Developing Young Pitchers

At the end of January, the weekend of Jan 21st and 22nd to be specific, I will be speaking at the National Baseball Expo in San Diego.  The topic I will be addressing is Developing Young Pitchers.  For about a month or so now I have been stewing on how I want to present the information at the expo.  Sometimes when you are talking to an audience it can be a little goofy trying to get the info out the way you want to, with the message you are trying to send.  I always look for a nice opening to get the attention of the crowd and set the tone for the talk.

So today when I got out of the water from a fun and peaceful surf in Encinitas, it hit me.  I know exactly how I should start the talk and the angle I will take to share the information I have learned and loved since I started playing baseball when I was 6 years old.  Guess what that angle is.....wait for it....I HAVE NO ANSWERS!!!  LOL...how does that one feel audience??  It is the truth though and here is why.  (I am fast forwarding some of the background info so give me some leeway on this one) 

Let's all pretend that there really are no wrong or rights in this game of baseball and how to teach pitching to young athletes.  And since there are no wrong or rights the individual needs to decide what is best for them.  What is wrong or right for them.  But since there are no wrong or rights we will call it, what FEELS best for them.  Now here is where I come into play.  Since I have no answers what good am I???  Well, the experiences I have been having over the past several years as a coach has assisted me to come up with guidance and suggestions on what pitchers should do to train themselves and reach the goals they are striving for.  I am not giving them right or wrong answers, I am having experiences along the way that FEEL good and as I continue to have those experiences I choose to bottle them up and pass them on to the clients that choose to work with me.  But the funny thing about all this is that it doesn't mean that since it worked for some of the kids I work with, that it will work for all of the kids I work with.  So now my job is to identify what works for which athlete and curtail a program that works for them.

Now the athletes part is really simple.  They must first take ownership for what they are doing.  They can't just go to a lesson and wait for me to tell them what they need or do not need.  This process takes them further away from who they really are and now we are both going to be lost.  The reason why something a coach tells a kid to do actually works is because the coach and kid believe in what the coach is saying.  Either the kid really trusts the coach and then the underlying feeling from that kid is a good one and so he proceeds or the coach is so good at inspiring the kid to believe in him (the coach) and in himself (the athlete) and now the suggestions work. 

But I want everyone to understand the underlying points here:

       Coach has ideas....athlete listens....coach believes in ideas....athlete responds to the belief....coach continues to see the athlete as a success....athlete holds that same belief and now succeeds....

      So is it really about right or wrong answers???  Or is it more about believing and having a feeling behind the actions that are taking place, the actions that the athlete takes to become better???

      This is why it is soooooo important for the athlete to be present when these "lessons" take place.  It can't be an excuse that a kid is too young to understand or to care about what they are doing.  It can't be an excuse that the kid is too young to understand the process of how the body works to throw a ball and that they must be aware of how their body moves in space to create an efficient and powerful throw.

       This is also why the parent should be present in this process as well.  To support the young athlete and continue to believe that their young pitcher can and will turn into something great if they so choose, no matter what the situation!!!

       That is just about it for this blog....just wanted to write a little about my slant on the topic of Developing Young Pitchers and share that with you.  Now, to get the rest of the info, as in, the suggestions I have for these young kids.....well.....guess you are going to have to come to the expo to find out!!!  LOL....at least for now...I'll shoot out another blog after the expo for all those who were not able to be present to let you all know what we discussed.

        Ok, that's all for now....happy pitching!!!  Hope everyone truly enjoyed their holidays!!!  I know I have!!!