Baseball Batting Coaching Strategies: How to Affix with Your Players

Filed under Hitting by on February 14, 2011 at 19:18 {no comments}

There is a major disconnect in today’s baseball world between coaches and players. Players are becoming increasingly more independent, and coaches have become increasingly more knowledgeable with all the information available at the click of a mouse. As a result, it has become increasingly more difficult to establish yourself as a well-qualified batting coach because you must be able to fully explain the madness behind you batting training methods. The old of age of do this and do that has flown out the window as players are looking for a deeper understanding of exactly what is trying to be accomplished. This is precisely why I want to share 7 overlooked coaching techniques that will make you a more knowledgeable coach, and a better communicator.

The first baseball batting coaching strategy is a bit counter-intuitive. If you have ever conducted a private lesson, you know that most of the time is spent giving the player advice and fixing his mechanical mistakes. This is precisely why I want you ask more questions. Players will agree with you by shaking their head and acknowledging that they are listening, but the real question is do they understand what you are saying? Experience has taught me that they don’t. Ask players questions to get a feel for what doesn’t make sense, do you have a different theory, what do you think your struggling with? The more you know about your player, the more you understand his learning style and the way he approaches hitting. More information allows you to more effectively design baseball batting solutions to his baseball batting problems.

The second baseball batting coaching strategy revolves around emotion and temper. Player emotions will always run high; it is in their nature. Performance feels very personal and when you fail it can be very embarrassing and self-deflating. This is exactly why your relaxed confident nature must never change. If you get frustrated and raise your tone you are only going to add pressure to the situation and fuel the fire. One of the main responsibilities of a batting coach is to ease player tension and get them back to a relaxed state so they can perform at a high level. Keep in mind that your frustration is a result of your lack of ability to help your player make the batting adjustments necessary. If you remain relaxed and positive, so will he.

#3: Change what you say. I was once told that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. If this is your fifth baseball batting training session and your player is still struggling to understand what you are teaching, change the words that come out of your mouth. It’s ridiculous to think that repeating yourself over and over again is eventually going to work. If you truly believe that, tape record yourself and play it back every time you meet because it will save you the trouble of talking! Be creative in your approach and find what connects with your player. Every player learns differently. If you find the sayings that connect with him, then you find the key to creating a better swing.

#4: Follow the Thomas Edison approach. For those of you out there who aren’t familiar with Sir Thomas, he invented the light bulb and also delivered one of the best quotes I have ever heard in my life “I have not failed. I have just found 10,000 ways that will not work”. Failure is a part of hitting a baseball. In fact, the best only hit a little over .300. Every swing brings a new learning experience and one step closer to getting it right. Have three or four big takeaways from every swing to learn from. What do you need to correct? What did you do right so you can repeat it? Hitting is not complicated, but players are. Make it simple and learn to watch your hitters flourish.

#5: You are in a suburb, not a city. Communication is a two way street, not a one-way road. Communication is not talking at your player and getting him to agree with you. Communication is allowing your player to freely form his own opinions and share them with you! I am sure he has feedback on how you could become a better coach! What’s the matter, don’t like what he has to say? Baseball Coaches are always at the front of the line in arrogance. If you want to be a better baseball batting instructor, ask your player what you could be doing better to connect with him. If he says nothing or that you are doing a great job, he is lying. Find out what he doesn’t like about how things are going and you will establish much stronger bond of trust.

#6: Critics are for Critics, not for the batting cage. The only person who likes a critic is another critic. Praise your player for even the smallest accomplishment and always focus on the positive. It is proven that people respond and work harder when they are showered with praise because it gives them the confidence to achieve more. On the contrary, if you start pointing out flaws and throw words around like don’t, you might as well pack your bags and head home. Give your players a reason to look forward to their next swing, not run away and be scared of what comes next.

#7: Laugh more and laugh loud. Baseball is an awesome sport to play. In fact I first started playing because it was fun. I don’t know who brought the serious guy, but he can stay home with the critics. There are too many funny things that happen on a baseball field not to laugh. If you want to be hated as a coach, strip laughter out practice and games. Laughter means relaxation, and relaxation means a better performance. Work hard, get better, but do it while laughing.

These 7 baseball batting coaching strategies will take you a long way on the baseball field. It will not only help you bridge the gap of communication, but it will build the player-coach bond. When you establish a deeper connection with your player, you establish yourself as a well-qualified instructor that your player can rely on for advice. Not only is this bond crucial to your success as a coach, but it is crucial to the success of your players. Begin using these strategies in your next practice today!

Get more effective batting lessons from our blog! When you want to improve your baseball batting skills, you can get the complete information you need today!

Why Coaching Life On The Baseball Field Addresss To More Wins

Filed under Hitting by on January 28, 2011 at 03:44 {no comments}

If I was a betting man, I would wager that you are expecting to read four great skill building drills that you could use in your next practice to better develop your players. In some way you would be right, but I am going to offer you four different coaching techniques that will build you a championship caliber baseball team without ever picking up a baseball. One of the mistakes I had made both as a player and a coach, was that practicing different drills would make me a better baseball player. Although to a certain extent that is true, the real power in getting better lies within your approach and how to persevere.

This became particularly clear to me over this past weekend when I received a text message from a parent of one of my players. In the text it explained how the player was giving a speech in one of his classes and it was regarding the things that he had learned on the baseball field. It wasn?t about how to field a ground ball or how to hit for more power, it was about values he had learned that would help in life. I was blown away. I had made an impact on a young man?s life. Making a positive impact on young player?s lives is still the single most important job of a baseball coach. We as baseball coaches are privileged with the opportunity to do so.

The next time you begin a practice or a game, I want you to take a good look around. Players come from all backgrounds and situations. Some are poor, some are rich, great home, broken home, but they are all there to learn about something they enjoy. Unfortunately for many coaches, they forget that the primary reason players play the game is because it is fun and they want to get better. As a result, the average retirement age of baseball players is 12 years old. Player?s are left with such a bad experience, that they don?t want to continue playing a game they once loved.

The blame is not solely on the coaches in the community. Parents, rules, and regulations all play a part the baseball experience. I have even seen a player that was told he was too good to participate on a local sports team. Are you kidding me? It?s sad to say, but youth sports has become about politics instead of helping young kids establish positive attributes that can help them long after they are done playing the game. Don?t get me wrong, I am all for protecting kids, but not at the expense of compromising the integrity of the game.

I heard an alarming statistic early on in my playing career. The average retirement age of baseball players is 12 years old. I want you to think about that for a second, 12 years old. My guess is that young players stop playing the game because they have had a bad experience, not because they don?t like to play. I am not placing blame on any one person, but what I am saying is that we need to do a better job of communicating with our players and be aware that we are in a position to make a huge impact on young minds.

So whether you are a parent on the sidelines, a league president, or a coach right in the thick of helping players, I want you to keep these four things in mind. The number one motive above all motives is to have fun. Young players play the game because they enjoy it! If you take away the fun, you take away the sport. I have heard the term winning makes everything better. Not true! Winning masks any real problems. Don?t believe me, see what happens when you loose. I have seen plenty of kids get lost on the sidelines while other players get all the attention. If you give all players the opportunity to get better and the instruction they deserve, they will feel a part of the team and win, loose, or draw they will be happy they are on the team.

The second baseball coaching tip, you are teaching more than becoming a great baseball player, you are teaching about how to become successful in life. If you ask any player what he learned on the baseball field, I can guarantee it will not be some great hitting drill or some amazing game he had. It will be about discipline, integrity, sportsmanship, facing his fears, etc. Do your best to teach your players those attributes along with learning to become a better player. Build their character along with their skill.

The third baseball coaching tip, hold every player to the same standard. Whether it be you most skilled player, or the guy last of the bench, if they commit the same crime, they do the same time. Often time?s better players get preferential treatment. This is a sure fire way to create a feeling of resentment on the part of your players and tear your team apart. Not only will they not trust you, they won?t consider you a person they should confide in. Every player is equal regardless of the situation.

Four, players play the game, not the coach. Your role as a coach is to be a guide and a resource. Explain the reasons behind why situational baseball is important and what will put them in the best position to succeed on the diamond. Do not bunt a player out of situation because you don?t feel he is skilled enough to get a hit. Open the lines of communication and make sure that if something is misunderstood, you take the time to explain it further before moving on.

These are just four very simple things that I have learned over my baseball coaching and playing career. My teams win not because I have any special baseball batting techniques, or because I hold the secrets to coaching success, but because I put my players first and hold myself accountable for their success. You do not need a team full of talented players to win. All that you need is a group of players who love to play the game, and work hard at getting better as a team. If you are able to unlock that secret, your success as a baseball coach will be unmatched.

Get more effective batting lessons from our blog! When you want to improve your baseball batting skills, you can get the complete information you need today!

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