Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, you will learn:

How to utilize your warm-up so you're not just getting ready for practice

How we organize practice to take advantage of player's attention plans

The trick we use to get the most out of players during baserunning and team defense times.

Why the order of your practice matters more than you think

How we condition in practice, and why the kids don't know they're doing it

 

 

Resources of the show

Cornerstone Elite - This monthly membership offers everything a head baseball coach needs to run a successful program from skills and drills to practice plans, to program building documents.  You need it, it's in here.

Sample practice plan - This 2 - hour practice plan shows how we maximize our time and get the most out of a limited facility and coaching staff.

Cornerstone Warm Up - This 12 minute warm-up prepares players for practice or games while working on agility, core power and flexibility, and specific baseball related skills.

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, you will learn: How to utilize your warm-up so you're not just getting ready for practice How we organize practice to take advantage of player's attention plans The trick we use to get the most out of players during baserunning and team defense times. Why the order […]

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, we deliver part 2/2 of developing a small ball philosophy that generates big innings:

How to make bunting an offensive weapon

Our success levels for bunting... it may not be what you think!!

Our unique philosophy on stealing bases...it's not about how many!

My flip flop on utilizing the hit and run.

 

 

 

Resources of the show

Small ball tactical game - This is a great game for practices to put decision making in the hands of your players while letting them work on both offensive and defensive aspects of bunting, stealing, hitting and running, and holding runners.

Small Ball for Big Innings - This course, available to Elite members only, will totally revolutionize your small ball game, and give you tools to teach bunting, hit and run, straight steals, and tactical games to make your practices translate into games.

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, we deliver part 2/2 of developing a small ball philosophy that generates big innings: How to make bunting an offensive weapon Our success levels for bunting... it may not be what you think!! Our unique philosophy on stealing bases...it's not about how many! My flip flop on […]

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, we deliver part 1/2 of developing a small ball philosophy that generates big innings:

What small ball is...

What small ball is not...

How to fit your philosophy to your team's individual skills.

Why your philosophy should change from year to year.

 

 

 

Resources of the show

Small ball tactical game - This is a great game for practices to put decision making in the hands of your players while letting them work on both offensive and defensive aspects of bunting, stealing, hitting and running, and holding runners.

Small Ball for Big Innings - This course, available to Elite members only, will totally revolutionize your small ball game, and give you tools to teach bunting, hit and run, straight steals, and tactical games to make your practices translate into games.

 

Remember, next week we will have part  2 of the Small Ball for Big Innings Podcast.

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy Podcast, we deliver part 1/2 of developing a small ball philosophy that generates big innings: What small ball is... What small ball is not... How to fit your philosophy to your team's individual skills. Why your philosophy should change from year to year.       Resources […]

You have a player who is struggling badly at the plate.  You guys have spent countless hours in the cage and on the tee.  You have changed the stance, the load, the bat path, they’re using their body more efficiently, they are on plane with the ball, and they still aren’t hitting a lick in the games. 

Those mechanics, or swing, fixes likely made them better at swinging the bat, but did they really make them any better at hitting?  Maybe the key lies in working more on hitting, not just on swinging?

Get Our Top 5 Hitting Drills Here

What’s the difference you ask?  Here are a few examples:

Swinging - Only paying attention to the pitcher when you are hitting.

Hitting - Paying attention to the pitcher when your teammates are hitting.  Do you know this pitcher throws only curveballs after fastball strikes and always throws a fastball after a curveball ball?

Swinging - Guessing what pitch is coming next.

Hitting - Having an educated guess at what pitch and location is coming next.  This team hasn’t busted anyone in all game with two strikes, better look away!

Swinging - Learning to load properly. We’ve all heard this one, “Jonny can’t hit slow pitching.” My guess is Jonny works on his swing a lot, but doesn’t work on hitting very much.  Make sure he sees a variety of different locations and velocities during his BP sessions. 

Hitting - Being able to load on time for a variety of different pitches, locations, and velocities. The job of a BP pitcher shouldn’t be to throw the ball right down the middle, anyone can hit that.

Swinging - Blaming the BP pitcher for all the bad pitches you are swinging at in the cage.

Hitting - Learning to take those bad pitches, because when else are you going to get to work on it?  In the game?

Swinging - See ball, hit ball in the cage or BP.

Hitting - Putting yourself in advantage (1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-0) and disadvantage (0-1, or any 2 strike count) and working on your pitch selection and intent for these counts during BP or in the cage.

Swinging - Putting the ball on a tee right down the middle and taking 100 swings.

Hitting - Putting the tee at various positions and heights, then visualizing yourself in various counts, the ball coming at you then swinging. 

Hitting - Performing a drill that requires you to think and react BEFORE swinging at the ball on the tee. 

Swinging - Having the plan of just “hitting the ball” when you go to the plate.

Hitting - Adjusting the intent of the swing, and your plan based on the count.

Swinging - Not knowing your strengths and weaknesses.  You just can’t get to that inside fastball, but man does it look good!

Hitting - Knowing your strengths and taking advantage of them in the game, and working on your weaknesses in practice.  You can’t hit a fastball on the outside corner, so you make it a point of emphasis in practice, on your tee work, and yes, that BP round may not look quite so great if you’re working on your weakness. 

Players spend a lot of time on their swing, and it is usually the first place they turn when they are struggling, but the best swing with the most bat speed in the world won’t do you much good if you’re swinging at 2-0 breaking balls in the dirt and letting 1-2 fastballs down the middle go by.

Hitting can be improved in practice, but not with traditional, unfocused tee work and batting practice. 

Check out how Cornerstone Elite can improve your hitters

47 chaos hitting drills - Batting practice shouldn't be easy, the game isn't.

Week long hitting plans for pitch recognition - Just print the plan and go to practice!

12 week bat speed improvement plan - Use overweight and underweight training to increase bat speed, something every hitter on the planet could use. 

New take on tee work - How to properly use tee work in your program to benefit your hitters

You have a player who is struggling badly at the plate.  You guys have spent countless hours in the cage and on the tee.  You have changed the stance, the load, the bat path, they’re using their body more efficiently, they are on plane with the ball, and they still aren’t hitting a lick […]

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy we discuss the challenges of being a head coach:

Why being a head coach is a totally different animal.

The variety of skills/tactics you have to be familiar with and be able to teach as a head coach.

How to manage your assistant coaches to free you up to coach more.

How to program build to keep athletes in your program and keep parents on your side.

 

Resources of the show

Operations manual - This is a comprehensive list of the tasks head baseball coaches need to do each month to run a successful program.  It's a must-have for new head coaches and a great reinforcing document for veteran coaches.

Cornerstone Elite - Our membership area is the BEST resource available to high school coaches.  There is no other place to get information on generating offense, coaching philosophy, pitching, infield, outfield drills, and much more, all under one roof.  A must have resource for new and veteran coaches alike!

In this episode of the Cornerstone Coaching Academy we discuss the challenges of being a head coach: Why being a head coach is a totally different animal. The variety of skills/tactics you have to be familiar with and be able to teach as a head coach. How to manage your assistant coaches to free you […]