The American Baseball Coaches Association is bringing its Barnstormers Clinics presented by Blast Motion to new locations around the country, with plans for 20 events of coaching education, networking opportunities and the chance build relationships with local college coaches in 2017. Kicking off in late summer, the 2017 tour will once again provide regional and local coaches the chance to meet and learn from great college and professional baseball coaches.
The 2017 rendition will expand on the success of last year’s events, which brought out hundreds of coaches to six locations along the West Coast. The 2016 tour began in the Pacific Northwest, with clinics hosted by the University of Portland and the University of Washington. The tour then moved into California, with stops at the University of Southern California and the University of San Francisco before concluding with clinics at San Diego State and Cal State Fullerton.
The 2017 Barnstormer Clinics are presented by Blast Motion, a leading innovator in motion capture technology and the Official Bat Sensor Technology of Major League Baseball.
The event locations build toward the upcoming ABCA Convention. The 74th annual ABCA Convention will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana, Jan. 4-7, 2018. Most dates on the 2017 tour will be in the Midwest.
Geared toward high school, youth and travel ball coaches, as well as parents and baseball enthusiasts, the one-day events will each feature seven presentations from ABCA member coaches with topics that include hitting, pitching, arm care, catching, practice efficiency and planning, base running and defensive play. Clinic speakers will emphasize fundamentals of the game and provide drills and plans that youth coaches can implement into their practices and games.
The Barnstormers Clinics are designed to keep coaches and parents alike up-to-date on creative ways to teach the game of baseball and positively impact young athletes. They also offer up-close and personal access to some of the game’s best teachers.
Unique to this year’s events will be the incorporation of clinics into team batting practice sessions, player bullpens and live scrimmages, providing coaches insight into the daily activities of college baseball programs. Coaches who attend will have the opportunity to be on the field and interact with coaches and players during live practice situations.
Sites and date will be announced on the ABCA’s official website,
www.ABCA.org.