Transcending Sport with Rob Crews

Episode 93: Stop Coaching Swings, Start Coaching Hitters: Eye Dominance, Confidence Building & In-Game Adjustments

In this episode, Rob Crews shares an exclusive coaching session with a group of high school coaches from New York City, breaking down his philosophy on vision training, the invisible mechanics, and why swings are not hitting.

Rob talks about:

• How to identify eye dominance with a simple test—and why it matters
• The Big 3: zoning down, front foot timing, and contact space
• Why he doesn't believe in open stances
• The three timings every hitter needs to sync
• Head stability as a "camera on a tripod"—and how to train it
• Why anticipation beats reaction in less than four-tenths of a second
• Teaching in the positive: why "don't chase" is the wrong cue
• Building confidence at 8, 9, 10, 11, 12—before it's too late
• How your coaching cues become their self-talk
• Non-verbal communication and developing a language with your hitters
• Feel the game: situational hitting without overthinking
• The Swing Dynamics bat system and pregame warmup philosophy

This is real coaching talk—unfiltered, practical, and rooted in 25+ years of player development.

Shownotes: https://www.complete.game/podcast-shownotes

Episode Summary

In this landmark episode of Transcending Sport, Rob Crews sits down with Bertrand Théraulaz, co-founder of ActionTypes and one of the originators of motor signature profiling.

For over 35 years, Bertrand and his partner Ralph Hippolyte have developed a comprehensive approach to understanding human movement — connecting brain, body, and behavior in ways that transform how we coach athletes.

This conversation traces the complete evolution of ActionTypes: from Bertrand's early days coaching volleyball in Switzerland, through his breakthrough discovery in 1998, to the launch of the first-ever U.S. Hybrid Training Program bringing this methodology to American coaches.

This isn't a simplified binary system — this is the complete methodology, directly from one of its creators.

Key Takeaways

🎯 You Have FOUR Motor Skills, Not One

Everyone has four motor skills available — not just one fixed profile. Your "comfort zone" is used about 70% of the time, but your second motor skill is your recovery zone. Training only one leads to overuse and injury.

🎯 Two Profiles That Interact

You have a motor profile (voluntary motor system for technique execution) AND a motivational profile (autonomous nervous system for preparation and recovery). Understanding both prevents coaching errors.

🎯 "Listen to Your Body, Not Anybody"

The body always has a solution. Your brain is a coordination device designed for movement. Trust your natural patterns instead of forcing external "one size fits all" solutions.

🎯 Coach the Intention, Not the Action

The HOW belongs to the athlete. Coaches should focus on intention and context — not prescriptive technique. "Recognize WHO they are first, not WHAT they do."

🎯 Vision Strategies Matter

Some athletes use central vision first → then peripheral. Others start peripheral → then central. You cannot teach one person the opposite strategy — it must match their profile.

🎯 The Danger of Oversimplification

Reducing motor preferences to simple binary categories is dangerous. Without understanding both profiles and all four motor skills, coaches risk causing injuries and harming athletes.

What's Covered in This Episode

• The origin story of ActionTypes (dating back to 1989-1998)
• Bertrand's breakthrough discovery in Canberra, Australia (1998)
• Why "one size fits all" coaching fails athletes
• The four motor skills and how they coordinate together
• Motor profiles vs. motivational profiles — and why both matter
• Vision strategies: central-to-peripheral vs. peripheral-to-central
• Applications beyond sports: therapy, autism spectrum, education
• The U.S. Hybrid Training Program launching in 2026
• Ethical responsibilities when profiling athletes
• The 800-page ActionTypes reference book

About the Guest

Bertrand Théraulaz is the co-founder of ActionTypes, alongside Ralph Hippolyte. A former elite volleyball coach, Swiss national team coach, and director of coaching education for Swiss Olympic for 17 years, Bertrand has spent 35+ years developing the science of motor signatures. His work spans 30+ sports disciplines and has influenced elite athletes, Olympic teams (including the French handball team — Tokyo Olympics gold medalists), therapists, and educators worldwide.

Links & Resources

ActionTypes Official

• Website: actiontypes.com
• Website (US): actiontypes.org
• Motor Signatures Research: motorsignatures.com
• Instagram: @actiontypes_off
• Email: [email protected]

U.S. Hybrid Training Program

• Registration: actiontypesonline.com/application-form
• Free 3-hour introductory session
• Online hybrid sessions + self-paced course
• In-person intensive weekend in Philadelphia (June 2026)
• 800-page reference book included
• Certification as "Detect Type" practitioner

"I'm not seeing the ball well."

Every coach has heard it. But what if the problem isn't your eyes—it's the disconnect between what you see and what you do?

In this episode of Transcending Sport, I break down why players think they can't see the ball when they actually can, how this same visual disconnect affects baserunners reading pickoff moves, and why infield masks tell us everything about visual processing at different competition levels.

I also introduce the 3 critical timings every hitter needs to understand:

• Hitter's body to pitcher's body
• Eyes to point of collision
• Body-bat to ball

This is perception-action training at its core.

🔥 TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Introduction0:45 - "I'm not seeing the ball" - The lie hitters tell themselves2:30 - Baserunner reads and pickoff misreads4:15 - Why lower-level infielders wear masks5:30 - The 3 timings of hitting7:00 - Putting it all together

Rick Pauly returns for a no-holds-barred breakdown of the 2025 NFCA Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada—the largest in convention history.

As both attendees and presenters, Rob and Rick share their unfiltered observations about what they saw, what surprised them, and what concerns them about the current state of softball coaching and player development.

Topics covered:

• The record-setting attendance and what it reveals about travel ball coaching
• New technology and products showcased by exhibitors
• The tension between education and product endorsement in presentations
• Whether technology is becoming prohibitively expensive for smaller schools and programs
• Should travel ball coaches have a voice in college recruiting calendar decisions?
• Rob introduces his new concept: "egosystem" and its implications for competitive sports
• Does softball genuinely want to embrace data-driven coaching, or is it performative?
• Their favorite speakers and sessions from the convention

If you're a coach, administrator, or parent trying to navigate the evolving landscape of softball, this conversation will challenge your assumptions and give you plenty to think about.

Rick Pauly returns to Transcending Sport for another fan-favorite conversation where we contrast our perspectives on softball—me as a hitting coach, Rick as a pitching coach.

In this episode, we tackle the current state of travel ball softball and ask the hard questions: Is velocity everything, or are we missing something more important? How has the transfer portal reshaped recruiting and the travel ball landscape? Why do the rich keep getting richer in travel ball, college softball, and pro sports?

We also share what you can expect from us at the upcoming NFCA Softball Convention this December in Las Vegas.

Whether you're a player, parent, or coach navigating today's softball landscape, this conversation will give you plenty to think about.

Go beyond surface-level coaching in this powerful excerpt from Rob Crews' Monthly Master Class series, part of his exclusive Coaches Certification program.

Episode Description:In this transformative episode, Rob Crews pulls back the curtain on one of the most critical aspects of master coaching - understanding and reshaping the belief systems that hold athletes back. Drawing from his Coaches Certification curriculum, Rob demonstrates why great coaches must become students of the mind, learning to identify and dismantle the limiting beliefs and outdated teachings that create invisible barriers to performance.

Key Takeaways:

• Why traditional coaching often fails to address the root cause of performance plateaus
• The hidden power of belief systems in athletic achievement
• Practical techniques for uncovering what students truly believe about their capabilities
• How to replace doubt and confusion with clarity and conviction
• Real-world strategies for helping athletes unlearn counterproductive lessons from their past

Whether you're a coach looking to deepen your impact, an athlete seeking breakthrough performance, or someone interested in the psychology of excellence, this episode delivers actionable insights that transcend sport and apply to any arena of life.

Perfect for: Coaches, trainers, athletes, parents of young athletes, and anyone committed to unlocking human potential through the power of mindset transformation.

This episode features exclusive content from the Rob Crews Coaches Certification program.

Learn more about becoming a certified coach at https://www.complete.game/certified-coaches

Podcast Episode: Unlocking Human Potential Through Improv with Lainie Hodges

Guest: Lainie Hodges, Owner and Founder of Improv AlchemyIn this engaging episode, we dive deep into the transformative world of improvisation with human development specialist Lainie Hodges.

As the founder of Improv Alchemy, Lainie has discovered how the spontaneous, collaborative nature of improv can unlock extraordinary growth in individuals and teams across diverse settings.

From athletic programs to corporate boardrooms, Lainie shares how improv games and exercises create powerful learning environments where people don't just participate—they thrive. We explore her unique approach to harnessing everyone's individual talents and abilities, transforming them into enhanced innovation, agility, and responsiveness.

In this episode, Rob Crews shares knowledge on how recognition affects movement, timing and chase rates.

Rob Crews breaks down mind-body connection with a young hitter from Kentucky in her first 1:1 virtual session. Rob used this session as the introduction to her transformation in how she sees herself as a hitter.

Be a fly on the wall during this phone call with Rob and Dave as they discuss how to overcome some of the challenges for in-game success for hitters.