Better Men, Better Ballplayers

Better Men, Better Ballplayers

By Trey CobbSportsHealth & FitnessMental HealthEducationSelf-ImprovementBaseball
Download on the App Store

Better Men, Better Ballplayers episodes

  • 53 - RJ Farrell Orange Lutheran HS (CA) / Coastal Empire Baseball

    RJ Notes

     

    BIO

    • Assistant Coach Orange Lutheran
  • 12U USA Baseball Head Coach
  • Coastal Empire Baseball Academy co-founder
  • Infield genius
  • Incredible person
  • Grower of the game



    • Show notes

    • Train as fast as possible 
  • Team setting and camp setting are very different in terms of coaching
  • We need to make sure what we are doing translates to game
  • High school challenge starts day 1 - best inf in the country
  • Camp side - every ball on the ground is an out
  • Infield play is not just groundballs
  • Throwing program gets every footwork pattern, and throwing lane
  • Chart the type of groundball and then lane 
    • Ground ball 1-5 - burner to high chop
  • 4 lanes - backhand, decision, routine, forehand
  • Middle guys work the hole more than in the middle (based on their chart)
  • The chin or bill of hat is heading away from the ball they are bailing
    • If the chin/bill stay in line on the drop step he is setting up the hop
  • If infielder bobbles it in practice we praise it because he is trying to go fast
  • When shifting be sure to practice those shifts, and making plays in those positions
  • @coachfarrell017
  •  
    • 1 hr 8 min
  • 52 - 1 year reflection; 4 common lessons

    52 Episodes!!

     

    This first episode of the year was solo, and the last episode of the year will be solo!  

     

    This was uncomfortable for me, because this podcast is not about me. This podcast is about helping others, and growing the game. I hope that this episode brings to light all the great lessons that we have heard throughout this year. 

     

    I hope this episode helps you get better.  

     

    4 common lesson learned throughout this year:

    1. Teach your players to be their best coach - equip them with skills to be their best coach

    2. Be willing to share. Be humble enough to serve others, and share like so many coaches continue to do!

    3. Individualize in your team setting. Give each player the individual attention they need. There should be a part of each day that each kid should have a personal touch.

    4. We are always preparing for something. Whether we know it or not, we are preparing for something. 

     

    contact me at 301-992-4301 or [email protected]

     

    Like on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

     

    #BMBB

    24 min
  • 51 - Steve Springer; Quality At Bats Academy

    Steve Springer

    Bio

    Steve Springer is the former performance coach & major league scout for the Toronto Blue Jays.

    After not starting in high-school his SR year, getting cut in college, Springer was drafted by the Mets after a breakout junior season.

    After years in the minor leagues, Steve eventually collected his first major league hit with the New York Mets.

    Steve played over 14 years as a professional baseball player and compiled over 1,600 professional hits.

    Over 35 years in professional baseball as a baseball player, agent and scout.

    He now travels and speaks across the country about the mental side of hitting while working and training with major league all-stars.

    He resides in Huntington Beach CA, and is the author of Quality At-Bats and the founder of Quality At-Bats Academy.



    NOTES

    • Take BP, infield like it is the game
  • If you want to play at the next level you have to hit
  • What is athleticism? Hand/eye coordination
  • Your career starts the day when you don’t care what you hit
  • Change the way you think
  • Play everyday like its opening day, no yesterday beating you up!
  • Two good players, the confident player and the non confident player
  • Clint Hurdle put a Q on the lineup card for a quality at bat
  • Hitting starts when you pick up the paper in the morning, and you start visualizing the pitcher and what he is going to do
  • I can’t have a goal where I do everything right and get out.
  • Changed what the definition of success
    • I am hear to help my team win ball game
  • 90% of the quality at bat is how I walk up to the plate 
  • The most quality at bats - got best buy gift cards
  • Good hitters line out hard more!
  • The batting average has no brain
  • The only stat I want to track is how many games in a row you can show up with confidence
  • You don’t get 5 at bats, you get 27 at bats, look at other players at bats
  • Sit fastball, until you don’t have to
  • Controlled violent swing
  • Your not too small to get good grades
  • The harder the pitcher throws, the slower the feet need to move
  • Power is overrated if you can’t hit
  • Infielders thinking missiles hitting to us everytime
  • Best athlete heart beat is between 60-80
  • Its not a 3 hour timeout
  • Pitchers compete with mentality of 9 vs 1 and I got a great defense behind me
  • If you ever tick off the umpire - now its 9 versus 2
  •  

    •  

    1 hr 9 min
  • 50 - Will Marshall 108 Performance (CA)

    Will Marshall Notes

     

    BIO

    • Current Operations Coordinator and Lead Pitching Instructor for 108 Performance in Tustin, California
    • “Bridge the Gap” coaches convention clinician and organizer
    • Former Professional player in the United Shores Professional Baseball League
    • Former Select ball organizer and commissioner of Texas Wiffle Ball League
    • Graduated and played at the University of Dallas 
    • LEARNER!
    • Challenges the status quo to help grow the game

     

    Notes

    • Big concepts/first principles of movement/training- don’t get lost in the weeds
    • Blending 
    • Nothing your coach ever told u was wrong, just may not have been right for you 

     

    Show notes

    • Youth players do not have to talk about movements because they are the best movers. 
    • Make it a game, make it fun, have constraints
    • Learn what the kids believe, and then go to work on 
    • If you were to teach me how to hit what are the most important aspects of hitting
    • Close your eyes and put yourself in a situation and tell me a time when you felt your best. Describe it for me, and put it in your own words, write it down. Then each rep should be trying to achieve that feeling. Reference that each day to see where they are at.  
    • Pretend like you do not know, and keep digging to get to the core beliefs - get an understanding of how their brain works
    • Take 2 weeks to get to know your kids and really breakdown see what they know
    • Get a look inside their snow globe
    • Big difference of what needs to happen and what the player needs to feel to make it happen
    • Analyze what in the movement is wrong, analyze his belief, and then find the right cue based on that athlete
    • Constantly evaluate my system, and see how I can make it better
    • If you don’t give the honest feedback, you are telling them you do not care
    • Let go of the cues, feels that worked for us, because our kids may not understand them
    • If it works for the kids, it works!
    • Technology is just the numbers to match what we used to feel and see
    • If the player is not moving well, you have to teach the movement
    • Flavors of ice cream - the best drills that work for you, do them, and not all the rest
    • Stay big principle and concept to help teach movement and get results
    • Be objective as possible when looking at a hitters, pitchers movements
    • When do you need to create the most force on the ball?
    • When do you need to create the most force in the ground with my back leg?
    • Take context outside of baseball
    • Big picture, and then play the WHY game to peel back the layers
    • If the player did not interpret did not the cue the way you wanted to, then you need to go back to the concept/principle.
    • Do my players understand where I am coming from? 
    • www.108pa.com
    • 108_Performance
    • @willymarsh108

     

    1 hr 24 min
  • 49 - Joel Sato: Bingham High School (UT)

    Bio

    • Head Coach Bingham High School (South Jordan, UT)
  • Took over 1993 after serving as an assistant coach for 17 years
  • As a HC he has been apart of 14 regional titles and 5 state championships
  • Overall he has been a part of 14 state championships in his time at Bingham (3 as a player-2 basketball/1 baseball;  4 asst. Baseball; 2 asst basketball;   5 as head coach)
  • 2014 Coach Sato was inducted into the the National HS Baseball coaches Association Hall of Fame
  • Served USA baseball selection task force
  • Clinician at the National HS Baseball coaches association
  • Served as president for the Utah HS baseball coaches association
  • Chairman of the Rocky Mountain district liaison to the National HS Baseball Coaches association
  • First class person
  • Always learning. He is a first row audience member!
  • Is a teacher!



    • Notes

    • Challenge now is having all this information and seeing what we can implement and take into our program
  • You measure what to implement by the success you have over the course of time
  • Challenge BP instead of feel good BP
  • At least one to two sets of BP that players will be challenged
  • Define what mentally tough is
    • Being at your best when you need it
      • Slow it down
  • Have a routine - breath, clear mind, focal point, one positive process thought
  • calm everything down
  • Process oriented - see the ball, be on time, execute this pitch
  • Release routine - a way to get rid of what bad happened, calm down, step back, and then move on
    • Take it into life, so you know how to handle it in the future
  • All players in our program practice together 
  • Classroom session at least once a week to discuss lessons, both intentional and at a teachable moment
  • Part of the gym hitting, part of the gym defense
    • Split into infield/outfield or pitchers/catchers and position players
  • Finish with team competition - two teams go against each other
    • Bunt scrimmage
  • First and third situation
  • Run downs
  • “Fire drill”
  • Tryouts 4-5 days
  • Write out the first week 
  • Couple bunt defenses, 1st and 3rd situations, just basics to get the year started, and as we get into the next phase of the season we will add more
  • Practice planning based on what we don’t do well in game once the season starts, and adding things we could not get to
  • Early in the year planned out, games start make adjustable
  • All players in the program go to every varsity game
  • Given staff ownership of their roles and let them work
  •  Build the culture, building young men to better young men and the baseball got better
  • Build young men first, not chasing wins
  • Treat the guys the right way to do things on and off the field
  • Groups take a core value and present on it and what it means to us
  • Come up with one word that would describe what people would say about us when they see us play
  • 801-842-6150
  •  
    • 1 hr 17 min
  • 48 - Matt Lisle; Hitting Vault, MLB Hitting Coach

    Bio

    • Private instructor:
      • Hitting Vault - https://thehittingvault.com/
  • www.coachlisle.com
  • https://recruitedinsider.com/
  • Close to Million followers through his private/social media platforms
  • Former 
    • hitting coach for Fresno State University softball
  • Hitting strategist with Chicago White Sox
  • Hitting coach University of Missouri
  • Head Softball coach Menlo College
  • Assistant softball coach Santa Clara University, California State University, University of Oregon
  • Associate Scout for the Detroit Tigers
  • Head Baseball coach Gallaudet University
  • Head baseball coach st. Mary’s Catholic High School
  • Associate HC at Patten University
  • HC Berean Christian HS
  • Every level from HS to MLB
  • Author of “Dear Coach,” #1 coaching industry book on Amazon Best Sellers




    • Notes

    • Learning how to deal with personalities and help players with who they are 
  • How to find out how the best way hitters take feedback. 
  • Asking how do you like your feedback?
    • Creates accountability
  • How do you like to communicate?
    • text/phone call/
  • Find a way to connect
  • Its not about me, its about the athlete
    • Not about my career, its about helping the players career
  • Relationship to the client to have more of a relationship with them than just a hitting client
  • Develop trust, and when you do it makes it easier to give criticism.
  • Asking more questions than talking
    • Goals
  • Feedback
  • What is in your head
  • Current situation
  • First question
    • What is going on in your head
      • Is it approach, confidence, 
  • Your swing did not change that make, mental has to be first question
  • How do I understand that hitting is hard, and this is a huge game of failure
    • One hit away
  • Learning some perspective
  • Help players develop/create a routine
    • Create ownership by players creating their own routine
  • Pitch routine
    • Start working on breathing
  • Best swings/decisions start with slow breath
  • Focus on a specific spot
  • Positive self talk - rip it, 
  • Each pitch, scratch the box, wipe the box clean, and now we start all over again.
  • Balance of feeling good, and making it challenging.
  • Good combination of build off between feel good, and challenging.
  • Ball exit data - hit trax, rapsodo, trackman
  • Swing data - Blast and DK
  • WinReality
  • K-vest - body movements and positions
  • Used to assess where hitters are at, and create goals
  • Bat Speed and Attack Angle 
    • Higher bat speed higher EV
  • AA to hitting more consistent line drive
  • Working together with the Strength coaches with their hitting plans
  • Invest some time in learning strength and conditioning to learn how the body moves and help your hitters
  • Individual hitting plans
    • Create a plan for each hitter
  • Team batting practice - station work, team stations and individual (homework) hitting station, and game like situational station
  • Always learn
  • Have a growth mindset
  • I have found a better way
  • Put away your ego and pride
  • Never settle
  • @coachlisle
  • www.thehittingvault.com

    •  

    1 hr 1 min
  • 47 - Tim Held Archbishop Moeller High School (OH)

    Bio

    • 14th season as HC at Moeller
      • 7 trips to the final four
  • 4 time Ohio state champion (2009, 2012, 2013 and 2015)
  • 25th year at Moeller
  • eight-time conference Coach of the Year
  • 4 time City Coach of the year
  • 2009 Bob Sumerel Greater Cincinnati Coach of the Year
  • 2010 State Coach of the Year
  • 4 time Defiance College Alumni Coach of the Year
  • 2015 NFHS coach of the year for the state of Ohio
  • 2013 Cincinnati Reds/MSA Sport Coach of the year
  • 2015 & 2017 Perfect Game All American game and an assistant coach for the East team
  • 12 players drafted during his time
  • Dozens players have went on to play in college



    • NOTES

    • Sat in the front row of a clinic
  • What’s next, what is going to help make my players better
  • Hit trax to see what real ball flight 
    • Shows where actual hits come from (angle of ball)
  • Line on the top of the cage to show the angle that will be a hit 75% of the time
  • Eugene Bleeker 108 performance book and certificates
  • Grouping based on blast numbers  
  • Blend the old school and new school
  • Hit Trax was there to give them intent during practice
  • 10/10/10 tee work to hit at different angles and sides of the field
  • Green light system with the runner time to second with the combo of pitcher and catcher
  • Dirt ball reads, players at each base with coach throwing balls in the dirt or balls at them
  • 4 pillars - 
    • Make good people
      • Wake up
  • What you eat
  • Class on time
  • Dressed the right way
  • Alums come back at Thanksgiving and Christmas and ask when the cage and weightroom are open
  • Twitter - @timheld
    • @bigmoebaseball (and Instagram)
    • 1 hr 21 min
  • 46 - Dave Webb; Corona Del Sol HS (AZ) & USA Baseball

    BIO

    • Current Head Coach at Corona Del Sol (AZ) 6A (16 seasons, 23 overall)
  • 5A state champion in 2009 (biggest at the time)
  • Final four 6 times
  • State finalists two other times!
  • Head coach of USA Baseball 14U and 12U National teams
  • Program mission “to help teach young men to always be great human beings.”
  • A chess player in the game of baseball
  • Master of the West coast offense
  • Energy giver!



    • Notes

    • Grades first
  • Character first program
  • Aztec 101 - first parent meeting to discuss expectations
  • Over communicating is huge. 
  • Offensive communicator!
  • Beat them to the punch with communication.
  • See how many 1 run games you win and lose. Then have your practice/principles around them
  • 4 base bunting - different bunt at each base
  • Suicide squeeze set up for future
  • “Be the wedge” - set your angle to bunt to first
  • Tape at the end of the bat to bunt/feel the ball at the end of the plate
  • Set the angle early, top of the zone, find the ball (make sure it is a strike)
  • 33 feet at 55 mph = 88-90 mph
  • Baserunners with Live BP
  • 3B makes an error, next pitch gets dragged
  • Coach it, say why
  • Coach it, tell them how it happens in a game
  • Explain how it applies to the game
  • Look at other peoples deficiencies and exploit them, find it and pick it like a scab
  • Late secondary - make sure the pitcher let the ball go
  •  
    • 1 hr 28 min
  • 45 - Jeff Sherman Marcus High School (TX)

    Bio

    • Head Coach Flower Mound “Marcus” High School (TX)
  • USA Baseball 15U National hitting coach
  • Overall record at Marcus since 2013 is 198-46
  • 2014, 2018 Region Finalist 
  • 2014, 2018 District 6A COY
  • Set the record for most wins in a season at Marcus (32) *multiple times
  • Marauders have been ranked in the, top 5, top 10, and top 25 in the state of Texas during his time
  • 2015 was top 5 in the country 
  • Great guy, willing to share, who loves his faith and family!

    •  

    Notes

    • The great coaches take failures from the jungle (games) and breakdown them in the zoo (practice)
    • HS doesn’t have “relief” pitchers, its next best guy!
    • You are playing the worst sport in the world to FEEL GOOD!
    • Jungle right away in practice!!
    • Learn how to take in the cage
    • When you ball strike you are out of the cage
    • 6 pitches, no more than 4 swings
    • 3 levers in training - intensity, complexity, and velocity
    • Transactional versus transformational coaching made a big change in our program
    • Questioning! 
    • The game doesn’t give you the answers. Create problem solvers
    • 10 question reflective quiz to help individualize and develop questions
    • The team that is the most vulnerable “the most real” are the best teams
    • Heavy, medium, easy days of throwing
    • Coach hard, love your guys, 
    • What does it take to win, and back map from there
    • Have a voice recorder, and take your thoughts in there and analyze them at the end of the night.
    • @jeffsherman26
    • Facebook

     

    1 hr 23 min
  • 44 - Johnny Poss: Wilson College Head Coach

    Bio

     

    • 4th Season as Head Coach of Wilson College
  • Started the program and went 21-13 in the inaugural season
    • Led the conference in pitching and defense
  • Made the conference playoffs
  • During his time at St. Mary’s Catholic High School he was 123-28 and sent 22 players to play in college
  • Assistant coach at his alma mater, Dematha HS where they won 2 private school state championships during his tenure
  • Played at UMBC and Winthrop University before playing some independent ball in the Frontier and Atlantic league
  • In 2000 he also had some time in the Baltimore Orioles organization

    •  

    Show notes

    • Make sure kids go to a good fit. (no D1 or bust)
  • Create competition in a program at every position
  • Recruiting comes down to personality
  • Be sure coach has a good roster full with information to contact players
  • Recruiting is about relationships and families need to believe what you are about
  • You have to adapt as a coach and get better. 
    • Never get rid of some of my old schools ways but will adapt with new tendencies
  • Thank each school for their recruitment no matter if you have no intention of going there
  • Be available for all my players!
  • Once the kids know they sincerely care for them they will want to play for you!
  • There are certain things you do every time you step on the ballfield. Respect the game
  • Post pre and post practice jobs
  • Phoenix challenge - end of fall challenge with teams
  • No cookie cutters. Let players play to their strengths within the program
  • You can’t get up and down for games you have to stay a little bit above the norm
  • Have the kids buy into your and your goals. Buy into you first
  • The best team police themselves. If the coach has to police them it will be a long year
  • App “headspace” - meditation app to help shut the brain down
    • First part of practice to help breathing and get yourself in control and slow things down
  • Never say no to a coach right away. You never know what will happen. After the academic/financial package you will get around at least 40% if you do well academically.
  • Wilson athletic website (cell phone or office number)
    • 1 hr 32 min

About Better Men, Better Ballplayers

From the publisher's feed

Concrete content for anyone looking to get better. This community is for people who want to grow themselves, and grow the game. We know the game of baseball teaches us so many valuable life lessons!