Learning How to Learn

Andy Ferguson: Another Day, Another Double Play

I have overheard many times statements such as: “Any little league coach knows that,” or, “That’s nothing new,” or, “I could teach him that myself.“ I somewhat agree...but what I have watched and witnessed over my time around baseball says that what people say is simple, apparently is not. Why do players in general have such bad throwing mechanics? Why is base running so abysmal at the high school level? These are just two examples, but if anyone can teach it, or it’s nothing new, or you could do it yourself, why isn’t it better?

The answer, in my opinion, is that many players (and parents too) think that simply showing up at a camp or clinic or practice is going to be enough. While they all certainly help, I doubt anyone that runs any of these events would claim that they could completely cure any shortcoming while at that particular event. The goal should be to gather information and learn drills that will help you learn how to develop your skills. As such, “player development” is an ongoing process, and one that must continue as long as a player plays the game.

With that in mind, the player development responsibility falls on the shoulders of the player – either he is willing to regularly work and get better or he is not. All the coaching in the world is worthless without an honest and ongoing effort from the player. This is all too often overlooked. Mom and dad often care more than the player does, which is very disappointing for us as coaches – and I am sure even more disappointing for parents, who work hard to provide the opportunity for the player. One of the first things I learned, and it still rings true, is that you cannot teach someone who doesn’t want to learn.

The key concept here is aptitude. It is very important in determining the potential for a player to get better. According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, aptitude is, “a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand.”

It should make perfect sense why this is important. In order to improve a skill, first the correct technique and/or fundamentals must be taught. Then they must be drilled and worked on, with repetition being the most important thing. The player with “a tendency, capacity, or inclination to learn or understand,” is certainly more likely to pick up the correct techniques and/or fundamentals – therefore making it far more likely that he will be able to take the drills and repetitions and use them to actually develop and improve. In other words, a player with aptitude has the potential to learn how to learn – which sets him on the ideal player development path.

Andy Ferguson is currently the Senior Director of Baseball Operations with the Baseball Factory. Ferguson joined the North Carolina State baseball team as a walk-on, and went on to solidify his role on a team that participated in four consecutive NCAA Regionals. He later coached with the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League, and then served as an Associate Scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres.

The Power of Now

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Greetings from Kiwanis-Wallas Park! For the past two weeks, the Baseball Factory has been operating the Kelly Kulina All-Star and Elite Summer Baseball Camps in the Howard County area. The camp was designed to teach and hone the fundamental skills of baseball, while all of the proceeds went to the B.A.S.E.-H.I.T. Foundation. Even as our focus shifted away from recruiting and onto youth development, I had a chance to speak with many of the campers about my experiences with the recruiting process, and I feel that there are still some excellent points to make to our younger prospective student-athletes.

As a former associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, I tried looking at prospective student-athletes in terms of the “Three Aces”: 1) Attitude, 2) Academics and 3) Athletic Ability. While athletic ability may be an obvious choice, I think too many players overlook attitude and academics. If a player can’t show me the attitude necessary to compete and willingness to learn, I don't want him on my team. And as for academics, coaches simply do not have the time to waste on athletes who are academic liabilities. Everyone loves to work on their game, but few spend the same amount of time on their studies, which ultimately, will make or break you in the end. For you younger players, you all can work on these two areas starting today- make them a priority!

My staff and I spent a great deal of time trying to instill lessons that can be applied to both on and off the baseball field. The biggest point I made to our campers is that, no matter how hard you throw or hit the ball, you won’t be playing college baseball if you don’t show a coach:

• that you have the discipline to improve your skills beyond physical ability and, more importantly, study hard and effectively in the classroom.


• a willingness and an interest in learning about the game.


• character inherent to a team leader, and someone that will always represent themselves (and their school) in the best way possible.

Granted, not all of this has to start on a baseball field. Instead of finding ways to avoid chores, try actively volunteering to help your parents with everyday tasks around the house. As for school, be proactive and ask your teachers for areas they believe you can improve on, and how to do so. I believe you’ll find that if you change how you approach daily issues and activities, you’ll find a change for the better on the field, as well.

There is no better time than now to focus on being a better player, student and person. The intangibles such as leadership and self-discipline don’t happen overnight. It takes a concentrated effort to change your habits, whether it be how you approach homework, chores or taking extra infield groundballs. So, why not give yourself as much time as you need? Just like in the recruiting process, there is no such thing as “putting it off until later.” Unfortunately, in life, “later” happens in the blink of an eye!


Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

A Plan of Action – Part 1

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

Last week I wrote about the need for more practice time for young players trying to get better. If you are committed to that idea of true player development, then follow the steps I’ve outlined for you this week. There is no overnight fix, but dedication to this process will make you a better player for sure.

Step 1: Create an honest evaluation – This should include a self-evaluation as well as an objective evaluation from a baseball professional. In the self-evaluation phase, players must be honest with themselves. They know their own abilities and shortcomings well, but are often hesitant to admit any weakness. Without addressing these things they can’t formulate a truly helpful game plan. A professional scout is the best person to offer an objective evaluation of the player, but coaches and former players also have the ability to outline a player’s strengths and weaknesses. A player who wants to improve must be able to put away his ego and accept constructive criticism during the evaluation process. Moving forward he must be willing to work not just on accentuating strengths, but on attacking weaknesses as well. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses is the first step.

Step 2: Formulate long-term goals – Players need very specific future goals to work towards. These goals should be realistic and encompass the big picture. They must be more than game statistics; they must drive the player in all areas on and off the field. Once a player determines where he is now as a baseball player and where he realistically wants to be in the future, he is ready to move forward in the player development process.

Check back next week as I will touch on two more steps in the player development process: Developing a game plan and formulating short-term goals.

Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

The Lost Art of Player Development

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

Twenty high school games, sixty-five summer league games, eighteen fall league games and a handful of practices mixed in. Too many young players follow a schedule that nearly mirrors this one. With many of the practices being relaxed batting practice sessions with a round of infield or a scrimmage included, it is no surprise that youth baseball today is turning out more experienced players but not necessarily better players. Game experience is an extremely important aspect of developing a player, but it is only one of many elements involved in truly building a better baseball player. By shifting more of the already designated “baseball time” from games to practices players can accelerate their development process.

Take a look at what players at higher levels are doing. Professional players at the absolute pinnacle of the sport spend over a month before the season in Spring Training. Most college programs practice exclusively for a full six weeks in the fall and then practice for several more weeks leading up to their spring season. With this being the case, why do younger players—those still needing the most skill development—practice intermittently through their high school season and only a handful of times throughout the entire summer and fall? It’s simple: games are easier and more fun.

Building a better baseball player is a large undertaking that takes a major commitment from both player and coach. It takes desire and time. It takes hours on the field and in the gym as well as the passage of time to allow the hard work to turn into results. The misconception today is that the players have the desire, but not enough time. Quite the opposite is usually true. They want success but don’t have the deep down desire to really work for that success. They have plenty of time, but they just don’t use the time they have the right way. They are spending enough time on the game, but the ratio of game time to practice time is too lopsided.

Baseball should certainly be fun. We want more young players playing the game and that comes from enjoying their time on the field. In most cases, the fun of baseball in a player’s eyes is the result of team or individual success. A player’s chance for success increases by either becoming a better player or by playing more games. Unfortunately the latter is chosen more often today—let’s just play as many games as possible and eventually everyone will have a taste of success. If coaches learn how to make an instructional practice environment fun and effective we can get back to the true development of young players.

This commitment to the development process encompasses much more than hitting in the cage during the winter and showing up for every game throughout the season. Developing as a player involves improving not only baseball skills, but also speed, strength, conditioning, mental understanding of the game and the ability to deal with both failure and success. To truly maximize one’s ability, all of these areas must be addressed. Stressing development more will produce better players, better teams and a better brand of baseball at the high school level.

If you’re ready to commit to becoming a better baseball player then check back next week when I outline the six-step process you’ll need to make it happen.

Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.

Introduction To Baseball Parenthood

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Over 13 years ago, I started building Baseball Factory with my former University of Pennsylvania baseball teammate, Steve Sclafani. We were both fresh off the baseball playing field with a lot of ideas and dreams for how we could help high school players through the college search process. For me personally, I wound up at Penn not because I had an organization like the Baseball Factory behind me helping to find the right fit academically, athletically, and socially, but my brother was a current student at the school and got to know the baseball coach who began recruiting me. My college search happened almost completely by chance.

In the early years of Baseball Factory, I looked at everything through the eyes of a high school baseball player aspiring to play in college. I tried to think of all the opportunities that I did not have as a player in order to figure out how Baseball Factory could connect more talented HS players to the correct college programs.

Over the more recent years, I have been blessed to become a parent to my own children. I currently have two young girls. Now that I am a parent myself, I tend to think about the world at Baseball Factory more through the eyes of our parents than our players. I have been better able to understand why parents act a certain way and why most of the time they want to take charge and do what is “right” for their children, no matter what the consequences.

I love my children more than anything in the world and I know as they continue to grow I will do everything in my power to support every endeavor they take part in. They may choose to pursue athletics, or it may be the arts, music, etc. that peeks their passion and interest. Even at a young age, I find myself having to fight the urge to do everything for my girls. My first reaction is to always want to jump in and fix a problem or help them through a challenge faster. I can only imagine how much more challenging it will become as they grow up and mature into young women.

Over my 13 years at Baseball Factory, I have seen many different dynamics with the interactions between our baseball players and their parents. I have seen players that have been outright disrespectful to their parents right in front of me and have seen parents that don’t allow their sons to get a word in edge wise when I ask them a question about their future.

My mission within this blog is to try and help parents understand what I feel is the appropriate balance between when to step in and help your son with the college search process, and when to push him out to the front to do it on his own. It is a delicate balance to try and reach to help them swim and not sink, not to be too overbearing, not to be too passive, etc. I will try to give you examples from clients we have worked with, what to avoid, and how to best approach the process. I look forward to writing over the upcoming weeks and hope this blog becomes a valuable tool for baseball mom’s and dad’s around the world.

Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.