Are You An RBI Man?

I was recently re-reading the book Think Better Baseball: Secrets from major league coaches and players for mastering the mental game. It was written by Bob Cluck was a major league coach and scout. He wrote a short passage entitled: Are You an RBI man?

In this passage he is asking a great question regarding a hitters mindset in RBI situations. The question is should guys go out of the strike zone in RBI situations to drive in the runs? The hitters he is talking about is your middle of the line-up guys. He is not referring to your 7,8,9 hitters.

He is basically saying they should go out of the zone in order to drive in runs. He uses guys like Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, and Ted Williams as examples of hitters who would not stray away from the strike zone but would instead take their walk and leave it to the next guy.

He asked the question is this being selfish or showing respect to their teammates? He then mentions hitters such as Edgar Martinez, Manny Ramirez, and Juan Gonzalez as hitters who will consistently go outside the strike zone if necessary to drive in runs. After all, they are getting paid big bucks to drive in runs not walk.

The questions is who is right? My personally opinion is I would prefer my RBI's Guy's to expand their zone, as long as it is a pitch they can put a good swing on, to be as aggressive as possible to drive in runs. Certain players in your line-up have a knack for it and to me it is in your advantage if you they are more aggressive to drive in runs.

I am curious what our readers philosophies are on this question. This is something I talk to my hitters about. We have certain guys in our line-up who are coached to be more aggressive in those situations and others who should continue to look for the ball in certain zones they are waiting for.

Turning The Pitcher Around On The First Pitch

Turning the pitcher around on the first pitch simply means, swing as hard as you can at that first pitch. There is nothing complicated here. We are simply gonna try and turn the pitcher around on the first pitch. We want to rattle his cage! We are going to take a shot at knocking his confidence down on the first pitch of the game.

Think about it from a pitchers perspective. You are confident you are going to throw well. You had a great pre-game pen. Your excited and focused! You throw that first pitch of the game and the lead-off man, who usually is up there to set the table, stands all over it.

What does that do to a pitchers mentality? What does it do to his confidence? It is more mentally demoralizing giving up a shot on the 1st pitch of the game then it is on the 4th pitch? Should it be? No. Is it? Yes!

On a number of occasions we have sent our lead off hitter to the plate with the following instruction: Swing as hard as you possibly can at the first pitch. Forget about our approach on count hitting and swing at the first pitch. Think fastball and let it go as hard as you can!

We told our lead-off to forget about reading spin or anything. Just swing hard! If the pitcher starts you out with a curveball or change-up and you are way out in front of it we don't care. You are simply gearing up for a fastball and swinging out of your socks.

Often times we will combine this with our 604 Team Hitting Concept. What it does is help mask the concept of working the pitcher. Truth is on some occasions it works and sometimes it doesn't. It is no different then anything else in life. I am a strong believer however, that the risk is definitely worth the reward.

Is there the possibility that the batter will make an out on a bad pitch because he is looking to be so aggressive? Of course there is but it is worth the risk in hopes you might turn the pitcher around. One out versus a shell shocked pitcher is a trade I will gamble on any day!

The majority of the time we put this on our hitter fouled of the first pitch. He would take such a hard cut he would lose mechanics slightly and just miss. A few times our hitters recognized the pitch as being not even close and took it. There were also a few times where we hammered the first pitch both for hits and outs.

The most notable turning the pitching around on the first pitch came in the 2006 State Championship game. As I noted in another post we did not hit the ball extremely well that year. I moved our top hitter into the lead off spot for that game. The first pitch of the game he sent it over the left field fence. Talk about a tone setter that was it. It was the start we had dreamed of and jump started us to the championship.

In Conclusion

I believe it is well worth it to take a shot now and then at turning around the pitcher on the first pitch. If your are facing a dominant pitcher then taking a shot is in your best interest. The worse thing that can happen is your hitter makes an out. If the pitcher is that dominant then the odds were he was going to make an out anyway.

What most likely happens is the hitter will swing and miss or foul off the pitch. In this case it's 0-1 and your still hitting so not a big deal. But there are times when the baseball gods are smiling down on you and the ball finds the sweet spot on the bat and changes the game almost before it even started! Best of Luck!

The 604 Team Hitting Concept

The 604 is based on the idea that opposing pitchers are going to be in for a very long day. The picture to the right is a visual cue as to the frustration we want to build up inside the opposing pitcher. We want to build exhaustion into the opposing pitcher until he makes some mistakes and cooks his own goose much like the Supreme Court was doing to Roger Clemens.

In 2006 our ball club was up and down throughout the first two thirds of the season. The biggest problem we were having was our inability to hit the ball consistently. In fact, as a team we were hitting well below .300 heading into the last 7 regular season games of the year. We needed to find ourselves and have something to hang our hat on at the plate as we prepared for the State Tournament.

Out of necessity the 604 was born. I am not claiming to have invented this idea because teams have been using similar systems for as long as the game has been around. I am simply stating the way we changed our approach at the plate and changed our fortune on the field.

Let me first give you the reasons why we made a change to our approach at the plate. We were struggling scoring runs. We could not get enough guys on and when we did we couldn't get them in. As each inning went by I could see our team pressing more and more. It was like they were playing in quick sand. Our players would begin feeling increasing amounts of pressure as the game would move along if they did not score. The harder they pressed the deeper they sank.

You could see it on their faces and in their body language. We had two glaring problems staring us in the face. One, at best we were an average hitting ball club. We had a few hitters who were solid and others who still needed work. Second, the few hitters we had really began to press because they felt like they had to hit if we had any chance at winning. This only made things harder on them.

So the question became how do we relax our players and at the same time give ourselves the best chance to score runs. We had always been a very aggressive hitting program but we needed a new gameplan. The game plan we came up with was the 604. The concept was to drive the pitchers pitch count up to 60 pitches by the 4th inning. It has always been my belief that once a pitcher gets to 60 pitches he begins to tire. If he is a horse and can throw 7 strong innings then the concept still works because your hitters will see a lot of pitches and make adjustments.

We wanted one of three things happen:

#1 - To get to the other teams bullpen

#2 - To fatigue the opposing pitcher and catch him before they took him out

#3 - If #1 or #2 didn't work then we would have confidence facing him late in the game because we have seen his arsenal. By that time we may have picked up him tipping pitches as well.

We knew this would not be easy but we convinced the players how our season would change with this new approach. They were looking for answers and had trust in our program so it was not a hard sell. Now we had to figure out the process by which we would drive up pitch counts and change our players mindsets.

The 604 Team Hitting Concept Rules:

Rule #1: Take a strike unless it was an RBI situation. If there was a runner on second or third you would hit with an aggressive approach.

Rule #2: No curveballs until you had 2 strikes. If it was an RBI situation then no curve balls until 1 strike and then you could be aggressive and hit a curveball up.

Rule #3: 3-1 was a take pitch unless it was an RBI situation.

Rule #4: Once the opposing pitcher gets to 60 pitches we open back up to our aggressive approach. It will stay that way the rest of the game regardless if they change pitchers or not.

That's it's, 4 rules! I realize it isn't a new and earth shattering idea but we set it up in the following manner. I told our team that we would focus on scoring runs in the 5th, 6th, and 7th inning. I even told them I didn't expect them to score in the first 4 innings so there was no reason for them to worry if there were zero's across the board at that point. If we scored runs early it was gravy to us.

We assigned a clicker to one of our players in the dugout and had him track the opposing teams pitcher. We told our players their main goal was to drive the opposing pitchers pitch count to 60 by the fourth inning. It was our goal if we could get there after three innings but we felt just as well if it took us into the fourth inning to reach that point. In 8 of the 12 games we played that year in the 604 we reached 60 pitches by the end of the third inning. In the remaining 4 we reached 60 in the beginning to middle of the fourth inning.

Here is the effect it had on our 06 team. We went on to finish the year with 12 consecutive wins including a State Championship. To see the turnaround in our confidence and demeanor was awesome to watch. I was very fortunate to have great kids who bought into everything without much hesitation. If I came up with something new for them they just went and did it the best they could.

Here's why we were able to accomplish that dream. First, our players became much more relaxed. I mean it was night and day in their body language from before. I mentioned earlier that they would press harder and harder each inning and it would only make things worse. These guys were so focused on that dam pitch counter that the scoreboard didn't even seem to exist until the 5th inning.

Second, we were able to fatigue, remove, and adjust to the opposing pitcher. It took some time to get to them but our players bought into the idea we would win late. When opposing teams jumped on us early it was our players who kept saying we will get em at 60. Truth is I did very little coaching at that point because they were simply following a process we had set up and worked on.

I can remember playing a rival school who was getting the better of us. It was like the 2nd or 3rd game we were running the 604. I was in the third base coaching box scratching my head when I heard our player with the pitch counter begin to call out the pitch count. We had a batter in the box and the kid takes the first pitch for a ball. I hear someone yell 60! Then the next pitch is a ball and I hear 61! At that point the rest of our players caught on and you could just see and feel their spirit change. It was awesome!

We went on to score 4 runs in that inning and won the game. The players were completely sold at that point on what we were doing. They had a process they could follow and it built confidence in themselves and the team. They truly believed by the end of any game they would give themselves a chance to win.

Let me give you one more example. We played in the State Semi-Finals that year for the right to play for a State Championship. The team we were playing was much more talented then we were. Their pitcher was a hard throwing, bomb hitting stud who was about 6'4. Their shortstop was a great player who was hitting somewhere in the neighborhood of .650. Truthfully, I questioned that in my mind before the game but then the kid went 4 for 4 against us and I quickly realized how legit he was.

The game began and their Big pitcher hit a pair of 2 run home runs out of a ball park with professional dimensions. They backed that up with 10 other hits by the 5th inning and a solid pitching performance to go with it. We more then had our hands full at this point. When all of a sudden the pitch counter hit 60.

We huddle before the bottom of the 5th inning. I told our team to turn around and look at the scoreboard. It read 6 -0 with 12 hits to 2 I think. I told our kid to show the counter to our players. Once they saw the pitch count was over 60 a bounce came back in their step. They began saying things like "it's our time" and "these are our innings".

I told them we were playing a good game even though, if you were there, it felt like we were getting killed. I said they have 12 hits and a pair of 2 run homers but the score is only 6-0. I told them they made a mistake by leaving us in this game. As big a part as the 604 was to our season so was throwing strikes and fielding the ball. We weren't dominate strikeout pitchers and flashy fielders but we didn't walk people or kick the ball around. We had done both very well up to this point.

Fairytale story we come back and score 7 runs in the next two innings and won the game. In fact, to make it even more of a storybook season we won our final 4 playoffs games in our final at bat. It was an exciting run and was largely due to the 604.

A final note here was also how our players began to battle at the plate. We were routinely sending hitters to plate for 7 and 8 pitch at bats. I mean players who hadn't battled earlier in the year were fouling off pitches and making life miserable for opposing pitchers. Their swings hadn't changed one bit but their attitude and approach had. It really became a contest at times to see who could see the most pitches in an at bat. Our players would foul off a 2-2 pitch and our bench was going crazy. I know alot of that was the personality of our players and we had some personalities but if you give the players something to believe in they would grab hold.

In Conclusion

The 604 is a sound concept allowing teams to be successful. In order for it to work the players must buy in and run it right. They must truly go to school on the opposing pitcher watching and learning everything they can on each pitch. In the end if the pitcher is throwing well and in the game still what you have done is create a study guide for your hitters to use when they take their finals in the last 3 innings.

Like I said earlier this is not new concept in coaching baseball. Nor do I believe you should play this way all the time. In fact, I coached over 200 games and only ran the 604 in about 5% -7% of those games. I do believe when I come back to coaching that percentage will go up but it will not be a full time philosophy.

If your team is struggling at the plate and you need something to break it up then give the 604 a try. It may be what turns your season around. Best of Luck!

Pitching: How To Prepare In Your Pre-Game Bull Pen

The most important player on the field to any ball club is the player who starts every play. There is not a coach alive who wouldn't take the top pitcher over the top hitter if given the choice. 60 feet 6 inches away stands a young man who has the ability to dictate the outcome of the game. Although I am dramatizing the art of pitching it does not change the fact that he is the dealer in this card game.

Just Deal! That is a phrase I have uttered over and over to our pitching staff. It is phrase that simply means: clear your head, know your location, and let it go. Just deal baby! I think we can all agree that we want our pitchers to deal. We want them confident and in charge. We want them to believe in their stuff. We want them ready to start dealing on the first pitch.

I was always concerned as a coach with my starting pitcher in the 1st and 5th innings. I was also always concerned with our pitcher the inning after we scored. Especially if we had a long inning scoring multiple runs. The concept we are going to discuss however will only deal with the first inning and the pregame pen.

If he is not ready to go at the start then the first inning has a chance to be disastrous. How many times have you seen a pitcher struggle through the first inning before settling down and throwing a great game. It is always a good sign of mental toughness when you can get off to a bad start and continue to stay focused while battling back. It is a skill we talk about at great length to our pitchers. My goal however, is not to have to use that skill because we want to get off to a good start.

The best defense to making sure the game goes as planned is to be prepared mentally and physically before you throw that first pitch. I want to focus more on the physical part of building confidence in this post today. This is a skill that can be practiced and repeated if both the coach and player buy in.

I have written in previous articles that the two biggest things I believe in as a coach are trust and building processes. They go hand in hand. When you build processes I believe that players will trust themselves and their ability more. That's exactly what we do with our pre-game pen. We build and follow a process to prepare ourselves. It is very similar to the process we throw our pens in practice. This allows our pitchers to become very comfortable in their job.

I have seen opposing pitchers routinely go to the pen when we play without any rhyme or reason to what they are trying to accomplish. Some throw for maybe 5 minutes and then go sit for 20 minutes until they hit the mound. I have seen others throw a pen and never work once out of the stretch. We played a State Championship game one year and the opposing teams pitcher played catch with his catcher for about 10 minutes and his catcher never once squatted down for him to throw a pitch.

This kid was a stud pitcher too! In fact he did a great job of holding us down. We managed a couple of early runs before he was ready and another late when he started to tire. Those runs won us a State Championship. Would the outcome have been different had the player prepared a different way? There is no way to know the answer to that question but I believe the pre-game pen is crucial to a pitchers success.

You need to adjust your pre-game pen for each pitcher based on their personal ability. Here is a base sample of the process we used with our pitchers. We use a 6 step approach to physically prepare our pitchers. For this example we will use a 4 o'clock starting time for the game.

Step #1

We will have our pitcher stretch and play catch with the team. Depending on whether we are home or away will determine what time the pitcher is throwing. Usually the time frame is between 3:25 - 3:35. Our pitcher and catcher will play catch until the pitcher feels loose. We want him to get loose but we don't want him throwing his out arm in warm-ups. He will have plenty of opportunity in the pen to build himself up to game speed.

Once he is loose both he and the catcher will head to the dugout. Pitcher and catcher will both dress in full uniform for the pen. Our players warm up in t-shirts then put their jersey on right before the game. We want our pitcher to throw his pregame pen in his jersey. I know this seems like such a small detail but throwing in a t-shirt and throwing in a jersey have a slight difference in feel. Always remember, it is the little details that decide big games.

Step #2

The next step is we have our pitcher head to the outfield and run a pole or two depending on the pitcher to loosen up the body and get the heart, muscles, and blood flowing. We want the pitcher to have this done by 3:40. While this is happening we want our catcher to finish gearing up and have two game balls and a plate if necessary.

Step #3

The pitcher, catcher, and a coach will head over to the pen. The pitcher will stretch and warm-up the muscles in his arms using tubing attached to a fence. This should take place from 3:40-3:45. At 3:45 we want to begin throwing our pen so all this work needs to be completed by then. A special note: if possible send a coach to the pen with the pitcher and catcher. Players focus and work better when a coach is present.

Step #4

We begin our throwing with flatground. In flatground the catcher sits behind the plate like he always does and the pitcher will go through his flatground routine at 40 feet. Flatground is not thrown from the mound it is thrown from flatground. Our flat ground routine is based off of the follow sequences. Again depending on the pitcher may vary this slightly but this is the base routine.

We start in the wind-Up and we are throwing at 50% velocity. I want our pitchers to begin to develop feel and rhythm as they get loose here. Also, we have hitters in the box whenever possible for the pitcher to throw to and get a sense of game feel. AA stands for armside away. Rather then use inside/outside we use armside meaning the pitchers armside and armside away. This way it doesn't matter which hand pitcher is throwing or what side the batter is standing on.

Again, flatground is simply for finding our rhythm, tempo, timing, location, and feel for grips and spin. We always start armside away because it's the longest stretch on the pitchers arm.

Wind-Up

3 x 4 Seam FB AA
3 x 4 Seam FB A

2 x CH AA
2 x CH A

Stretch

3 x 2 Seam FB AA
3 x 2 Seam FB A

2 x CB For A Strike
2 x CB Down In the Zone (Imagine the catcher turned his glove over and set it on the ground)



Step # 5

Step 5 is nothing more then throwing a short pen. Our pitcher moves back onto the mound and our catcher will move up just in front of home plate. From here we will throw 5 fastballs at 75% velocity for a strike. All I want for our pitcher here is to get comfortable from the mound (provided you have one but we will follow this routine regardless). We will throw 5 fastballs to the catchers glove. We are just looking to throw strikes and build a little feel and confidence. Throwing short pen is a great confidence booster because it is easy!

Step #6

Our catcher moves back behind the plate and we begin throwing a regular length pen. We want our pitcher to start out throwing at about 90% velocity and this will build to the final pitch. Our last three pitches in the the pen will be an air it out finish. The routine is as follows.

Wind-Up

3 x 4 Seam FB AA
3 x 4 Seam FB A

3 x CH AA
3 x CH A

Stretch (We should be up 100% velocity at this point)

3 x 2 Seam FB AA
3 x 2 Seam FB A

3 x CB For A Strike
3 x CB Down In The Zone

We will finish with 3 air it out fastballs. We want the pitcher to throw hard and be less concerned with location other then to throw a strike. This may not make a lot of sense considering we preach location but we want our pitcher to end with a mindset that when I have to I am coming right at you with confidence! From here our pitcher will go to the dugout towel off and hit the field.

It should be noted here that I have in the past experimented with pitchers finishing there bull pens throwing sequences. Meaning changing pitch selection and location on consecutive pitches. An example would be going FB A to CH AA to CB for a strike to FB AA. Truth is I have never seen it make more difference then using a building block process. I believe in building the pitchers confidence through our process by giving him a routine that he will be successful throwing. This ensures he will take the mound with optimal confidence.

In Conclusion

I believe very strongly in our pre-game process for pitchers. These are the same drills they throw in practice everyday. It allows them to get very efficient at hitting locations at a high percentage. When game day comes they are simply repeating a process they work on everyday. This is a huge confidence builder and in the end confidence is the key!

The second thing I like about this routine is that the pitcher is not sitting around thinking too much. He is active and in charge of preparing to pitch. This helps keep his
nerves in check (as much as possible) and allows his natural ability to shine through. It allows him to start the first inning in a proper mental and physical state.

The third and final phase goes back to confidence again. The pitcher on the mound knows he has prepared for the game. He takes pride in his preparation and will begin to build an underlying confidence because he knows deep down he has put in the time to be successful. When players are on the field they know deep down how much they have prepared for this moment. They can lie with their words but deep down in the heart they know how much they truly deserve success. Once again this little detail could be the biggest difference in the game. Best of luck!

Optimizing Peak Performance Using A Process Versus Product Approach

John Wooden the "Wizard of Westwood". A coach who put his mark on the coaching fraternity that will never be equaled. He spent 40 seasons as a Head Coach and finished with a record of 885-203. That's a winning percentage of .813! He spent 27 years roaming the sidelines at UCLA and finished 620-147. Including 10 National Championships and 19 Conference Championships.

During that time he won 7 consecutive National Championships, won 38 consecutive tournament games, and 88 consecutive games. Not to mention went undefeated four times during that stretch. His success has been documented and unparalleled. It's insane and will never be duplicated.

I first began my coaching career as a 20 year old college student coaching JV basketball. I was totally addicted right away. I read, listened, went to clinics, watched coaching tapes, I mean I studied every offense and defense there was available. I studied every technique until I could talk about it like I came up with it. Over 5 or 6 years I saw improvement in our players and in our team but not as much as I would have liked.

I took over that 6th year as the Head Baseball Coach as well. Using the same basic approach I focused on teaching our players the game and techniques. We had a good season too losing late in the South Jersey Championship game. I went into that off season wanting to improve as a coach but reading more about techniques and team defense etc... wasn't going to be productive enough. So I began pouring through everything I could find about the coaches I respected the most. I wanted to know how they taught their teams concepts like mental toughness, approach to the game, and their philosophy of coaching.

One of those coaches was John Wooden. Coach Wooden has written a lot of books and has a lot of coaching philosophies and beliefs. He is most famous for the his Pyramid of Success. One day I was reading his stuff and I came across a concept he referred to as Process versus Product. I light went of in my head when I began to read it. I could immediately see the benefits of this approach. I could immediately see how to adapt it to baseball. I know for a fact, that it led us to the success we had.

The Process versus Product concept as it applies to coaching and playing is not complicated. Process is the way you do things and product is the end result. An example would be a batter. The process is whether or not it was a good at bat. While the product is the end result of a hit, walk, strikeout etc... If your goal as a coach is to build teams who play consistent and at peak performance a majority of the time then you must have a philosophy that is process oriented.

If your a competitive coach or player (which you probably are if your taken the time to read this)then your also probably a Type A personality who deep down believes you can will yourself to victory. The Refuse to Lose mentality which sells T-shirts and bumper stickers but doesn't win games. Wanting to win and winning are two completely different things. The game of baseball is a great reminder to the truth of that statement. Making a great pitch does ensure you will get the batter out. Hitting the ball on the screws does not mean you will get a hit.

When I came back to take over the High School program in my hometown I began laying the foundation for a process oriented ball club. I broke it down into 6 phases in order to teach the players effectively.

Phase #1: Educate
Phase #2: Control/Can't Control
Phase #3: Build Processes
Phase #4: Simulate Game Situations
Phase #5: Self Evaluation
Phase #6: Reward

I took these 6 phases and began hammering them home every single day until it became routine for our players. Until it was a way of life for them. I wanted them to not even know how to play the game any other way. By the end of our first season the players had bought in and we took off. Over the next 6 seasons we captured 6 consecutive South Jersey Championships and 4 State Championships. In 2005 the team won both the Diamond Classic (An invitational tournament harder to win the a State Championship) and the Courier Cup as the number 1 team in South Jersey. For a small group 1 team like Pennsville it was quite an accomplishment for our boys.

Here is a breakdown of the 6 phases:

Phase #1: Educate

The first thing we did was educate the players on the concept of Process versus Product. I explained to them exactly what Process meant and exactly what product meant. I told them process is the small details and how we prepare before each pitch. How process was knowing exactly what to do in each situation they would be in. It was a game plan on how to get ready for the next pitch. I then explained how Product was the end result, nothing more nothing less.

What I had seen in my players in the past were guys who went 0-4 and were hanging their heads while guys who went 3-4 were grinning ear to ear. Never mind the fact that the 3-4 player had two Texas's leaguers and a slow roller for an infield hit. Also, did a poor job of working the count and spent most of the day in the hole. Meanwhile, the 0-4 player had 4 great at bats. His approach was sound, worked the count to his benefit, and hit the ball hard 3 times.

I wanted the players to understand that it is the approach that we base our confidence on not the end result. It is not an easy task for anyone, let alone a 16 year kid, to buy into this concept. But it can and should be done! I spoke to them about this concept daily. I am sure I got to the point where they were like, "here we go again!" but that's how important it is.

We all know how efficient fighter pilots are when they fly. We know how successful our pilots are in the heat of battle when they are in a dog fight. I began studying how they were trained and found an underlying theme to their consistency. Although, just like baseball, there is a feel and an instinct in their game there is also a process for everything they do. It is the processes they follow that allow them to fly with confidence and know what to do in every given situation.

We think we are nervous in a tight ball game, what do you think they feel in a dog fight at Mach 5 where the product is live or die! But yet they perform at peak performance at an unbelievably high percentage of the time because they follow the processes set up for them. Even when they are nervous or scared their bodies take over and run the processes for them because they know no other way. They have been trained to do exactly that! This builds confidence in anyone and at the end of the day confidence is what determines success and failure.

In most cases enemy fighters are beat before they even match-up with one of our pilots. The same thing holds true on the ball field. Some teams are beat before the game even starts because they don't have an underlying confidence in how to handle them self. They don't have a process!

Phase #2: Can Control/Can't Control

The second thing I would do is have the players make two lists of things we could control and things we could not control. I put them on poster boards and hung them up in the locker room. Once the list were made I explain to them that everything on the can't control poster board was out of our control so we are not going to worry about it. We are not going to spend anytime talking about it or working on it.

Then I explained you can not base your self-confidence on things you can't control in life or especially the game of the baseball. You can not control whether or not you get a hit but you can control whether or not you have a good at bat. This is what we would base our self-confidence on. If we could control it then we would base our self-confidence off of those factors. If our Process was good then we felt good regardless of the Product.


Phase #3: Build Processes

The next thing we did was study the Can Control board. We took every single detail we could control and built a process for how we would handle that part of the game. We wanted every detailed covered. For example we had a process for how we prepared for games if they were home and if they were away. Take away games for example: I knew in order to win a State Championship you had to go on the road. I didn't want to leave how we prepared on away games to chance.

We would arrive in the locker for away games. Dress, gather our equipment, and board the bus. The varsity players were required to sit in the front of the bus were I could talk with them about the game plan. The further the players are away from the Head Coach the more they will fool around and less prepared they are for the game! When the bus departed players were allowed to relax and talk until the bus left Pennsville.

Once the bus cross out of Pennsville the players were required to stop talking and begin playing the game in their mind. To focus on their job at hand. I am sure some did much better then others. Point here is the players all settled down into a relaxed state. When we would get to a point approximately 15 minutes away we would turn on a CD player with a premade CD of 4 to 5 songs that were our game day songs. We always ended the ride by listening to Eminem's "Lose Yourself"! By the time we got to that song we had the bounce in our step when we walked off the bus. More importantly, we were in a frame of mind to get after it.

In 2005, the most decorated team I coached, they took to that process better then any other team I had. They were ready when we walked off the bus every time! They sang the songs and believed in them. I know it might seem a little softballish but it was a coordinated, focused effort of preparing. In fact, the only day I didn't ride the bus to a game, was the day our bid for 7 consecutive South Jersey Championships ended. That's not a knock at my assistant coaches. I know they will read this and think what the hell!

It wasn't their fault and I am not implying that it was. It was my deal and it still haunts from time to time that I wasn't on the bus. My wife gave birth to our fourth child that day and I got to the game in the 3rd inning. I mean I was never going to miss the birth of my daughter but I wish I could have been with my guys from the locker room to the field. Truth is, I could have rode the bus and maybe we still would have lost. But deep down I still feel bad for not being there with them.

We had a process for hitting, fielding, throwing, pitching, situations, bus rides, you name it our players had a game plan of how they would handle it. Again this leaves nothing to chance and puts you in control of how you perform. I do not believe you can control whether you win or lose but I do believe you can control how you play. I almost never even talked about winning or losing and even the few times I did it was emotions getting the better of me. You can't control it so don't focus on it. Instead build processes for what you can control so you are consistent in your play. You and I both know if your process is consistently good you will win the majority of the time!

Phase # 4: Simulate Game Situations

I will not go into how I believe you should simulate game situations in this post but I do want to make the point of how critical it is to your ball club. If we expect players to make plays, know what to do with the ball in any given situation, make reads on the base paths, then we need to give them those situations everyday in practice. If we think as coaches they will know what to do without repping it everyday then we are leaving games to chance.

Casinos run games of chance and the house almost always wins. The odds are in their favor. As a coach I don't want to be the gambler I want to be the house! In order to swing the odds in your favor then you must rep every situation. Build a process for it, teach it to your players, and then put them in situations in practice so they can rep the process. This allows them to feel more comfortable in the games and dramatically improves their success rate.

For example, we had an On Deck Approach. We built a process for how our hitters should approach their plate appearances from the dugout, to the on deck circle, to the batters box. They would study the pitcher from the dugout. 2 batters away from on deck circle put batting gloves on, get your helmet, and bat. 1 batter away from the on deck circle we are studying pitcher and must know the situation of the game. As soon as the batter finishes his plate appearance you are ready to walk right out to the on deck circle. We never used a weight for the bat. Instead they would time the pitcher taking swings on each pitch he threw. Seeing on each game speed swing a ball in that we turn on. Then a ball away we drive into the gap. Two strike approach staying inside the ball. We had 3 or 4 hits on the pitcher before we every got in the box.

Once in the box we had a process of how we would handle the pitcher but that's for another post. Point being, when games were tight and players were nervous they had a sequence to follow that always prepared them to have their body ready. It's no different then the fighter pilots in the sky. Well except that whole death thing! If we expect players to commit these processes to unconscious memory then we had better train them that way in practice everyday and give them the reps they need.

Phase #5: Self Evaluation

Self evaluation is one the best teaching tools out there. What we did was create a Players Grade Book. It was broken down into different process areas: Hitting, fielding (we had a special set for the catchers), Pitching, Base Running, and Head. Each of these areas were broken down in 5 or 6 sub categories. An example would be:

Hitting
1. Studying Pitcher
2. On Deck Approach
etc...

They were processes that went with that skill. After each practice or game the players would grab their notebooks and grade themselves on a scale of 1 to 3. 3 being the best. They would go through and grade themselves on about 25 areas, 20 if they were not a pitcher. It would take the players 2 or 3 minutes to fill it out and then put it back in their notebook before they left. I would check them once a week. I was really only checking to see if they had done them.

Regardless of what grade they gave themselves it forced them to think about all the important concepts in playing the game. They had to think did I do this or not. They can lie with the grade they give themselves but they can't lie to themselves about what they actually did. Again, this forces them to self evaluate their game.

Phase #6: Reward

As a coach you must reward the players when their process is good. Especially, when their process is good but they haven't got much in the score book to show for it. You don't need to make a big deal about the guy who had 3 hits. He already feels good. Instead make a big deal about the player who went 0-4 but had a great process and quality at bats.

One example of how we did this was with an award called Greenie Board. Greenie Board was a poster board hung on the wall. It was green by the way. After practice and games players who had quality at bats signed the board. I had tons of players who would not get a hit in the game but still sign the board. The board was based on process and quality at bats. At the end of the year who ever had the most signatures took it home with them.

Some of you may be thinking at this point why the word Greenie Board? Naval aviators when they train to be fighter pilots are graded on how well they land planes on the aircraft carriers. Their process is graded and the top scores are put up on what is called the Greenie Board. It seemed only fitting to name our hitting award after them.

In Conclusion

All the great businesses, infantries, teams, you name it, have a process of how they handle their business. It is a blue print for success that allows them to not only be successful but repeat it over and over. Training any other way is simply foolish in my eyes. It is not only a skill that will allow your players to be great on the field but it is something they can use in their everyday life. It takes the guess work out and allows your natural ability to shine.

Playing great is still about instinct, timing, rhythm, and tempo. Having a process allows you to be focused and prepared so those traits can surface and you can play to your potential. Best of luck!

Building Trust In Your Baseball Team

Building trust in your baseball team is the number one fundamental skill any quality program must have in my opinion. Without trust your program will never reach it's full potential. You can teach throwing, hitting, and catching till the cows come home but, if you haven't built trust in your program you are never going to sustain consistency. Without trust, adversity will rip your ball club apart at every seam.

On the flip side, once trust is instill in your program you will be able to handle the bad times in your season. You will have the power to play a bad stretch of baseball (which happens to everyone) and have a team that will continue to play hard. A team that will not start pointing fingers and making excuses.

Instead, you will find young kids showing character well beyond their years. They will stay together. They will believe in each other and the program. The will know that the ship will right itself. This belief is what actually makes or breaks your season. It is not just about having good players.

Most teams play a schedule that consists of a few teams that they are better then and a few teams they are not as talented as. But the majority of the schedule is against opponents that are very similar in ability. Trust is what separates those teams over the course of a season.

Trust is also what allows you to beat better ball clubs who don't possess the necessary resolve it takes to compete everyday. When things get tough and it's late in the game players are either going to trust in what they are doing or they are not. The more the pressure builds the more it will show. What do you want your players thinking?

Obviously, this is a very important mindset to me as a coach. It is the first thing I talk about on the first day of practice. I make sure that we are talking and working on it everyday throughout the season. I believe it is what we did best in our program but we didn't leave it to chance. We lived it everyday!

What is TRUST?

To me TRUST as it relates to a baseball teams is broken down into 3 areas:

1) Player to Player
2) Player To Coach
3) Coach to Player

Building these 3 trust areas is critical to a programs success. They are all areas which you can teach and give opportunities to your guys to grow as a player, teammate, and person.

Most people hear the word trust and they think about if you can tell someone a secret and they won't tell anyone. Or their boyfriend or girlfriend won't cheat on them. Part of our trust definition is exactly that, but it does go much deeper.

Trust to us also means that we trust you will be there everyday. You are not going to miss practice. You are not going to get in trouble off the field. That you are going to pay attention to the details when coach is talking. Bottom line that you are going to handle your responsibility like a professional and we don't ever have to worry about you.

I am like most coaches. I have a few rules and truth is they are the same rules that every coach probably uses.

1. Be on time

2. Make eye contact

3. Maximum effort

4. Represent our team on and off the field in a positive manner

5. Take care of business in the classroom: Both behavior and schoolwork

Nothing earth shattering here with the rules. A big part of our trust package relates around these rules. The difference between programs is not the rules they have but rather the enforcement of these rules. I always wanted our players to do those five things not because they were rules, but because it was the right way to do things.

Rules are made to be broken so maybe we would all be better using the "Law of Attraction" and calling them "Rights" instead. I didn't want them thinking, "don't do this because it is against the rules and I will get in trouble." I wanted them thinking, "do this because it's the right way to do it!"

Teaching kids is more effective in the long run then punishing kids but sometimes the line between the two is blurry. Always work to teach them the right approach to the game and life. But when all else fails disciplining your players to help ingrain the right way is a must!

The Rules For Building The 3 Trust Areas

Rule #1: Talk A Good Game

I believe the first stage of building anything starts with talk. I know the old saying, "Talk is cheap." I actually say that quite a bit when I am coaching. But, if you are going to build something you need to have a clear picture of what it is you want build.

More importantly then that, you have to be able to be a wordsmith and paint a picture for your players. They need to understand, just as well as you do, what you want to build and how you will go about building it. Just throwing out a coaching cliche like, "We have to trust one another!" won't get it done.

You need to explain to them how trust helps them as a player and a team. How trusting yourself will allow you to reach peak performance and then teach them how to do. How trust builds confidence and allows you to overcome adversity and win games when your down.

Rule #2: Same Rules

Once, you have painted that picture of what you are building you need to back it up. If players are going to trust you and one another, then they all must follow the same set of rules. Whether it is a starter or the last kid on the bench the same rules apply.

If you are gonna bust an average player for not running out a pop up then you better be busting your star for the same thing! If you bench your 9 hitter because he was a problem in school then you better bench your number 1 pitcher if he does the same thing.

If you allow players to follow different rules then you are creating a situation where players will begin to build animosity towards you and more importantly one another. Clicks will then begin to form and your season is lost! Trust is formed when everything in your program is consistent.

Rule #3: Know The Game

If you want to build trust between players and coaches then you need to know the game. You have to be able to speak confidently and have answers for everything. You have to be a coach that the players respect(whether they like you or not) because you are in control. Even when you don't have answers you need to seem like you've got it all figured out.

You are organized. You understand techniques and team play. You can motivate and keep everyone going in the same direction. You have a infrastructure inside the program that the players lean on. If the players have confidence in you as a coach their trust level goes way up. If not, they have no trust in the team.

Rule #4: Live It Everyday

Come up with ideas that foster the idea of trust. I am not talking about a guy falling backwards with another playing catching him. Their are a lot of trust game ideas like that. I am not saying they don't work, I just don't think it has any lasting effect and plus I really don't think they work!

I have always used the same 3 tools because they have always worked for me. These are actual physical ideas that they live every day. Be creative here! I am sure there are a lot of cool ideas you can come up with to hammer home the point of trust.

The first thing I always do is come up with a saying that I think is important for the team that season. Not something general like Play Hard. Something specific for that team. Once I have decided what the saying will be, I will break it down to three letters.

For example: One season we used the letters S.S.B. which stood for Steadiness in Small Bites. I felt it was important that season to take that attitude so that's what I used. Another year I used O.N.E. which stood for Ownership Not Excuses. It has to be a message that you want to hammer home to that years team.

In 2002 we won a State Championship. In 2003 we returned almost every member of the 02 team. My biggest fear was that success would go to our head and we would lose sight of what got us a state championship. That season I used the letters A.M.F. which stood for Assumption is the Mother of all Failure. I wanted a daily reminder to them to not assume anything.

Once I settle on the saying and the letters I would tell the team what it meant and why it was important. Then they would be instructed that no one outside of our program was allowed to know what the letters meant until our season was over. These letters were special to us and I wanted them to trust each other that no one would give them away.

I guess it is like a little secret society type deal but our kids took pride in it. I took these letters and put them on the back of a T-shirt that every player wore under their uniforms. When we took infield and outfield we took the field in those T-Shirts. Everywhere we went on a daily basis our players were being asked what the letters stood for. Our players had to tell them we can't tell you it's for us.

Every player on our team was asked over and over. Opposing players, coaches, umpires, fans, and the media. Our local paper wrote stories about it. The kids were not allowed to tell parents, relatives, girlfriends, nobody! It grew into such a special thing for these players. Everyone would spend all season trying to guess what they were.

I went to scout a rival team and a number of my players were at the game as well. While their team was playing on the field against another school their student section sitting in the bleachers began chanting the letters on the back of our shirts across the field. None of our players had the shirt on. They knew what the initials were and they weren't even players!

The first year I did this at the high school level was 2002. We had just won the State Championship. We ran out piled up on the mound, received the trophy, talked to the media, hugged and kissed family, I mean it took some time. Finally when I gathered all my stuff and walk out behind the dugout towards the bus there was all of our fans, players parents, and family. I mean a crowd of people who weren't about to let me leave until I told them what the letters stood for since our season was over. The cool thing is we won 4 State Championships in 5 years and every year the fans and media waited for me to come out and tell them.

The second thing I will do is write every players name down on a 3 x 5 card and put it in their locker. I tell them this is your name. Then I put a box by the door they walk out to head to the field. On the box are the words "check your name at the door".

This done because I teach them you must set aside your ego and play for the team. This is a way to physically remind them of this concept everyday. However, this is also another trust building exercise. The reason being they must all put their name in the box and they must all pick them up after practice and put them back into their locker.

If at the end of the night when I close up any names are left in the box the team will run. I don't mean a little running I mean a lot. Something they absolutely do not want to do. Here's why. You go out and practice for three hours or more. Your tired when you come in, maybe your in a hurry that day and you run out and forget your name. So the next day we run and run and run.

Here's what begins to happen however. Players begin checking the box before they leave to see if any player has left his name tag in there. If a player has left and their name tag is still in the box the other players would take it and put it in their locker for them. They always did this so I wouldn't know. I knew! And it is exactly what I wanted. Players looking out for one another and building trust.

Yes I know taking out the name tag saves your own backside but to the player who left it your a godsend. We ran one time and haven't run since. Players began focusing on these little details and trust was building. I listened to a conversation between two players who didn't know I was there. The first player said "did you know you forgot to put your name tag back in your locker." The second player said "yes". The first player responded "you must have been worried!" The second player said, "Nah, I knew someone would get it for me". That's the trust factor I was looking for!

The final thing I believe in is disciplining everyone for one players mistakes. If we have a player let's say who gets in trouble in school we all run for it. I do this for a specific reason. One, it puts pressure on the players to think of the team before themselves because their mistakes affect everyone.

Think about it this way. If I mess up and have to run that's one thing. But, if I mess up and everyone has to run for it that's another. I need to think about my choices and how they affect the team. I mean that's the exact attitude you are trying to build on the field.

It is not the only thing I am trying to build with it however. I have run teams quite a bit when needed because of players breaking rules or because the team's effort is sub par. The attitude and atmosphere I am trying to build is different then most however.

I put the team through the ringer so to speak and so the team begins to build trust with another by not messing up number 1. But also I want our players to back the player who messed up. I will always tell the players your out here running you mind as well make it as enjoyable as you can. There is no point in being mad because it isn't going to change the fact that you are running.

I am easily angered but once you have paid your debt we move forward no grudges. I wanted the players to stay together and trust everyone had each others back even if it was against me. I didn't want them falling apart at the seams because something bad happened. If it happens in practice it will show up on the field. If you know the teams got your back then you can make a mistake during the game and bounce right back. Your team will trust each other and handle adversity. That's what champions are made from.

In Conclusion

Trust is the foundation from which all successful programs are build on. You must as a coach take time everyday to work on it. Even if it is just a little thing here or there. Constantly teach it and come up with creative ways to illustrate your message. If you can build a team that trusts you will be successful.

Why high school baseball coaches should mange their teams like big league clubs

In this post we are going to explore my idea that high school baseball teams would benefit greatly by setting up their ball club much like major league managers do. It is my belief that it is important for players to have a defined role on a team.

As coaches we all think to ourselves "yeah our players have roles" and of course they do. But, how often do you train them both mentally and physically to perform their specific role so they are at peak performance? How often do you have conversations with them about their role on the team and what they can do to make the ball club better? Are you able to get players 10-14 to be as excited about their job as 1-9 are?

There is a reason why major league clubs all run the same way. The reason is, it's the most effective way to play the game. They have specific players who have specific jobs. These players train both mentally and physically to be great at their role on the team.

Some players may play 9 innings while others may only have one at bat or pitch to one hitter. They have a clear and defined job description of what they will be asked to do on a daily basis. This preparation allows the players to get comfortable and gain confidence so they can perform at peak performance more often.

Most high school teams do not operate in this fashion. I realize it is high baseball and not the pro's. I also understand you cannot run it exactly the same way because of personnel. In high school more often then not your top pitchers are also some of your better hitters and defensive players.

I know it has been that way for me most of the time. But it doesn't change the concept that if you can fit guys into certain roles and prepare them in that way, your team will be more consistent. There are 5 important concepts I believe strongly can help your ball club if you can work it out.

Concept #1: Setting Up Your Pitching Rotation

It is my belief that you are much better off if you can set-up your pitching rotation in the following way. First you must identify your top 5 pitchers. For the most part 5 pitchers will get you through the entire season. There may be a situation here or there that requires a 6th pitcher but 5 pitchers will handle the load.

After you identify the top 5 you need to narrow that list down to your top 3 pitchers. Obviously, your best pitcher becomes your number 1. Then you must make a decision between the other two players on who will be the number 2 and who will be the closer. Once you have established your number 1, your number 2, and your closer then it's time to choose from the remaining two pitchers who will be the number 3. The fifth pitcher then becomes your fourth starter if needed and a middle relief guy.

I have seen so many teams lose because they don't adopt this philosophy. Their number 1 throws a great game only to be lifted in the 6th or 7th for a guy who is not prepared and blows the lead. I know it is in every teams best interest to always have one of your top pitchers available to come in and close out every game. Especially if that pitcher is trained for that situation.

This pitcher needs to be a guy who practices a great deal from the stretch. Let's face it, a lot of high school pitchers don't feel as comfortable from the stretch as they do the wind-up. So why not have a guy that focuses on that situation. A guy that prepares all season to throw under pressure at the end of games.

This also has another huge side effect. It allows you to get your starters out of the game after 80 - 90 pitches allowing them to stay fresh and healthy at the end of the year. It also saves them innings so they could start more games. Pitchers wear down when they do not get adequate rest. You certainly don't want a tired pitcher heading into the post season.

Concept 2: The Pinch Hitter

I cannot stress enough the importance of having a guy on the bench whose total mindset is to hit late in the game in an important at bat that could decide the game. We all have players on the bench that we will bring into the game to hit if some one is a weak hitter or struggling that day. But how many high school teams have a guy who is totally committed to that role.

What I am talking about is a guy who knows his job is to sit on the bench and study the pitcher. If they have a guy in the pen he is on him too. He is mentally preparing himself for that at bat in the 5th, 6th, or 7th inning that is going to determine the outcome of the game.

As coaches to often we focus on the 1-5 hitters when in reality they need the least amount of help. After all that's why they are batting 1-5. It's 6-10 or 14 that most likely will determine the success of our season. Your 3 hole hitter is hitting .450 with 15 extra base hits and coaches are going around talking about how they coached that kid. Anybody could probably coach that kid and most likely he isn't going to be the deciding factor on how many games you win.

Let me give you an example. I coached a kid who in his sophomore and junior season went 20-2 on the mound. 10-0 in the play-offs and was the winning pitcher in 2 State Championship games. He also hit close to .450 over those two seasons and had 16 home runs. He was awesome!

I could make a video and say I coached this player and I would look like a genius. Everyone would rush out to see what I did for this young man to make him so great. I'll give you the secret for free right now! First I got a pencil, second I wrote his name on the line-up card, third I shook his hand at the end of the game.

I have a lot of self-confidence about my self as a coach but I am not so ego minded that I believe I made that kid a great player. I believe I played a small role in helping him but he was the player he was because him and his dad worked year round on becoming that player. Plus by the time he was in High School he was maturing physically and had a great baseball body.

What I can tell you is we didn't win back to back State Championships those two years simply because of him. He was the lead dog no doubt about it. The other 4 hitters in that top 5 did their job as well. In the end the biggest difference between us and the other teams were 6-14. In fact, our best hitter I have ever seen in a play-off stretch was our 8 hitter. He carried us on his back through the post season that first year.

I know I got a little of topic about the pinch hitter but this all plays into the fact that the pinch hitter could be the guy who determines your season. If you haven't prepare a hitter for that job then you are not playing at peak performance.

Concept #3: Defensive Replacements

Again this goes to the same idea that I have said in the first two concepts. If you have a weak defensive player you had better prepare a player behind him you can use late in games with a lead. If not you are tempting fate and eventually will get burned.

Same premise here. Give the player a role. Talk to him about it. Let him train all season so he gets comfortable with entering the game late when all the pressure is mounting. Just firing a player out there because he is a good defensive player without mentally getting him right is just too risky for me.

Concept #4: The Pinch Runner

I will not spend much time here. Instead, I will only make the point that we all have them and use them but how much time do you spend coaching that player for that role. I know I am being repetitive here but this guy is going to be on the base paths when it counts most. Don't leave it to chance.

Concept #5: The Pinch Bunter

This is a concept that is always overlooked. Sure we have guys on the bench that we believe are decent bunters and in the heat of the game will throw them in there in a big spot to bunt. But how well do we prepare them mentally to handle that role??? Do we have a guy that throughout the year we are trying to find an at bat every game where he can get a bunt down? Probably not but we will throw him in there in the top of the 7th in a State Championship game and expect him to get it down.

In Conclusion

There are two main ideas I like about managing your high school team like the major leagues. One, it allows players to have a clear idea of what they will have to do during a game. This allows them to fully prepare for their job. It allows them to learn to control their emotions so they can play at peak performance more often.

Second, it allows more players to be involved in the outcome of the game. The more players who will be involved in the final outcome of the game, the more players you will have preparing in practice. All players practice but not all players prepare. The more players who are involved the better your practices will be. There is not a coach alive who doesn't understand your team plays the way they practice! Best of luck!