The Danger of Specialization
The landscape of youth and high school sports has been changing over the past decade, and not for the better. Many parents and players feel as though they are falling behind other players if they don’t get on the best travel team, quit all other sports, have them exposed to the most training in the offseason, […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Aug, 12, 2013
- 10 Comments.
Play the game!
Today’s youth and high school players are bigger, faster, stronger, and throw harder than they ever have. The number of players who throw 90 and 95 miles per hour is at an all time high. I would also guess that the number of players who run sub 6.6-60s is also at an all time high […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Jul, 11, 2013
- 10 Comments.
College baseball needs pitch count limits and mandatory rest!!! … or does it?
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article are specific to college baseball and do not apply to youth or high school baseball. The college baseball world was in an uproar Monday evening when North Carolina pitched potential first round pick Kent Emanuel 51 pitches in relief, one day after he threw 124 pitches in […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Jun, 04, 2013
- 4 Comments.
Taking a Good Approach at the Plate
As coaches, we have all see hitters who overachieve and underachieve their mechanics and physical abilities at the plate. We cannot, for the life of us, figure out why the kid who absolutely crushes the ball in the cage, has solid mechanics, and a quick bat hits 50 points lower than the kid who looks […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Coaching Philosophy, Hitting, Mental Game
- Jun, 03, 2013
- 3 Comments.
Great Article on the Case for Certification in Youth Sports
While scouring the internet for others who share the same passion for training youth coaches as I do, I came across and absolutely fabulous article on why youth sports coaches should receive training. Here is the link to Karl Avdek’s “All Balls No Bull” website where you can find articles about coach certification/training and other […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Apr, 30, 2013
- No Comments.
When Times Get Tough
Anyone who plays or coaches baseball in the Midwest right now is probably more frustrated by the weather than anything else. It seems like just as we get a slight break, the gets worse than it was before. First we had snow and a late cold, then rain followed by even more rain. There has […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Apr, 18, 2013
- No Comments.
Unfair Criticism of John Beilein
I admit that two consecutive posts about college basketball is a bit out of my league. In no way, shape, or form, do I fancy myself an expert on the game of basketball. I retired from playing basketball after my freshmen year in high school, and I have never coached a minute of basketball at […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Apr, 10, 2013
- 1 Comment.
Former Rutger’s Coach Mike Rice’s Behavior Indicates a Larger Problem
For those of you who are not familiar with the way Mike Rice treated his players at Rutgers University, it is about as bad as you can imagine. (View the OTL report here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbaYqcMMZ6A) I heard the description of his behavior prior to seeing the videos, and I was still shocked when I saw them. Mr. […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Apr, 07, 2013
- 2 Comments.
What Should be Important to Youth Coaches
With league championship names such as “Super Bowl” and “World Series,” it is easy to understand why youth coaches get caught up in the allure of winning championships. As a youth coach, if your main goal is to win a championship, you are missing a wonderful opportunity to improve the lives of the athletes you […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Uncategorized
- Mar, 25, 2013
- 8 Comments.
Creating challenges for practice
In one of our last posts (and Podcast), we discussed ways to keep practices fun and energetic by using tactical games. Another effective method that will accomplish the same goal while creating pressure is to use a daily skills challenge. We start every day with a specified amount of conditioning at the end of practice […]
Read More- Posted by Kyle Nelson
- Posted in Practice Organization
- Mar, 03, 2013
- No Comments.
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