I like being the coach I wished I had

Ever since my dad bought me my first pack of baseball cards when I was a young boy I've loved the game of baseball.

My parents signed me up for a local YMCA baseball league.

But I also had a lot of fun playing with the neighborhood kids, pickle, 3 flies up, and games in the bean fields.

When we moved to Ventura, CA when I was 10 my dad put a batting tee-like thing in the backyard that I would hit and hit.

And during the summers we'd go to the local playground and play softball every day.

The love for the game and the dreams of playing it kept flourishing in me.

My parents signed me up to play in a league that played on the same field as the local college team played on.

But I don't remember any of the coaches giving me advice on how I could get better.

So when I entered high school all of 5'4" and 100 pounds I didn't even try out for the high school team and to make matters worse I was going through my gangly growth spurt at that time so any skills I had were almost non-existent.

But the love of the game was still there. I was planning on using my math skills to become a baseball statistician.

Then something amazing happened...

So off to Virginia Tech to become a baseball statistician, but I took one of those tests that measure your strengths and aptitudes and found that I related more to my times on the playgrounds and changed my major to recreation (the science of helping people maximize their free time pursuits).

So I changed my major and retreated to Northern Virginia Community College and it was there that one of my classmates, Drew, asked me to help him coach his nephew's Little League team.

Helping kids get better at the game I loved, WOW!

I moved back to Ventura and finished college there and at Cal State University, Northridge.

It was there that I learned more about coaching as they had a college class in the "Theory of Baseball Coaching" taught by a coach who had just won the NCAA Div1-a championship and worked a summer job led by John Wooden, 10-time NCAA championship coach, and was assigned to work at a local park where the director was a national championship HS girls softball coach.

I started coaching our church's softball team and started winning championships right away.

In the process, I also started improving in the game, so much so that I was invited to try out for the college baseball team.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure what makes for a player to be at the college level and even though I didn't miss any fly balls in the outfield or ever strike out at the plate, I was cut.

But I was approached by one of the girls at our church to see if I would coach her friends. I didn't know it then, but saying "yes" to her, changed my life.

I never imagined that 50 years later, I would still be helping kids in both baseball and softball get better at playing the game, hitting the ball, fielding, and throwing and catching.

Many of these girls went on and won 2 national titles in High School and some even played for the national championship in college.

After 25 years of coaching, people started seeking me out to help their kids get better so I started giving private lessons in addition to helping with my son's little league teams, including the all-star team.

In short, I'm helping parents who don’t know how to help their kids or how to coach the kids on their team, how to hit correctly and with power, and how to get them throwing and catching correctly.

Here were kids who listened to what I had to say and put it into play during the games and as a result, we were very successful.

I'm doing this because so many parents of these kids were in the same shoes as my parents were, not knowing how to make their kids' love of the game expand to the point of getting their first hit, making an all-star team, making the high school team or even play in college and now I get to be that coach for them.

I’ve also seen how amazing life can be when your kids get their first hit, their first home run, make a game-winning play, or make that special team they were shooting for, whether it's all-stars, high school, or even that college scholarship or pro contract.

The life lessons the kids learn along the way can change their lives forever.

I never imagined that 50 years later, I would still be helping kids in both baseball and softball get better, playing the game, hitting the ball, fielding, and throwing and catching.

I love helping people who are just like I was long ago.

Nobody is born knowing how to hit. Nobody is born knowing even how to throw and catch correctly.

But the cool thing is all that can be learned. In fact, a lot of times it’s easier for people with no playing experience because they don’t have to UNLEARN anything. They just need to jump into action.

This is super important to me because I’ve seen how much kids want to have success and the joy they and their parents get when it all comes together.

What an amazing story...

Reach Out To Let Me Know What You Think

I’d love to know more about where you and your kid(s) are in their baseball/softball journey right now.

Go ahead and hit reply to this email For now, I’d love to get your feedback on what I just shared with you. Do you have kids who love to play but are unsure how to help them get better? Are you sure that what they are being taught is the right way to do it?

I’d love to know more about where you and your kid(s) are in their baseball/softball journey right now.

Go ahead and hit reply to this email or leave a comment on any of my videos on my My YouTube Channel or reach out to me on Facebook on my Facebook Page or on Twitter
. I monitor the inbox and even though I’m not always able to reply, I read every message I get.

Enjoy the rest of your day :-),

Coach Andy Collins

6801 Dove St. Ventura, CA 93003

805-642-5827

Author of the books How to Make All Stars: the secrets and techniques that will help you make the team

My Baseball Journal: A notebook to record your goals, new knowledge, and memories

My Softball Journal: A notebook to record your goals, new knowledge, and memories

and videos Dynamic Hitting Practice for Youth Baseball

Dynamic Hitting Practice for Youth Softball

Fielding and Throwing Skills and Drills for Youth Baseball