Taylor Zillig

Husband, PE and Health Teacher, Baseball Coach

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Cignetti says: “One thing I’ll do is I’ll stalk the sideline.”

Why?

Because coaches can learn a lot about their team when players think nobody is watching.

Here are 5 things every coach should look for when they “stalk the sideline.” 🧵👇

[Kretz Files @CoachRonKretz]

I've learned that average players become good players when they master the fundamentals. Good players become great when they master the details. Don't skip the little things, they decide big games.

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Blame culture raises soft competitors.

Real ones ask: What could I have done differently?

Champions take ownership.

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

John Calipari shares one of the secrets to reaching your potential.

"If you're not a grinder, you're never going to max out."

Grinders earn it.

They choose to earn it every day through their work ethic, discipline, and consistency.

[Kretz Files @CoachRonKretz]

One thing 20 years in the dugout has taught me: every successful program has routines. When players know exactly what's expected every day, they spend less time wondering and more time improving.

[Baseball IQ @BaseballIQ_App]

🚨 Catch/Drop Baserunning Drill

• Runners take an aggressive turn at 1st
• Run to 2nd if the ball is dropped
• Return to 1st if the the ball is caught

⭐️ Great drill for training an aggressive mindset. “Make the defense stop you.”

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

“It's feeling vs. choice. Are you going to do what you feel like doing or are you going to choose to do the things you need to do to accomplish the goals that you have?"
Average players make an effort when they 'feel like it.'
Great players choose to make a relentless effort.

[James Purchin @JamesPurchin]

Everyone is looking for the next winning edge.

Dan Lanning found one most coaches still treat like fluff:

Connection.

Watch Oregon warm up, and you’ll see it. Lanning is moving player to player. High five, fist bump, quick word, real eye contact. Nothing long. Nothing dramatic. Just small deposits over and over.

That is social and emotional learning in real life.

Not a worksheet. Not a buzzword.

A culture where players feel seen before they are asked to give everything.

Steve Nash understood this too. Researchers once studied NBA teams and found that the teams with more teammate touch, high fives, fist bumps, and huddles showed more cooperation and performed better later in the season.

That stuff matters.

Because football seasons are long. Pressure hits. Losing happens. Injuries happen.

Adversity shows up.

And when it does, talent is not the only thing holding a team together.

Connection is.

The best coaches do not just demand the standard.

They model it.

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

What do Coaches Love in a Player?

1. Hustle
2. Stay late
3. Work Hard
4. Be committed
5. Be coachable
6. Show up early
7. Lead by example
8. Encourage others
9. Bring positive energy
10. Be a good teammate
11. Have an optimistic attitude

[Kretz Files @CoachRonKretz]

4 things to think about when planning your off-season:

1. Ideation - brainstorm on what your team needs to achieve

2. Creation - sit down and create the entire off-season calendar

3. Edit with Details - get specific

4. Take action - follow the plan

[Jon Gordon @JonGordon11]

Be that person today!

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

The best teams aren’t led by the most talented player.
They’re led by the player most committed to everyone else’s success. Great teammates make great teams.

[Coach Bougie- Catching Made Simple @Coach_Bougie]

When I was in High School, I went to a University of Utah baseball camp. 

The coach said if you don’t have anyone to practice with you, to do short hop circles so you can practice approaching the ball, fielding it, and shuffling to throw.

Super simple drill. But a great one.

Infielders have no excuse to not be good when this take all of 10 feet and nobody else!

#baseball #softball #catchingmadesimple

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Tom Izzo shares why the best thing a leader can do is hold people accountable to their own dreams and how he does this with his teams.

"I always ask them: What do you think my job is for you?"

Most players don't know how to answer. So Izzo tells them:

"The best thing I could do for you is to hold you accountable to your dreams and goals - not mine."

"Sometimes as leaders, we look at what we want instead of what they want."

Izzo has each player write down their goals on a card. Then he uses that card when they push back.

"When he's mad at me because I'm on his butt about academics, I say: You told me you wanted to be an academic All-American. That's not my goal. That was your goal. My job - if I do my job right - is to hold you accountable to your goals."

Leadership isn't about pushing your agenda. It's about helping people become who they said they wanted to be.

Hold them to their dreams - not yours.
(🎥 Michigan Association of Counties 2020)

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Tom Izzo does one exercise with his team every single year.

It's the reason he's never missed a player's graduation in 25 years.

Here's what he does and why it matters:
(📌Bookmark this)

[John Riedel 🇺🇸⚾️ @CoachRiedel4]

🎯🎯🎯

[Jaime Boswell @JaimeBoswell2]

Champions Know…

[Kretz Files @CoachRonKretz]

A hitter's confidence isn't built by hitting beach balls against 40mph batting practice. True confidence comes from struggling against tough velocity in practice and figuring it out.

[Jerry Weinstein @JWonCATCHING]

It’s surprising how often we see LD DP’s on balls hit low & in the infield. The cue should be “ GO BACK ON LINE DRIVES.” NOT “freeze.” You need to do more than talk it. You need to rep it periodically throughout the season at game speed during BP. You don’t get enough reps during games to develop &/or maintain the automaticity of response. Unfortunately on field BP is becoming less & less of a thing. A very high % of MLB hitters choose to hit inside in the cages.( T’s/Front toss/Live/ Machine/Trajekt) This should not be an issue at the amateur level.