WarriorBaseball

Sage Slayden at 7 Years Old. Working on Hitting the Baseball with Authority. Jeremy Slayden works with his son on connecting with the baseball further out front as he learns to pull the ball.

After winning his second MLB World Series and being named MVP, Ben Zobrist hit the peak of his career. But when the win settled, he hit a wall of depression and a sense of lost purpose. After some difficult years soul searching and learning there was more to life than winning on the field, Ben created Champion Forward to empower athletes to thrive on and off the field by focusing on self investigation, emotional versatility, and mental wellness. “The truth is, the pressure to perform at the highest level often takes a toll on your mental and emotional well-being. And when you can identify your emotional experience and process it in a healthy way, you become a better leader and teammate.” Learn More at Championforward.org

Video Notes: I tried to cut out the tedious portions so that this video is watchable. Timestamps of different aspects of practice are below. 0 - 5:00: Basics of warm-up (catch and throw) 5:00 - 10:00: Losing fear of the baseball (proper glove position) 10:00 - 14:00: Proper ground ball fielding and throwing 14:00 - 48:00: Learning basic hitting setup and swing mechanics I apologize but my mic went out mid-way through the hitting section.

In this video I work with my young son on developing rhythm with a slow load prior to hitting the baseball. Many young kids struggle with this concept and it was cool to see a breakthrough! I also break out one of my old wooden bats to show you how to stay inside the baseball, use the whole field, and a drill that will keep your shoulders level rather than collapsing the backside, which was my biggest swing flay for years. From Little League to the Pro level, these simple drills and swing thoughts work!

One of the most important aspects of a day at the field with your son is your own demeanor as a parent or coach. Achieving the balance of having fun while providing solid instruction is key. This video is for parents with young Tee-Baller or Coach Pitch age kids that struggle with attention or receiving instruction. This includes some skill building drills built into mini-challenges to keep it exciting. We spent about 50 minutes on the field, but this video is edited down to under 20 minutes for easy viewing.

One of the most important aspects of a day at the field with your son is your own demeanor as a parent or coach. Achieving the balance of having fun while providing solid instruction is key. This video is for parents with young ballplayers who want to see some skill building drills that also shows the flow of a day at the park. We spent about 80 minutes on the field, but this video is edited down to under 30 minutes for easy viewing.