Coaches Debate: Internet Coaches, Dumb Drills & Bad Ideas

Dan Blewett and Andrew Sacks talk through internet false prophets peddling bad advice and inexperience, bad drills, the placebo effect, and the standard of evidence people should look for in baseball and softball training.
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Topics:
0:00 Inexperienced false prophet coaches
1:45 Skepticism in training methods
3:30 Placebo effect
6:50 Towel drill and other bad drills
10:30 Hurting your mechanics
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[@DanBlewett]

Do you maintain a healthy skepticism when learning from internet coaches? (including myself!)

[@bobfystro4935]

Great video: "in spite of" vs "because of" basically defines internet guru coaching. A lot of internet gurus coach results rather than actions. They watch video and see a player do something so they try to coach that result without realizing that a seperate action is what is causing the result.

[@user-eq5kr9vk7u]

Right on, lots of different things that work out there, and obviously work, weeding through the crap is what makes it hard for parents. But I myself have been able to pull the good stuff and apply different things from different people and apply those things to different kids. Not any one thing is going to work on every kid. Parents could learn alot from this video!

[@rookieslr]

This is a really good video, from a parent from the UK, who moved to North America several years ago, and never played the game. The unfortunate part of all, it's just like anything else in life, there are good products and bad products. It is also knowing what to sift through as a parent trying to advise their kids, and gaining the RIGHT knowledge to pass on. You, Dan...have been recommended to me via several baseball coaches, I even splashed out and bought a book of yours. When my preteen started playing baseball years ago, I was sucking up all the content on KZbin I could find, but now its down to 2-3 content creators, which are.....nah....I won't say, but 2 out of the 3 have played at the major league level, so that counts for something in my book. Please keep doing what you are doing....i find your content informative and easy to digest...considering the 'grey matter' in my head is on the decline!

[@DanBlewett]

thanks! glad ive been a help

[@antugg18]

I tend to agree with you. For me, baseball is becoming too technical, scientific and is over-coached. I had a D1 coach say the same thing. I asked him about Triple Extension a couple years ago and he said "What the he__ are you talking about? I just want guys who throw strikes!" For most kids, they just want to play. They have no aspirations of moving on. I try to break down hitting/pitching pictures of a few major leaguers into segments (certain points of the swing or pitch) then do the same with help from Rapsodo for our players. Then have them compare what they see. Most better players in the MLB do the same things at certain points but I also add a major leaguer or two who doesn't (such as a player who arm bars on his swing). This shows that you can get to that level doing things that aren't quite the norm and simply "we all aren't the same." A lot of it is God-given talent. I do think you are one of the better teachers of the game online. You obviously care and try to help the game. In the end, I try to pick and choose different drills and ideas from various guys online, let the kids try a few, and use those that seem to help them.

[@DanBlewett]

thanks, I appreciate the kind words - baseball is still not as complex as the modern world wants us to think it is. My "brand" here has always been clarity. I've been making my videos for a 13 year old & inexperienced parent comprehension level since day 1, and it's always on the coach to make their knowledge accessible to others. Guruism is when people make others feel like they need the guru to understand. I don't want that. I want people to walk away feeling excited that they've been able to decode something that previously felt complex.

[@antugg18]

@@DanBlewett You are doing that and well said on "guruism." Thanks!

[@digitalmdrealmd9124]

Decent swing for a pitcher. Had to laugh when you mentioned softball drills. Ugh, i cringe when i watch/hear many of the things that goes on with those girls and their drills. As far as healthy skepticism, there's a lot of good stuff on the web, unfortunately from my point of view there's way too much crap. As a former player that got there because I was too stubborn or maybe too stupid to quit, I think I know how to weed out the nonsense but its tough for the parent that maybe played high school ball and is just trying to find something to help out their kid. The gurus getting over analytical and telling everyone that only they know best because they have "broken it down" is definitely hurting our game. Also, as an MD i can attest that the placebo effect is a powerful thing.

[@RICKYSLOPPER]

thanks for all the tips coach, oir school ended up 2nd in the city meet, I might have started baseball a bit late but the improvements because of the slightest bit of help from you was big

[@jdsreid]

My son's pitching and general throwing mechanics have changed dramatically after throwing a football excessively.

[@DanBlewett]

Yeah that can happen. The mechanics are very different.

[@AJ-ju6qq]

Excellent video I’ve trained with Andrew Sacks and watched many of your videos, always very precise and informative.

[@jeffreypatrick5113]

Great video! I've really been like your videos with Andrew Sacks.

[@DanBlewett]

Thanks, it's a fun format for us - like a podcast - since we're longtime friends and don't see each other as often as we'd like.

[@JohnRayD]

Good info.., but that’s a suspect swing

[@DanBlewett]

I was a pro pitcher - I can hit the ball hard, but in no way claim (or care) about having a good swing.

[@mightymite3958]

What sux is these gurus out here making $$ off of crazy drills and even some school coaches

[@DanBlewett]

in my experience, most of the time the gadgets and gizmos that are invented to improve hitting or pitching mechanics don't do a lot, if anything, or people wont realistically stick with them so its not worth bothering. Some DO work, but most aren't worth the money.

[@gabepeeps1]

I think it’s funny that you 2 made this video. Same can be said of the drills you suggest. The both of you should show how every drill you suggest helps you and give examples of how it does. Then show a few pro players that say it has helped them for the exact purpose you suggested it. If not, then why should I believe you. Show me some sort of evidence that it works. Not just for you but for most players. Just playing devils advocate! I watch a ton of your vids and I teach some of the things you suggest to my kids. And I use other peoples drills also. Depends on the player if you ask me. Not all players respond to the same drills or training. AGAIN, I LOVE YOUR VIDEOS! I’m not hating at all. Just saying not all drills are stupid just because you think they are.

[@DanBlewett]

the video was the video.

[@hahnimus1]

I just watched this entire video waiting for some examples of bad drills vs good drills. This feels like click bait. No disrespect but how exactly does this video help someone without all the experience and certifications you guys claim to have in this video?? I am always skeptical of anything I read or see on the internet. Maybe give some examples of what actually works and why you guys know for a fact it actually works instead of spending 15 minutes on a video complaining about other peoples bad drills. At the very least in a video with this title give an example of a bad drill and explain why it is bad and maybe offer a suggestion for a good one.

[@DanBlewett]

...

[@hahnimus1]

My apologies. Was not trying to be disrespectful. I have watched a lot of your videos in the past and thought they were helpful. I understand what you guys are saying in this video but for someone like me who does not have the years experience and might not be able to tell the difference between an actual helpful drill vs a bad drill I was just hoping for a little more information or examples on what to look out for.@@DanBlewett

[@DanBlewett]

I do my best to make content that helps people. And what that looks like continues to evolve and may not live up to any single person’s expectations. Not everything can be actionable and immediately practical.

[@cwj9202]

Three minutes into the video, they mention three suspect drills. If you want to see those drills, google them. Simple.

[@andrewsacks1352]

I’d say while there are some drills that are universally “bad”. there aren’t really any universally “good” drills since drills are only “good” if they are fitted to the individual. So unless there’s a specific athlete in front of us with a problem to solve it’s more or less impossible to give an example of an alternative to a “bad” drill. And sometimes the solution to a problem is to just stop doing the thing that’s creating the problem. Our point with this video is to always maintain a healthy level of skepticism, ask questions, and think critically.