5 - Chuck Box "Combination of Everything"

What is the best thing you do to create better men in your program?

• Combination of things
• How you do anything is how you do everything
• Culture - standards set and standards met
• Everything you do - everyday relentless job
• Core covenants - every decision is based on those
• Model behavior with having our families around

When do you start implementing your Success Leaves Clues program?

• Helps instill our core covenants
• Classroom for his athletes
• Monday, tuesday, and friday 
• Teach life skills and leadership skills
• Advisory board - faculty rep and student rep
• Fall - speakers, Winter - MVP, Spring - baseball
• Mentor program - extend invitation to mentor program and honor mentors at a game
• Intentional seating with veterans surrounding rookies

How do you teach the mental side of the game? 

• Introduce in the fall
• Practice routines and releases
• 5-10 minute at the start of practice: breathing, visualization, self affirmation

How do you manage all your staff members?  

• Understand the standards and give them parameters and let them coach
• Coach my coaches (sit it on meetings, etc)
• First thursday of the month touch base at IHOP
• Give them a research project

What is the best thing you do for your staff?

• Get together as a family
• Give them gear

What does your toughness coach do?

• Toughness program
  • Fire academy special forces branch
  • 12 week curriculum every friday starting in the fall
  • 6 weeks - individual oriented; last 6 weeks - team oriented
  • Each lesson had a theme
  • Tshirt made up with tough friday

How have your practices changed over the years?

• Building failure into practice
• Charting everything
• Game like competition 
• Practicing things that really matter
• Weighted vest to wear during Bad Body Language
• Rivalry team to go run poles to create chaos and make them slow themselves down

What is something that you have never stopped doing to develop your players?

• Playing catch - throwing progressions and drill it
• 20 minutes to practice - MOVE AND PLAY CATCH
• Attention to detail

What would you consider your biggest strength as a coach?

• Putting it all together, attention to detail

 

How were you helping your players during this quarantine? 

• Still coming into small groups
• Sent them a plan
• Sunday night Zoom call
• Bring in former players
• Call or facetime each player
• Provide them with resources (character coach, toughness, etc)

 

How do you develop players while still keeping the focus on the team?

• Indy work before practice
• 230-315 early work for individuals

 

Development plan? Phases?

• 10 Phases
• Phase 1 - strength, speed, movement, toughness, assessments (6 weeks)
• Phase 2 - fall skills incorporate throwing program and hitting program (6 weeks)

 

What have you noticed between the great players and the average players during your time?

• Young guy has not developed the mental side (how to fail)
• Resilience - in their training, routines, game, consistently show up

Other points

• Grade players every 11 games
• Shell practice schedule on Sunday
• Detail out the night before
• Quality at bats and OPS for hitters
• “Quality control” - walks, HBP and strikeouts
• Walks, HBP, opponent errors (plus or minus) - big innings happen with those walk/HBP/errors
• 8 categories offensively -  
• Dirtbags - team game goals 

• Email you at cbox@hartfield.org
• Find him on twitter - @chuckbox1969

BIO

• Currently the Head Baseball Coach at Hartfield Academy in Flowood, Mississippi
• 700-321 career record
• 10 Years coached at Jackson Prep in Mississippi
• He spent eleven years as a college head coach at Freed-Hardeman University and Itawamba Community College compiling 363 wins 
• Inducted into the Freed-Hardeman Hall of Fame in 2010
• 13 players selected to play professional baseball
• Served as an Assistant at Mississippi College
• Been a guest on multiple national podcasts - ABCA and Dugout Chatter
• Always willing to share and help
• An absolute DUDE!

• Email you at cbox@hartfield.org
• Find him on twitter - @chuckbox1969