Teaching Baseball IQ
A player who can answer these without hesitating is thinking two pitches ahead, not one.
We ask questions like these throughout a lesson or a camp. It's not a formal quiz; it's a running check on whether a player is actually thinking about the game, or just going through the motions.
01
Routine and preparation
- 1What time should you always be at practice?
- 2Whose responsibility is it to be waiting at the door, ready to get to practice, no later than 10 minutes early?
- 3Whose responsibility is it to have your baseball clothes together so they get washed?
- 4Tell me 3 drills you can do at home on your own to get better.
- 5How many seconds or less should it take you to run to your position every inning?
- 6What should you do every single time you get in the car after a practice or game, in any sport or activity?
02
Situational awareness
- 1Ground ball to shortstop. Where are you supposed to look when you cross over first base?
- 2Base hit up the middle. What's the first thing you tell yourself out of the batter's box? Answer: Get on... 2!
- 3You want to turn the bag so hard you make the center fielder press a certain button. Which one? Answer: The panic button.
- 4What should you always do heading into a base if there's any chance of a close play?
- 5What is the name of our throwing program? Answer: BCDs.
- 6What comparison do we use for good mechanics? Answer: Build...
- 7What's more important for a pitcher: accuracy or velocity?
03
Mindset and culture
- 1What's the main thing you can control every day you step on the field, and every day you have in your life? Answer: Your attitude.
- 2What does KASH stand for?
- 3What does MADE stand for, and what does it mean to “Get MADE”?
- 4Name two things baseball teaches you so much. Answer: Humility (responding to failure), teamwork, leadership (lead by example), work ethic (every day).
04The idea
Isaac Hess founded CageList after seven years of professional baseball and a coaching career of his own. These are the principles we share with every coach on the platform. They come from his academy, MADE Baseball, CageList's sister company. More of the story at isaachess.com.
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Related reading
Where a lot of these answers come from in the first place.