BASEBALL UNLIMITED!

INSTRUCTIONAL PHILOSOPHY

The foremost goal of any lesson or instructional program is to help every player be the best he is capable of - and then some! To give every player the tools/skills they need to succeed, resulting in increased confidence, and contributions to a team. Whether the player is among the best in his age group or struggling just to make contact at the plate, the goal is to help the player be as good as he can possibly be; whether that means getting a scholarship to a D-I school or just putting the ball in play or catching a pop-up.

The key to my consistent success over the years is not that I hold some secret to hitting or any other skill. The continued success of this lesson program comes from:

1. The ability to troubleshoot the swing, throw, catch, etc. - identify the problem, and knowing the correction.
2. The ability to break down complex mechanical adjustments into small age-appropriate segments geared to the needs of the individual, and to communicate those adjustments in many different ways.

There is a genuine concern and commitment that every player in the program improves. This is not assembly line instruction, and the best interest of the player is always the priority.

Players will learn the difference between a good hit and a good swing; and that you can succeed at hitting without getting a hit. In baseball, you can do everything right - perfect even, and still fail. Players who do it right with poor results are praised, while players who crush the ball with a wild swing or throw a perfect strike poor throwing mechanics will be corrected. In the long run, a swing or pitchwith solid mechanics will yield better, more consistent results.

The basic hitting philosophy is based on three key parts: 1. See the ball 2. Be quick to the ball 3. Turn on the ball.
The basic throwing (pitching) philosophy vaires depending on the position (pitchers/outfielders have a different throwing motion than infielders/catchers), but in either case, front side setup and extension to the target are the main keys.

As an educator with a MAT (Masters of Arts in Teaching) I apply solid baseball fundamentals using a variety of teaching approaches to the various learning style of the player. I also monitor all the coaches/instructors to assure they are teaching solid fundamentals in a clear, age-appropriate manner.

I look forward to the opportunity to helping each and every student become a better baseball player.

Yours in baseball,

Jim Bellantoni
Owner, Baseball unlimited

TEAM COACHING PHILOSOPHY AND WINNING

I have enjoyed quite a bit of success over my many years of coaching teams. As any good coach will tell you, the key to winning for the most part is simple; have good ball players. What makes a season "successful"? I measure whether or not I was a success coaching a team by four things:

1. Did the team learn and improve?
2. Did the team enjoy the experience?
3. Did the team compete as well as they could/should have? (i.e. did they apply their skills well?)
4. Did I do everything I could to be successful?

Does winning matter? Of course it does. I always say if winning doesn't matter then why do we keep score? But winning it is not a good measure of the success of the coach. From 1992-1997 my Mickey Mantle teams went 73-19 with a few championships. From 1989-1991 my Babe Ruth teams went 42-7, also with a couple championships. While I'll accept the fact that I played a part and still had to train those teams, call plays and coverages, make the lineups, etc. I was not a big reason why those teams won. I had better players. We didn't win because I was a good coach, but if we lost it probably would have meant that I was more of a bad one! There are lots of great coaches out there who will never win a championship or tournament simply because the team they have is out-gunned. But they work hard every day, run a good program, players improve and reach/exceed their potential, and the team is competitive. There are also lots of winning coaches out there who don't have the first clue about the game, how to teach it, or how to coach it; they just had better players.

In addition to the two examples above, I have enjoyed quite a few other championships and won several tournaments. However the two most rewarding experiences I've had coaching teams have been the 2002 Bulldogs (Westport), and the 2003 Wilton Select team. Neither of these two teams won any title or championship. In fact, that 2002 Bulldog team that I feel so good about, was the first team I ever coached with a losing record! I feel good about that experience because we started with a group of kids that could hardly play catch, barely hit the ball out of the infield, and had no clue what to do with the ball when it was hit. By the end of the season we were winning some games, understood cut-offs and bunt coverages, were executing suicide squeezes and hit-and-runs, and most of all even when we did not win we were competitive!

I actually started with the 2003 Wilton team in 2002 at the end of their Little League season when I ran some practices for them before all-stars. I started coaching them as a team in the Fall of 2002, introducing them to the big field. After that we worked out together twice a week through the whole Winter. Coming into their 13 year old season their skills had improved tremendously! We ended up finishing 3rd in the Babe Ruth District II tournament, but more importantly they competed with teams like Trumbull and Norwalk and got a taste of winning baseball games. We continued through the Summer playing in a league with other all-star teams, and finished 13-2!

Neither one of these teams got a single trophy or title, but when I look at those four questions that determine whether or not coaching those teams was a "success".... 1. They improved dramatically that's for sure. 2. They enjoyed the experience... I think. Winning/competing is fun; getting your butt kicked every game is not. There were times when the kids did not find it fun of course... like the double sessions in 90+ degree heat or me making them repeat a drill or play 30 times until they got it right, but that's what it takes sometimes. As I always say "good baseball is fun - bad baseball sucks". 3. They competed well, sometimes even beyond the level they should have. and 4. I always do!

Winning is a product of hard work/preparation, circumstance, and a little luck. One of my favorite sayings to my teams is that "Success is when opportunity meets preparation." An outfielder may run to back up a play 100 times and not be needed. He was prepared, but had no opportunity. Then maybe on the 101st time the ball gets by and he is needed, he picks up the ball and saves a run. Opportunity meets preparation! We practice bunting and squeezing even though it only happens now and then in close games, but if we don't, when the opportunity arises we wouldn't be prepared.

Winning must also be gauged by the level of competition you are playing. For example if you are in the Mickey Mantle League (which is 16-under) and you are mostly a team of 16 year olds and you beat a team of 14's who are playing up, that's no accomplishment. Of course you can still be happy if you played well and did things right, but keep it in perspective. My goal as a coach with regard to winning is this: We should win 100% of the games where we have more talent than other team: We should win 75% of the games where we are about equal in talent (because we do things right and are prepared); We should win 25% of the games where we have less talent than the other teams (because we do things right and are prepared, and we get a lucky bounce or close call).

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