Fungo Files

Once your season has come to a close, you should set aside some time for reflection and self-evaluation. What did you do well? What could you have done better? And most importantly, what steps will you take to improve? Let's put together that plan in today's episode. You can download your own plan here: https://spiderselite.com/plan Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

What do you do when you don't get what you want -- when you don't get to play the position that you want to play or hit where you want in the lineup? What do you as a parent do when your child doesn't get what they want? And what do you do as a coach when confronted by either about this? It's today's focus. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Most young hitters who struggle do so because they don't have a plan. Let's change that. A simple approach that any hitter can use to find more consistent results is Selective Aggression. Here's how it works... Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

There are some basic rules of baserunning that young players -- and coaches -- need to understand, and it's all related to risk and reward. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Winning should be a goal in youth sports. We should encourage competition and always try to win. The difference, though, is that our goal shouldn't be to win at all costs. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

When given the choice, allow your players to rely on their own instincts in games. Give them plays that they can call. Give fewer signs. Trust them and allow them to make mistakes that you can then work on to fix in practice. This approach may seem chaotic from the outside. But it helps create better and smarter baseball players. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

Coaches, I encourage you to limit the amount of coaching, correction, and instruction that you do during games. Use practices to work on situations that weren't executed properly. Then let the players apply that work to the game. This approach provides more purpose to practices, but it also removes some of the unnecessary noise and confusion for your players. Try it. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

A catcher's job isn't just catching and throwing the ball. While these may be the most visible, a great catcher satisfies several responsibilities that are more subtle and often go unnoticed. These roles may be less visible, but they are extremely important. The best catcher do these things. If you're a catcher, make them a priority. If you're a coach, make sure to coach them. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

I interviewed Southeast Little League (Davenport, IA) head coach Dave McFate on Friday about his team's journey to the Little League World Series and the experience up until that point. Coach McFate walks us through the Little League season from the regular season to the selection of All-Stars, Districts, Regionals, and now the LLWS in Williamsport. He also explains how both he and his players stay focused while under the public spotlight. Of course, we recorded this after their first game, a heartbreaking loss (but HUGE comeback) against Indiana. Since then, they've won games against both Washington and Utah and are scheduled to play their next game on Tuesday. Thanks so much to Coach McFate for sharing the behind-the-scenes experience from the Little League World Series. Take a listen, you'll love his insight! Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review.

This is a message for the little guys, who have been scrappy, hustling, and putting in work at young ages. I know it's frustrating. Your time will come. The gap will close. Do not give up! This is also a message for the big kids. Don't take your advantage as a big kid at young ages for granted. If you're not careful, those little guys will pass you up as they grow. And this is also for the coaches. Do not overlook those little guys. Keep encouraging them. You will be a big part of their eventual development. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!

We've talked before about why you should limit or eliminate the error for the purpose of evaluation of hitters, but it can be extended to your fielders, too. It's a huge adjustment for many, but it's so worth it. The error is a flawed stat that is subjective and lacks context. But it's really less about what the error DOESN'T say than anything. There are much better ways to evaluate defensive performance without worrying about assigning blame. Learn how the Spiders do it in this episode. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review from your favorite platform!

Before you join that new youth baseball team, make sure that you ask these basic questions before it's too late. You want to be sure the team is a good fit, and you can address any potential problems early by having some key questions ready. Some of these questions may seem obvious, but others are often neglected, and the coach may even appreciate that you're asking them. This will help you get on the same page early and feel better about your decision to either join the team or keep looking. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review so that you'll know the next time a new episode is published!

What I suggest here is going to make a lot of people crazy -- or think that I'm crazy. But, just for a minute, forget everything you think you know about scoring errors -- at least for when your own team is at bat. Let me rant. Allow me to make my argument for while you should limit, if not completely eliminate, the scoring of errors when your own team is batting. You may actually thank me for it later. If I can convince you of that, we'll discuss eliminating it when you're in the field. Oh, I know. That's craziness. One thing at a time. Don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review!