolan Ryan giving pitching pointers and his demonstrator was Randy Johnson before he became famous - awesome video.  I probably need to find it and convert it to digital 

Edited June 6, 2019 by Soldierhorn

[gsoda3 3317]

1.)  set parents' expectations from the very first practice. make sure you model the expectations you've set.  don't be combative to the other coach or to the umpires.  

 

2.)  make sure kids rotate between the infield and outfield.  

 

3.)  identify your kids who can catch and have those 3 or 4 share time at first.

 

4.)  let every kid play pitcher, but know who your fastest kids and best fielders are so in crunch time you have them playing pitcher. 

 

5.)  GET ASSISTANTS.  you'll need one for dugout management/lineup duty since you'll be at the plate.  you'll need a first base coach.  you'll need a third base coach.  some leagues let parents come out on to the field at second base also.  you'll need at least 3 assistants though.  

 

6.)  for practices, don't worry about drills as much as making sure the kids know to listen to YOU and YOUR COACHES.  there'll be dozens of people yelling at them on game day.  they need to know who they're listening to. 

• have them play red light/green light on the basepaths (obviously stopping on bases or sending them to the next base etc). 
• practice batting off the tee, NOT THROWING the bat, and running to and through first.  then STOPPING on each base after that.  don't run through them.  
• when you practice infield, before each ball you hit to a fielder tell them what base you want them to go to.  make sure the pitcher knows how to field a ball and either throw or run to first, and make sure the pitcher can field a ball and run and touch home.  

 

7.)  during games, make sure to tell each player in the infield what base they have to go to if they get the ball.  

 

8.)  snack schedule.  find a parent to be in charge of it.  

 

9.)  use an app like GroupMe to handle team communication.  it's a group text message app and free.    

[Reagan1k 3026]

***If your T-ball is a "bat the line-up through each inning" league - clearing the bases IF the defense gets 3 out, then the below applies. 

If you have to keep score and play straight up 3-outs per inning, then may God help you....as no mortal can.

On the line-up deal - Just work out a system where you systematically have every kid play every position and every kid hit in every spot in the order.

Create a chart and stick with it.  That way its fair to all AND you don't have to ever think about it and wonder if little Johnny is being short changed etc.

Just do it on a rolling basis - lead-off batter in game 1 bats last in game 2.  just keep rolling the batting order.

Same with positions - pitcher to catcher to 1st to 2nd to SS, etc. .....Rolling the positions each inning and the batting order each game.

Depending on how many games and how many innings per game, you might rotate your batting order each inning too. (depends on how rules-y your league is.

That way everyone knows in advance that the line-up is set and all will get their turn at whatever spot.

Also, make sure you schedule time to have a Mom Appreciation pool party where you take off mid-day and meet all the mom's at someone's pool....Rose' in hand. 

You know....just to say thanks for all the snacks and juice boxes.

[txhorns 2418]

We also expect pics of any hot moms in the Hot or Not thread

Edited June 6, 2019 by txhorns

[shnsajax 3592]

Potentially on board with this pool party idea.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

4 hours ago, shnsajax said:

 

So I got volunteered to coach my 5 year old twins tball as we didn’t have a coach already in our area. Any sites, videos, books, etc on how to do this.

 

 

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Just put a gun in your mouth now, and get it over with........  T ball, more tortuous than matches under your fingernails....

 

Seriously good on your for taking on this Herculean task. Just make sure they have fun, and try to impart some knowledge about seeing the ball, and smacking it off the T.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Onboard 2.0

[markstanco 12683]

When its 1-2 and your best batter is at the plate, steal second.

[markstanco 12683]

Oh yea, you asking surly for tips means yall gonna suck.

And weird time of the year to start baseball.

[Nivek 17090]

I would first ask you if the league is competitive or not, and if you intend to be.

If you don’t give a shit about wins and losses, then rotate everyone. Teach skills. Repetition is your friend and lines of more than 3 kids is not so get assistants. Find a tee and get to know where each player hits best and write it on your lineup (I used my finger as a guide).

Have them run the bases before the game. A new field will send some kids running from home to 3rd, the fair/foul lines can confuse them if they work at a offsite practice field.

2 parents in the dugout. One to occupy the kids, the other to send out the right one. Baskets are great. Gatorade makes your team drink too much and need to piss during the game. Save that for later and use water only. Bats need to be removed from the dugout.

If your league is competitive expect to have the system gamed by repeat coaches who receive ‘requests’ to be their coach. Know that some kids are way too aggressive and some coaches teach their guys to tag the runner even if they are safe. That upsets little kids. Most kids won’t run over a defender in the runner lane. Some stop and wait to get tagged. Some kids refuse to be out and have to be carried off.

If a ball makes it into the outfield your entire team will chase after it and fight for it. Then after your correct that, only half will. And finally 2-3 will after more coaching.

Make sure the kid knows who to listen too when running bases.

Your 4 yr olds in the outfield are going to daydream and flop and roll around, some will try to migrate to other positions. Some t-ball leagues allow for a ‘catcher’ who hangs out behind the fence and then comes out to cover home after the batter has taken off.

Kids love earning praise and game balls. Make sure to record who has and has not earned one yet. It’s cool if a few players earn more, but ensure they all get 1-2 for the year. My daughter’s coach gave her one for playing while sick having vomited on me the night before but refusing to miss the game.

I saw a lot of kids picking up their front leg to hit the ball. It is common in the pros but I found that many kids would hit more consistently with a planted front foot, and a stance that had the lead foot pointed forward and about 4-6 inches heel ward from the trailing foot (similar to tae kwon do), and they tended to turn their hips with the swing more.

[Surly Bevo 25542]

All good advice above, but also don't forget to teach the first baseman how to position himself to cut off the throw to home to back pick that little bastard trying to stretch his single into a double....

Edited June 7, 2019 by Surly Bevo

[Your Mom 4887]

No snacks after the game. It’s a pain in the ass and half the kids won’t like the snack choice anyway. It’s an hour long game, half of which was spent sitting on a bench and the other half was spent standing mostly stationary. They probably run less than 100 yards the whole game. Nobody worked up an appetite or needs refueling. 

 I clearly remember when my younger son was 7 and he finally had a coach with the balls to say that to the moms. He told me later he thought he was going to catch some shit for that but every parent on the team said thank god!

[shnsajax 3592]

Found out all kids get to bat per inning so it won’t be competitive.


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[ButtFumble 5199]

11 hours ago, Soldierhorn said:

Oh, yeah... I would resist any parent that would insist on all parents shelling out money for full uniforms at this age. It's a waste of money and some parents simply cant afford it but are pressured into it.  T-shirt and/or cap is ok; full uniform is simply dumb, IMO

get Chicos Bail Bonds as a sponsor

(someone above beat me to the first Bad News Bears reference)

we had a ringer in Tball when I was a kid (and the Tball stand still used a piece of pipe and a radiator hose to hold the ball).....that dude could hit the ball like 75 fucking yards in the air and even if it bothered to bounce in the outfield it went under the Tshacks at the school field we played on

Edited June 7, 2019 by ButtFumble

[Nivek 17090]

Found out all kids get to bat per inning so it won’t be competitive.


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Oh make sure you know the bat guidelines for the league. Advise parents not to go overboard on the bat since it doesn’t make much difference. Swing speed and weight are more important. -12 bats tend to be very thin and dent with a stronger kid. Bat companies lie about the weight. A scale helps.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

It's T ball, there is no competition in T ball. You'll be lucky if the kids even pay attention to what's going on in the field.  It's just an introduction to the game.  The only thing more frustrating than T ball is first year kid pitch.  

[Nivek 17090]

It's T ball, there is no competition in T ball. You'll be lucky if the kids even pay attention to what's going on in the field.  It's just an introduction to the game.  The only thing more frustrating than T ball is first year kid pitch.  

If only this were true. It should be, but it isn’t.

[Reagan1k 3026]

7 hours ago, shnsajax said:

Found out all kids get to bat per inning so it won’t be competitive.


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As it should be.....and that makes it simple.  

IIRC most T-ball games are only two or three innings long since you bat the line-up each inning and that's all the attention span they can muster.

Use the rolling batting order / position schedule and stick to it. 

Tell the parents up front that is what you are doing so there is no question on their end.

If you don't play enough games or have too many kids to rotate such that every kid gets to play pitcher, bats first once, etc. during the season,  then you may want to rotate your positions and batting order each inning to cycle through the numbers.  

It's not hard once you set it up on paper and it's a helluva lot easier than trying to do it from memory on the fly.

15 minutes at your desk one time, and you can have each game's lineup set in advance for the season.

That takes away any confusion or in-game decisions on your end since there is no strategy required anyway.

Print multiple copies to give to your helpers so they can all position kids properly and you aren't alone out there herding cats.

 

 

[Billy Pilgrim 1992]

Make sure your team isn’t too big. We had 16 kids on the team the first season in T-ball and the kids who had to sit out on defense during a half inning were checked out and hard to refocus when it came time to bat or get ready to go back out to play D the next half inning.

We lost a couple of pretty good kids off that team who quit baseball altogether because they got “bored” with it because of too much waiting around for some action.

[Mojo Hand 4580]

1). Create a signupgenius link for the post-game snacks and email it to the parents.   It'll take care of itself 

2) Get some packs of baseball cards and give each kid a card after the practice/game as a reward for their hard work/attention.   They fucking love it. 

[F250 28991]

When it comes to baseball moms, the tee-ball moms are top shelf.

 

[RDCanecutter 26571]

22 minutes ago, F250 said:

When it comes to baseball moms, the tee-ball moms are top shelf.

 

Yes. Amazing number of single moms, and some of them haven't gotten fat yet.

[Nueces River Rat 5610]

On 6/6/2019 at 11:49 PM, Your Mom said:

No snacks after the game. It’s a pain in the ass and half the kids won’t like the snack choice anyway. It’s an hour long game, half of which was spent sitting on a bench and the other half was spent standing mostly stationary. They probably run less than 100 yards the whole game. Nobody worked up an appetite or needs refueling. 

 I clearly remember when my younger son was 7 and he finally had a coach with the balls to say that to the moms. He told me later he thought he was going to catch some shit for that but every parent on the team said thank god!

I hated this shit for the exact reason you noted.  Other than the Kool Aid or Capri Sun drink, the rest of it ended up in the trash and it's didn't matter what it was.  The kids wanted some REAL food after a game if it was lunch or dinner time.   Plus I really resented the attitude one got if for some reason you forgot to bring the snacks or drinks from the Team Mom.  It's like you commited an unpardonable sin.  

Back in the day we had  a portable water cooler  like this one for which I think the league provided for each team.   We all shared the same cups and didn't come down with any sort of infectious dieseses either.   At least I don't think we did.  But that was so 70' s and 80's....   

https://www.grainger.com/product/5DDA9?cm_mmc=PPC:+Google+PLA&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMI3_Luj_Ph4gIVBa_ICh0L2AmmEAQYBCABEgJUrPD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!2966!3!295913547105!!!g!589069421917!&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3_Luj_Ph4gIVBa_ICh0L2AmmEAQYBCABEgJUrPD_BwE

[4thgenhorn 39]

I coached two seasons. Get as many assistant coaches as you can to keep all the kids actively fielding grounders and playing catch, while you work with batters. Also, it a must to have a dedicated parent at first base keeping kids attention there. Occasionally the throw to first is actually accurate, and the kid better be looking. 

Lastly make sure to emphasize not walking into the batter. Crazy how clueless 5 year olds with bats are, just swinging away. 

[Mack Tripper 700]

On 6/6/2019 at 11:13 PM, Nivek said:

I would first ask you if the league is competitive or not, and if you intend to be.

If you don’t give a shit about wins and losses, then rotate everyone. Teach skills. Repetition is your friend and lines of more than 3 kids is not so get assistants. Find a tee and get to know where each player hits best and write it on your lineup (I used my finger as a guide).

Have them run the bases before the game. A new field will send some kids running from home to 3rd, the fair/foul lines can confuse them if they work at a offsite practice field.

2 parents in the dugout. One to occupy the kids, the other to send out the right one. Baskets are great. Gatorade makes your team drink too much and need to piss during the game. Save that for later and use water only. Bats need to be removed from the dugout.

If your league is competitive expect to have the system gamed by repeat coaches who receive ‘requests’ to be their coach. Know that some kids are way too aggressive and some coaches teach their guys to tag the runner even if they are safe. That upsets little kids. Most kids won’t run over a defender in the runner lane. Some stop and wait to get tagged. Some kids refuse to be out and have to be carried off.

If a ball makes it into the outfield your entire team will chase after it and fight for it. Then after your correct that, only half will. And finally 2-3 will after more coaching.

Make sure the kid knows who to listen too when running bases.

Your 4 yr olds in the outfield are going to daydream and flop and roll around, some will try to migrate to other positions. Some t-ball leagues allow for a ‘catcher’ who hangs out behind the fence and then comes out to cover home after the batter has taken off.

Kids love earning praise and game balls. Make sure to record who has and has not earned one yet. It’s cool if a few players earn more, but ensure they all get 1-2 for the year. My daughter’s coach gave her one for playing while sick having vomited on me the night before but refusing to miss the game.

I saw a lot of kids picking up their front leg to hit the ball. It is common in the pros but I found that many kids would hit more consistently with a planted front foot, and a stance that had the lead foot pointed forward and about 4-6 inches heel ward from the trailing foot (similar to tae kwon do), and they tended to turn their hips with the swing more.



 

All of this.