Tuesday, November 20, 2012

G-LOVE Work

I love infield defense. I love infield drills. I love watching great defenders work on their craft and show off their skills. I love everything about the infield, which is why I am always looking for new drills, trying to improve upon an old one, or creating my own. Here is my latest STACK.com article featuring a new take on an old drill (and the old drill).


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Monday, November 19, 2012

Cabin Fever

We are two months away from the start of Spring Training, which is unfortunately indoors. Unless you live in SEC or Pac-10 country, there is a good chance you'll be inside as well. So if you're a coach looking for different ways to get through the winter, check out these indoor practice tips.


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Friday, November 16, 2012

Hitting Drills As Easy As 1-2-3

The fall officially came to an end tonight after individual workouts concluded at the Osborne Center but that doesn't mean our training is over. Countless swings will be taken over the next two months before the start of Spring Training in mid-January. If you're looking for a few hitting drills to keep you busy this winter, check out my latest STACK.com article here. Don't forget to check out my STACK Media archive for any drills you may have missed. Happy training!

Friday, August 17, 2012

On the Base Paths

Base running is an important facet of the game that goes way beyond just stealing bases. In my latest STACK Media article, I talk a little about some things you should be thinking about on the base paths. Stay tuned to @thecoachscave for more articles, drills, and updates on Storm baseball. RAGE ON!


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Thursday, August 2, 2012

We Talkin' 'Bout Practice?

Classes resume in less than a month and we are exactly four weeks from the first baseball activity of the new season. With fall ball right around the corner, what better time to talk about practice. Yes, "we talkin' 'bout practice." In my latest STACK Media article, I touch on a few tips to help teams get the most out of practice. Keep your eyes open for a special appearance by Zach Mosbarger (@ZachMosbarger10) in the article. Stay tuned to @thecoachscave for more articles, drills, and updates on Storm baseball. RAGE ON!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Backhanded Compliment

One of the most beneficial plays for an infielder to possess is the backhand. But not enough players use proper technique with the backhand and rely too much on timing. Too many players try to turn every play in the hole into a highlight play, instead of planting their feet and working through the ball. Take a look at this simple drill to help any fielder get in the proper position to make the backhanded play.

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Running Man

Want to get faster? Of course you do. Every athlete would like to take a split second off their 60 time or their time from home to first. But how do you get faster? The answers may be much easier than you thought. Check out my latest article in STACK Media to find out how you can snag that extra base that may be the difference between a win and a loss.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Stepping Back

My second article of the week went liveon the STACK Media blog. This latest article was on the subject of hitting and inluded one of my favorite drills for balance, rythem and tempo. Click on the link for the full article.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lending a Hand

My latest article was published this week so I can finally give you the link. The article talks about hand speed and involves a drill that I started out using mostly with catchers and eventually infielders, but as the title suggests, it is great for any athlete. Click on the link for the full article.


Previous Articles

Thursday, February 9, 2012

How to Spend an Off Day

It's still very early in Spring Training so the wear and tear on the body isn't as prevalent as it would be in mid-April. Nonetheless, off days are always welcome no matter the time of year. Forget the phrase, "there are no off days." While that phrase looks good on a t-shirt, if you want to make it thru an entire season in good mental health, you need to take advantage of off days. Here are just a few areas which are addressed during an off day as a coach.

1. Sleep. There are a lot of sleepless nights during the course of a season whether its an extended losing streak, a rash of injuries, disciplinary problems with players...the list goes on. Throw in the fact that five of the seven days are spent getting up at 5:30am and you are running the risk of running on fumes by mid-season. So if there is a morning in which you can sleep in past 6am, you do it.

2. Working Out. On practice days, getting a workout in during the day can be very difficult. If your team has morning workouts and practice during the middle of the day, there isn't much time between the two. There are also practice plans to put together, staff meetings to attend, high school coaches to talk to about recruits, and a laundry list of other daily tasks which need accomplished. An off day allows a coach to workout during the time they would normally be at practice and clear his head and get reenergized for the next wave of practices or games.

3. Recruiting Visits. The recruiting aspect of college athletics truly never ends. So having a full day in which there is no baseball activity, off days are good opportunities to bring on potential student-athletes to show around campus without trying to limit your time with a recruit.

4. Emails. Coaches are on their emails everyday, be it in the office or on their smart phones. For the most part, the emails are with recruits or administration, but there are always emails which get pushed to the bottom of the pile, which can now be addressed.

5. Personal Time. Spending time with family is always taken for granted during the off-season but those opportunities can be few and far between during the season and can have an exponential affect on your week. There are also the menial tasks such as laundry, cleaning your house, going to the bank or whatever needs done to clean out the inbox.

Stay tuned all Spring Training long for updates on the Storm via The Coach's Cave Twitter feed (@thecoachscave #SpringTraining). RAGE ON!