Quality Coaching - Baseball Blog

Working With Players on Focusing on the Correct Part of the Baseball when Hitting

2016-10-15T10:47:00.002-07:00

In past blog articles I have mentioned that kids should focus on the top half of the baseball when hitting because the majority of players will swing under the ball when missing. Also in youth leagues a ground ball can often give a player a better chance of getting on base than a pop fly. But I think it's time for me to amend or modify that position.

Goal Should be a Line Drive

If we think about hitting the ball with solid contact, what we really want is a line drive. Hitting a line drive is hitting the ball square, well as much as possible with two round objects. So if the goal is to get a player to hit the ball with the best contact and the biggest margin of error than the goal should be to hit line drives, not ground balls. If a player hits slightly under the center of the ball in that situation, then the result could be a home run. If the player hits slightly over the center of the ball then the result is a hard ground ball. Either way shooting to hit line drives will give a player the best opportunity for success and as coaches that's what we want to help them do.

Where to Focus

This is something where you need to watch a player hit in batting practice a few times to see if there is a tendency to consistently swing under or over the ball. If you see that tendency then it's time to discuss with the player what he is focusing on as the ball is being delivered. Many players will often just be looking at the ball and not a specific spot on the ball. A change to be more focused on a particular area of the baseball can help a player be more consistent and provide a side benefit of him picking up the baseball earlier out of the pitchers' hand and seeing it more clearly.

So if a players is hitting ground ball after ground ball, talk to them about where they are focusing. If they are just looking at the ball have them focus on the bottom of the ball. See if that results in line drives or fly balls. If the result is fly balls, then have them adjust and focus a little higher. Again the result in batting practice should be an increase in line drives.

Make the adjustment the opposite way for players that are hitting fly balls all the time in batting practice. Have them move their focus up on the baseball until the result is more line drives.

Either way the adjustment should provide the player with better focus on the baseball and better results.

I hope this is something you can take into your winter workouts and/or your spring practices as I believe there is no downside on working with a player to refine their focus when seeing the pitch being delivered.

Release Points

As an add-on to this post you may be interested in viewing the page on pitcher release points.

Until next time,
Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Getting More Accurate Throws From Your Team

2016-04-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

It can be frustrating as a coach when you watch a player make a good play in the field only to make a poor throw and waste what should have been an out. You can reduce the number of poor throws over the course of a season by simply working and reminding your players to get moving in the direction of the throw prior to making the throw. This can also help in the fielding of ground balls where players will often have a difficult time with the ball hit directly at them.

An important aspect of this is having players understand that they need to know where they are going with the ball prior to it being hit. Once they know that then, on balls that they have time to adjust, they can approach the ball taking an angle that puts them in a good position to move towards where they are throwing. For example a ball hit to the infield where the play is at first base, the infielder can approach the ground ball from right to left which puts them at a good angle to make the throw to first. The following drill is a good one to start with as it explains this concept and allows players to work on approaching a ground ball at an angle.

One-Two Infield Drill

The following is a good drill for outfields to work on the same concept along with getting behind the ball in order to be in a good position to make a throw. As a benefit it will help kids take a better angle and prevent more balls from going all the way to the fence.

Outfield - Get the Angle

At other times players will not have time to get a proper angle in order to setup their momentum in the direction of the throw. At older levels of baseball, those players often have the arm strength to still make a strong accurate throw even if they are moving away from the direction of the throw. Young players often just don't have that ability. So even though it can take a little more time, taking a shuffle step or two after making the catch toward the direction of the throw can make all the difference in a throw that is on target and one that isn't. Here is an example of a drill that can be used to work on this concept, but it really can be incorporated into many other drills as well.

Ground ball - Backhand

In conclusion you want to make sure your team makes the average play the majority of the time and the spectacular play on occasion. In youth baseball the average play is often not made because the ball is simply thrown away. By working consistently on having your players get in good position to make good throws, you'll see improvement over the season and hopefully have a very solid defensive team.

Until Next Time,

Don
don@qcbaseball.com

Special Offer from TeamSnap to QCBaseball Visitors

2016-03-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I sold my team website business to TeamSnap as I began treatment for colon cancer. It was a difficult decision and I was and still am thankful to TeamSnap for taking over my business and converting my customers onto their platform. Their product has a great number of features to make communication with your team a breeze.

As a visitor to QCBaseball, TeamSnap is offering a special 6 months free of their ultra plan. This is quite a savings and if you haven't had an online presence for your team, it is certainly worth a try. I found it a huge benefit to make sure that I could keep the team updated quickly on any changes. As an added bonus I also received many comments about how relatives that don't live in the area loved being able to follow the team online.

TeamSnap has many more options than my previous product had and I think you'll really enjoy what they have to offer.

Learn more about the TeamSnap / QCBaseball Special Offer!

Don
don@qcbaseball.com

Delayed Steal

2016-02-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post there was a couple of delayed steals performed by the Kansas City Royals in the World Series and I believe this is something that can be used at all levels of baseball. Little League is a little bit more difficult timing wise but can still be done.

Why Would I Want to Spend My Time Coaching It?

This is a good question and the answer might be that you don't. It can be difficult to work on everything in youth baseball with the time restraints that a spring season has. For 13 and older and Pony teams that allow leading off, it can be a great way to get kids who aren't that fast a stolen base. This can not only benefit the team but provide a thrill for that kid that doesn't usually get a chance to steal a base.

What to Look For

A delayed steal is taking advantage of an opportunity given to you by the opposing team when they simply aren't paying enough attention to the runner. This can be the catcher, pitcher, middle infielders or best of all a combination of those players.

Catcher that likes to frame the pitch

Some catchers like to frame the pitch and they will actually stare down their glove as they frame the pitch. They lose at that point the ability to notice that the runner is going as their focus is directed at their glove.

Catcher that lobs the ball back to the pitcher

Some catchers will receive the pitch and then slowly stand up and lob the ball back to the pitcher. This is a good opportunity to take advantage of that slow throw back to the pitcher. Combine that with middle infielders that aren't backing up and you may have an easy base.

Pitcher that is emotional and doesn't pay attention when the ball is thrown back

Some pitchers live in their own world and really are unaware of what is going on around them. They may receive the ball back from the catcher and immediately start fixing the mound or walking around with their head down. Combine this with middle infielders who are not backing up and you have another great opportunity to steal a base.

Infielder(s) that don't pay attention when the ball isn't in play

This is a good one to focus on. If the middle infielders do not back up the throw from the catcher to the pitcher and better yet, if they simply don't pay attention once the ball is not put in play, then you have nobody who will beat your runner to second base and you have an easy delayed steal.

Third baseman that playing up for a bunt or deep

Again your looking for a player that isn't paying attention after the ball is not put in play. Combine this with a catcher that is framing the pitch for example and you may have a good opportunity to take third. With the shorter throw on this one I may reserve this for players that are good base runners and have some speed.

Execution

So now we know some things that we're looking for, how do we coach the kids to execute?
This really comes down to a timing play in leagues where kids can lead off. You want to teach kids to take their normal secondary lead which is usually two shuffle steps after the pitcher starts delivering the pitch. Then teach the players to take one more shuffle step before taking off at full speed for the next base. The idea is to make everything appear like a normal secondary lead and not a steal. The third shuffle step gains some distance and allows the players on the opposing team to do what we expect them to do and not be prepared. Then after the third shuffle it's an all out sprint for the next base. I've embedded a couple of videos below so you can see it in action.

This next video gives you an example of a catcher who lobs the ball back and a pitcher that doesn't pay attention. The timing is a little different as the runner has to wait for the catcher to start his throw back to the mound. This is the kind of timing that would be needed in Little League. Get a secondary lead, pause, maybe take a step while waiting for the defense to do what you've seen them do and then run full out.

Delayed Steal Drill

I've added a delayed steal drill to the drills section to help you teach the timing involved in the delayed steal. It can also be used to mimic the situation you're trying to duplicate in a game situation.

Delayed Steal Drill

Until Next Time,

Don
don@qcbaseball.com

What We Can Learn From the Kansas City Royals

2016-02-17T07:38:00.001-08:00

Often it's hard to watch Major League Baseball and feel like there is much that you can take from what you watch and apply it to your youth team. That's a generality of course because we are talking about the best players in the world, but a lot of what's available to a youth coach doesn't seem to have much impact in the Majors. Seems like I see more players who when called on to bunt, can't get a bunt down. Not that it happens very often, especially in the American league with the DH. The dependence of the long ball for many teams is another aspect that you may not have on your youth team. I guess what I'm saying is that the need to generate runs, that is such a great aspect of baseball, just doesn't seem to happen much at the Major League level. Then this year and last we have the Kansas City Royals. Here's the first team that I've watched in some time that does things a little bit different and does it in a way that could provide youth coaches with a good model on how to be successful. Here are a few things that I think we can learn from an offensive standpoint:

Put the Ball in Play!

Now I'm the first one to argue that we need to take away the fear of striking out from our players. Some players fear striking out so much that it effects their entire at bat. So I'm not backing away from that statement. It's still important that kids understand that you can have a good at bat and strikeout. With that said, it's a fact that putting the ball in play gives you an opportunity to get on base. Too many youth coaches that I see simply want the kids to swing the bat. That's not the goal! The goal is to get on base, either by putting it in play or getting a base on balls. I think it's important to develop a strategy that the kids understand and gives them the best opportunity for success. I cover that in the following web page: Hitting - Game Time Approach.

Groundballs Put Pressure on the Defense!

Pop-ups and lazy fly balls are easy outs most of the time. Line drives and groundballs put pressure on the defense to make difficult plays. When coaching your team really work on having your players focus on hitting the top of the baseball. Most hitters when missing on a swing will swing under the ball. By focusing in on the top of the baseball you can get your players to hit more line drives and groundballs. They will put the ball in play more often which again will put more pressure on the defense to make plays.

Aggressive Baserunning Puts Pressure on the Defense!

When it comes time for playoffs you want your kids confident on knowing when they can take an extra base, when they can steal, when they can take advantage of defensive miscues. In order to do this you need to work on baserunning during practice and you need to allow kids to be aggressive and make mistakes during the season. They will learn by doing so give them as many opportunities as you can to learn. There are a number of good team drills to work on baserunning and defense in the Team Baseball Drills section.

Teach Players to Think!

One of my favorite parts of baseball is that it's a thinking person game. There are always possibilities and opportunities but a player needs to be paying attention to take advantage of those situations. One problem I see with kids now is that they are just used to being told what to do. I would challenge you as a coach this year to try and pass more control over to the kids. Try and get them to think of the situation and make decisions. When players are thinking and looking for opportunities, thinking of where they are going to throw the ball if it comes to them, thinking about the game situation, then they are engaged and in a good position to make the correct decision. They can't do that if they are looking to the coach to be told what to do all the time.

Two Delayed Steals in the World Series

My next blog I'm going to write about the delayed steal, how to coach it and what situations to look for where it can be successful. For now all I can tell you is that I was so surprised to see two delayed steals by the Royals in the World Series. You just don't see it much in baseball and you don't see it often in the Major Leagues. It's an exciting play that takes advantage of an opponent not paying attention. I get fired up when I see teams that play aggressive and play smart. I really enjoyed watching the Royals during the playoffs as they play that way. It was really fun to watch and something I think we can look at and try to apply to our teams this spring.

Thank You!

On a personal note I wanted to thank everyone who dropped me an email as I deal with my cancer treatment. As I've been going through this I've wondered if I should sell the site or what I should do. I can honestly say all the kind and supportive notes have encouraged me to keep working on and improving the site. I really appreciate all the positive feedback and it has really helped me to know that the effort I put into the site is appreciated and helpful. I started this site as a way to give back to a game that has meant a tremendous amount to me on so many levels. It's always good to hear that it's hitting the mark in many ways. Thank you!

Until next time,
Don
don@qcbaseball.com

2016 QCBaseball Update

2016-01-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

I feel this year like I've been dumped back in 2013 as my cancer has returned and I once again am focusing on my health. I was real hopeful that I would continue to move forward healthy but that just hasn't been the case. I'm confident that I am in good hands as far as treatment and outlook and I feel confident I can and will get my health back again.

For the website, this has meant that I just haven't had much time to focus on it or post anything to the blog. I'm just starting treatment but I do hope to start posting and making improvements as I can. The website and coaching are both still really important to me and I am still amazed at the number of great emails that I get from coaches who really find the information useful. That really gives me motivation to continue working on it and continue to make it better. Since it's been awhile since I posted I thought I would post a few of the sections on the website that have been added over the past couple of years in case you forgot they were there.

The biggest addition that I made was the numerous videos that I created for the hitting section of the website. There not in HD, I hope to change that at some point, but I'm really proud of the information that is contained in this section. If you feel like you want another point of view about teaching hitting and hitting fundamentals then I hope you'll take a look at this section.

I published a Tee Ball/Coach Pitch manual that has been downloaded almost 5,000 times. If your league is in need of a manual for that level, go ahead and forward the link to your league administrators as the manual is free!

I have also updated the pitching section over the last couple of years, although it's still not where I want it to be, but I do believe it has some good solid information.

I really wanted to coach this year but I'm just not sure I'll be able to do that with treatment. Maybe I can help out as an assistant, I'm just not sure. I think being outside with the kids will do wonders for my mental health, so I'm hoping to make it happen. Anyway, I do hope to get more active with the site and I'm excited to start watching youth baseball again this spring!

Until next time,
Don
don@qcbaseball.com

Coaching Plan to Get Hitters Out of a Slump

2015-05-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

On any given team there are going to be players that are consistently hitting well and others that you know can hit, but for some reason are struggling and going through a slump. As a coach you want to try and give confidence by showing each player that you believe in him. Unfortunately you can't give confidence to a player through words alone. You need to try to help them improve in order that they can gain confidence. Mid-season is a good time to adjust your practices and try to give special attention to players that are struggling. Whether at the plate, on the mound, or in the field, getting those players to perform better will provide a big lift to the team. In this post I'm focusing in on hitting but pitching and fielding can benefit from extra individual attention.

Plan Practice Time - For any of these things to be successful, you need to plan on having some individual time. Enlist your assistant coach or parent to run a regular part of practice and then spend time with a player that needs extra attention. If you have an hour practice, maybe plan on spending at least a quarter of it working with a player that needs to build confidence to try and get out of a slump.

Analyze - almost everyone has a video camera on their phone these days. Have someone video the player that you want to work with at a game. Then go home and take the time to watch their at-bats in detail. It's one thing to watch during batting practice but it's another to really watch game at-bats. As a coach it's hard to focus on hitting problems during a game, so tape and watch later.

What do you see? Most likely you'll see a player that lacks confidence, steps into the box and is hoping to get a hit rather than planning on it. For some players who are slumping you may be able to pick out a problem that you really think is causing problems but for many of these players it's mental and not necessarily a problem with their swing. Not that poor mechanics can't contribute to a hitting slump, but normally the biggest obstacle is lack of confidence. With that said I pick one item that looks like the biggest problem and have that player focus on improving that.

Sample swing mechanic items to look for:

Vision - does the player seem to be tracking the ball well from the pitcher?
Balance - does the player seem to be balanced throughout the swing?
Pitch Selection - does the player swing at bad pitches while letting some good pitches go by?
Lunging - does the player commit to early and lunge at pitches?
Stepping in the bucket - is the player afraid of being hit?

These are just a few to give you an idea. Now...

Plan drills/instruction for the player - now that you've watched the game film and you've picked out one swing problem it's time to start working with the player. You'll be working on improving the part of the swing that's most troublesome but you'll also work on building their confidence at the same time. So for example, let's say that you don't think the player is picking up the pitch and is swinging at bad pitches. You might have a conversation like the following:

"Brandon I was watching film of the game last night and noticed that your swing looks great but it doesn't look like your watching the ball all the way in. Let's go to the outfield fence, just you and me, and see if we can fix that."

In the conversation the coach starts out by giving the player a compliment, shows interest in him as a player by not only talking about watching game film but making individual time for the player. For the next 15 minutes the focus is on:

Making sure the player understands about release points and how to pick the ball out of the pitchers hand. (instruction)
Have the player take a stance and from the approximate distance of the mound throw balls to the player without him hitting. The player should just be watching the ball from your hand all the way to the fence. This means the player should be moving his head as the ball approaches to make sure he's following the ball all the way in. (drill)
Have the player tell you if the pitch was a ball or strike. (feedback)

Next have the player take live batting practice and again focus on watching the ball all the way in. Hopefully you'll see a player that starts to build some confidence. If he thinks you have helped him, "fix the problem", then he may now have the confidence to step up to the plate expecting to hit the ball rather than hoping to.

Game Time

No matter what the problem is, make sure that you also talk to the player about their goal for the next game. Most kids think it's to get a hit. I always tell players that a better goal is to swing at good pitches and try to hit the ball hard somewhere. If a player can swing at pitches they can hit and start hitting the ball consistently, then the hits will come.

Until next time,

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Dealing With Parents

2015-04-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

One of the most common questions I get from coaches has to do with dealing with parents. This month I have a guest post from Jim Harshaw who specializes in the mental side of athletics and coaching and here are three great tips that you can use right away when dealing with parents.

Surveys show that dealing with parents is one of the top most time consuming and frustrating tasks that coaches deal with on a regular basis. Having coached for 15 years from youth through Division I, I've spent countless hours researching best practices on dealing with parents. I've read books and blogs, listened to audio podcasts and talked with dozens of coaches about it. Here's what I've found: it all boils down to communication and education.
While these are simple concepts here are some practical solutions that you can use right away.

Let Them Talk: Many parents just want to be heard and by letting them talk without interruption you satisfy that need. Acknowledge that you've heard them and will consider their point of view and move on with your day.
Admit When You're Wrong: We all make mistakes. When we see a public figure make a mistake and try to explain it away or cover it up, we lose respect and end up talking poorly about them and even trying to undermine their authority. When they apologize and face the issue head-on, we are far more willing to give them slack and a second chance. It's the same with you.
How to Be a Sports Parent: Parents react with emotion instead of logic because they never took a class on how to be a good sports parents. It's your job to teach them things like how to be supportive at home and what kind of feedback is actually helpful for you. It will not only minimize the issues you have to deal with but also maximize the performance of your athletes.

Get many more tips and tactics as well as worksheets and templates in the Dealing Successfully with Sports Parents ebook. Access to this proactive guide will help you spend less time reacting to criticism, responding to emails and looking over your shoulder... and more time coaching. Download it here instantly.

This is a guest post by Jim Harshaw. In addition to learning how to deal successfully with parents as a youth, high school and college coach, Jim Harshaw learned many life lessons on the wrestling mat. He was a 3X ACC Champion for the University of Virginia, trained at the Olympic Training Center and competed overseas for Team USA. He lives in Charlottesville, Va with this wife Allison and four children.

Special Offer from TeamSnap for QCBaseball Coaches

2015-04-08T11:24:00.000-07:00

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How Youth Baseball players Can Deal with Nervousness

2015-03-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

Over the years I've tried emphasize the importance of coaches helping players develop mentally to handle the pressure of playing baseball. It's difficult to hide on a baseball field and any advice to help make a player feel more confident and focused is important. This month I'm happy to have a guest post from Craig Sigl owner of mentaltoughnesstrainer.com.

How Youth Baseball players Can Deal with Nervousness

I remember it well…

I was a 10-year old playing on a Major team in Little League with 11 and 12 year olds.
As the smallest player in the whole major division, I often went up to bat shaking like a leaf and thinking “these guys are all so big!”

One particular at bat comes to mind… our team was down a run in the last inning and it was my turn to bat with 2 outs. It was just like one of those Disney movies where the underdog kid finally gets his chance. Just before that, swinging my bat in the on-deck circle, a hundred thoughts are swirling around in my mind like:

“What if I strike out?”
“What will the team think if I don’t get a hit?”

I actually started picturing in mind what it would be like to walk back to the dugout seeing all of those disappointed faces of my teammates. I took a few glances at the pitcher and he seemed to get bigger and bigger every time I looked. I could feel my body shaking and my movements were stiff.

I watched the current batter and he looked just as scared as me. He ended up striking out looking at a third called strike. As I walked to the batter’s box, a new thought entered my head.
It was the voice of my older brother who played college baseball at the time. I looked up to him a lot!

A month ago, after a game where I was caught looking at a called third strike, he told me that you always want to protect the plate with 2 strikes and swing at anything close. He said that if you go down swinging with 2 strikes, you’ve done your job. “Just make sure that you go ahead and get your swings in because even Babe Ruth struck out a lot and look at how great he was.
There’s nothing to be ashamed of for striking out swinging.”

I could do that!

I heard the message loud and clear at that time, but what was more important was that I had a solid plan for how I could always get the approval of my brother which I very much wanted.
My mind then locked onto just getting my swings in and it didn’t really matter what happened beyond that. That’s all he wanted to see from me and I suddenly felt 10 times better.

I stepped up to the plate with my eyes laser focused on the pitcher’s arm and where the ball would come out. I just kept repeating the words in my head:

“just get your swings in, just get your swings in, that’s all you have to do.”

My body started working right again and I completely forgot about being nervous as I hit a grounder up the middle for a single. It was a triumphant day for me and I’ll never forget it…

Parents and coaches: Give your young player a consistent message that all they have to do to make you proud is to show up and play and that will go miles toward eliminating the nerves. Boil it down to a simple sentence or phrase that he can repeat to himself like I did that he will find great comfort in. Come to an agreement between you for something that really works for him. Have him practice using this phrase in practice.

By the time he gets to a high-pressured situation, his phrase will be his go-to focus mechanism.

Let’s do this,

Craig Sigl

Craig Sigl’s work with youth athletes has been featured on NBC TV and ESPN. Get his free ebook: “The 10 Commandments For a Great Sports Parent” and also a free training and .mp3 guided visualization to help young athletes perform under pressure by visiting:
http://MentalToughnessTrainer.com

New Website is Launched!

2015-03-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

Can't believe how long it took me to get the new website launched, but it's finally done. The site is now mobile friendly and has a search box in the navigation on every page. I noticed a number of broken videos on the site while I was finishing up the conversion and I will begin now the process of updating and adding content. I'm excited to finally move on from that project and I hope everyone likes the updated website!

Now it's time to get the focus back on the baseball and baseball coaching. Thanks for your patience.

Don
don@qcbaseball.com

New Website Preview

2015-02-14T07:49:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe how long it's been since I've posted anything. It's been a little crazy for me the last six months as I had to have an additional surgery to remove another tumor from the original colon cancer I had. I've recovered from the surgery and feel about 10 years younger! Hopefully it won't come back and I'll be good to go. So cheers to a happy and healthy 2015!

Even though I haven't been posting I have been slowly getting some things done and I'm about ready to launch the new website that will finally support tablet and mobile layouts. The image below shows the new homepage in the browser and on a phone.

I have a number of other things in the works once I get the website launched. So hopefully I'll be better posting information during the baseball season than I have the last few months.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Little Things That Can Make a Big Difference in the Final Score

2014-06-10T07:48:00.001-07:00

As the season draws to the end and you are either about to begin playoffs or are have started them, it can be a good time to introduce some additional instruction that can help generate or prevent additional runs during a game. In this post I wanted to give you a few ideas of things you can work on in practice that can make a real difference during games.

Scoring from Third

There's not much worse than leaving a runner stranded at third base. In youth baseball there are often opportunities to get that runner home on a passed ball or a wild pitch. Often those opportunities are lost because the runner is not prepared for the opportunity when it presents itself.

Here is some information about scoring on a passed ball or wild pitch.

If you don't want to read all the information, here is how you can practice this as a team:

At practice put a pitcher on the mound with a catcher behind the plate and runners at third. Take the third base coaching box as you would during the game. Instruct the pitcher to throw pitches and every couple of pitches, to throw one in the dirt. This is good practice for the catcher on trying to block the ball; the pitcher on covering home; the runner on being aggressive; and for you in making a decision on when to go. Run this drill at a couple of practices and you and your players will be more confident in these situations during a game."

Taking Extra Bases

This doesn't apply when the bases are loaded, but often when there are bases available behind the lead runner, there are opportunities to take extra bases on throws from the outfield. This is similar to the passed ball as the runner needs to watch the trajectory of the throw to determine whether the cutoff will be able to catch it or not. So for example, a runner on second and a base hit to the outfield. The outfielder comes up throwing and it would be nice to not only score the run but have the batter end up on second. As he rounds first base and watches the throw, if he sees it is high and going all the way home then he automatically takes second. There are a few other examples that I won't cover here but, as with the practice drill above, put your team in the situation and then have the outfielders throw some to the cutoff person and have some thrown high.

Outfield Cut Offs

While working on taking extra bases, move into working on the defensive aspect of throws from the outfield. This will not only provide extra practice for runners but will also help your team defensively. The biggest problem I see in youth baseball with missing the cutoff has to do with the poor position of the cutoff. The first throw from the outfield should be the long throw, with the cutoff making a shorter accurate throw. Many times I see an infielder running into the outfield to setup for a throw. This forces them to make a long throw and makes it difficult for the outfielder to not overthrow the cutoff.

The nice thing about working on these team aspects is that they will really help you from a baserunning and defensive standpoint.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Sliding into First and Safety Bases

2014-05-20T11:03:00.002-07:00

I've always been told that it's faster to run through first base than it is to slide into it but I've never tested it or seen any proof that running through is faster. With the risk of injury I've never taught any of my players to slide head first into any base and discourage them from doing so. I just found an interesting series of articles and videos on ESPN that cover running versus sliding into and new safety bases that are supposed to improve safety and decrease injuries.

The base: Approach at your risk

If you've wonder whether sliding in head first to first base is faster than running through, then check out this Sports Science video: ESPN Sports Science: Run or Slide?

Roger Hall: Building a better base

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Helping Young Hitters be Successful

2014-04-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

As the season begins I always start getting emails from coaches and parents asking how they can help their hitters be successful during games. It may be a general question for their team or for a specific player who is struggling at the plate. As you can guess answering this type of question can be really difficult without being able to see the player in question. So I try to provide some general information that I hope will be helpful in moving things in the right direction. Here are some of my beliefs about helping young hitters out.

The problem is most likely mental rather than physical.

Some kids aren't that athletic and may never become great hitters because of that limitation, but if a hitter can pick up the pitched ball in practice and make contact then most likely he will need more work on the mental side of hitting than he needs more batting practice.

I always try to error on the side of making small changes to a player's swing and that is really true once the season starts. Making a bunch of changes to a player once games begin can make things worse rather than better. Not only has a player lost confidence, now you've added the addition of him not being comfortable when he gets into the box. (There are physical changes that can and need to be made during the season, but try to introduce the changes at practice and remind and work on that during practice, not at the game.) So unless you know that there is something in the player's stance, timing, or swing that is messing him up, start by working on the mental side.

Hitting is not routine, but getting ready to hit should be!

Hitting is difficult for many reasons at all levels of the game, but I believe there is one thing that makes it almost impossible to succeed and that's going up to the plate with no confidence and negative thoughts. As a coach spend time with your team to improve each player's ability to step up to the plate with confidence. I believe one of the best ways to do this is to help players come up with a routine that they can use as they step up to the plate and between each pitch.

Make sure the routine includes both a physical and mental side. The physical side is to have the player breath and move to reduce tension and relax. The physical side can also be used as the catalyst for the mental side.

Here is a sample that might work for a player. Give them the example and then let them modify it. They should be able to tell you what it is from both a physical and mental standpoint.

Take a deep breath before getting into the box and let it out.
As you step into the box, quickly visualize hitting the ball hard somewhere.
Keep loose as you get ready for the pitch and have a positive thought. "He's going to throw me a strike and I'm going to hit it hard."
Focus on picking up the pitch as early as possible.

This is something you can practice as a team for 5 minutes before batting practice and then tell your kids to practice it during batting practice. After BP get them together and ask them how they did. Did they have negative thoughts creep in? Did they forget to do it and loose concentration?

Helping kids be positive when they step up to the plate will go a long way to helping them succeed. In addition to that you need to help them get over failures quickly and refocus on the next task. How many times does a big league player go 0-4 with 2 strikeouts? There's players doing that every night across the league. Let the kids know that it's okay to strikeout or not get a hit. It's going to happen to everyone, so if they want to become a great hitter, they have to be able to let go of their failures. Quickly learn from them and then let 'em go.

It's important for players to work on a routine that they can use over and over again when they go up to bat.

I also believe that in addition to having them have a good routine in place, you also need to talk to them about having a good approach. I wrote a blog article in 2011 that talks more about approach in regards to what I have seen at the youth level: What's Up With the "Swing at Anything Close Approach to Hitting"

Until Next Time,

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

NCAA Basketball - Inspiring Story

2014-04-08T09:28:00.000-07:00

I just watched UConn win the title last night but today I saw another inspiring story of Adreian Payne from Michigan State and his connection with a young cancer patient. These are the types of stories that I wish would get more exposure as they highlight how sports can provide an avenue that can have a lasting affect on people.

QCBaseball.com - The State of the Website

2014-03-18T11:37:00.001-07:00

I'm a little embarrassed by the current state of my QCBaseball.com website. As you know from my previous post I've had some health issues and prior to selling my other website (rteamsite.com), I was spending a lot of my time working on that. So after completing the update to the Tee Ball / Coach Pitch Manual, I was looking at my site data and noticed a real drop-off on time spent on the site compared to what it used to be a few years ago. I specifically noticed that my hitting area that had always done well in the past wasn't doing so well. When I went to that section I noticed why. The content was out of date, not much in the way of images and no video content. The Backyard Hitting Lessons I had put up were more up-to-date and I noticed that visitors were split on what direction to go. I went ahead and merged those to areas into the hitting instruction area and removed the the Backyard Hitting Lessons. All hitting instruction can now be found in the one area of the site. I'm still working on that area, making updates and adding additional hitting content. I hope to have the hitting area completely updated in the next week or so.

Other Improvements Are On The Way

I will be going through all the areas of the website making updates and will be launching a brand new look and feel in the next few months. I'm trying to not only have my content that I create but also link to other content on the web that will be helpful. If you have come across content that you think would be a good fit for the site, please pass that along to me and I'll evaluate it for QCBaseball.com.

If you have ideas for things you'd like to see on the site or improvements to existing content, please let me know that as well.

Thank you,

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

March Is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

2014-03-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

This may seem like a strange blog topic, but since I’m currently “in remission” from stage four colon cancer and it's colon cancer awareness month, I thought I would post a little about what happened to me with the hope that if you have not been screened and are at an age to do so, you will get screened. Colorectal cancer is currently the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and if caught early is very treatable.

An Appendicitis That May Have Saved My Life

After a couple sleepless nights due to stomach pain, I went to the doctor in the fall of 2012 and found out I had an appendicitis and needed surgery to remove the appendix. The surgery went well and a week later I received a call from my doctor with news that they had found cancer in my appendix. It was certainly a shock and completely unexpected. I then went in for a colonoscopy where they found a tumor in my colon. Another surgery determined that the cancer had moved outside my colon and was in various parts of my stomach. The good news was that scans didn’t show that the cancer had moved to any other organ.

In the hospital after my colon surgery.

I didn’t have any obvious signs that I had a cancer tumor in my colon, so without that appendicitis, it may have been too late to do anything significant to cure me. I didn’t suffer from some of the common symptoms and I really don’t know when it would have been discovered without that appendicitis. I had a colonoscopy a little over five years before my appendicitis, because of some bleeding. At that time a non-cancerous polyp had been found and removed, but otherwise I was fine. I was scheduled to have another colonoscopy the spring prior to having the appendicitis, but after talking with my doctor, we decided that since my last one was clean and I was not yet 50, I'd wait until I turned 50. I sure wish I would have just went ahead on having that test as scheduled as it could have made a big difference in how much the cancer had spread and the type of treatment I had.

The first thing to know about detection of colon cancer is that the recommended age for your first colonoscopy is 50. I was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 47. Not that you need to get checked early, but definitely be aware that there is no magic number and there are many cases of colon cancer before age 50, about 10%. If you are 50 or older, don’t put it off and have the test on a regular schedule. As I found out you can be sick and not even know it.

After the second surgery it was time for six months of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is an exhausting process that poisons you while it also kills cancer cells. I really didn’t want to go through my last couple treatments as I was feeling awful and had lost all sense of taste. The side effects by themselves are not horrible but when you add them altogether it’s a pretty miserable process to go through. I did make it through all my treatments and had my first post chemo scan in January which came out clean!

Thankful and Overwhelmed by the Kindness of Friends and Family

My brother riding in a cancer event and riding for me!

Through the entire process I’ve been amazed by incredible amount of support given to me and my family. My wife has been a rock through everything and I can’t get over how lucky I’ve been to have her by my side. My brother, sister, in-laws and friends have not only helped me immensely but have also provided support to my wife and kids. It’s awfully difficult for kids to have to worry that their Dad won’t be around and they have been great, always showing me how much I mean to them. I’m trying my hardest to stay around and be there for them.

Lessons Learned

In addition to hoping that some of you, who have put off getting screened, get screened, I also wanted to convey how cancer has changed my life for the better. At the time of diagnosis I was working a full-time job; working on my two websites, qcbaseball.com and rteamsite.com; performing as a contract programmer for my old company; along with coaching multiple sports over the years. It may sound like something you always hear in these situations, but I really have learned what’s important in life. I sold one website, told my old company I could no longer work for them, and in general I’m living a less stressful and healthier life style. They can’t tell you why you got cancer, but I’m certain stress paid a big part of it for me. I told my wife that if I’m cancer free in ten years I may look back at this as the best ten years of my life. I feel like I’m off to a really great start!

Celebrating with my family at the Space Needle after completing chemo and getting my taste back.

I was coaching my basketball team last year as I started chemotherapy and I tell you it really emphasized how the joy of coaching is the time that you spend enjoying being part of a team. It’s not the wins and losses, it’s the kids! Its spending time with them and seeing them improve. Since then I’ve really been emphasizing on my website the need for every coach to enjoy coaching! So here’s hoping that you’ll move forward with me, get screened, live a healthier life style, reducing stress and don't sweat the small stuff.

Finally here’s to you truly enjoying this upcoming year of coaching! You deserve to really enjoy the season regardless of the record, and if you can do that the kids will enjoy it also. With that accomplished, there’s no way this season won’t be a winner!

Thanks for being a blog subscriber and reading this “off baseball” topic.

Don Edlin

Owner

QCBaseball.com

Coaching Aids

2014-03-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

As we start spring practices many coaches look to make a few purchases of equipment that can help them with practices. Personally I've made a few purchases, some good and some not so good. I'm hoping you will take the time to leave a comment if you have a favorite coaching tool that has worked well for you and why. I realize that money is tight and we can't have everything we want but some of these things are nice to have if you have the money.

Here is what has worked for me:

Quick Hitter: I'm a big fan of this soft-toss replacement tool. Soft-toss was always a challenging station as it's difficult to have it done right, especially if you want someone else to do it. The benefit of soft-toss is that it allows a player to track the ball, work on timing, and work on hitting pitches in specific locations. This is lost if it's not done properly, especially the aspect of working on pitches in certain locations. The Quick Hitter makes this and easy station that anyone can learn and will provide a consistent toss each time for the hitter to work with. You can find more information about it at: http://www.quickhitterusa.com/

Throw down bases and cones: These are fairly cheap items that can really help in organizing your practices. Much easier to setup drills in the outfield if you have these available to outline the area of the drill.

Hitting Tee: I've seen a number of "hitting people" question the use of the hitting tee and I've written about that in the past. For me the hitting tee is a great tool because it allows the hitter to isolate and work on a very specific aspect of the swing or a ball in a specific location.

Whiffle Bats and Balls: I buy the thinner yellow bats (for younger teams) and the balls with holes on one side. Those balls naturally move when pitched, so they are great for hitters to work on following the movement of the ball. For older teams you can just have them use a regular bat to give it even more of a game feel. This makes a great practice station to get extra hitting in. The other thing I like about the balls movement and difficulty to throw accurately is that you can have kids work on hitting good pitches and letting bad pitches go.

Portable Pitching Screen: There are a number of these on the market and I don't even know the brand of the one I have, but a portable screen can not only be used for batting practice but can also be used in a number of stations throughout practice. Whether it's a target for a fielder to throw to or protection for a coach, it's a nice piece of equipment to have. Newer screens are very lightweight and easy to pack around.

Video Camera: video is such a great coaching resource. Nothing like watching a hitter during batting practice or a game from different angles. Being able to slow down the action or pause at a certain spot. Video is great for all baseball skills and can be a good way for you to see who is having difficulty with what and hopefully why. My advice is to tape a lot and then view when you have an opportunity. Time is an issue, but if you wonder why Jimmy seems to be struggling at the plate, it's nice to be able to watch his at bats during the last game, rather than trying to pull that information from your memory.

Motivational Patches: This is self-promotion, since I sell them, but in all honesty I ended up selling them because I used them. Motivational patches are especially useful in practice. I've had coaches email me about the difference the patches have made in the way their team practices after implementing the patches. Players that wouldn't practice hard before, starting practicing hard in order to try and earn a patch. Since I'm using the blog for blatant self-promotion, I'll give you a reward for reading through this. Use the discount code of BLOG14 for 25% of any order of 100-200 patches or 30% off of any order of 200 patches or more (except sale items). Learn more and order at: http://www.qcbaseball.com/patchesmotivate.aspx

Can't Recommend:

I've also used a baseball sling shot for fly balls. I thought it would be good for parents that couldn't throw or hit a good fly ball. It worked okay for my older teams but really didn't get used enough for me to justify the cost and recommend it, but maybe other coaches have found it more useful?

I've never used a pitching machine as part of my practice and it seems like a real pain to get to practice, setup, and use. Plus I'm a big believing in hitting off someone throwing for batting practice, so I don't like the timing problems of having to hit off a pitching machine. I hated it as a player, so I've never felt the desire to introduce it to my players as a coach.

Post a comment below if you have something that has worked well for you.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Baseball Instruction

2014-03-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

In the fourth video in this series, Paul and Harold talk about baseball instruction. I think this is a great video that hits on a lot of different points of discussion. Below the video you'll find my feedback and thoughts and again if you have comments please leave them in the comment box below.

One the first items that is discussed in this video is the difference between what people think they are doing and what they are actually doing. The two examples giving by Paul are great and illustrate the problem of feel versus reality. What does this mean to you as a coach? For one, I agree with Paul that we need to do our best to look at things objectively. Everyone has been taught certain things in certain ways and no matter how much we liked that coach, we have to be willing to realize that the information may not be correct, or simply may not work for everyone. Think about what you're teaching your players. Do you know it's accurate? Are there other ways that the skill can be performed that are also acceptable and maybe even more natural for some of your players?

As a coach I think it's important that you try and not to mold all your players into a specific type of hitter or pitcher. Things are done differently by different players and our role should be to give instruction to help players find what works best for them. Sometimes that means you may not have the answer. You may have to have the player try a couple different things to see what feels best, rather than simply saying "do it this way".

In the video Paul talks about backing off enough as a coach to let a player develop and be who they are as a player. I don't think coaches are trying to do anything wrong, I just think it's a natural thing to over coach. As coaches we want to help our players be successful and often we do too much. A baseball swing can't be fixed in one practice, so try focusing in on small adjustments that are the most glaring problems and give the player time to have those changes sink in. Once those are fixed, maybe other items you thought needed to be fixed, will no longer be an issue.

I think you should also take away from this the importance that video can play in your coaching. If pro athletes think they are doing someone one way and are actually doing it another way, you can only imagine how surprised your players will be when you show them video of them performing a specific skill. They may think they are doing it exactly the way you are asking, until you actually show them what they are doing. Seeing really is believing and is easy to do.

Next thing I'd like to address is Paul's comments about batting machines and hitting tee's and really referring to those items as not helping develop better players. I think those comments really go against the nature of the discussion in allowing a player to discover what works for them. I personally hated pitching machines as a player. I thought they messed with my timing, which messed with my approach, which messed with my mind, which messed with my swing. So I tried to stay away from the pitching machine whenever possible, but the batting tee was different. I really liked working on the tee because I could work on hitting a ball at a certain spot in the strike zone over and over again. I was a really good opposite field hitter and I think a lot of that development came from working on it with a batting tee. So as a coach, try to be flexible with players and see what works for them. Rather than force them to use a specific training aid or work at a specific station, have them try it and if they don't like it have them do something else. This can be difficult when creating a structured practice with different stations, but with older kids it should be fairly easy to do. In the end you want every swing to have a purpose. I'd rather have a player not swing the bat then to be at a station and not taking it seriously.

Finally I think something that is completely missing from this conversation is the mental side of baseball and coaching that mental side. All the great instruction in the world from a physical standpoint can't make up for a player that isn't mentally prepared in their approach on the field. The fact is, some kids are really "out" before they ever step up to the plate. This is a topic for another time but in general players that are successful focus in on the process, not the results. As a coach I think it's important to realize that and try to emphasize that process with your players and have them think about that prior to going up to bat, or stepping on the mound. This is something they need to learn to do and can be difficult to do consistently. It's something you need to coach them on. If not then they'll probably be thinking about results when they get into that "clutch" situation, hoping to come through for the team and adding pressure to the situation, rather than thinking in the same process oriented way they should be.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Free Tee Ball / Coach Pitch Coaching Manual

2014-03-01T17:06:00.001-08:00

In 2004 I published a tee ball / coach pitch manual that for some reason dropped off my website and hasn't been available since. Last month as I was going through some files and came across the manual. Since finding it I've spent the last few weeks updating it. I'm offering this manual to free for anyone interested. If you or anyone you know coach at this level, please let them know that this free resource is available for download. I would also really appreciate it if you would forward this information on to your league administrators in order to make it available for the coaches in your league.

I'm really proud of the information in the guide and I think it would be a valuable resource for any league to introduce new coaches to positive coaching.

The manual tries to give new coaches the necessary information to be successful with this age group. It also tries to help coaches prepare for a successful season on a personal basis emphasizing the importance of enjoying the experience and how best to prepare to reach that goal. I hope this manual will get coaches off to a good start and hopefully many of them will not only get some good information but will also become good youth baseball coaches.

The manual can be downloaded at: www.qcbaseball.com/tools/tee-ball-coach-pitch-manual.aspx

Don Edlin

Owner
QCBaseball.com

Unqualified Baseball Coaches

2014-02-27T15:26:00.000-08:00

In the third video of this series, Paul talks about "how unqualified baseball coaches are hurting baseball". I have real mixed feelings about this topic because I believe that Paul and Harold are discussing select baseball and instruction, where a person can jump in and be seen as an expert based on their playing ability, or can recruit the best players to cover up poor coaching. I really haven't spent enough time with coaching "select" or "tavel" teams to know how true this is, but I don't doubt that it happens a lot. I've seen some of this in instruction, where former players are trying to teach "what they did", without really knowing how they did it or if the player they are teaching can perform what they are trying to teach. So I don't disagree with what is being said but I'm concerned that these types of conversations will make potential youth coaches less likely to coach because they won't feel "qualified".

In youth baseball (not travel and select), we need a system to develop coaches and give them the tools to be successful. Those coaches are often thrown into the fire and don't have the ability to sit and learn under other coaches before finally taking over. My website is an attempt to help coaches not only improve their coaching but as important, enjoy coaching. This can be a real challenge for the youth coach that is trying to help out. What I struggle with is how to do a better job of getting the word out on different topics? How to get leagues to provide more information on positive coaching? How to get coaches who start out as simply volunteers to gain the skills and knowledge to turn into coaches that kids love to play for?

This discussion while focused in on baseball is true with every other sport I've coached and my kids have been apart of. There are a lot of issues in youth sports and developing quality coaches is an important one. I hope that more and more people can get a healthier perspective on youth sports and eventually things will change.

Here is the video, again I would love to hear your feedback. Please comment below for feedback.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Baseball Development

2014-02-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

In the second video of this series, Paul talks about baseball development. Although he is a bit long winded in this one, I really like what he has to say, especially near the end of the video.

I really like the discussion about the thinking that playing on traveling teams at an elite level may be a detriment to development and rather then an asset to development. I also agree that by continually playing in tournaments, kids are under an extreme amount of pressure to perform. If the team doesn't play well, then you don't continue on in the tournament.

So as coaches I think it's important to try to educate parents of the positives of playing at higher levels, but also the negatives. Not only the increased pressure and stress, but also the increase investment of time. Those things can lead to burnout and possible injury. Many people think of arm injuries when they think of baseball, and certainly arm problems are common. But there is also a rise in what are known as overuse injuries in baseball. I know a number of kids in my area that have suffered from back problems due to playing baseball all year round. I have talked to a physical therapist that has seen a dramatic rise in the number of baseball players he has seen over the years and how young many of them are.

If you are a coach that is coaching baseball all year long, maybe think about giving kids a few months off to allow them to recover. In a previous post, I mentioned the American Sports Medicine Institute statement that recommends no overhand throwing for pitchers for 3 months and 4 months is recommended. I believe hitters need that same type of break. I don't have a recommendation on amount of time, but I do believe that to reduce the chance of overuse injury for young players, we need less hitting for players that are playing most of the year.

I'm getting a little off topic, but I think the important thing here is to realize that kids need balance. They need to enjoy all types of activities and as Paul talks about at the end of the video, they need to enjoy spending time with their parents.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Baseball Potential

2014-02-16T17:29:00.001-08:00

I'm jumping in and sharing what I think is a very interesting series of videos with Paul Reddick and Harold Reynolds. The first video is on baseball potential. Watch the video here and then I added comments below. I'd love to hear your feedback. I will be covering the other videos in other posts.

I would like to say before making any comments that I agree with the majority of the information presented in the video, but I do think there are some generalizations made that are only partially correct. I'd like to address those items in the video.

The first is the comment by Paul that there is a difference between potential and potential realized, with the skills of the game being the missing piece between potential and potential realized. I'm filling in what I believe is the unstated problem here, being coaching. I think what is missing is the difference between learning and practicing skills and applying those skills. From what I see from coaches, there is a lot of effort in developing skills. Coaches are spending tremendous amounts of time on drills and building skills. Parents are sending players to extra conditioning training, hitting and pitching lessons, all in an effort for their child to realize that potential. I really don't think we suffer from a lack of training and skill building. What we lack in baseball is a regular infusion of fun and enjoyment!

Baseball training (along with other sports) has turned into a job for kids. If we want to know why kids drop out of baseball, I don't think we need to look at lack of skill level. There is plenty of skill, but what I see that is that increased skill (also seen as potential) has added to the pressure for these kids to perform. A player that is skilled at a young age is often asked to play on traveling teams which can be very exciting for the player and parents. Often though this leads to kids playing baseball all year and giving up other sports. Baseball isn't the only sport that does this as it's a problem in many sports. So for me, I think "burnout" is a major problem in youth sports.

So if we have the skills, what is the problem with applying those skills? Again, I think coaches for the most part are doing a really good job, and I would say better than any previous time in youth baseball, at teaching the fundamentals of baseball. In the video Paul states that "there is a problem in America with the way we go through sports". He also states that 50% of all minor league players are from outside the United States and he discusses the increase in injuries in baseball among different age groups. To me those are all things that point to, too much too soon for kids. Let's change the way we do things and give kids time to experience other sports and other activities. When they are playing baseball, let's build skills through fun activities that promote the love of the game. Let's not make everything about winning but instead about giving your best effort. Let's help kids develop a mental side of the game that allows them to learn from failures rather than fear failure. It's much easier to be successful in baseball when a player is relaxed and doesn't feel the weight of extreme pressure every time he steps on to the field.

Paul ends the video with many of these same thoughts about letting kids be well rounded and understanding that there is a social need for the kids as well. One of the great things about baseball is that it is a team sport and a great opportunity to kids to have fun together. Spend less time as coaches worrying about trying to teach everything each year. Skill and baseball intelligence are gained over time; years not months. Spend more time trying to provide an atmosphere of fun and friendly competition, where mistakes are expected and seen as learning experiences not something to be punished for.

I will follow this series of videos as I think they are very interesting. I hope you enjoy the videos and I'd love to hear what you think.

Don Edlin
Owner
QCBaseball.com

Pete Carroll Voted Most Popular Coach by NFL Players

2014-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

I live in Seattle (where we haven't had a championship in a major sport since the 1979 Sonics) and the Seahawks are in the Superbowl, so of course I'm reading almost every piece of football news I can as I get ready for the game on Sunday. I came across an ESPN article on Pete Carrol being the most popular answer when NFL football players were asked, "Which head coach would you most like to play for?". I had no intention of posting anything about the article but I think there were a number of quotes in the article that emphasize why he is popular with his players and it's not simply because he's a nice guy. Instead it relates not only to his positive attitude but to how he sees mistakes an an opportunity to learn and improve rather than an opportunity to yell and punish. Where NFL coaching has been seen by many people as a place where nice guys finish last, it's refreshing to see a coach that can get a lot of his players by treating them the way they want to be treated. Yeah I'm biased as a Seahawk fan but I do think there are some good coaching points in the article, even for Bronco fans!

I think we all strive as coaches to be a coach that players like and want to play for, so hopefully you'll get a tidbit or two from the article.

Pete Carroll voted most popular

Oh Yeah....Go Hawks!!!!

Don Edlin

Owner

QCBaseball.com