In with the new, out with the old. But before we truly say goodbye to 2018, it’s important to take stock of any lessons learned over the past year as a youth baseball coach. I share some lessons learned by two respected coaches as well as some lessons I learned. Show notes
Welcome to the Youth Baseball Edge podcast
- Over a half-million downloads!
- The #1-ranked amateur baseball podcast on iTunes
- Hit the Top Ten podcasts in the entire Amateur Sports category in iTunes
- Awarded "New & Noteworthy" in iTunes just two weeks after launch
Past guests include:
Jeff Passan
Yahoo Sports
Tim Corbin
Vanderbilt
Alan Jaeger
J-band creator
Kyle Boddy
Driveline Baseball
Sam Miller
Baseball Prospectus
Justin Stone
EliteBaseball.tv
Kai Correa
San Francisco Giants
Jerry Ford
Perfect Game
Ron Wolforth
Texas Baseball Ranch
Austin Wasserman
Wasserman Strength
If you like the podcast, click the links below to subscribe to the podcast so you'll never miss an episode:
Wait...what's a podcast anyway?
A podcast is a series of free downloadable audio shows that you can listen on your computer or mobile device. People usually listen while commuting, working out, doing chores, etc.
To listen on your mobile device, you’ll need an app. For iOS users, open the Podcasts app; for Android users, download the free Stitcher Radio app. In the app, search for “Youth Baseball Edge”. Tap the "Subscribe" button for the show and you'll be all set. Now every time I release a new episode, it will automagically download right on your device. Additionally, you can listen to the podcasts here on the web site.
If you like the podcast, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will dramatically help the show and its ranking in iTunes! I greatly appreciate it. Enjoy the shows!
YBE 113: Practical Peak Mental Performance with Brian Cain
We’ve heard about the mental game but how do we actually apply it to our baseball coaching? How do we make the concept of mental game more practical? Brian Cain, #1 international best-selling author, speaker and coach, helps us with exactly that. Show notes
YBE 112: Coaching Peak Mental Performance with Brian Cain
When one of your players doesn’t feel confident on a particular day—or even throughout a particular season—what do you do? When a kid isn’t having the results he wishes he had, what do you do? When you are looking for team leaders, what do you do? Brian Cain, a #1 international best-selling author, speaker and coach, helps answer some of these mental game questions and many others to help you give your team the edge. Show notes
YBE111: Big Tips, Big Gains
Last time, I gave several small tips that can yield big improvements. They were small in the sense that they are minor changes to what you already do for your team. In today’s show, I give several big tips that can yield big improvements. This round of tips is “big” in the sense that they will change the culture of your team or program and generally will require a long-term vision and implementation. Show notes
YBE 110: Small Tips, Big Gains
Did you know that if you are traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. and are off-course by just one degree, you’d end up in Baltimore? Small changes can sometimes have big consequences. And sometimes that applies to coaching youth baseball as well. Many times we’re looking for that magic bullet that will make our kids enormously better—yet sometimes we just need to make some small, fine-tuned adjustments. Rob Tong shares seven seemingly minor changes coaches and parents can make to help kids make big improvements. Show notes
YBE 109: From Good To Great: Improving Pitch Recognition with Peter Fadde
Can pitch recognition skills separate the good batters from the great batters? Can pitch recognition training help overcome some common hitting flaws? Peter Fadde, author of “The Sixth Tool: Training Baseball Pitch Recognition”, explores this and other topics related to pitch recognition. Show notes
YBE 108: Intro To Pitch Recognition with Peter Fadde
What is “pitch recognition”? How is it different from “vision training”? How do you recognize pitches anyway? Peter Fadde, author of “The Sixth Tool: Training Baseball Pitch Recognition”, shares his thoughts on these questions. Show notes
YBE 107: How To Be A (Reasonably Good) Baseball Umpire with Brandon Jackson
How do you become an ump in youth leagues like Little League? How do you become a high school ump? College? Pros? What makes a good ump? Brandon Jackson, a long-time and well-respected collegiate umpire, shares his thoughts on these and other umpire-related topics. Show notes
YBE 106: Commonly Misunderstood Baseball Rules with Brandon Jackson
Ever wonder what an umpire’s thinking? Here’s your chance to find out. Brandon Jackson, a long-time collegiate umpire, explains umpiring philosophies and goes through some commonly misunderstood baseball rules that you might need to know someday.
Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about whether the tennis swing will ruin a baseball swing. Show notes
YBE 105: The Open Baseball Journal: 10 Questions Baseball Parents Should Ask Their Child Every Season
How is the health of your relationship with your baseball-playing child? How would you know? Is pushing your child always wrong? Rob Tong addresses these questions and introduces the Open Baseball Journal. Learn ten questions you should ask your player(s) after each season that will help keep your relationship with your player(s) on the right track—or to get on the right track if you’ve been derailed.
Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about helping players who always short-arm their throws. Show notes
YBE 104: From Scrawny To 95mph: The Importance Of Strength Training with Ben Brewster
If you had $5,000 to spend on youth baseball, what would you spend it on? Pitching coach? Hitting coach? Travel teams for exposure and experience? Strength training? High tech gear? Ben Brewster, founder of Tread Athletics, explains why strength training should be the majority of your budget. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about healing rifts between the better players on your team and the weaker players on your team. Show notes
YBE 103: Busting Ceilings Via Strength Training with Ben Brewster
YBE has devoted several sessions to strength training. But how important is strength training anyway? Ben Brewster, founder of Tread Athletics, explains why strength training can help you bust through your current limitations. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus, find out who won free YBE swag! Show notes
YBE 102: Modernizing Hitting Practice with Josh Rodrigues
Does your hitting practice primarily consist of you pitching, one kid hitting and everyone else standing around in the field…while you tell the batter to swing level? Josh Rodrigues, assistant coach at Salve Regina University, talks about modern hitting terminology and some practical ways you can have your kids hit better. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help kids know how to end plays on defense. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to offset squats. Plus, this is your last week to enter a giveaway for free YBE swag (hint: listen to YBE Session #100)! Show notes
YBE 101: Modern Hitting Philosophies with Josh Rodrigues
What are the hitting philosophies you teach your players? How did you come to embrace those philosophies? And what evidence do you have to support your philosophies? Josh Rodrigues, assistant coach at Salve Regina University, talks about modern hitting philosophies that’s backed by stats and research. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help hitters overcome the fear of getting hit by a pitch. Show notes
YBE 100: Baseball Brain Training 101 with John Kennedy
How does brain training for athletes differ from, say, doing a bunch of Sudoku puzzles? John Kennedy, founder and primary neuroplastician of Combat Brain Training, explains more about brain training and how it can benefit athletes. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help hitters prepare for pitchers with wildly differing velocities. And find out how to win YBE swag! Show notes
YBE 099: Intro to Brain Training with John Kennedy
You’ve likely heard of the mental game of baseball—especially on this podcast. But you may not have heard of brain training, which is different from the mental game. John Kennedy, founder and president of Combat Brain Training, explains what brain training is and how it can benefit youth baseball players. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about lunging during the swing and handling parents who offer unhelpful tips. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com discusses first baseman training protocols in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes
YBE 098: Influencing Your Kid’s Development with Rob Friedman
In this latest in my series on Baseball Dads, Rob Friedman, the Pitching Ninja, shares how he helped influence his son Jack’s development, as well as the high school team that Rob helps coach, without needing to bark commands and make demands. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com explains frontal plane movements in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes
YBE 097: Building A Better Pitcher with Rob Friedman
The latest in my series on Baseball Dads, Rob Friedman, the Pitching Ninja, shares how he helped his son Jack to get a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech, a Division I college baseball team. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about machine pitch vs. coach pitch. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares a forearm strengthening tool and exercise in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes
YBE 096: Getting Started With Strength Training with Nick Esposito
Getting started with strength training for youth players? Nick Esposito of espositostrengthclub.com gives some thoughts on functional movement screens, planning workouts and whether certain familiar warmup routines are helpful or hurtful. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares why he no longer prescribes long-duration planks and crunches in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes
YBE 095: How To Start Strength Training with Nick Esposito
Is strength training important for youth baseball? How do you get started? Nick Esposito of espositostrengthclub.com and the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Austin Wasserman and Bobby Tewksbary’s AB Athletics facility shares his thoughts. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about why in-step pressure is important in the swing. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares fitness games for youth athletes in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes
YBE 094: Pitching Tips with Lantz Wheeler
I talk pitching with Lantz Wheeler of BaseballThinkTank.com and creator of the Core Velocity Belt. A variety of pitching thoughts are discussed and perhaps you can take away a few things and implement them with your team. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.Show notes
YBE 093: Stop Focusing On Pitching Mechanics with Lantz Wheeler
How do you best teach kids to pitch? By NOT focusing on pitching mechanics, of course! If that raised your eyebrow, Lantz Wheeler of BaseballThinkTank.com and creator of the Core Velocity Belt explains why. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what to say to kids before a big game. Show notes
YBE 092: Better Parent-Coach Relationships with Dayn Perry
What do you do as a coach when a parent is giving you grief? What do you do as a parent when a coach appears to be doing something you don’t like? Dayn Perry of CBS Sports goes through some scenarios to help give some guidance on how to help improve those parent-coach relationships. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about whether game experience is more important than training, or vice-versa. Show notes
YBE 091: The Role Of Baseball Parents with Dayn Perry
The parent-coach relationship is usually good. But coaches will almost always encounter a bad baseball parent, whether it’s someone who undermines the coach to his kid, confronts the coach publicly, or backstabs him to league officials. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports discusses healthier, more responsible ways for baseball parents to interact with their kid’s coach. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about whether travel ball is necessary to be considered for high school ball. Show notes
YBE 090: Fun-damentals with Dan Keller
Dan Keller of DugoutCaptain.com share more ideas for making practice fun. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what it means to ‘stay connected.’ And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com explains the floor dumbbell press (in audio this time) in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 089: Making Practice Fun Again with Dan Keller
Dan Keller of DugoutCaptain.com share his ideas for making practice fun again. What exactly does that mean? And how do we do that? Tune in and get some ideas. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to improve 8U travel players’ baseball IQ. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares his own practice plan and post-game recap templates for youth baseball and softball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 088: 15 More Lessons Learned in 2017 with various coaches
15 more baseball coaches share the lessons they’ve learned in 2017, including Paul Niggebrugge, Jeff Albert of the Houston Astros and Rick Strickland. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about where to play lefties on the field. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com explains the kettlebell waiter walk (in audio this time) in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 087: 15 Lessons Learned From Various Coaches In 2017
15 different amateur baseball coaches share the lessons they’ve learned in 2017, including Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv, Tucker Frawley of Yale University and Billy Boyer of Seattle University. This is Part 1 of a two-part theme.
Plus Travis Kerber of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about a “kid-safe” curve ball. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about the floor dumbbell press for youth baseball and softball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 086: Volunteer Coaching 201 with Pete Caliendo
You have a full-time job that doesn’t involve coaching baseball. You volunteer to coach your kid’s team and want to be as efficient as Tim Corbin. Is it a pipe dream or is it possible? Pete Caliendo, host of the Baseball Outside The Box podcast, offers multiple tips for volunteer coaches to be more effective. This is part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about where to begin when teaching six-year-olds to play. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about Kettlebell Waiter Walks in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 085: When Volunteer Parents Become Coaches with Pete Caliendo
When parents volunteer to become a coach, they often soon realize coaching is not as easy as they thought and become overwhelmed by the responsibilities. Pete Caliendo, host of the Baseball Outside The Box podcast, offers tips for helping the legion of volunteer parents who are coaching youth baseball. This is part 1 of a two-part interview. Show notes
YBE 084: Philosophies Of A Successful Travel Team with Rudy Garcia
What do the philosophies of a successful national elite travel team look like? Rudy Garcia, head coach of an elite national travel team from Wilson MVP Elite, shares many of his philosophies. Can any of this apply to your team? This is part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about single leg lunge progressions in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 083: An Inside Look At A Successful Travel Team
How does a top travel team get run? Rudy Garcia, head coach of an elite national travel team from Wilson MVP Elite, gives some fantastic tips on running a successful travel team, although much of the discussion can also apply to rec leagues. This is part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about handling difficult parents. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to Turkish Get-Ups in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 082: Guarding Against Arm Pain with Randy Sullivan
What are some things we can do to help reduce the risk of arm pain? Randy Sullivan of the Florida Baseball Ranch offers some suggestions to help guard against arm injuries. This is part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Travis Kerber of Elite Baseball Training answers the Question Of The Week about what age to introduce the curve ball to pitchers. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com brings us the Pallof Press with Weighted Perturbations in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 081: Understanding Arm Pain with Randy Sullivan
How can we have strict pitch counts and play multiple sports instead of pitching all year round…and still have so many baseball arm injuries? Randy Sullivan of Florida Baseball Ranch discusses the touchy issues of arm pain. Show notes
YBE 080: Should Pocket Radar Be In Your Toolbox?
Even in an era of baseball data, a radar gun at the youth level seems like a luxury. But is it a luxury—or a must-have? Pocket Radar co-founder and CEO Steve Goody discusses how the Pocket Radar Ball Coach model can help coaches help their pitchers and hitters.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers whether organizations like Baseball Factory would be useful for instructional or motivational purposes for a 13-year-old. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com teaches us about one of his all-time fave exercises—trunk rotation for youth baseball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 079: Can Motus Baseball Help Improve Performance?
Is the Motus Baseball sleeve more gimmick or good? Every baseball product claims to do wonders. Does Motus Baseball help improve performance/help prevent injury? I discuss the merits of Motus Baseball with Will Carroll, the Media Relations Director for Motus Global.
Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com explains what bullpens are, what the benefits are and how he tracks them in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 078: Tee Ball Practices with Marty Schupak
If you’re teaching tee ball kids, there’s no nuance. It’s all the absolute, bare bones basics. It’s a good day if the kids can just throw the ball somewhere within three feet of you. Teaching tee ball requires extra patience, which is why making practice segments fun is so crucial—for both the kids’ AND the coaches’ sake. Marty Schupak returns in Part 2 of a two-part interview to discuss how to run practices for tee ball teams.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to help structure practices for a 7U machine pitch team consisting of players of varying skill level. Show notes
YBE 077: Help For The Tee Ball Coach
No disrespect to other baseball coaches but tee ball coaches have it toughest. Yet help is scarce for tee ball coaches. Marty Schupak provides some great advice for coaches teaching the youngest of baseball athletes. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to find a hitting coach for an 8-10 year old. Show notes
YBE 076: Meaningful Baseball Talks With Your Kids with Paul Reddick
What’s your #1 baseball goal for your kid? Paul Reddick is certain there is something deeper there, and that you need to communicate that to your kids. But how? Paul explains this important concept in this interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to help a field leader be a more vocal leader. Show notes
YBE 075: Heads Up Confidence with Dr. Tom Hanson
Naturally, confidence is a key component of a player’s mental game. But can we really impact confidence? Dr. Tom Hanson, co-author of “Heads Up Baseball 2.0”, discusses this and provides some amazing tips to help our kids’ confidence. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to kindle (or re-kindle) passion for the game among youth players.
Show notes
YBE 074: Heads Up Mental Game with Dr. Tom Hanson
Dr. Tom Hanson, co-author of the book “Heads Up Baseball 2.0”, shares some mental game strategies. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to handle kids who miss practice when you’re teaching a progression. Show notes
YBE 073: #FridayFielders Foundations with Kai Correa
Kai Correa, assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado and creator of the #FridayFielders series on Twitter, breaks down how to teach fielding fundamentals to young players. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Show notes
YBE072: #FridayFielders Fundamentals with Kai Correa
As discussed in Session #70 with Billy Boyer, elite infielding is not just about “get in front of the ball” and “get your glove dirty”. Kai Correa, assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado and creator of the #FridayFielders series on Twitter, breaks down how to teach fielding fundamentals to young players. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what to do for a 12-year-old who plays 70 foot bases in travel but 90 foot bases for school. Show notes
YBE 071: Nuanced Game Planning (Even Without Data) with Tommy Hottovy
Tommy Hottovy, Chicago Cubs’ Coordinator of Advance Scouting—Run Prevention, has a fun job. But what can you and I do, given that we don’t have the benefit of reams of data? How can we still help our teams improve their odds of success? This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about making the hitting part of our practices more efficient and less boring. Show notes
YBE 070: Intro To Game Planning Using Data Analytics with Tommy Hottovy
Tommy Hottovy, Chicago Cubs’ Coordinator of Advance Scouting: Run Prevention, helps explain what his job is and how he helps his team prepare better game plans using data analytics. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Show notes
YBE 069: Double Play Feeds with Billy Boyer
Billy Boyer, assistant coach at the University of Washington, gives a detailed tutorial on how to teach the many intricate aspects of high-level double play feeds. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to help tee-ball players hit with more power more consistently.
Show notes
YBE 068: Play Like A Middle Infielder with Billy Boyer
Billy Boyer, assistant coach at the University of Washington, helps break down some of the nuances that can help elevate the infield play of your players. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Show notes
YBE 067: Helpful Baseball Tech with Kyle Boddy
Kyle Boddy, founder of Driveline Baseball, discusses—among other things—what baseball tech is worthwhile. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to handle fielding slumps.
Show notes
YBE 066: How Data Can Improve Your Training with Kyle Boddy
Kyle Boddy, founder of Driveline Baseball, discusses overload/underload training with bats—a new area of research-backed baseball training—as well as overload/underload training for pitchers, and more. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about what the hands should be doing during the load & stride.
Show notes
YBE 065: Higher-Level Catching with Tanner Swanson
Tanner Swanson, assistant coach at the University of Washington and popular speaker on the topic of catching, gives some key insights on how to help your intermediate-level and advanced youth, high school and college catchers. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about whether kids should cheer and enjoy the moment, or keep calm and “act like they’ve been there before”. And Austin Wasserman of WassStrength.com tells us about his Base Stealing: Leads & Footwork ebook that talks about creating shin angle and direction in his Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes