So You Volunteered To Coach Baseball (willing or not!), Now What?

Let me start this by saying I know that at the youth level it is extremely difficult to run a practice, especially at the rec. leagues. Field space, time and equipment all are major factors on how the practice can be run. I’ve been there, I’ve felt your pain, and I hope to pass along some of the things I have learned over the past decade of coaching to help facilitate a practice that can be efficient. Whether I am running a practice for 4 year olds or 15 years olds I always come with a pre-planned (yes typed out) practice and follow the same general flow, it makes my life easier and helps get the most “bang for your buck” so to speak in the time and space allowed.

First off, always make sure you set a precedent for the players arriving on time to practice. I understand this is up to the parents but make sure they know how important it is for players to arrive a few minutes before the scheduled time to get cleats on and be ready at the scheduled start time. Once that is established it makes it feel as the practice starts as a full cohesive team as opposed to a chaotic mess. Be specific in the warm up movements and hold your players accountable to not just going through the motions. Once the team gets into a routine it’s incredible to see leaders step up and run these skills at the start of all practices and games. This is done at the older levels but giving kids responsibility at the 6-8 age range makes them feel a sense of pride on the field. It will also help kids want to be a leader on the team and encourage them to step into that role. 

As they move into catch play, make sure they are aware how crucial this time is to prepare them for the upcoming practice or game. I have seen many teams warm up lazily and then really struggle to make good throws in the game because they did not prepare themselves with game like throws during practice/warm up. Have a throwing routine that eventually lengthens them out (long toss) and then brings them in close for quick hands to simulate game situations. Last of the “warm up”, run them through some glove work to put their bodies in a controlled situation to make quality moves. These can include barehand picks that lead into glove work picks (forehand/backhand).

After the warm up there can be so many options but make sure as the season develops you’re trying to build on basic skills (I’ve included a couple examples) and introduce more difficult movements and concepts. Try to address issues seen in the previous week’s games and put your players in the situations they are struggling with. It’s also important to run game situations during practice, but I would encourage facilitating reps inside of the scrimmage environment so there’s less standing around. Introduce baserunners to help catchers get work and have pitchers hold runners if age appropriate. Have a second coach hitting fungo (ground balls, pop flys etc) in between live at bats to players not directly involved in the play. Standing around in a practice sometimes cannot be avoided but try to make sure you’re using your time wisely on the field. If you’re fortunate enough to have multiple assistant coaches utilize them to separate into smaller groups (stations) to make sure individual work is done for positions. This may look like a tee or soft/front toss station while another station is doing fielding work. When taking batting practice link up a hitter and a baserunner and run situational hitting scenarios with a defense. This allows multiple skills to be addressed all within a BP session. I have seen many practices where one player is hitting and 11 kids are “Shagging”. This is usually only work for the one person hitting. Even when instruction is to “play it live” defensively it usually leads to most kids standing around and not getting the work they need. 

I know that many of you are running great practices and are giving all that you have to your teams and I want you to know that the kids and parents appreciate you. Volunteer coaches are a vital part of youth sports! With a well thought out and organized practice the players will get a ton of good reps and when they’re busy in a practice there will be less issues with distraction and lack of focus. I hope this helps you and thanks for putting in the hard work for your players!

-Coach Josh

For The Love Of The Game With 33 Glove Co’s Creator Spencer Lee

Welcome to my first article! After much suggesting, pushing and encouraging from friends, family and clients to put down my experiences, my knowledge and maybe a glimpse of what we do in person at Breckley’s Bullpen in writing, I’ve finally started. Our aim is to share this special baseball community with the world! And while I’m very comfortable with the in person side of baseball this is a little outside my comfort zone, so I brought in a friend to get things started. He’s got some great products and even better insight into this game we all love. Keep reading to learn a little about Conejo Valley local, baseball enthusiast Spencer Lee, he’s more than just a batting glove creator, he’s passionate about developing the whole athlete!

Thank you for sharing in this journey with me,

Josh Breckley

Q: When did you fall in love with the game?

A: That’s a tricky question, and not sure I can pinpoint one specific event or time when I knew I loved the game. As I get older and look back on the years, baseball has been that one constant that to this day still gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling. So many memories – hitting my first home run; playing in the same stadium they filmed Major League at; watching Bo Jackson nearly beat out a hard 1-hopper back to the pitcher in KC. Now that I get to share the game with my family, I know my feelings for baseball are beyond love.

Q: What is your baseball background?

A: As a player, nothing spectacular, but a successful career in its own right. Fairly typical path, starting with Little League, then jr. high, then high school and scout ball, college, and lastly a less than exciting post-college attempt (ran out of talent, LOL). My 18+ years as a player highlight reel would include Little League All-Stars, High School state championship appearance, and multiple all-city and all-state team selections. Very fortunate to have played in some amazing ballparks here as well as in Mexico, and to have shared the field with several players who went on to become household names in the MLB.

Q: What led you to start making batting gloves?

A: Frustrated by corporate hurdles and the dominance of profit-driven decisions over product quality, we founded our company with a mission to rewrite the narrative. With three decades of combined experience in developing and producing products on a global scale, we aim to bring to market offerings that epitomize premium quality while remaining accessible and affordable for today’s athletes. Our passion for the game drives us to create products that truly serve the needs of players.

Q: Any thoughts on expanding to other baseball equipment?

A: We have many exciting products on the horizon, with some in the early stages of development and others currently being tested. As a new company, it’s crucial for us to establish credibility within the baseball and softball communities by delivering on our commitments. Our focus is on providing high-performance, premium products coupled with elite-level customer service—all at a reasonable and accessible price.

Q: What makes 33 Glove Co different?

A:  We understand that there are countless options when it comes to batting gloves, each varying in quality, features, materials, and price. Our goal—one we believe we’ve achieved—is to offer premium products made from top-grade materials, enhancing fit, function, and durability, all at an accessible and reasonable price.

What truly sets us apart, however, is our unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. As a small company, we may have room for growth, but we will never compromise quality for profit. We prioritize maintaining personal relationships with our customers. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we will go above and beyond to ensure you have the best experience possible. Staying connected and accessible is vital to our success. Whether you have an idea, a suggestion, or a concern, we’re here to listen.

Q: What do you believe is the greatest challenge most young athletes are facing today?

A: If their intention as an athlete is to play at a higher level, high school, college, and beyond, do not overlook the importance of the mental side of the game. Yes, physical talent is vital, but the mental aspect is what will separate good players from the best. A player's baseball/softball IQ, how they prepare for games and practice, how they handle success and failure, and how they are as teammates, all will have a direct impact on their career. Just like the physical part, you must practice the mental side. It is also a very overlooked element at the younger level, with so much emphasis put on winning rather than full-player development. Don’t put this part of the game off for too long.

Q: What advice would you give to young athletes or their parents as they begin they enter a more competitive environment?

A: Players, understand that it’s a very hard game. You will have good days, you will have bad days, it's ok. Failure is an inherent part of baseball/softball, especially as you move into a higher level of competition. Think of failure as an opportunity to learn to become a better ballplayer. And most importantly, never stop having fun. It’s a game!

Parents, help your child define what success is. Success is not defined by wins or losses, getting a hit, or executing every play to perfection. There are an infinite number of ways your child can have a successful day. A sacrifice fly to score the runner from third is just as much of a win, if not more so, than a leadoff double with nobody on. Heck, striking out but getting the pitcher to throw 10 pitches is a success. The sooner they learn the subtle nuance of the game, the better.

Q: Are you taking suggestions for colorways? Because a teal pair would be cool 😎

A: Of course. We love to hear suggestions from players, parents, and coaches. Have a color combo you would like to see, a product idea, or a t-shirt graphic you think would be cool, email us. We will answer you; we can even hop on a call.

Q: Is there a discount code we can send out to people?

A: You got it. Use code BULLPEN20 for 20% off sitewide. Gloves, arm sleeves, and apparel, and can be combined with free shipping at $79+ orders.