The more I watch youth travel baseball, the harder it gets. Too often,the teaching of valuable in-game situations is lost — things like double play depth, catcher positioning, outfield alignment, or cut-offs and relays. The game gives you opportunities to teach, take advantage of those opportunities. I’m a big believer in training during the off-season — but there also needs to be intentional time carved out just to teach the game. Take players aside, ask questions, and guide them to understand why certain things are done. That’s how knowledge sticks. Even spending ten minutes at the end of a winter practice on a chalk talk about game situations can go a long way. As a high school coach, my teaching window is short, and it’s frustrating to see so many freshmen who don’t understand something as basic as a cut to third on a ball hit to right field. If we want smarter players, we have to teach baseball, not just play or hit all off-season.
