By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

OK, so you’ve learned to get eye to eye with your players as often as you can when talking to them, now…what do you say?
I think more important, is what not to say. Here are some common sense guidelines to follow:

Never say anything critical about a player’s ability. If he’s not hustling, it’s OK to point that out. If he’s not trying or goofing around, of course you should mention that and try to correct it. But never, ever criticize a player who is hustling and trying, for failing to perform. And sometimes it isn’t even what you say, but how you react. You may not have screamed out, “Oh! You should have caught that!” when Johnny dropped the fly ball, but your reaction in the dugout when you threw your hands up in the air and turned your back on him essentially shouted those same words loud and clear.

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

When a player makes a mistake, try to find something positive to say. Obviously it doesn’t take much effort to say, “Good try!” or “Hey! Almost had it!” or “You’ll get ‘em next time.” But comments like these take so much pressure off of your players. It is simple really. If every mistake leads to a negative reaction from the coach, your players are going to live in fear of the next opportunity. And if players are only focused on the fear of failure, do you think it is more likely or less likely they’ll make the play when they have to? I’d say it is much less likely. On the other hand, if each mistake a player makes is met with encouragement, they are much more apt to perform well the next time they get the chance. A relaxed and confident player will always outperform a scared, insecure player.

One weekend many years ago, I had both a nine year-old and eight year-old son playing in all-star tournaments simultaneously, and I couldn’t coach both teams. Since I’d already agreed to coach the nine year-old team by the time the other was picked, it meant that for the first time in his baseball career, the eight year-old was going to have someone other than me for his coach. Though my wife would be at all of his games, I was still nervous and concerned about my not being there. It turns out, in a critical juncture of the first game, he was on the mound and the batter hit a high pop fly right above him. My boy circled under it, but the ball bounced off his mitt for an error. I’m sure he was devastated. But I learned from my wife that his coach yelled from the dugout, “I liked how you called for that ball!” Do you think I had any more concerns about my son playing on a team for that man?

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

I’ve seen numerous coaches do this, apparently so afraid were they of looking bad in front of parents and fans. I’ve watched coaches at third base say nothing to a player as he decides to run home from third on an easy ground ball to the pitcher. But after the pitcher threw it to the plate and got him out, the coach, loudly enough for all to hear, said, “You didn’t have to run!” I wonder to myself, “Then why didn’t you tell him to stay at third?” Better yet, before the pitch, why didn’t you tell him, “If the ball is hit to the pitcher, stay here”? It wasn’t the young player’s fault he was thrown out, but he was made to take the blame and feel ashamed. When I make a mistake on the field I have no problem telling the player, in front of everyone, including the parents, “My fault!” When you do this, the player, who was afraid he was going to get yelled at, now has instant loyalty to you, and the parents realize that you put the interests of the players over your own image. Maybe more importantly, this teaches your players from an early age to accept responsibility for their mistakes rather than blame others. I never let my older players get on a teammate for making a mistake. It would be hard to demand this if every time I messed up I was blaming someone else. I can’t imagine too many players want to play for a coach who won’t admit mistakes, just like not many employees like working for a boss who is never wrong. Admitting you are wrong now and then actually makes you appear stronger, not weaker, because you’re not blatantly masking insecurities.

By Dave Hudgens

Improper hitting instruction can stop a promising athletic career dead in its tracks. This article will expose some of the most damaging BUT widely taught hitting misinformation that is used today.
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I have the greatest admiration for parents and volunteer coaches, but it frustrates me to see wrong information being taught that can destroy a player’s chance to have more fun, get more hits – or even get a college scholarship. Let’s look at two of the worst hitting fallacies in detail, and then look at the long term consequences of repeating these mistakes.

Hitting Fallacy #1: “Get Your Back Elbow Up!”
I cringe every time I hear these words. Every little league coach I have ever heard at one time or another has told his hitters to do this. I asked my friend Chris Bando, a former Major League Coach, what the worst advice he ever heard a little league coach say. Chris is a great person to ask since he has had five boys in Little League. The first thing he said to me was, “The absolute worst thing I hear all the time is, ‘Get your back elbow up!'” He’s right. This is the worst advice around, but you hear it everywhere. How many baseball scholarships do you think have been lost just because players blindly followed this one fallacy? This one statement has hurt more young hitters than anything else I’ve ever heard.

The idea here is to get on top of the ball and hit line drives, but just the opposite occurs. During the swing, the back elbow should come close to the rib cage and the barrel of the bat should stay above the hands. With a high back elbow, the elbow has to travel a much greater distance and at a much faster rate of speed. When this happens, the barrel of the bat will drop below the hands, the front elbow will rise, and you will have a long swing. If this goes on for very long, you have created a habit – a very bad habit.

What about Griffey?
I get asked this question all the time -“What about Griffey, his back elbow is up?” Most coaches and kids don’t understand the fact that the elbow can be up in the stance, for that matter the elbow can be anywhere. However, when good Major League hitters with high back elbows in their stance take their stride, their hands go back into a Position of Power. At this point in the approach, their back elbow will relax just before they start their hands.

Unfortunately when unknowledgeable coaches tell young kids to put their elbow up, the kids do not know what this means and generally they do not take their hands back into a good position from which to hit. They also fail to relax the back elbow just before they start their swing. If kids don’t relax their back elbow slightly before they start their swing, the back elbow has so far to go that it puts the top hand in a weak position and creates a long swing. 99% of coaches don’t know how to put a kid’s hands in the correct position nor do they know the correct placement of the back elbow. They just tell kids to get their back elbow up yet they don’t have a full understanding of what the hands and arms should be doing at this point.

Long Term Effects of Practicing With Your Back Elbow Up
A 15 year old who started practicing with his back elbow up at age 10 has been practicing 5 years with the improper hitting principles. Some of the consequences are as follows:

• You’ll develop a long swing……so you will have difficulty adjusting to different types of pitches.
• You won’t be able to get the bat around on an average fastball……having inconsistent at bats.
• You’ll hit too many long fly ball outs…….decreasing your batting average.
• You won’t adjust well to a curveball, making it hard to succeed against good high school pitchers.
• You’ll be inconsistent at making hard contact, making it hard to impress college recruiters or scouts.

Fallacy #2: Your Top Hand Should Roll Over At Contact
This is a very detrimental teaching. Coaches who say this totally misunderstand what part the wrists play in the swing. The common thought is that the top hand rolls over the bottom hand at contact. This is not true. Rolling your top hand over prevents you from taking advantage of the power that explodes through your wrists. Whatever you do, don’t roll your top hand over your bottom hand until well after contact is made. At contact, your top hand should be facing up, and your bottom hand should be facing down.

Long Term Effects of Rolling the Top Hand Over the Bottom Hand
• You will hit with less power….creating less bat speed.
• You will hit more weak ground balls….hitting into more double plays.
• You will not make consistent contact….destroying your chances to impress a college scout.
• You will not be able to drive the ball to the opposite field….making you a limited offensive player.

If you are following either of these fallacies, then your hitting career could be in trouble. There is good news – you can now recognize and correct these bad habits and learn the correct swing mechanics.

Dave Hudgens has been involved with the best of baseball for over 40 years. He was the hitting coach for the New York Mets, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays. Prior to that he was a longtime hitting coach in the Oakland Athletics’ organization. His "Hitting For Excellence" series can be found at Hitting World.com

by Jodi Sheakley, MS, CFT – Nutrivita Wellness

Student-athletes face additional challenges with back-to-school season, such as less sleep due to homework and extracurricular activities.  So anytime we can introduce “two-for-one” deals that make their lives easier in any of their academics, sports, and other life arenas, we score a victory.  A sound nutrition program helps provide that balance, since the same foods that contribute to your young athlete’s athletic performance also build a healthy immune system – who wouldn’t want that kind of win?

Teen athletes not only need extra calories, but extra quality calories, to meet the demands of their sport and to support their growing bodies.  And while aiming for nutrition that fuels athletic performance and development is a good thing, aiming for nutrition that fuels them on the playing field and their physical growth while preventing injury and illness is a great thing.

Accomplishment vs. Avoidance

Many of us think in terms of how quality nutrition can contribute to athletic performance:  by developing healthy red blood cells for efficient oxygen delivery to cells;  refilling glycogen stores so that muscles can perform longer;  and building muscle fibers so that they grow bigger, stronger, and capable of a higher level of play.

On the flip side (though equally as important), we may not often consider what proper nutrition helps us avoid:  injury and illness.  We may not be able to easily count the number of times that an athlete doesn’t catch a wicked virus or avoids the pitfalls of dehydration.  However, we can easily spot those players who are focused, in top physical shape, and “performing at premium.”  A healthy diet can certainly yield all of these benefits, no matter whether they’re easily visible or not.  Therefore, consider proper nutrition as one of the most effective, affordable, and simple forms of “health insurance” that exists!

Eight Strategies to Sidestep Injury and Illness

With the ability to repair cells and recover more quickly, young athletes’ bodies will be less prone to injury and illness and better able to play at peak levels:

1) Hydration – Maintaining proper fluid balance to avoid dehydration, overheating, fatigue, and more severely, heat exhaustion, heat cramps, or heat stroke is key.  Trick question:  which water intake in the most important to ensuring that one is hydrated: (a) the days leading up to a major event, (b) fluid intake immediately before the event, (c) during the practice or game, or (d) following the activity?  Answer:  the whole glass!  Sipping the days, hours, and minutes before, during, and after directly contributes to well-being…in short, all the time!  More specifically, athletes generally do fine on plain water if an activity runs 60 minutes or less;  for events that run 90+ minutes, an electrolyte replacement beverage (diluted is ok) will keep glycogen stores from becoming depleted.

2) Adequate Caloric Input = Quality Performance Output – Caloric needs vary widely among adolescents and, appropriate intake is critical to playing at top level.  Too few calories and the athlete feels fatigued; too many and s/he may feel sluggish.  Working with a nutrition professional or your physician can help you pinpoint the caloric needs for your teen athlete in order to provide adequate energy during training and competition.

3) Balanced Diet – A balanced, varied diet should provide all the necessary nutrients (carbohydrates, fats, protein, minerals, vitamins, water, etc.) to support growth and development, regulate metabolism, boost the immune system, and assist with all bodily functions.  As a result, the athlete improves his/her chances for avoiding vitamin/mineral deficiencies.  After all, he can’t do the team or athletic event much good if he’s too sick to make it to the playing field…or if she undernourished.

Paying attention to the “big three” macronutrients is a terrific starting point:

Carbohydrates – Besides circulating blood sugar, energy stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles will need to be replaced by carbohydrates in diet, and preferably within an hour or two following exercise.  If glycogen levels aren’t replenished, early fatigue, lower exercise intensity, and increased chances for injury & illness may result, according to Toni Tickel Branner, M.A.
Protein – Protein aids in repairing body tissues, making hormones, enzymes, and antibodies, plus transporting fluids and energy.  And while many athletes constantly strive to boost their protein intake, many health experts agree that protein insufficiency rarely occurs.  On the other hand, too much protein (including protein from poor-quality sources) is more common and places a strain on the kidneys.
Fat – Necessary for supporting heart and brain health, preserving cell membranes and skin, making hormones, and transporting certain vitamins, healthy fats can be found in monounsaturated fats (olive oil) and Omega-3 fatty acids (salmon or tuna).
4) All the Small Things – It’s ok to micromanage when it comes to the specific food choices that your child makes.  While a wide array of nutrients is necessary for optimal health, young athletes need increased amounts of especially the following vitamins and minerals:

Calcium – to strengthen bones and for growing bodies;  sources include lowfat dairy, spinach, cheese, canned baked beans, oranges, trail mix (made with nuts, seeds, and chocolate chips), almonds, green peas, soy/tofu, raw almonds, calcium-fortified orange juice, bok choy, broccoli, kale, turnip greens, parsley, mustard greens, endive
*Note:  Calcium isn’t effective without vitamin D, which can be found in orange juice, soy milk, fortified cereals, egg yolks, salmon, & sardines…or obtained by 15-20 minutes of sunshine.

Potassium – to maintain fluid balance and replace electrolytes lost through sweat;  try bananas, potatoes with skin, dried fruits (raisins, figs), nuts
Fiber – adds bulk and helps maintain proper digestion;  can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, fortified cereals, and snack bars
Vitamin C – strengthens the immune system and helps repair tissues;  found in produce

Sodium – helps replace lost electrolytes;  available in sports drinks and salty snacks like pretzels;  also try a baked potato with a few shakes of salt
5)  Training on Treats – There’s a time and place for everything, whether we’re talking about plays on the field or treats off the field.  Some of teens’ preferred snacks often steal the place of higher-quality foods that offer more nutrients and health-boosting effects.  Limiting less-than-optimal choices in favor of healthier snacks most of the time may contribute to a top-notch game.  Athletes committed to their wellness on and off the court consistently ask, “Is this choice ‘for the benefit of’ or ‘at the expense of’ the goals I want to achieve?” As a result, they’ll be more likely to avoid illness and injury, plus play at a higher level, especially in the last minutes of the game.

6)  “Eat the Rainbow” – Will Lane, M.D., suggests eating a variety of fruits and vegetables from all colors of the produce spectrum.  As athletes increase their physical activity, so does their levels of oxidative stress and production of free radicals.  To combat the potential damage to cells, he suggests consuming antioxidants through whole food, specifically, fruits and vegetables.

Toni Branner, M.A., further explains that different-colored of fruits and vegetables contain different nutrients, and each performs specific functions in the body that contribute to overall health.  In her book, The Care and Feeding of an Athlete, some of the examples she offers include:

– Blue & Purple – stop free radicals; berries, raisins, dried plums, purple cabbage

– Green – strengthen bones and teeth; avocados, green apples, green peppers, spinach, snow peas, zucchini, sugar snap peas, artichokes

– White – support heart health; jicama, onions, bananas, mushrooms, garlic

– Yellow & Orange – boost immune system; apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, peaches, oranges, pineapples, lemon, tangerines, yellow squash, carrots

– Red – contributes to heart health;  sources include red apples, cherries, strawberries, radishes, tomatoes, red onions, watermelon, beets

7) Bridging the Gap with a Whole-Foods Supplement – Is your teen consuming the recommended amount of 9-13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day?  If you’re like most, busy schedules and general lifestyle demands pose major orchard and garden challenges!

As mentioned earlier, athletes have increased needs for quality nutrition because they produce more free radicals than others.  Without adequate antioxidants, phytochemicals, and  phytonutrients to stop oxidative stress, damage may occur to muscle fibers, red blood cells, cell membranes, and proteins…therefore resulting in muscle fatigue, injury, and susceptibility to illness.

Therefore, you may consider a whole-foods supplement to help bridge the gap between what your teen is consuming and what s/he needs.  Peer-reviewed research shows that isolated, man-made vitamins have not been found to be effective in lowering oxidative stress except in higher toxic doses (which may cause side effects like kidney damage).  Conversely, whole-foods supplements like Juice Plus+ have been shown to enhance immune function, improve circulation, reduce inflammation, and reduce oxidative stress. Classified as a whole foods rather than a supplement, you may wish to consider this option to round out your nutrition, increase nutrient absorption, and outlast the competition!

8) “Home Team” Approach

Because the general guidelines for the young athlete also work for the rest of the family, it’s an opportunity to adopt a “team” approach when managing your family’s nutrition.  Apart from physical benefits, remember that your young athlete’s mental health remains as important.  Supporting your child without pressure is critical in building healthy attitudes about nutrition.  Approach him or her with positivity and avoid the battleground associated with a “good” vs. “evil” food philosophy.  Instead, offer encouragement and congratulations, especially when s/he makes sound food choices.

Finally, considering all of the time that athletes invest in training, they deserve the same level of education when it comes to nutrition.  Paying close attention to food choices can help ensure maximal performance – most importantly, through the final seconds of the game.

Jodi Sheakley, MS, CFT, is the founder of Nutrivita Wellness, a healthy living consulting practice.  She works extensively with family nutrition, weight management, nutrition for athletes, and whole-foods supplements.  For more information, email [email protected] or call 704.965.0785.

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

The first time you go out on the field with your new team can be a little unnerving if you’ve never coached before. You may be an important person in your community and a leader in business, but the prospect of facing a group of six year-old boys and girls has your mouth dry and your palms sweaty. The meeting you had with the CEO at lunch was a breeze, but this? This is intimidating.

The best advice I have for you when coaching small children is to make yourself small as well. When you talk to kids individually, or in team meetings, take a knee. Take two knees. You can even sit in a circle with your players so that you’re more like one of them. Too many coaches ignore this simple technique, consequently, their players always have the feeling they are being “talked down to”, instead of coached. The younger your players are, the more time you should spend on their level. As you know, most things are already kind of big and scary to kids this age. Do what you can to make the coach less big and scary, and they’ll listen, behave and perform better.

The best thing about this technique is how it benefits you. Because when you get down to your players’ level and begin to feel more closely connected with them, you see things from their perspective, and many of the barriers and fears you both may have had in the beginning disappear.

Brian Gotta is a former professional recreational youth baseball coach and volunteer Little League coach and board member. He is President of Help Kids Play, a collection of companies whose mission is to further the development and enjoyment of youth sports.

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

There are many kids you’ll coach who don’t have the same skill level as your son or daughter. Though you are probably fairly involved in your child’s sports activities, (as evidenced by the fact that you’ve volunteered to be a coach or manager), many parents are, for whatever reason, not as committed. You’ll have kids on your team who have never played before, or who don’t have as much passion as others. This means that there will be many boys and girls to whom you will be the first instructor, mentor, and coach. In many cases these kids will remember you for the rest of their lives. The rewards for managing a team at this level are many, but the responsibility is great. Keep in mind that, above all else, your mission is to make each child want to come back and play again next year, and you’ll look back on your season as a success, regardless of wins or losses.
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Brian Gotta is a former professional recreational youth baseball coach and volunteer Little League coach and board member. He is President of Help Kids Play, a collection of companies whose mission is to further the development and enjoyment of youth sports.

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

I find if interesting to look at the origins of the word, “Coach”. The word originates in England, from “coach” as in “carriage”; a vehicle that transports one from where they are now, to where they want to be. University students in 19th century England likened their instructors to carriages, “guiding” the students through their classes and exams. The word in that sense first appears in the written record in 1848. The “instructor” sense was then applied to sports trainers by 1885. If you hold the belief that your job as a youth sports coach is to transport the children put in your charge from where they are now to where they want to be, you’ll be on your way to great success.
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Brian Gotta is a former professional recreational youth baseball coach and volunteer Little League coach and board member. He is President of Help Kids Play, a collection of companies whose mission is to further the development and enjoyment of youth sports.

By Brian Gotta, President of Upstart Sports

Why are so many parents reluctant to volunteer to coach their son or daughter’s youth sports team? I believe a large reason is that they are afraid of appearing incompetent. Let’s face it, being the coach is putting yourself out there on display in a very public fashion. And since most only measure success in terms of winning or losing, the tension and fear of failure are heightened. However, there is a single, easily attainable goal that any coach can achieve, which would result in their season being judged a success. Here is an article that explains what that goal is, and how to accomplish it.

Brian Gotta is a former professional recreational youth baseball coach and volunteer Little League coach and board member. He is President of Help Kids Play, a collection of companies whose mission is to further the development and enjoyment of youth sports.