Synopsis
Understand and learn to TEACH the pitching motion. Follow a proven, easy-to-follow plan for training and developing young pitchers. Here is your complete coaching reference to pitching mechanics, arm care, common flaws, pick-offs, and mental strategy. With complete lesson plan outlines, this book will be the most valuable piece of coaching equipment you own! BENEFITS AND HIGHLIGHTS • Learn to TEACH pitching in addition to understanding it. • Keep athletes safe, healthy, and having fun on the mound • Help athletes tackle tough mental challenges related to the pitching position • Identify and fix common flaws and errors • Set up effective training programs and throwing schedules. Since the previous edition of Coaching the Beginning Pitcher, I’ve spent an additional eight years as a professional instructor (total pitching lessons provided eclipsed 15,000), three years as a collegiate pitching coach, driven deeper into advanced mechanics associated with velocity and power production, and earned a Master’s Degree in Physical Education. With expanded write-ups on the coaching plan (Chapter 3), drills (Chapter 5), and recognizing and correcting challenges (Chapter 6), along with a completely updated and enhanced section on training the pitcher’s mind (Chapter 11), Coaching the Beginning Pitcher, Third Edition, is complete! Although it may seem that the mechanics of pitching have not changed for the last hundred years, the nuances of instructing young pitchers are constantly evolving. This book contains the most effective methods known for working with young athletes, complete with tips and drills, throwing loads and quantities, common mistakes and remedies, and valuable sample lesson plans. This book is written with the right-handed pitcher in mind. However, all examples and pictures can be easily reversed and applied to the left-handed athlete. Coaching pitchers requires much more than knowledge of the physical motion of pitching. Effective pitching instruction also incorporates a structured, efficient plan and communication methods effective with—and often unique to—youth baseball players. This book provides that plan, outlining the steps to follow when working with a pitcher, and helps the coach place a pitcher in the best possible position to experience pitching success with a healthy arm. Finally, this book helps baseball coaches and parents maximize their own enjoyment and fulfillment while working to improve the technique, performance, and abilities of the youth pitcher! TESTIMONIALS “Dan Keller’s blend of baseball knowledge, training techniques, communication skill and love of teaching kids is captured in this well-designed book. This book teaches the art of pitching from fundamentals to complexities in a manner that coaches, novice to expert, can grasp and use effectively.” ~ Abe Key, President & CEO, PONY Baseball & Softball Inc. “I’m very impressed with Dan’s ability to break down and organize pitching instruction. Arm care and pitcher development are hot-button topics taken very seriously at Babe Ruth League. Our organization believes that Coaching the Beginning Pitcher provides a solid training plan to follow.” ~ Steven Tellefsen, President & CEO, Babe Ruth League, Inc. “Keller has a great baseball mind, a terrific understanding of the pitching motion, and an un- matched ability to communicate clearly. If you are trying to learn how to coach pitching, this book can provide the foundation you need.” ~ James Keller, Special Assistant to the GM, Toronto Blue Jays “This book embodies positive youth coaching and the development of today’s athletes. Dan’s understanding of the mechanics of pitching is impressive, and he communicates in a fashion that is understandable for all. Coaching takes a plan, and Dan helps to provide that plan.” ~ Gary Adams, Retired UCLA Baseball & Hall of Fame Head Coach
About the Author
Dan Keller is President and owner of Dugout Captain Sports, based in Huntington Beach, California. A lifelong student of the game of baseball, Keller started Dugout Captain in 2015 in an effort to broaden his reach to the youth baseball community. Dugout Captain provides coaching tools, instructional content, and a proprietary virtual practice planning tool that is revolutionizing the volunteer coach role. Prior to Dugout Captain, Keller built, ran, and sold Lifeletics Baseball. Lifeletics provides world-class fundamental baseball training with an important emphasis on positive character development and the life lessons learned through athletics. The company name Lifeletics--where LIFE meets ATHLETICS-- represents the powerful life lessons that can be learned through competition and sports in general.
These experiences provided Keller the opportunity to study the art of pitching from the field of play, the dugout, and the stands. Professionally, Keller has built upon that foundation to develop successful teaching methods and instructional road-maps for learning and understanding pitching mechanics as well as the responsibilities of the pitcher position. Dan Keller has worked since 2000 as a private pitching instructor for youth league and professional athletes alike. His team-coaching resume includes work with competitive youth teams, high school teams at all levels, and community college teams, and one summer he coached the nation's finest Division I pitchers in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Keller is author of another baseball book (Survival Guide to Coaching Youth Baseball - Human Kinetics), and he has written numerous articles published in newspapers, magazines, and online media. He is a frequent guest speaker at baseball functions and holds a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Azusa Pacific University. Living in Huntington Beach, California, Keller is married to his wife, Erin, and has two kids - a son named Kobe and a daughter named Mackenzie.
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