Youth Coaches Session


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The Youth Coaches Session presented by GameChanger is an annual staple at the ABCA Convention. The Youth Coaches Session is a two-day event featuring presentations tailored specifically for coaches of youth-level teams up to age 14 years old.

The Youth Coaches Session at the 2024 ABCA Convention will take place on Friday, January 5 and Saturday, January 6 at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. The lineup of speakers will be released in early September.
 
Following every clinic presentation, the presenter will host a Question & Answer breakout session with attendees.

There is no better educational clinic experience for a baseball coach than attending the ABCA Convention. However, for those members who can't attend in-person, the ABCA will also offer a Clinic Live Video Stream featuring the General Session clinics, General Session Q&A and Youth Coaches Session clinics.

All coaches who register for the in-person Convention or Live Clinic Video Stream will receive the entire on-demand clinic video set, which includes the General Session, Youth Coaches Session and Expo Theater presentations, in their ABCA account by February 1 after the Convention. All other ABCA members will receive access to the on-demand video set as part of their membership benefits later in the year.

The 2024 ABCA Convention will be held from January 4-7, 2024 at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. Priority Convention Registration for the 2024 ABCA Convention will open to 2022-23 ABCA members in August. Registration for the 2024 ABCA Convention will open to everyone on September 1. Make sure your ABCA account information is up-to-date in order to receive updates on the 2024 ABCA Convention as it gets closer!

2023 YOUTH COACHES SESSION CLINIC SCHEDULE

The 2024 Youth Coaches Session speakers will be announced in September.  
Friday, January 6, 2023
9:30am-10:10am
Jake Lindmeier, Brookhaven College (TX)
Don't Forget Us! Catching Development Without a Catching Coach
10:10am-10:50am
Bianca Smith, Boston Red Sox
Baseball Beyond the Long Ball: Reviving the Lost Art of the Small Ball Strategy
10:50am-11:30am 
Roberto Mercado, Baltimore Orioles
From Youth, High School to High-A: Practice Design Ideas
11:30am-12:30pm
Lunch Break
Check out the ABCA Trade Show! Lunch is available in the Food Court inside the Trade Show!
12:30pm-1:10pm  Rachel Balkovec, New York Yankees
The Competitive Cauldron: Culture Drills for Hitting Coaches
1:10pm-1:50pm Jeff Petty, Canes Baseball (VA)
Building and Sustaining Your Organization
2:50pm-3:30pm
Nate Trosky, Trosky Baseball (CA)
Building Elite, Athletic Throwers with Plus Command (Emphasis on Infield)
Saturday, January 7, 2023
9:30am-10:10am
Hannah Huesman, Texas Rangers
Where Do We Even Begin? The Fundamentals of How to Start a Mental Performance Program for Your Team
10:10am-10:50am Dr. Erik Korem, AIM7
Building Adaptive Capacity to Reach Your Performance Potential
10:50am-11:30am
Zach Casto, University of Charleston (WV)
Building the Outfielder with the Six Fundamentals of Outfield Play
11:30am-12:30pm Lunch Break
Check out the ABCA Trade Show! Lunch is available in the Food Court inside the Trade Show!
12:30pm-1:10pm 
Bill Decker, Harvard University (MA)
Youth Practice Planning: Educational Playground Effect
1:10pm-1:50pm Chris Hawkins, Normal West High School (IL)
Coaching in Four Dimensions: Heart, Mind, Body & Soul
1:50pm-2:30pm Jason Mills, D.H. Conley High School (NC)
Little Things Create Great Throwing Habits
2:30pm-3:10pm
Chris Romano, MiLB Strength Coach
Addressing Myths about Youth Athletic Development

Clinic speakers, topics and schedule are subject to change.