By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life “When evaluating your team, look first in the mirror with honest intent.” What is your mental approach to coaching? By your mental approach, I’m not asking […]
Infielder’s Hot Wheels Drill with Kat Ihlenburg – Georgia Gwinnett College
Watch as Coach Kat Ihlenburg explains and shows video of this infielder’s hot wheels drill. The drill consists of 4 players who start on a base and covers the 6 most common throws that occur […]
Empowering Coaches: Strategies for Supporting Youth from Struggling Homes in Athletics
By: Scott Garvis, CMAA Provided By: NHSACA As a coach, it’s essential to support students who come from struggling homes. These kids may face various challenges, and coaches can play a vital role in providing […]
Dynamic Infield/Outfield Throws with Austin Wasserman – High Level Throwing
Watch as Coach Austin Wasserman talks about an infielder drill to work on shifting weight, footwork, and working on going to the backhand side. He also talks about outfield footwork and throwing drills to focus […]
Breathing Exercises
By: Dr. Colleen M. Hacker, Mallory E. Mann Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics Learning to breathe properly can either activate or calm and relax your body. You can use the […]
Throwing Drills with Karen Weekly – Univ. of Tennessee
Watch as Coach Karen Weekly explains and shows video of these practice throwing drills. The Knee Drill works on keeping the hand on top of the ball in a continuous fluid motion. Make sure the […]
Feet in Cement: Top & Bottom Hand Slapping Drill with Kenzi Corn
Watch as Coach Kenzi Corn explains and demonstrates the Feet in Cement Slapping Drill. The batter’s feet should be set up as if they were in a contact position and they will not move throughout […]
Small Plate Pitching Day with Paige Cassady – North Carolina State Univ.
Watch as Coach Paige Cassady explains, and pitchers demonstrate small plate day which means there is a tight strike zone. Pitchers want to throw competitive pitches that put pressure on both the hitter and the […]
Coaching Yourself: Managing Your Emotions
By: Rainer Martens & Robin S. Vealey Originally Published in: Successful Coaching Just like athletes, coaches must manage their emotions to perform effectively. Your personal example of managing your anxiety is a powerful model for […]
Quick Hands Tee Drill with Larry Wooten – Wade Hampton High School (SC)
Watch as Coach Larry Wooten explains, and a hitter demonstrates the Quick Hands Tee Drill. The hitter will be in a normal stance but will raise the back heel to take away the lower body. […]
There Is Nobility in the Struggle with Dr. Colleen Hacker – Team USA / Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Watch as Dr. Colleen Hacker discusses mental toughness and how today’s environment and culture do not value and respect the struggles and difficulties that athletes encounter. Not achieving in any form of athletics may be […]
A Hard Conversation
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life “Face toward the problems” Sports afford coaches a wonderful opportunity to teach life lessons within the game for beyond the game. The first step in this […]
Coaching First Base with Tim Walton – Univ. of Florida
Watch as Coach Tim Walton explains how you need to develop a philosophy on what role your base coaches should play. He describes that he likes to position himself as a 1st base coach, behind […]
Do or Die Drill with Michele Biffle – Langham Creek High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Michele Biffle explains, and players demonstrate this ‘Do or Die’ partner throwing and conditioning drill. The 1st round involves throwing the ball up in the air as high as possible then backpedaling […]
Improving Your Players’ Confidence with Zack Etter – Univ. of Massachusetts
Watch as Zack Etter discusses improving your players’ confidence. It is key that the players understand that the conversations they have in their head (self-talk) can be either beneficial or detrimental. The words you use […]
NIL: What High School Students Need to Know
By: David T. Morris Author of: Student Athletes: Control Your Own Destiny NIL is an exciting opportunity for both college and high school athletes, but before you dive into name, image, and likeness deals as […]
Common Inhibitors to an Efficient Swing with Mike Candrea – (Retired) Univ. of Arizona
Watch as Coach Mike Candrea discusses these common inhibitors to an efficient swing. He will explain and give examples of the following inhibitors that have a negative impact on hitters: #1 – Sway, #2 – […]
Great Teams Don’t Happen by Accident with Robert Grasso – La Jolla Country Day School (CA)
Watch as Robert Grasso discusses La Jolla Country Day’s leadership programs for athletics and how developing a culture is the key for a successful team. He explains great teams don’t happen by accident and although […]
In and Out Hitting and Defensive Drill with Leah Campbell – (Retired) Rockwall High School (TX)
Watch as Coach Leah Campbell explains and shows practice video of the In and Out Game. This is a hitting and defensive drill that is very competitive and that the players enjoy playing. The team […]
Athletes’ Stressors & Resilience with Dr. Peter Ormsby – Univ. of North Carolina at Pembroke
Watch as Dr. Peter Ormsby discusses athlete stressors and resilience. Nearly 33% of athletes report mental health symptoms which is higher than general population samples. He will explain some of the types of stressors that […]
Developing Athletes at Practice
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life “The best athletes have the most potential to be the best players.” Prior to, and possibly including 8th grade, I think all players benefit from playing […]
Recruiting, NIL, and Student-Athlete Priorities
By: Adam Sarancik Author of: Coaching Champions for Life One significant reason Hall of Fame college coaches such as Nick Saban, Jay Wright, Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski retired prematurely is NIL (Name, Image and […]
Competitive Pitcher Games During Practice with Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro – Univ. of Florida
Watch as Coach Stephanie VanBrakle Prothro discusses “perfects” and “pitch partner off the bikes” competitive pitching drills. She explains that there are 4 mounds, and she describes what tasks and pitches would be the focus […]
Leadership Drives the Culture with Jon Gordon – The Jon Gordon Companies
Watch as Jon Gordon explains that leadership drives culture. It is important to identify what you stand for, what you want to be known for, and what you value. Culture is not static, it is […]
How to Build Integrity with Stephen Mackey – 2Words Character Development
Watch as Stephen Mackey explains how to build integrity in athletes through sports. He discusses three exercises that can build integrity muscle: tell the truth, make commitments count, and take 100% responsibility for your actions. […]
Developing a Thriving Culture
By: John Klessinger – South River High School (MD) Being a successful organization is all about developing a thriving culture. An organization without a positive culture may thrive in the short term but hardly ever […]
Infielder’s Timing Hops Drill with Josh Bloomer – Arizona State Univ.
Watch as Coach Josh Bloomer explains that the infielders should be in motion prior to the pitch reaching the batter. This drill focuses on timing the hop out so that the infielder is landing as […]
9 Questions to Help Athletes Achieve Their Full Potential with Jamie Henk
Watch as Coach Jamie Henk discusses the 9 questions for reaching full potential that she has her players fill out before the season starts. The player will write down in their own words the answers […]
Setting Effective Goals
By: Dr. Colleen M. Hacker Originally Published in: Achieving Excellence Provided by: Human Kinetics Olympic athletes, like most high achievers, commonly set goals to guide and motivate performance. These elite performers would not engage in […]
The 30-Second Pitching Drill with Norie Mueller – Veritas Preparatory School (SC)
Watch as Coach Norie Mueller breaks down a 30-second pitching drill. This drill benefits both pitchers and catchers by building conditioning, explosiveness, accurate throws, and rhythm. Coach Mueller provides detailed insights into the specific actions […]