Youth Coaches Session

Presented by

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 nearly 15 presentations tailored specifically for coaches of youth-level teams up to age 14 years old.

The Youth Coaches Session at the 2023 ABCA Convention will take place on Friday, January 6 and Saturday, January 7 at the Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. The lineup of speakers includes five professional coaches, three collegiate coaches and several high school, travel baseball and academy coaches.

One highlight will be former Philadelphia Phillies player Matt Imhof presenting on "How Baseball Prepared Me for a Life Without It", which will focus on the life lessons taught to youth players through baseball.

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 also offers a Live Video Stream of 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 on Monday, May 22.

2023 YOUTH COACHES SESSION CLINIC SPEAKERS

Rachel Balkovec, New York Yankees
The Competitive Cauldron: Culture Drills for Hitting Coaches

Zach Casto, University of Charleston (WV)
Building the Outfielder with the Six Fundamentals of Outfield Play

Bill Decker, Harvard University (MA)
Youth Practice Planning: Educational Playground Effect

Chris Hawkins, Normal West High School
Coaching in Four Dimensions: Heart, Mind, Body & Soul

Hannah Huesman, Texas Rangers
Where Do We Even Begin? The Fundamentals of How to Start a Mental Performance Program for Your Team

Matt Imhof, Retired Professional Player
How Baseball Prepared Me for a Life Without It

Dr. Erik Korem, AIM7
Building Adaptive Capacity to Reach Your Performance Potential

Jake Lindmeier, Brookhaven College (TX)
Don't Forget Us! Catching Development Without a Catching Coach

Roberto Mercado, Baltimore Orioles
From Youth, High School to High-A: Practice Design Ideas

Jason Mills, D H Conley High School (NC)
Little Things Create Great Throwing Habits

Jeff Petty, Canes Baseball (VA)
Building and Sustaining Your Organization

Chris Romano, Detroit Tigers
Addressing Myths about Youth Athletic Development

Bianca Smith, Boston Red Sox
Baseball Beyond the Long Ball: Reviving the Lost Art of the Small Ball Strategy

Nate Trosky, Trosky Baseball (CA)
Building Elite, Athletic Throwers with Plus Command (Emphasis on Infield)