Elbow Up Youth Baseball

I've long been a proponent of young athletes playing multiple sports. There are so many benefits to learning different skill sets, playing with different teammates, and taking mental and physical breaks from the daily grind.As summer and fall youth baseball seasons were winding down, I received a lot of questions about what to do in the off-season to help get ready for next season.I always begin my answer to this question with "take some time off" followed closely with "play another sport." And then of course we talk about lessons, strength and conditioning, family time, etc.I recently saw a Facebook post in a youth baseball group essentially downplaying the importance, or need, for playing other sports. I use this episode to refute his claims and explain why your son should be playing multiple sports in the baseball off-season.What Comes First, the Chicken or the Egg?Kids aren't just born elite athletes. Sure, there are freaks of nature that are born with more natural size, strength, speed, and agility than others, but they don't just come out of the womb ready to play in the MLB, NFL, or NBA.They are elite athletes because they played multiple sports early and often - and mostly with less structure and training than we have today.Again, and as I always say, there are exceptions. But these guys were born into families that encouraged being outside playing with balls of all sports, spent the time learning by doing, and kept their bodies moving at different speeds and in different directions for much of the year.There are  others that spent their time outside the house playing football, basketball, baseball, or any other ball that would keep them away from their unfortunate situation inside the house. Often it kept them out of trouble. And the byproduct was becoming a better athlete.What if my son doesn't want to play other sports?Why even give them the option when they're young?It's not an option at my house. I literally tell my son every year, "I don't care what you do or play, but we're going to do some activity that keeps you moving and busy."Can we just do strength and conditioning?Well, you can. But there are at least two likely issues with this.One, it's expensive. The average parent, myself included, does not have the expertise or the facilities to do this correctly. To get what you need out of it, you need to go at least 3 times per week.That's going to run you MINIMUM $100 a week.Why not pay $150 for the whole basketball season, practice or play 3 days a week, learn new skills, put them outside their comfort zone, get coached by new unfamiliar coaches, and do something different?For way less money.My opinion based on experienceBottom line, your son might actually end up a Major League Hall of Famer having only played baseball his entire life.But in reality, there's a close to zero percent chance he ends up a Major Leaguer anyways, no matter what he does.Just as high schoolers aren't equipped to determine their ultimate career path, nine year olds aren't equipped to know what's best for their athletic development.Get them experience in uncomfortable situations. Let them practice playing for coaches they don't know. Encourage them to do things they aren't really good at. Put them in a position to learn to compete in many different situations.There's very little downside to playing multiple sports, and tIf you enjoyed today's episode, please rate the podcast and leave a comment. I would appreciate it more than you know.And be sure to check out my weekly newsletter and website over at Elbow Up Youth Baseball! I'd love to have you join the community. It's free and there's no spam!

It's been just over three years since I published the very first Elbow Up newsletter email. In that time there have been more than 300,000 website visitors, 59,000 emails sent, and nearly 180,000 podcast downloads.While I feel like I've become more polished in my delivery of the message, the message largely hasn't changed. And actually, I'm ready to double down on a few things (definitely controversial).Three Years in ReviewLooking back at the opens, downloads, comments, questions, and responses, I thought it would be good to revisit the top four topics I've written about over the last three years.These topics generated the most buzz, the most feedback, and frankly the most interest from all of you.⚾ My Oldest Son Turns 18 Today: What I Would Have Done Differently⚾ Coaches are Ruining Young Arms⚾ Over-coaching Ruins the Fun Youth Experience⚾ Weekend Tournaments are Ruining Youth Baseball DevelopmentNeed Your HelpIf you like my content, please help me by doing the following:Ensure you're subscribed to the newsletter.Ensure you open the newsletter.It may help to go to your inbox and make sure my email is not in the promotions tab.If it is, move it over to the primary tab.Even better, once you've done this, hit reply and just send me a one-word response. This helps your email provider know I'm not spam.Subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast player.Leave a rating in your podcast player (and a comment if it's Apple Podcasts).Send me feedback, and let me know how I can better help you!As always, thank you for listening and supporting Elbow Up Youth Baseball!

Arm care is often overlooked. China McCarney from Jaeger Sports joins me to discuss arm care, arm health, and a good starting point for all ages. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Chasing wins and rings, coaches and parents treat youth baseball like it's a professional sport, acting as a General Manager to upgrade their teams, cut players, and build championships. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Baseball is hard, and over-coaching by parents and coaches makes it even harder. If you over-coach, you could be pushing your son away from the game and not even realizing it. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Parents and Coaches,This week I’m talking about umpires.Before I jump into it, if you haven’t already subscribed, do so now so you don’t miss any future episodes. It’s free, and I’ll send you an email when I post an article or new episode!Umpires are just as much a part of baseball as are hitters and pitchers, but in almost every game I coach I see other parents and coaches interacting with umpires in ways that not only won’t help them get any future calls but also sets a bad example for their kids and players.In this week’s episode, I talk about what makes a good umpire, my own experience with umpires (I’ve shown myself a time or two), how to interact with umpires, and how to talk to your kids and players about how to handle bad (or questionable) calls.Enjoy the episode, and leave a comment with your feedback, questions, or your own experiences.Thanks for listening - see you next time!KevinP.S. Would you take a few seconds and share this with a friend? Use the button below or just forward the email! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Cleveland Indians pitching coach Mike Steele gives his thoughts on the current state of youth baseball - part two! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Cleveland Indians pitching coach Mike Steele gives his thoughts on the current state of youth baseball from a very unique (and qualified) position! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Arm overuse and abuse is an epidemic in youth baseball, and it's going to take every single one of us to stop it! Here are some key things to remember and some practical ways to maximize arm health for youth baseball players. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Selfish coaches chasing wins and trophies are putting young arms at risk as adolescents make up more than half of all Tommy John elbow surgeries in the United States. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

There's a better way to approach select and travel baseball tournaments for the younger ages. Weekend tournaments are good, but we should think about them differently. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

More reasons why the tournament every weekend system is ruining player development. Simply put, the current “select” or “travel ball” environment fails at player development because it puts coaches in a must-win mentality every game, every week. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

The tournament every weekend system is ruining player development. Simply put, the current “select” or “travel ball” environment fails at player development because it puts coaches in a must-win mentality every game, every week. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

On today’s episode I spend about 20 minutes talking about communication between coaches and parents - communication that’s a two-way street, and how it's critical to individual and team success. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Taking a one size fits all approach in youth baseball will end up disappointed. Here are my thoughts on a better approach as the 2021 youth baseball season is set to begin. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Spring baseball season is right around the corner. How have you handled the off-season? Do you have a plan for your son or team for the next couple of months? If not, it’s not too late! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Shawn Kelley played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball from 2009-2019, pitching in 493 games with 6 different teams. Now he’s a dad coaching his son’s 9 year old baseball team. We spent half an hour talking about his youth baseball experience and now his experience coaching his son. And it’s pure gold! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

One often overlooked factor in the effectiveness of team and player development is team size - how many kids are on the team. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

It’s time to start planning for the off-season. In preparation for next week’s episode where I’ll focus solely on the off-season, this week I give you some homework to be done before the next episode. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Don't expect your child to get better at individual skills primarily at team practice, and coaches cannot plan practices for that to happen. This can be controversial, but coach-parent partnership is key to making this work! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Stop the in-game coaching mechanics, and let them play. Let them use what you’ve taught them, what they already know. Don’t turn what should be a fun game into a negative experience. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Your player or team's off-season should be intentional, and is critical for player health and long term development! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Listen now | This week I answer 5 questions from parents and coaches from the Elbow Up youth baseball community. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Remember, the whole equals the sum of all the parts. The end result of a game or a performance isn’t how well you hit or pitched. It’s the sum of every little thing that happened during that game. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Listen now | This week's tip helps coaches plan better practices, and helps parents work with their kids during the week! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

It seems like yesterday I was coaching him in 5 & 6 year old coach pitch! And now he’s an adult! Take my experiences and help shape the ones you still have left! This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Listen now (16 min) | In Episode 002, I explain why I started Elbow Up, and how an interaction with my 7 year old really made me stop and think about what I was doing. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe

Listen now | Finally! My first youth baseball podcast episode is now live! Check it out by clicking play above - or you can listen in your favorite podcast player such as iTunes, Google Podcasts, Spotify, etc. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at www.getelbowup.com/subscribe