Welcome to beyond the diamond, the podcast that goes far beyond the game. I'm your host, Danielle de Ruben, and I'm here to empower young women, parents and coaches in the world of fast pitch softball. As the owner and founder of Dear 3, fast pitch and passionate about bringing you inspiring stories, valuable insights and expert advice to help you excel both on and off the field. So whether you're a player. Looking to take your skills to the next level, a parent supporting your young athlete or a coach seeking to make a difference, you're in the right place. Let's dive in and go beyond the diamond together. Welcome to beyond the diamond with Coach D, with DR3, fast pitch. Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode. And this week we have a special guest speaker Robert Acuna. He is the co-owner of Field Sports training, which is a company that I have been lucky to partner with. He is the inventor of all the products, focuses on. All product development. He is a softball dad has a daughter who is 13 years old, who is a catcher. And I'm just so excited to have him on here and pick his brain about the products that he has. His little advice that he has using the products how to work with his daughter as far as just a softball dad, we're going to have great conversations today. And Robert, I just want you to kind of take the floor, talk a little bit about yourself, where field sports training came into play and how these ideas for some of these products just started.
OK. Well, hi. Yes, my name is Robert Acunia and our company is based out of Houston, TX, which is food sports training. Right now, our company just centers around 3 products, one being our first, which was the filters domain. 2nd is the pitchers alley, and the third is T-bone. So the those three products, you know the footers don't mat was more for obviously for fielding type work and then the pitchers, Addie was centered around pitching. And the Tebow kind of covers our during the conditioning aspect of it, of of just softball in general. So for me, I do have a daughter that plays and I once we really got involved with, you know, camps and clinics and practices and so on and so forth, I was just. Always looking and seeing coaches and how they're running practices and was it efficient? Was it not efficient? Those type deals and so as far as? Myself, I would just notice that a lot of the coaches that in, in camps that my daughter was going to, I would see that they would do drills that I thought were very beneficial drills that I really liked a lot. But I always notice like, well, you know, they were spending more time kind of making the drill and organizing the station and really just focusing more on like getting the drill in place than actually performing the drill. So I just kind of would just keep my my eyes and my the wheels spinning in my head and I'm. I was like, well, you know, there has to be a a quicker way to do that, a more efficient way to do that. And so a lot of my products came from just seeing. I guess you. Say quote UN quote railroad problems. You know out there and and and softball and practices and I just really strive and we strive as a company to come up with products that are efficient and beneficial and really just great for the users and and the parents and just. Anybody in general, you know, we try to do products that are non gimmicky and something that the kid and the athlete can actually benefit from. And so we are a young company, we're. At the two. 2 1/2 year Mark going on three years and thank God. You know, with the sport of softball growing, you know, it's allowing us as a company to grow as well and we're just excited, you know, with how far our products have come so far and what the future holds, you know, because we do have other products that are in the pipeline that we're working on and we're just excited you know, where these next few years will.
Oh yeah? Well, two of the products I. Personally, have I use with my girls, the pitchers alley and the fielders Dome. Now you mentioned you didn't want to make gimmicky products. Those are not gimmicky. They're the farthest from it. I love both. Of those I use. The pitchers alley every single week with my lessons, whether I'm doing. Private lessons or group lessons? I always have it set up and I love the visual aspect of it. I want you to shine light a little bit about the pictures. Alley. What? It is? Where the idea came from and why that's beneficial, but not only for pitchers. And I'll kind of touch on that as well.
So as far as the pictures adding. I guess the main reason that came from was, you know, my daughter's a catcher, and so I would, you know, I was always watching. I would find, you know, in the middle of the game, the coaches would tell whoever the catcher was at that time. And whoever the pitcher was, I was in the dugout like, hey, you know, y'all go warm up. And when whenever it's at that point. Obviously it's like time, you know, they need to get, you know, the picture needs to warm up fast and get her arm ready to to get on the field. And so I would see, you know, whether it was my daughter or her other catcher, and whatever picture it was, you know, they would just find more, spend more time #1 looking for an open area of grass. And then #2, you know, trying to remember and walk off, well, how many steps is it, you know, whether it was a 35 foot? 40 foot, 43 foot mark and they would spend more time walking it off and obviously. Every step everybody step off is different, you know? So I would say, OK, you know is you say they needed to be warmed up at 40 feet. You know, I would really look at it and I like that doesn't look like 40 feet. And I would go walking off and, you know, sure enough, you know, they would be off. And so like, you know, there needs to be a more accurate way. And a quicker way, more convenient way to where? These pictures can just you know when it's time to warm up, bam. Like it's already set up, they have their distance. They have their their home plate. They, you know, they have the pitching rubber. Like everything is set, you know. And ideally you'd you'd want, you know, if your team has one, you'd want it already set out, you know, on the on the outside, on the side of the fence. Where it's they're designated. Bullpen area. And so that's when I just the wheels got to turning and I was like, you know what? We need to come up with a quick, portable, easy bullpen. You know, something that comes in a carry-on bag that can just be strung out when in use. And if not being used, you know, we can just roll it back up, put in the bag and, you know, carry it on to the next game. And one second. No, go ahead. Go ahead.
Well, just one thing I love about this product and you touched on it a little bit like at practices, coaches will be like pitchers go warm up, catchers go like y'all just kind of go off and do your thing. And as a pitcher. That was one of the hardest little like moments of practice for me because it felt like we were just kind of like left in the dust, like go find an area like you gotta get off the field. Like find some area off to the side over there. And so having like, just that designated bullpen, like it's set up before practice, like the teams of coaches had these, those or the girls had them, whatever they brought them to practice. They know within that first 15 minutes, we're putting our cleats. And we're getting ready. Like you set up the bullpen, so you have that designated spot to where they know they can. Pitch with the purpose and not just go pitch behind the fence. No one watching like that to me would have just leveled up my practice game, especially when a coach wasn't like right there. Just having that visual, being able to lock and having more of that set area because I think that's one of the I mean. I'm biased, being a pitcher thinking it's the most important position on the field, but you're involved with every single play of every single game. But then at practices you get left in the dust sometimes because everyone has to do team stuff. So I.
Alright, great.
Just love the idea. Having just your designated bullpen not only just talking about the benefits of the product and what I love that I use with in in person lessons is having that visual of tunnel vision cuz it is that tunnel, the with the plate all the way down and girls have to lock. In eyes, here you. You and the catcher and that's it. And that's that. Visual tunnel for tunnel focus. For tunnel vision to tunnel your pitches to actually see, like, the break of them a little bit more. I feel like girls can kind of see that just with having the Dome there or the alley there. So I've loved it. It's been a huge benefit for my girls. I even hook it up to the Queen of the Hill. And and personal.
Yeah, I've seen. That in your in your videos that. Looks very very cool.
Oh yeah, so I love hooking it up to that. It just kind of helps out. But even on the field, I love how it how it has those stakes where you can just take it into the ground, it does not move and then the distances is really cool. So it is marked off 43540 and 43 feet, there's little. What would you call those? Those little things around.
Like a little during like a little, just a dealing attach like a hook attachment to where? Yeah, you just snap it in place.
You can hook up.
They're pretty sad. I mean, there's. No more. I mean, it really eliminates all the guesswork. I mean, there it is exactly a foolproof string it out and and there you go. And to kind of touch on what you were saying about pitching with a purpose? On the flip side, you know I would always try to stress to my daughter like, you know, when when you're catching, yes, you're catching and warming up your picture, but you need to catch with a purpose, you know, catch with intent as well. You know, use that time to to work on your framing. And so without the pictures adding and what they were doing, you know, without it. You know, they would either use a a lid from a bucket and sometimes not anything at all. So in my head I was like, well, she's not really getting a visual of the strike zone. And if a pitch is worth framing or not framing, you know, the way out of the zone is away. Or is it, you know, within the zone? So. And the pictures alley, the the yes. The pitching rubber is the standard dimension of a pitching rubber that would be on the field. But the home plate side is also the proper dimensions of a of a regular home plate. You know? So it gives a catcher a benefit also to where they can work on their framing at the same time. So. It it's just a great product for for both positions.
100.
Percent no. Even if you don't even. Have a picture? Like, if you're just a catch your dad, catch your mom who is listening to this. I mean, catchers need this. I think it's a great visual. I mean, heck. You just set it up and doing front toss. I just think that visual of having that straight path, I mean even for hitting like you're focusing on your barrel getting through the alley like through the zone working on extension like I think there's so many benefits to it for all areas of the game. I just some huge on that visual aspect and.
100% I know one of the back to visual my daughter would. Sometimes struggle with her throwdowns to second because you know her body wasn't in line. You know her body wasn't in line to make that throw from home to 2nd, and so actually she just quickly realized, you know what the pictures alley, she could just work on her steps, you know, work on her transfers and her steps and use that lane. To get her body in position to make a good throw. So it's something that. Really, you don't even need if if you're a kid or wanting to get working on your own. I mean, you can just drink it out and. For as as far as the catching, you can work on your transfers alone and use. Just use the visual of the name to to up your game. So it's. I just like how more people are finding more creative things to do with.
Oh, for sure. And another thing that I love is that it's very lightweight, so it's easy to travel with. It comes in that cute little bag. Everything fits in the bag late or parents. I mean this. It's not heavy to add into your little wagon that you bring to the fields on game days to practice as players, you can easily attach it. I think you can easily attach it with a hook to your bat. Back if you wanted to that lightweight. So it's just very. Versatile, easy to travel with. I love it. I bring it everywhere that we do lessons, whether I'm at a lesson or clinic or even at the field. So I need to. I need to post some more videos. I'm using it at the field I've been using it in lessons a little bit more, but that's the pictures Allie. I really love it. You'll need to check it out on on my website drfastpitch.com. Under partnerships and equipment, I have a discount code DDR3. This is a great product for. For you to get. Your girls for Christmas. Christmas is right around the corner. They would love to wake up with us under their tree and start really focusing on their training that way. But now we're gonna dive deep into the fielders Dome, which I believe was your first product, correct?
Yes, that was the first one that we launched back in 2021. I believe at the end of 2020, early 2021. And again, that one came from being at a clinic, an info the clinic that my daughter was at. And, you know, they did this cool drill where they would set out agility cones and like 1/2 moon shape. And they're just rolling softballs over it to where the balls would deflect. And, you know, the girls would kind of, you know. So as if they were floating a bad hop and I totally loved the drill, I loved everything about it. I thought it was great for hand and eye coordination, but again, I would notice that the coaches were spending more time organizing the cones and then, you know, stopping the drill. Let's organize the cone. And do a couple of balls and then of course the cones would fly everywhere, so I'd stop the drill again, you know? And it was just a repeat process. So after seeing that for a few minutes, I was like, well, there has to be a quicker way. And I just, I wouldn't it be cool if you could just have a mat, you know, with already these embedded domes, you know, to where the coaches could just lay it out. And then be done with it, you know, and you know, you could just have a more efficient drill. And so that's how that product, you know, came about and that was just been been very good for us. You know, thank God.
On social media, I've seen so many people from all over using the fielders Dome. That's how it caught my attention the first time I'm. Like what is that?
Ohh yeah yeah, we've been blessed and lucky enough. To have people that have purchased it from us that just have had big followings on whether it was Instagram or TikTok and they would post a video and they were gonna get that. And you know, they would tag us and it just kind of snowballed from there. So again, we've been very fortunate with how that products just you know grown from from where it was. When we first came out with that to where we are now, the thing about that product though that I want to harp on a little bit is. Ever. I think when it when it first, you know, got pushed out and we pushed. It out it. Was not on purpose and not intentionally, but it was branded more as you know, building bad hops. How to fill the bad hop and. I noticed, you know, because of that it was like putting a little misconception like in the users or the buyers mind you know. They I wanted to stress, you know that it's really not fulfilling bad hops, I mean. It is, it is is more 100% for just hand and eye coordination because so you know we would, I would see some comments on social media well that that a bump like that's not really going to happen in the game you know and I and and they're probably right you know maybe it's not going to be that outrageous but you know if your daughter or your son can feel it and keep their eyes and track and outrageous. Stuff like that, you know, they'll be. Able to do an easier one in a in a game situation, so it wasn't really so much for building bad hops in general, it was just to improve your hand eye coordination. I mean, we've been blessed to where we've had pitching coaches reach out to us and saying they do the field they do a few minutes of filters don't work before they start their pitching. Listen, #1, just to kind of get their body moving, get it warm and then just to just to work on that hand eye coordination we've had hitting instructors reach out to us and saying, hey has nothing to do with hitting. And we use the filters don't map before every hitting lesson for the same reason. Just to get that hand eye coordination going get the body moving, get the body loose and and it's very fun to use. So a lot of the use, a lot of the kids just they. Just love using it so.
We'll be using.
It more in my pitching lessons with my girls for pitching, fielding practice. Because that's one thing as a pitching instructor.
Ohh really?
I lack on. Teaching, but I think feel like most instructors would agree with me on this. I mean, when you go to a pitching lesson, you're coming for mechanical feedback, velocity training, spin work, mental game work. I mean, we're focusing on that area to where like the pitching, fielding practice like gets lacked. That's something that we expect. Travel ball and coaches. To work on app practices, even though it's. Lacked and so with me seeing how much it was lacked just at the college level. I mean, my freshman year, I didn't do one pitcher field. We I might have done one pitcher field in practice. Granted, I only played like 15 innings, but US pitchers were only in the bullpen like we never focused on fielding our position, and so I have my girls use it. For reaction time and to just be a better athlete, like we gotta work on even like line drives hit right back at our face. I know it's not the same, but just that reaction time trying to move your glove quick and grab the ball.
The capture.
Well, and to just to catch it, just building overall athletic skills is we're right when I see it, that's where I think, so I get. Where people think.
Ohh that's cool.
Bad lots, but it's 100% the reaction time and building athletic skills and just. I mean, at the end of the day, being able to react, I mean being able. To react and not think and just go.
Right here. Yeah, that's funny. You say that if you go to, it's an older video that's on your Instagram page, but someone sent in the video, and it's a three person drill because you had the picture of the catcher. And then it was a a coach, right on the side. But. So they were set up where the the footers Dome mat was set. Probably about. I don't remember. Maybe 5 to 6 feet in front of where the pitcher would be finishing off her pitch, like at her release point. And so the video. It's like as soon as the the picture pictures about of the catcher. And as soon as the ball is hitting the catcher's. And there's a coach already rolling another softball to where to simulate as if a hard ball was getting hit right back at the pitchers mound real quick. So it was just a real neat a neat video because that picture was just having didn't know what to expect. You know, she was just pitching the ball and then having to field, you know, a ball coming at her real quick and. I thought that was very neat. You know, it was a very cool joke.
I need to recreate that video. I like that.
Yeah. When we get off there, I'll look for an and I'll send it to you.
Oh yeah, no, I definitely need to recreate that video, but that I mean that's huge. And so parents of pictures, pictures listening on, we have to work on pitching, fielding practice like you have to and that's something that's lacked and all practices coaches we need to up the game a little bit more because we don't want our girls to just pitch. We want our girls to be an athlete and to be. Field their position. That's huge. There's so many girls I know who can't even throw the ball from pitcher to first base overhanded, and it's just whether it's mental or not, we have to get those reps in. We really need to work on developing the overall athlete and not just. The pitcher in general to throw strikes, you're just going to see so many more benefits from that. Well, I do want you to talk about no 100% and so talk about your new catching product that you have coming out. I'd love to hear more about it.
100%.
Yeah. So we have a. Still haven't officially named it and named what what it is, but we have a we'll be launching it at the beginning of January, and it's a catchers, Matt, that I'm going to try to describe it without going too much in detail, but it's very travel friendly. It's very it's color coordinated it is. To teach softball and baseball catchers, you know just. From the fundamentals to the more elite coaching points of framing, you know now. I know softballs. I know it's it was more stressed in baseball, but now softball's following that trend. I mean, it's all if you're a catcher, it's all about framing and how many. How many strikes can you? Can you pull? You know, can you still, you know, for your picture? So we've been blessed to have two Co inventors of it. One is Santa Divino. Who's the starting catcher for the New York Yankees? And he actually won the Platinum Gloves. Not this past baseball season, but the season before. And then also a guy named Jordan for Madonna who is a. Pittsburgh Pirates catching coach. So that kind of came about, you know, because at one time I had an idea for catching Matt. Well, say I had an idea and Jordan had an idea. And so we're like, let's figure out how we can tie it all together. And so that's how this framing mat was derived and. We're very excited for it to launch again. We'll be launching it. We're actually going to show. Showcase it at the NFCA and also at the ABCA for the Baseball convention and officially be launching it at the end of. January and so we're very excited just going to have a lot of instructional videos with it because on the net itself, it's going to be a bar code that you scan and with your phone, any smartphone or any device. And it'll just take you to a library of drills and talking points when it comes to framing. And in those videos, it's going to be Jose Jordan. My daughter will be in it. You know as well. And we're very excited. For that, that's going to be a a neat. Product you know for for the catchers out there and especially for just for new catchers, you know, just so you know, they can just work on fundamentals of framing and what have you.
No, that is so cool. And it's awesome that you have them on your team. And being able, I'd. Love to Co invent something like that with two Mega stars in the game. That's awesome.
That's very, very exciting.
Super exciting. Well, Speaking of NFCA convention, I am honored that I get to be able to work at Yale's booth at the Convention, so I will be there with Reagan glands. Who is the catcher for Marshall? She will be talking more. About the fielders Dome and the catching product and I'm going to be talking. More about the. Pitchers Alley and I'm just super excited to be there with y'all being able to advertise these products that I love connecting with y'all, chatting with you all and I'll be at the booth. It is Booth #359. We will all be there from. December 7th, which is a Thursday, I believe Thursday, December 7th from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and then Friday, December 8th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM. So if y'all are at the NCAA Convention, please stop by our booth 3:59. We'd love to chat with you. Talk to you. More you get to have that sneak peek of the catchers product, so I'm excited to be able to see that in person and I'm just super excited to win. Come with you all. So thank you so much. For even having me. On your team.
No, no, thank you for, for coming. We're, we're very honored and. Privilege that you, you know, said yes. And you know you're going to tag along with us. That means a lot to us.
Well, I'm super excited. I've had the pleasure of building a good friendship with you all throughout the last couple of months, and I'm glad we've partnered together. And so one of the things I wanted to shine light about, we had a phone call a couple weeks ago and we were just chatting about. Your daughter and her being 13 and the catcher and some of the things that y'all are kind of. Going through I. Just from like a mentor's perspective, we were kind of just chatting back and forth. And one of the things that you talked about. That was a struggle for you as a parent working with your daughter was she was daddy's little girl. And now she's 13 and she's growing out of that phase a little bit more going through the purity process, becoming a little young lady. We all know how girls get around this time frame. I know how I was. What was? What's been helping you as a parent navigate from having the daddy's little girl mindset to her being more clingy on you to now wanting to be a little bit more independent, wanting space? How is that communication gone for you all during her training?
On and off.
It was rough at first. I'd be lying if I said it's not rough anymore and because we still have our moments, I think. I just have to learn and I had to learn how to not be so. Overbearing and just realized that she is growing up, you know she is not going to. Want to be? Hanging on me like she used to, I'm not. I don't know, it just seemed like. I was always her hero. And why maybe I still am, but just, you know, she doesn't. Show with her she used to be.
You are.
And so that was hard for me to accept that first. So I would find myself just, you know, kind of pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing and thinking I was doing right, when in reality it was having, like, a reverse. Fact and. My wife would have to step in a lot and she did good and kind of, you know, being the buffer and, you know, kids really just teaching me that, hey, she's growing up. You know, you don't need to be, you gotta kind of give her room, you know, let her grow and what have you so. That's been hard. But you know, I starting to see a little bit like light at the end of the tunnel. And I think that comes from just maybe taking a step back at times, not not being too pushy in a sense. And when I say pushy, I don't mean in a sports, softball sense. I mean, like in a dad, like, in a dad sense, you know? UM. So that that's been helping that, you know, taking that step back and and really just stressing to her that. Look at the end of the day, you know. We, you know, we love you. We're proud of you. You know whether you go. Oh for 12/3 for 9 whatever. You know, we don't care about, you know, your stats. We don't. You know, you're you're gonna have errors. You're gonna have, you know, a lot of things are gonna go wrong in the game. A lot of things are gonna go great in the game, you know, it's just the nature of it. So we've just kind of been trying to instill in her. About, you know, softball being a roller coaster, you know, so trying to, you know, trying to tell her, don't get too high, don't get too low. But regardless what happens, just know that we love you and. We're proud of. You and she would always say, OK, OK, OK. And but I think just up until about a month and a half ago is where I think we've seen that. She's really started believing it and saying, you know what they what they are telling me is, you know, they do love me, whether what happens and. And because of that little turning point, we've just seen such a big difference in her play on the field. You know, she's playing more relaxed, more. It seems like stress free and a little bit loose, you know, and just out there having fun. So that's been. It's been hard, you know, but it's just been a process that we've had to a lot of trial and error. You know, she's our first, her oldest daughter. She's our first child, you know? So it's we're just. Learning on the go with it, really.
Well, y'all's relationship just reminds me a lot of mine and my dad. And when we had that first conversation a couple months ago, I was like it just brought me back to like me being 13 and kind of going through this process. I'm the oldest. I have a younger sister. She didn't play softball. I'm older, I'm five years older, so I was always like, Daddy's first little girl, daddy's girl. I am 25 years old, about to be 26 next month and I am will forever be daddy's little girl and so will your daughter. And my dad will always be my hero. Whether I showed that at 1314 or not. I know I show it now. At 26 years old, it took me maturing and growing up to really realize. Just how important that relationship was, and I'm so thankful for. How my dad raised me on and off the field, but specifically when when it came to softball and it's similar to what you're doing with your daughter as far as the only thing I knew that he cared about was if I gave 100% effort and I gave 100%, I had 100% positive attitude. Those are the two things that I. Could control. And that's all I needed to do. To know that he was proud and.
1000% agreement.
And knowing that even at a young age like I, I'm trying to think back on 13, it's more. When I was like 141516, I'm at a travel ball tournament. I'm struggling hitting so in travel ball I struggled hitting a little bit in high school I could hit because I was hitting all the time. But when I verbed as a pitcher, it was like pitching was my main focus. And so. Come travel ball tournaments hitting. I'd let hitting get in my head a little bit and he would make little comments like. Well, swing hard in case you. Hit it and like having a relationship like that, like being able to joke like I knew he wasn't. Being harsh, he. Was just trying to be fun and lively and be like, hey, I just need 100% effort right here like and 100% positive attitude. And if you swing hard in case you hit it like let's. Go like do it. For your team, be Danielle, let's go and. It took me again a little bit older than 13 to kind of really understand that and hone into that a little bit. More, but your daughter again. She'll always be daddy's little girl. And she is. She's going to look back when she is my age and be so thankful for how you are. Going about this time period for her right now and being able to take kind of that step back and let her figure herself out a little bit more, that would just be my big advice for parents listening is this puberty process is a lot us girls are going through a lot of hormonal changes. We're about to enter high school or we are entering high school, learning a whole new. Staying academic wise, getting on to new teams, leveling up softball. I mean, just a lots going on and having. And we also get to that age too, of, like, Dad doesn't understand. That's something I remember. I said all the time. Like, he doesn't understand, he doesn't know. He was never a 13 year old girl. Like he doesn't get it. Me thinking 13 is like anything that happens is like the end of the world. I was so dramatic at that age. And so my mom had to step in a little bit too. But I just love. Hearing about y'all's relationship and y'all story, it brings me back into my days. I wish I could go back and do it all over again, and your daughter is just. I know she's so thankful to have you as a parent and all that you've been able to provide for her and give her so. And you're also inspiring her. You're inspiring me by building all these products. I'm like what? Can I build and? I'm like, so just. You doing what you're doing entrepreneurship wise. I know you're inspiring her in all different aspects, whether she says it or not at this age.
I appreciate that.
And hopefully I get to meet her. Maybe when is she coming? To the Convention, you bring her along.
No, she's no, she's not going to be at the convention because actually it's at the time we're. We're also working another event down here in South Texas with with Jose. You know, he's doing a big baseball tournament, baseball, softball tournament, so. I'm heading up to Kentucky for the NCAA and JoJo and my my other two kids, Cody and Brooklyn. They'll be down in, in corpus helping out with the other booth at at hostels tournament so. Yeah, you won't see her this convention, but I'm sure you'll see her. You know, soon we'll definitely be thinking of, you know, more.
Ohh yeah, no for sure.
And we definitely need to put our heads together and see what products you and I can come. Work with.
I'd love to. It's. Always been my dream to get on the Shark Tank. I don't know your opinions on Shark Tank, but I will watch that show. And I'm like, how can. I get on there. What can I do? What?
Ohh I I I love it I. Think I've learned. Way more from watching Shark Tank and videos like on social media than I don't know if I should say this on, you know, on on here, but probably more than what I learned in college, you know, honestly. Like I mean.
I can relate to that. I have two degrees. In special education and. All my entrepreneur stuff is not from those.
Exact. Yeah, you just learn so much from what's around you. You just gotta keep your eyes and ears open and you'll.
There is.
Learn you know.
Ohh yeah, so no, we'll be. I'll be picking your brand. I gotta sit down and think a little bit more of the product side. I've been told in the past like you gotta start some products. I'm like, I don't even know where to begin. I can't. I can't right now so.
Well, we'll definitely have a good sit down and chat session at the end of.
CA. Ohh yeah, we will brainstorm ideas. Well, Robert, thank you so much for coming on to this week's episode and Shining light onto the products and sharing a little bit more about your story. I'm super excited to be able to connect meet you.
For sure.
Finally, in person at the NCAA Convention. And again, I'm just very appreciative that we met, we connected, we partnered companies together and we're just going to continue growing the softball community together. So I'm. Excited for the?
Yes, that's the plan. And thank you for having me again. A big honor and I really appreciate it. And thank you for wanting to work with us. You know, we like working with coaches and instructors like yourself and right off the bat, you know, when we met, when you, you know, you weren't just saying it. Chris, you were in it for the right reasons and and more more than just the game. You know, you want to develop and teach these young girls to where they become, you know, young women and and just positive and in in life. And we really appreciate you know, you and what you do for for everyone out there.
Well, thank you so much for saying that. And then again if you? Want to take a look at? The field sports training products pitchers alley fielders. All the products that they have on their website, you can go to dorothyfastpitch.com, go to partnerships and equipment. I have them linked with my discount code DDR3. I will be linking the new products hopefully as well the catching product to get to showcase that to y'all at the Convention. Maybe I gotta do a little sneak peek for y'all, but again.
Yes, of course.
Check us out on or check out the website on my partnerships and equipment. Make sure you follow field sports training at Field sports training on Instagram and TikTok. You can find my social media on both as well at DR3 fastpitch and I will see you all at next week's episode. Thanks for tuning in and happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for joining us on this episode of Beyond the Diamond Connect with us on all social media platforms, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube at do 3 fastpitch. But Instagram is my biggest platform where I post daily content for questions or topic ideas, visit our website dearthroughfastpitch.com and submit the form on our homepage. I would love to feature you on. Our next episode. Remember, you can find all of our episodes on Apple Podcast, Spotify and on our website dear3fastpitch.com. Stay tuned for more exciting discussions, stories, and insights in the world of fast pitch softball on the next episode of Beyond the Diamond. Until then, remember, the only thing that matters is the next pitch. Deep breath next pitch. I will see you soon.
