The Millennial Method: A Modern Approach to Coaching Today's Generation of Technology-Driven Athlete

By Jason Schreiber

Remember the good old days of coaching young athletes? Coaches gave the orders. The players responded with action instead of asking, “Why?” But those are examples of a relationship lost to the ages—specifically to the last millennium. And coaches from that last millennium in every field of sports are learning the hard way that in this millennium they now face a new kind of player personality, one defined simply as a product of the Millennial generation which began reaching adulthood about the year 2000. With their cell phones and their Twitters, their helicopter parents and their Internet-bred knowledge of almost everything they could possibly want to know, the Millennials have been driving old-school coaches so crazy they have either quit, surrendered or exploded in frustration.

With The Millennial Method, however, veteran college baseball coach Jason Schreiber and award-winning journalist Gary Taylor offer a more effective way to tap the athletic potential of the Millennial Generation and improve team performance by sharing techniques used with players on Schreiber’s teams at Alvin Community College near Houston, Texas. The Millennial Method begins with an overview of the generational divide facing managers in all walks of life—from corporate offices to the ballparks—in a bid to understand those differences. Then the authors focus specifically on Schreiber’s nationally ranked 2014 baseball team for a closer look at tools used to bridge the generation gap at Alvin.

The Millennial Method explains one sure-fire tool that allows coaches to be certain all of their athletes fully understand the concepts taught the day before, while taking zero time away from practice. The method discussed in the book greatly enhances an athlete's sense of urgency to improve his or her skills.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Schreiber
• Release date: Jul 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781310524578

Jason Schreiber

Jason Schreiber honed his craft at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, but his education began years earlier in the kitchen of his childhood home in suburban New Jersey, where he churned out baked goods of all shapes and sizes. After completing his studies, Jason worked alongside celebrity cake maker Ron Ben-Israel, who taught him the importance of precision and the value of camaraderie in a professional kitchen. After five years of creating jaw-dropping cakes with Ron and his team, Jason took the plunge into the cutthroat world of  New York City freelance food styling and recipe development. Within a week, his work was featured on the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings, and with that his new career was born. He continues to contribute regularly to Martha’s magazines, books, and television shows, and has expanded his clientele to others such as Food & Wine, Real Simple, and Delish (to name a few), as well as many nationally available household brands and products. Jason lives in Brooklyn, New York, and he doesn’t have a dog, yet. 

Book preview

THE MILLENNIAL METHOD

A Modern Approach to Coaching Today’s Generation of Technology-Driven Athlete

By Jason Schreiber with Gary Taylor

The Millennial Method

A Modern Approach to Coaching Today’s Generation of Technology-Driven Athlete

Copyright © 2014 by Jason Schreiber

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other readers. If you would like to share the contents of this book, please purchase another copy for them. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, please visit your ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

Print Version ISBN: 1500459194

Print Version ISBN-13: 978-1500459192

Cover illustration by Tra Slaughter

Dedication and Acknowledgments

I coach baseball at a small junior college in Alvin, Texas, just south of Houston. Alvin is a small country town with typical small town charm close to the beaches of Galveston. Alvin Community College has allowed me the opportunity to get paid to do what I love. I cannot thank the great people at the college enough.

As the associate head coach and pitching coach, I am responsible for practice organization, recruiting, and player development. I am grateful to my head coach, Bryan Alexander, for allowing me the freedom to do what I think needs to be done to make the program the best that it can be. He fought for me to be hired full-time when I received my master’s degree. His efforts have allowed me to have a college coaching career.

In addition, we have three outstanding volunteers who coach with us. Kyle Little played for our 2008 JUCO World Series team. Eric Weaver played for us and then went on to play for Texas State University. Zach Ellis has been with us ten years and has been a valuable asset to the program.

All of these coaches have been instrumental in implementation of the Millennial Method at Alvin.

On the personal side, I also have had tremendous support from my wife, Erin, and my three children, Gehrig, Grayson, and Ellie. They have sacrificed their time and attention, juggling schedules and making it possible for me to devote as much of my energy as possible toward creating a top notch program at Alvin.

I hope the following explanation of what I call the Millennial Method can stimulate further discussion about the challenges everywhere of coaching youth, whether they are collegiate athletes or children making their first effort in a physical competition. I would welcome any feedback from readers in the spirit of generating a serious dialogue about the approach outlined in these pages.

Contents

ONE: Excuses Are No Excuse

TWO: Oh, Those Millennials

THREE: A Nation of Cheerleaders?

FOUR: Why Are We Doing This?

FIVE: Can You Hear Me Now?

SIX: Our First Videos

SEVEN: Teaching Our Plays

EIGHT: Teaching Our Mental Routines

NINE: How Did It Work?

TEN: The Millennial Method Has Earned a Permanent Position in My Coaching Toolbox

About the authors

ONE

Excuses Are No Excuse

Every good baseball team has at least one. No, I don’t mean a pitching ace or a powerful clean-up batter. I am speaking more generally about the different personalities of young players who have joined my teams at Alvin Community College near Houston, Texas, during my fifteen years