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Every Monday during our post-lunch "siesta story" at summer camp I talk about the Dominican Republic. The story is about the country in general and its people's daily struggle with poverty, the version of baseball that the kids there are forced to play without any basic equipment or resources, the many trips that I took …
Towards the end of every season, I like to take a little time to reflect...so here goes. To my lesson students: Thank you for your effort all season long. Each of you came to the cage with a desire to work hard, a willingness to try new things, and a commitment to the process. And …
"Let's go Showtime, let's go! Clap-Clap-Clap! Let's go Showtime, let's go! Clap-Clap-Clap!" The players in the dugout waiting for their turn in the lineup were FIRED UP! The chanting was loud, passionate, and non-stop. "Let's go Showtime, let's go! Clap-Clap-Clap! Let's go Showtime, let's go! Clap-Clap-Clap!" (You can watch the live version of the chant here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bvx5CYtFtVW/) …
Now that games have started and I can get some competition feedback from my players during lessons, I'm hearing a lot of pitchers mischaracterize their performance, and this is a topic definitely worth discussing. Here's a typical conversation as we're playing catch to get warmed up in the cage: Me: "Did you get to pitch …
I know it's been a challenge to get much baseball in so far this season with all the rain we've, had but with a lot of the younger divisions starting practices this week I thought I'd spend a couple minutes on some really valuable pre-season hitting tips. By the end of May, I will …
With tryouts taking place all over the South Bay on Saturday, I wanted to share some advice with you that will help your ballplayer be mentally prepared this weekend. Tryouts (and games when the regular season starts) can be unnecessarily stressful for young players due to pressure they feel, either from themselves or from adults, …
If your son has ever attended baseball camp with me, then he's heard the "Dominican Republic" story about my many trips there bringing baseball equipment, building fields, training local coaches, and making classroom visits in the local schools. The point of the story is threefold: 1) To educate the campers about a country with …
I write a lot about hitting because every kid in Little League will get at-bats in every single game while only a couple kids will pitch, but here's one for the players who like to toe the rubber. Defining, or redefining success, is something I talk about often in lessons and at camp, and the …
Without a doubt the most difficult aspect of the "mental side" of hitting for Little Leagues is, quite simply, deciding when to swing. Playing the pitch-selection chess match against the pitcher doesn't really become a big part of hitting until high school; nor does situational hitting (advancing a runner on 2nd with nobody out to …
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