WYC 164 – Youth Baseball – Freddy Hilliard – Selflessness, Excellence, Energy

Cringe Moment

• After a loss, on the bus ride on the way home, the kids were laughing and having a good time. Freddy couldn’t understand why they were having fun and weren’t mad. It was a good eye-opener, that most of these kids enjoy being on the team, but they have a lot going on beyond this team. The biggest lesson he learned was investing more in them as people and getting to know what makes them tick.
• Choosing to be excellent at everything means work, but don’t be satisfied with being OK or mediocre.

Teaching skills

• It all starts with the why. Teaching is much more effective if they understand what they are trying to accomplish and why it’s important.
• Players should be free to ask questions and suggest improvements
• Competing is key to getting kids to focus and give their all. They have 4 yellow jerseys – they give them to the best 4 defensive players at their 4 stations. They also have a batting championship belt they award (similar to a WWE or boxing belt) each practice.

Achieving Peak Performance

• Work with your team on breathing to calm their heart rate down
• Visualize success. Think about success and don’t be afraid to fail.

Core Values

• They have 3 of them: Selflessness, Excellence, Energy

Connecting with and impacting kids

• Freddy had a player who didn’t get much playing time, but had a great attitude, and stayed in touch for years to come. This speaks to Freddy and his staff valuing him as a person, not based on his talent level.

The one that haunts me

• Freddy’s team was in the state championship game, they had beaten the other team twice that season rather easily. They lost in extra innings. Freddy thinks he could have done a better job getting his team focused and not being complacent.

Favorite books/quote:

• Quote: ‘Discipline yourself and others won’t have to’ – John Wooden
• Book: John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success
• Book: Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World by Admiral William McRaven
• Book: The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams by Sam Walker
• Book: Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action by Simon Sinek

Parting Advice

• Don’t overthink or over-coach. Let the kids figure it out.
• Make it fun, you want the kids to love the game.
• Be authentic.