Better Men, Better Ballplayers

Better Men, Better Ballplayers

By Trey CobbSportsHealth & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-ImprovementBaseball
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Better Men, Better Ballplayers episodes

  • 13 - Josh Conway "Finding the Right Fit"
    Bio
    Drafted out of Smithsburg HS (MD) in 2009
    Drafted by the Chicago Cubs out of Coastal Carolina in 2012
    Played in the Cubs organization from 2012-2017 
    Finished his degree at Coastal Carolina and assisted in daily pitching work where he got to see how to manage the pitching staff, and was the bullpen coach.
    Hired as a developmental coach for the Baltimore Orioles where he developed advanced reports, and acted as the bullpen coach, and helped the pitching coach.
    Currently the pitching coach for the Frederick Keys A ball affiliate in the Carolina League.
    Wise beyond his years!
    Show Notes
    Its not about what just worked for you, but what works best for the player!
    If you let the guys have a identity you get the most out of them
    The Orioles do a great job not only with player development but coaches development
    Advanced reporting done through trackman and learn how to attack hitters
    Can’t be information overlord, and let the guys have a plan to help them move forward
    There is not one way of doing it, and do what works for!
    I need to do what I am good at, but chip away of the things I am not good at
    The player needs to be his best coach!
    Its about creating the relationship to build trust!
    Pitchers labeled by color based on who they are (yellow guy)
    Put my ego aside, and ask about what other guys did to help them succeed. 
    Progression takes years
    Player plans are fluid and need tweaked as necessary 
    Identify what the pitcher hasMovement profile
    Location
    Best Combination of pitches
    Stand behind the guy and shoot some clips to show him the actionArm at release
    Combination of everything based on the pitcher
    Arm action will tell you a lot about what the ball should do
    How is the body moving
    Do you have success horizontally or vertically in the zone? That will help you find what will be good sequence of pitches
    Work from the plate backwards - if you aren’t landing it on the plate, “is it useful?”
    Buckets of pitcher Vertical guy - up in the zone with high spinning BB. 
    Sinker guy - two seam guy who lives in the bottom of zone with sweeping slider
    Who you are, Who the hitter is, and attack with your strengths
    Where you are at physically, and what pace you are growing, not only physically but mentally.
    Have to have the internal drive to put the work into it, and make it happen
    Working hard won’t guarantee you to play in the big leagues
    Best players:Have a routine
    Huge sense of detail
    Know how to take practice and translate it into the game
    Self confidence that cannot be touched
    BIGGEST thing - they learn from mistakes and get better! STOIC
    See the difference between the high rising fastballs by studying video with the data
    Test yourself with the data to see if your eyes are seeing what it really is
    Common Language between you and the players to when a players “feels good” when he does something well
    We need to get it to where YOU (the player) understands it. The player needs to own it and be his own!
    Lessons have given me an opportunity to give players what they need. Foundational work, and movement profiles, and get coaching reps, and be a better communicator.  
    Contact by email  - [email protected]
    1 hr 10 min
  • 12 Mike Franklin "Servant Leaders, Creating Pitchers, and Why to Slash"
    Show Notes
    After you win a championship no one cares
    Servant club called WAR - Christmas time going and volunteer, doing something for veterans
    Who are you going to serve?
    We need champions for kids
    I can’t find a good story, nothing positive.
    Kids follow the model that we set for them
    Going to a Unified sports meet 
    2 minutes at the beginning or end of the practice to set the mood (mentality)
    2 hour vacation from life
    Make an error, take your hat off, and when your ready put it back on
    The kids changed me as I discovered their stories
    RELATIONSHIPS
    Its not black and white - its not
    Restorative justice
    Normal is what you know
    Each week is a theme
    “Season of Life” book by Joe UrmanWhy do I coach
    Why do I coach the way I do?
    What is it like to be coached by me?
    Two other questions
    How can you project a kid ability?
    Everyone is a pitcher until they are not
    Be unusual - usual gets SMASHED
    Most guys are not 90 mph kids so they should
    Power, crafty, funky, arm plane (sidearm, submarine), hide the ball, timing wrecker, one pitch guy
    Know your kids and the better relationship with the kid the easier it is to put them in a role
    How are the kids feet? Good feet and footwork = good arm plane guy
    When the pitcher shows you their pocket, hitter shows you their pocket
    Sidearm - be quick, great movement, emulate the hili paddle (throw with a bent arm)
    Keys of pitching - Location, velocity, movement, deception
    How well do you know the kid?
    Go find good coaches, and study them!
    2 worst things are pop ups and strikeouts
    More games are lost than won
    Slashing is helping give us a chance to stay out of the air and not strikeout
    Ball, close, and a strike and you better be swinging at 2 of them!
    Mindset that is self made and self motivated, and have to want to do it!  Finding ways to make himself better.  I want to be better!
    Contact info:[email protected]
    www.mike-franklin.com
    Twitter - @AuthorCoachF
    1 hr 7 min
  • 11 Wes Brooks "The Foundation of a program"
    Wes Brooks
    Bio
    Current HC at Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama for 16 years
    21st year coaching baseball
    Started coaching at alma mater Wellborn. 2002 became head coach in 2nd year
    Jacksonville state college
    USA Baseball Coach 
    Brian Cain Mental Performance Master 
    ABSOLUTE STUD!!
    Contact info
    Twitter - @OldGoldSports
     
    Notes
    Do things the right way the wins will be there
    Individuals zooms with each player to evaluate each player
    Indy score and team rank
    Each coach has a comment about a kid and join in with the evaluation
    STUD Day - non mandatory days
    Faith, Family, Fun - 3 Pillars of the program
    Culture has a heartbeat
    The Oxford Way
    Same mission for 4 years to give consistency for HS
    Telescope and microscope goals
    2 days of speed work in the weightroom - do everything as fast as we can do it
    2 days of max effort day
    Different percentages of swings to feel the differences
    Increase max speed to increase average speed
    Stimulate the nervous system
    Good relationships with the summer coaches, and vice versa (if its about the kids)
    70% strike zone command
    +1 -1 for swing decision.
    Specific days for their principles “Accountability Day”
    Break it down - team on 3, tell someone you love em on the way out
    When the kids can teach it, we are in a good environment (Know it, do it, and own it)
    Your best players are the hardest workers
    Define what it means to “play the game the right way”
    Find out what works for each kid to become leaders of themselves
    Old School, New School, Hyrbrid - old school still wins, but showing guys why 
    Winning the day starts the day before when we prepare for the next day
    “Opportunity Clock” not an alarm clock
    Older guys need to know the program inside and out to know what to expect and been taught
    Go back to the first step! Fundamentals and paying attention to details
    His last guy is better than your last guy
    Helping create a players toolbox so when he is in the game he goes and make it whatever way he can
    Bernstein principle - the body will organize it based on the goal
    Friday 5-0 - every friday a copy comes in to talk to the team
    Wednesday - FCA
    Community day where a speaker comes in to talk to the team that is successful 
    Person over the athlete and the person has a little more buyin 
    The game of life, of baseball, and God will reward you when you are ready to be rewarded
    Get it and make it your own
    Alpha at bats - big time at bats
    Met with people all over the program to go over the processes
    2 hr 17 min
  • 10. Tyler Gillum "Rock Star in Cowboy Boots" - Growth Toolbox, Infield, Baserunning, Communication, and much more
    How have you gotten better during the quarantine?
    Trying to connect with a lot of people
    Training online/classes online
    Zoom calls
     
    You came up with a goal of connecting a million people 
    Wanted a crazy goal for people to say wow!
    Put it on the board in 2017 and hasn’t changed yet
    Connections will get me the results as effect of those 
    Kind of became my mission and learned how to treat people due to it
     
    How are you working on your Communication
    Oklahoma accent
    Being conscious and self aware of my accent and being vulnerable of it
    Growing as a coach - when to yell and how to cue
    Self reflecting on how to teach better and figure out how to use visual verbs
    Sticky language (language) - short to the point analogies
    Create stories and tell stories about people
     
    Story from a guy you have motivated and helped develop.
     “Stretch” LHP
    Project kid who wanted to get better
    Picture in january freshman year, and transformation january sophomore year
    Developed in all 9 areas!
    RE 1-9 - relentless effort through 9 areas of life - faith, man, son, teammate, academics, game, practice, S&C
    Growth toolbox (Growth U) - classroom session hourly weekly session to discuss the 9 areas of a person’s life. 
    Improving our program with what we can control
    Taking program to the next level
    Fall of 2015 - January 2016 ABCA speech
    Start with Goal setting (telescope and microscope)
    Telescope - big goals (north star)
    Microscope - daily habits/routines
    Players make them, and then send them to coach
    If there is a discipline issue we pull out the goal setting exercise to put it back on the kids to hold them accountable
    Pre-hab instead of rehab
    Time management always comes up as one of the best days of growth toolbox
     
    How do you balance the life of being with the bananas and at South Mt?
    Just take things off the plate of the head coach
     
    You have 9 years of being an assistant coach, and have a staff of your own with the bananas, so what do you feel makes a great assistant coach?
    Loyalty 
    Doing more than what you are paid for
    Learning from other coaches and being self aware of what the team needs
    Flexibility and adaptability
    Keep improving 
    Be the good cop
    What is the green light special?
    Bucket leads (old school, lean, momentum (new school), walking)
    Teach one of them a day and rep it (3 at the most)
    Bucket pitcher tendencies
    Courtesy runner in charge of tendencies or running subs and they spread the news
    How are you communicating your baserunning system so clearly that each year with a new bunch of guys they can jump right in the system?
    Good players that buy in
    Great coaches who I have stood on their shoulders
    Play fast, be aggressive, nothing has ever been achieved by being passive
    Educate kids every day
    Create the environment for them to thrive (Talk to kid and not yell at him and see his thought process)
    Windows of opportunity
    Working on it daily
     
    Offensive System
    Hit
    Work within an offense (bunt, hit and run, manufacturing runs)
    baserunning
     
    What have been your top takeaways from all of the Infield U happy hour zoom calls?
    Simplicity
    Having one liners
    Creating systems!
     Vision verbs!
    Catch play! Game like and increase body awareness
     
    What traits have you seen in the best players? 
    Internally motivated
    Big vision goal
    Discipline themselves
    Hold themselves to a higher standard
    Hate to lose
    Daily habits 
    Never have to get on the guys to get their reps
    Confidence and positive self talk
     
    What is the best way for people to contact you if they have any more questions for you?
    Twitter @Gillum13
    602-370-7649
    www.gillumbaseball.com
    NOTES
    Where can I grow and make the most connections?
    Transition from senior to first year of college are extremely important!
    Groups that compete all throughout the fall
    Grand junction challenge where there is 30 events to compete
    “Can you guess the telescope goal based on the logged activities for 3 days?” Do your daily habits match your telescope goals.
    Hero, highlight, hardship - sh
    1 hr 59 min
  • 9 - Jeremy "Sheets" Sheetinger; "Culture, Communication, Connection"

    What advice are you giving your players during this pandemic?

    • Building the next team
  • Group me chat to build rapport with current commits and returners
  • Build the team through the summer

    •  

    How have you been growing yourself during this time?

    • On the phone so much that its hard not to
  • Asking what guys are doing with their staff

    •  

    What are some of your best strategies for connecting people?

    • Fighting for empathy with the other person - get on the other side of the conversation and see where they are coming from. Try to see it through their eyes
  • At the core of feel is empathy and living in the other people shoes! ***
  • Invest time, energy and focus into other people
  • Don’t let 15 seconds feel like 15 seconds!! ***
  • Work on it with the gas station attendant 

    •  

    I hear you saying my name consistently, communicating effectively, How are you helping create better communicators?

    • Traveled around with my dad who was a motivational speaker
  • Control a crow and flow of good conversation
  • Funny moment, right into serious moment - that’s where you know you are in control
  • Test the room, and see where you got the room, and hammer on what has them and find how to get them.
  • Be more efficient with my words
  • Feel, constant evaluation mode
  • Shifts in body language, eye contact
  • Recruiting - get closer and engaged when they were hearing the speech
  • More concise and crystal clear - eliminating grey talk, no assumptions to control the narrative.
  • Deliberate choice with your language

    • You have interviewed and been around coaches of all levels from around the country, what are the top things that you took away from the thousands of hours of interviews/conversations you have done?

    • There is a system, and figured out what works for them
  • Tough thing to build a great team, and to do it consistently in incredibly hard
  • We are all chasing elite greatness, and we need to work at being really really good today!

    •  

    How do you prioritize what are the most important things to implement into your program?

    • Always listening and always intrigued and curious
  • You take it and your rooted philosophy and take the information boil it down to the simplest form
  • You can’t change your philosophy every year
  • These things work for me, for our kids, and for our program
  • If your trying to build consistency then coach needs to be consistent

    •  

    What is your system?

    • Still building ours
  • What got you to the middle point? Still good and bad
  • It's been really good. What are the missing points?
  • Where can I fill the gaps. Empowering the coaches
  • 3 year system, less gaps year 2 and 3 - 
  • Does not stray away from trust and love

    • How are you developing the culture of trust and love at GCC?

    • You can never land on being short sighted!
  • Call all 30 players and have 30 different conversations
  • Build back the exact same message
  • Deliberate message - get on you at 10, but love you at 20!!**
  • You don’t have to be perfect but you need to be deliberate **
  • Culture is a measurement of the environment you have created**
  • Championship teams do it this way…
  • Be the example of those expectations
  • Willingness to be vulnerable! **

    •  

    How are you developing your players both menally and physically at GCC?

    • Meet in the classroom and teach
  • Call me “Sheets”
  • Use the classroom to make a big impact
  • Be mindful of helping each player rewrite their own story - rewire and give them responsibilities
  • Talking about stuff other than baseball

  • Do you believe that if you players are better people they will help you win at GCC?

    • 100%
  • The kids knew when I was making selfish decisions to get a better job
  • Servant leadership and not about me, it's about the players
  • The person, the student, the player and in that order of development

    •  

    Do you look for specific traits in recruits? Turn ons and turn offs?

    • Live in the transfer world
  • Want people to leave who feel they are GCC guys
  • Vetting them on the phone
    • Talking with prior coach
    • Who is he? Baggage?
  • Get who you want, but get who we are! ***
  • What is important to you? Winning, being on a great team? Personal development?
  • Specific measurables we are looking for
  • Being coachable

    •  

    You have seen great players from all over the country at all levels. What do those great players have in common?

    • Same as coaches, open minded and wanting more
  • Every championship team has a good catcher, arms, defense, and hitters that came through in certain moments (situationally executed)
  • They did not hate each other, generally they like to be together, and no dysfunction
  • Intrinsically motivated, desire to figure out the best version of themselves
  • They want more
  • Sacrifice is required!

    •  

    You have also seen so many great coaches from all over the country. What do those great coaches have in common?

    • Curious 
  • There thoughts are always moveable
  • Always willing to test their theories/processes
  • Open minded to hear it for what it is
  • Listened to get better, not to respond

    •  

    What is the best way to contact you?

    • @coachsheets3
  • 502-767-7680

    • Notes:

     

    • Come from a centered place! Can’t make a decision from the highs and lows, and always come back to center to make decisions
  • Stay away from recruits who blame others and wired from young age
  • The person, the student, the player and in that order of development
  • Find the courage to act on their own thoughts and ideas
  • At the core of feel is empathy and living in the other people's shoes! ***
  • Don’t let 15 seconds feel like 15 seconds!! ***
  • The people change the game!
    • 1 hr 41 min
  • 8. Matt Swope - UMD "Developing the complete hitter at Maryland"

    BIO

    • Currently assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at University of Maryland (8th year overall)
  • First 5 years he was Director of operations for the Terps
  • During Swope’s time in College Park, Maryland has boasted nine All-Americans, two academic All-Americans and 32 Major League Baseball draft picks.
  • The Terrapins advanced to their only two Super Regionals in school history (2014, 2015) and advanced to two conference tournament championship games.
  • The UMD Alum was drafted in the 2002 MLB Draft by the Montreal Expos after a great career at Maryland
  • A great follow on twitter for some great hitting content
  • A very loyal Maryland guy who breathes crabcakes and Old Bay!

    • How are you still helping your guys during the quarantine?

    • Zoom calls, facetime
  • Talking weekly or specific info
  • Find ways to workout and challenge based on what they have

    • What is something you have been learning during the quarantine?

    • Professional development - over 80 hours with over 200 slides on hitting
  • Being clear and concise
  • Driveline certification
  • 108 certification

    • What lessons do you think will come from this quarantine?

    • Break it down just in the slides
  • Film myself to be clear

    • You have been a part of Maryland getting better and better, what do you think has made you guys successful?

    • My heart is in MD
  • Fully funded, over 200K fundraised
  • Super regional and upgraded facilities
  • Consistent people who are personally invested and passionate
  • Good senior leadership and compulsive competitor

    • Describe the kind of players who have helped you along the way.

    • Competitor
  • Care about the details

    • Describe the kind of players who you have gotten in the way of your guys success.

    • Bad senior/junior leadership
  • Non-competitive
  • Complaining about things instead of encouraging to keep moving forward

    • How are you developing competition?

    • Brought in “The Program” & Brian Cain
  • Growth Mindset, Toughness, and Ownership
  • Pillars are reinforced consistently 
  • We have standards not many rules
  • Last 5 minutes weightlifting competition
  • Outside time is compete time
  • Team practice competition
  • Games with hitters 
  • Forcing competition

    • How are you keeping the focus on the team while individualizing?

    • Better talent, recruit better players
  • First 3 weeks - collect data, film, some constraints, 
  • After 3 weeks - individual program
    • 3 exercises per day - every day for 2 weeks for 5 weeks
  • Help you become your best coach

    • What has changed in the way you teach hitters since you started coaching? 

    • Timing and balance - speeding up may not be best for the athletes movement pattern
  • Specific way to load the machine to get the guys on time and be sure to promote good movement pattern

    • What are you doing to promote good movement pattern?

    • Philosophy is timing and balance in a good movement pattern
  • Start slow to get on time with your movement pattern
  • Control your timing and how you start your move
  • Categorize loose and tight movers  - 
    • Loose movers - most athletic, high leg kick, lot of movement in swing
      • Know why you leg kick and how you leg kick
  • Front foot under the front hip
  • Tight mover - super efficient and tight, small moves at the plate
    • Tight turn - trunk and pelvis closed to provide force to middle of field
  • Hinge position

    • How do you program the decel, next move after contact?

    • Frisbee
  • Exaggerated scissor - striding closed and back foot comes in front of front foot
  • Blocked med ball toss - constraint to throw med ball
  • Reciprocal movement 

    • You have been a part of some great teams, and great players, what are the traits of the best players you have been around?

    • Self motivation and an internal drive with a competitive edge
  • Guys like to be together
  • Recruiting classes are organizing their own zoom calls

    • What do you look for in recruits?

    • Look for the position and how they move and do they have a certain movement pattern
  • Characteristics of guys at certain positions 
  • Cross decisions and collaborate on all recruits - get judgment from each coach
  • No such thing as a one man RC
  • Competitive!
  • Multiple sports, how communicates, social media

    • How much are you working on the mental game?

    • Meditation at the start
  • Write down the routine - know all the routines so know what kids needs at that time
  • Release routines to get out of red lights (when umpire makes a bad call)

    • Has there been some mental skills that have helped with the transition to college?

    • We need failure
  • Be consistent 

    • How do you hold that line and be an example for your players?

    • Be authentic so players know what to expect
  • Be clear and consistent with how you handle yourself

  • Best way to contact you

    • “Maryland Made Hitting” on Twitter/Instagram
  • Go to UMterps.com for all Coach Swope info!

    •  Notes

    • We are playing offense, not hitting. We are playing offense to score runs
  • Write down each players routines
  • Loose and tight movers
  • Good teams don’t have rules, they have standards
  • movements/mechanics off the field, competition on the field
  • Recruiting classes doing their own zoom calls
  • Being vulnerable allow to build relationships
    • 1 hr 27 min
  • 7 - Joey Miller; Crucible Performance "Individualizing the whole hitter"

    Joey Miller Notes

     

    Bio

    • Current trainer for Crucible performance in Frederick, MD
  • Has a full time (40 hour) hitting lesson schedule full of loyal clients
  • Played and graduated from Frederick Community College
  • National Player of the year runner up while at D2 Concord University
  • Set individual records at Concord University 28 HR’s and 140 RBIs
  • Played professional independent baseball for 4 years from 2014-2017
  • Overcame knee surgery after second season to become a 2X All Star 
  • Played independent ball for:
    • Roswell Invaders
  • Washington WildThings (frontier league)
  • Trois Riveries Aigles (Can Am) “Twa Rivi-air Egg-lays” - French for 3 Rivers Eagles (Quebec)
  • Windy City Thunderbolts (Frontier League)
  • Salina Stockade (American Association)
  • Check out his ‘Heavy Hitter” Podcast
  • Player made career!! Knows what it takes to get better!!

    • How are you encouraging your clients during the quarantine?

    • Group Zoom meetings - up to 60 kids
  • Tuesdays and thursdays
  • Indy zoom meetings based on the hitters needs
  • Making us better coaches, and players opportunities to connect with other people

    •  

    What is your process when taking on new clients?

    • 5 tools to develops 
  • Interview - What do you want to do with this game?
  • 2 years ahead of the age level
  • What does that athlete need 2 years from now?
  • Create hitting logs and personal logs
    • 6 questions at beginning of the month
  • Calendar where player writes down notes of how they got better each day
  • Log the results of their game
  • Some video analysis based on the person needs

    •  

    What is your program all about?

    • Don’t rush growth
  • Trust their coaches, but be a person clients can lean in
  • Want to give that kid inspiration to go dominate it!

    •  

    How do you assess your hitters?

    • Figure out the mindset I can help develop

    What is something you used to do that you no longer find value in?

     

    What is something you have done since your first lesson?

     

    What mechanics of the swing you try to teach?

     

    Do you teach your clients about approach?

    • Know your job and be prepared to do your job
  • External goals based on the kids
  • Internal goals based on the kid
  • On deck, in the hole, this is how we prepare

    • What is the mentality of a great hitter?

    • Based on where they are developmentally and then grow that need

     

    How do you challenge your clients?  

    • Present challenges through the adjustments we are trying to make
  • Work through feel and exaggeration

    •  

    How do you teach kids to play one pitch at a time?

    What trait have you seen in the best players you have played with or clients you have helped?

    • Perseverance - kids who have dealt with a challenge and be able to keep moving forward

     

    What is the best way for people to contact you?

    • Social Media - Facebook and Youtube - @CoachJoeyMiller
  • Instagram & Twitter - @CoachJoeyBats
  • Crucibleperformance.us

    •  

    56 min
  • 6 - BONUS Episode "The Player's Perspective"

    BONUS EPISODE!!

    4 of my former players who are currently playing college baseball discuss their perspective on the quarantine, the difference between high school and college, recruiting, and so much more!!

    Big Thanks to:

    Joey Schwartz - Shepherd University 

    Ryan Bywaters - Radford University

    Noah Allen - Flagler College

    Cameron Kutchey - Lock Haven University

    Click here for the NOTES on the episode!

    1 hr 3 min
  • 5 - Chuck Box "Combination of Everything"

    What is the best thing you do to create better men in your program?

    • Combination of things
  • How you do anything is how you do everything
  • Culture - standards set and standards met
  • Everything you do - everyday relentless job
  • Core covenants - every decision is based on those
  • Model behavior with having our families around

    • When do you start implementing your Success Leaves Clues program?

    • Helps instill our core covenants
  • Classroom for his athletes
  • Monday, tuesday, and friday 
  • Teach life skills and leadership skills
  • Advisory board - faculty rep and student rep
  • Fall - speakers, Winter - MVP, Spring - baseball
  • Mentor program - extend invitation to mentor program and honor mentors at a game
  • Intentional seating with veterans surrounding rookies

    • How do you teach the mental side of the game? 

    • Introduce in the fall
  • Practice routines and releases
  • 5-10 minute at the start of practice: breathing, visualization, self affirmation

    • How do you manage all your staff members?  

    • Understand the standards and give them parameters and let them coach
  • Coach my coaches (sit it on meetings, etc)
  • First thursday of the month touch base at IHOP
  • Give them a research project

    • What is the best thing you do for your staff?

    • Get together as a family
  • Give them gear

    • What does your toughness coach do?

    • Toughness program
      • Fire academy special forces branch
  • 12 week curriculum every friday starting in the fall
  • 6 weeks - individual oriented; last 6 weeks - team oriented
  • Each lesson had a theme
  • Tshirt made up with tough friday

    • How have your practices changed over the years?

    • Building failure into practice
  • Charting everything
  • Game like competition 
  • Practicing things that really matter
  • Weighted vest to wear during Bad Body Language
  • Rivalry team to go run poles to create chaos and make them slow themselves down

    • What is something that you have never stopped doing to develop your players?

    • Playing catch - throwing progressions and drill it
  • 20 minutes to practice - MOVE AND PLAY CATCH
  • Attention to detail

    • What would you consider your biggest strength as a coach?

    • Putting it all together, attention to detail

     

    How were you helping your players during this quarantine? 

    • Still coming into small groups
  • Sent them a plan
  • Sunday night Zoom call
  • Bring in former players
  • Call or facetime each player
  • Provide them with resources (character coach, toughness, etc)

    •  

    How do you develop players while still keeping the focus on the team?

    • Indy work before practice
  • 230-315 early work for individuals

    •  

    Development plan? Phases?

    • 10 Phases
  • Phase 1 - strength, speed, movement, toughness, assessments (6 weeks)
  • Phase 2 - fall skills incorporate throwing program and hitting program (6 weeks)

    •  

    What have you noticed between the great players and the average players during your time?

    • Young guy has not developed the mental side (how to fail)
  • Resilience - in their training, routines, game, consistently show up

    • Other points

    • Grade players every 11 games
  • Shell practice schedule on Sunday
  • Detail out the night before
  • Quality at bats and OPS for hitters
  • “Quality control” - walks, HBP and strikeouts
  • Walks, HBP, opponent errors (plus or minus) - big innings happen with those walk/HBP/errors
  • 8 categories offensively -  
  • Dirtbags - team game goals 
  • Find him on twitter - @chuckbox1969

    • BIO

    • Currently the Head Baseball Coach at Hartfield Academy in Flowood, Mississippi
  • 700-321 career record
  • 10 Years coached at Jackson Prep in Mississippi
  • He spent eleven years as a college head coach at Freed-Hardeman University and Itawamba Community College compiling 363 wins 
  • Inducted into the Freed-Hardeman Hall of Fame in 2010
  • 13 players selected to play professional baseball
  • Served as an Assistant at Mississippi College
  • Been a guest on multiple national podcasts - ABCA and Dugout Chatter
  • Always willing to share and help
  • An absolute DUDE!
  • Find him on twitter - @chuckbox1969

    •  

    1 hr 23 min
  • 4. Tom Eller - Baltimore Orioles Hitting Coach - "What the BEST do!"

    Another great interview PACKED with information.  Coach Tom Eller, hitting coach with the Baltimore Orioles, discusses how he has grown from a college coach to working with professional hitters in the Baltimore Oriole organization.

    Coach Eller's main talking points:

    • How he and the Orioles are getting better during the quarantine
  • The differences of when he worked and build great college hitters to how he is building great professional hitters
  • What hitters spend too much time on, and what they should spend more time on
  • What he would look for in the best recruits
  • Traits he has seen in all of the best players
  • SO MUCH in our conversation!!! 

    •  

    How are you getting better during this quarantine?

    • Weekly themed zoom meetings
  • Book club, Navy Seals, special guests
  • Calls with certain hitters and specialists

    • How are you helping players during this quarantine?

    • Hitters meeting
  • Go over player plans
  • Based on last years stats and assessments based on what I knew about them
  • Swing decision and swing characteristic and mobility 

    • You were a great recruiter at Hartford, what were the things you looked for in your recruits?

    • Single tool that stood out
  • Ball player who can do a little bit of everything
  • Want to move on and have a growth mindset
  • Willing to learn and get better
  • NO EGO!

    • What mental skills, qualities in a person, have you seen in the best professional players?

    • Growth mindset - wants to learn
  • Why things are happening, and be sure to ask why it is happening
  • Deliberate practice - why are we doing what we are doing?
  • Reflective and self awareness
  • Don’t know everything. Humble and know when they need to get better

    • How much programming of individuals do you do on your team? 

    • Swing decision 
  • Swing characteristic
  • Movements
  • Train fast - rack used to move body fast and stop body fast
    • Kinetic Chain 
  • Check swing - promotes decel
  • Different bats to train fast
  • Mobility test and work on deficiency
  • Tight mover assist to open the up
  • Lose mover assist to brake and stop movement
  • Buckets of deficiencies - bat speed, bad movers, bad direction, etc. Be creative in your groups and work

    •  

    How has your hitting system changed throughout the years?

    • Clean up problems (not rotating)
  • Clean up path and fine tuning
    • Too steep
  • Scap too early
  • Head moves forward too much
  • DIRECTION
    • PVC
  • Skip stone
  • Dissociation from hands and hips
  • Not everyone can do the same moves
    • I have to teach every guy differently
  • Individualized plans
  • What do hitters do well
  • What do hitters suck at

    • What do you think kids should spend more/less time doing as hitters? 

     

    More

    Less

    Write it down on what went well and what did not.

    -what you hit well

    -write down your results

    -challenge yourself and making it more game like

    -Swing less! 

    -worrying about feeling good during BP!

     

    What do you think coaches should spend more/less time doing with their hitters? 

    More

    Less

    -failing more! Game like

    Blocked versus random practice

    -worrying about feeling good in BP

    What people don’t know is how well you guys stole bases at Harford. How were you guys so successful on the bases?

    • Hitting and running works together. When you worry about baserunning you force bad pitches, and when you hit really well you lose focus on the run game
  • Leads! Knowing where you are and how many steps it takes to get into the lead
  • Who is good at running - label runners and go off the pitchers time. Didn’t worry about catchers because most are the same.
  • Pick up pitchers tells, counts (3-0)

    •  

    What is the best way for people to contact you?

    • Twitter - @CoachTomEller
    1 hr 27 min

About Better Men, Better Ballplayers

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