Fundamental Training

Fundamental Training FUNdaMENTAL Training: Teaching kids the FUNdamentals and developing a winner's MENTALity

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.

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...
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.

Summer is upon us and fall baseball season will be here before we know it!Have you seen some weaknesses in your child's ...
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

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" prog...
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"

I'll just let this speak for itself...I see TOO MANY Little League/youth coaches pitching "throwers" and ignoring "pitch...
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

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...
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.

I had the pleasure to do two, private lessons with Jack, one of my kiddos on my rec baseball team. I coached Jack years ...
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....

It's been a minute since I coached Sam's baseball team...if I wasn't his head coach I would always gladly assist when gi...
03/23/2025

It's been a minute since I coached Sam's baseball team...if I wasn't his head coach I would always gladly assist when given the opportunity.

Coming from a teaching background, coaching is something I Iove to do. I love breaking skills down for kids, analyzing movement and strategizing and nothing is better than seeing a kid improve at a skill. Perfection and winning are not my goals, nor is "having fun" but that happens naturally when you teach and lead kids to success, and by success I do not mean winning. Success is improving, is maximum effort and focus, is "doing YOUR job and doing YOUR best" (my team motto).

Glad to be back to coaching again and am blessed to have several dads helping out. That is what it's about....maximizing reps through multiple small groups and it is always good to see dads interact with their boy and others. Young boys need more male role models and our team is chock full of them.

Look out Cary, here we come!Loaded up and ready to go with just some of the acutremean needed for a high school marching...
11/02/2024

Look out Cary, here we come!

Loaded up and ready to go with just some of the acutremean needed for a high school marching band show nowadays. 1 box truck, 1 cargo trailer, 1 utility trailer, 1 Gator, 1 truck bed and my get up....yeah....it's a production to say the least but Arim Williams Hicks and are glad to help in whatever way we can.

A big shout out to the Weddington High School Marching Warriors and the Pit Crew parents that make these events possible.

08/30/2024

Freeday Friday: Throwing Mechanics--Closed shoulder/Throw against the leg

This is something I saw from some high level coach/trainer that really clicked and made sense and is an EASY way to verify core engagement for throwing. This idea also applies to batting as batting and throwing/pitching mechanics are super similar.

The big idea is to prevent the thrower from leaching power by opening up the hips and shoulder (glove side) too much. This all starts with the position of the land/lead foot. It SEEMS like common sense that the more a thrower pulls his/her hips and shoulder and head, the more "whip" is created when in fact is results in a breakdown of energy transfer up the kinetic change.

I hope these little videos help and again, if you are looking for a coach who can break down complex concepts and analyze mechanics, you found one.

Give me a shout.

980-239-7879

30 minute lesson: $30
60 minute lesson: $50

Thanks again.

"Do YOUR Job, Do YOUR Best!:

08/23/2024

Freeday Friday Video: Redneck DIY Armpath Trainer

There are so many new training aids for baseball and such now and most are pricey...at least to a blue-collar guy like me. They are also pretty easy to make...at least for a blue-collar guy like me! Here is my DIY arm path trainer. This design was an accident ad my original looked just like the real thing. This was originally intended to replace a towel for the "towel drill" but I realized it works as an arm path trainer too. Two for one baby!

This little gadget works SO well to teach a proper and safe arm path and to give IMMEDIATE feedback for improper arm slot and timing and is a super simple build.

Fall baseball season is upon us and some of you want to help your kiddo improve their game. Don't buy into the hype of these "training centers" where some college kid is going to "coach" your child. So many of these guys are former athletes, which is great, but also means most of them were very likely athletically gifted and the sport came easy to them. Those former player "coaches" may be able to perform at a high level, but if they never truly struggled, what were they taught? What struggles have they overcome? Are they trained to TEACH movement?

Give me shout and let's talk.

1/2 lesson $30
1 hour lesson $50

980-239-7879

08/16/2024

Freeday Friday: Quick Twist

Here's another simple, yet very effective drill/warmup/exercise to NOT ONLY stretch the back/core/hips BUT ALSO to learn to engage the hips, the core and to generate power from the ground through the hands. Added benefit....this drill also requires balance and control which is HUGE for batting and pitching.

Looking for affordable, private and personalized instruction or training? Look no further. Coach Dave has been coaching youth sports for 25 years now and is starting to offer baseball/softball training for athletes 5-15 years old, especially young and beginner players. Coach Dave's background as a school teacher means he knows how to break down a movement/task into simple terms that kids can understand and REMEMBER.

30 MIN LESSON $30
1 HOUR LESSON $50

980-239-7879

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212 Jim Parker Road
Monroe, NC
28110

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