FUNGOMAN JOURNAL

A new year begins, and like many of us, we're thinking about new vision, bigger goals, and fresh ideas for 2016. As we think about the things we're looking forward to most, we can't help but look back and mark how far we've come since the inception of an automated baseball (and now softball) practice machine. We talk often about the art of practice and how to make it better. In one of our recent conversations about baseball practice, we thought we might share some of our thoughts on why FungoMan exists, what first inspired the idea, and what we all think practice should be about. Click here to watch Romy give some of his thoughts on coaching, baseball, and the art of practice.

Last week we did a baseball movie/coaching style assessment where close to 500 coaches weighed in to see if their favorite movie reflected their coaching philosophy. We think you might find the results as intriguing as we did, and you may discover some fascinating trends about where coaches fall on the coaching spectrum (more on that later). For the past several years our FungoMan team has gone to the ABCA conventions and enjoyed the benefits of participating in the baseball coaches community, including the wide variety of coaches representing every coaching philosophy you could imagine. One thing you're sure to find at the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention is this: People talking baseball. Read on to see what the talk is all about this coming convention.

"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." The source of all baseball wisdom, Yogi Berra, couldn't be more accurate. Especially when it comes down to the practice of communication plays. It's absolutely vital to carve out practice time for plays that rely on the verbal aspect of making the out. In the heat of the game, unprepared players panic with the pressure, forget to broadcast their presence, and inevitably find out all too late that their fellow comrades either assumed the other would rise to the occasion, or inevitably make contact with more than just the ball. So when it comes to focusing on communication, how do you educate your players on the most successful protocols for each game situation? Take a look at this infographic to discover the simple ingredients to instill confidence in your players when these fielding situations arise.