The Pitching Academy

Josh grew up playing baseball much like any other youth baseball athlete in America. He was involved in his local Little League where he grew to love the game and learned how to play baseball from his coaches. Most of the skills learned were basic, like how to squish the bug while hitting, and to keep his glove down on a groundball. As his love grew for the game he began to have other coaches involved in teaching him how to play baseball properly, or so he thought. When I first was introduced to Josh in the summer of his final year of high school, I was able to work with him on some hitting mechanics that were brand new to him. This is the part that concerns me deeply. How is it that I was able to present a very good athlete with new hitting information on one aspect of his game at the age of 17!? The problem is not difficult to explain, but unfortunately one that is all too common.

Most coaches instruct their athletes how to play baseball based on the information they have learned from their own playing background. The problem lies when this said coach received improper information himself. The training and instruction then relayed will most likely be sub-standard. The only way to break this chain of improper technique while teaching athletes how to play baseball is to become a continued learner yourself.

If you are an athlete reading this, I would encourage you to do all you can to read, listen to, and watch information from a variety of sources on how to play baseball. This way, you will not put all of your cookies in one basket, so to speak. By gaining perspective from different baseball sources (like this article) you will never have to rely on one coach or one product to give you all you need to learn about a skill. Choose more diverse ways in shaping your baseball future as you learn how to play baseball fundamentally correct.

If you are a coach reading this article, my message to you is simple and clear. Please, for your athletes’ sake don’t stop your learning process. It’s fully ok to refine philosophies based on additional information you come across. Being a continued learner will only serve to enhance your game and allow you to create successful athletes who will recall your influence likely the remainder of their lives.