Neal Packanik of the ACE program gives one of his players, John Stefanik, some pointers during a game last week. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

ACE program aids area coaches
By Jim Horvath
Sports
Published July 1, 2009

Most people involved with baseball have a passion for what they do, whether they’re playing, coaching or running a league or other organization.

There is also a concern, a concern that the sport they love is beginning to wane in popularity among young people across the nation.

One local organization has stepped forward to try and kindle more interest in America’s pastime. ACE, the Amateur Coaches Education program, provides both on-line and hands-on training for youth baseball coaches to help them better teach the game to their players.

“We have a passion to restore America’s pastime one player at a time,” said Neal Packanik, one of ACE’s program directors.

“There are so many kids who give up on the game early on,” said Packanik, who runs ACE out of Rocky River along with his partner, Alex Eckelman. “We found out that 73 percent of kids involved in baseball quit by the time they reach 13 years old.

“We wanted to find out what we could do to hedge those numbers a bit. We decided that we would start by offering a program to youth baseball coaches that would help them teach the game better, run more effective practices and develop young players,” he said.

Packanik and Eckelman came up with a Website that would provide coaches with a wealth of information, along with a certification program. They put together an advisory board and put together a one-stop shop on-line that serves as a 24-hour resource with articles about coaching and player development.

Coaches can also sign up on the Website for the on-line curriculum, which covers offense, defense and various coaching principles, said Packanik.

“We talk about things like skill development and practice organization,” he said. “Anybody can sign up for this program and go through it at their own pace. Then at the end, they get quizzed on 10 points of emphasis. If they don’t pass, they can continue to review the information and take the test until they do.

“We think taking a quiz helps coaches retain the information better. If they forget something, they can always go back to the Website as a reference,” he added.

It also helps inexperienced coaches with how to teach skills in a way players will understand,” he said.

“We talk about things like the appropriate response to questions and game situations,” said Packanik. “We teach coaches how to correct mistakes and reinforce the correct way of doing things. We teach a positive approach, rather than saying something like ‘don’t strikeout.’

“Most of the time, a player doesn’t know how not to strike out in that situation. We teach coaches how to approach those situations, along with the correct response and focus for each age and skill group,” he said.

Both Packanik and Eckelman have a wealth of experience to share with current and potential coaching candidates.

Packanik, a native of Steubenville, played the outfield and was a leadoff hitter during his college days at Ohio University. He eventually got into scouting with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Later, he was involved with Swingtown, an indoor baseball and softball training facility in Chicago. That’s where he got his introduction to youth baseball and softball.

“We had around 6,000 kids come through our doors every week,” said Packanik. “Eventually, though, I wanted to move back to Ohio to get closer to friends and family. I was working at this one facility, and that’s where I met Alex.”

Eckelman, a former All-American at Ohio State, spent nine years in professional baseball with both the St. Louis Cardinals and the Houston Astros. He reached Class AAA with both organizations. In 2007, he served as the hitting coach for one of Houston’s minor league teams in Lexington, Ky.

He also dedicated himself to instructing players of all ages through camps, clinics and lessons, along with coaching at Walsh Jesuit High School. Both he and Packanik coach high school travel teams during the summer.

The program recently has expanded to include more information on fast pitch softball. Former Rocky River standout Leah Black has joined the ACE team as director of softball information and, said Packanik, is helping to develop that part of the Website and create the curriculum.

But there is more to ACE than just peering into a computer screen, according to Packanik.

“About three years ago, we started going out into the community with our program,” he said. “That’s really helped us grow. We’ve really started to take off with our camps and clinics.”

Before the summer season began, ACE ran a clinic for pitchers and catchers for players just entering kid-pitch. “We had a lot of fun with it,” said Packanik. “It was just like in the big leagues when they say it’s time for pitchers and catchers to report.

“They came in and worked with us before they began their Little League seasons,” he said. “The clinic was open to the players and the coaches. That way they both hear the words that go with teaching and learning particular skills so they can continue to progress as the season goes on.”

ACE also ran a program called Partners in Practice for the recreation departments in Lakewood and Strongsville. They worked with 120 kids at a time, said Pachanik, and they started at the T-ball level in Strongsville.

“We start them out with their first couple of practices, then they’re off and running,” he said. “It’s beginning to pay off. We’ve had the league directors come back to us and tell us their headaches are starting to disappear. They’re not getting as many complaints that the coaches don’t know what they’re doing.”

Earlier this year in Lakewood, ACE ran a spring training league to take advantage of the city’s turf fields. In March, they ran a four-week season that was half player development, half scrimmage, said Packanik.

“We set it up like the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues,” he said. “They were 10-year olds getting into kid-pitch for the first time. It was all instruction and feedback. We would help teach the skills, then during games we’d be able to stop at any time and correct a player while it was still fresh in their minds.

“That instant feedback was important for them. Now as they experience those skills every time they play, they’ll continue to get easier as they get older. They’re able to build their repertoire, so to speak,” he said.

There’s even more in store for ACE as it continues to expand into more communities, said Pachanik.

“We’re going to have a fall ball youth league for players ages 8-15, and we’re going to have a wood bats league for high school players this fall as well,” he said. “We’re starting a fall softball league also.

“We’ll take on all comers,” said Packanik. “Recreation leagues, Little League, any level. We’re already working with eight leagues in Northeast Ohio, and we’ve helped out programs in other states like Florida, Texas, Arkansas and even California.

“We’ve also become the national advisor for Baseball Scottland,” he said. “We’re working with their league director on coaching development. Right now, we talk on the phone and correspond via e-mail. But in the future, we may even take a trip over there and do some clinics.

“Over there, they are basically in the grassroots phase of the game,” he said. “Where sports like soccer are growing over here, baseball is starting to gain popularity over there.”

ACE has also joined forces with the Lake Erie Crushers this summer to co-sponsor the Youth Baseball and Softball Coach of the Year Awards. Fans can nominate their favorite volunteer coach by filling out a form and placing it in the “COY” box displayed at any home Crushers game in the Fan Attic. They can also e-mail it to info@amateurcoacheseducation.com.

All votes must be in by July 24, with the awards to be presented at the team’s Aug. 8 game at All Pro Freight Stadium. For voting criteria and more information, fans can go to either www.lakeeriecrushers.com or www.amateurcoacheseducation.com.