Ahead Of The Curve with Jonathan Gelnar

Latest Episodes:

Cliff Godwin- Head Baseball Coach, East Carolina University (NC) Sep 26, 2019

Show notes

iTunes Stitcher Google Spotify During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Cliff Godwin, Head Baseball Coach East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Coach Godwin’s coaching experience spans across many collegiate programs in the assistant coach capacity including University of Notre Dame, Louisiana State University, University of Central Florida, and Ole Miss. Learn about practice design, hitting routines, advice for assistant coaches, and how he molds a positive, family-orientated team culture. Episode Highlights: How did Cliff Godwin get involved in baseball? How much have mentors benefited Cliff Godwin? What were some of Cliff’s first steps as a coach? What does Cliff Godwin’s fall training season look like? How did he execute his vision? What do the conversations about striving for excellence about look like? What are his players doing for competition? What advice does Cliff Godwin have assistant coaches? How does Coach Godwin implement efficiency and practice design for spring training? What does his BP drills look like? What does his interview process look like? What is the latest thing that he has learned that he is excited about? What is something that he does in practice that his players love? What is something that Cliff Godwin believes that other coaches may disagree with? What are three things that would stand out during Cliff Godwin’s baseball practices? What are some of Cliff’s favorite books and resources that he has learned the most from? 3 Key Points: Always give your best because someone who can help you later could be watching you. If you aren’t falling short of your goals than you aren’t setting your goals high enough. The P.I.R.A.T.E.S acronym is: Purpose, Integrity, Responsible, Attitude, Toughness, Excellence, Self-less. Tweetable Quotes: “You never know who is watching. We all as coaches tell our players that.” – Cliff Godwin (06:38) “My vision was very ambitious. I don’t think that you can set goals too high.” – Cliff Godwin (08:43) “We have not had below a 3.4 team GPA in the past two years. How about that?” – Cliff Godwin (11:11) “You can get your players to do anything, you just can’t get them to do everything.” – Cliff Godwin (11:23) “First of all, in the fall, we compete at something every day, whether it be in the weight room or skill instruction.” – Cliff Godwin (26:41) “Accept all the players. Tell them that they are your players, and go with it.” – Cliff Godwin (29:46) “I think that it is important just to have your assistants feel like this is a family atmosphere.” – Cliff Godwin (34:24) “I am very lucky now that in this stage in my career that there are a bunch of guys in the profession that I really trust.” – Cliff Godwin (44:56) Resources Mentioned: Ahead of the Curve Podcast Twitter: @AOTC_podcast Cliff Godwin: Linkedin Instagram Twitter

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Becoming a Data Driven Program- Part 2: Blast Bat Sensors Sep 22, 2019

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Article

https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/becoming-a-data-driven-program-part-2-blast-bat-sensors-8f3d25574e6

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Mike Glavine- Head Baseball Coach, Northeastern University (MA) Sep 19, 2019

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iTunes Stitcher Google Spotify During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Mike Glavine, Head Baseball Coach at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Mike shares advice on how he transitioned into his head coach position at Northeastern University, the power that can be found with indoor practices, typical practice plans, and his players getting to play the Boston Red Sox. Episode Highlights: How did Mike Glavine get involved in baseball? Does he teach his brother’s change-up? How does it feel to coach at North Eastern as an alumni? What were some of the first things that Mike did as a coach? What does Mike’s fall training season look like? What are some things that Coach Glavine does to establish the culture of the team? How does he get to know his players better? How does he keep competition strong on the team? In what ways does Mike handle the weather changes? Are they leveraging technology during indoor practices? How is he preparing his team to play the Red Sox? What does a typical practice plan look like? What do post-season player meetings look like? What are some different things that Mike Glavine does during interviews of potential hires? What would Mike do differently as a head coach? What is the latest thing that Mike Glavine has learned that he is excited about? What is something that Mike does in practice that his players love? How does he develop his assistant coaches? What is something that Mike believes that other coaches may disagree with? What are some of Mike’s favorite books and resources that he has learned the most from? What are three things that would stand out during Mike Glavine’s baseball practices? 3 Key Points: Mike Glavine’s two key components for coaching are preparing the team and developing the team. Mike’s typical practices run around 2 and a half hours and finish with a competition where something is at stake for the losing side. Give your players goals and honest feedback on what they can work on. Tweetable Quotes: “I think really what I want to do is build on what Coach McPhee has established during his 29-year career here at Northeastern. But then give it a fresh look, a reboot, a restart, reengage with everybody.” – Mike Glavine (09:38) “We’ll start fall baseball, and with that, it’s aggressive like most programs. We’ll go six days a week. We’ll have our day off. We’ll hit the 20 hours during the week. We’ll spend time in the weight room.” – Mike Glavine (13:49) “Competition right? It's such a key word, and a great word in sports. It’s something that we focus on all the time.” – Mike Glavine (28:21) “I have learned to love the indoor practices. Because it forces you as coaching staff to get more creative and maybe work on things more on the inside part of your season that you would never work on as much.” – Mike Glavine (33:16) “To me, this game, so much of it is about feel and instincts and what might feel right to Player X might not feel right to Player Y.” – Mike Glavine (39:59) “The guys really appreciate honesty. They want to know where they stand.” – Mike Glavine (52:40) “The summer allows them (players) a fresh start, a re-group. So that when they come into the fall, you know, they are ready to go.” – Mike Glavine (52:51) “How is this coach going to be with me as the head coach? Is he going to be able to handle me? Is he someone that will talk baseball with me all the time? I love to talk baseball?” – Mike Glavine (59:59) Resources Mentioned: Ahead of the Curve Podcast Twitter: @AOTC_podcast Mike Glavine: Linkedin Twitter Mike Glavine’s Email: @m.glavine@northeastern.edu

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Becoming a Data Driven Program- Part 1: In-Game Data Sep 16, 2019

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Medium Article Link

https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/becoming-a-data-driven-program-part-1-b3ab3c11775d

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Outline of the Offseason- Block 1 Sep 13, 2019

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Medium Article Link

https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/outline-of-the-offseason-block-1-8614a3ecc8b9

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David Webb- Head Baseball Coach, Corona del Sol HS (AZ) Sep 12, 2019

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iTunes Stitcher Google Spotify During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed David Webb, Head Baseball Coach at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona. David shares his vast knowledge of focusing on the mental game of baseball, building up players to get in touch with who they are, building a team culture of having a strong character, and why he doesn’t talk to parents about playing time. Episode Highlights: How did David Webb get involved in baseball coaching? What are David’s time restrictions and how does he work within them in fall training? What are some different things that his team does for culture building? What does David Webb talk to the parents of his players about? How does he personally get to know his players? How does he prepare assistant coaches to develop their skill-sets further to be head coaches one day? What are some interview questions he asks during his hiring process? What things are expected of players? How does spring training typically unfold for Coach Webb? When does David Webb get his bullpens in? How does he handle a parent’s complaint about their kid’s lack of playing time? Is there something that David Webb has learned lately that has him really excited? What is something that David’s players do in training that they love? What is something that David Webb believes that other coaches may disagree with? What are things done during David’s training that would stand out to people? What are some of David Webb’s favorite books and resources that have benefited his coaching? 3 Key Points: In late summer and early fall, David focuses on getting his players strong. The “rebel” these days is the one choosing not to lower their standards and aims to have a true character by action, not just by their words. Show assistant coaches that you value their time, and give them room to invest their time by letting them do their job. Tweetable Quotes: “More is not necessarily better, especially when it comes to the mental side of things.” – David Webb (08:48) “I am all about building character and having a standards-driven program and building young men. The wins will come.” – David Webb (09:43) “One of the greatest things you can do for them (players) that gets them to realize there is some investment is, you get them to know who they really are.” – David Webb (19:35) “I am a huge watcher of players and mannerisms. Have they changed their mentality from day-to-day? And if I see anything, I will pull them aside and I will have conversations.” – David Webb (22:11) (On coaches) “Whether they are young or they are coming in and they are saying, ‘I’ve been a head coach and I just want to be an assistant now, I’m tired of the parent dynamic,’ or whatever, you got to let them coach..” – David Webb (28:36) “The beginning of the year, the practice looks like a lot of situation play, a lot of fundamental individual work.” – David Webb (46:32) “My policy is, which is stated to parents in our Aztec Baseball 101 meeting, I don’t talk playing time with parents.” – David Webb (55:16) “Using Twitter a lot and kind of getting on the same page with other coaches and see what they are doing on the mental side of the game. I’m really focused about that. So, anything mental is really very important to me.” – David Webb (59:33) Resources Mentioned: Ahead of the Curve Podcast Twitter: @AOTC_podcast David Webb: Twitter

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Training the motor- a template for bat speed development and proprioception. Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

Training the motor- a template for bat speed development and proprioception. https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/training-the-motor-a-template-for-bat-speed-development-and-proprioception-a64de513ca53

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Adjustments we are making from the past season. Sep 06, 2019

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Adjustments we are making from the past season.

https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/adjustments-we-are-making-from-the-past-season-eb9c635fc9

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Peter Fatse- MiLB Hitting Coordinator, Minnesota Twins Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

iTunes Stitcher Google Spotify During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Peter Fatse, MiLB Hitting Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. Peter shares a wealth of information about how to execute decision training, ways to remain competitive during training, the importance of building an adjustable swing, and techniques to implement individualized training for players. Episode Highlights: How did Peter Fatse get involved in baseball coaching? What should we focus on in the off-season? What questions does he ask players to address deeper learning? What does an average week of training look like? How do we train an adjustable swing? What are some ways that he trains for decision training? How do they like to compete during training? What are the things that Peter looks for that he thinks that really good players do? How does Peter issue a plan that maximizes individual development in a team environment? Is there something that Peter Fatse has learned lately that has him really excited? What is something that his players do in training that they love? What is something that Peter believes that other coaches may disagree with? What are things done during Peter’s training that would stand out to people? What are some of Peter Fatse’s favorite books and resources that have benefited his coaching? 3 Key Points: Be honest about your weaknesses, strengths, and areas of development. Adjustability swings are a trait of elite hitters. Stay open-minded to learn from various other people. Tweetable Quotes: “We have a lot of information. But you have to be hungry to apply it and you have to be hungry to learn and dig in for yourself, because, ultimately, it is your career.” – Peter Fatse (02:49) “Make a realistic evaluation of your previous year and really take the time to look and say, ‘what are the attributes that I possess that right now are strengths for me?’” – Peter Fatse (04:06) “When I think about competitive design, there are two ways that we as hitters compete, the internal and the external.” – Peter Fatse (21:48) “When I have guys in the training center, one of the first questions I will ask is, ‘are you right-handed or left-handed?’” – Peter Fatse (30:05) “A lot of the times, the drill passages, from a bat path perspective would change depending upon their dominant hand and then ultimately, how the barrel created early excerration.” – Peter Fatse (30:10) “Be able to utilize bat and ball information to create a plan, because the ball, ultimately, is going to give us the best depiction of what is happening.” – Peter Fatse (32:57) “Every player’s career is extremely important, especially to myself and the rest of the staff.” – Peter Fatse (34:26) “I think you want to kind of look to layer on stress so that when a guy gets to the game, the idea is more about execution and they are not worried about being prepared anymore.” – Peter Fatse (40:45) Resources Mentioned: Ahead of the Curve Podcast Twitter: @AOTC_podcast Peter Fatse: Twitter Instagram

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Starting with Why. Creating offseason development plans that increase player buy-in. Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

Medium Link

https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/starting-with-why-creating-offseason-development-plans-that-increase-player-buy-in-f47911b36500

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