http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry Chaz Henry Soapbox Wed, 01 Sep 2010 01:51:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en If you have ever coached or played baseball, you MUST put the Little League World Series (LLWS) on your bucket list (the list of things to do before you kick the bucket). Just returning from the 2010 LLWS, this post can't begin to capture the fun and drama that takes place ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/08/29/coachs-bucket-list-the-little-league-world-series/ I'll delete this post when Nike comes calling to be title sponsor of PowerChalk.  I'll delete it and pretend that cleats with a swoosh on them make you a better ball player. I might even start selling sugar water if PowerAde comes calling.  But in the meantime, it's clear to me ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/08/15/better-than-nikes/ I just finished "Sandy Koufax" by Jane Leavy.  I didn't like her wandering style - she often confuses by jumping the time-line - but the story is a must read for true baseball fans.  Koufax put together five of the most dominant years that baseball has seen and Leavy explores ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/07/12/koufax/ I think a lot of us (self included) lose track of the fact that baseball is a 60-40 game. Even a superior team would lose 40+ games to a lesser team if they played one hundred times. Pick any year and you'll see that the MLB division winners are .586. You ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/04/25/baseball-is-60-40/ Gary McDonald is the middle school baseball coach of Cary Academy (NC) and quite simply one of the best coaches I know.  He’s a student of the game who is always working on new drills and plays.  In the three seasons I've known him, I've watched him improve the game ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/01/16/chalktalk-diagrams/ It's a different world for coaches.  The game rules are the same but there's a new generation of players.  The old school - my way or the highway approach - is failing.  No longer can you grab a player by the throat and smack him until his attitude improves. This generation ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/01/14/the-playstation-generation/ Interesting quote in this article by PGA instructor John Hughes, "If you are paying for instruction that does not include video review of your game, you should reconsider why you are paying for golf instruction." I agree, its just not possible to see the important nuances of the swing without the ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/01/14/choosing-a-golf-instructor/ In my collection of signed baseballs I have a Sandy Koufax ball.  Koufax is my favorite player of all time.  He had a five year window in which he was unhittable.  In the summer of 2000 when I got the opportunity to play a round of golf with Randy Johnson, ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/01/08/a-tribute-to-randy-johnson/ From day one of coaching I've tried to incorporate my parents into the practice sessions, drills and goals of the team.  All of my baseball practices have stations with a parent (or two) manning it as the kids rotate through. Stations have specific objectives towards using your glove, your bat or ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2010/01/06/play-mode-v-practice-mode/ Coaches, players, parents and fans -  Welcome to PowerChalk. It's been three years in development but PowerChalk represents a lifetime of cross training.  It's the answer to the question - "What do you get when you cross a programmer with a little league baseball coach?" I'm Chaz Henry and I started writing ... http://blog.powerchalk.com/chazhenry/2009/12/21/welcome-to-powerchalk/