FOUNDERS MESSAGE
Thank you for visiting YSPN360.com. My name is Lou Birdt. I’m one of the founders and the CEO of YSPN360.com. I was fortunate to have played college baseball and a summer of professional baseball. Though I didn’t reach the big leagues, I experienced more of the game than most and I’m grateful for that. When I started my business career I knew I wanted to coach and help others reach their goals.
My coaching career has allowed me to coach players at every level including youth ball, high school, college players and I used to train major league and minor league players during their off season. During this time, I struck up friendships with more experienced coaches who were more knowledgeable and mentored me in ways to make a difference in the lives of the players I worked with. Over time, it became easy for me to call them if I had a problem or a team that wasn’t “getting it”. They were always ready to help, because that’s what coaching is all about.
This was the inspiration for YSPN360.com. A place where any player, coach or parent could find advice, ideas, practice techniques, drills, and more from the very best coaches/mentors. We set out to provide comprehensive resource for players, parents, and coaches that they could access anytime, anywhere, even during practice. We are assembling the best available information to help them on their journey through youth sports, starting with baseball and softball and adding more sports throughout this year.
Sample Video
ABOUT COACHING
The reality is that every coach and every player has room for improvement. It’s not a perfect world. Some coaches have very little training or experience in the sports your kids want to play. Some of you are natural motivators. Regardless of your personal situation, I’d bet all of you care about the kids. You’ve volunteered for a job that isn’t easy. Our goal is to share some of that burden.
My mentors taught me many important lessons, here are four I’d like to share with you now:
1. It’s not about us (adults/coaches). It’s about making sure we position our players to be successful in the time we have them.
2. Have empathy for every player and parent. Playing sports is easy. Being good at them is hard, and that applies to most.
3. Be better than your players every day. Work harder, study harder, teach them something new every day, no matter how small. They’ll appreciate you for that, forever.
4. Leave your ego at home. The more you feel you need to be heard, the less you’ll be able to offer your players. The more you talk, the less they hear.
ABOUT YSPN360
YSPN stands for Youth Sports Performance Network. The 360 represents our desire to provide our members with a full circle approach to player, parent and coaching development. Not just physical skills, but also technical knowledge, teaching techniques, communication, strength and conditioning, nutrition, as well as mental and emotional development.
We are powered by elite professional and collegiate coaches along with sports counselors and mentors who can bring you hundreds of years of collective coaching and personal development experience. Every one of our coaches is a champion, on and off the field.
We have signed more coaches than are currently on the site today, in sports for which we are still developing material. You’ll see them in the weeks and months to come. Come be a part of YSPN360.com. Our goal is to bring you closer to playing and coaching your best and to assure rewarding experiences that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Coaches
Our coaching staff has literally hundreds of years of combined experience. They are here to inspire, educate and motivate you as you work to achieve your goals. We’ll be adding more elite coaches to our staff so stay tuned!
Dave Roberts
Los Angeles Dodgers
Manager
Sandy Alomar Jr.
Cleveland Indians First Base
Coach and Catching Instructor
Omar Vizquel
Future Hall of Famer Minor League
Manager, Chicago White Sox
Curt Young
Pitching Coach
San Francisco Giants
Andy Stankiewicz
Head Baseball Coach,
Grand Canyon U.
Mike Schultz
Former Big
Leaguer
Mike White
University of Texas
Head Coach
Lonni Alameda
Head Softball Coach,
Florida State University
Nate Shaw
Strength & Conditioning
Coach, AZ Diamondbacks
Kelly Ford
Head Softball Coach,
Cal State Fullerton
Ken Crenshaw
Director of Sports Med and Perf,
AZ Diamondbacks
Amanda Carlson-Phillips
Performance
Dietitian
Tim Dixon
Mental
Coach
Bryan Corey
Oakland A’s, Minor
League Pitching Coach
Tripp MacKay
Head Softball Coach,
Kennesaw State University
Rod Louden
Psychotherapist
–
Mike Bard
Hitting
Instructor
Dr. Jim Taylor
Sports
Psychologist
Rebecca Demorest, MD.
Pediatric and Young Adult
Sports Medicine Specialist
David Dagostino, Jr.
Co-Financial Officer,
Director of Basketball & Autsim Studies
Anne Shadle, Ph.D., CMPC
Sports
Scientist
Jim Brower
Seattle Mariners
Assistant Pitching Coach
Kristyn Sandberg
Catcher, Chicago
Bandits, NPF
Ally Carda
Infielder/Pitcher,
Chicago Bandits, NPF
Haylie Wagner
YSNP360 Softball
Coach
Tarrik Brock
Baserunning & Outfield
Coordinator, LA Dodgers
Scott Juniper
Head Coach, UC Irvine
Women’s Soccer
Trevor Persson
Head Coach University
of La Verne Men’s Soccer
Matthew Evans
Technical Director,
Legends FC
BJ McNicol
GM of Soccer at YSPN360
Head Coach Saddleback College
Ian Feuer
Former MLS & English
Premier League Goalkeeper