We have a "Happy House" here at the Dixon's residence tonight. I am writing this after watching my son's youth baseball team win a big 8-6 victory. As usual, my 8-year old son, Joel, is fired up about baseball! He played shortstop without an error and went 3 for 3, with 2 singles, a triple, and 3 RBI's. Joel loves to play this game! he loves for his team to win. And he especially loves it when he plays well and contributes to the teams success.

Joel had a feeling that he was going to hit the ball tonight. He told me this afternoon, as we practiced with the Hand Held Trainer, that he was "gonna rip" that ball. You could see this confidence radiating from him as he took the sign from his coach, stepped into the batter's box, banged his 29 inch "snake-skinned" Worth Copperhead bat downward on the plate, and settled into his stance with his weight slightly shifted backwards. He then drove the first pitch, with a line-drive, sharply into the right-center field gap. He left the batter's box like a "jet" and made a "picture perfect" loop turn at first. And no father has ever been prouder of a son than when I watched him "pick-up" his third base coach, round second with a great turn, and slide into third with a "pop-up" slide. His little face gleamed with pride as he raised his right hand to ask the umpire for time so he could step off the bag to dust the red dirt off his extra small pin-striped pants. A proud, joyous, and thankful coach patted him on the back and congratulated him on his triple. It was a extra basehit that drove in three runs and broke a 2 to 2 tie. Joel was right. he did "rip" the ball. He "came through" for his team with a "big hit" at a "big time". Its fun to do your job when you come to work ready, prepared and motivated!.

Is all this fun worth just 20 minutes of my time, several days a week? Yes, you better believe it is. It is that big grin he has on his face as he runs up to me after the game and the high fives he got from his teammates that make me realize just how "Big Time" this "Little People" baseball is. 20 minutes a day is a small price to play for all of this. We have adopted a routine of doing a "game-day" backyard workout. We do it every day of a game just before we leave for the ballpark. We first stretch and warm-up properly. I then throw or roll him 15 to 20 grounders for more warm-up. As we throw, we talk about staying in the game at all times and about various situations that may arise and how to handle them. Next we take batting practice. We take about 50 warm-up and practice swings using a Hand Held Trainer. We always do the "5-Position" drill to make sure Joel gets his eye on the ball. The drill also serves to get him thinking aggressively and builds his confidence. When he gets in the car to go to the game he is "truly" ready to play! I do this workout with Joel just as I did with his older brothers when they were his age. We take baseball serious around the Dixon house. We have always put a lot into the game and gotten a lot in return. We practice hard to play. We play hard to win! Some people might say that we take it too serious. We don't think so!

Teaching and coaching is my profession. But I also have another "full-time" job. I am a dad. I feel the highs when my child plays well. I suffer the lows when he doesn't. I know that I am more responsible for my son's development as a player, than anyone else on this planet. So I have made the commitment to help him in any way I can when he needs or wants my help.

So on game days you will find Joel and hid father out in the backyard doing their 20 minute workout. You will see a son and his father spending quality time together. What makes this 20 minute workout possible and so productive is the best coaching tool ever made, the Hand Held Trainer Coaching Tool. It is also the best "father and son" product that money can buy. I don't care if I did invent it and maybe I am a bit partial to it. It's made for working "one-on-one". And "one-on-one" instruction is the absolute best condition in which to learn to hit.

Coach Nick Dixon

Update: Joel's team finished 3rd in their league. Joel had 3 strike outs during the season. On one, he went down swinging. On the other two, he took the 3rd called strike. He learned the hard way that if the pitch is close enough for an umpire to "call", its close enough to hit. He finished with a 500 batting average, the highest on the team. He got selected to play on the league's all star team.