Take this for what it’s worth to you. The game (baseball) gave me opportunities most young players will never get to experience. It challenged me in ways I’ll forever be grateful for. It helped develop a side of me I probably wouldn’t have with out it. After spending a most of my life to this ..read more

Dear Parents: We all know many coaches can be better at how they plan and utilize team practice time. But let’s make sure we are clear about something, your athletes development is not solely on them. In fact, they are just a small piece. To blame them for your athletes lack of production, is a ..read more

There are a few things batters do that often tell us how to get them out. They show their approach and their holes. As pitchers and catchers, when we pay attention and know what to look for, it makes pitch selection a little easier. 1. Position in the box and stride direction. Close to the ..read more

“I don’t care.” I guarantee some won’t understand this and some will say “You’re wrong!” But here you go. This was part of my growth as an athlete. I was the same as dang near every youth athlete. I would hold onto mistakes. I would get upset with what I thought were umpires mistakes. I would blame my coaches. I would play scorekeeper in my head when my teammates made errors. When the game was over I would think way more about all of the mistakes everyone else made except my own. These moments of weakness would turn one walk into two. Turn a bad inning into a bad game. Turn a bad game into a m ..read more

Pitchers: Walks are our enemy!! Sure there may be times later in a game where we might pitch around the batter to set up a DP or force situation but in general they aren’t good. At the end of the day if I’m throwing multiple “ball 4’s” I’m putting myself and my team in unnecessary and unwanted situations. One of our main goals as a pitcher should be to limit them as much as possible. Try focusing on these to help: • Focus better on mechanics and location during catch play. Throw all your pitch types during catch. If you’re all over the place in catch there’s a great chance you’re all over the ..read more

It doesn’t matter what you want to call it: • Travel ball • Select ball • Tournament ball • League ball • City League ball • Little League ball It’s still youth baseball. It’s a hard game being played by kids. That alone is a challenge but then add in adult emotions and intentions of wanting to be “superior” and you have a recipe for disaster. Keep those expectations realistic. Even though some of these kids have grown quicker than others, were born with different abilities than their peers, they are still kids. They will make mistakes (a lot), struggle with focus, look amazing one second then ..read more

1. Pitching inside. In my 7th season, I had a pitching coach (Bob McClure) who spent a lot of time with us (his pitching staff) talking about how to use the inside part of the plate. How it affected hitters. How it opened up the outer half. How it made your other stuff better. Only a few were able to grasp the concept and execute it but for those of us that did, it was a game changer. I’m convinced it’s what gave me another 7 years, a shot at the big leagues and a contract overseas. 2. Accountability. I stopped making excuses. Stopped blaming my teammates. Stopped giving attention to the umpir ..read more

Once upon a time my life revolved around a baseball for a few months, then a football for a few months and then a basketball for a few. Then there was a local public swimming pool for the remaining few. Mix in some yard work, riding bikes, finding some pond to fish in or creek to catch some crawdads to take up the rest of the time. The outside was our distraction. I’m almost 46 and just like others around my age, this was the story of our youth. I loved playing sports (still do) and my father was my biggest supporter. Whatever the sport was, he was my teacher (did it the best he could). My fon ..read more

Strong competitors are solid with both but what’s the balance? Is one more important than the other? When do you work on mechanics? When do we talk and teach approach? In my opinion and experience both should be a constant focus but we see it time and time again, athletes who are great with their body movements but struggle with competition. Even though they may be hearing and learning about the head game, in the heat of the moment emotions push approach out the window leading to trying to compete via anger, embarrassment, fear and over aggression. For many involved in the game, athletes and a ..read more

We need to be so confident in our abilities that when we do make a mistake, have a tough day, fall into a little slump, we trust that it’s temporary. We know without a doubt we will work through it and come out better because of that adversity. Playing free is not caring who is watching because you know you’re giving your best but that doesn’t always mean you’re going to be the best. Your level of focus, purpose and intent will allow you to keep getting better. Playing free means you don’t panic or lose yourself when things become uncomfortable and don’t go your way. You stay the course and k ..read more