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John Z., Phoenix, AZ Baseball Coach

John Z.

Baseball

GOLD
8 reviews

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Former Division I catcher with knowledge of modern trends and traditional instruction with experience coaching youth athletes -- from elite players to those just learning the game. View all coaching experience

This coach is unavailable to take clients at this time.

Training Locations
Training Locations
  1. 10625 N 9th Dr, 10625 North 9th Drive, Phoenix, AZ

My training location only

  • Northern Illinois University (IL)

  • 7 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Outfield, Infield, Catcher

  • Hitting, Fielding, Baserunning

Credentials

  • Northern Illinois University (IL)

  • 7 years

  • Qualified Private Coach
    Passed Coach Course

Services

  • Adults, Kids, Teenagers

  • Outfield, Infield, Catcher

  • Hitting, Fielding, Baserunning

More About Coach John

I have coached youth athletes at every age level from 7 to 18 and every skill level from those just learning the game to college commits. I started my coaching career in the Chicagoland area in 2016 and have coached in the Phoenix area since 2017. My experience includes coaching fundamentals to youth athletes from 7 to 12 with the D-backs Baseball Academy, work with two different player development academies, coaching majors-level club teams at every age from 9U to 18U, and running individual and group hitting, catching, and fielding lessons. Whenever possible, I use technology and video to quantify skill development and progress.

I competed at the Division I level at Northern Illinois University (Mid-American Conference). I was a primary catcher at the collegiate level, but made appearances at 6 different positions during my career. I was named 2015 and 2016 Mid-American Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-MAC. I was named to the Johnny Bench Award watch list (awarded to the best Division I catcher) my senior year.

Catching: I focus on every aspect of catching development, from physical skills including receiving, blocking, and throwing to mental skills of game management, relationship building, and on-field leadership. I start by running the athlete through a brief workout to assess the athlete's current skill level and create a plan based on the assessment and, most importantly, the athlete's goals. I typically start with creating a comfortable base and setup, progress to fundamentals, then fine-tune skills as the athlete progresses. I focus heavily on receiving/framing and blocking technique because these are the skills a catcher uses the vast majority of the time in games. Between drills during breaks, I discuss the mental aspect of catching. I am comfortable teaching athletes that are learning to catch for the first time, longtime high-level catchers looking to fine-tune their skills to reach the next level, and everyone in-between.

Hitting: Hitting sessions will depend heavily on the athlete's age, current skill level, and goals. Hitting sessions will begin with a brief assessment, typically using video analysis and technology (e.g., Blast Motion, radar) if possible. My philosophy when it comes to hitting is to focus on timing, get into a strong launch position, and swing on plane with the pitch with maximum power to do damage. Hitting is an art, but there is also a scientific aspect to it. With younger hitters, the focus will typically be on mechanical fixes, specifically getting to a solid launch position and creating an efficient bat path. For more advanced hitters, the focus will be the same, but with the added emphasis on training to increase bat speed, specifically using over- and under-load bats and high-velocity training. For all ages and skill levels, I focus on the mental aspect of hitting, including approach at the plate.

Fielding: Fielding lessons will be position-specific, and will focus on the fundamentals of the position. Typically, the focus will be on footwork, glove position, and position-specific mental skills.

Because a great deal of the skill-development process comes with repetition and practice, I will typically give the athlete "homework" to complete between sessions to reinforce the skills covered in the lesson.

Note that hitting/catching/fielding lessons can be combined into one slot, or broken up into separate lessons.

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Client Reviews

Coach John did an amazing job explaining details to my 6 year old grandson to make him feel comfortable and understand each step in the process. Coach John has the experience and knowledge to help get my grandson to the next level.

Excellent! John really knows how to break things down so it's easy to understand, learn, and practice at home.

Awesome coach. He really takes his time and makes it fun. My son loved wining with him and wants to go back for more.

Nice guy, great communication. My 8 year old son really enjoys the lessons with Coach John.

From our very first session with Coach John, it became evident that we had found a remarkable instructor for our 7-year-old son. Transitioning into kid pitch baseball, our son faced challenges in hitting off live pitchers. Coach John, with his exceptional approach and understanding of young players, made an immediate and profound impact.

What stood out the most was Coach John's ability to connect with my son. He communicated in a way that was not only age-appropriate but also engaging and entertaining. This approach made my son feel completely at ease, allowing him to be himself - fun, funny, and open to learning.

The technical aspect of Coach John's teaching was equally impressive. He quickly identified areas for improvement in my son's mechanics and introduced a new approach that was both understandable and effective. The results were immediate and noticeable, offering us a tangible sense of progress and hope.

Coach John's ability to blend technical skill development with a fun and supportive environment is a rare find. We highly recommend him to any parent seeking a hitting coach who can truly connect with young players and bring out their best, both in skills and in enjoyment of the game.

We just started with Coach John and we feel he will have a great relationship with our son. He is very patient, very knowledgable and always attempts to mix in some fun. We would have no issues referring him to anyone.

Coach John is great!! He has been working with my 9 year old son for a couple of weeks now and we are already seeing so much improvement on his catching. Coach John is really great with getting on my sons level and teaching him the fundamentals in a way he both understands and retains and we could not be more happy with choosing him to work with our catcher!

Coach John is amazing! First lesson he had my little boy learning the techniques on how to catch and hit

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