Next Level Lessons

I focus my coaching on hitting, infield and outfield instruction. The first thing I would recommend to my client is to be fully loose before engaging in a lesson with me. I have come across too many players that attend training sessions during their regular baseball seasons and have injured themselves because of over work or not stretching properly prior to that session. I would ask the client questions such as "have they had any previous injuries, are they nursing an injury, did they recently pitch in a game and their arm hurts."  I would also ask the client and his parents what they are looking to get out of the training session. This information will allow me to tailor a training session that will be impactful to the client. For example, if the client and parents want to see an improvement in hitting, I would first breakdown the client's batting stance to make sure they are balanced, they are holding the bat the right way in their hands and have plate coverage. Next, I would ask them to take some swings off of a tee so I may observe their loading mechanism, their bat angle through the zone, their extension, follow through and to see if they are a front foot hitter. This will give me a better idea of what areas I need to focus on with the client. There are many ways to teach hitting so I would ask the client to provide me with feedback on what feels comfortable. I would reassure my client that improvements are not going to take place over night but the smallest tweak here or there could produce positive results. If my client wanted to improve his defense i.e. fielding ground balls, I would start by hitting my client ground balls to assess his fielding skills. Based on what I observe, I could work with my client on his approach as the ball enters the hitting zone, (is he flat footed or moving?) work with my client on sprinting to the ball and breaking down, making sure he is low to the ground, glove out in front. I would next work with my client on moving through the ball after he fields it so his momentum is moving towards the base he is throwing to. Depending on the age of my client, I would work with them on the proper way to round a ground ball.