Frequent Asked Questions

What is Baseball Badge?
Baseball Badge is a company dedicated to the long-term athletic development of youth baseball players.

Who benefits from Baseball Badge?
Youth baseball coaches, parents, and players all benefit.

How are badges earned?
Players earn badges by achieving every goal outlined for each colored rank. To motivate progress, a mark is added to a badge when a player accomplishes ~20% of the goals for a rank. After earning four marks (~80% of the goals), the next step is to graduate to the next colored badge.

What is the Baseball Badge progression?
Inspired by martial arts, the Baseball Badge progression guides youth players through seven colored ranks: white, gold, orange, red, green, navy, and black. Each new rank builds off competencies learned in previous ranks.

Can kids skip a badge if they are more advanced?
No, just like in martial arts, every participant must begin with the White Baseball Badge and work through the badges in order. More advanced participants should achieve the beginner badge competencies quickly. For those individuals, the mental and character goals may be novel and more challenging than the physical, technical, and tactical competencies.

How do coaches use Baseball Badge?
Youth baseball coaches can use Baseball Badge to help them be more effective developers and motivators. The guides provide age- and skill-appropriate goals coaches can use to help their players improve. Coaches should also find that the system helps to engage parents so that everyone is aligned on what a player needs.

Can kids advance at a faster rate?
Yes, kids can advance at a faster rate as long as they clearly demonstrate all competencies for a specific badge.

Are badges age-specific?
Yes, the skill and behavioral competencies outlined for each badge are aligned with age ranges when most kids are capable of accomplishing them.

How do parents benefit?
Parents will likely observe greater joy and intrinsic motivation from their players because Baseball Badge has clear goals kids can pursue. Baseball Badge also help parents align with coaches so they can track progress as a unified player development support system.

Can parents use Baseball Badge even if their player's coach does not use the system?
Yes, parents can work with their players at home to fulfill the goals highlighted in each colored badge. This can help players fill gaps in instruction that may not be happening with their coach.

Who can award marks and new colored badges?
Badges and marks can be awarded by the person, usually a coach or parent, managing the badge progression and instruction.

How do kids benefit?
Regardless of age or ability, kids should find fulfillment in using Baseball Badge to guide their development. Beyond becoming great ballplayers, Baseball Badge intentionally develops mental skills, physical fitness, and character traits that can benefit them on and off the field.