Coach of the Week: Baseball Instructor and Former Professional Player Kent Wallace
Each week Ubersense showcases a coach or athlete of the Ubersense community we think our users and everyone else would like to meet (all articles can be found on the Coach of the Week page). This Friday we’re talking with Kent Wallace, who, after a long professional career, has opened his own training facility in Paducah, Kentucky. Check out The Baseball Barn's website at http://www.thebaseballbarn.com/ Can you tell us a little bit about your background? Well, I was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 14th round in 1992 out of Murray State University. Played in their system for five seasons, one of which was on the 40-man major league roster. Played with Jeter and Rivera several years. Then, signed with the Astros and played 2 seasons in AA and AAA. Also played professionally in Venezuela two winters and Mexico one winter and four summers. How did you decide to get into coaching? When I was home in the off-season I would get requests from parents to work with their child and it went really well. It's just a great way to share what I've learned and share the love I have for the game. It's a great joy to see my students succeed and have fun at baseball. Could you talk a little bit about your program The Baseball Barn? I primarily offer individual instruction. I've done team clinics before but the one-on-one instruction can't be beat. Everyone is different in skill level and what they need to work on. That's why the individual format works best. How do you incorporate Ubersense into your coaching? When I first started business in 2001, I had to use a video camera and record it to VHS for playback. It cost me precious minutes to record and rewind, etc. The Ubersense app is amazing! So convenient and handy. I can take it and within a few seconds of recording review it with my student...no dead time. Have you used video analysis to coach before Ubersense? Yes, I used Right View Pro. Ubersense, in my opinion, is just a step ahead in technology,convenience and customer support. What is something you would like to share with other coaches in our community? It's all about keeping the game fun and letting the players develop. Move players around, let them play two or three different positions and don't be concerned so much about winning. Play the weaker players more and the better players less. After all, they are the ones that need more work. Let them have their own style and just build on their strengths and tweak their weaknesses. Any additional thoughts? Thanks for Ubersense! It's my most valuable teaching tool! Now, lets play ball! A special thanks goes out to Kent Wallace for answering these questions and for helping student athletes get better each day.