Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Our Philosophy
We believe in fostering a positive, growth-oriented environment for young athletes to strive for their personal best. As coaches, we work to build a personal connection with each player and gain rapport. While this is a simple step, it can be difficult and time-consuming. Often, coaches rush through this step, and failing to develop a relationship with players often leads to player disengagement and frustration for all. Too often we see a coach yell at his team, or worse, tell them that they are failing for not understanding the game. We believe this reaction shows that the coach has failed in both his instructional methods as well as lack of personal connection with the team. This is why we prioritize relationship-building prior to in-depth instruction. We do not yell, coerce, belittle, or criticize. Instead, we make lessons light-hearted and fun to build up young athletes to become better players, teammates, and people.
Our Pedagogy
Many coaches assert that baseball and softball are 90% mental and 10% physical mechanics. However, most coaches spend a majority of practice sessions working on the physical aspects of the game. At Sutherland Sluggers, we go a step further and break the game into three categories. Our coaching sessions work on each of these categories and are tailored to each player, position, and level.
- Physical - the mechanics, skills, strength, and muscle memory that are developed during practices.
- Cognitive - the understanding of situation-specific strategies to optimize game outcomes.
- Mentality - the ability of the player to control their emotions while also maintaining confidence during a game. It is important that the player balances with humility to accept coaching.