When my daughter joined the local Little League team, the longtime coach was retiring. I was happy to replace him, since I have some free time and I’ve loved baseball all my life. The only problem was that I had some big shoes to fill. My predecessor turned out to be something of a living legend among Little League coaches. Instead of getting any congratulations or good-lucks, all I heard were lamentations over this guy’s retirement. If it weren’t for the Clearwater batting cages I rented out, I would have been doomed to disappoint the team and the other parents. Luckily there are some Tampa baseball training camps near Clearwater. I watch a decent amount of professional baseball, and consider myself to be a knowledgeable fan, but I’m no expert on fine-tuning batting or pitching techniques. It’s amazing how far a few brief but intense lessons go. Baseball strength training Tampa-style has become another cornerstone of my coaching program. Not many Little League coaches bother with strength training, but I figure that weight-lifting is a valuable skill for any athlete or person interested in fitness. In my three years of coaching for Little League, my team has actually had a better record than during its “golden age” under the previous coach!