Strategy #1 / Primacy – The first time you do something is very important.

It is essential that the first time you introduce a new skill or activity that you do it correctly and significantly. This is the time you set the base for its use and all of the times you use it; thereafter you will be building on this base. You simply will have great problems in the future if you must change the way the player has first encountered it.

When a coach says, “This is the way they will learn it right now – later we will change it to a better way”, he is asking for trouble - later it will require unlearning and relearning.

Coach Tracy is working with his pitchers. “We have told you that besides pitching a ball, you have to be a defensive player. Today, we will work on balls that are hit toward the right side of the field. As soon as a ball is hit to the second baseman, the first baseman, or to the hole between them, you are going to take off toward first base.

I will be in the batter’s box. I will hit a ball somewhere on the right side. When you see the ball going to that side, take off full speed. The fielders will do their job”

With that explanation made, Coach Tracy starts out each drill with easy grounders and later harder grounders to the right side of the field – always commenting on the performances of the players. When he has made a lot of comments, such as “That’s the way”, he calls the pitchers together and gives them some feedback.”

When this is done correctly, there is no need to teach them a better way to do it. Most additional work in that area will be the improving of what has already been learned.

Note that some of the work done here also uses one of the strategies that we will explore later - Repetition. These strategies interact smoothly with and support one another.