Fundamental Training

06/13/2026

Anyone looking to try out for a 13u "travel" baseball team local to Wesley Chapel/Waxhaw area? Looking for 15 competitve athletes.

This team will be competing in both Top Gun and perfect game tournaments local to the area. No long distance travel and very affordable rates compared to all the other local teams. Financial assistance available to those who qualify. Don't let $ prevent your son from playing ball.

This will be a competitive team with solid coaching with a focus on teaching the kids fundamentals and proper mechanics to help them advance as they continue to move up in their baseball career. No trophy hunting, but coaching designed to teach and encourage personal development as a player and teammate.

2-3 practices a week local to Wesley Chapel/Waxhaw.

Click on the following link to fill out an interest form:

Intended to gather data of those who are interested in trying out for the UC Patriots 13u team based out of Wesley Chapel/Waxhaw area of Union County. The UC Patriots are intended to be a competitive team competing in both TopGun and Perfect Game tourneys local to the area. We are looking to field 1...

05/31/2026

So I as move from maybe 75% intent closer to 95% intent on starting a 13U "travel" team here in Union County, I keep pondering this question...."What type of team will it be?"

What I realized, is the answer to that question depends on the parents of the kids who show up for trials and make the team. Here's what I have experienced over my 25 years of coaching youth sports. There's never a perfect team, there's never a perfect player, there's never a perfect parent and there's never a perfect coach; however, the only way to reduce the level of frustration in any participant of the team is to clearly communicate the goals of the team before the season even starts, and even before the first minute of tryouts.

If you have been involved in Youth Sports more than 5 minutes, you will see teams form and the parents create this social Bond to where they all become best buddies and hang out and the moms become best friends and they start hosting play dates for the kids together and then they start vacationing together and everyone "loves the team" even if the team is horrible and the kid is not being taught anything of note. And, if we're being honest, which I always strive to be, It's usually the moms that are a big fan of the team.

Then there are the trophy hunting teams. The teams led by former pro athletes who approach a sevenu baseball tournament with the tenacity of a great white shark chasing a seal and they will do anything to earn that cheap plastic ring and trophy. Parents usually are not close yet at all because it is so competitive, kids, often times are miserable, coaches are aggressive and will do anything up to and including cheating to win a game. On these teams the kids get left in the wake, clicks form very quickly amongst the parents and it's a pretty horrible experience. And again, often times, you are not seeing actual skilled coaching, but skilled management of talented players. The coach is truly do not make a difference, they just know how to squeeze the lemon to get the most juice.

So here I found myself realizing this but wanting to make it very clear, that my goal on every team I have every coached, regardless of skill level of the player, is to move that player forward. I want to see the kid improve. I want to see their attitude improve. They're confidence. Obviously there's skill level. They're understanding of the game. I want to push them beyond what they feel like they are capable of. I do not baby kids. I do not beat them up, but I will hold them accountable and I expect them to hold themselves accountable and hold each other accountable.

So will you ever see me bend the rules or manipulate the game or cheat in order to increase the odds of us winning? Absolutely not. Will you see me using Bush League tactics to try to score a run. Nope. Will you see me hosting pool parties and play dates for the team to try to build camaraderie between them and the parents? No. I'm not there to be your kids friend and I'm not worried if the other teammates are their friends either. It is not my concern how friendly the parents are with one another. What I'm looking for are parents of kids who want to be challenged. Parents of kids who want a coach to push their child to grow. To test them. To find their breaking limit. To run practices where the child is stressed so that when they are in a close game, there's no pressure, there's no stress because Coach Dave has made practice so difficult that even a tide ball game with two outs and bases loaded is nothing because they've been there before.

When it come to the kids I'm looking for, I'm looking for kids who are competitive. Kids who want to play and want to win. Kids, who when they do lose, don't shut down and go cry to Mama but evaluate the game and their performance and ask the question, did I do my best? And if not, then they have a tough conversation with themselves. I want kids to hold themselves accountable. Who are not lazy. Who want to improve. Do we want to win games? Of course we do, and in order to do that, we've got to have kids who want to play the game and who are competitive and have that desire to win but who can understand that a loss just shows you where your weakness is and where one needs to improve.

So if all of that interest you, then you sound like a good candidate for the UCPatriots. Shoot me a message for more information and be on the lookout for tryout dates.

05/21/2026

Thinking about starting a 13U travel baseball team for this Fall season (August-November) focused on development, fundamentals, and training over trophy hunting. This will NOT be a "rec level" travel team that costs thousands of dollars.

Practices will be 90 minutes long on a private field in Waxhaw, 2-3 per week, well designed, intentional and focused on developing ALL positions (not just fielding ground balls and pop flies!) Batting practice will be nuanced and loaded with feedback. Pitchers and catchers will be taught safe throwing mechanics and technique along with proper warm ups/stretches/exercises. Infielders tons of glove work and footwork, same for outfield.

All players will be expected to do some sort of strength conditioning/calisthenics and speed/agility training.

Target roster number would be 14. Allows pitchers/catchers some rest, players to take weekends off to do something OTHER THAN BASEBALL, as well as allowing "weaker" players practice and reps in an effort to earn a starting spot.

The goal would be AFFORDABLE, competitive baseball where players can truly learn the game, improve their skills, and develop the right way — not just play tournaments every weekend chasing rings.

This wouldn’t be about building a brand or making money as the dues would only pay for field rental, uniforms and insurance. No pay for me as the coach.

Just trying to create a good environment for kids who want to work hard, compete, and grow as ballplayers with a goal to play middle school or high school ball.

If you’d be interested or know a player who might be, comment or message me.

05/22/2025

Silly Cheer....

Well last night was the second round of playoffs for my son's Rec team. We are in the losers bracket but stayed alive with a great win last night. Our first win of the entire season! We led the entire game and the boys played lights out the last two games but the first game we came up one run short.

Ever since I've been coaching baseball, which now is probably close to 10 years I guess, I have done the silly cheer with the team when they win a game. For this season, like some of my previous seasons, I would have to do the silly cheer if we TIED a game or, possibly just to finish the season, as in those two seasons we never won a game in order to do the silly cheer.

As a coach, it is a struggle to keep morale high when you lose game after game after game but one thing I have learned is that the ADULTS tend to take the losses worse than the kids. It is MY brain and MY emotions and MY morale that I have to keep in check because I take each loss personally. Not meaning that the other coach has done anything wrong or cheated, but I feel like I'm failing as a coach when the boys are not successful.

What really hurts me the most is knowing when a team or a player has potential and they are not living up to that potential. They are short changing themselves and that bothers me more than anything, when I know that the other kids and other coaches and other parents are not seeing the best that a kid can do. All I want is for my kids, for ALL kids, is to be the best they can be.

Do YOUR job, do YOUR best.

If you would like to discuss private one-on-one lessons for your kiddo, give me a shout.

$1 per minute for lessons.

05/19/2025

So as a coach, my slogan for my teams has always been to "Do your job, Do your best."

I'm sure some of you have seen this graphic floating around but this is what I'm talking about. Everyone has a job to do. Playing outfield is not a punishment. One can't sit there and just watch the play. I try to teach my boys to know what they are going to do if the ball comes to them, what to do if it gets past them, what to do if it gets past a teammate. Baseball is slow until it is not and then things happen very quickly.

The other day my son's 12u rec team was playing and one of the opposing batters hit a hard grounder that got past my son at shortstop and then the center fielder missed it and it rolled almost to the fence. The kid ended up getting an in the park home run on a ground ball because once it went past the primary defender, the secondary dfender was not ready and then they did not know where to throw the ball after that. The wheels fell off. The batter ended up driving in two runs as well on a ground ball.

So as parents and coaches, and this lesson applies to life and not just sports, let's try to teach our kids to do THEIR job, and to do THEIR best.

All we can do is give our max effort and the chips will fall where they will.

05/16/2025

Summer is upon us and fall baseball season will be here before we know it!

Have you seen some weaknesses in your child's performance this past season? Holes in their game? Maybe they are moving up to a new league and need to learn how to pitch, or catch?

Give me a shout and let's get something on the books for over the summer so they can continue to progress in their skills and mechanics.

"Do YOUR job. Do YOUR best"

980-239-7879

$1/min for private lessons

04/29/2025

I just spoke to a fellow coach and a former teammate of my son's who both were in a local, well known "travel ball" program and BOTH told me that the organization told them that they were NOT ALLOWED to play any sport while in season....

Keep in mind the "season" (if counting training) is basically 10 months of the year.

As a family we personally (since we have 3 kids) try to limit each kid to one activity at a time so they can be 100% committed to that activity BUT we encourage a diversity of activities across the course of a year.

It is interesting to see the MLB and former pro players speak out against the travel ball culture that has run rampant in the US and the need for better, local play with better coaching. I don't know what it's going to take to get us back to a sensible position in this Country regarding youth athletics but it seems ever since Tiger Woods came on the scene that we have lost our minds. And the ones that lose the most are our kids.

"Do Your Job, Do Your Best"

04/26/2025

I'll just let this speak for itself...

I see TOO MANY Little League/youth coaches pitching "throwers" and ignoring "pitchers". The coaches get so enamored by "speed" that they somehow overlook the 50%+ of pitches that the catcher is snagging, blocking or chasing.

As a coach I LOVE to see a "thrower" on the mound....I adjust my batters position, give them timing cues and mix in some fake bunts and once I am in the "thrower's" head, thats it....game over. PLUS I know that the more the "thrower" throws (since he is all fastballs) that he will tire quickly and lose even more command control.

Give me a slower pitcher who can locate, mix up his delivery and throw some breaking balls any day over a pure "thrower".

Interested in some lessons for pitchers? Catchers? Batting? Hit me up.

$1/minute

Wesley Chapel, NC

04/21/2025

Maybe a hall-of-famer can get through to some peeps....but PREACH it John!

I have a kid right now on my son's LL rec team who, after 3 seasons of baseball, could barely catch a ball, had a horrible swing and who's throwing mechanics were all proof that NONE of his coaches in the past had done ANYTHING to help him and he is not the only one either. I also know of another kid that played with my son at a more "competitive" level of play who was the same way and HE wasn't/isn't the only one.....but that team wins games and he can hit so let's ignore his arm path??

Too many coaches just want to win....even in rec league play. Their philosophy is to stick the "weak" kid in right field, put him in the bottom of the batting order, accept that he will strike out and, instead, focus on the talented kids who may actually win you a game....vomit....it makes me sick.

If your child is being neglected by his/her coach OR you simply want to move them to the next level of a skillset, hit me up and let's talk. No kid should be ignored and neglected. If a coach doesn't know how to COACH (not Manage a team, but coach), then they should find a mom or dad who does and let them help.

"Do YOUR job....do YOUR best" applies to coaches too.

04/15/2025

I had the pleasure to do two, private lessons with Jack, one of my kiddos on my rec baseball team. I coached Jack years ago and have watched him grow as a player but he has always struggled in the box. After two lessons his confidence is way up, his mechanics and approach improved dramatically and he's been getting some hits or at least been competitive when up to bat.

You know, as a coach nothing annoys me more than seeing kids play a sport for years and never improve or have their flaws addressed. Too many coaches at the REC LEVEL are so worried about winning that kids who are average or below get stuck in right field and basically ignored. The fact is most coaches just aren't "coaches" but are managers but there are dads who would love to help if given the chance and my Lord, look at what one can learn just online nowadays. There is just no excuse anymore to NOT try and teach a kid.

But, so it is and that's why I jumped back in to coaching....for moments like seeing a kid put into action what he was taught and see success from it.

Thanks to Jack's parents for trusting me to coach him again and for paying for his lessons. The kid has a mind for the game and plenty of potential. Really cool to see....