Your Gut Knows the Way
From culinary school to combat zones, parenting through COVID to rebuilding a business—this is the story of trusting my gut when nothing else made sense.
How I’m Approaching the New Baseball Season (And What I’ll Tell My Players on Day 1)
Every season, I try to level up as a coach — not just in how I teach skills, but in how I help young players think about the game and carry themselves on the field.
With the Fall baseball season coming up, I wanted to get my thoughts in order — to remind myself what really matters, and what I want to impress upon the kids (and their parents) from the very first day.
Here’s the mindset I’ll be sharing with my team on Day 1:
1️⃣ 100% Effort — Every Time You Step on the Field
When you walk out here, you bring full effort. Hustle. Energy. Attention. No excuses — this is the standard.
Effort is something you control every single day. It’s table stakes for being part of this team.
2️⃣ Mind Ahead of Body — Baseball IQ Matters
Every practice, we’ll read a short chapter from Baseball IQ for Young Athletes.
Your brain should lead your body — baseball is a thinking game.
We’ll practice what we read. Smarter players play faster — and win more.
3️⃣ Two-Strike Approach — Compete with Two Strikes
Strikeouts are free outs — and we don’t give free outs.
We will learn how to battle with two strikes and put the ball in play.
Force the other team to make plays. That’s how good things happen.
4️⃣ We Coach, We Build, We Don’t Babysit
We’re here to coach you, push you, and help you grow.
We are not here to babysit. We expect maturity, accountability, and a coachable attitude.
You bring that — we’ll help you get better every week.
5️⃣ Emotional Discipline — We Don’t Do Temper Tantrums
Baseball is hard. The best hitters in the world fail 7 out of 10 times.
We will strike out. We will make errors. That’s part of the game.
But here’s what matters: how we handle it.
We follow the Dory Rule — “Just keep swimming.” Move on to the next pitch or play.
No slammed helmets. No thrown bats. No sulking in the dugout.
Baseball is a tough game — but we play it because we love it.
If we want long-term success, we control our emotions and stay locked in.
Download the Dory Rule Dugout Sign
Want to use this with your own team? Here’s a printable version we’ll be posting in our dugout this fall:
👉 Download the Dory Rule Dugout Sign (PDF)
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