Elbow Up Youth Baseball

Parents and Coaches, This week I’m talking about umpires. Before I jump into it, if you haven’t already subscribed, do so now so you don’t miss any future episodes. It’s free, and I’ll send you an email when I post an article or new episode! Umpires are just as much a part of baseball as are hitters and pitchers, but in almost every game I coach I see other parents and coaches interacting with umpires in ways that not only won’t help them get any future calls but also sets a bad example fo...

Parents and Coaches, In this episode I finished up the Mike Steele interview from last week, and just as in part one - he didn’t disappoint. If you missed part one, go listen to it first, then come back and catch part two here! Please let me know what you think and if you’d like to hear more from Mike. He’s committed to joining me again, as well as collaborating for a monthly listener-generated Q&A session - just for you! Thanks again for listening. Would you consider sharing Elbow U...

Parents and Coaches, This is one of my favorite episodes so far! It was an hour long, so I split it into two parts. Be sure to subscribe to my free emails so you won’t miss part two! This is definitely one you need to listen to, but here’s an outline of the episode and part one of my interview with Cleveland Indians pitching coach, youth baseball coach, and dad, Mike Steele! (remember, you can also subscribe in iTunes or your favorite podcast player) ⚾ 1:00 - Introduction Mike Steele play...

Every week I write an email and record a podcast discussing how we can make youth baseball better for our kids. If you would like to receive it directly in your inbox, subscribe now. Read this week’s email below, or listen to the audio version with more detail above. In my last episode I was extremely blunt about how youth Coaches are Ruining Young Arms. I knew it had the potential to be a controversial post, but instead of controversial, it seemed to have resonated with thousands of parent...

Help me spread the word and make youth baseball better. Get my newsletter and podcast for free! As we (hopefully) begin to move out of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have an epidemic right here in youth baseball - and it’s worse than ever! This is a relatively new issue that has been exacerbated by the increased participation in “travel” and “select” baseball, and coach’s increasing desire to chase wins and trophies (or rings). I talked a few weeks ago about how weekend tournaments are ruining ...

I’ve spent the last two articles/episodes talking about how weekend tournaments are ruining youth baseball player development. Just to clarify one last time - I didn’t say weekend tournaments are ruining youth baseball - I said they are ruining youth baseball player development! This time, I want to talk about a few things you and I can do to help fix this and allow our players and teams to get the most out of their current experience without sacrificing their long term development. Listen...

🛑 This is a follow up article and episode to my last post where I explained why weekend tournaments are ruining youth baseball player development. Don’t worry, there will be a third part where I outline some ideas to fix this! You can click play above to listen 🎧 or scroll down to read 📖 the article below. If you enjoy my content, consider subscribing for free. You’ll get an email every time I release a new article or episode, and you’ll have access to my archive of public posts! Wow! 😮 🤩 ...

🛑 Before you go any further - this is part one of a two part series. Links for parts two and three are at the end of this! You can click play above to listen 🎧 or scroll down to read 📖 the article below. If you enjoy my content, consider subscribing for free. You’ll get an email every time I release a new article or episode, and you’ll have access to my archive of public posts! This may be one of the most controversial posts I’ve written or recorded since my Dizzy Dean post that helped kic...

What’s up, youth baseball nation! On today’s episode I spend about 20 minutes talking about communication between coaches and parents - communication that’s a two-way street. We had our first team practice of the season last night and kicked it off with a parent meeting. While I had another topic teed up for today, I felt like this was a great topic for everyone to see/hear at the beginning of the season. While I keep saying there’s no magic pill for success, your youth baseball experience...

While this is a podcast episode, I’ve provided the written form below in case you’d prefer to read. Thanks again for supporting Elbow Up Youth Baseball! I’ve also changed it up a little moving into 2021. This episode is only 6 minutes long! Less time per episode allows me to publish more content and cover more topics. It’s also easier for you to listen to the whole episode during your commute or quick break. Give it a few weeks and let me know if you like it! It's Monday, February 22, and S...

Happy New Year! 2021 is here, and the Spring baseball season is right around the corner. How have you handled the off-season? Do you have a plan for your son or team for the next couple of months? If not, it’s not too late! Click play to listen 🎧 or read below 📝! First, some housekeeping. Everyone’s schedule is crazy towards the end of the year, so in case you’ve had other things on your mind, here’s a few updates: ⚾ If you missed my last podcast with 11-year MLB veteran turned youth b...

All subscribers get my weekly article or podcast delivered directly to their inbox. If you are reading this and aren’t subscribed, what are you waiting for? Shawn Kelley played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball from 2009-2019, pitching in 493 games with 6 different teams. Now he’s a dad coaching his son’s 9 year old baseball team. We spent half an hour talking about his youth baseball experience and now his experience coaching his son. And it’s pure gold! So far I’ve written 20 email news...

Good evening! As we enter our third week of the off-season, I’m really looking for topics that challenge the way everyone does things. There are so many examples in youth baseball of coaches and parents doing things just because everyone else does. Instead of falling in line and being like everyone else, let’s look at how we can do things differently, and better, and create a better experience for our kids and families. There are many factors that influence how fast (or slow) a player and ...

My weekly article and podcast will always be free, but if you find value in the work I do, consider becoming a premium subscriber today for the full experience! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Most teams have finished up their fall baseball seasons, while a few lucky enough to have good weather may have a few weeks left. Either way, it’s time to start planning for the off-season. In preparation for next week’s episode where I’ll focus solely on the off-season, this week I...

Happy Tuesday, and happy Election Day! I will not discuss politics except to say, go vote! And no matter who wins the election, we’ll continue to play youth baseball, and I’ll continue to do Elbow Up! Before I get into this week’s topic, I wanted to clarify something from last week. If you missed it, you can go back and listen here. I talked about not coaching mechanics during games. I got more push back last week from parents than I have with any other topic so far. Push back isn’t necessa...