Drill it out

I heard about this coaching technique at a winter clinic.  The speaker (John Cohen – Mississippi State Univ.) referred to it as “drilling it out of a player.”  Coach long enough and you will undoubtedly have a player that is difficult to talk to.  You

give a suggestion that might help with the kid’s swing and the player responds with a 10 minute dissertation on why his way is better.  These players are exhausting.  Coach Cohen recommended that coaches stop trying to talk it out of the player and start drilling it out of him.

The technique goes like this …

Let’s say a player is too rotational and routinely pulls his front side open too much and/or too early making him susceptible to off-speed pitches and anything on the outter half.  Instead of convincing the player with words that his technique is flawed, save your breath and put him into drills that force him to correct the flaw in order to complete the drill.  Often what will happen is the mechanics of the drill will convince the player that those mechanics are better suited for his swing.  The player convinces himself instead of the coach doing it.

Less talking, the player adjusts, and the coach keeps his sanity.

It doesn’t always work but it’s worth a try.