Who Am I?
About: Shane Tucker:
Coaching Beyond The Game
What's Next Athletics was founded on a simple belief: every athlete deserves coaching that's built specifically for them.
My passion for coaching began long before I started working with athletes. During my five years playing Division I baseball, I became fascinated by one question:
What can athletes individually do to push beyond what they thought possible? Highs and lows are common on a path to success.
That question pushed me far beyond the baseball field. I immersed myself in biomechanics, strength and conditioning, movement science, recovery, nutrition, motor learning, and mental performance; not just to become a better player, but to better understand how athletes reach their potential.
One area that had a profound impact on my own development was mental skills training. Throughout my playing career, I incorporated principles from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) into my approach to competition. Learning to recognize unhelpful thought patterns, regulate emotions under pressure, stay present, and respond intentionally rather than react emotionally helped me become a more resilient competitor. Those experiences shaped how I view confidence; not as something you're born with, but as something that can be built through consistent habits, self-awareness, and purposeful training.
Today, that philosophy influences every athlete I coach.
I believe confidence is a byproduct of preparation. When athletes move more efficiently, understand why they're training a certain way, recover effectively, and develop strong mental habits alongside physical skills, they step onto the field with greater trust in themselves.
That's why What's Next Athletics takes a holistic approach to development.
Rather than focusing on one piece of performance, we integrate movement assessments, biomechanics, strength training, mobility, recovery, throwing development, and mental performance into one individualized system. Every recommendation is built around the athlete in front of us—not around a one-size-fits-all philosophy.
My goal isn't simply to help athletes throw harder, hit farther, or perform better next weekend.
It's to help them become independent learners who understand their bodies, trust their preparation, and continue improving throughout their careers.
Because the best athletes aren't simply well trained.
They're well educated.