Watch as Coach Josie Henry and Reginald Lande explain, and a player demonstrates the Med Ball Press and Slam Exercise. The press is for 3 sets of 5 and works on increasing muscle power and […]
Hazing/Bullying in Athletics
By: David T. Morris Originally Published in: Student-Athletes: Control Your Own Destiny Definition of Bullying: As defined by the organization, stopbullying.gov, “bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real […]
How to Help Athletes Prepare Mentally for an At-Bat with Larry Wooten – Wade Hampton High School (SC)
Watch as Coach Larry Wooten discusses how to help athletes to prepare mentally for an At-Bat. He explains in detail his checklist that prepares his players to hit. First, the player must be prepared in […]
Why Play the Short Game? with Karen Weekly – Univ. of Tennessee
Watch as Coach Karen Weekly explains that more games are lost than won as players make errors and mistakes by playing too fast. The short game puts pressure on a defense and causes them to […]
3-2-1 Trio Infield Drill with Leah Campbell – (Retired) Rockwall High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Leah Campbell explains and shows practice video of the 3-2-1 Trio Infield Drill. This drill involves the full infield defense, as 3 balls are hit consecutively to the same player. The 1st […]
Pitching: Water Bags & Balls with Paige Parker – Univ. of Utah
Watch as Coach Paige Parker explains and shows practice videos of her water bag and ball daily warm-up and weekly circuit. The daily warm-up includes ball shaking, single-leg extensions, and high knees, focusing on warming […]
90-45-Straight Up Extension Offensive Drill with Leah Campbell – (Retired) Rockwall High School (TX)
Watch as retired coach Leah Campbell explains and shows video of the 90-45-Straight Up Hitting Extension Drill. This is a tee drill with the batter standing 90 degrees from the plate, with the tee and […]
Practicing Empathy
By: Dan Gould and Cliff Mallett Originally Published in: Sport Coaches’ Handbook Provided by: Human Kinetics The coaching process has been increasingly recognized as a complex social and cognitive system. In this context, the quality […]
4 Double-Play Footwork Mechanics for 2nd Basemen with Colby Corn – Greenville Senior High School (SC)
Watch as Coach Colby Corn explains and demonstrates 4 footwork mechanic options on a double play that allow the 2nd baseman to create space to prevent contact with the baserunner. Coach Corn shows video of […]
Efficient Practice Planning for Full-Time Teachers with Lindsey Gage – Tom Bean High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Lindsey Gage discusses planning a practice schedule for when all involved coaches are working full time. Her system leads to efficient communication between coaches and allows assistant coaches to have input in […]
Coaches’ Legal Duties
By: Rainer Martens & Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Provided by: Human Kinetics Over the past 50 years, through thousands of lawsuits, the U.S. courts have defined and continued to define your […]
Top Hand Tee Drill with Larry Wooten – Wade Hampton High School (SC)
Watch as Coach Larry Wooten explains, and a batter demonstrates this unique top hand tee drill. The batter will have a ball in her hand and be in a throwing position making sure to raise […]
Developing a Game Plan for Your Battery with Melyssa Lombardi – Univ. of Oregon
Watch as Coach Melyssa Lombardi discusses making a plan in regard to your opponent with your battery. It is not always certain who is calling pitches, but it is important to get it right. Meeting […]
Working on Bunting with Jen Fisher – Colorado State Univ.
Watch as Coach Jen Fisher explains and shows practice video of players working on bunting. This drill works on visual skills of recognizing if the pitch is a strike or not, and recognizing pitch zones. […]
Create a Positive Self-Talk Routine with Zack Etter – Univ. of Massachusetts
Watch as Zack Etter discusses creating a positive self-talk routine when communicating with players. He recommends sharing positive information everyday as today’s players are surrounded by negativity. Create an environment that focuses on the positive […]
The Butterfly Effect
Originally Published in: The Leadership Playbook One person can have such a strong effect on the world such as Martin Luther King, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan, and Mother Teresa. In the same way, […]
Contact to Extension Tee Drill with Larry Wooten – Wade Hampton High School (SC)
Watch as Coach Larry Wooten explains, and a hitter demonstrates this contact to extension tee drill. This drill’s focus is to get the barrel of the bat to the ball with quick hands. Start off […]
Leaders Must Look for Opportunities to Serve with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Watch as Robert Grasso explains that leaders must look for opportunities to serve. Leadership is not about power, prestige, or a title, but about looking out for others. He explains to the athletes that their […]
The Mantra of “Get Better Every Day” Applies First to Coaching
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life After 40+ years in coaching, certain things are automatic for me. One of those things is, from the moment a practice, training session, game or season […]
Hitting: Tee Work and Movement Resistance with Shana Easley – Colorado State Univ.
Watch as Coach Shana Easley discusses tee work and the use of resistance bands to work on the batter’s hands and stride. A partner will hold the bungee band back, so the hitter feels what […]
Minimizing Your Athletes’ Anxiety with Robert Schinke – Laurentian Univ.
Watch as Robert Schinke discusses minimizing your athletes’ anxiety. Lack of confidence is the main cause of anxiety for athletes as an upcoming event nears. Focusing on previous negative performances instead of their positive performances […]
Drill Progression to Introduce Blocking to Your Catchers with Kelly Inouye-Perez – UCLA
Watch as Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez explains the drill progression for introducing blocking to catchers. The drill starts with catchers fully geared up and on their knees, working on body blows. The coach throws the ball […]
Leaders Must be Great Communicators with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Watch as Robert Grasso explains his philosophy of leadership on how athletes must be great communicators. They must be able to communicate with teammates as well as the coaches. He stresses that team leaders should […]
Leading Others
Originally Published in: THE LEADERSHIP PLAYBOOK It is not just enough to lead yourself effectively, you must also have a positive influence on others, John C. Maxwell says, “A leader without a follower is just […]
Infielder’s Flips & Feeds with Marissa Young – Duke Univ.
Watch as Coach Marissa Young leads her infielders through an engaging flips and feeds group drill. In this session, players focus on key techniques, including the outside turn, pivot turn, and cut across. They refine […]
Show Up and Don’t Miss the Game with Randy Fox – FoxPoint.Net
Watch as Randy Fox explains that leaders need to pursue excellence, not perfection, as perfection is not attainable or sustainable. He states that an individual can always be searching for the highest and best level […]
The Team! The Team! The Team!
By: Jamy Bechler Originally Published in The Leadership Playbook The old acronym of T.E.A.M. in which together everyone achieves more is true more often than not. Players need teammates that are willing and able to […]
Triangle and X Drills with Michele Biffle – Langham Creek High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Michele Biffle explains, and infielders demonstrate the Triangle and X Drills. The Triangle Drill has the players working in groups of three with two on the baseline and one fielder. The shortstop […]
Groundballs: Palm Up vs. Palm Down with Josh Bloomer – Arizona State Univ.
Watch as Coach Josh Bloomer explains, and infielders demonstrate this palm up vs. palm down groundball drill. The ball always dictates where an infielder’s glove should be. If a groundball is coming to a fielder […]
Put It Into Practice
By: Dr. Colleen Hacker Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics Coaches and sport leaders cannot control athletes’ feelings of confidence; however, they oversee the environment in which athletes perform. The following suggestions […]