Barnstormers Baseball

"I just want to get my guys ready for high school" This is a statement that we hear from coaches all over the country, but many times when we watch them coach it is hard to see what they are doing to prepare their players. Getting players ready for the next level of ball is easy if you understand the tools. We have had converstions about the tools throughout the pages of Barnstormersbaseball.com so rather than bore you with them today we will just say that if your goal is to get players ready for the next level, base your work on the tools.

Players are not ready because they hit .750 in AAA baseball. Players are not ready because the have a .051 era in AAA baseball. Players are not ready because your team wins all their games and was the AA State Champs.

Players are ready because their abilities line up with with the level of the game they wish to advance towards. And without these tools, players will be behind the curve in their development. Winning is important, but it is not always the best way to judge the development of your players individually or collectively. Stats have there place, but they do not always tell the real story as it pertains to and individual or a team.

What are we saying? Well coach, we are saying that if you truly want to get your players ready for the high school game you will put an immediate emphasis on long toss, ground ball foot work and throwing properly after the ball is fielded, fly ball communication, running speed, hitting the ball hard with good direction, hustle, hustle, and hustle. Obviously there are other things that can help prepare your players for the next level, but if you focus on the 5 tools and these team related functions above you will begin to see a marked improvement in your team and winning will take care of itself.