Hazing in Athletics: A Culture that the Realm of Athletics and Coaching May Unknowingly Contribute To! By: Rick Farnham, Retired AD – University of Vermont Athletics have always professed that “sports build character,” but it […]
3-Plate Drill with Johnny Cardenas – Lipscomb Univ.
Watch as Coach Johnny Cardenas explains, and players demonstrate this 3-plate drill where catchers align themselves to the left and right of the plate to practice catching pitches outside of their midline. Johnny Cardenas was […]
Hitting: Isolated Hip Rotation Drill with Noah Sanders – Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock
Watch as Coach Noah Sanders demonstrates this isolated hip rotation drill to help hitters create separation between their upper and lower body.
Baserunning: Dirt Balls with Rusty Stroupe – (Retired) Gardner-Webb Univ.
Watch as Coach Rusty Stroupe explains how he wants his runners to go on all dirt balls except the ones right in front of the catcher. Coach states that 90% of runners who take off […]
Changeup Grips with Mike Bell – Univ. of Pittsburgh
Watch as Coach Mike Bell discusses the changeup and shows examples of the grips for the circle change, split/fosh, 3 finger and the BP fastball.
The Importance of Developing Trust with Athletes with Mike Deegan – Denison Univ.
Watch as Coach Mike Deegan explains that if you really want to influence players it is not about data or proper launch angle but about developing the players’ trust. The ability to be honest with […]
Catching: Footwork Techniques with Todd Coburn – The Catching Guy
Watch as Coach Todd Coburn explains, and a catcher demonstrates using different footwork techniques depending on pitch and batter location.
Outfield: Fielding Ground Balls Hit to the Side with Devan Ahart – Wayne State Univ.
Watch as Coach Devan Ahart explains, and outfielders demonstrate fielding balls hit to either side. The outfielder on a ball hit to the right side wants to open up to their deep angle and make […]
Culture Is Not a Sign or a Saying with Seth Greenberg – ESPN
Seth Greenberg explains that building your culture takes time. Culture is not a sign or saying but how you live every day and how you carry yourself. It involves being consistent and setting expectations and […]
The Count
By: Todd Guilliams Originally Published in: High-Scoring Baseball Provided by: Human Kinetics The count plays an important role in determining whether the hitter achieves a quality at-bat. “It is central to the question of situational […]
Cuts & Relays with Mark Martinez – San Diego State Univ.
Watch as Coach Mark Martinez answers a question on cuts and relays. Individually they work on footwork in their throwing progression and every other long toss simulates a rhythm throw on a relay. Infielders are […]
Weighted Ball Warmup with Blake Allen – DePauw Univ.
Watch as Coach Blake Allen discusses, and a player demonstrates this weighted ball warmup series that forces catchers to overexaggerate wrist and glove movement.
Defining Mental Toughness with Jack Clark – Univ. of CA, Berkeley
Watch as Coach discusses mental toughness and how the term is valued and used a lot but has no clear definition. He states how critical it is that definitions are consistent within an organization so […]
Pitching: Reverse Throws with Bryan Conger – Cincinnati Reds
Watch as Coach Bryan Conger explains that if players are going to be successful they can’t make excuses and, as a coach, you can’t accept them. Complaining goes in conjunction with making excuses and both […]
Infield Footwork and Hand Skills with Jason Crain – Alma College
Watch as Coach Jason Crain explains, and an infielder demonstrates fielding backhand and forehand grounders. The average time from home to first base is 4 to 4.5 seconds so it is key that the infielder […]
Hitter’s Two-Strike Approach with Austin Wates – Kansas State Univ.
Watch as Coach Austin Wates explains how he uses Fall practice to determine if he needs to give his hitters a two-strike approach. The most common approach is to expand the zone by extending another […]
A Lot of Try
By: Coach Mickey Marley Originally Published in: Game Ready – 52 Takeaways for Winning Previously, I shared that my daddy was a professional cowboy in Texas. Kid Marley had many clever sayings related to his […]
Pitching: Knee Pinch Drill with Sean Kenny – Univ. of Iowa
Watch as Coach Sean Kenny discusses, and a player demonstrates this knee pinch drill to help pitchers develop efficient arm movement and rhythm with their foot strike. Coach Sean Kenny was formerly at University of […]
Baserunning: 2nd to 3rd Scenarios with Rusty Stroupe – (Retired) Gardner-Webb Univ.
Watch as Coach Rusty Stroupe discusses his baserunning rules for 2nd to 3rd base and explains the one scenario where you are allowed to break the rules.
How the “Why?” Generation Is Making Coaches Better with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Stephen Mackey gives an interesting take on how today’s generation always asking ‘why?’ can make your coaches better. When coaches communicate, they should always start with ‘yes’ and not ‘no’. If you start with ‘no’, […]
Networking
By: Dan Gould & Cliff Mallett Originally Published in: Sport Coaches Handbook Provided by: Human Kinetics The old saying that “it’s not what you know but who you know” doesn’t always hold true, but having […]
The Role of a Coach with John Smoltz – (Retired) Atlanta Braves
Watch as John Smoltz discusses how baseball is changing, but the role and impact of the coach will never change. He reviews his experiences with coaches from youth through professional baseball.
Defining Commitment with Jeff Janssen – Janssen Sports Leadership Center
Watch as Jeff Janssen discusses defining commitment with your athletes and obtaining their feedback. It is important to question where they feel their commitment level is in regards to practice, social life, and acceptance of their […]
Making It Exciting for Athletes and Fans with Noah Sanders – Univ. of Arkansas at Little Rock
Watch as Coach Noah Sanders discusses how creating a fun and exciting training environment for your athletes can help to increase buy-in and motivate them to be successful.
Catchers Throwing Sequence and Footwork Drills with Johnny Cardenas – Lipscomb Univ.
Watch as Coach explains, and catchers demonstrate their daily practice throwing sequence. The catchers use a ladder to work on footwork motion, momentum, and direction for throws to 2nd base. They also work with connection […]
Digital Distractions: Impact on Athletes Today with Todd Gongwer – Kardia Transformation Group
Watch as Todd explains the impact that digital distractions have on today’s athletes. He will discuss in detail how the following factors impact a team dynamic and make teaching, in general, more difficult. What is […]
Controlling the Running Game System with Justin Scali – Piedmont Univ.
Watch as Coach Justin Scali discusses, and players demonstrate their verbal system for controlling the running game and why the focus is not on getting outs.
Infielders’ Daily Fundamental Drills with Bryan Aughney – Our Lady of the Lake Univ.
Watch as Coach explains and shows practice clips of his daily fundamental drills for infielders. They start with 3 different knee barehand drills for 10 minutes. Getting to their feet, the infielders will now work […]
Baserunning Checklist: Runner on Third
By: Todd Guilliams Originally Published in: High-Scoring Baseball Provided by: Human Kinetics Know how many outs there are. The stakes are magnified because you are only 90 feet (27.4 m) from scoring a run. Have […]
Outfield: 360 Fly Ball Drill with Kerrick Jackson – Univ. of Missouri
Watch as Coach Kerrick Jackson discusses, and players demonstrate this 360 fly ball drill to practice tracking a ball and making an explosive movement in the right direction.