u/djrashiiid

untucked jerseys during a game …. drives me crazy. I’m just a lowly assistant dad coach for 10u but it seems to me that the details matter. if you can’t keep your jersey tucked in, then who knows what other details you are missing. and the untucked jerseys … it’s always the same 3-4 kids, some of them good players. I assume that once you get to a higher level,be it travel or high school, the coach isn't going to just let it pass.

I tried to help some of the kids, told one of them to pull down his pants and tuck the whole bottom in, not just the front, but 360 degrees. 20 minutes later the whole thing is untucked again.

any tips for helping thee kids keep their jerseys tucked in? Or am I just crazy for focusing on this?

10u assistant coach here. I was thinking of doing a clinic for our parents, so that they can help work with their players at home to get better. parents with kids of all ages can come.

One hour. 15 min each hitting, catching, throwing and then last 15 athleticism, baseball iq and wrap up. Very basics, e.g catching — barehand, paddle, footwork, catch between the shoulders, get the glove dow, etc. I will send out links to different videos where the concepts are shown in more detail.

any of you done anything like this? any tips or suggestions (other than have an AED nearby and make sure parents‘ health insurance is current)?

10u assistant dad coach here. I put together a brief guide of mental training for young athletes. Obviously there is tons of information out there but I wanted to simplify it for parents and kids. If the Homeplate community has any suggestions, let me know!

Baseball Mental Game

As Yogi Berra said, “baseball is 90% mental.  The other half is physical.”

The mental aspect of baseball is just as important as the physical.  Having a strong mental approach will allow players to access all their physical skills during a game.  On the opposite end, no matter how good a player’s physical skills, they will not be able to perform their best if their mental approach is holding them back.  

The great thing about the mental game is that it can be trained off the field, and doesn’t take a long time.  Even 5 minutes per day of mental training will pay huge dividends on the field.

Suggested Mental Practices

Breathing: 

• focus on taking deep breaths, breathing in through the diaphragm.  
• Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold your breath 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds.

Visualization: 

• close your eyes, imagine yourself in the batter’s box.  Feel your feet digging into the dirt, feel the bat in your hands, feel the sun on your body, hear the roar of the crowd.  See the pitcher on the mound, look at the ball in his hands.  See the wind-up start, feel yourself loading, see the ball come out of the pitcher’s hand, feel yourself starting the swing, feel and hear the bat connecting with the ball, feel and see yourself running around the bases.  
• If you are pitcher, do the same on the mound.

Gratitude: 

• Think of things you are thankful for.  If you are playing baseball, you are lucky.  
• Thank your parents for signing you up for baseball, buying you equipment, taking you to games and practices.  Thank your coaches for helping you get better.  Thank the parks dept and city for giving you fields to play on.  Thank your teammates for being there for you.
• Think of all those “thank yous” in your mind and the next time you see someone, tell them “thank you” in person.

Meditation:

•  Find a quiet place where you can sit down.  Close your eyes, focus on your breathing, feel the air come in and out your nose and lungs. 
•  If you have any thoughts, let them them pass, and bring your attention back to your breath.  
• Your parents may have a meditation app on their phones, you can try that too.

3-1-1-: 

• Think of three things positive that happened to you today.  Something as simple as you saw your friends or it was a sunny day.  
• Think of one thing that you wanted to do better today – maybe in baseball, school, relationships,
•  or other activities.  
• Think of one way that you can do tomorrow to work on the thing you want to get better at.

The above is just a sampling of techniques to work on your mental game.  There are many other resources devoted to this:
List of books to be added