Ahead Of The Curve with Jonathan Gelnar

Randy Sullivan- CEO, Florida Baseball Ranch

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Randy Sullivan, Owner and CEO of Sullivan Rehab Services, The ARMory Power Pitching Academy, and The Florida Baseball Ranch, Baseball Player Development Specialist, and Physical Therapist. Randy discusses his concept of linking hardware to software, constraint-based training, and the differences between the old school versus the new school. 
Episode Highlights: 
Randy Sullivan talks about the Skill Acquisition Conference.  
What are some things that he took and utilized from last years’ Skill Acquisition Conference?
What are the difference between coaching hitters and coaching pitchers? 
What does Randy mean by ‘linking hardware to software?”
Does Randy see the Bernstein Principle getting used out of context? 
What was Randy Sullivan’s blog post addressing the old school versus the new school about?  
Coaches need to help players sift through the data that matters and doesn’t matter. 
What is involved in Randy’s constraint-based training?  
How is Randy Sullivan teaching and training for timing?  
What are ways to be able to take action and perception and match them together? 
In any given hitting session, Randy wants 15% of his player’s swings to be against the fastest pitches, 15% against the slowest pitches, 15% against their 2-strike approach. The rest will be variable. 
What is the latest thing Randy has learned that he is excited about?
What is something that his players do in training that they love? 
We need to stop labeling kids as having mental disorders. 
Every player has potential.  
 
3 Key Points:
Randy Sullivan’s concept of linking hardware to software is to understand a player’s particular body abilities to apply the right customized techniques to make them a better player.  
The way to change movement is through manipulating sensory information. 
Data is just telling you how you are doing. Intent alone without any guidance isn’t going to solve problems. 
Tweetable Quotes:
“When there is time pressure, you kind of have to revert to our more primitive sensory stream which is, you’ve got to move. You know? Like when you touch a slug with a stick, he moves.” – Randy Sullivan (08:45)
“One thing we all have to remember is that, coaches have been teaching human movement since the game began. Since anything began. And so, all we are doing is kind of refining the things that we are already doing.” – Randy Sullivan (09:49)
“Hitting is probably more complex because you have to respond to sensory information and it is a little more complex than teaching pitching.” – Randy Sullivan (11:31)
“In nature, we want to accomplish important goals and we want to do it. Complex organisms are inherently lazy. They have to be. They have to conserve energy.” – Randy Sullivan (13:33)
“This generation of player is not afraid of hard work. This generation of player is afraid of things that may make them think they are stupid. They’ve got more information than they have ever had before.” – Randy Sullivan (20:35)
“It’s not that we are teaching you a new way to throw or hit. What we are teaching is a new way to view throwing and hitting, which leads to a new way to teach throwing and hitting.” – Randy Sullivan (29:33)
“You can never repeat a movement, that ever single throw and every single swing is going to be different.” – Randy Sullivan (31:34)
“There is no good drill for everything.” – Randy Sullivan (34:55)
Resources Mentioned: 
Ahead of the Curve Podcast
Twitter: @AOTC_podcast
Randy Sullivan: Linkedin
Florida Baseball Ranch: floridabaseballranch.com
Phone Number for Florida Baseball Ranch: 866-STRIKE-3 (866) 787-4533
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Becoming a Data Driven Program- Part 3: OnBaseU Movement Screen

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
 
Article
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/becoming-a-data-driven-program-part-3-onbaseu-movement-screen-3dc9a57c1afc
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cliff Godwin- Head Baseball Coach, East Carolina University (NC)

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Cliff Godwin, Head Baseball Coach East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Coach Godwin’s coaching experience spans across many collegiate programs in the assistant coach capacity including University of Notre Dame, Louisiana State University, University of Central Florida, and Ole Miss. Learn about practice design, hitting routines, advice for assistant coaches, and how he molds a positive, family-orientated team culture. 
Episode Highlights: 
How did Cliff Godwin get involved in baseball?   
How much have mentors benefited Cliff Godwin?
What were some of Cliff’s first steps as a coach? 
What does Cliff Godwin’s fall training season look like?  
How did he execute his vision?
What do the conversations about striving for excellence about look like? 
What are his players doing for competition? 
What advice does Cliff Godwin have assistant coaches?  
How does Coach Godwin implement efficiency and practice design for spring training?
What does his BP drills look like? 
What does his interview process look like?  
What is the latest thing that he has learned that he is excited about? 
What is something that he does in practice that his players love? 
What is something that Cliff Godwin believes that other coaches may disagree with? 
What are three things that would stand out during Cliff Godwin’s baseball practices?  
What are some of Cliff’s favorite books and resources that he has learned the most from? 
3 Key Points:
Always give your best because someone who can help you later could be watching you. 
If you aren’t falling short of your goals than you aren’t setting your goals high enough. 
The P.I.R.A.T.E.S acronym is: Purpose, Integrity, Responsible, Attitude, Toughness, Excellence, Self-less.
Tweetable Quotes:
“You never know who is watching. We all as coaches tell our players that.” – Cliff Godwin (06:38)
“My vision was very ambitious. I don’t think that you can set goals too high.” – Cliff Godwin (08:43)
“We have not had below a 3.4 team GPA in the past two years. How about that?” – Cliff Godwin (11:11)
“You can get your players to do anything, you just can’t get them to do everything.” – Cliff Godwin (11:23)
“First of all, in the fall, we compete at something every day, whether it be in the weight room or skill instruction.” – Cliff Godwin (26:41)
“Accept all the players. Tell them that they are your players, and go with it.” – Cliff Godwin (29:46)
“I think that it is important just to have your assistants feel like this is a family atmosphere.” – Cliff Godwin (34:24)
“I am very lucky now that in this stage in my career that there are a bunch of guys in the profession that I really trust.” – Cliff Godwin (44:56)
Resources Mentioned: 
Ahead of the Curve Podcast
Twitter: @AOTC_podcast
Cliff Godwin: Linkedin  Instagram  Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Becoming a Data Driven Program- Part 2: Blast Bat Sensors

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
Article
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/becoming-a-data-driven-program-part-2-blast-bat-sensors-8f3d25574e6
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Glavine- Head Baseball Coach, Northeastern University (MA)

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed Mike Glavine, Head Baseball Coach at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Mike shares advice on how he transitioned into his head coach position at Northeastern University, the power that can be found with indoor practices, typical practice plans, and his players getting to play the Boston Red Sox. 
Episode Highlights: 
How did Mike Glavine get involved in baseball?  
Does he teach his brother’s change-up? 
How does it feel to coach at North Eastern as an alumni?
What were some of the first things that Mike did as a coach?
What does Mike’s fall training season look like?  
What are some things that Coach Glavine does to establish the culture of the team?
How does he get to know his players better? 
How does he keep competition strong on the team? 
In what ways does Mike handle the weather changes?  
Are they leveraging technology during indoor practices? 
How is he preparing his team to play the Red Sox? 
What does a typical practice plan look like? 
What do post-season player meetings look like? 
What are some different things that Mike Glavine does during interviews of potential hires?  
What would Mike do differently as a head coach? 
What is the latest thing that Mike Glavine has learned that he is excited about?  
What is something that Mike does in practice that his players love? 
How does he develop his assistant coaches? 
What is something that Mike believes that other coaches may disagree with?
What are some of Mike’s favorite books and resources that he has learned the most from? 
What are three things that would stand out during Mike Glavine’s baseball practices?  
3 Key Points:
Mike Glavine’s two key components for coaching are preparing the team and developing the team. 
Mike’s typical practices run around 2 and a half hours and finish with a competition where something is at stake for the losing side. 
Give your players goals and honest feedback on what they can work on. 
Tweetable Quotes:
“I think really what I want to do is build on what Coach McPhee has established during his 29-year career here at Northeastern. But then give it a fresh look, a reboot, a restart, reengage with everybody.” – Mike Glavine (09:38)
“We’ll start fall baseball, and with that, it’s aggressive like most programs. We’ll go six days a week. We’ll have our day off. We’ll hit the 20 hours during the week. We’ll spend time in the weight room.” – Mike Glavine (13:49)
“Competition right? It's such a key word, and a great word in sports. It’s something that we focus on all the time.” – Mike Glavine (28:21)
“I have learned to love the indoor practices. Because it forces you as coaching staff to get more creative and maybe work on things more on the inside part of your season that you would never work on as much.” – Mike Glavine (33:16)
“To me, this game, so much of it is about feel and instincts and what might feel right to Player X might not feel right to Player Y.” – Mike Glavine (39:59)
“The guys really appreciate honesty. They want to know where they stand.” – Mike Glavine (52:40)
“The summer allows them (players) a fresh start, a re-group. So that when they come into the fall, you know, they are ready to go.” – Mike Glavine (52:51)
“How is this coach going to be with me as the head coach? Is he going to be able to handle me? Is he someone that will talk baseball with me all the time? I love to talk baseball?” – Mike Glavine (59:59)
Resources Mentioned: 
Ahead of the Curve Podcast
Twitter: @AOTC_podcast
Mike Glavine: Linkedin  Twitter
Mike Glavine’s Email: @m.glavine@northeastern.edu
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Becoming a Data Driven Program- Part 1: In-Game Data

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
 
Medium Article Link
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/becoming-a-data-driven-program-part-1-b3ab3c11775d
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Outline of the Offseason- Block 1

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
 
Medium Article Link
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/outline-of-the-offseason-block-1-8614a3ecc8b9
 
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Webb- Head Baseball Coach, Corona del Sol HS (AZ)

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
During this episode of Ahead of the Curve, I interviewed David Webb, Head Baseball Coach at Corona del Sol High School in Tempe, Arizona. David shares his vast knowledge of focusing on the mental game of baseball, building up players to get in touch with who they are, building a team culture of having a strong character, and why he doesn’t talk to parents about playing time. 
 
Episode Highlights: 
How did David Webb get involved in baseball coaching?  
What are David’s time restrictions and how does he work within them in fall training?  
What are some different things that his team does for culture building?  
What does David Webb talk to the parents of his players about? 
How does he personally get to know his players?  
How does he prepare assistant coaches to develop their skill-sets further to be head coaches one day? 
What are some interview questions he asks during his hiring process? 
What things are expected of players? 
How does spring training typically unfold for Coach Webb? 
When does David Webb get his bullpens in? 
How does he handle a parent’s complaint about their kid’s lack of playing time? 
Is there something that David Webb has learned lately that has him really excited? 
What is something that David’s players do in training that they love? 
What is something that David Webb believes that other coaches may disagree with? 
What are things done during David’s training that would stand out to people?  
What are some of David Webb’s favorite books and resources that have benefited his coaching? 
 
3 Key Points:
In late summer and early fall, David focuses on getting his players strong.  
The “rebel” these days is the one choosing not to lower their standards and aims to have a true character by action, not just by their words. 
Show assistant coaches that you value their time, and give them room to invest their time by letting them do their job. 
Tweetable Quotes:
“More is not necessarily better, especially when it comes to the mental side of things.” – David Webb (08:48)
“I am all about building character and having a standards-driven program and building young men. The wins will come.” – David Webb (09:43)
“One of the greatest things you can do for them (players) that gets them to realize there is some investment is, you get them to know who they really are.” – David Webb (19:35)
“I am a huge watcher of players and mannerisms. Have they changed their mentality from day-to-day? And if I see anything, I will pull them aside and I will have conversations.” – David Webb (22:11)
(On coaches) “Whether they are young or they are coming in and they are saying, ‘I’ve been a head coach and I just want to be an assistant now, I’m tired of the parent dynamic,’ or whatever, you got to let them coach..” – David Webb (28:36)
“The beginning of the year, the practice looks like a lot of situation play, a lot of fundamental individual work.” – David Webb (46:32)
“My policy is, which is stated to parents in our Aztec Baseball 101 meeting, I don’t talk playing time with parents.” – David Webb (55:16)
“Using Twitter a lot and kind of getting on the same page with other coaches and see what they are doing on the mental side of the game. I’m really focused about that. So, anything mental is really very important to me.” – David Webb (59:33)
Resources Mentioned: 
Ahead of the Curve Podcast
Twitter: @AOTC_podcast
David Webb: Twitter
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Training the motor- a template for bat speed development and proprioception.

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify 
Training the motor- a template for bat speed development and proprioception.
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/training-the-motor-a-template-for-bat-speed-development-and-proprioception-a64de513ca53
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adjustments we are making from the past season.

iTunes 
Stitcher
Google
Spotify
Adjustments we are making from the past season.
https://medium.com/@jgelnar7/adjustments-we-are-making-from-the-past-season-eb9c635fc9
 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices