Is there a resource available for coaches who are interested in living and working in Europe as a public or private baseball coach? I am a recent University graduate who has been involved with competitive baseball most of my life, including two stints with U.S. teams in The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Australia.

My skills as a player capped around my senior year in high school. At 5'11" 150lbs, I was a bit size-limited (especially for a RHP), and although I had various tryouts with pro clubs, including the Atlanta Braves, I realized that my time as a player was truly preparation for a career as a coach. As such, I served as a student assistant with Central Michigan University, a D-1A (Major Division) program, though I never played collegiate ball.

I'm interested in coaching in Europe for a couple of reasons:

1) I'm looking to get away from the politics and "good old boy" attitude prevalent in the American baseball community. I am a hard-nosed (but extremely positive) coach who has an intense passion and respect for the game, and I'm looking for an opportunity where I can help grow the game in the right way--a way that is sound fundamentally and respectful of the context of the sport both as athletic endeavor and a cultural institution.

2) My degree is in English/Creative Writing, and, baseball aside, I want to see a part of the world and live in a community which is fundamentally different than the one I grew up in.

3) It's difficult/almost impossible to land a significant coaching job here without equally significant playing experience or a previous coaching resume.

As far as my coaching skills/theories/practices:
I will be happy to go into more detail when/where appropriate, but here is a general overview, broken down into what I consider two key sections:

1 - Attitude and Philosophy:
- 100% Positivity. I never use negative reinforcement as a motivational tool as related to physical performance. I will never--NEVER--criticize a player for physical inability.
- Constant Effort. I am a demanding coach; I expect my players to give me everything they have all of the time with zero exceptions, and I believe in baseball as an athletic, motion-based sport.
- Communication. While I may ask a lot from my players, they will understand why I am asking it; I always explain the things I teach and the drills we do as a team. And I am always willing to re-evaluate my own position.

2. - Technical Theories:
- Baseball as a science. Pitching is my specialty, and I teach from a bio-mechanical, model-based position (this is true of how I teach hitting, as well). The fundamental pitching mechanics I teach are a blend of the Tom House "long stride" approach (I believe in around a 90% stride as opposed to House's, which is considerable loner), and the Dick Mills' hyper-flex/core rotation method.
- From a hitting standpoint, I am a firm believe in the "inside the ball" methodology; the goal of hitting should be to score runs, and I believe that an effective offense is one that can consistently make use of deep-count and off-speed pitches, as well as hit strategically (as opposed to a purely power-centric approach).
- Defensively, I am somewhat of a radical. I teach sound fundamentals, including the Circle C, which are meshed together with unorthodox shifts and rotations. I don't believe that we should limit our defensive strategies simply because the game has been played a certain way for X number of years. I am constantly searching for ways to take my player's and team's game to a higher level.
- Video. I am a firm believer that video must be a key process of all stages of competitive player development. In my opinion, any coach worth his weight in salt will seriously consider video footage as a starting point when developing a long term player-goal, as well as for instructional purposes. Players cannot see themselves, and slow-motion/stop-frame imagery is a key teaching tool.

So if anyone has any advice regarding places to begin the process of finding a job, I would really appreciate it. Given my degree, I am also qualified to teach English language and English Literature, and I am willing to coach at any level, including the youth level.

Also, due to the anonymous nature of the internet, I'll just close by saying that I have no history or arrests, convictions, or drug use; I do not smoke or drink heavily (although I do enjoy a well-crafted beer), and will be more than happy to submit to whatever background checks might be requested.

Thanks.

Coach M. / coach.malec@gmail.com