When it comes to the relationship between coaches and their athletes, there is one thing that should never falter.
Communication, one of the most important things surrounding an athlete’s program.
Basic communication can help you stay healthy.
Many times athletes don’t communicate how they are feeling mentally, physically, and emotionally, and this can negatively affect their progress.
It’s important to keep in mind as well that younger athletes in warmer places like California and Arizona play baseball almost all year long.
How you’re feeling
You are not going to feel 100% all of the time.
It’s critical to let your strength coach know how you’re feeling on a DAILY basis as your lift can be managed accordingly. This can help manage smaller nicks and pains so that they do not result into bigger injuries.
On the other side we want to know when you feel good and are in a good headspace.
Often, we can add a set or two to certain exercises so we can get the most out of those days.
You’re not always going to walk into the gym feeling your absolute best, especially when playing nonstop, but do not let those good days go to waste.
Questions to ask about your program
Wondering what questions to ask to communicate better at the gym or during your remote program?
When you are working through lifts, whether remotely or in person, if you are ever unsure of an exercise, or if something doesn’t feel right when doing an exercise, ask your coach.
It will be more beneficial than to just guess and assume you’re right, which could lead to injuries.
There is a specific way to complete each exercise for each individual athlete, so verifying is important.
As a coach, I would rather be asked too many questions than no questions at all so I know you understand and feel comfortable overall.
Keeping your baseball goals in mind
Lastly, strength coaches’ goal overall is to help you increase your performance on the field.
We want to be sure that the movements in the weight room are putting you in better positions while you’re playing your position.
It also benefits us to know how you are performing on the field.
If you have Trackman available at games, or even a radar gun, it’s key to see how things are transferring, and give you a picture for your growth. Communicate this information often.
Being able to see where your velo/Blast Motion hitting data/etc. is at each outing can give your strength coach a clue at the trajectory you are moving, and whether we can keep going or need to make an adjustment.
Each of our athletes know what they are working on in terms of movement on the field.
For example, staying stacked on the back side, or rotating into a firm front side. Taking videos of live game action can be very beneficial to see how you are moving within live game action because you may not be aware of it.
Communication must be a two-way street between the athlete and their strength coach.
Communication with coaches/parents
Overall, strength coaches need to be on the same page with your regular team coaches and your parents (for youth/high school).
This will give everyone involved a sense of what you’re striving toward in both the weight room and out on the field.
When strength coaches are aware of what goes on at your practices, and are aware if you play another sport/have a hobby that could affect your performance, this can help us make adjustments in the weight room to make sure we are not overdoing anything and helping you where you need it most.
Having parents involved in the conversations can help bring the athletes’ baseball goals to the forefront and make sure everyone understands WHY we’re doing what we’re doing.
At the end of the day, this is the athlete’s career. So, we all want to work together to have your best interest in mind.
The last thing we want is to have strength coaches, sport coaches, and parents having different plans, and ultimately each party not aware of what and why the other is doing and how it builds toward your progress overall. When everyone works together, it helps you hit your baseball goals faster and keeps your mental more focused.
Want to learn more about managing proper loads in the weight room? Click here.