Recent news has shined a light on a dark place in which many athletes live. What you do not know can hurt someone you love. The warning signs can be incredibly difficult to detect and, in almost every case, athletes who struggle mightily or even take their own lives seem to be in a great …
What coaches and parents must know about suicide and mental health issues Read More »
Any great pitcher will tell you that great pitch calling can improve her game by 50-percent. Poor calling goes in the other direction. Few things in the game are as misunderstood by pitchers, catchers, and coaches. Fortunately, in our organization, we have some incredibly experienced Instructors, over 100 who have succeeded at every level of …
Why success does not mean free from struggles and what we can do to help. By now many of you have heard the tragic news about Stanford University soccer captain Katie Meyer’s passing from suicide. When I read about her untimely and tragic death, I immediately had a gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach. As a …
The Threat of Suicide Among High-Functioning Clients; Read More »
A few years ago I saw a high school pitcher end her season early. During a pre-season tournament that was not important, she pitched game after game with temperatures in the low-40’s and an icy wind. By the end of the tournament she was popping Ibuprofen, but the shoulder was already in big trouble. Let’s …
She needs to be understood. This one is for parents and coaches. The chances of a great 12U pitcher still going strong in college are almost zero. The chances of a great 18U pitcher being the number-1 pitcher at a good D1 school are very small. Four or five pitchers almost always watch one or …
A wonderful mom told me she felt so badly that her daughter got such a late start pitching and was always playing catch-up. She began pitching at 10-years-old. That is not late! I told her about working with an athlete who started pitching at 14, eventually taking her team deep into the College World Series …
When is it too much? Talking with experts in every field, the consensus is that we are overdoing it, so if you want to play year-round, this is an article you will not enjoy. Dozens of top medical experts are warning that playing almost year-round has led to a dramatic increase in injuries. The body …
Measure against Olympic dreams. When our older daughter began pitching, we had no pitching instructor and little knowledge. We had one thing. At 10-years old she began with a simple, very serious goal. One day she wanted to pitch for the Olympic Team. We measured everything from that day forward against that one goal. We …
This is an incredible look at pitching from a scientific perspective. This week, we salute our Instructor of the week, Jonathan Hon, in the Chicago area. Jonathan is an aeronautical engineer who sees pitching in a fascinating way. Oh, he is good at what he does, and I can assure you that he doesn’t talk …
I’ve actually found great relationships between pitching and my education Read More »
If asked to name the most important quality colleges seek in recruits, what would you say? Strength, speed, batting average, pitching speed? None of the above. In a recent conversation with a recruiting consultant, she said there is a heavy emphasis on character. All things being equal, this is the difference maker. In other words, …
Are there times when we keep a student from taking it to the max? Absolutely. That may surprise you, but there is a good reason. My total focus is on development, with planning designed specifically for her. If an 11-year-old tries to throw as fast as a varsity player, but her body has not developed …
“Now that you know my story, go create your own.” Have you ever thought about what you would say to the next athlete who gets your uniform? “You will make thousands of mistakes, but that is how you learn”. These quotes came from 12U travel players in Nebraska. As they moved to the next age …
Lily had a great game in the tournament on Saturday. She faced 18 batters, striking out 15. This past weekend, I received so many texts and emails about our pitchers who started strong. Then, I waited, knowing what would come. Fully half of them are new to me. Dominance is a new experience. There is …
A student came to a lesson exhausted. Her team had played in an “all night tournament”. Doesn’t that sound fun? Perhaps, on the surface. I tell our Certified Instructors that we have three rules in our organization: 1-It is about the kids 2-It is about the kids 3-It is about the kids. Today, I stand …
One of the hardest things for me to learn was that great pitching is not a “look”, not a rigid set of movements, and that every kid should arrive at the perfect place in a way that is unique to her. If an athlete is trying to look like someone else, if she is measuring …
