WYC 083 – Youth Baseball – Troy Silva talks 9 Innings of Hitting

Troy Silva is the author of the #1 bestselling book on Amazon & iTunes for coaching baseball - 9 Innings of Hitting. Troy spends his days coaching baseball at Rijo Athletics in the Seattle area. Troy has spent his life playing and coaching baseball, including being drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1997 and playing 6 years of professional baseball. Troy is married and has 3 beautiful children. Book: 9 Innings of Hitting Twitter: @TroyPSilva Facebook: /Rijo-Athletics-Baseball-Softball-49661522946 Websites: rijoathletics.com ; rijobaseball.tv Listen Now: Listen on iTunes: iTunes link Listen on Stitcher: Stitcher link Listen on Google Play Music: Google Play link - Quote 'Hitters have to be smart enough to have a  good approach and dumb enough to get in there and hit.' Pretty swings vs. developing consistent swings in players Swing instruction is different than hitting instruction - you need someone to develop the concept of hitting. It starts with the swing, but that's just the first step in the process of hitting. Each individual has different needs Early on while Troy was coaching - he realized that kids weren't necessarily getting better, they were just looking better. He was trying to teach them all one way to swing, instead of working with each individual's strengths. Mental Toughness There is a huge difference between expecting to hit the ball vs. trying to hit the ball Mental approach actually has a physical effect on batspeed Mental approach - how do you not overthink when at the plate? 'Hitters have to be smart enough to have a  good approach and dumb enough to get in there and hit.' 'Free hitters up to be athletic and just get in there and compete' Quiet the mind - it's ok to be thinking about 1 thing while at bat - just don't start complicating it by thinking of 5 or 10 different things you need to do Teaching progression A great start is just to have kids watch their favorite big-leaguer and copy what they are seeing. Start with mechanics. Then it comes down to the individual and what they need to become a productive hitter. Great progression chart in the book 9 Innings of Hitting Should we teach the ‘oppo first’ approach when setting up our batting practices? You should learn power first and how to swing hard BEFORE learning how to hit to the opposite field HIT - Honor, Integrity, Truth As a Christian, Troy uses baseball to be a light in a dark world. As a coach your job is to be a mentor and positive influence in these young peoples' lives. The One that got away Being drafted as a pitcher was really tough for Troy Best borrowed/stolen idea Ed Sheft - Mental toughness - You have to know you are better than your competitor Favorite coaching/leadership quote/book Personal experience is the best teacher Rijo Athletics and 9 Innings of Hitting Online video hitting/fielding portal with over 300 videos: rijobaseball.tv Book by Jose Rijo: Creating Winning Relationships through Sports - Reviews are the lifeblood of the podcast!- If you like the podcast- please take 2 minutes to write a review! Click here Ready to be an Awesome Youth Coach? Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: