Latest / UNCOACHED / The Mental Side of Baseball: Building Confident Young Pitchers
Transcript
- Brad (00:00) Welcome to Uncoached, a podcast for volunteer coaches and parents figuring out youth sports as we go. Each episode we keep things simple. Five questions to talk about, practical insights you can actually use with your youth athletes. I'm super excited about my guest today. His name is Chris Bradley. He's the founder of Bradley Pitching Lab. Chris is a former collegiate pitcher who spent more than a decade helping young baseball players develop their skills and confidence on the mound. Today we're talking about the mental side of pitching, how young athletes can handle pressure and bounce back from mistakes. Brad (00:29) And what parents and coaches can do to help kids become more confident and resilient competitors. Chris, I'm super excited to talk about this. It's an area I've wanted to get into, and I'm glad I found a master of the mind, if you will, out there that are we're gonna talk a little bit about pitching. And so let me turn it over to you and let me hear from you. Give me some background and let folks know who you are. Christopher Bradley (00:49) Yeah, thank you so much, Brad, for having me on and interviewing me here and having me talk about my experience. So, hi everybody, my name is Chris Bradley. I'm the founder of Bradley Pitching Lab. I've been in business now for about four years where I run one on one trainings with pitchers. my experience as a player, I was born and raised in Morgan Hill, California, where I now run my business. Christopher Bradley (01:11) I played at New Mexico State University where I was a left-handed pitcher. I had such a great experience from the youth level, developing as a young pitcher, learning from a lot of great coaches, great mentors, that helped me get to the next level. And now I feel like it's kind of my calling and my duty now to pass it along to the next generation. So you know, for over the last twelve plus years or so I've been coaching now. and I just saw a great deal of value. Christopher Bradley (01:38) on the pitching side of the game. there's a as you know, a lot of struggles that younger pitchers and pitchers in general experience. the mental side of the game is right, dealing with adversity is a huge piece. So I thought no better way to impact the future generation by starting my own pitching business, working one on one where I do see the most value in terms of getting information to players that they need to ultimately continue to grow as a pitcher and develop as a player to get to where they want to go. So Christopher Bradley (02:05) been honing in strictly on my community here. I'm very much a community guy. so I focus on on our local communities and developing the players to the best of their abilities. Brad (02:15) Yeah, and if there's an area of baseball or softball that really I think needs some some focus, probably the most stressful spot on the field I would say is the pitcher, at least with the mental Brad (02:27) side of things. I mean, pitchers and catchers, a lot is riding on their shoulders, but pitchers, man, nothing can feel a little bit more alone when you're on the mound. Brad (02:35) if you get into a bad Christopher Bradley (02:35) Absolutely. Brad (02:36) bad funk, right? And that we're gonna we're gonna try and help some people out with their mental approach to the game and that's why I'm super excited because I know there's a lot of kids that struggle and and we're gonna help them out. Christopher Bradley (02:45) Yes, absolutely, Brad. And I'm I'm excited to share my insights and expertise to help the future generation work through some of those obstacles. Brad (02:53) you know, pitching, like we're talking about, it feels unique because when things start going wrong, there's really nowhere to hide. You're out there alone. I think that game can feel like you're sitting on the pitcher's shoulders. So let's just jump right into it. Like what what do you teach young pitchers about handling that pressure and staying composed when things aren't necessarily going their way? Christopher Bradley (03:12) Yeah, that's a great question, Brad. so just a little background. My one-on-one trainings, I work with anywhere from about 40 to 60 pitchers a week. the first thing that I do with any pitcher that I work with is before I look at mechanics, pitches, anything like that, we start talking about some of those moments. because I've seen the most talented pitcher you know, crumble in in tighter moments, right? So we need to understand the mental side of things. I Christopher Bradley (03:38) made an oath to myself and my community that we would hone in on the mental side of pitching, right? Because that to me is as valuable as locating a fastball. It's as valuable as right being able to control the run game, et cetera. So the mental side, I spend, you know, most of the time in my an hour evaluation, I spend about 20 minutes just talking to the player. cause I think a lot of times when I, you know, experiencing youth athletes in general, Christopher Bradley (04:03) usually there's a misunderstanding and a mis perception on what is reality, right, as it pertains to pitching. I would say ninety percent of the young pitchers I s I work with and speak to, when they get nervous, it's just their thoughts are roaming in places we shouldn't be thinking about, right? if I Brad (04:20) Right, right. Christopher Bradley (04:20) throw another ball, is coach gonna pull me out, or what is mom and dad thinking, or right. Christopher Bradley (04:26) I'm letting my team down. It's usually around a lot of negative thoughts. So what I really do from the mental side of things, especially with my pitchers, positivity and understanding. The understanding is you're in that moment because coach trusts you over anybody to execute in that situation, right? So have confidence, focus on what you need to do to be successful, which is usually one thing. And that's something I, you know, working with pitchers one on one, we dive into a little bit deeper. But it's just embracing the moment. I tell, you know. Christopher Bradley (04:56) I would say eleven, twelve year old pitchers when they get to that age. pressure's a privilege. Brad (05:00) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (05:00) you know, and ultimately, the higher levels they go, you know, and I explained to kids you're ten years old. It's not like you're in the minors in Iowa, right? And if you have another bad start, you're gonna be sent home. I mean, we're ten, eleven years old, there is another game, there's something to be learned from an opportunity. Brad (05:16) I like the way you you put the the positivity first and that mental side first because it is such a huge part of things. let me ask you this like in your in your training to handle some of that mental stuff, I know it's it's helpful to talk about it and provide that support, but are there some things that volunteer coaches could do to to increase some pressure type situations in a practice to help maybe get that mentality there? It's Brad (05:40) Nothing's gonna top like the game scenario, right? But may are there's some things you can do in practice that could maybe help that out a little bit. Christopher Bradley (05:46) Yeah, so and this is something that I do with, I do contract with teams as well during the season. There's a local organization here called the Morgan Hill Toros that is a very elite program. and something that I've seen them do that works very well, trying to create the game situation in practice as best you can. As you alluded to, it's very hard to, you know, put a hundred fans in the stands, right? Put an umpire behind the plate and kind of create that. But, you know, we do everything we can in terms of in practice. Christopher Bradley (06:15) Hey, base is loaded, three, two count. We have to execute this pitch, right? If not, we lose the championship game. they do some things where, right, they might do a conditioning before and then have the pitcher go out on the mound a little bit tired and have to work through those things. Deep breath, work, focus, right, and then just work you and the catcher. Because one thing mentally that I really try to get my young pitchers to hone in on when they are in those moments, is it's just you and the catcher in the backyard throwing a bull. Christopher Bradley (06:43) You're just throwing another pitch, right? And I think the more that we can kind of normalize those big situations, I think the better we'll be able to work through those. And I've seen a lot of good success. not that this is the end all be all, but we have a couple of players locally, 10, 12 you that's, you know, making all state teams and, you know, playing at a very high level. And one thing I see is just when it comes to stress moments or pressure situations, they tend to handle them better. Christopher Bradley (07:10) one thing I would encourage all youth coaches to understand when it comes to youth development and especially pitching, this is a process and being able to see what the pitcher's struggling with and helping them kind of overcome those in the future is is development for me. And I think, you know, I've experienced this a lot with pitchers in games is that once they struggle, how do they respond to that? I think is very important. And I as a coach try to stay as positive as possible. Christopher Bradley (07:38) I think some things that I do tell my pitchers in games that do help them is hey, deep breath and you just focus on you and the catcher, right? And there's a term that we use a lot, I use a lot with my pitchers, and it's called body direction. Body direction is just focusing on moving your body straight towards the catcher, right? When Brad (07:56) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (07:56) we do that, it will help create accuracy on each pitch. and just back to the perspective thing, when I am talking to young pitchers, one thing I do talk about is Christopher Bradley (08:05) I did a stat on MLB pitchers and complete games this year and I looked up their strike percentage because I'll ask all young pitchers, if I'm your head coach and I put you into the game and you throw 10 pitches, how many do you think I'm expecting to be strikes? Brad (08:19) Right. Christopher Bradley (08:20) how many nine or ten out of tens I hear? And I just explained to them that I mean that's not realistic. Yeah, that's not realistic, right? So Brad (08:23) Right. Right. Right. Christopher Bradley (08:27) I think when we look at Christopher Bradley (08:29) strike percentage for MLB pitchers that throw complete games, it's anywhere between 62 and 68%. So we're not Brad (08:35) Yeah, yep. Christopher Bradley (08:36) even seven out of ten, and that's complete games, right? So a lot of times when I tell pitchers that, they go, coach, that's like almost half like that's a little bit more than half. And I'm like, exactly. Brad (08:45) Yeah, that's a Christopher Bradley (08:47) So it's not a big deal if we throw a ball, right? We understand our miss, we understand the adjustment we need to make, and we go work to execute, right? With the understanding that Christopher Bradley (08:55) We're humans. We're not going to be perfect here. Right. and I usually ask young pitchers, who's your favorite pitcher in the major leagues? And I oftentimes hear Paul Skeens, Tariq Scuball, the Miz, right? And Brad (09:04) Mm-hmm. Yeah. Christopher Bradley (09:06) I'll go pull up their season stats and there's times they can't get through the third inning, right? So and Brad (09:11) Right, right. Christopher Bradley (09:11) then I turn to them and I say, Well, you're eleven years old. Do you think you're gonna be better than that? And they're like, Well, probably not. So it's just Brad (09:18) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (09:18) trying to get that, I think, perspective and understanding, right? Brad (09:22) Yeah, and oftentimes it feels like like baseball is a game of failure sometimes. And Christopher Bradley (09:26) Yes. Brad (09:27) it's like the ones that rise above everybody else are the ones that can mentally get over it quickly and just move on, right? And just keep pressing forward, kinda to what you're saying, your body forward, right? Christopher Bradley (09:37) Yes, a hundred percent. And I tell young kids all the time, and this is of course just my perspective, just coaching for as long as I have and playing at the level that I did. When you get to a certain point in your career, everybody is extremely talented. Now, what helps you kind of overcome and kind of set yourself apart is the mental side of the game, is the understanding how do you work through adversity, right? and I tell a lot of my, you know, younger pitchers, like, I was I'm not a big guy. Christopher Bradley (10:06) at all. And, I went to New Mexico State and I was, the number one starting pitcher my senior year. And I just attest to that to my mindset and my approach to the game and understanding. and that's kind of what helped me compete at a very high level, being five eleven, a hundred and sixty-five pounds. So Brad (10:21) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (10:22) I think the approach and the mindset will supersede raw abilities. And I tell players all the time that's why we just gotta keep working, we gotta keep ba gaining a better understanding, and just keep Christopher Bradley (10:32) working through the process because nobody's gonna be a major leaguer today. Yankees aren't gonna sign a 12 year old here to tomorrow. So we just have to understand Brad (10:38) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (10:40) the process. And right, I think the best life lessons is comes from failure, right? And we have to be put in those opportunities and we have to, you know, experience both sides of it to understand what we need to do to get better. And that's my approach and that's where I try to stay positive with all my players, right? Because as you know, if a kid pitches from 10 to 18, Christopher Bradley (11:01) We're not throwing complete games every time we touch the mound. So there's gonna be times, you know, and I'll give you a quick story. My junior year in college couldn't have ended any worse. I started against Dallas Baptists. winner went to a regional, and I didn't make it out of the first inning. Brad (11:14) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (11:15) I had a decision to make in between my junior and senior year. What do I really wanna do and who do I wanna be? and I worked the hardest I did in any offseason and Christopher Bradley (11:24) I came back and had a pretty decent senior year. So I just tell guys all the time and I share my experiences because that's that's where growth comes from. Brad (11:32) Yeah. you're you're spot on. I I don't want to speak for any of those professional pitchers that you're talking about, but I would imagine if you ask them what's made them the person they are today, it's going through their youth, having some tough situations learning from that. And so right now you're on the road with a lot of these youth players who they face it and there's so much pressure on them, but it's really what's gonna help build the person that they're gonna become and the athlete they're gonna become. Christopher Bradley (11:55) absolutely, absolutely. And it's you know, the joy of doing this for so long is right, my first I would call it round of coaching of players. I mean, they're seniors in college or just graduating and they're getting Brad (12:06) That's awesome. Christopher Bradley (12:06) into professional careers. And you don't know how many times I get calls from those guys and they're like, Coach, like I'm per I'm successful my professional career because of these things you taught me through the game of baseball. Brad (12:17) That's awesome. Christopher Bradley (12:17) And I think for me that's that's why I enjoy doing what I do because it's not just an impact directly into the game of baseball, but Christopher Bradley (12:25) It applies, far throughout your life, right? So I think it just kind of molds a person and, you know, who they become. And, you know, now I'm, you know, ex ex you know, executives that I used to coach now or kind of implementing some of the teaching philosophies that I had for them when they were young. So it's just super cool Brad (12:41) Right. Christopher Bradley (12:41) to hear. Brad (12:42) No, it's the there's no bigger compliment, I think, for a coach than to to have some folks come back to them and say, Hey, you did this way back when and you've impacted my life today. It's just it's just super it's just super f makes you feel better, right? Christopher Bradley (12:53) That's Christopher Bradley (12:54) absolutely Brad, and that's why I just I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing 'cause it just it's so rewarding. Brad (12:59) Yeah. So we've alluded to this a couple times. We're talking about how to reset on the mound, but let's let's Christopher Bradley (13:04) Mm-hmm. Brad (13:05) get into some specifics if you don't mind. let's say young Christopher Bradley (13:07) Mm-hmm. Brad (13:07) pitchers walked a couple batters, they give up a big hit, or they just can't find the zone. What can they actually be doing on the mound to reset mentally? and not let the bad stuff creep in and just continue on. Christopher Bradley (13:21) Yeah, no, that's a that's a very good question. And that's a question I get a lot from players, families, Brad (13:25) I'm sure. Yeah. Christopher Bradley (13:26) and coaches. I think for me it's about resetting. you know, kids I'm sure hear that term a lot. What does that mean? Resetting means just clear your mind and whatever has happened is gone. It's done. There's nothing we can do about it. It's about getting on track, and getting on track takes one pitch, right? So Brad (13:44) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (13:44) Once pitchers and I've seen this over and over again, and I just saw this yesterday in our championship game for my tenu team, we were throwing our ace and he was struggling early. mound visit told him to reset his mind. We're restarting the game, right? This is first pitch, whatever's happened, we're done, we're flushing it, we're moving on. He got back on track and was able to pitch into the fourth inning for us. So for me, I think like anything else in life, if you let things manifest, you let things build, the results we want usually don't come. Christopher Bradley (14:14) when we reset, we refocus, we start over, erase the whiteboard. It usually helps players kind of reset and get on track. you know, some things that I know we talked about this prior, but as a coach for me, I always tell my pitchers, hey, everything looks good, focus on this one thing, right? Because Brad (14:31) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (14:32) a lot of times pitchers think, my front foot, my front shoulder, my arm slot, my release point, and it's like you're confusing me, right? Brad (14:39) Right, Brad (14:40) yeah. Christopher Bradley (14:40) Focus Christopher Bradley (14:40) on one thing, you knock that down and you will see a higher percentage of success, right? and it's going back to that sixty two to sixty seven percent, right? For me, ten, eleven years old, fifty five to sixty is fine. I just I use that fifty percent threshold as kind of, you know, the mark, if you will. Brad (14:58) Yeah, and I think that mindset, I I love it because I think that translates to any sport really. So if you you know, if you're listening and you've got a an athlete or you're coaching a team and they're struggling with anything, I think, you know, Chris, what I hear you saying is like let's make that game a lot smaller and more manageable. Let them find Christopher Bradley (15:14) Yes, hundred percent. Brad (15:16) a win really quickly, Christopher Bradley (15:18) Okay. Brad (15:18) build that confidence and you take steps at a time to get to the bigger picture. Christopher Bradley (15:22) hundred percent you couldn't have said that any better, Red. I couldn't have said that any better. That was spot on. Spot on. That Brad (15:26) I you said it. You said it. I was just building on it. Brad (15:30) so when you talk about building confidence in pitchers you work with, where does that confidence on the mound really come from? and how do you help a kid who has the physical ability but maybe doesn't believe in themselves yet? Christopher Bradley (15:42) Yeah, no, that's a great question. And as you could imagine, I I see quite quite a few of those weekly. I think for me, it's just what I try to do as a pitching coach, confidence comes from preparation, right? Brad (15:53) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (15:53) and any pitcher that comes and sees me, I explain to them, we're preparing them for for battle, right? We're preparing them for the game moments and them seeing me, I'm giving them the tools that they need. So when they find themselves in certain situations, this is what we revert to and this is what's gonna help us get back on track. Christopher Bradley (16:11) So when kids hear that and they understand that and rationalize with that, it's a lot easier for them to execute and kind of get bit back on track during the game. So one thing that's just the biggest thing is the preparation and right when you're putting in the extra work, a lot of guys aren't doing that. Right. So when you show up, excuse me, and you're competing against them, you already have the upper hand. And you know, kind of the one thing I do tell my pitchers as a confidence piece is. Christopher Bradley (16:38) When you tow the rubber, no matter who you face, you have the advantage. Most hitters Brad (16:42) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (16:43) aren't gonna hit over 500, and that's a coin flip. Everything else, the advantage is on your side. So you should have all the confidence in the world to go attack the zones, fill it up. You got seven, eight guys behind you to make plays for you. And your job is to get weak contact. It's not a game of strikeout. We're not playing wiffle ball in the backyard. Brad (17:01) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (17:01) your job is to attack the zone, fill it up, and trust your stuff, right? So Brad (17:05) Yeah, Brad (17:05) yeah. Christopher Bradley (17:05) I Christopher Bradley (17:06) think just having that confidence on the mound, and I've experienced this working with over five hundred pitchers over the last two years is that I just see a great deal of just confidence. And I get all these text messages, you know, and phone calls of Johnny pitched this week and he's done the best he's ever done. And I can just tell as soon as he touched the mound, he just he had way more confidence. And I said, Well, confidence usually leads to better results than anything you do in life, right? So Christopher Bradley (17:32) That's the one thing. And that's why I try not to beat kids up too much when they do have bad starts. Because once again, it's the perspective of man, this is baseball and it is a game of failure. And that's why ultimately you see a lot of athletes come from basketball, football. And I was a three sport athlete, okay, but you see a lot of athletes that try to play baseball and they can't do it. You see a lot of baseball players that will go do other sports and they usually transition pretty well. Christopher Bradley (17:59) just because of the mental side that they're used, that they can accumulate over the game of baseball, right? it is a very hard game. It is a game of failure, right? I think just from my personal experience, I think the only other sport other than baseball that I can put up there is probably golf. just in terms of Brad (18:14) Yeah, yeah, for sure. Christopher Bradley (18:15) the mental side, right? You shank a shot and it's like, man, I wanna throw my club. But you know, Brad (18:20) That's right. Christopher Bradley (18:20) just and and I I take my same approach to my golf game as I try to teach these pitchers, right? You're gonna have a couple bad ones, right? Christopher Bradley (18:27) Refocusing in, making the adjustments, whatever that may be to help you execute your next shots is all you can do, or your next pitches in baseball. Brad (18:34) Yeah. A hundred Brad (18:36) percent. And I you said something I want to go back to, and it's something we've we've talked to, you know, on the on the t baseball teams we've been on and the softball teams we've been on is to to the pitcher, like, hey, I know it feels like the end of the world probably if the pi if the guy batting gets a hit, but you have other people behind you. You are on a team. I know it feels like you're all alone, but kind of to what you're saying, like you've got a team. Like, you do have people supporting you, rooting for you, pulling for you. Brad (19:01) So if they get it in play, it's their job, right? It's their turn to to make the play. And so it's like Christopher Bradley (19:01) Yes. Yes. Yes. Brad (19:06) I think that can help build a little bit of confidence too. And and you said that earlier, but man, I think it's important for Christopher Bradley (19:08) yeah. Brad (19:10) those kids to realize too. Christopher Bradley (19:12) And just just to piggyback off that, Brad, because you bring up a good point. and another thing I talk to my pitchers about is controlling the controllables and what that means, right? Brad (19:20) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (19:21) 'Cause a lot of pitchers I see them get frustrated if they throw a good pitch and the umpire calls a ball and that they just go off the right. There's nothing you can do about that. Your job Brad (19:29) Right. Christopher Bradley (19:29) is to execute a good pitch, right? Umpire calls a bad that's part of the game. Defense makes an error, part of the game, right? Christopher Bradley (19:36) But are you doing what you need to do to control what you can control? Which all it is executing the next pitch, making your adjustments. That is it. Forcing weak contact. That is that is your job. That's what you're trying to do, pitch to pitch, right? And that's all you can control. And I think that's where, you know, even in life, there's a lot of, you know, applicable things that are to life, right? you can focus on what you can focus on, control what you can control. And Christopher Bradley (20:03) Right. Let the cards be where they are. So I think for me that's a that's a huge, huge point there. Brad (20:09) For sure. And I'm gonna no pun intended, I'm gonna throw you little bit of a curveball, a different question here. Christopher Bradley (20:13) No, please. Brad (20:15) it seems like there's a there's in baseball, there's a in softball, there's a really good relationship between the pitcher and the catcher. And so Christopher Bradley (20:21) Mm-hmm. Brad (20:22) we're talking about pitcher mentality, but are there some things maybe you could recommend to catchers out there that they could do to help their pitchers when it comes to this mentality? I know we're talking like a coach talking to a a pitcher about resetting and taking a deep breath, but Brad (20:38) Are there things that you've done in the past with catchers that said, hey, you know, you can work and you can actually help your pitcher by taking a timeout, doing something right behind the plate that actually helps calm them down a bit? Maybe you could have some insight on that. Christopher Bradley (20:50) Yeah, absolutely. And that's a very good question. And as I've been progressing, catching is a huge part of pitching success. I don't know how else to cut that. I think one thing I do work with my catchers on is you're the coach on the field. You have a different Brad (21:04) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (21:04) view than everybody else, right? and a lot of times the pitcher, if they don't feel alone, they feel like the only person that's next to them is their catcher, right? So obviously a very basic thing that I teach my catchers is Christopher Bradley (21:16) You see your pitcher start to get frustrated or flustered a little bit or lose his command, call timeout and go talk to him and help him reset, right? And we talk about it as a team of what are some things we can do, because on my teams mostly everybody pitches. What are some things we all can do to help each other out? I expect my shortstop to do the same thing, right? Call timeout, go talk to him. Hey, bud, all we need is a ground ball here. I'm gonna roll two for you and we're out of the inning, buddy. Like just Brad (21:42) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (21:42) go release point out in front. Christopher Bradley (21:44) Pound the knees, get a ground ball, and I'm ready to turn two and we're off the field, bud. Right. And that just shows that helps the pitcher say, okay, I know I'm struggling. I feel like the weight's on my shoulders. I got a team behind me that's ready to go to work and kind of help me out a little bit, right? So Brad (21:59) Right. Christopher Bradley (21:59) from a catching perspective, there's hand gestures, right? We do this, means just, hey, calm down, relax. It's just me and you, right? calling timeout, going and talking to them, helping them reset. it might be. Christopher Bradley (22:11) Just right mixing up some things in terms of, Brad (22:14) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (22:14) hey, I'm gonna call two pickoffs here in a row just to mix up some timing for him to let him get back in sync, right? there's just some mental kind of verbal cues that I kind of work with catchers and I would say even shortstops as well to really help the pitcher out because as you know from a youth level, catcher shortstop are typically the leaders on the field. and I do, you know, even at a young age, kind of challenge youngers. Christopher Bradley (22:37) players to step up and start being leaders and what that looks like and how to communicate to their teammates to ultimately help get back on track. Brad (22:44) that's awesome. I I love the I love the thought process. And thanks for the glimpse behind the scenes a little bit. I think I I don't know that too many people are talking about what what we can do mentally on the field during the game. Besides, you know, I'm focused on coaches and stuff, but I think a lot comes from leaders on the team too. So it's it's awesome. Christopher Bradley (22:59) Yes. Well, and Christopher Bradley (23:00) I'll yeah, and I'll be, transparently from my point of view, Brad. the generation coming behind us is very talented, very physical. I just the the lack of baseball IQ, the lack of understanding is is just a big hole or big gap that I see. so for me as a coach, I see it as kind of my duty to help close that gap because as we as we know and have alluded to, that's what's gonna help you when you do get to that level. So Christopher Bradley (23:27) just really honing in on that and focusing on that to try to make that kind of foundation as strong as we can so we can build that house. Brad (23:34) Yeah. And and we've talked a little bit about routines or preparation that we can do. Do you have some habits that we could talk about that maybe a ten or twelve year old pitcher could start developing right now that would help them on the mound? Christopher Bradley (23:48) Yes, yes, absolutely. And I think for me, from a physical side, there's a throwing routine that I have on my website. I encourage all my pitchers to go through the warm-up routine. what the warm-up routine does is it's my warm-up routine that I did in college and it helped me. It was a throwing progression that focused on mechanical movements through every progression. So when I got onto the mound, I didn't have to think about a whole lot because I was already kind of in my warm-up progression building up to that. Christopher Bradley (24:16) So then when I Brad (24:16) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (24:17) got on the mound, it was just staying smooth and letting it fire. And most of the time everything was pretty accurate. I think from the mental side, it's putting yourself in a situation because I know especially warming up for a championship game, right? Pitchers might be like, man, this is a big moment. We have to just go through the mental work of this is another, this is just another game. It's another Sunday game, right, in my local community and these guys can't hit me. Christopher Bradley (24:43) Right. We're just gonna go through every pitch. We're gonna focus on every pitch and just stay focused, right? We see our miss, we understand our one adjustment, and we go execute it. That's it. So kind of the one adjustment piece is something that's a little bit more detailed because that's a little bit more of me and my pitchers one-on-one. Brad (25:01) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (25:01) I would say standard about 75% of the pitchers, they need one thing. I say the other 25%. Christopher Bradley (25:08) It's something a little bit more custom based on who they are and how they rationalize with things in game. So those are things both from the physical side and mental side that young pitchers can do that can make them as prepared as possible. Now I tell pitchers all the time, it's like anything else. You can go through a perfect routine doesn't mean we're gonna get perfect results every time. But Brad (25:28) sure, yeah. Christopher Bradley (25:29) going through a perfect routine will help us increase the likelihood of getting the results we want. And that's all we're looking for in this game of failure. Brad (25:37) I really like your approach. I you know, I can't say the teams that, you know, the baseball and softball teams that my kids have been a part of for the pitchers have had that type of physical progression to where they're they're warming up with a purpose, right? You see them warming up on the side and they're just chucking pitches and they're just trying to get that arm loose and ready to go. But I don't know that there's actually a purpose with that warm-up. And so what I hear you saying, and which I really, really like and align with is Brad (26:04) Let's have a progression of what we're working on specifically that we can replicate time and again to get that pitcher in the mindset that they're ready to go. And then on top of that, let's have a couple of mental things we're we're checking off the list too, right? Like I've done this before, I am ready to roll, right? You know, 50%, that's all you need to get or something like that, whatever it is. But it's like a mental and physical checklist of things you're doing in that 10 to 15 minutes you're warming up, whatever makes a lot of sense. Christopher Bradley (26:29) Yes, a hundred percent. And I I will say prospectively, just when I go and watch a youth game, I can tell within the first three pitches if a guy's a pitcher or a thrower. And that's just really how I distinguish the two, right? Is how do they go through their warm up routine? What are the things that are they focusing on when they miss in games? What do they do? How do they react? what does their adjustments look like, et cetera? So I think for me that's that's just a huge piece there. Christopher Bradley (26:56) I explained this and this is kind of the theory I explain. I'm not, I don't shoot guns, I'm not a gun guy. But if I was and I went to the shooting range, if I just put put my sh my gun up and I just start firing off, am I gonna hit the bullseye? Brad (27:09) Right. Yeah. Yeah. Christopher Bradley (27:12) maybe once, but that's probably luck, right? And my my spray chart won't be too good. Christopher Bradley (27:18) So I think, trying to gain a better understanding, which obviously leads to more confidence. And this is kind of just a basic saying I have more understanding leads to more confidence, more confidence leads to better results. Right. So I spend that's why I spend a lot of time on the mental side of pitching, just to try and give those players and families as well the tools that their kids need to be successful. And I tell families all the time, When your kid starts throwing balls, do not yell, throw strikes, Johnny. Christopher Bradley (27:46) Trust me, Johnny's trying, right? He's trying to throw strikes. So when I do my one-on-one lessons, I encourage parents to be there and we give code words, right? So as I'm working with pitchers and I see consistent things that they're doing that causes misses, I tell the parents, say this one word and it's going to help them understand what they need to do to make their adjustments. So I work with families to try to get the pitchers what they need to help them in games because Christopher Bradley (28:11) Right. A lot of families come to me and they're like, When he starts to struggle, I don't know what to say to him outside of throw strikes. And I'm like, I under I I understand that's like the typical thing, right? But you know, that doesn't help him get back on track. Right. I think what will help him is giving him this key word and have him focus on that. And those are the things that we focus on when we work one on ones to help build that confidence and consistency. Brad (28:34) That's that's great. And let's let's dive into that a little bit more if you don't mind. Because it's like parents and coaches, and I see you see it all the time on the sideline. I think feeling like they're helping a situation, but but man, having gone through this so many times with with teams, they're actually making it more stressful on that kid, right? And I don't think it's helping. And I think, you know, I love what I hear you saying. you know, a single word or or something. I like I like nonverbal gestures. so like Brad (29:01) when my son was playing, we I would tap my chest or something just say, Hey man, it doesn't this just to us and we worked this out ahead of time was, hey, I don't care what happens up there. I just want you to have a good at bat and feel good about that when you walk away, right? just do your best. We'll see what happens, right? It's that Christopher Bradley (29:14) Yes, yes. Brad (29:16) sort of thing. And so I I like your one word thing. maybe you could jump into, you know, when are some times when a coach should be talking or a parent should be talking and encouraging players? Brad (29:29) versus just maybe be quiet a little bit and let that let that player process what's happening. Christopher Bradley (29:33) Yeah, yeah. And I think I think for me, when they start to struggle, less is more. because right, their mind is as you know, or if for the audience that doesn't know, when pitchers start to struggle, typically young minds start to scramble in a lot of different places. When you're thinking about a lot of different things, you're not focused on what's important and what's gonna help you be more successful. And that's why I think going back to just a code word. Christopher Bradley (30:00) or one little v gesture, right, to show them something, whatever it is that you guys have aligned, will always help them get back on track. If you can, like you alluded to earlier, take a complex thing and make simplify it and have them just focus on that one thing, they're gonna be a lot more successful that way. Brad (30:18) Yeah, I this is gonna be a super cheesy plug, but this this hat I'm wearing, I actually made it for coaching debt. It's got an arrow, meaning like next play. And so I'll actually use this and kind of tap on that, like, hey, just move on, right? Like a forward movement type of thing. I'll I'll s I'll s I'll send you a link or maybe Christopher Bradley (30:30) Where can I get one of those? Where can I get one of those? I love it, man. Brad (30:34) I'll just I'll share one with you. But anyway, that was Christopher Bradley (30:36) I love it. Brad (30:37) my thinking exactly. It was like yelling stuff out in a game, I think sometimes it just causes embarrassment to players and it causes a little bit of stress. Christopher Bradley (30:46) Mm-hmm. Brad (30:46) I was Brad (30:46) at I was at a volleyball game the other day and talk about a closed environment, they can hear everything and it's super loud. And so when you you've got parents that are talking, it's like everybody can hear what you're saying. So I don't know why you don't have the social awareness not to be saying these things, but like I felt bad for the kid. I'm like, Come on, we gotta we get past this, right? We get next play, please. Christopher Bradley (31:00) Yeah. For yeah, for me as a Christopher Bradley (31:04) coach, for me as a coach and my local families know this, the only time I ever get extremely I I don't even to call it frustrated, but I might raise my voice a little bit is if it comes down to focus or effort. Those are two areas for me as a coach. Those are really non-negotiables. I think anything anything that you want to be good at, you have to have focus. Christopher Bradley (31:29) You have to have effort. I am okay. And I tell this to my seven year old son that just got into travel baseball. The results are what they are. I need to see a hundred percent effort and I need to see a good attitude, right? Because if you go up to a bat and you strike out on three straight pitches, but you're up there swinging at good pitches, giving me a good swing, having a good attitude, hustling off the field if you strike out, that's all I asked for, right? Because that's part of this game. Brad (31:55) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (31:55) Right. But Christopher Bradley (31:56) I think for me, even working with my seven year old son, I'm trying to teach him from a very young age that failure's a part of this, man. Right. I mean, Brad (32:04) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (32:04) you're gonna go up there and you're gonna strike out sometimes, but are you getting good pitches? Are you taking good swings? Are you hustling on and off the field? Right. Those things are are, you know, transferable skills that are gonna apply to life. So Christopher Bradley (32:17) That's the big thing that I focus on. It's not the wins or losses at the young age. I think for me, I focus very much on the development of players because I tell Brad (32:24) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (32:25) families all the time, if we develop the right way, everything that people want in terms of wins and losses will come. Right. But if you change Brad (32:32) Right. Yep. Christopher Bradley (32:34) chase the wins and losses, you're usually not developing. So it you gotta be very careful about which avenue that you wanna take and which process you wanna go down. I think at the youth level Christopher Bradley (32:45) When I say youth, I'm talking up until fourteen. I think the focus should be attitude effort, focusing on the skills, focusing on development. Once you hit fifteen, sixteen, you're in high school. Now we can start talking about some other things. But I think right now it's gotta stay fun. and kids have to just stay engaged. I think that's the big thing. Brad (33:05) I I completely agree. It's kind of short term the the desire to have short term gratification versus long term. If you're thinking a little bit long term with that athlete in mind, you're really trying to help them at least play a little bit longer at the least and maybe play at a different level at the most, right? So it's it's really good. Christopher Bradley (33:22) Yes. Right. Right. Right. Brad (33:25) you touched on a little bit ago, you've been you've been coaching for for a while now, and you've got some folks that are actually starting to hit. Brad (33:32) higher levels of their advancement, maybe potential collegiate careers themselves. So when you look Christopher Bradley (33:37) Mm-hmm. Brad (33:37) at some of those pitchers, you know, what in your mind has separated their ability to to continue to develop and get better over time versus kids who who don't and kind of plateau. Christopher Bradley (33:49) Yeah, a hundred percent the mentality. And that's why, you know, my whole approach, right, is the mental side of the game. I g I give two prime stories, no names mentioned here. but there's two kids that I've worked with from twelve years old and they're both now twenty-two years old. at twelve years old, player A was way more talented than player B. But he didn't work as hard. He just showed up, didn't want to really learn anything because his natural abilities were Christopher Bradley (34:16) good enough at the time. The Brad (34:17) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (34:18) other kid, player B, wasn't as talented and had a lot of work to do and understood that. And he had the mindset that he was just going to grind away every day, every day, every day. At 18 years old, one of them was supposed to be a top five round pick. The other one didn't even know if he was going to be a D1 player. Well now they're both juniors and now they both look like they're going to be top 10 round picks. Player B actually looks like he's going to go higher than player A now. Brad (34:45) Wow. Christopher Bradley (34:45) So Christopher Bradley (34:45) for me, the progressions of players, and and I'll I tell this to families all the time, at eleven years old, you do not know who the next Paul Skins is. You you have no idea. for me, it's the mindset and the approach and the understanding. Player B in that situation, his whole goal was just to get better and gain a better understanding. Player B or player A, excuse me, was worried more about 12U results. Christopher Bradley (35:10) And not about what he needed to do to continue to progress his career. So that's where over time I see players, talent gaps close over time. It's a hundred percent the mindset, a hundred percent the work ethic. Now, am I expecting an 11-year-old to work like an 18-year-old? Of course not, right? But you know, and I think for me, and you know, even something I do with my seven-year-old, it's hey, let's go play some wiffle ball, right? Let's see how Brad (35:33) Yeah. Christopher Bradley (35:34) far we can hit the tennis balls, right? Christopher Bradley (35:36) 'Cause I know that that creates excitement for them. I know they're gonna swing a little bit harder. Now, swinging harder comes with some mechanical flaws, of course, right? But teaching them going through that process of teaching them the game and just having fun along the way, I think is everything. and that's what allows you to kind of, I think, work through those tougher days when you do get into high school and you're a freshman and think you should make the varsity team and you might be a backup on the freshman team, right? And you're like, How did this happen? you know, but Brad (36:02) Right, right. Christopher Bradley (36:04) The only way you're gonna continue to grow as a player is right, just continue to put your head down and just keep working. Brad (36:10) Yeah, I obviously I align with that a hundred percent. I think, you know, sometimes you don't even see the work that those kids are putting in. You know, my son will be Man, that guy's such a good soccer player. I'm like, I know he's at home every day kicking a ball against the wall, juggling, walking around his house with the ball at his feet. And I'm like, he's doing this every single day. You know, you could do the same, but you're, you know, sometimes you're not, right? You want to sit on your iPad or you Christopher Bradley (36:34) Yes. Brad (36:35) want to, you know, do something different. And I'm like, there's a reason. Brad (36:38) A lot of times that these kids are good and they've got a little bit more of a drive and they're working on things at home, outside Christopher Bradley (36:42) Yes. Brad (36:42) of like the organized structure of of a practice. Christopher Bradley (36:45) Absolutely. And one thing I've done even in my organization and in my community is, players maybe like your son, right? That are why is that kid so good? Or, how is he so advanced? What I typically try to do is I I'll try to set up a workout with both of them. Right. So, Brad, if you don't mind me asking, what's your son's name? Luke. So in Brad (37:02) Is it it's Luke? Yep. My son Luke. Yep. Christopher Bradley (37:04) this situation, let's say Luke, right? I'll have Luke work with, let's say, a kid named Connor, right? That is that kid that you're talking about. Well Christopher Bradley (37:13) After an hour with Luke working with Connor, Luke might turn to you and be like, Dad, that guy gets after it. Right. And that's perspective. Brad (37:19) Yeah, for sure. Christopher Bradley (37:20) That's understanding. Right. I joke with my seven year old all the time. I'm like, you gotta hustle. He's like, I am hustling. I'm like, let me take a video of you and let me show you what this looks like. And then I showed him and he goes, And I'm like, does that look like hustle? And he's like, Christopher Bradley (37:34) No. And I'm like, well, okay, that's just what everybody else sees. So it just takes some time for people to, I think, understand what that means, right? And I think that's where our jobs as coaches is very important of explaining things, right? I don't know, you know, and I hear this all the time. Coach told me to do this. It's like, okay, do you have any idea why? No. Do you have any idea how that's gonna help you be more successful? No. It's like, Christopher Bradley (37:59) Okay, then you probably don't even understand the importance of it, right? You don't understand Brad (38:03) Right. Christopher Bradley (38:03) the impact it's gonna have in your game, right? So for me it's all about understanding, it's about communicating, and that's why I just I have a great joy of working with I would call it that 10 to 14 U age group. And that's Brad (38:14) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (38:15) really my sweet spot. because you know, that's where kids I think start to gain interest, gain their passion, gain a better understanding, and that's where you see, and at least I've seen. Christopher Bradley (38:25) Just a lot of growth in players, a lot of passion, desires, a new love for the game, right? Which usually creates a different level of work ethic, right? If you love something and you're passionate about it, you might want to spend a little bit more time to get better at it, right? Now, sometimes, there's seven year olds that are on my eight you team right now that they're like, Coach, I want some more grounders after practice. My kids like, Dada, can I go to the playground and, go on the swing, right? So Brad (38:49) Yep. Christopher Bradley (38:49) You know, I'm Brad (38:50) Yep. Christopher Bradley (38:50) not expecting my son, right, as a seven-year-old to have the same mindset as all these ever other seven-year-olds, right? But knowing where he's starting, we just want to see progression and development, right? Every kid's gonna start in a different place, right? Every kid's gonna end in a different place, respectfully. And you know, a quick story if you don't mind me sharing, Brad. And I tell Brad (39:07) Sure. Christopher Bradley (39:08) this to a lot of, you know, kind of the baseball and pitching community, you know, it's the Paul Skeens and Tariq Coop a scuba story. Christopher Bradley (39:15) I don't know if you've heard, but you know, Paul Skeen's coming out of high school, his only division one offer was Air Force Academy. Tariq Skuball's only Division One offer out of high school was Seattle University, you know. both great schools, right? but you know, two year or four or five years later, they're the best pitchers in the world that nobody Brad (39:32) Sure. Yeah. Christopher Bradley (39:33) might have thought, right, it would be Air Force and Seattle University. But Brad (39:37) Right, right. Christopher Bradley (39:38) both great programs. Seattle University was in the conference with us when I went to New Mexico State. Very great organization, beautiful campus. But, you know, when you think, you know, a lot of these young kids are like, he had to have gone, you know, been a top prospect out of high school. And it's like, not really, you know. So I Brad (39:56) Right. Christopher Bradley (39:57) think just understanding the process, you know, and it happens at different times for players. And I could almost, you know, there's not too many Bryce Harpers out there, right? Where it's, you know. Christopher Bradley (40:06) You're a fifteen year old phenom and you're gonna be a number one pick. a lot of times in baseball, the number one pick doesn't always work out, know. So Brad (40:12) Right. Christopher Bradley (40:13) I think for me, just understanding that, and we we both have heard all the stories of guys that grinded away in the minors that was a twenty-sixth round pick, and after five years of grinding away, they, made their major league debut, right? So I think just I share a lot of those stories, right, of just, hey, like, just keep working. Like Christopher Bradley (40:33) We don't know where we're gonna be in four years, right? some of the better players right now might start liking dirt bikes in a year and might stop playing, right? So there's Brad (40:42) Right. Christopher Bradley (40:43) a lot of those stories and kind of avenues I've seen from players. And, you know, the older you get, the tougher it gets. There's more distractions. and that's where ultimately I kind of seen people I would say kind of go in different directions. And, you know, some people that at fourteen might not have pitched a whole lot for their local travel teams and they're a senior right now and they're Christopher Bradley (41:03) picture of the conference, right? So I think it's just about just understanding your end goal, understanding the work that you need to do day in, day out to just accomplish that goal, right? And have fun along the Brad (41:13) Yeah. Yep. Christopher Bradley (41:14) way. Brad (41:15) Back to something you said earlier too. you talked about, asking the player, hey, do you know why we're even doing this drill or what what it means? I I think that's a note I have that I try to get across to other coaches is hey, make sure you're taking time to explain why you're doing stuff too. Or maybe take time to ask your team, hey, do you understand why we're doing this and see what they say? Cause if you're not getting the Christopher Bradley (41:36) Mm-hmm. Brad (41:36) answer of, hey, this is gonna Brad (41:38) Be the result that you're trying to drive as a coach, then you need to take more time as a coach to explain this is exactly why we're doing this, right? And this is the result that we're trying to get. Christopher Bradley (41:47) A hundred percent. And and I think the reason why I see just so much value in that, especially for younger players, is that as in baseball there's so many different situations that come up, right? So yes, runner on first, you're a shortstop, ground ball hit to you less than two outs, we're turning two, right? But now runner on first and second, one out, ball hit to your arm side towards five six hole, you might be going to third base on that. It's not an automatic, right? So Christopher Bradley (42:16) I think for me that's where the understanding comes into play because I've seen so many times with youth youth athletes, not just from a pitching side, just baseball in general, they almost become robotic, right? Where it's like, okay, this situation, this is what I do every time. Well, that's part of thinking the game. That's where the explanation comes in. That's where the understanding comes in, right? So I think for me, that's one thing I have seen as youth baseball and softball are growing that Christopher Bradley (42:44) Is a little bit of a miss in the coaching community is just the explanation behind the why, Brad (42:48) Mm-hmm. Christopher Bradley (42:48) right? I think, we're all in this because we're very passionate about developing players and seeing them play at a higher level and which could create frustrations along the way, of course. But I think just understanding the process of that is extremely important for coaches. And I think they're gonna see a lot better results when they do go that route with players. Brad (43:07) Well, Chris, that is our content for today. It's the questions I had. It was a, a fantastic conversation. I would love to have you on again because I think there's just so many more layers to this onion that we could peel when we talk about pitcher mentality and and baseball mentality. but I want to be respectful of your time and people's time. And I want to ask you, please share more about where people can find you, can look into your your pitching lab and and so on. Christopher Bradley (43:31) Yeah, thank you for that. so yeah, I have a full website, Bradley Pitching Lab dot org. I have a huge Instagram presence where I do post quite a bit of content. that you can find a lot of information on there. There is a link to my website on my Instagram. my Instagram tag is at Bradley Pitching Lab. and you can find a lot of my pitching routines, the drills that we spoke about earlier. you can find all that on my website. Brad (43:57) I would highly encourage folks to check out Chris. He's got so much good content and information out there. I I wish more people would see it and that's what we're gonna do. We're gonna try and drive some more traffic there because it's super valuable stuff. Christopher Bradley (44:08) Brad. I really appreciate coming on and sharing my experience and my expertise as it pertains to youth baseball and and pitching. Brad (44:16) If this episode helped you, share with another coach or parent who's figuring it out too. You can find Uncoached in this episode wherever you listen to podcasts. You can watch the episode on YouTube and make sure to follow the coaching dad on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook. We'll see you next time on Uncoached.