Youth Baseball Edge

Get in the know...and get the Edge

Welcome to the Youth Baseball Edge podcast

  • Over a half-million downloads!
  • The #1-ranked amateur baseball podcast on iTunes
  • Hit the Top Ten podcasts in the entire Amateur Sports category in iTunes
  • Awarded "New & Noteworthy" in iTunes just two weeks after launch

Past guests include:

Jeff Passan
Yahoo Sports

Tim Corbin
Vanderbilt

Alan Jaeger
J-band creator

Kyle Boddy
Driveline Baseball

Sam Miller
Baseball Prospectus

Justin Stone
EliteBaseball.tv

Kai Correa
San Francisco Giants

Jerry Ford
Perfect Game

Ron Wolforth
Texas Baseball Ranch

Austin Wasserman
Wasserman Strength

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If you like the podcast, please leave me an honest rating and review on iTunes by clicking here. It will dramatically help the show and its ranking in iTunes! I greatly appreciate it. Enjoy the shows!

 

YBE 118: Elite Is In The Details with Trent Mongero

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Do details matter? This is baseball, not science, right? Doesn’t focusing on details suck the fun out of the game or practice? Highly successful high school coach Trent Mongero of Glyn Academy (Ga) explains the detail he goes through. The talk focuses on infielders but details are everywhere in baseball.

Plus Austin Wasserman is back with the Wass Strength Tip of the Week on managing athletes with Osgood Schlatter’s Disease. And Rob answers the Question of the Week about how to help hitters use their legs more in the swing. Show notes

YBE 117: Improving Through The Mundane with Trent Mongero

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The siren call of sexy-looking drills is a temptation to many a coach. We wouldn’t want to be called “the boring coach”, would we? In this episode, Trent Mongero, the head coach at Glyn Academy (Ga), encourages us to focus on the fundamentals and shares his foundational drills with us—drills he uses even with college players.

Plus Rob answers the Question of the Week regarding what to do when a batter’s back foot comes off the ground slightly during the swing and the back foot is on the toes after the swing. Show notes

YBE 116: Ground Forces Deep Dive with Justin Stone

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When we think of improving hitting, we don’t typically think “use ground forces” or “leg-to-leg transfer speed”. We usually think swing mechanics, which we usually do by analyzing swing video. Justin Stone of Elite Baseball Training explains key concepts to help you help your kids improve their hitting. This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Show notes

YBE 115: Hitting Using Ground Forces with Justin Stone

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When we think of improving power in the batting swing, how often does “ground forces” come to mind? Probably never, for most people. So does that mean it’s not important? If it is important, how do we tap into it? Justin Stone, the Cubs’ biomechanical hitting consultant and head of Elite Baseball Training, shares what he’s learned regarding ground forces and how to teach it. Show notes

YBE 114: Coaching Lessons Learned in 2018

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In with the new, out with the old. But before we truly say goodbye to 2018, it’s important to take stock of any lessons learned over the past year as a youth baseball coach. I share some lessons learned by two respected coaches as well as some lessons I learned. Show notes

YBE 112: Coaching Peak Mental Performance with Brian Cain

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When one of your players doesn’t feel confident on a particular day—or even throughout a particular season—what do you do? When a kid isn’t having the results he wishes he had, what do you do? When you are looking for team leaders, what do you do? Brian Cain, a #1 international best-selling author, speaker and coach, helps answer some of these mental game questions and many others to help you give your team the edge. Show notes

YBE111: Big Tips, Big Gains

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Last time, I gave several small tips that can yield big improvements. They were small in the sense that they are minor changes to what you already do for your team. In today’s show, I give several big tips that can yield big improvements. This round of tips is “big” in the sense that they will change the culture of your team or program and generally will require a long-term vision and implementation. Show notes

YBE 110: Small Tips, Big Gains

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Did you know that if you are traveling from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. and are off-course by just one degree, you’d end up in Baltimore? Small changes can sometimes have big consequences. And sometimes that applies to coaching youth baseball as well. Many times we’re looking for that magic bullet that will make our kids enormously better—yet sometimes we just need to make some small, fine-tuned adjustments. Rob Tong shares seven seemingly minor changes coaches and parents can make to help kids make big improvements. Show notes

YBE 105: The Open Baseball Journal: 10 Questions Baseball Parents Should Ask Their Child Every Season

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How is the health of your relationship with your baseball-playing child? How would you know? Is pushing your child always wrong? Rob Tong addresses these questions and introduces the Open Baseball Journal. Learn ten questions you should ask your player(s) after each season that will help keep your relationship with your player(s) on the right track—or to get on the right track if you’ve been derailed.

Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about helping players who always short-arm their throws. Show notes

YBE 104: From Scrawny To 95mph: The Importance Of Strength Training with Ben Brewster

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If you had $5,000 to spend on youth baseball, what would you spend it on? Pitching coach? Hitting coach? Travel teams for exposure and experience? Strength training? High tech gear? Ben Brewster, founder of Tread Athletics, explains why strength training should be the majority of your budget. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about healing rifts between the better players on your team and the weaker players on your team. Show notes

YBE 102: Modernizing Hitting Practice with Josh Rodrigues

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Does your hitting practice primarily consist of you pitching, one kid hitting and everyone else standing around in the field…while you tell the batter to swing level? Josh Rodrigues, assistant coach at Salve Regina University, talks about modern hitting terminology and some practical ways you can have your kids hit better. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help kids know how to end plays on defense. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to offset squats. Plus, this is your last week to enter a giveaway for free YBE swag (hint: listen to YBE Session #100)! Show notes

YBE 101: Modern Hitting Philosophies with Josh Rodrigues

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What are the hitting philosophies you teach your players? How did you come to embrace those philosophies? And what evidence do you have to support your philosophies? Josh Rodrigues, assistant coach at Salve Regina University, talks about modern hitting philosophies that’s backed by stats and research. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help hitters overcome the fear of getting hit by a pitch. Show notes

YBE 100: Baseball Brain Training 101 with John Kennedy

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How does brain training for athletes differ from, say, doing a bunch of Sudoku puzzles? John Kennedy, founder and primary neuroplastician of Combat Brain Training, explains more about brain training and how it can benefit athletes. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to help hitters prepare for pitchers with wildly differing velocities. And find out how to win YBE swag! Show notes

YBE 099: Intro to Brain Training with John Kennedy

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You’ve likely heard of the mental game of baseball—especially on this podcast. But you may not have heard of brain training, which is different from the mental game. John Kennedy, founder and president of Combat Brain Training, explains what brain training is and how it can benefit youth baseball players. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about lunging during the swing and handling parents who offer unhelpful tips. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com discusses first baseman training protocols in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes

YBE 098: Influencing Your Kid’s Development with Rob Friedman

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In this latest in my series on Baseball Dads, Rob Friedman, the Pitching Ninja, shares how he helped influence his son Jack’s development, as well as the high school team that Rob helps coach, without needing to bark commands and make demands. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com explains frontal plane movements in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes

YBE 097: Building A Better Pitcher with Rob Friedman

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The latest in my series on Baseball Dads, Rob Friedman, the Pitching Ninja, shares how he helped his son Jack to get a baseball scholarship to Georgia Tech, a Division I college baseball team. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about machine pitch vs. coach pitch. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares a forearm strengthening tool and exercise in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes

YBE 096: Getting Started With Strength Training with Nick Esposito

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Getting started with strength training for youth players? Nick Esposito of espositostrengthclub.com gives some thoughts on functional movement screens, planning workouts and whether certain familiar warmup routines are helpful or hurtful. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares why he no longer prescribes long-duration planks and crunches in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes

YBE 095: How To Start Strength Training with Nick Esposito

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Is strength training important for youth baseball? How do you get started? Nick Esposito of espositostrengthclub.com and the Strength & Conditioning Coach at Austin Wasserman and Bobby Tewksbary’s AB Athletics facility shares his thoughts. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about why in-step pressure is important in the swing. And Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares fitness games for youth athletes in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week.Show notes

YBE 092: Better Parent-Coach Relationships with Dayn Perry

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What do you do as a coach when a parent is giving you grief? What do you do as a parent when a coach appears to be doing something you don’t like? Dayn Perry of CBS Sports goes through some scenarios to help give some guidance on how to help improve those parent-coach relationships. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about whether game experience is more important than training, or vice-versa. Show notes

YBE 091: The Role Of Baseball Parents with Dayn Perry

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The parent-coach relationship is usually good. But coaches will almost always encounter a bad baseball parent, whether it’s someone who undermines the coach to his kid, confronts the coach publicly, or backstabs him to league officials. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports discusses healthier, more responsible ways for baseball parents to interact with their kid’s coach. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about whether travel ball is necessary to be considered for high school ball. Show notes

YBE 089: Making Practice Fun Again with Dan Keller

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Dan Keller of DugoutCaptain.com share his ideas for making practice fun again. What exactly does that mean? And how do we do that? Tune in and get some ideas. This is Part 1 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to improve 8U travel players’ baseball IQ. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares his own practice plan and post-game recap templates for youth baseball and softball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 088: 15 More Lessons Learned in 2017 with various coaches

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15 more baseball coaches share the lessons they’ve learned in 2017, including Paul Niggebrugge, Jeff Albert of the Houston Astros and Rick Strickland. This is Part 2 of a two-part series.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about where to play lefties on the field. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com explains the kettlebell waiter walk (in audio this time) in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 087: 15 Lessons Learned From Various Coaches In 2017

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15 different amateur baseball coaches share the lessons they’ve learned in 2017, including Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv, Tucker Frawley of Yale University and Billy Boyer of Seattle University. This is Part 1 of a two-part theme.

Plus Travis Kerber of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about a “kid-safe” curve ball. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about the floor dumbbell press for youth baseball and softball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 086: Volunteer Coaching 201 with Pete Caliendo

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You have a full-time job that doesn’t involve coaching baseball. You volunteer to coach your kid’s team and want to be as efficient as Tim Corbin. Is it a pipe dream or is it possible? Pete Caliendo, host of the Baseball Outside The Box podcast, offers multiple tips for volunteer coaches to be more effective. This is part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about where to begin when teaching six-year-olds to play. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about Kettlebell Waiter Walks in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 084: Philosophies Of A Successful Travel Team with Rudy Garcia

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What do the philosophies of a successful national elite travel team look like? Rudy Garcia, head coach of an elite national travel team from Wilson MVP Elite, shares many of his philosophies. Can any of this apply to your team? This is part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com tells us about single leg lunge progressions in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 083: An Inside Look At A Successful Travel Team

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How does a top travel team get run? Rudy Garcia, head coach of an elite national travel team from Wilson MVP Elite, gives some fantastic tips on running a successful travel team, although much of the discussion can also apply to rec leagues. This is part 1 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about handling difficult parents. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to Turkish Get-Ups in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 082: Guarding Against Arm Pain with Randy Sullivan

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What are some things we can do to help reduce the risk of arm pain? Randy Sullivan of the Florida Baseball Ranch offers some suggestions to help guard against arm injuries. This is part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus Travis Kerber of Elite Baseball Training answers the Question Of The Week about what age to introduce the curve ball to pitchers. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com brings us the Pallof Press with Weighted Perturbations in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 080: Should Pocket Radar Be In Your Toolbox?

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Even in an era of baseball data, a radar gun at the youth level seems like a luxury. But is it a luxury—or a must-have? Pocket Radar co-founder and CEO Steve Goody discusses how the Pocket Radar Ball Coach model can help coaches help their pitchers and hitters.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers whether organizations like Baseball Factory would be useful for instructional or motivational purposes for a 13-year-old. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com teaches us about one of his all-time fave exercises—trunk rotation for youth baseball players in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 079: Can Motus Baseball Help Improve Performance?

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Is the Motus Baseball sleeve more gimmick or good? Every baseball product claims to do wonders. Does Motus Baseball help improve performance/help prevent injury? I discuss the merits of Motus Baseball with Will Carroll, the Media Relations Director for Motus Global.

Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com explains what bullpens are, what the benefits are and how he tracks them in the Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes

YBE 078: Tee Ball Practices with Marty Schupak

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If you’re teaching tee ball kids, there’s no nuance. It’s all the absolute, bare bones basics. It’s a good day if the kids can just throw the ball somewhere within three feet of you. Teaching tee ball requires extra patience, which is why making practice segments fun is so crucial—for both the kids’ AND the coaches’ sake. Marty Schupak returns in Part 2 of a two-part interview to discuss how to run practices for tee ball teams.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to help structure practices for a 7U machine pitch team consisting of players of varying skill level. Show notes

YBE 077: Help For The Tee Ball Coach

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No disrespect to other baseball coaches but tee ball coaches have it toughest. Yet help is scarce for tee ball coaches. Marty Schupak provides some great advice for coaches teaching the youngest of baseball athletes. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to find a hitting coach for an 8-10 year old. Show notes

YBE 075: Heads Up Confidence with Dr. Tom Hanson

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Naturally, confidence is a key component of a player’s mental game. But can we really impact confidence? Dr. Tom Hanson, co-author of “Heads Up Baseball 2.0”, discusses this and provides some amazing tips to help our kids’ confidence. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to kindle (or re-kindle) passion for the game among youth players.
Show notes

YBE072: #FridayFielders Fundamentals with Kai Correa

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As discussed in Session #70 with Billy Boyer, elite infielding is not just about “get in front of the ball” and “get your glove dirty”. Kai Correa, assistant coach at the University of Northern Colorado and creator of the #FridayFielders series on Twitter, breaks down how to teach fielding fundamentals to young players. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what to do for a 12-year-old who plays 70 foot bases in travel but 90 foot bases for school. Show notes

YBE 071: Nuanced Game Planning (Even Without Data) with Tommy Hottovy

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Tommy Hottovy, Chicago Cubs’ Coordinator of Advance Scouting—Run Prevention, has a fun job. But what can you and I do, given that we don’t have the benefit of reams of data? How can we still help our teams improve their odds of success? This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about making the hitting part of our practices more efficient and less boring. Show notes

YBE 069: Double Play Feeds with Billy Boyer

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Billy Boyer, assistant coach at the University of Washington, gives a detailed tutorial on how to teach the many intricate aspects of high-level double play feeds. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.

Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to help tee-ball players hit with more power more consistently.
Show notes