YBE 002: The Psychology of Youth Baseball with Joe Hallinan

Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and youth baseball coach Joe Hallinan has written fairly extensively about human psychology with his two most recent books, Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things In Seconds, Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average and Kidding Ourselves: The Hidden Power of Self-Deception. I've read both books and found them to be a fascinating look inside the human brain. In this episode, I pick Joe's brain (pun partially intended) about how to apply a deeper understanding of human behavior within the confines of youth baseball. Can this better understanding help coaches unlock hidden potential in our kids that we may not otherwise be able to untap? I think the mental game of baseball doesn't just apply to players but also to coaches. As a bonus, Joe is giving away a copy of his book "Why We Make Mistakes". For your chance to win, just leave a comment below and tell me how the book would help you in your coaching. I'll randomly pick one winner from all the participants who leave a comment and we'll ship the book for free to the winner.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why one of the biggest challenges for coaches involves a mismatch between what the kids see and what the coaches see
• One of the biggest differences between the really good coaches and mediocre coaches
• What causes coaches to be overconfident
• The best way to help give kids authoritative feedback during practices (bonus: you can also use this to help boost kids' confidence)
• The hidden power of placebos and how to harness it in coaching
• How to handle the fine line between overconfidence and lack of confidence in different age ranges
• That kids sometimes perform differently than they think they did, and how to correct them
• Whether setting goals for each kid is worthwhile
• Whether it's better to pull a struggling pitcher or let him pitch through his struggles
• What skill should be most sought-after in players
• Why some kids perform worse towards the end of the season and in the playoffs

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

• Joe's book Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average
• Joe's book Kidding Ourselves: The Hidden Power of Self-Deception
• Welles Park Parents Association youth baseball league

[Note: the two book links above are affiliate links where, at no cost to you, I would get a small commission if you purchase the book(s). Please know that I recommend these books solely because I feel they contain helpful information, not because of the minor commissions I would make if you decide to buy them.] Right-click on this link and 'Save as...' to download this podcast episode.

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