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a coach's eye and the teaching process

3/30/2023

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With one out and a runner on first base, a batter hits a 3-hop ground ball to shortstop.  The shortstop fields the ball, throws to second base to get the lead runner and then the second baseman relays the throw to 1B.  The runner is safe at first base.  From the official scorer’s perspective, an error was not made, but from a coach’s eye, the possibilities are many.

A coach’s first step is an analysis of the preparation, anticipation, reaction and action of each player in the chain.  Specifically, were the players in the proper positions per the scouting report for the hitter, pitcher, pitch and game situation?  Did the fielders expect the ball to be hit to them and, based on the type and location of the pitch and the hitter’s swing, did the fielders anticipate how and where it would be hit?  Did the players execute their prep steps properly so their bodies and feet were in a good position to react to the ball?  And finally, did the players move quickly and efficiently to get to the ball and the bag and did they use proper mechanics fielding, transferring, throwing and receiving it?

When analyzing body movement, a coach must be able to do a ground up analysis of a player’s posture, balance, footwork, angles (both in body and while moving) rhythm and timing without regard to the ball and glove.  A coach must visually extract the ball and glove from his mind and see just the player’s biomechanics at work.  The solutions to these issues may be ones of physiology and athleticism that need to be solved in the gym and not by sport skill drills.  These remedies need to be reinforced by a disciplined adherence to pre-game movement prep and dynamic movement routines.

When addressing issues with player mechanics in fielding, transferring , throwing and receiving the ball, my experience is average coaches spend too much time teaching players how to play the game and not enough time how to properly execute the skills of the game.  And when those coaches attempt to teach the skills of the game, they rely too often on auditory cues and do not use the proper scaffolding process for optimum development and results under game-like pressure.

Here is the process for teaching mechanics regardless of the sport:
 
  • Stationary “Dry Mechanics”, e.g., no glove, bat or ball – simply working on posture, balance, footwork and angles (proper position of body parts, e.g., feet, legs, hands, etc.);
 
  • “Dry Mechanics” with movement – e.g., no glove, bat or ball, but working on same things as #1 above with movement, from easy to game-like intensity;
 
  • Stationary mechanics with an implement, e.g., glove, ball, and/or bat;
 
  • Mechanics with an implement with easy, comfortable movement;
 
  • Mechanics with an implement at game speed and intensity and randomization in both reaction and action;
 
  • Mechanics with an implement at game speed, intensity and competition with significant outcome consequences – getting accustomed to handling pressure – learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable.
 
For example,  when learning how to properly field a ground ball, the process is:
 
  • Stationary “Dry Mechanics” – teach the player the correct body posture and hand/glove position when fielding a ground ball.
 
  • “Dry Mechanics” with movement – teach the player how to move to get to the throwing side of the ball and to move to, field and go through the ball when fielding it. Cone/Disc Drills for visual cues are excellent here.
 
  • Stationary mechanics with ball – same as the previous steps with the ball being rolled to the player and fielded with a bare hand or training glove (kinesthetic cue) while player is stationary.
 
·       Mechanics with easy comfortable movement – same as previous steps with the ball being rolled to the player and fielded with a bare hand or a training glove.
 
  • Mechanics with game speed and game intensity – same as previous steps except player is wearing a regular glove and ground balls are hit at game speed while base runners are running or player is being timed by a stop watch.
 
  • Mechanics with game speed, intensity and competition with significant outcome consequences – skills are demonstrated in a game simulation drill or scrimmage with the correct process being rewarded with such things as an extra at bat when they are taking batting practice. 
 
The same general, but separate process is used for teaching receiving, transferring and throwing a ball.
 
During the off season or during pre-season, coaches must be careful not to rush through this process.  Time must be taken to master each phase before moving on to the next one.  How long a coach stays at one phase depends on the skill level, experience, focus and discipline of the player being coached.  During the season, skill development time is limited so coaches must have an acute sense which step to begin with for each player, but the remaining steps must be completed daily so the skills will have the best chance of being transferred to the game.
 
Most importantly, telling is not teaching; the process must be respected.

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establishing a league culture - aligning rewards with goals when developing champions for life

3/9/2023

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Well, here we are once again at the end of many youth baseball regular seasons when teams are having end-of-the-season parties where trophies are handed out and leagues are holding Jamborees and choosing “All-Star” teams.  I think this is the time of year when youth baseball leagues can easily get caught up in rewarding the few at the expense of the many.  I think it is also a time when the actions of the coaches and league officials can be contradictory to the double-goal coaching philosophies to which they claimed to aspire during the season.

I am not per se against rewarding achievement, but what exactly is the perception of the entire team, players and families of the achievement that is being rewarded?

For example, I attended an end-of-the-season baseball league Jamboree recently where this contradiction was very apparent.  The event was for 6-7 year-old T-Ball/Coach Pitch players some of whom had no previous baseball experience and some of whom had two years’ experience.  In other words, the ability gap was wide.

The Jamboree was divided into five different “competitions” - speed in running the bases, long toss, accuracy toss, a hitting for distance competition and a shuttle run.  The league preached all-year that this was strictly a player development and team-building league the primary goal of which was for the players and their families to have fun.

During the event, there was no instruction given at any station regarding the process that would lead a player to do his best at each competition.  During the season, coaches were not prepared by pre-season coaching clinics how to instruct the players on the process of the fundamentals of baseball i.e., throwing, fielding, hitting and base running.  The coaches simply told the players how to play the game and gave them praise for trying their best to do the fundamentals.  The coaches also preached good sportsmanship and being good teammates by always supporting one another in good times and through adversity.

These are admirable goals, but when it came time to rewarding players for their “accomplishments”, the event that the league set up only rewarded those with more experience and natural ability.  The awards were given to the top three competitors in each competition.

This was absolutely inconsistent with the alleged mission of that division of the league.  If the league wanted to establish a culture of learning, they should have had each competitor do each event twice – the first time without instruction and the second time after instruction.  The “awards” could then be given to the players who improved the most.  Better yet, in the spirit of establishing a team-first culture, awards should have been given to the team whose members collectively improved the most.  Or if time was a consideration, instruction could have been given to the team members prior to each event and an award could have been given to the team whose average score was the best.

Sadly, the league also missed a golden opportunity to actually reward something significant because the team that was clearly the least talented and least experienced was by far the most supportive of one another whether their teammates were performing well or not.  They were constantly cheering and encouraging their teammates without any prompting from their coaches.  No mention or recognition of any kind was given to them during the “awards ceremony” at the end of the Jamboree.

What message was sent to these players and their families by the way this event was organized?  Did they accomplish their goal of teaching and rewarding player development?  Or did they send a clear message contrary to their growth mindset mission by rewarding only those individuals who were already the most talented at the expense of everyone else who participated with a teachable spirit to learn and be supportive of their teammates?
I think that this league’s failure to align its purported culture with its rewards is the norm not the exception in all sports.  This must change if we are to teach life lessons within the game for beyond the game, i.e., to develop Champions for Life. 
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    Author

    Adam Sarancik is the owner of Elevate Sports Academy which mentors student-athletes in physical conditioning, nutrition, career and college counseling, and sport skills.  He has spent most of his adult life coaching youth ages 8-22 in baseball, soccer, and basketball.  He is a favorite speaker at and director of coaches' and players' clinics. 

    In baseball, Adam’s teams have consistently won championships at every youth league and high school level.  In administration, he has served as league founder, board member and coaches’ and players’ clinic director many times in his 40+ year coaching career.
    ​
    Adam is a frequently published contributor to the ABCA publication Inside Pitch, Collegiate Baseball News, and the Coaches Insider, Coach Deck and Sports Engine websites.  He is also a favorite guest on national podcasts for coaching sports. 
    ​
    Adam is known for his comprehensive and innovative practice plans and for consistently developing championship teams and players who excel at the next level. 

    He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from San Diego State University, his J.D. degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and his Masters of Arts in Teaching from Western Oregon University.


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