Is Forearm Fire For Old Men?
In Today’s post, I answer a reader question regarding what you should do when dealing with a coach (or coaches) that still teach “hello elbow.”
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“How fast are you pitching? Should we get the radar gun?”
When evaluating pitchers, most folks reach for the radar gun. A common tool, but is it the best one for the job?
Read MoreRevolutionary Information for Coaches and Trainers
A GAME CHANGING presentation for coaches and trainers on how to develop youth athletes safely into elite athletes. I guarantee this presentation will surprise you.
Read MoreWhy You Can’t Keep Your Front Side Closed
Does your hitter or pitcher have a hard time keeping the front side closed? Drills and rep after rep not changing much? Stop forcing square pegs into round holes and expecting each athlete to abide by technical standards. Every athlete’s body is built differently, and those differences require us to make adjustments in our instruction. If your athlete has a difficulty keeping her front side closed, and nothing seems to help, watch this video.
Read MoreHow to Deal with Closed-Minded or Contradictory High School Coaches
I’ve had a number of parents come to me in the past month or so with the following conundrum: their daughter has worked extremely hard with a private coach to get her pitching or hitting mechanics to a particular place. Then when her high school season starts, the coach tries to change her mechanics to something completely different. This is an extremely difficult and delicate situation that must be handled with care—no matter how much frustration it may cause you. Not every instance of this problem will be identical, and there’s no way to pin down a solution that will work every time. The following advice, however, may help you get through it as smoothly as possible.
Read MoreEvery Athlete is Not the Same
Today I’m going to talk about a couple of pet peeves I have when it comes to teaching/learning windmill pitching, though what I say can be applied to any skill. The key concept I want to underline is that every athlete is not the same. Every athlete has a slightly different body type, different physical strengths and weaknesses, and different ways of mentally processing information. What do we, as both instructors and students, need to take away from this?
Read MoreInterview with Dr. James Andrews
Dr. James Andrews is a world famous sports orthopedic surgeon who, in this interview, weighs in on the current state of competitive youth sports. Dr. Andrews brings up some very disturbing trends in youth sports including the rise in injuries and coaches trapping athletes into playing one sport all year round.
Read MoreCoaching Objectives: Managing Parents
You don’t want to stumble across a grizzly bear cub if it’s mother is around the corner. And sometimes, the parents of the girls on your softball team can be just as scary.
Read MoreAre Preseason Fitness Tests Hurting Your Athletes?
As spring approaches, many of my athletes are worried about ‘how much running’ their coaches will have them do during tryouts. As a former athlete, I remember this fear all to well. What do the mile-run or post-practice conditioning have to do with a speed and power sport like softball? Coaches, are preseason fitness tests hurting your athletes?
Read MoreCoaching Objectives: The Easiest Way to Make Your Team Better
There is something you can do as a coach that is almost completely in your control and has nothing to do with teaching skills or managing tough game situations. Yet, it can easily strengthen your team, especially if you’re involved with a school program. This post is aimed mainly at coaches of school teams, but it’s good advice for rec/travel coaches as well.
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