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Notes on Master Coaching

Be your own coach

"If it's a choice between me telling them to do it, or them figuring it out, I'll take the second option every time.  You've got to make the kid an independent thinker, a problem-solver. You can't keep breast-feeding them all the time. The point is, they've got to figure things out for themselves". (Landsdorp)

Shouting out instructions and telling a pitcher to "throw strikes" does not help them make adjustments on the mound. Yelling "nice pitch" when the throw was out of the strike zone does not help either. Each pitcher needs to learn to be their own pitching coach – something they learn while training with a master coach in practice.


On playing up

"Playing up for better competition is a very, and I mean very bad idea. If you dominate your age group and have no more competition, you can play up, but you have to dominate your age group. Lots of parents have their kids play up because there is less pressure. If you can’t handle the pressure, go play a team sport. You can blame your teammates."  
- Tennis Coach Robert Landsdorp


Travel Ball

I think it's good for kids to play local with their own age group when they are young. It's less travel time, costs less and builds community. Plus it's often more fun for the players and families.

Play in the local tournaments and enjoy the experience.



Summer Team

Find the best coaching and instruction in the area. Talk with the coaches and find out their approach to teaching, playing time and game strategy. Do the players rotate to different positions? Does the coach change the lineup? 

Getting playing time and having fun is important to kids. It's not all about winning. 


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Suggested Reading

The Talent Code

The product of five years of reporting from the world's greatest talent hotbeds and interviews with successful master coaches

Robert Landsdorp


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