The Coach’s Bag
This is what I carry to lessons. None of it is fancy. Each item is here because I use it, and each comes with a short note on why.
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Ball bucket + 30 baseballs
Coach Isaac’s take: A couple dozen baseballs and a seat. It's the first thing in the trunk for any lesson.
Foam baseballs
Coach Isaac’s take: Good for beginners who aren't confident catching yet, and for hard grounders with everyone else.
Tanner tee
Coach Isaac’s take: Almost every swing fix starts on a tee. If a hitter only gets one piece of gear, make it a good tee.
Sock net screen
Coach Isaac’s take: Soft toss and a throwing target in one piece of gear that fits in a trunk.
Throw-down bases
Coach Isaac’s take: Throw them down and any open space becomes a drill. Cheap and always useful.
Speed hurdles
Coach Isaac’s take: Footwork and agility work that kids will actually do.
Wiffle balls
Coach Isaac’s take: Skinny bat work and barehanded catch. Cheap, fun, and good for keeping young players interested.
Thin-barrel training bat
Coach Isaac’s take: A skinny barrel only rewards square contact. Think of it as the broomstick drill, upgraded.
Pitching towel
Coach Isaac’s take: Most young pitchers need to learn to finish. The towel drill teaches extension without throwing a ball.
Pitching target
Coach Isaac’s take: A target gives every pitch a yes or no answer on location, so a bullpen stops being guesswork.
L-screen
Coach Isaac’s take: If you're throwing BP or feeding a machine, stand behind a real screen. This is the one place I wouldn't save money.
Ball cart
Coach Isaac’s take: Once you're throwing a lot of BP, a cart saves your back and keeps balls off the ground.
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