Ahead Of The Curve with Jonathan Gelnar

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Chris Holt on autonomy, utilizing coaches strengths, and whats next in pitching development Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Coaches vs. Covid fredhutch.org/coachesvscovid Today we have on the pitching coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles, Chris Holt. Chris Oversees the development of every pitcher in the organization and have an increased presence on the Major League side. On the show we talk about how he builds in autonomy and lets the coaches in the system utilize their strengths, how we can embrace who the player is but also help the improve and we talk about what he thinks the next wave is in pitching development is. Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto When you have a small amount of players. (6 players) play double or nothing. Players go for a double no matter where the ball is. This can build instincts. “Coordinators coach the coaches.” You have to realize you want guys around you who will do things the right way. You want your players to do things their own way in order for them to problem solve the best way possible. Once you have buy in the approach has to be “Let’s get work done.” There is less difficulty to create buy in when there is objective data. Tell players what they do well and what they don’t. Explain why behind each finding and how they can improve. Understand the player as a person and find out how they learn best. With players who aren’t buying in be honest and real with the player. Players need to realize that “We don’t have time to waste, so let’s not waste it.” Our time playing the game is very short. Be close with your players so that you can be completely truthful with them. Understand where the player comes from and his background. Spend time in the office talking to the player and what they believe in. “Players need to maintain what got them good in the first place.” We want our players to own their performance. Throw your regular bullpen and then then finish off with a game called one shot. The coach gives the location, count, pitch, and situation. If the player executed this pitch then the coach will do ten pushups or some other exercise. If the player misses then they have to do the exercise. This allows you to be vulnerable around your players and creates a fun atmosphere. The next goal is to maximize the sequencing and deception aspects of the pitcher’s mix and delivery. To get a players as good of a pitch off that he can the pitcher needs to have athleticism, rhythm, and tempo in the delivery. The pitcher must have a be on attack mindset. There must be an intent behind the work instead of an intent to throw hard. “Intent is having a purpose.” The next wave of guys are those who can pitch vertically and horizontally. (Nightmare repertoire). Work on simplifying what you are saying for clear understanding. Get into the art of cues. This can help players understand to maximize their performance. “You want to be simple and concise.” Find out what kind of learning that excites the players. Players need to understand that failing is a part of improvement. Be positive and enthusiastic with the player. Take complicated aspects and simplify it down to simplistic terms. When reading and learning focus on what speaks to you. Your thoughts become your habits, and habits become your performance. Whatever we are learning, we need to create mastery in order to teach it well.

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Tracy Smith on ecosystem of winning and the Arizona State culture, establishing clear expectations, and what they look for in recruits Apr 23, 2020

Show notes

Tracy Smith, the 2013 National Coach of the Year, was hired as the fifth head baseball coach in program history on June 24, 2014, and enters his sixth season at the helm of the Sun Devil baseball program. Smith has established a reputation of evaluating and developing talent as more than 75 student-athletes since 2000 improved their stock in the Major League Baseball Draft under Smith’s tutelage, including four who became first-round draft picks after going undrafted out of high school. In 23 total years as a head coach, Smith has seen 85 of his players selected in the MLB Draft, including 78 draftees since 2000 and 35 in the first 10 rounds. He has mentored 53 Major League Baseball draft picks over the past eight seasons. On the show, we talk about his ecosystem of winning and the Arizona State culture. We go over how to establish clear expectations and communication with players and staff and we talk about what the look for in recruits and how that sets the tone for culture on a daily basis. Here is Tracy Smith! Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

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John Savage on culture, pitching staff development, and competitive practices Apr 18, 2020

Show notes

Today we’re joined by UCLA Head Baseball Coach John Savage. Through 15 seasons as UCLA’s head coach, John has established the Bruins as a consistent national championship contender. Savage helped UCLA reach college baseball’s pinnacle in 2013, as the Bruins won their first-ever NCAA baseball title. Under his guidance, UCLA has advanced to the postseason in 11 of the last 15 seasons, hosting an NCAA Regional in six of the last 10, including four-straight from 2010 through 2013. Savage completed his 15th season as UCLA’s head coach in 2019. He is currently the third longest-tenured head coach in UCLA baseball program history and has gone 539-360-1 in the past 15 seasons. On the show, we talk about steps he and his staff have taken to build the culture, we get into staff development, we talk about competitive situations in practice and much, much more. Here is John Savage!

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Kirk Bradshaw on muscle activation techniques and what athletes need for recovery, sleep and nutrition. Apr 17, 2020

Show notes

fredhutch.org/coachesvscovid Today we have on Athletic Training Institute founder Kirk Bradshaw. ATI works with athletes and individuals who aspire to be athletic to develop and maintain their potential utilizing Muscle Activation Techniques, Performance enhancement and integrated systems. On the show, Kirk and I discuss how athletes compensate, which is vital for our survival but can be a good or a bad thing for out athletic movements. We get into muscle activation techniques and a ton of different ways to recover including sleep and what we eat. This was such an enlightening conversation, and you’re gonna love it with Kirk Bradshaw! Contact Info 425-882-2122 nfo@athletictraininginstitute.com

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Ron Prettyman and Neil Walton on training hitters through collaboration, adapting to our players, and game planning and scouting reports Apr 16, 2020

Show notes

fredhutch.org/coachesvscovid Todays conversation is with two college hitting coaches in Neil Walton from Cal State Northridge and Ronnie Prettyman from the University of Washington. On the show, we discuss how they train hitters through collaboration and freedom. We talk about how we (as coaches) can best adapt to our players, we go over game planning, scouting reports and how to adjust. Both of these guys are rising stars on the collegiate level, and you don't want to miss this conversation with Ronnie Prettyman and Neil Walton! Neil Walton Contact Info @ _neilwalton11 @CSUNBaseball Ron Prettyman Contact Info @rpbaseball15 @UW_Baseball

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Darin Everson on swing prep, game planning, and communication Apr 13, 2020

Show notes

Today we’re joined by Darin Everson. Hitting coordinator for the Colorado rockies. On the show, we talk about all things hitting. Including swing prep, game planning, communication and so much more Twitter @eversonbaseball Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

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TJ Bruce- Head Baseball Coach, The University of Nevada Apr 11, 2020

Show notes

On today’s show, we have TJ Bruce, head baseball coach at The University of Nevada. Th was hired at Nevada in 2015 and arrived on campus as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation after spending five seasons at UCLA where he helped the Bruins to four postseason appearances and a 2013 College World Series title. In 2019, Bruce led Nevada to the Mountain West Tournament for the fourth-consecutive year. As it won 30 games for the second time with him at the helm, including sweeping No. 2 and 2018 National Champion Oregon State in two home contests. On the show, we talk about what is was like when he arrived at Nevada and the first steps he took with the program. We also talk about how he goes about growing his assistant coaches to become head coaches someday, what their program standards are, how he helps grow young men in their program, and so much more.

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Josh Herzenberg, Pitching Coordinator/Quality Control Coach for the Lotte Giants (KBO) Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Josh was a scout and coach for the dodgers organization before heading overseas to coach in the KBO and on the show we talk about how his scouting background has helped him become a better coach, we discuss some of the first steps when he took his coordinator role, some differences between Major League Baseball and the KBO and much, much more.

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James Ramsey- Hitting Coach, Georgia Tech Feb 27, 2020

Show notes

Coaching with Flexibility and Communication with James Ramsey During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed James Ramsey, Hitting Coach at Georgia Tech. James Ramsey talks about the importance of clarity, simple wins, communicating with players, measuring players in the off-season, his BP set-up, what a hitting meeting looks like in the fall, and not overthinking things. Episode Highlights: How did James Ramsey get involved in baseball and as a coach? Was coaching something that he had in the back of his mind when he was playing baseball? What are some life lessons that he has learned from other coaches that he will never forget? What was his transition like into the Georgia Tech program? What did this past off-season look like for him? Are there any set things that he is looking for in players to group them together to address their needs? When new players arrive on the team where does he start with them? What does ‘plan and approach’ mean to James? What kinds of competitions have they used in their training practices that they really like? What are some different ways that he really likes to train game-like practices, especially on the hitting side? What are some different ways that we can train players to make better decisions? What is his advice to be a better communicator? What does his BP set-up look like? What is something that James Ramsey is excited about learning and applying? What changes has he been making from last year to this year? What are things his players get excited about doing during practice? Is there anything that he believes that other coaches might disagree with? What is something we would notice at one of James Ramsey’s practices? Are there any resources that James Ramsey would recommend? 3 Key Points: Make sure you are ready for when your opportunities come. Keep the most important things important. Have an accountability partner on the field that can keep the expectations going on and off the field. Tweetable Quotes: “I love to read and it’s baseball, it’s mental toughness, it’s corporate culture books. I think that baseball has a lot to learn from some other areas.” – James Ramsey (09:18) “Being able to kind of relate off the field too as well. I think telling the players, ‘I don’t know what I don’t know and I’m new to this as well and I’m going to make mistakes. But I’m going to make them aggressively.” – James Ramsey (11:46) “I did 6 BP groups, laminated them, stuck them out there so I didn’t have to take the time on the day-to-day to do it and so, some of them are grouped by ‘rightys’ versus ‘leftys’ as basic as that sounds. Can we throw a different angle on the machine?” – James Ramsey (15:54) “I have clarity. That is one thing I try to search for.” – James Ramsey (18:20) “These guys have grown up in a showcase setting where some of them have never had a first and third plays put on.” – James Ramsey (19:22) “As far as the team is concerned, doing self-evaluations, doing evaluations on the coaching staff, I want to make sure, hey, am I communicating this clearly?” – James Ramsey (22:05) “We can overthink it sometimes too. So it’s, can I just fundamentally get to, where did this kid come from? What is his style of learning? What is his style of coaching? What is his motivation style that he likes?” – James Ramsey (22:58) “Every pitch a pitcher is forced to throw, I believe that there is probably a good correlation to winning a game.” – James Ramsey (40:24) Resources Mentioned: Ahead of the Curve Podcast Twitter: @AOTC_podcast James Ramsey: Twitter Instagram

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Matt Borgschulte- MiLB Hitting Coach, Minnesota Twins Feb 20, 2020

Show notes

During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Matt Borgschulte, MiLB Hitting Coach, for the Minnesota Twins. Matt Borgschulte discusses where his baseball career has taken him, the importance of working on the swing in the off-season, helping players process the mental side of success, how to train for adjustability and pitch recognition.

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