DURHAM, N.C. - USA Baseball announced on Thursday the addition of four new educational assets, featuring content provided by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), in an effort to promote continuing education throughout the baseball coaching community.
USA Baseball has produced four new online coaching modules, each of which include clinic videos from recent ABCA National Conventions. These modules are now available on the USA Baseball Online Education Center, at no cost to users.
The USA Baseball Online Education Center currently includes - among other resources - a catalog of online courses and modules for players, coaches, parents and umpires, hosted by some of baseball's most esteemed professionals. These are completely free of charge and aim to provide a positive baseball experience for all those involved. The four new modules featuring premier ABCA content are:
- Managing Players, featuring Andy Green, Manager of the San Diego Padres, and Chris Burke, former MLB player and current TV analyst
- Coaching Philosophy and Approach, featuring Jack Thomson, Head Baseball Coach at Sierra HS (Calif.), and Dave Jauss, Coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Infield Development, featuring Marty Lees, Head Baseball Coach at Washington State University, and Eddie Smith, Head Baseball Coach at Lower Columbia College
- Outfield Development, featuring Jake Boss, Head Baseball Coach at Michigan State University, and Matt Bragga, Head Baseball Coach at Tennessee Tech
These modules, like the rest of the course offerings on the USA Baseball Online Education Center, are equipped with a functionality that allows the user to select their preferred language (English or Spanish) upon launching the module. When the user selects Spanish as their preferred language, the course will automatically be delivered entirely in Spanish, including videos with Spanish subtitles.
"Today's launch marks another important step in the build out of our Online Education Center," said Rick Riccobono, USA Baseball's Chief Development Officer. "With the support of the ABCA, we're proud to add these developmentally focused resources which will not only impact technical teachings, but also serve to reinforce our commitment to building a positive culture across all levels of our game."
The introduction of the new modules is in alignment with the Quality Coaching Framework unveiled by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) in October 2017. The Quality Coaching Framework is the latest in a series of efforts by the USOC to advance the coaching profession in the United States by improving the standard of coaching education and developing high-quality resources to support National Governing Bodies (NGBs). The Quality Coaching Framework is available on the USOC's website, TeamUSA.org, as well as the USA Baseball Online Education Center.
The four new coaching development modules and the USOC's Quality Coaching Framework can be found by accessing the USA Baseball Online Education Center at USABaseball.Education.
