Billy Boyer, assistant coach at the University of Washington, helps break down some of the nuances that can help elevate the infield play of your players. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Show notes
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
If you like the podcast, click the links below to subscribe to the podcast so you'll never miss an episode:
Wait...what's a podcast anyway?
A podcast is a series of free downloadable audio shows that you can listen on your computer or mobile device. People usually listen while commuting, working out, doing chores, etc.
To listen on your mobile device, you’ll need an app. For iOS users, open the Podcasts app; for Android users, download the free Stitcher Radio app. In the app, search for “Youth Baseball Edge”. Tap the "Subscribe" button for the show and you'll be all set. Now every time I release a new episode, it will automagically download right on your device. Additionally, you can listen to the podcasts here on the web site.
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 067: Helpful Baseball Tech with Kyle Boddy
Kyle Boddy, founder of Driveline Baseball, discusses—among other things—what baseball tech is worthwhile. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about how to handle fielding slumps.
Show notes
YBE 066: How Data Can Improve Your Training with Kyle Boddy
Kyle Boddy, founder of Driveline Baseball, discusses overload/underload training with bats—a new area of research-backed baseball training—as well as overload/underload training for pitchers, and more. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about what the hands should be doing during the load & stride.
Show notes
YBE 065: Higher-Level Catching with Tanner Swanson
Tanner Swanson, assistant coach at the University of Washington and popular speaker on the topic of catching, gives some key insights on how to help your intermediate-level and advanced youth, high school and college catchers. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview.
Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about whether kids should cheer and enjoy the moment, or keep calm and “act like they’ve been there before”. And Austin Wasserman of WassStrength.com tells us about his Base Stealing: Leads & Footwork ebook that talks about creating shin angle and direction in his Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 064: The Value Of Youth Catchers with Tanner Swanson
Tanner Swanson, assistant coach at the University of Washington and popular speaker on the topic of catching, sets the vision for us on what it takes to develop good catchers and then begins to share how to make that happen at the younger levels. Plus Justin Stone of EliteBaseball.TV answers the Question Of The Week about whether it’s worth teaching kids how to bunt. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares the Supine Anti-Resistance Movement to create separation between the pelvis and the torso in his Wass Strength Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 063: Pitcher Whispering with Brent Kemnitz
Brent Kemnitz, distinguished former pitching coach for Wichita State, shares some insight on how he coached the mental side of pitching with his pitching staff. We don’t want to talk our pitchers into a slump, as he warned in Part 1 of my interview, but we do want to get them feeling happy, strong and confident. This is Part 2 of the two-part interview. Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com talks the progression of the Kettle Bell SOT Press. Show notes
YBE 062: The Mental Side Of Pitching with Brent Kemnitz
Brent Kemnitz, renowned former pitching coach for Wichita State, shares about how to coach the little-discussed aspect of the mental side of pitching. The mental game of baseball doesn’t just apply to hitters! This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what parents should focus on with travel kids during off-team practices. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to sled drags. Show notes
YBE 061: Vision Training 101 with John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald of Sports Vision Training explains the core concepts of vision training for baseball and how coaches and parents can help. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to teach pitching to 9-year-olds. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com introduces us to side lunge slides. Show notes
YBE 060: Intro to Vision Training with John Fitzgerald
John Fitzgerald of Sports Vision Training explains the concept of vision training for baseball and how it can help young baseball athletes improve their game. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about why advanced players do not put their entire hand inside their fielding glove. Show notes
YBE 059: Organizing Practice with Tug Gillingham
Tug Gillingham of Lincoln Park Baseball Academy chats about how to organize and structure baseball practices. We also segue into fungo golf and defending 1st & 3rd situations. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about why advanced players should not catch the ball in the web of their glove. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com talks about three different steal starts and which is best. Show notes
YBE 058: Handling Challenging Coaching Situations (Part 1) with Tug Gillingham
Tug Gillingham of Lincoln Park Baseball Academy discusses how to handle some challenges youth baseball coaches face. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to create a lineup that maximizes offensive output. And Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares an article about practice plans and post-game recaps (see below). Show notes
YBE 057: Efficient Practice Planning
Rob discusses the theory behind efficient youth baseball practice planning so you know what to avoid and gives some tips to help you plan for next season. Plus, Austin Wasserman of wassermanstrength.com shares his 2016 CatcherCon slides for the Wass Strength Training Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 056: Favorite Drill Roundup
Rob rounds up the favorite drills of several coaches and former podcast guests in this Favorite Drill Roundup. Show notes
YBE 055: Building A Complete Player with Nate Trosky
Nate Trosky of Trosky Baseball explains what complete player development is—and how to achieve it. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv gives some tips to incorporate game pressure into practices in the Question Of The Week, and Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com discusses reverse lunge tips in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 054: Insider Tips From A (Highly Successful) College Coach with Tim Corbin
Tim Corbin, head baseball coach of the 2014 College World Series champion Vanderbilt Commodores, gets real honest as he shares some inside information on coaching and recruiting for a Division I college. Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com discusses the importance of understanding youth athletes’ lifestyles in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 053: Perspectives From A (Highly Successful) College Coach with Tim Corbin
Tim Corbin, head baseball coach of the 2014 College World Series champion Vanderbilt Commodores, shares his perspectives on young player development and being a collegiate coach. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Plus Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares a video on youth squat patterns in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 052: 10 Lessons Learned From The World Series Champion Chicago Cubs
To celebrate the Cubs winning the 2016 World Series, here are 10 lessons I learned from these championship Cubs. Plus, Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com teaches band-assisted push-ups in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 051: The Making Of A Prep Prospect: The Hunter Greene Story with Russell Greene
Russell Greene, father of prep superstar Hunter Greene, explains how Hunter grew to become potentially the #1 overall draft pick in the MLB amateur draft in June 2017 and where they may go from here. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview, Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week regarding helping kids not give up on plays and Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com shares a water ball reverse throw drill in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 050: Overcoming Adversity: The Hunter Greene Story with Russell Greene
Russell Greene, father of prep superstar Hunter Greene, explains some of the significant struggles Hunter had to overcome on his way to being potentially the #1 overall draft pick in the MLB amateur draft in June 2017. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week regarding glove sizes for shortstops and Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com takes us through Sever’s Disease in Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week. Show notes
YBE 049: Components Of The Elite Swing with Bobby Tewksbary
Bobby Tewksbary of TewksHitting.com shares what makes up the elite swing and more. This is Part 2 of a two-part interview. Plus, Wass Strength’s Tip Of The Week explains the final four youth performance principles. Show notes
YBE 048: Keys To The Elite Swing with Bobby Tewksbary
Bobby Tewksbary, founder of TewksHitting.com, shares some important information on how to strive towards the elite swing. This is Part 1 of a two-part interview. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about how to create interest in baseball among our youth. Show notes
YBE 047: Strength Training Q&A, Part 2, with Austin Wasserman
Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com continues to answer your questions about strength training for youth baseball players. This is Part 2 of my interview with Austin. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about the proper approach to stealing bases. Show notes
YBE 046: Strength Training Q&A, Part 1, with Austin Wasserman
Austin Wasserman of WassermanStrength.com returns to answer your questions about strength training for youth baseball players. This is Part 1 of my interview with Austin. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about where to find instruction on fundamentals. Show notes
YBE 045: More Batting Blindspots with Paul Niggebrugge
Paul Niggebrugge, founder of Be Your Best Academy, warns us about more hitting blindspots from a coaching perspective. This is Part 2 of my interview with Paul. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what advantage comes with having kids play up. Show notes
YBE 044: Avoiding Batting Blindspots with Paul Niggebrugge
Paul Niggebrugge, founder of Be Your Best Academy, warns us about hitting blindspots from a coaching perspective. This is Part 1 of my interview with Paul. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about starting an 11U team. Show notes
YBE 043: Busting Strength Training Myths with Eric Cressey
Eric Cressey, president and co-founder of Cressey Sports Performance, debunks some common myths about strength training for youth baseball players. This episode is Part 1 of our series on Youth Baseball Offseason Strength Training with three different strength training experts. Show notes
YBE 042: Avoiding The Pitching Trap with Paul Reddick
Paul Reddick, founder of The 90 MPH Club, discusses the pitching trap for unsuspecting parents, coaches and players and how to avoid it. This is Part 2 of my interview with Paul. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about conflicting advice on the stride. Show notes
YBE 041: The Simpler Side of Pitching with Paul Reddick
Paul Reddick, founder of the 90 MPH Club, explains how to make it simpler when teaching pitching. This is part 1 of a two-part interview series with Paul on the podcast. Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about trying other sports in the baseball offseason and how short is too short for an offseason. Show notes
YBE 040: Perfect Game Responds To ‘The Arm’ with Jerry Ford
Jerry Ford, President and founder of Perfect Game, tackles criticisms of Perfect Game by “The Arm” author Jeff Passan. This is part 2 of a two-part interview series with Jerry on the podcast. Show notes
YBE 039: An Inside Look at Perfect Game with Jerry Ford
Jerry Ford, President and founder of Perfect Game, takes us on a tour of Perfect Game and how it works. This is part 1 of a two-part interview series with Jerry on the podcast. Show notes
YBE 038: Lessons Learned in 2016
Every youth baseball season is different. And in this week’s episode, I share ten lessons I learned while being the head coach of two (yes, two) youth baseball teams. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about whether 7 & 8 year olds should be taught aggressive baserunning or station-to-station baserunning. Show notes
YBE 037: Dissecting The Arm with Jeff Passan
Jeff Passan, author of the New York Times-bestselling book The Arm, talks about pitching gurus and more about arm health. This is part 2 of a two-part interview series with Jeff on the podcast. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about what stuff players should know when. Show notes
YBE 036: De-escalating The Arm Race with Jeff Passan
Jeff Passan, author of the New York Times-bestselling book The Arm, talks about overuse arm injuries among youth baseball players, Perfect Game’s role in that, and more. This is part 1 of a two-part interview series with Jeff on the podcast. Show notes
YBE 035: Embracing Each Child with Fernando Arenado
Fernando Arenado, father of Rockies’ All-Star third baseman Nolan Arenado, discusses Nolan’s path to the bigs, how it’s different from Nolan’s siblings Cousy and Jonah, and how he embraced each child’s paths. Plus, Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about off-season pitching drills for control. Show notes
YBE 034: How To Do Long Toss with Alan Jaeger
Alan Jaeger of Jaeger Sports (and the most well-known long toss advocate) describes how to do long toss properly, including pulldowns, progressions and differences between 8-12 year olds and high schoolers. He also addresses long toss detractors, plus much more. Show notes
YBE 033: The Value Of Long Toss with Alan Jaeger
Alan Jaeger, the most well-known long toss advocate, explains the value of long toss and proper arm conditioning. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the Question Of The Week about what to do when a travel team doesn’t meet your player’s needs. Show notes
YBE 032: Commanding the Huddle with Michael Port
Michael Port, author of the best-selling book Steal The Show, discusses how youth baseball coaches can command the huddle. Show notes
YBE 031: Digging Deeper Into Better Pitching (Part 2) with Ron Wolforth
Ron Wolforth, founder of the Texas Baseball Ranch, digs deep to discuss how to teach better pitching to youth pitchers. This episode is part 2 of a two-part series with Ron Wolforth. Show notes
YBE 030: Digging Deeper Into Better Pitching (Part 1) with Ron Wolforth
Ron Wolforth, founder of the Texas Baseball Ranch, digs deep to discuss how to teach better pitching to youth pitchers. This episode is part 1 of a two-part series with Ron Wolforth. Show notes
YBE 029: Improving Hitting Performance Through The Mental Side with Steve Springer
Steve Springer, scout and Performance Coach for the Toronto Blue Jays, explains how to help kids hit better through the mental side of the game. Show notes
YBE 028: The Art Of Smarter Baserunning
I wrap up my two-part series on important baserunning fundamentals for youth baseball players to make them smarter baserunners. Show notes
YBE 027: The Case For Smart Baserunning
In Part 1 of a two-part series on baserunning, I talk about why teaching smart baserunning is important and 10 drills to help teach it to our kids. Show notes
YBE 026: High-Level Throwing with Austin Wasserman
Austin Wasserman of AB Athletics and WassermanStrength.com describes high-level throwing and how to teach it to your youth baseball players. Plus, Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about making first at-bats in games as good as later at-bats in games. Show notes
YBE 025: Coaching Travel 101 with Ron Filipkowski
Ron Filipkowski, one of the most successful travel coaches, explains how to start and run a successful youth travel baseball team. Show notes
YBE 024: The Elite Swing with Matt Lisle
Matt Lisle, head softball coach at Menlo College, explains what the elite swing is and gives some practical tips on how to teach it. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about helping overmatched hitters. Show notes
YBE 023: Lessons From 50 Years Of Coaching with Jerry Weinstein
Jerry Weinstein, field manager of the Wareham Gatemen and on special assignment for the Colorado Rockies in scouting & player development, explains higher-level baseball concepts and insights gleaned from 50+ years of coaching experience. Plus Justin Stone answers the Question Of The Week about hitting approach at the plate. Show notes
YBE 022: The Power Of A Wise Parent with Lorenzo McCutchen
Lorenzo McCutchen, father of Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen, talks about how he raised Andrew and Andrew’s path to the Major Leagues. Show notes
YBE 021: Nurturing The Love Of The Game
In this second part of our two-part miniseries on Walking Away, I explore four ways to nurture the love of the game in youth baseball players and help reduce the odds they will quit baseball. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the “Ask Justin” Question Of The Week about whether it’s possible to help players overcome the fear of being hit by a pitch. Show notes
YBE 020: Why Talented Youth Players Walk Away From Baseball
In part one of a two-part miniseries on Walking Away, I explain four evidence-based reasons why talented youth baseball players walk away from the game. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the “Ask Justin” Question Of The Week about preparing players for the next level. Show notes
YBE 019: Unlock Your Players’ Potential with Gina Parris
Gina Parris of Built To Win Coaching shares her tips for connecting with your players and unlocking their potential through the mental side of the game. Plus Justin Stone of elitebaseball.tv answers the “Ask Justin” Question Of The Week about aloof players. Show notes