Jack Perconte

How to Develop Mental Toughness in Athletes

Recently, a friend asked how important mental toughness is in athletes and if it could be taught. He believed an article teaching mental toughness could help athletes. I agreed but discovering the key to mental toughness had to be found and ways to teach ... Read >

How to Have a Compact Baseball Swing & Help Hitters Who Lunge, Overstride and Step Out

Most youth baseball players have long swings. A long swing is either one where the bat barrel starts too far from correct hitting position or one that takes a detour from the direct path to the contact area, or both. Long swings lead to most hitting probl... Read >

Throwing a Baseball Faster

There is no overnight solution to how to throw a baseball faster, but players who follow these tips can improve their throwing speeds. It should be noted that throwing a baseball faster, increasing arm speed and developing arm strength are basically the s... Read >

Positive Youth Sports Perspective Sign-up Campaign Starts Here

There are certain phrases that are repeated over and over in the world of youth sports. One of these phrases is "Keep it in perspective." Most sports parent and coaches correctly understand this phrase to mean "Hey, it's only a game" and "They are just ki... Read >

When Parents Should Coach Their Own Child

Many parents have a difficult time deciding whether they should coach their own child and many parents coach their own when they probably should not. For some parents and children, this situation of having mom or dad coaching proves to be a rewarding expe... Read >

Teaching Youth Athletes to Be Responsible People

It is human nature for observers to analyze athletes' actions and performances. It is also natural to praise or criticize athletes for what they did and is that is part of being a fan. Wondering why an athlete did something is why there are TV sports anal... Read >

One Thing All Accomplished Youth Sports Coaches Do

Almost every practice I watch involving youth sports teams, I notice players warm up with little or no teaching being done. The first 10 to 20 minutes of practice is usually spent performing the basics of sport without any teaching, making this warm up ti... Read >

How to Develop Patience with Your Kids in Sports

It is extremely common for parents of athletes to have no, or to lose, patience when it comes to dealing with their kids sports performances. Often, they do not understand why their child does not have success. Having patience with youth in sports is a lo... Read >

How to Become a Professional Athlete

One answer, of course, is the same as the answer to "How to get to Carnegie Hall?" - practice, practice, practice. That may be a part of the answer but that is too simple, and that does not automatically work for most athletes. There are many hard-working... Read >

Helping Athletes Get Out of a Slump

Helping young athletes get out of playing slumps can be difficult. Most young players do not have the experience yet to cope with slumps and this turns into a trying time for young athletes. High-tech video analysis and expert coaches are usually not foun... Read >

How to Build Great Team Chemistry in Youth Sports

Building team chemistry is always a challenge for youth sport coaches. Trying to mold numerous personalities and different skill- level athletes into a cohesive unit is difficult, even for professional and college coaches. Expecting, often-untrained youth... Read >

When and How to Confront an Athlete's Coach

Sports parents often have a biased opinion of their child's talent, with many believing their son or daughter has star potential. Over my years of coaching, many parents have told me that they believed their child had great talent when, in my opinion, the... Read >

Most Important Thing Coach John Wooden Taught Youth Sport Coaches

I know what you are thinking, 'Youth sports coaches can learn tons of things from the greatest coach of all.' That is, of course, so true. But the one thing that sticks out in my mind is not the most obvious one. Coach John Wooden often said that he felt ... Read >

Positive Coaching Creates Positive Parents

Most negative experiences in athletics are caused by tension between coaches and sports' parents. Issues arise because athletes and/or parents feel like the coach is being unfair. It is human nature for athletes and their parents to overrate the athlete's... Read >

Ways to Help Youth Athletes Overcome Fear and Nervousness

A common occurrence in youth sports is to see youth athletes that allow their fears and nerves get the best of them. Fear of failure, extreme nervousness and fear of injury are three common situations displayed by young athletes. These nerves and fears in... Read >