Chris Gissell || Page 6 || Baseball Dudes LLC

Coach, You’re a Psychologist

May

Life experience, playing experience and coaching experience may be the only way to truly understand the importance of this. Too many young coaches will fail in this area simply because they don’t have the experience. Keep in mind too that playing and coaching are two very different skills.

Understanding the mental stability of a child, let alone a HS, college or young professional, is key to a coach making a positive impact on a player and a team.

Inexperienced & experienced coaches, please take this to heart. You can not verbally insult, embarrass, belittle, berate and take your frustrations out on the players and expect them to remain confident. Expect them to remain motivated. Expect them to trust you.

That stud player on your team is just as mentally soft as any other kid his age. They are just kids and if you want to get the best out of them, and this goes for any age, you MUST help them believe. You MUST help them develop confidence. You MUST show them respect. You MUST be a compassionate leader and you MUST have their trust in moments of failure. They need to be able to fail with confidence knowing that their leader will have their back and be there to help them.

To become the best coach you can be, you need to become the best psychologist you can be.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog

Young Power Arms

May

I want to make you aware of some certain truths about your dreams, goals and your future.

Truth…Your god given talent of velocity may very well open some doors for you. Possibly a college scholarship and maybe even your name being called at a MLB Free Agent Draft one day.

Reality…This is just the first step. Assuming you have the end goal of being a big leaguer, understand that to be able to achieve this dream, you must be able to command that power. You must be able to dot the “I’s” and cross the “T’s”. The higher you go in this game, the better the hitters get and they will turn 95 around like it’s batting practice when you leave it up and over the plate. Also realize that mid-thigh IS up! You must be able to command that fastball, command multiple off speed pitches, be able to pitch inside, change eye levels, pitch to contact, command multiple put away pitches, have situational game awareness, notice hitters tendencies, to just name a few.

When you possess 90+ as an amateur, you feel invincible out there. Very few are confident against you when they step in the box. You are on top of the world. As an older player, you will need this confidence to make it. Don’t ever forget how to believe in yourself. I say this because at some point, if you have never truly understood the concept of “Pitching” and have seen success solely on “Throwing”, reality will jump up and bite you. You will be humbled as you failed to study the craft of “Pitching” and now the hitters are letting you know how good of a “Pitcher” you really are.

So my strong suggestion to you as a “Young Power Arm” is that you not only focus on what the radar gun says, you also focus on learning to be a “Pitcher”. It’s NEVER too early to learn your craft.

Raw talent may get you in the door but only developed skill will elevate you to the top.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Baseball Weekend

May

With the 3 day holiday weekend approaching (Memorial Day Weekend), there is a lot of baseball that’s going to be played across the nation.

I’m going to be honest, it makes me nervous. I’m concerned for all of the young pitchers and catchers out there.

Coaches, follow pitch counts, not inning limits. If they’re not a teenager, DON’T pitch them back to back days. Even though our chart here says it’s ok for 11-12 year olds to if they throw less than 15, if it’s not 100% necessary, don’t do it. Think about all of the other throws they are going to be making this weekend.

DON’T forget about those catcher too. For every pitch made, that’s a throw back to the pitcher and that’s another squat. No player should pitch and catch in the same day once they pitch or catch more than 30-40 pitches. And to be on the safer side, just stay away from the combo in the same day all together. Again, these choices are for their future.

DON’T pull a pitcher just because you take an early lead so you can save him for another game. If he’s the starter, use him. Let them reach their pitch count (whatever they are conditioned for), tell them great job, and use your other pitchers for the rest of the weekends innings. STOP making foolish decisions, that aren’t what’s best for the kids, just because you want to win some “big” tournament. And don’t ask the kid if he thinks he can pitch again, of course he’s going to say yes. Don’t ask the parents either if he can throw again, you are putting them in an uncomfortable spot. Man up and make some morally right decisions.

So many kids are going to get overused this weekend. Parents who follow us and read our words, LISTEN, it’s not worth it. Pay attention, be observant, know right from wrong and if you see something foolish happening, DON’T let it.

Their future is SO much more important.

Click here to view and download our pitch count chart

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Aptitude

May

This word is used often amongst coaches at the higher levels of this game.

The higher you get, the better the players get and the quicker and quicker you will need to be able to make adjustments.

It all starts with being aware. Being aware that you’re late in the batters box. Being aware that your timing is off in your delivery. Being aware of what your body is doing. Being aware of your mindset. And recognizing that you need to change something right now.

As a coach, it’s a special thing to come across players with great Aptitude. Realize this too, just because a player has a lot of talent, that does not mean that he has Aptitude.

Aptitude can be developed but it starts with being a student. Wanting to learn. Being an observer. Paying attention to detail. Learning right from wrong and being persistent.

Never stop growing and wanting to learn Dudes!

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

Dead Arm

May

3872583153_189428c2c3 I first experienced “Dead Arm” as a young professional. It’s painful. It’s annoying. If it gets bad enough, it feels like your arm will break at any moment with each throw. It can even wake you up at night. It’s not fun!!

“Dead Arm” is a fancy word for “Fatigue.” It seems it hits most players in a few different areas. The biceps muscle, the triceps muscle, the posterior side of your upper arm and bicep tendonitis is also a sign of fatigue.

With the first three, you will experience a dull ache, not a sharp pain. The area feels very tight. With the tendonitis, you will experience a sharp pain in the front of your shoulder when your arm is laid back and as it comes forward to throw. Think “External Rotation”.

These all happen when your arm isn’t ready for what you are doing to it, in other words, when it’s not in shape or conditioned for the number of throws you are making or made or for the amount of effort or intent you are throwing with or your delivery (pitching/throwing mechanics) are inefficient causing more strain on your arm. Point blank, your arm isn’t in shape for what you are demanding from it. Here are a few examples that may lead to “Dead Arm”…

– An easy week of Baseball, maybe 2 days of easy catch, and then a busy week filled with multiple practices and games which equals a lot of throws and competitive throws, often too many for what your arm is conditioned for.
– Going from being a one to two inning guy, 15-30 pitches, to all of the sudden throwing multiple innings with an extreme number of pitches compared to what your arm is used to.
– Not pitching in game situations for a week or two and then going out and being pushed to a max pitch count, 60/70/80/90 pitches. You will have felt great in the game and most likely the few days after but when it, “Dead Arm”, comes, understand it’s most likely because of what you put it through the week prior.
– Finishing a school ball season, taking a week or two off to “recover”, and then jumping right back into long practices and games. Ouch! This happens all too often. Understand that all it takes is 3-4 days of no throwing for a pitchers arm to loose stamina, for a pitcher to loose feel for their delivery and feel of their release point.
– Poor mechanics that cause a pitcher to try and create velocity with their arm. Velocity is a byproduct of power, momentum and torque created from proper use of the body.

This can all be managed with…
– A good arm care routine on throwing days.
– Taking a day off from throwing a baseball once or twice a week.
– Following a pre season throwing program leading up to the season so you are built up and ready to throw 45-60 pitches your first outing.
– Not completely shutting it down between school ball and summer ball.
– Keeping your delivery on point where you are using your body to create power and not using your arm to generate velocity.
– Throwing regular weekly bullpens in a competitive manner, in other words, as close to game speed as possible.
– A continual focus on how your body moves while throwing the ball.

With a little bit of rest, you can see the symptoms go away within a week or two.

If you are a parent and coach who did not pitch as a player, it may be hard to really understand this. Please take this information seriously as pitching is hard enough as it is, let alone doing it with this sort of ailment. Take care of those arms. Make decisions based on what’s best for the player and their safety and health. Make sure they are throwing regular bullpens and make sure they are utilizing some sort of arm care routine.

MOST IMPORTANTLY…MAKE SURE THEY ARE CONDITIONED FOR THE NUMBER OF PITCHES YOU ARE WANTING THEM TO THROW.

Respect those arms Players, Parents & Coaches!

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Conditioning a Pitcher’s Arm

May

2015-04-23 06.49.31 What does it mean to “Condition” an arm and why is it important?

Conditioning an arm means to get it in shape. This takes, at minimum, a month (I recommend 2-3 months) of a regimented throwing program. You can compare this to a marathon runner training for that 26.2 mile run. If they were to go out and try to do the whole run on day one, they will fatigue quickly, have a hard time finishing the race and put themselves at risk for injury. They need to work up to that type of distance, which takes weeks, to be completely prepared and ready to run a strong race of that length.

Now, think about our pitchers. Throwing bullpens leading up to the season is a must. This is how we get comfortable with our deliveries, fine tune our command, get feel for our changeups and tighten up our breaking balls.

With that said, just because a pitcher has been throwing regular bullpens, 30-40 pitches, does not mean they are ready for 60-80 pitches their first game out. They NEED to be built up to this type of number. This can be done before the regular season games start with throwing simulated innings (throw their pregame routine, rest, get back up and throw their warmup pitches followed by simulating three outs and repeat this to build up stamina and strength) AFTER their bullpens or if they have not done that, they need to build up their pitch count over the course of games pitched. For example…

Game 1 = 2 innings or 30 pitches
Proper days rest!
Game 2 = 3 innings or 45 pitches
Proper days rest!
Game 3 = 4 innings or 60 pitches
Proper days rest!
Game 4 = 5 innings or 75 pitches
Proper days rest!

Sending a pitcher out there, whether he is 9 or 29, and throwing them 60+ pitches for their first outing of the season without being properly conditioned, is setting that pitcher up for failure and an injury. Fatigue will instantly set in and with fatigue comes a higher risk of injury.

Another common issue is when pitchers have an extended period of time between games pitched. The arm loses stamina very quickly and when pitch counts aren’t maintained week after week, that game a pitcher had 3 weeks ago where he threw 80 pitches, means nothing today when deciding how many pitches to allow them to throw. He most likely will be good, arm health wise, for 30-40 pitches.

Let’s also be clear that all pitchers need proper warmup in the bullpen before they go into a game to pitch. They should have a 20-30 pitch routine they like to do that will help them be prepared for battle! I know sometimes, this is not possible in youth baseball as you may only have enough players to field a team, but if you do have enough players, have the pitcher you plan on using next, on the bench ready to warm up if the situation presents itself.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

Primary & Secondary Leads

Apr

4402-BASEBALL-OE Such an important piece as our young ones are preparing for their baseball life on the big field and their High School career and hopefully beyond.

The more and more I see big field rules played on a small field (46/60 and 50/70), the more and more I am seeing this skill not being taught. It seems so many are so concerned with stealing 2nd and then 3rd within the first two pitches, that we aren’t teaching the game. When you play these teams, if you watch close enough, you will see how under developed most of these players are with these two skills when they don’t steal on a pitch.

It’s so bad that in many situations players are told to fake bunt on the first pitch every time so the runner can take second or third. We all know the odds of a successful steal are often above 90%. How about teach them how to execute a hit and run? Or how about we stop taking the bat out of the hitters hands in that great hitters count…0-0? How about we teach them to look for patterns in pitch selection on that first pitch and teach them what to do and when to do?

Yes, pitchers and catchers need to get better at holding runners, varying hold times, getting rid of the ball quicker behind the plate but these skills take so much longer to develop than learning how to steal on first move that we see these completely normal weaknesses being taken completely advantage of by coaches who care more about the score board than teaching and preparing. Teach them to be aggressive and when to be aggressive but understand development.

Many leave Little League style ball because they want to play by the regular rules and “Real” baseball. I understand that but if you want to play by the regular rules and play “Real” ball, then let’s teach them how to play real/realistic baseball like they will when they get to the big field.

They won’t be able to do this stuff when they get to HS. But what they will need to be good at is taking a good aggressive secondary, reading the ball out of the pitchers hand, anticipating the ball in the dirt and having that right foot coming down as the ball is crossing the hitting zone and learning how to read and what to look for in both pick off moves from right handed and left handed pitchers.

Coaches…Are you teaching this?

I don’t care if your opponent playing this style of so called “baseball”. This is about your approach. About you teaching your players the game. About you preparing them for what the real game is like. Why are we so concerned about winning and teaching habits that are just short term? Teach them the REAL game. A game that will give them some value as a HS player. Our job is preparing them for the next level and EVERY player on a small field should be preparing for the game on the big field.

Coach’em up coaches!!

Player Development 101

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Baserunning, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Hitting, Parents

Mental Toughness Revealed

Apr

Having had many teammates and many coaches, there’s one common theme with the best. The ones who saw more long term success. The coaches who had the most trust from their players.

They handled failure and adversity with grace. At the higher levels of this game, very rarely will you ever see a player or coach carry a bad day over into the next day. When they go to bed on the night of a not so good day, that’s it. It’s over. Move on. Tomorrow is a new day. Their attitude the next day will seem as if the day before never even happened. And if the next day is rough again, they will repeat that cycle.

This is what it takes to be successful in this game and in life. You must be able to move on. If, and when, you are unable to is when it will start to fall apart.

A loss is a loss. A bad day is a bad day. Your mental toughness will be revealed when you show up to the field the next day.

Players and Coaches, self evaluate, do you carry a bad day into the next?

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

Change-Up

Mar

There are plenty of different Change Up grips to try/use.

• Comfort.
• Maintain normal tempo of delivery.
• You MUST have the same arm speed with it as you do with your fastball.
• Throw it enough times in catch and in games to where you have just as much confidence in it as you do your fastball.

The grip in the pic is the grip I have found that feels the most comfortable to many and has proven to be the easiest to command. Think fastball with your middle and ring fingers. With that, it doesn’t work for everyone. Find a grip that works. Stick with it even if you have an off day with it.

Force reps in game situations with it. The only way to build confidence with it is to throw it to live batters.
The biggest issue I see is young pitchers chocking their CH grip too deep in their palm. This makes it tough for most to command. It should rest at the base of your fingers. Think about where your hand would callus up with a lot of hitting. Notice this in the pics.

Myth…The thumb does not need to be on the side of the baseball like many believe. While this may take some additional speed off, it can make it very tough to command. It’s OK to have your thumb directly underneath, as you see where my thumb is in the pics.

If the grip isn’t taking enough speed off, there are things you can do with your lower body to help take speed off.

• Less back leg drive.
• Drag longer.
• Think to leave your foot on the rubber as long as possible.
• Fall instead of drive with the lower half.

Though more advanced, I have seen all of these help different pitchers. Find which one works best for you, or your pitcher(s).

Hope this helps some of you. Throw that Change Up!!

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Pitch Counts

Jan

Pitch Counts
If you decide to take some time to look over this, let me explain why this is so important to me.

First, YES, I am on the conservative side. Why? Because young baseball players these days play twice, if not three times, as many games as we did back in the 80’s and 90’s.

Second, baseball is, and has been, my life and career, especially pitching, for the last 20 years. After pitching over 1,500 professional innings and then coaching it for three seasons, I feel I have a good understanding and feel for what it takes, both physically and mentally, to survive long term.

You can take my opinion for what it’s worth. I don’t care about hearing about youth programs win-loss records nor does it matter to me how many tournaments they have won or where they rank on some national ranking list. I want to know how they are taking care of their players. How they are developing them. How they are preparing them for High School baseball. How are they teaching them the mental game and how are they at developing character.

When I first broke into professional baseball in the late 90’s, it was a big thing when someone went down with a major arm injury. As it moved on into the 2000’s, it started to become more and more wide spread. Flash forward to 2012-2014 when I was coaching, I was blown away at the number of players we drafted who already had a zipper on their elbow (Tommy John Surgery Scar).

For some reason, many seem to ignore the facts and truth, that this is all a direct cause of year round baseball, competitive pitching in the winter months when they should be resting or building up for the upcoming season, too much baseball over a 2-3 days span in some tournament, pitching without proper rest, pitching too many pitches when their arm is not conditioned for it, pitching too many pitches with poor mechanics, etc.

I understand that there are not many real pitching coaches out there. And to add to that, most coaches were not pitchers themselves growing up, so the true understanding of what it takes to throw strikes, what it feels like to battle through a long inning, what dead arm (fatigue) feels like, what proper mechanics look like and how to teach them, how to handle a pitching staff and what they need to be rested and ready for their next outing, the knowledge and experience is just not there.

The good ones will go out of their way to seek information. They will have a desire to educate themselves because they know how important that position that sits in the middle of the field on a small mountain, really is.

Bottom line, what you see on this document, is all about the kids. It is a real issue, so big that even MLB has put out their stance on it. Parents, you have to take matters into your hands if your Dude is not being handled correctly. For the sake of your kids health and development, you HAVE to find the right coach(es) and program. They get one shot at living out their dream as far as their talent will take them. You don’t want it to be an injury of over usage that puts an end to it.

**See these numbers as a guideline. You need to have “feel” for the moment. What are stressful pitches and what are efficient pitches. A pitchers ability, stamina and mental toughness should all play a factor in how they are dealt with in game action.

Click here to view, download and print the PDF file of our Pitch Count Chart

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents, Pitching

Game Tempo Killers

Jan

Tempo may also be referred to as “Pace” or “Speed” of the game. “Tempo” is controlled by the pitcher and catcher. Working quick may be the number one way to make a hitter uncomfortable, put the advantage in the pitchers hands and keep the flow of the game moving which also greatly benefits the focus of our defenders on the field. This can be judged by the amount of time between innings and pitches. At the professional level, we would shoot for 8-12 seconds from the release of one pitch to the release of the next. Obviously, this will be different when the ball is put in play, a mound visit is taken, etc.

Hitters HATE to feel rushed. They want time to go through their routine. They want time to get comfortable in the box. Some can act as a human rain delay (just as some pitchers can act). Hitters hate nothing more than to get in the box, look up at the pitcher and see him already in the set position or already starting their delivery.

If a hitter has to call time out because of this, pitchers should take pride in that. You are doing and important part of your job by making him uncomfortable without even throwing a pitch! And if they have to do it multiple times, bingo…You are swimming in their head now. They are losing their focus. When they lose their focus, they lose their approach. When they lose their approach, the pitcher will win nearly every time.

When pitchers are taught this concept, taught this part of the mental game, it doesn’t matter their talent level, they will have an advantage and be able to take control of a game.

With that said, there are some coaching tactics and things young ball players simply aren’t being taught that can put the kibosh to the Tempo of a game in a matter of seconds…

1) Micro-managing during every pitch of the game. The whole team has to look in the dugout to see where to move, what pick off move to put on, what pitch to call. TEMPO KILLER

2) The pitcher and catcher not being on the same page. The catcher doesn’t know what the pitcher likes to throw in certain counts, thus the pitcher is constantly shaking off the catchers suggestion. Pitchers, put some faith in your catchers and remember that any pitch in any count can be effective as long as you execute it. Catchers, take time to talk to your pitchers and see what they like to do. Boys, we need to communicate better before the game and in-between innings. TEMPO KILLER

3) Pitchers walking around the mound between every pitch (sometimes necessary though to clear your head). TEMPO KILLER

4) Pitchers walking half way to home plate, after they throw a pitch, to catch the ball from the catcher and then having to walk, or jog, all the way back to the rubber. Personally, I have witnessed this being done and being taught more often than it should be, which is NEVER! The common reason for this is to protect the catchers arm or make a shorter throw for the catcher. Wrong reason guys. If the catcher has a hard time throwing the ball to the mound, then it’s our job to teach them how to throw properly. TEMPO KILLER

**After a pitcher throws a pitch, ideally, they are back peddling back up the mound and are on, or within one step from being back on, the rubber ready to get the next sign. This is pitching boys. This is how we take control of the game. This is how the best go about their business. This is what position players LOVE to play behind.

5) At the youngest of ages, Tempo proves to be a constant struggle. Finding kids that are fearless behind the plate and who have a sense of urgency to keep the ball in front and to go get it QUICKLY when it gets past them, is often hard to find AND hard to develop. We must take time to really give our young backstops a lot of attention on receiving, blocking and retrieving passed balls and wild pitches. If we fail to recognize the importance of this…TEMPO KILLER

Pitchers and Catchers…Have a plan. Be on the same page. Work quick. Be the first ones on the field after the third out is made. Jog to your positions. Get your warm up pitches done in a quick manner. Make it a point to make the hitter uncomfortable. Take pride in them needing to call timeout. Take pride in the other teams players and coaches getting frustrated with this. Don’t back down. This is YOUR game, OWN IT!!

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Catching, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Pitching

When the Student is Ready

Jan

The first time I heard this was during my first year coaching. It took me a while to really understand this. Now, this thought runs through my head nearly every day. From the students I work with, to parents, to fellow coaches and instructors, this couldn’t be any more true.

“When the Student is ready, the Teacher will appear.”

As a coach/parent, my one and only purpose is to give. Give as much as I can. GIVE RELENTLESSLY.

With this, I have come to learn that not everyone is looking for it. Not everyone is ready for it. Many will give signs that they desire it, but when it comes down to it, they simply aren’t there yet. Maturity, experience, ego, ignorance, pride, conceit…Whatever it is, they just aren’t ready.

That’s perfectly fine. When they ARE indeed ready, they will come find you. From an early age, it was ingrained in me to seek knowledge. My father reminded me often about who I was around and to “Pick their brains.” Learn as much as you can from everyone you can. Through this life long process, it has become quite clear that not everyone is the same. Everyone sees things in a different light. There is more than just one way to succeed.

Let me share a story…

My first year coaching, one of the pitchers on my staff was from a major D1 school. He was a high draft pick with a great arm. Long story short, he fought suggestion. His ego was like a brick wall. He had an issue repeating his delivery which in turn led to a not so good strike percentage which led to poor performance on the mound. As the season went on, one constant topic in our daily pitchers meetings was the importance in our ability to command the baseball and command the strike zone.

What many amateur (college and lower) pitchers/parents/coaches fail to realize is that a good fastball will only get you so far. It can get you in the door, but if you can’t dot the i’s and cross the t’s with it, you will never make it all the way. Hitters at that level have a better idea of the strike zone and seem to be born to turn around a 95 MPH fastball like it’s batting practice, when it’s left up and over the plate. Command, execute and repeat is the name of the game and if they can’t do that, their dream of becoming a big leaguer will vanish much quicker than they had ever imagined it would that day they signed their first professional contract.

About half way through the season, we had a miserable series. As a whole, we were struggling. It happens. That’s baseball, that’s life. It came to a head one night and I called a meeting with my pitching staff after the game. It was a tough love lecture. The truth hurts kind of message. “Some of you may find yourself at home come this time next year if you don’t figure it out!”

About two minutes after that meeting was over, this young man came into my office and asked to talk. He broke down. It was hard to see but was obviously a turning point for him. His words…”I’m ready.”

He was starting to see the writing on the wall. The competition at that level is like no other. The best player in your area becomes just another guy when they step into a professional locker room.

After a change in mindset and a couple weeks of work, he started to turn things around. He finished the season with a different approach and better results. Unfortunately for him this all happened a little too late. A couple years later, his opportunity came to an end. This is a story like many, an amateur player with a lot of talent. He was never really TAUGHT how to turn that talent into a skill. He developed as a thrower, and not a pitcher, and was never able to fully overcome this. His ego and lack of being coachable. His maturity level and his lack of humility. They buried him.

Players, parents and coaches, don’t let this happen.

I’ll tell you right now young pitchers, your big fastball is just a talent. It may get you somewhere but if you desire to make it all they way, you better learn how to command it.

Parents, raise humble, coachable, selfless young men. Men who want to learn.

Coaches, BE COACHABLE. None of us have it all figured out. When we stop looking for information, for inspiration, for guidance and for assistance, we have put a ceiling on the amount we will be able to give our players, children and your family.

“When the student is ready, the Teacher will appear.”

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Baseball Life, Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

Expectations

Nov

2014-07-25 14.30.55-1 Woah…Slow down…

They’re 8…They’re 9…They’re 10…They’re 11…They’re 12…They’re 13…

They are kids. They trip for no reason when they are walking. Their knees hurt because they are growing. They are starting to go through puberty. Their social life is becoming more and more important to them. They’re kids!

We as adults seem to forget this. They have a bad day, it doesn’t matter how much they train or who their coach is, it’s going to happen. It’s just that, a bad day. We have to keep this in perspective. If you played growing up, don’t forget how hard it was. If you didn’t, it may be hard to truly understand, maybe go out on the field and try to do everything they are doing.

These kids love the game. They just want to play with their buddies and have a good time. They train to be the best they can be and we take that very serious, but let’s not forget that this is a game. In the end, they should never have a bitter taste in their mouth because of a coach whose priorities were in the wrong place and treated their players like garbage. They should not hate Baseball because of how their parents talked AT them when they had an off day. It’s not easy to hit. It’s not easy to locate every pitch you throw. It’s not easy to field a ground ball on a bumpy youth field. IT’S NOT EASY!

I have been in the dugout for many games (who knows how many youth games and approx. 3,400 professional games) and unless your last name is Jeter, and you are on a winning team nearly every year, you WILL most likely see just as many losses as you will wins, over the course of your baseball life. It’s just a game. I love to compete, but I’m here to tell you, that losing a baseball game is not the end of the world. They won’t win every game just as they won’t lose every game. In fact, the truth is, EVERY player can grow more from those loses (when they learn how to process them correctly) than they will from success as failure is a much better teacher.

Coaches and Parents, understand this, at the end of the day the wins don’t mean anything AND the losses don’t mean anything. It’s the experience they are gaining. It’s them getting to do what they are passionate about. It’s them developing great life skills along the way.

Find a coach. Find coaches. Find a program. Find an organization that understands this. One that focuses more on the person than they do the win. Find those with a passion for the kids and teaching. Find those with experience and knowledge. Find those that genuinely understand what “the process” means and have the patience for it. Find those who have, and have proved to have, a mindset on development, no matter what time of year it is.

THIS IS YOUTH BASEBALL, not the big leagues. Keep your Expectations realistic.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

What You Allow

Oct

Coaches & Parents…

What you allow is what you are teaching. You may not be using words to say it’s ok, but your actions are. By turning a blind eye to poor sportsmanship, disrespecting teammates, umpires, opponents and coaches, having a lack of eye contact when speaking to or listening or a lack of hustle, you are allowing habits to develop that can be devastating and difficult to over come later in life.

I could care less if that’s the “best” player on your squad, BENCHED! I could care less if it’s the championship game of some “major” youth tournament, BENCHED! You preach development..I can think of no better moment to develop then when a child shows Character issues.

What are you instilling by letting this slide even once? In the real world, these type of mistakes can result in poor parenting, poor students, poor employees, poor business owners and a life headed in the wrong direction.

I have three children and deal with this in some fashion each day. It’s a battle, I completely understand. But coaches, we are an outside voice of reason. Sometimes they will take your words differently. Even though you may be preaching the same thing as mom and dad, it just hits them different.

You are a role model. You are a mentor. You are a teacher. You are a leader. Lead with their future in mind, don’t get caught up in the moment, and NEVER let a teachable moment pass by.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Parents

Your Approach

Sep

2015-05-29 20.22.42 I woke up this morning thinking about our 9/10 year old Instructional League group. They are great. What a fun group of energized little people. They are all happy to be there. Want to learn and are doing their best to take in as much info as they can.

When we make the lineups for our games, we make it a point to move the players all over the field. The goal is that by the end of this, they all have learned about every position on the field. Even if they aren’t a catcher, they should have learned something about it. Even if they aren’t a pitcher, they should have learned something about it. It’s important that they learn about the game and there’s no better time to start than at this age.

If you were to watch one of these workouts, grade the levels of talent out there, the arm strength, the bat speed, their running speed, their ability to just catch the ball, it would be all over the map. And to be honest, if you came to watch all of our different age groups, you would see the same.

Now with that said, are we going to give some more attention than others, NOPE. Are we going to give the more talented ones more playing time, NOPE. Will we banish the weaker players to the outfield, NOPE. We are here to teach.

Even though this is an Instructional League, if I were running some sort of LL team, Travel/Tournament team, the same approach would be taken. Youth baseball is about learning. It’s about developing the player AND the person. Will all of these players play HS Baseball, no. Will some of them play College Baseball, yes. Will any of them play Baseball for their whole lives, haha, of course not. Baseball is such a temporary phase in their lives, but a phase, that if handled correctly, can be one of the most positive and impacting phases they may experience. So many aspects of life can be learned on the field. Youth coaches, it’s up to us to help them learn from each and every day they are on it.

Their talent will take them as far as it can, Their focus and dedication will take them as far as it can. Their level of mental toughness will take them as far as it can. Their level of perseverance will take them as far as it can. It’s our job to help them develop these traits to allow them to gain the most experience possible on the field.

Our job is to give them every opportunity possible. And those who are truly development minded, will make it a point to give them the chances. It’s not our job to tell them they aren’t good enough. That job is for their HS, College and Professional coaches. Your job is to prepare them for High School Baseball and LIFE.

Get your mind in the right place. Remember who this game is about (the players). Don’t ever turn your back on the lesser talent, give them every opportunity to learn from what this game has to offer them and be there to help them learn from every teachable moment.

Your Approach will determine your Character as a Coach.

Chris Gissell (172 Posts)

Categories : Chris Gissell, Coaching, Dudes Blog, Parents

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