5 Things I Would Tell Hitting Coaches Who Are Starting Today
Speaking to a group of hitters at Bobby's facility back in 2013
I’ve been mentoring hitters for over 20 years now. I’ve had conversations with every type of hitter; from 4-year olds that don’t know how to hold the bat, to big-leaguers calling me at 3 AM asking me about how to approach a reliever in the ALCS. But the process of trying to reach hitters has always frustrated me. There has been no way to create the defining moments a hitter needs in their career without hours and hours of exploration, trial and error, and lucky timing. That is why at Pelotero, we are building the world’s first player intelligence platform that will completely revolutionize the way that this entire process works. I have felt all of the frustrations and limitations of private baseball coaching, and now that I’ve seen the future - I can’t unsee it.
In preparation for this future, here are the 5 things I would tell private baseball coaches who are just starting today.
You Can’t Be Everywhere All the Time
Early in my professional career, my first and most important hitting mentor came into my life. His name is Rich Gedman. For a kid obsessed with baseball, that grew up in New England, that meant alot. Rich caught for the Boston Red Sox in the 1980’s, was a 2-time All-Star, caught Roger Clemens 20-strikeout game, has recently been inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame, and more importantly - grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Rich was the manager of the team I played for the first 7 years of my pro career. The time, care and dedication that he gave to me and the other players during the season, is truly something I am forever grateful for. Not only that, but being that we were both local, I was able to take advantage of endless cage sessions in the off season as well.
I recognized and truly appreciated what Rich did for me in my development, and I promised myself that if a hitter who wanted me to coach/mentor them came to me the same way I did to Rich, that it was my duty to meet, or exceed those standards.
I know lots of coaches in this industry who feel the same. They are generally the ones that are completely overwhelmed and stuck in the cage attempting to give every last ounce of information they have, to every player they work with.
There’s just one problem - it’s impossible to do that for more than a handful of players. And even then, you can’t do it in a way that is meaningful. Mainly because you can’t be there for the player all the time. You can’t be at all of the hitting sessions. You can’t be at all the games. You can’t be there every time the phone rings. And ultimately you can’t do it for them.
With this in mind, you need to be thinking about how to scale your time. Starting this early will help you avoid some of the traps that come with being in demand. There are only so many hours in the day. If you set up your operation so that your players are only getting better when you are with them, you will eventually be overcommitted and fighting burnout.
Embrace Technology and Data Now
The number one thing you should be doing as a hitting coach is paying attention; paying attention to swings, movements, words, actions, body language, etc. Interpreting all those things will help you understand who a player is, understand what makes them good, and understand what they need to get better.
All of the things you need to pay attention to… they are just data points! And the process of noticing them, remembering them, interpreting them, and utilizing them in real time all in your own head is impossible…at least to the level that your players are going to need.
Technology and data are increasingly accessible and driving more and more of an athlete’s experience. And these things will drive everything that athletes do in the future. Embrace this now, so you won’t have to later. This mentality will keep you ahead of the curve and in the end allow you to help a greater number of athletes.
Private lessons Will Burn You Out
90% of the parents in the world think that the “private lesson” is the best path forward for players. It’s an easy way for former players to stay around the game and make a few extra bucks. Players and their parents feel gratified in getting an instructor’s full focus and attention. But private lessons are ultimately not good for you or your athletes.
The hours that you have to keep in a private lesson model are simply unsustainable. Nights, weekends, holidays - you name it, those are the hours that you have to take advantage of to make a living doing private lessons. Every guy that I have ever spoken to, who has had success in being a private coach has said the same exact thing to me at some point or another - “I have to get out of the cage. I’m burnt out.”
These are really hard to say no to once you start doing them. So don’t start. Find ways to work with multiple athletes at once. Focus on creating an environment that fosters development without you needing to be there. Having these goals in mind from the start will help you out immensely in the long run.
The Conversations are as Important as the Drills
You are their therapist first - not their swing/hitting coach. In a sport where failure is imminent at all times, how does an athlete maintain confidence in themselves? Helping athletes answer this question for themselves (the answer will be different for everyone), is where your greatest value will be as a coach. The conversations you have with players should provide them with motivation, emotional support, and a better understanding of themselves.
In the end, the conversations you have with players will be more memorable to them than the drills that you give them. Don’t spend all of your time programming. Utilize data/technology to do that part of the development for you and put all of your energy into just being there for your players. This will maximize both your time with the players, and the impact that time will have.
Clip from our podcast a few years back of Bobby Magallanes explaining the importance of a coach's words.
Your Job is to Make Them Experts on Themselves.
Your ultimate job is to make a player an expert on his or herself. True empowerment is the ability to give a player the tools to not need you anymore. That sounds pretty silly but it’s true. If they are able to self identify their problems, they can address them in real time. Beyond this, it will give them ownership over their own journeys. When an athlete takes true ownership of their own career they become dangerous. Ownership leads to conviction in their daily actions, and accountability. Players can only ever reach their potential when this happens.
If you’re interested in learning more about the future of player intelligence, come check out what we are building with Pelotero.
