A youth-baseball mound visit has one purpose: stop the spiral. You're not there to fix mechanics, change the game plan, or talk strategy. You're there to slow the kid's heart rate enough that they can throw a strike on the next pitch.
Two-sentence framework
1. Breath cue. "Take a breath. Big one, slow exhale." 2. One simple thing. ONE. Pick the most useful for THIS pitcher. Examples:
- "Just play catch with [catcher]."
- "Pretend it's the first pitch of the game."
- "Land your foot square at the plate."
- "Throw it like the bullpen."
End with a vote of confidence: "You've got this." Walk away. Don't linger — the longer you stand on the mound, the more the kid thinks something is wrong.
What you don't do
- Don't pile on cues. Three things means zero things.
- Don't replay the last batter.
- Don't compare them to a teammate ("Like Bunn does it").
- Don't visit twice in one inning unless you're pulling them.
The "I'm pulling you" version
If the visit is to remove them, lead with a contribution they made today: "You ate two innings, you saved [other pitcher]'s arm. We're done on the mound today." Use the Coaching Notes → Pulling them from a position scenario for the full script.