We are in the heart of baseball season, and my little league players are loving playing in this window of perfect warmth. I am helping the minor league Dodgers of Horizon Little League. Being the new kid on the block and looking more like a mom than an baseball player, I have held back from offering more than catching balls for our head coach during drills, tweaking foot positions, and reminding kids of the mental aspects of the game. For the areas that coaches can tell the kids different things, I have kept my science to myself-until we had our first loss last week.
As we assessed our unique roles in the loss, we all found areas we can improve. For me, it was seeing that our hitting had plateaued, half the team struggled to make contact, and I was not doing anything about it. I asked our head coach for some time with the kids.
I made it simple for them. The two most important areas to master are reading the pitch and maintaining balance. There are other things I didn't tell them yet, like how to make the full swing and transfer their weight between the back half of their bodies and the front, though I was working these in them. Nor did I mention that I was secretly teaching their minds and their bodies to respond to the pitch. But the effects were immediate.
We went on a hitting spree our last game. We out-hit a good team 24 to 3 without a weak spot in our line-up. Our pitching and defense were tops too.
We all do not like to lose, but a loss can be used to motivate us work on things we won't otherwise. As a coach, the most difficult areas to overcome in a child are the self-defeating mental components that interfere with learning. It is one my favorite challenges, and I look for opportunities to make the best athletes by breaking through these unnecessary limitations with simple solutions.
Testimonials: from the Team:
Testimonials: from the Team:
“We have a new hitting guru. She got all the kids to hit better.”
Bill Koch
Head Coach
HLL Minors Dodgers
“You've really improved his balance and his confidence. And now he hits doubles.”
Trish Curtis
Trevor Curtis' Mother
Horizon Little League, Dodgers Minors 2011
“Jack's now got both feet on the ground. He didn't before. He was moving. Now he has balance, and he's swinging through the ball. He's swinging hard, and he swings through the center of the ball! He is hitting well.”
Mike Wagner
Jack Wagner's Father
Horizon Little League, Dodgers Minors
“I have been hitting farther. I'm keeping my weight balanced.”
Grant Mileski
Age 11
Horizon Little League, Dodgers Minors
“My pitching is amazing now. She has helped me a lot with power and accuracy. I can't believe how well it [the specific exercises she gave me] worked.”
Chase Hamilton
11 years old
Horizon Little League, Dodgers Minors 2011
HLL, Cubs Major 2011
