Thursday, May 14, 2009

New Custom Baseball Gloves

Cool new custom ballgloves on the market...my son designed one to match his U12 travel team colors. It's red, black and grey and he loves it.

Custom Baseball and Softball Gloves by Valle: $229.00 with FREE Shipping

Customize order baseball or softball gloves with your favorite team colors. Hand made from premium kip leather. Be a stand out on the diamond with a Valle Pro Custom Baseball Glove.


Professional Quality:
Pro grade baseball or softball fielding glove. All kip leather shell and lining. Used by professional ball players - Now available for the serious youth to college players. These are custom designed hand-crafted gloves that are built to perform.

Made to Last:
Individually handcrafted by expert glove makers, Valle Pro gloves utilize the highest quality US steer hide and Kip leathers. Our high quality materials allows our gloves to be durable and built to last. Valle Pro custom gloves (are light) but stiff and will require a break-in period. They are not "game ready". We do this because we want you to have a glove that can be shaped the way you want it. Plus the softer the glove when new, the less time it will tend to last.

Valle Custom Made Baseball Gloves Feature:
  • Premium US steerhide - Kip leather
  • Professional quality
  • Durable construction
  • Custom color leather (Red, Navy, Gold, Tan, Gray, Black, Royal Blue, Brown, Orange,
  • hite, Purple, Green)
  • Unique Valle branding
  • Optional embroidered flag
  • Personalization with your name and number

Monday, February 19, 2007

New Valle Pro Baseball Gloves

John Valle, a former pro baseball player, has introduced a brand new line of baseball gloves: http://www.vallebaseballgloves.com/

These gloves are a great buy. I have bought a couple for my son. The Tiger Series (cream w/black stripes) is best for younger players as they are a bit easier to break in. The Panther Series is a stiffer, more durable pro quality glove that will last for years.

The NY Mets recently purchased Valle Pro Panther gloves to give to their new 2007 draft picks.

Checkout the Lit'l Jen 10" training glove it's a great tool for improving fielding skills and softening up the hands of aspiring middle infielders.

John is a local hitting instructor and is generously sponsoring our 10U travel team. He's done a lot of great things to promote baseball in Upstate New York. Give Valle a look before buying your next baseball glove. You'll be pleasantly surprised on the quality and value of the new Valle ballgloves.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Travel Teams & Lessons Learned

Been a while since my first post. I've got a year of 10U travel coaching under my belt. Lots of lessons learned, here are a few:
  1. Managing expectations of parents is almost as important as managing the kids.
  2. Have each player concentrate of 2-3 positions (depending on the athlete). Maybe two infield, and outfield.
  3. Work on pitching in the off-season. I would love to have all 11 of my kids attend a pitching academy if possible. Mechanics are key for arm strength and to eliminate potential injuries.
  4. Teach ALL players how to bunt.
  5. Buy pancake training gloves to reinforce soft hands.
  6. Work on baserunning in practice...getting out of the box, and getting good jumps when on the bases.
  7. Be an aggressive baserunning team during games.
  8. Communicate with parents throughout the season.
  9. Set goals & reward players for positive achievements! For example: If team turns double play every kid gets to reach into candy bag. Or if team steals so many bases, each player recieves a pack of baseball cards at the end of game.
  10. Enjoy your coaching time! For me, this is the most precious time I'll probably ever spend with my son. Make sure to not get caught up in the competition. After all baseball is a game, and these are 9 & 10 year old kids.

Hope this list helps, please leave comments and suggestions.

BTW- For our upcoming 2007 season we have put a solid group of players together. Here's a link to the baseball team's Website for ideas: http://www.hiltonbaseball.com.

Regards,
- Coach Pat

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

First Practice - Instructional Little League

This is my first year as a head coach for my son's 7-8 year old little league baseball team. I have assisted for a few years, and figured I'd give it a try. I'm lucky enough to have been taught sound baseball fundamentals by my father, and John Valle a former AAA ball player in the Orioles organization. I am by no means an expert, just a parent whom has an interest in passing along my knowledge and passion for baseball to my son.

This is the approach i'm taking for my first practice, comments suggestions are always appreciated.
  1. Organize -- Strategize your practice before heading out to the field. I like to start out with a short "meet & greet" with parents and kids. It's important that everyone is on the same page. Be up front with both players & parents regarding your coaching philosophy (i.e. having fun and learning is more important than winning).
  2. Play Catch -- The ability to catch a baseball at a young age is critical to a players safety and your teams success. Focus on using two hands, catching the ball out in front, and watching the ball into the glove.
  3. Throwing -- Make sure the arms are up and the shoulder is pointed toward the target. Also watch for a proper follow-through. Hurt arms have ended many a good player's career.
  4. Run the Bases -- teach kids to run through first base, and how to get a good jump wen on base. The force out at second base is a common rally killer.
  5. Hitting Basics -- Watch each of your players hit off a tee so you can get a feel for each hitters skill level. Early on, most mechanics will be shaky. A balanced stance, and watching the ball is probably most important. I want my players to be aggressive swingers. Put the ball in play and positive things will happen. If you are lucky enough to have a few assistants, split your team into small groups for drills such as soft-toss. I will share some reviews of hitting training equipment I like to use, a little later on.
  6. In the Field -- This is the "fun" part. Getting players familiar with postions and which base to throw to or cover is a challenge. I have my young outfielders always throw the ball in to second base. Teaching your right fielder to back-up first on every infield grounder looking for errant throws is also a smart idea. Knowing different situations and what to do when the ball is hit, takes time to teach and learn. Have patience...it'll come.

These are some of my suggestions, feel free to post any tips or ideas that work for you. I will post a follow after practice #1 to relate how my strategy plays out.