In today’s episode, I talk to David Pearson. David is in his first season as a volunteer assistant coach with the University of Iowa baseball program. He serves as the Hawkeyes’ hitting coach.

David joins the program following a two-year run as an assistant coach at North Dakota State – his second stint with the Bison. He also has served as head coach at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) from 2016-19.

In this episode, he shares tips and pieces of advice with young coaches and young players.

He talks about how he goes about helping his players deal with failure. 

Learn from his coaching career at different levels from a Player Development standpoint and ways to get better as Coaches and Players.

SHOW NOTES

[3:17] What was it like playing baseball in North Dakota growing up?

[4:17] When did you know that you wanted to get into coaching and that you want to be a coach?

[5:08] Did you know when you started coaching were there certain things that looking back you're like probably shouldn't have done?

[6:24] The biggest thing that I stress to a lot of young coaches.

[7:17] What's like one thing that really drew you to go to Iowa?

[8:26] Player development side at Iowa with the analytics department.

[9:22] What's something that you've learned maybe it's been at Iowa or maybe just in general just from all your years coaching?

[12:19] How do you help players with just dealing with failure?

[15:06] Our game is so predicated on how confident I am and how successful a person's been in the past.

[16:40] When you're in the box you need to see the ball big as you can and then trust your swing and be able all the work you've done in the weight room all the work you've done in the cages you have to be able to trust that when we get out onto the field you just now have to see the ball get a good pitch to hit.

[17:18] I wonder how many more players out there who start out struggling and because they don't know how to handle it they don't know how to do some of the things that you just described right there they never see the light at the end of the tunnel.

[19:08] Are there certain statistics or things that you emphasize to your players like for example in the minor leagues with the Orioles?

[20:20] Do you find that college kids the players on your team that they can handle like some of the information that they're giving them about that day's starting pitcher and the scouting reports and maybe movement and everything like that in their bowl?

[21:37] What's your take on teaching hitters two-strike approach?

[24:50] A lot of the great ones have the adjustability to be able to keep their hands back and fight pitches and be off time and still make something happen.

[25:46] Is hitting the breaking ball working on practicing hitting breaking balls off the machines something that you've done more of as your career has gone on?

[27:32] Trying to get players to improve their eyesight by working with eye doctors locally.

[29:27] Players now maybe focus more on the release point of the pitcher which allows them to see the ball better because of some of the stuff they're doing.

[30:44] Do you guys still put the screens across the infield so the players can't hit ground balls?

FOLLOW DAVID:

TWITTER: 

@baseballDP

EMAIL:

[email protected]

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