Development for 13 & 14 Year Old's
Daily Newsletter 31/100
This is an excerpt from The Development Book. Talking about the priorities that should take place when working with players aged 13 to 15.
13 to 14 Years Old
Each age group that you work with is different, and has different needs. In the 13-14 year olds, you really get to start seeing the fruits of your labor over the course of their development if you are lucky enough to coach players for a long period of time. During this period, you get to start seeing the effects of puberty take over, they get to move to the big boy field and a lot of players really start to want to take the game seriously and are old enough to really dive into the nitty-gritty that can accompany player development. These are the ages where they start to “get it”, and while this definitely isn't the case all the time you really can start to be an impactful presence on them for the better, one that can really last a long time if you do it right.
Skill Refinement
This one is the big difference, we get away from the very blunt/brute force mindset that accompanies younger youth athletics and they get closer to playing a version of baseball that resembles the real thing. They have enough dexterity to throw offspeed pitches while maintaining high arm speed, and don't have to completely alter their throw to accomplish the goal of making the ball move. This is around the age where I think it is important to really dive into offspeed development. Priority #1 however, is still developing power and the ability to throw the ball hard.
During this phase, I personally wouldn't recommend throwing more than 10-15% offspeed pitches in their training, and I would make a direct attempt to try and limit the amount of offspeed pitches they throw in games. Obviously, you cannot totally manage exactly how many of these they throw, and different types of lineups and hitters will demand different approaches. This doesn't give you the right to throw 40% sliders, as that ignores the principles we talked about previously that will prohibit them from achieving their highest potential.
Below is a section from the development book, that shares some more information regarding my opinion on offspeed usage in this age group and earlier.
**Most people who hear the cautionary tales regarding offspeed at too young of an age pay attention to the increased injury risk, while the ones who allow these pitches cite the new research that shows the pitches not coming with the assumed higher injury risk. Personally, I believe the latter, I believe that based on the research I have seen it shows that these pitches don’t come at increased injury risk. However, these pitches do handicap you in a different way, these pitches (change-ups included) teach players finesse that they truly don’t need to be focusing on at ages under 13. The window for developing world class power output shuts earlier than you would think, and the younger you are the more your body will be able to squeeze out of yourself if you truly commit to training for output rather than finesse based traits.
Take the quote from Ben Hogan for example “Learn to hit the ball far, then straight”, this is a pretty spot on comparison to the pitching hierarchy of “learn to throw the ball hard, then learn to command it.” While the command/straight drive comparison is too obvious to ignore, this quote likely applies to many different parts of the game as well. Another option could be “learn to hit the ball far before learning to perfect your short game.” This however, is where the quote differs, as short game work/swings don't take away from your driver. Meanwhile, throwing a large percentage/portion of your pitches with the intent to lighten up, shape or overly***
Back to it
They also need to start learning the mental side of the game, which can really only be learned by playing and starting to build up their baseball IQ. Obviously you will teach them these things along the way, but you can really start to build them up at this age.
Build the engine
This is where you really need to start delegating the development of your kid or the athletes you coach to trained professionals who deal with whatever specific niche you are interested in for your kid or athletes. This doesn't mean start sending them to whatever pitching facility, or pay a tuition equivalent in training, but it definitely means seeking out the highest quality information available to you and implementing it. Most likely, you don't have any understanding of strength training at the highest level, or how strength training needs to be implemented based on their age or their proclivities from a movement capacity standpoint. You likely don't understand the individualized hip anatomy and how femur length can dictate the quality of certain lifts.
Thankfully, you really don't need to, you just need to get proper information and programming from someone who does. It doesn't have to be perfect, but someone who understands movement, lifting weights and pitching/throwing as a whole isn't that hard to find. Thankfully, the scene as a whole has come around on lifting and specifically youth lifting, so resources are as abundant as they have ever been.
If all else fails, doing a ton of your own research on trusted sources like Tread Athletics, Driveline Baseball or Cressey Sports performance can give you a ton of good information about “baseball specific” needs for lifting and player development.
The principles of development at this age are very important to share. This is an age where athletes are going to be very new to lifting, and must really pay attention to what they are doing. Lifting the wrong way can not only get you hurt, but also impact performance negatively if you push the wrong way and end up creating bad adaptations in the body. Here are some of my Do’s and Don'ts
Do:
Progressively overload and challenge yourself.
Plan your lifts out according to your playing schedule, and make sure to include time to recover from these lifts before throwing at high effort.
Make sure to prioritize throwing, attempting to lift a ton and then throw high effort after will severely raise your chances of injury.
Focus on movement quality over maximum weight. (this doesn't mean don't lift heavy)
Take your mobility work seriously, failing to do so can crush your mechanics, are they are generally rooted in good mobility.
Focus really hard on the details, as this will carry over into every part of your life.
Don’t:
Throw whatever feels good on the bar, without tracking and paying attention.
Lift randomly, without attention being given to time off or when your next bullpen or throwing session will be.
Prioritize lifting over throwing, making sure to crush your body before competition.
Throw as much weight on the bar as you can and only care about maxing out.
Skip stretching and mobility work. Mobility is “strength through range of motion”, so this requires harmony in your lifting and stretching/mobility work.
Rush through everything, without really making sure you do everything with proper form, timing and effort.
You probably get the point by now, the downsides of doing a lifting program incorrectly greatly outweigh the positives. I cannot emphasize this enough, if you really want to be great, or you really want your athletes to be great, you need to have attention to detail with this stuff. This is why I recommend outsourcing it, asking as many questions as you need and then staying in touch with the professionals throughout the entirety of your training/ coaching. If done correctly, the weight room can be the single most beneficial training tool an athlete has, however as pretty much everything in life goes: the higher the reward means more risk comes along with it.
This time period is very enjoyable for the athletes who do work hard and who do pay attention to detail. This is the time in which the ones who work hard can really start to outpace the athletes who are just talented or don't pay attention to all the details. Talent starts to show less in this age group, as the physical demands of the field and game start to become more and more prevalent. As a coach or parent, you can really impact them in a disproportionately positive way as they grow into their body and start to leverage different capabilities and interests for the better. The players who want to be pitchers will lean more into that (not pitcher only if they don't want to, I recommend playing a position as long as you can.) the hitters who want to hit for power will lean more into that, and the players with no vision will sit around as the ones who want to fully commit to being the best will start to take off. You might not see it yet, but the late middle school into early high-school years can be huge for kids and their improvement. It gets hard, working all those years only to be beaten by the kids who grew faster, but as the weight-room gets involved, you will see players start to take accountability for their play and reap the benefits not only athletically but socially.
The social and emotional benefits of young athletes in the weight-room can almost be more beneficial than the athletic benefits. The added confidence, mental toughness and work ethic that come along with it are always going to be there. Kids who lift and workout believe in themselves more, learn lessons about dedication, hard work and what can happen when you prioritize what is important. Even if your kids don't play sports, I cannot recommend getting them into the weight-room enough.
Habits
Truthfully, the progress that players make during this age/time frame are only as important if not less important than the habits they build along the way. My dad started me young, he got me lifting in the 6th grade. He set me up with the trainer at the local gym and did a few sessions where I was able to learn the proper form and technique. Thankfully, baseball has come a long way and we as a whole have started to understand the benefits of proper strength training, even at a young age. A lot of the higher tier training facilities (really any facility worth their salt) will have at least a section of their facility dedicated to strength training. The principles applied during lifting at the beginning stages are in my opinion of the utmost importance for laying the groundwork and foundation for high level baseball development.
When you get to college, you start to compete against some extremely strong and physical athletes. You can really tell which ones have been lifting for a while, and which ones have not been. Sure you might be able to skate by until college, but eventually you are going to be outclassed in the strength department. If you really want to know how big and strong athletes are in college, take a weekend and watch the closest Power 5 team play. Get as close as you can, stand near them when they are warming up or stretching, you will soon realize that they are all incredibly physical athletes, not just skilled.
Athletes don't become this way by accident, sometimes it is genetics but 99% of the time it is hard work. Trust me, if your athlete is going to be gifted enough to coast to their dream school, you would probably know this already. If not, it is critical that you do everything you can to instill good habits. These are going to impact them more profoundly than just their performance on the field. Hopefully, athletes take these lessons learned throughout their athletic careers and implement them into their lives, careers, academic paths and everyone in between. Some of the most important traits I developed in my life came from this time period, and are listed below.
Proper Warm-Up and Cool-Down: A structured routine before pitching to prepare muscles and joints, including regular mobility work, conditioning and soft tissue to ensure you are in the best place possible to make the improvements you want.
Diet and Hydration: Eating a balanced diet rich in proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats supports growth and energy needs. Hydration is critical, especially for pitchers who lose a lot of fluids through sweat, summer ball tournaments can really take it out of you. Make sure you prioritize this, even if you have to buy countless water bottles from the concession stand. Being dehydrated will massively spike injury risk and tank performance. It just isn't worth it.
Rest and Recovery: Ensuring adequate sleep (8-10 hours for teenagers) and having days off from both lifting and throwing to allow muscles to heal and grow. Overuse is a significant concern for young athletes, especially when they are in their developmental years.
Mental Preparation: Practicing visualization, where the pitcher imagines throwing perfect pitches in various game scenarios, can prepare them mentally for actual games.
Consistent Practice: This might be the most important one for the long term. Setting a regular practice schedule but also knowing when to take breaks. This habit instills discipline while preventing burnout or overuse. Your life will **always** be busy, but the ones who get ahead are the ones who prioritize what is necessary.
Listening to the Body: Learning to recognize signs of fatigue or pain and communicating with coaches or parents about how they feel, which is crucial for health management. Being told to hide or cover up injuries will only get worse as you get older. The stronger and more powerful you get, the more you are able to hurt yourself as a result of sport.
Learning from Every Experience: Keeping a pitching journal or log to note down what worked, what didn’t, and making adjustments accordingly. This habit promotes a growth mindset. Without it, it is incredibly hard to really know when you are or aren't making progress. Progress is slow, sometimes it feels like you aren’t getting any better. Having the perspective of 6 months or more written down can offer what you need to see.
Positive Attitude and Sportsmanship: Cultivating a habit of positivity, teamwork, and respect towards others in the game, which not only improves team dynamics but also personal development.
By embedding these habits into their daily routine, a young pitcher not only improves their immediate performance but also sets the stage for long-term success in baseball and life, understanding that growth in sports is as much about character development as it is about physical prowess. As I have mentioned before and will mention again, baseball development is a war of attrition, and deciding that you are going to stay in the fight is as much about the resiliency of the athlete, not just their talent.
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