Bhutan Baseball Implements New Training Program

The conclusion of the RICB 18U Bhutan Amateur Baseball League has ushered in a new era of baseball in the kingdom of Bhutan. The objective of the league was to introduce the basic fundamentals and baseball rules to both the players and Bhutanese coaches.

"The league was a huge success in terms of teaching the players and coaches the rules of the game, and the kids also got a dose of the basic fundamentals," said BBSA International Coach Marvin Moore. "Everyone has a better understanding of the different facets of the game - hitting, fielding, pitching, and baserunning - and that was the main purpose of the league."

The second phase of the baseball development program begins in earnest this winter with camps and indoor training sessions. All Bhutanese players from age six to 18-plus will be taught the same fundamentals.

"Some of the older players were trying to learn the fundamentals from watching YouTube videos and were confused about the different coaching methods," added Moore. From top to bottom, our kids will be taught the same hitting, fielding, and pitching methods."

Moore was one of the top prep hitters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the mid-1980s and never batted below .470 in one of the strongest baseball regions in the U.S. Although a major leg injury ended his pro baseball ambitions, Moore remained close to the game as a coach.

The native Texan transformed one of Europe's worst national teams into a legitimate B-Pool contender. In 1994, the Swiss National Baseball Team pulled off one of the biggest upsets in European baseball at the time with a 4-2 victory over Ukraine. The Russian squad and their American coach had just finished a tour in Japan, and dominated the European Championship B-Pool tournament to book a ticket to the A-Pool. However, the Swiss team handed the powerful squad their only loss with a 14-year-old pitcher on the mound.

"Ukraine had an excellent baseball program with solid coaching and talented players," said Moore. "They were an A-Pool team playing in the B-Pool tournament. There was no doubt who had the more talented team. If we had played a 10-game series against Ukraine, we would be fortunate to win one game. But for nine innings in Slovenia, the Swiss was the better team."

Moore has adopted the same hitting philosophy of the famed Arizona State University teams of the 1970s and 1980s. The Sun Devils were a baseball powerhouse known for hitting line drives and hard ground balls.

"When a team can reduce the number of fly balls and pop-ups, that puts a great deal of pressure on opposing teams," said Moore. "We already have a few kids hitting some frozen ropes and the best is yet to come."