The free Winning Way starter kit

Four one-page sheets from my forthcoming book, Baseball Player's Guide to the Winning Way. Print them, put them on the kitchen table, and let your player run them. Two minutes a day, with a pencil.

• The Player LedgerThe whole week on one page: what he did, how much he loved it, every throw, every at-bat, and one line of notes. Sunday night, ten minutes to add it up.
• The Joy ScoreOne number, 1 to 10, after every practice and game. A kid doesn't quit at 15 all at once. He quits in July, at 13, a little at a time. This is the earliest warning there is.
• The Whole-Arm LedgerPitch counts cover game pitches for one team. Your arm counts everything: two teams, the Wednesday lesson, the October showcase. Every throw, weighted by effort, with a green, amber and red line.
• At-bat gradesTwo numbers per at-bat, process and result. A hard line drive caught at short is a good at-bat. This sheet stops a fourteen-year-old from changing a swing that works because of one bad weekend.

Written for players 12 to 18. Parents: you get to see the Joy Score. You don't get to argue with it.