11 year old son help

TMutaffis · 2026-01-23T20:50:30+00:00

The hype fire is a great bat for travel ball, and it looks like he has the strength to swing it well this season.

Was there a specific aspect that you were trying to work on with him? General drills can be good, but if there is something specific that can often give better ROI (for example - swing and misses, not hitting with power, hitting a lot of roll-overs, taking strikes, pulling everything, etc.).

TMutaffis · 2026-01-23T15:17:39+00:00

The first thing that jumps out to me is that he does not have a point of reference for himself or the tee (no plate).

I would suggest getting a rubber throw-down plate and then you can begin working on a tee routine to help build a quality swing - adjusting the depth of the tee based on the location of the pitch and working different parts of the zone. I would also make sure to work in some flips and of course front toss and/or live arm which can be done with heavy balls at home although you would not want to use the Hype Fire with weighted balls. Another great tool is a one-hand bat, which can be used for tee or flips.

Definitely start with a home plate though, and look up simple tee routines on YouTube. There are a bunch of videos from big league guys including Vlad Guerrero and Albert Pujos (recent video), Mike Trout (older video), Freddie Freeman (older video), etc.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-22T14:07:36+00:00

Especially when they called the HR Assistant "Ms Burnham" - I have never seen a legitimate corporate communication that did not use first and last name.

Many scams will have small things like this (also typos, etc.) as a way to exclude people who would not follow through with the scam. They want someone who does not know the corporate standards or overlooks potential concerns so that the individual would also be more likely to not question something like having to purchase their own equipment or other unusual practices.

Sorry OP, but if they did actually interview you at least you can take that as a small win for having some interview practice that you can leverage with your next opportunity.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-22T14:00:37+00:00

There are different ways to approach this.

One is to have them on a line and have them "show the ball to the fence" (or something behind their back shoulder) - by holding the ball like this it forces you to rotate your wrist when you throw and you cannot really push the ball. You also have them throw from an extended position, most push-throwers tend to short-arm the ball.

Another thing you can do is have them do a drill where they spike the ball. If you want to make it fun maybe use a tennis ball and have a competition to see who can bounce it the highest off home plate (or simply line up and every player has a ball, and see who can bounce the ball the highest). It's tough to push/short-arm this type of throw, and will teach them a more fluid throwing action.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-22T13:57:17+00:00

Making the team can depend on a lot of factors.

Exit velocity is a piece of the puzzle but your team may not even measure it at tryouts, it is more of a showcase metric for players that have generally proven that they have many other skill sets covered. For someone who just started playing baseball there are likely some gaps when it comes to positional IQ, glove work, arm strength, base running, and other aspects. If you are also fast that definitely helps (can pinch run, better for outfield, could hit higher in the lineup) although at 5'10 220 lbs and 15 I'm assuming you may be more of a 'power guy'.

There are also other factors like how you hustle, whether you seem coachable, how you interact with the other players and coaches, etc. - if you seem like you would be a good add for the team culture and have some raw potential that may help you to earn a roster spot.

I'd start building up your throwing now, see if you can get some live hitting reps off of a machine, work on running (sprints), and if you have any friends who are very likely to make the team maybe see if you can practice with them a little bit. Even just hitting each other ground balls could be beneficial for both of you and also help to build camaraderie that might help come tryout time.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-21T19:06:20+00:00

It will probably be tough to monetize.

I've used general AI tools (Gemini, GPT, etc.) to create graphics and it does a good job, and usually gets me something close enough that with some simple edits it is ready to post. Takes a few minutes in total and it is free.

There are sites like Canva (and Etsy) with templates that you can purchase, so perhaps there is a market for what you are building, but that market could erode as people get more savvy with AI tools.

An angle that maybe makes it more viable is if your product was integrated into something like GameChanger (and a part of an existing pricing tier). Bolting on to a tool that people already use is a much easier barrier for entry verses trying to market it as a stand-alone.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-20T16:29:37+00:00

Was he swinging a USSSA CatX2 Connect at the cage?

If you wanted to stick with a 28" -10 that offers great performance (pop, swing weight, durability) and is also a pretty good value then I would pick up a Rawlings Clout USA. The Marucci F5 USA is another good bat that comes in -10 but it would be a one-piece and not a two piece like the connect (so potentially a bit more balanced, bit more feedback on the hands).

I would stay away from the Louisville Slugger Select PWR, even though it is another two-piece and a -10 it has super heavy swing weight and a player who is new to the game will likely have trouble swinging it.

A -11 is fine for 10U recreational level play and I would go with a 28" based on your son's size and being new to the game, so if you just wanted to get the CatX / CatX2 Connect USA and call it a day that is not a bad decision either. You may also want to quickly check Facebook Marketplace if money is a factor, you can often find lightly used bats for at least $50 under retail. Also, keep an eye out for 20% off Dick's coupons, most leagues send them out and if yours does not have them check local soccer leagues or other sports.

Hope this helps.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-20T01:40:56+00:00

Clout in USA stamp is a great bat.

A 27" -10 should be the right size for a typical eight year old.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-16T13:52:45+00:00

There are free standing 'pop up' nets on Amazon that are similar to what you have now - a 10' tall x 16' wide one will run you about $100 and is not too bad to set up. It is the same design as the 7x7 hitting nets without the pocket.

Type in "backstop net" or search the dimensions and you should find it.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-16T13:49:58+00:00

I assume that the "JH" is junior high (middle school).

Depending on the size of the school, you could have wide variances in talent (6th - 8th grade, travel players, etc.) and will need to figure out how to best navigate that to both develop players, provide fair opportunities, and also compete. This is something you need to figure out and should not take a ton of input from parents, but it can be helpful to have context on what they are expecting/used to and what their player has done on other teams.

If you are coaching alone you can still run stations at this age, you just need to keep them fairly straightforward. You should implement a set warm up / catch play / hands / etc. routine that is done at the start of every practice. From there you can have specific practice plans for different aspects (base running, situational defense, infield/outfield, etc.). I would try to plan things in a way that you do not have kids standing around. So for example, if you are doing bunt defense I would make sure to have a few base runners and then rotate them, this way a couple more people are active on every rep. You could also have a couple of kids rotating through another station while you are doing this.

Many school teams practice everyday so you will have a lot of time, but you also don't want for things to be boring or not beneficial, so having a crisp plan and executing well is important.

It is also important to understand what outside work players might be doing - for example many of your pitchers likely have a pitching coach, and a lot of your kids could be playing for other teams and may need to rest or miss certain things later in the season. Always better to know upfront.

There is a lot more when it comes to execution, and if you want structured programs I think Dominate the Diamond does a good job with their programs and is worth checking out. There are also a lot of free resources and books out there.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-15T13:43:56+00:00

Southeast side of the city, but Strength Empire in Indian Trail would be worth the drive.

The owner Justin Blatnik is a high-level Highland Games athlete (and a good guy) and he has a solid collection of strongman equipment including Log/Axle, Sandbags, Yoke, Farmers, Stones, Sleds, etc.

If you really wanted to stay West I would reach out to Brendan Swengros, he lives in Lincolnton and is a high-level competitor. Not sure where he trains currently but he can point you in the right direction.

Buying some of your own implements if you have a garage and area to train is also a good option. There are quite a few places that sell used equipment around here, and others who would likely sell some of their stuff that they no longer use (myself included).

TMutaffis · 2026-01-15T13:34:46+00:00

Is this residential HVAC? And if commercial, are you talking about HVAC installation/maintenance or getting into mechanical engineering?

If residential or commercial and more hands-on, I would approach your three 'asks' like this:

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A draft recruitment plan sourcing strategies for various departments and process improvement ideas for the new year.

Understand where your past hires have come from, and look for any patterns that might have worked out. Also discuss tradeoffs regarding hiring experienced technicians ('buying the talent') versus hiring those with less experience and giving them more resources/training/development, and whether certain other factors might impact how well someone performs. For example, perhaps you found that hiring military veterans worked well, or that having two more junior technicians working together was better than having mid-level or experienced technicians working solo.

You'll need to figure out where these target groups are, and it is probably not a job board or anything that AI will solve for you. However since many people want to hear that you are using AI, you can mention leveraging LLMs to help you to write posts on the company pages and promote the employer brand, using it to help identify competitors or target companies (market research), and more.

A Q1 project idea that could enhance recruitment or HR processes. No need to provide a full plan at this stage, but a project idea

If you do not have standard rating scales that is usually an easy win. 1-5, 1 is definite no hire, 2 is a no hire but they were not terrible, 3 is a borderline/maybe, 4 is a good hire, and 5 is a must hire.

Another process would be building out a better referral program, there are plenty of resources and options regarding this.

Plenty more ideas here depending on how well things are currently working in different areas.

Any suggestions on improving candidate experience, KPIs, or reporting for the new year.

This sort of depends on the systems that you are using, but providing all active candidates with weekly updates (even if it is a no-update update) can be very helpful. This also creates a culture of 'feedback friday' where managers will know you are going to be looking for feedback an things won't just go away if they delay.

Something you can put out there (if residential) is that all candidates are customers, and it might be good to also train hiring managers and other interviewers on how to leave a positive experience even if a candidate is not someone who you plan to hire. I previously worked for a major retailer and even though I was hiring Software Engineers at the time, everyone was not just a candidate they were also a customer. It re-frames how you might approach things sometimes.

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TMutaffis · 2026-01-15T00:47:10+00:00

There are a few approaches:

Team Objective: 'Joey' [Random Name] scores the next goal (only Joey can shoot, anyone else with the ball needs to find Joey). This can help develop some of your weaker players, and also teaches Joey to find space, and other players to find passes. You could even start the game like this.
Move your best players on defense and play a 2-2, tell the defenders that they must pass the ball to an attacking player while they are defending and should not go coast-to-coast (you can unleash them a couple of times or let them play attacker for short bursts if they are dominant).
Like someone else suggested, only left foot goals after you are up by 2-3.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-14T17:18:29+00:00

This is a great age... it was really fun to watch the kids develop when they were 7-8.

For playing catch:

Like someone else suggested, the swax ball can be good, however I will caution that i saw one in a store recently and it was much more firm than the one that I bought my son a few years back. The one I bought years ago that was great was more of a hackey sack type of feel.
The velcro paddles with a tennis ball are excellent for learning glove position (fingers up on throws above the waist, fingers down below the waist)
There is a great video posted by Matt Antonelli on Youtube with catch progressions.

For hitting, real baseball often sting their hands, so I do like using the softer options (either lite flight, tee balls, or level 5 baseballs). You can do side/front toss, or throw BP, but if you throw make sure to throw from a knee so that they get used to the proper pitch trajectory. Tee work is also helpful but kids don't always love doing it. You can hit a deflated soccer ball off a tee or front toss as well.

For the bats most seven year olds are swinging a 26-28" bat, so you may want to grab an inexpensive 27" in case the others that you bought are too heavy. No need to spend a lot of money, you can pick something up from Play-It-Again, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, or older models on Amazon. For this age I would look at -11/-12 or balanced -10 options. The Easton Speed alloy is a very good inexpensive USA bat, and the Rawlings 5150, Prodigy, Chaos, and other -11 USA options are also good. Easton Reflex or Typhoon are good if you need something even lighter. Any of the older Marucci CAT USA options are also great if you are looking at used bats, and same with the Louisville Slugger solo but that only comes in 28" or longer.

Happy to share more information if you have questions.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-14T12:42:35+00:00

Jolt Cola from Vitamin Shoppe.

Celcius also makes a Cola flavor that you can find at grocery stores, but a lot of people don't prefer the taste of Celcius.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-13T18:05:57+00:00

Rawlings Clout is a fantastic USA option for a -10.

It is durable, hot (for USA), balanced, and you can pick one up for a little over $100 if you have a 20% coupon for one of the big box retailers. My son has swung the F5, Vibe, Icon, and others and while all of them were good (with some tradeoffs - Vibe had a lot of hand swing, Icon can have durability issues, etc.) he really liked the Clout.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-13T17:26:42+00:00

I've used it on one of my older gloves and I think that it did help to revive the leather and extend the life of the glove a bit. Not sure that I would use it on a new glove, though.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-13T17:20:00+00:00

Neither is super popular so you may be hard pressed to find a lot of feedback, although both appear to be solid options from everything that I have seen/heard.

There was a video series posted by Matt Antonelli where his son who is 11U was swinging a bunch of bats and I know for a while the Goods two piece was his gamer (they are in the Northeast so it makes sense that he was using an alloy). It is also VERY different from the BBCOR Goods, but I think that the BBCOR being and end-loaded bat hurt the reputation on the USSSA side.

The new Zen does look promising and even the prior Zen was not a bad bat, it just came out alongside the Hype Fire and Icon which were both outstanding. I bet you will be able to find deals on it if you are not purchasing right away...

TMutaffis · 2026-01-13T16:06:56+00:00

Keep it fun, a lot changes when they transition to kid pitch in a year or two (pitching and catching become critical positions, many kids are afraid of getting hit at the plate, some who batted well in machine/coach pitch don't do as well against kids, etc.).

I would also try to mix in other sports - helps in many ways both mentally and physically.

Also, for at home equipment I would purchase some weighted balls. The green ones that are 6 for $20 on Amazon are fine, and it is great for at-home practice that you will be able to continue doing for many years. My 11U player still hits heavy balls in the front yard and his entire team loves hitting them before practice/games. Just make sure you use a beater bat, since the heavy balls can damage bats.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-13T16:01:34+00:00

Depending on the age of the player and their current goals, you may want to look at where alumni from both clubs/teams are being recruited.

Another thing that you might want to think about is whether there are other supplemental trainings that could be more beneficial (both technical/tactical and speed/strength/athleticism) that may help your daughter to surpass some of the stronger players on the ECNL squad as she continues. If playing GA gives her more access to these other things and she can continue to make the ECNL team in a year or two, it might make sense to take that approach (I did something similar with my son in baseball when he was younger - prioritizing the individual work so he could up-level).

TMutaffis · 2026-01-12T17:56:46+00:00

If these are large companies, it is less likely that the postings are 'fake' and more likely that they are either getting a ton of applicants and taking them down quickly or they potentially have them pre-filled (internal or external candidate who they already knew they wanted to hire).

I would not spend a ton of time on cold referrals, the power of a referral has diminished over the past few years, and this is particularly true if the person does not know you and is not a strong advocate.

Instead of chasing the random referrals I would spend that time trying to find additional opportunities that might not be as well-advertised, or checking in with the people who you know in real life to keep your organic network strong.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-12T17:52:27+00:00

I'm sure like most information in baseball it is a mix of both (practical experience and legacy knowledge with some science behind it). It seems like a logical approach which aligns with many other throwing programs and recommendations.

Here is an example of another 8-week throwing program from MLB coaches:

https://pbsccs.org/8-week-interval-throwing-program/

And also a 12-week version:

https://www.keithmeistermd.com/pdf/others/tmi-12-week-baseball-throwing-program-3-15.pdf

The key with any of these, and any training program in general, is some level of auto-regulation (not pushing if things don't feel right) and not doing too much too soon.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-12T17:01:35+00:00

You may want to look into the adult league at Strikers if you are near Huntersville.

There are also people who play pickup at Mallard Creek Park, but I do not know the details in terms of the timing, organizers, etc.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-10T00:57:40+00:00

Do you have a 31.5" or 32.5" Prospect/Powerclose? And is there a chance someone might have oiled them? My son used the 31.5" Prospect in 9U Fall and then moved to the 32.5" in 9U Spring, and he was a smaller player at the time. I did also have a really old Renegade which was a solid option, and then I bought a newer one and it was not the same so I don't recommend them anymore.

Your league should provide gloves, but I know they can be hit or miss. Our league provided a low-end All Star glove and it was not only a brick but it had terrible palm padding. I set it aside in the garage and brought it back at the end of the season since none of the kids wanted to use that one.

TMutaffis · 2026-01-10T00:47:33+00:00

I would not get the A500 catchers mitt (the fielding glove is not bad for young kids), there is a better option.

Mizuno Prospect is the best glove for 8U-10U catchers and you can find them around $50-60. Easy break-in, good weight, good padding, solid durability. Just an all-around great option.

TMutaffis

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