Baseball players can't wait to get in the cage or on the mound to work on their craft without continuous reminders from mom, dad, or coach.
Baseball players aren't confused on the field; they already know what to do before the ball is hit.
Baseball players hate the off season if it lasts more than a few weeks.
Baseball players can shut off the TV or video game at any time if it means going to work out.
Baseball players take charge of situation and feel in control during a game.
Baseball players know there is always tomorrow to work on the mistakes of today and rarely get stuck in the past.
Baseball players understand that slumps are nothing more than part of the game. Minimizing and shortening them is the goal. Perfection will never come for very long.
Baseball players study what guys in the Bigs are doing. They observe and experiment with their game to find their style.
Baseball players enjoy when the work is hard because that simply means fewer players will do it.
Baseball players dream of playing in pressure situations and perform well when it occurs.
Baseball players don't care as much about their stats as they do about their team winning.
If you identify with only a couple of these points above, baseball is playing you and it's time to pick up your game or find yourself playing second string to a baseball player.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Too Hard
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010
Is the Gamers Program too "hard"
Sometimes I hear comments or get impressions from some parents or players that the Gamers program is "too hard" -- that the expectations are too high, the time commitment too much, or the requirements too demanding. The statements sound something like this:
"_____ just wants to have fun playing baseball, the Gamers practice too much"
"I just want to play with my friends, who are playing legion ball"
"______ just wants more time to do other things, like hang out with friends, and do the things that teenage boys do"
"XYZ program doesn't practice as much, and wins just as many games"
" ______ wants to play other sports, and it is just too hard to play Gamers baseball and other sports"
"We love everything about the Gamers program, but we have other kids and just don't have the time to get _______ to the practices"
"______ just wants to have fun and play more relaxed baseball for a year, then we'll come back to the Gamers..."
"I just can't get _______ to games 90 minutes beforehand and then sit around waiting for the game to start"
There is a lot commonality in all these statements.
First, the word "just" comes up time after time. This can sometimes be an honest word. For example, when a player has made a tradeoff between a lower priority thing (baseball) and a higher priority thing (another sport?), and baseball is "just" not that important to him any more.
Or, sometimes "just" can be a very dangerous word that establishes artificial limits on effort and commitment, like "Little Johnny just doesn't want to work that hard".
Very few people in life are successful by "just" doing something. Success requires extraordinary effort, commitment and passion. The word "just" does not fit with success.
Not enough people are willing to be honest with kids and parents about this point. "Just" and "success" do not fit. By "just" doing something, you are choosing to fail. You are either committed, or you are not. This is true in baseball and in life.
We have dozens of players and families who successfully manage to fit Gamers baseball around incredibly demanding family, academic and other sport schedules. The lessons of commitment, of not settling for "just" tradeoffs, pay enormous dividends in all aspects of life.
The other commonality in the statements above is the seemingly opposite relationship between "fun" and "hard work". This is also very dangerous.
Being mediocre in anything, especially baseball, is not "fun". Sometimes, the teenage boy definition of "fun" is warped and looks a lot like laziness. A lot of bad things can happen when teenage boys pursue this brand of "fun". Pursuit of this "fun" is a dead end path.
To accept mediocrity as a tradeoff for superficial teenager "fun" is sad, immature and destructive. Young men should not be allowed to make this mistake. It is not "fun" to be irresponsible, lazy and disrespectful. It might feel good for a while, but it is not "fun".
But, too many parents, teachers and coaches are not willing to step in to the provide leadership and mentoring to help boys understand a simple concept:
There is a different kind of "fun", one that is sustainable, rewarding and does not come at others' expense. This is a true "fun", that comes from working hard, with others, towards a common goal.
The dialogue above is why the Gamers program is structured the way that it is. Our program was well thought out, not a random collection of ideas and buzzwords. It was never meant to be "just" baseball. It was never meant for players that have "fun" being mediocre.
Over the years, we have made some adjustments and changes to the program and will continue to do so. And, we make some mistakes, like all passionate, hard working people do.
But, our principles will not change. Our program is built on the foundation that success is the direct result of passion, effort and teamwork. This is true in baseball, and it is true in life. The Gamers program is not easy, because success is never easy.
Our program is designed for players who want to be exceptional and learn what it takes to be exceptional. It is not easy to be exceptional -- average people are not exceptional. And, "just" being a talented baseball player or athlete is not good enough. It does not make you exceptional.
A youth sports program that has the courage to follow and teach these principles can have a profound impact on young men, on the field and off.
But, it takes courage and conviction to follow these principle -- anything else is "just" a compromise.
Posted by Mark Gallion at 5:08 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Is the Gamers Program too "hard"
Sometimes I hear comments or get impressions from some parents or players that the Gamers program is "too hard" -- that the expectations are too high, the time commitment too much, or the requirements too demanding. The statements sound something like this:
"_____ just wants to have fun playing baseball, the Gamers practice too much"
"I just want to play with my friends, who are playing legion ball"
"______ just wants more time to do other things, like hang out with friends, and do the things that teenage boys do"
"XYZ program doesn't practice as much, and wins just as many games"
" ______ wants to play other sports, and it is just too hard to play Gamers baseball and other sports"
"We love everything about the Gamers program, but we have other kids and just don't have the time to get _______ to the practices"
"______ just wants to have fun and play more relaxed baseball for a year, then we'll come back to the Gamers..."
"I just can't get _______ to games 90 minutes beforehand and then sit around waiting for the game to start"
There is a lot commonality in all these statements.
First, the word "just" comes up time after time. This can sometimes be an honest word. For example, when a player has made a tradeoff between a lower priority thing (baseball) and a higher priority thing (another sport?), and baseball is "just" not that important to him any more.
Or, sometimes "just" can be a very dangerous word that establishes artificial limits on effort and commitment, like "Little Johnny just doesn't want to work that hard".
Very few people in life are successful by "just" doing something. Success requires extraordinary effort, commitment and passion. The word "just" does not fit with success.
Not enough people are willing to be honest with kids and parents about this point. "Just" and "success" do not fit. By "just" doing something, you are choosing to fail. You are either committed, or you are not. This is true in baseball and in life.
We have dozens of players and families who successfully manage to fit Gamers baseball around incredibly demanding family, academic and other sport schedules. The lessons of commitment, of not settling for "just" tradeoffs, pay enormous dividends in all aspects of life.
The other commonality in the statements above is the seemingly opposite relationship between "fun" and "hard work". This is also very dangerous.
Being mediocre in anything, especially baseball, is not "fun". Sometimes, the teenage boy definition of "fun" is warped and looks a lot like laziness. A lot of bad things can happen when teenage boys pursue this brand of "fun". Pursuit of this "fun" is a dead end path.
To accept mediocrity as a tradeoff for superficial teenager "fun" is sad, immature and destructive. Young men should not be allowed to make this mistake. It is not "fun" to be irresponsible, lazy and disrespectful. It might feel good for a while, but it is not "fun".
But, too many parents, teachers and coaches are not willing to step in to the provide leadership and mentoring to help boys understand a simple concept:
There is a different kind of "fun", one that is sustainable, rewarding and does not come at others' expense. This is a true "fun", that comes from working hard, with others, towards a common goal.
The dialogue above is why the Gamers program is structured the way that it is. Our program was well thought out, not a random collection of ideas and buzzwords. It was never meant to be "just" baseball. It was never meant for players that have "fun" being mediocre.
Over the years, we have made some adjustments and changes to the program and will continue to do so. And, we make some mistakes, like all passionate, hard working people do.
But, our principles will not change. Our program is built on the foundation that success is the direct result of passion, effort and teamwork. This is true in baseball, and it is true in life. The Gamers program is not easy, because success is never easy.
Our program is designed for players who want to be exceptional and learn what it takes to be exceptional. It is not easy to be exceptional -- average people are not exceptional. And, "just" being a talented baseball player or athlete is not good enough. It does not make you exceptional.
A youth sports program that has the courage to follow and teach these principles can have a profound impact on young men, on the field and off.
But, it takes courage and conviction to follow these principle -- anything else is "just" a compromise.
Posted by Mark Gallion at 5:08 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Top 40 Baseball Rule Myths
All of the following statements are FALSE. Read the explanations and rule references to find out why.
Top 40 Baseball Rule Myths
1. The hands are considered part of the bat.
2. The batter-runner must turn to his right after over-running first base.
3. If the batter breaks his wrists when swinging, it's a strike.
4. If a batted ball hits the plate first it's a foul ball.
5. The batter cannot be called out for interference if he is in the batter's box.
6. The ball is dead on a foul-tip.
7. The batter may not switch batter's boxes after two strikes.
8. The batter who batted out of order is the person declared out.
9. The batter may not overrun first base when he gets a base-on-balls.
10. The batter is out if he starts for the dugout before going to first after a dropped third strike.
11. If the batter does not pull the bat out of the strike zone while in the bunting position, it's an automatic strike.
12. The batter is out if a bunted ball hits the ground and bounces back up and hits the bat while the batter is holding the bat.
13. The batter is out if his foot touches the plate.
14. The batter-runner is always out if he runs outside the running lane after a bunted ball.
15. A runner is out if he slaps hands or high-fives other players, after a homerun is hit over the fence.
16. Tie goes to the runner.
17. The runner gets the base he's going to, plus one on a ball thrown out-of-play.
18. Anytime a coach touches a runner, the runner is out.
19. Runners may never run the bases in reverse order.
20. The runner must always slide when the play is close.
21. The runner is always safe when hit by a batted ball while touching a base.
22. A runner may not steal on a foul-tip.
23. It is a force out when a runner is called out for not tagging up on a fly ball.
24. An appeal on a runner who missed a base cannot be a force out.
25. A runner is out if he runs out of the baseline to avoid a fielder who is fielding a batted ball.
26. Runners may not advance when an infield fly is called.
27. No run can score when a runner is called out for the third out for not tagging up.
28. A pitch that bounces to the plate cannot be hit.
29. The batter does not get first base if hit by a pitch after it bounces.
30. If a fielder holds a fly ball for 2 seconds it's a catch.
31. You must tag the base with your foot on a force out or appeal.
32. The ball is always immediately dead on a balk.
33. If a player's feet are in fair territory when the ball is touched, it is a fair ball.
34. The ball must always be returned to the pitcher before an appeal can be made.
35. With no runners on base, it is a ball if the pitcher starts his windup and then stops.
36. The pitcher must come to a set position before a pick-off throw.
37. The pitcher must step off the rubber before a pick-off throw.
38. If a fielder catches a fly ball and then falls over the fence it is a homerun.
39. The ball is dead anytime an umpire is hit by the ball.
40. The home plate umpire can overrule the other umps at anytime.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Top 40 Baseball Rule Myths
1. The hands are considered part of the bat.
2. The batter-runner must turn to his right after over-running first base.
3. If the batter breaks his wrists when swinging, it's a strike.
4. If a batted ball hits the plate first it's a foul ball.
5. The batter cannot be called out for interference if he is in the batter's box.
6. The ball is dead on a foul-tip.
7. The batter may not switch batter's boxes after two strikes.
8. The batter who batted out of order is the person declared out.
9. The batter may not overrun first base when he gets a base-on-balls.
10. The batter is out if he starts for the dugout before going to first after a dropped third strike.
11. If the batter does not pull the bat out of the strike zone while in the bunting position, it's an automatic strike.
12. The batter is out if a bunted ball hits the ground and bounces back up and hits the bat while the batter is holding the bat.
13. The batter is out if his foot touches the plate.
14. The batter-runner is always out if he runs outside the running lane after a bunted ball.
15. A runner is out if he slaps hands or high-fives other players, after a homerun is hit over the fence.
16. Tie goes to the runner.
17. The runner gets the base he's going to, plus one on a ball thrown out-of-play.
18. Anytime a coach touches a runner, the runner is out.
19. Runners may never run the bases in reverse order.
20. The runner must always slide when the play is close.
21. The runner is always safe when hit by a batted ball while touching a base.
22. A runner may not steal on a foul-tip.
23. It is a force out when a runner is called out for not tagging up on a fly ball.
24. An appeal on a runner who missed a base cannot be a force out.
25. A runner is out if he runs out of the baseline to avoid a fielder who is fielding a batted ball.
26. Runners may not advance when an infield fly is called.
27. No run can score when a runner is called out for the third out for not tagging up.
28. A pitch that bounces to the plate cannot be hit.
29. The batter does not get first base if hit by a pitch after it bounces.
30. If a fielder holds a fly ball for 2 seconds it's a catch.
31. You must tag the base with your foot on a force out or appeal.
32. The ball is always immediately dead on a balk.
33. If a player's feet are in fair territory when the ball is touched, it is a fair ball.
34. The ball must always be returned to the pitcher before an appeal can be made.
35. With no runners on base, it is a ball if the pitcher starts his windup and then stops.
36. The pitcher must come to a set position before a pick-off throw.
37. The pitcher must step off the rubber before a pick-off throw.
38. If a fielder catches a fly ball and then falls over the fence it is a homerun.
39. The ball is dead anytime an umpire is hit by the ball.
40. The home plate umpire can overrule the other umps at anytime.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
How To Beat Fear
How To Beat Fear
“You’re never playing an opponent, you’re only really playing against yourself.” ~Arthur Ashe
After 8+ years of working with athletes from all over the world on the ‘inner game’, I can tell you that quote is as true as true can be.
Before we go any further I’m going to make a few assumptions:
1. You have a love for the sport you play,
2. You feel like you have more potential than your results show,
3. You battle with worrying about things you can’t control and no matter how hard you practice you can’t seem to shake the negativity.
Well, I’m going to show you a few things today.
First, where doubt and fear come from. This is important because you’ll have a new way of looking at it, so it’s not the big scary beast that stops you from reaching new heights. Second, the mistakes you’re making that cause fear. And, third, some tips you can start using today, so you’ll begin to become the player you’re meant to be.
So let’s get started:
What is Fear?
Fear is actually an emotion that was originally meant to protect us. You see, thousands of years ago it was just us wandering the fields, plains and mountains of the wild, wide-open world. It was us against nature. Man vs. beast.
Fear is also known as “fight or flight”. It’s that automatic response that stops us from doing physical harm to ourselves or helps us fight back when we’re being attacked.
Fear is in the ‘reptilian’ part of our brain. This is the oldest part of our brain and the part that was originally developed tens of thousands of years ago.
Additionally, when you are experiencing fear, or fight or flight mode, all your blood is redirected to the parts that are needed for fight or flight: your heart, lungs, muscles, and reptilian brain.
The rest of your brain is left with only enough blood to keep it on idle, which means that you have no cabability for rational or creative thought. It’s all
* black or white,
* yes or no,
* fight or flight
* good or evil.
In this state you don’t have the ability to think of alternative solutions to the situation. Only your two choices: run or fight.
The Problem: We don’t really need it as much as we used to.. When was the last time you needed to outrun a sabre-toothed tiger or herd of rumbling mammoths? It’s probably been a while!
But, back in the day, these were things our ancestors were faced with daily. So we needed that ‘fear’ or primitive brain to keep us alive.
Today though‚ you and I enjoy air-conditioned vehicles, stores with everything we’d ever need to survive and recreational activities to enjoy and add pleasure to life.
So, because the reptilian brain isn’t being worked over like it used to‚ it tries to find other ways to be useful, which ends up causing us to fear things we have no need to fear.
Think about it: Should you REALLY fear taking the last second shot in a tight basketball game!? Of course not! It’s not life or death. But that tricky little reptile part of our brain tries to kick in and then we justify that feeling of fear by telling ourselves that there must be something wrong with us, so I better not take the shot. Let’s take a quick look at the..
3 Big Mistakes Athletes Make That Cause Fear
1. Focusing on negative repercussions.
* This builds the fortress of fear and prevents the creative part of our mind from coming up with solutions. It also causes negative emotions to bubble up which paralyzes our ability to perform… NOT GOOD!
2. Talking to people that don’t believe in your goals or are negative.
* Sharing our hopes and dreams with people that aren’t supportive is a fantastic way to crush any positive momentum we’ve built up towards the achievement of our goals. So be very careful who you hang around with.
3. Not doing things daily or weekly that continuously push your comfort zone.
* A person that sits around dreaming and wishing for success without ever taking bold daily action to improving themselves, will be left in the dust by people with less talent but the will to improve.
Any of these three things will cause fear and doubt to build up in the mind of anyone… so avoid them at all cost! (Luckily I have a few tips for you, that you can do today to help build your confidence.)
The Secret Key…
The real key to overcoming self-doubt, fear and procrastination is something most people don’t think of: understanding ‘meaning’.
What do I mean by ‘meaning’? Meaning is the definition you give to an event, thing or person.
Example: If the LA Lakers win. What does that mean to you? Do you love it, hate it or are you completely indifferent and don’t really care?
Meaning is everything in the brain. The brain is constantly asking and answering questions. And most of those questions go something like this - “What does this mean to me?”
You walk out on the court for a game against your arch-rival in their gymnasium and you hear the boos and trash-talk rain down on you.
It’s at this moment your brain is asking, ‘what does this mean’, and depending on what definition you have for boos that are sent your way, it could either be a negative or positive experience.
Most of the athletes I coach at the professional level, love to hear those boos. They feed off of it. So for them , the meaning is positive.
But for others because they so desperately seek approval from other people, the boos can send them off of their game. Which hurts performance, because they lose focus and start worrying about things they can’t control. One of them being, ‘why don’t these people like me?’ ‘They don’t know me.’ ‘I’m a nice person.’ And on and on..
Change the meaning of what those ‘boos’ mean to you… and you can change the emotions that run through you. What if you you changed the meaning to, ‘if you’re booing now… wait until the game starts and than I’ll REALLY give you something to boo over.’ Or, ‘when I hear the boos it’s like injecting me with more and more confidence. I love it’ (Incidentally, that’s the exact mindset of one of my clients in the MLB, that plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.).
Anytime I’m confronted with something that is going to be putting me in a position of possibly making a mistake, failing or trying something new. I get excited.
And here’s why:
My entire life is centered around 3 things:
- Learning,
- Growing, and
- New Experiences.
And, because I know that the only way I can learn, grow and enjoy new experiences is by trying things that I could fail at, I start to get excited about them.
Let me give you an example.
A few years ago I was approached by the Indonesian Government about coming over to Jakarta to do a workshop on leadership and communication. I’d never been to Indonesia and I love to travel, so I jumped at the opportunity.
The Problem: The people that would be attending barely new any English. So I’d have to spend 2 weeks speaking incredibly slowly, so I didn’t go too fast for their comprehension. I was starting to doubt whether I’d be able to deliver the content I needed to, so they would get value out of the workshop.
Because I was going to speaking sooooo slowly, I wouldn’t be able to get through the amount of material I normally would. Plus I found out, the Indonesians like to take a lot of breaks during workshops. So now I would have even less time.
But I decided that this would be a great chance to strip out all the information that wasn’t going to be the highest impact and only deliver the best of the best.
The Result: The government was so thrilled with what I did, they awarded me the Rama Award for exceptional leadership and vision. I received an amazing sculpture from the country, which reminds me every day what can be achieved when you maintain a positive attitude.
3 Things You Can Do Today To Build Confidence
1. Write down all of your successes. Grab a notebook, journal or sheets of paper (preferably a fresh new notebook or journal). Split your life up into 3 or 5 year intervals and write out everything you accomplished, achieved or learned how to do in those various 3 to 5 year segments of your life. And, DON’T over-simplify! Think about it: In your first 3 years of life you learned how to walk, eat, run, talk and on and on. All of those things take exceptional discipline. Continue to do this for all the years of your life and when you get done you should have a nice long list of things you’ve achieved, which should build your confidence and prove to you that when you set your mind to something you can do anything.
The CEO of Levi’s, the huge jeans brand, has a journal on his desk with all of his achievements in it. And, when he’s faced with a daunting challenge or tough decision, he takes out his journal, sits back and reads it. After he’s done, he feels like he can do anything and moves on with his decision.
2. Visualize Your Success. The mind will always move in the direction of it’s most dominant thought. So, if you’re always visualizing youself being successful at a particular skill or endeavour – the mind is forced to help create that reality for you. So every night before you go to bed, visualize yourself running down the court with 5 seconds remaining, dodging defenders, stopping at the 3-point line and draining a ‘nothin but net’ basket. Then bask in the amazing feeling that event would give you. The more you do this, the more your mind will get the idea that’s the way life is supposed to be. Then if you’re ever in that situation, it will feel completely natural for you to do it. All great players are phenomenal at visualization. So start now, and make it a habit.
3. Collect Cheerleaders.I don’t actually mean real Cheerleaders. I mean start to hang around with people that are supportive and want you to succeed. And, the great thing about the web is it’s easier than ever to find coaches, mentors and positive people to learn from.If you had 5 people you surrounded yourself with that were always telling you, ‘you could do it’, or keep working hard because I’m seeing some real improvements- do you think that would help to strip away some of the doubt or fear that creeps into your head? Absolutely!
And, the great thing is‚ you’ve already found 2 with Alex and myself!
Just to recap:
* We learned fear comes from a very old primitive part of our brain that we don’t really have much use for today.
* If you change the meaning of how you interpret the events or things around you, you can change the feeling you have about it.
* And, we learned there are things you can do today to help make positive changes in your game and life.
Be Bold. Take Action.
Todd Herman
Alex: What’d I tell you..
You know how a guy like Eminem is just a BEAST on the mic? Like he can make mistake after mistake, do drug after drug, take years off, then simply decide he’s back, grab the mic and just CRUSH IT — like he was just born to be one of the best ever at his craft?
That’s how I feel about Todd — when it comes to your mental game and your psychology as serious athlete, there is no one better. There is nothing he can’t help you with. Period.
Which Makes Me Even MORE Excited About This Announcement For You…
After Todd sent me this article, we got back on the phone, we caught up some more, talked about some sports psychology and even about my impending move to NYC (where he coincidentally lives) until we came up with an idea that YOU’RE going to LOVE. Here’s what’s up:
Todd has a 60-Day program called, “The Champion’s Challenge”. It’s basically a 60-Day Roadmap to:
* Doubling (or even tripling) your self-confidence
* Performing at your HIGHEST levels of performance EVERY time you play
* Deleting fear, self-doubt and distraction from your mental programming FOREVER
I’ve been through it TWICE so far myself and it has done wonders for me.
And as for others, check this out: I recommended it to 3 different athletes last week. All 3 got it. And then, all 3 emailed me in the last couple days JUST to thank me for sending them Todd’s way and to tell me how DIFFERENT they already feel from the first week of “The Champion’s Challenge”. Imagine how that would feel if it was you..
So here’s the idea we both arrived at:
Starting next Tuesday, Todd is going to offer his 60-day program, “The Champion’s Challenge” to my subscribers ONLY at a big-time $20 Discount.
This way, you too can get access to the program that’s finally going to show you how to ALWAYS believe in yourself and not have to pay what everyone else pays…I’ll be sure to email you early Tuesday morning with the special link that’ll direct you to the Discounted “Champion’s Challenge” page.
Just one catch though: Todd obviously can’t do this forever, so this Special Discount will only be up until Thursday night (and then you WILL have to pay what everyone else pays for achieving 24-hour, rock-solid confidence).
So I really hope you enjoyed today’s article and..oh WAIT…I totally forgot to tell you that
When You Pick Up “The Champion’s Challenge” Next Week At The Big-Time Discount From Todd, I’m Going To Reveal To You My Number One Secret To ALWAYS Believing In Yourself!
Remember those 100+ people who commented in my last blog post “The Secret ALL Athletes Fear”? Well, they all wanted me to share my BEST secret to always believing in yourself and I was all set to today until I heard from Todd and all this happened, so here’s how I’m gonna make it up to you (get ready, it’s ice-cold COOL):
When you pick up a copy of Todd’s “The Champion’s Challenge” NEXT WEEK at that big-time discount, I AM going to reveal to the BEST trick I have to ALWAYS believing in yourself, but I’m not gonna just “tell” you about it…Nah, we do it BIG around these parts, so…
I Just Created An Online DVD Called “The Belief Black-Box” That Will “Jedi Mind-Warp” You Right Into The Confident<--->Cocky Border Zone!
In “The Belief Black-Box”, I’m going to show you my BEST trick for always believing in yourself so that:
* You ALWAYS believe in yourself (never again let those cracks of doubt enter your zone)
* Your coaches and teammates start to look to YOU to get their leadership, passion and confidence from
* You FINALLY play up to the level you know you should have been playing at all along
And GET this: It’s not just some “quick tip” or anything like that — it’s an EXERCISE I’m gonna have you go through that will LITERALLY have you feeling like you just traded places with the MOST confident person you know.
Think about that.. Imagine the most confident person you know.
Then imagine what’d it be like to be MORE confident than them..
That’s exactly what “The Belief Black-Box” has been created to do. It’s quick, it’s powerful and it’s enormously-effective.
And like I said, the darn thing is FREE when you pick up Todd’s 60-Day program “The Champion’s Challenge” NEXT WEEK, when he makes it available for a full $20 Off to my subscribers ONLY this Tuesday.
So, to recap:
1. You just read a GREAT article here at Game Speed Insider and you’re now well on your way to beating fear, once and for all. Double high-five.
2. To hook you up with access no one else on the entire friggin’ Internet gets, Todd is going to offer his 60-Day, absolutely killer program “The Champions Challenge” to my subscribers only at a big-time $20 Off Discount starting this Tuesday and ending Thursday (so a full 72 hours).
3. When you pick up “The Champions Challenge” on Tuesday, I’m going to GIVE you my BEST tip for always believing in yourself inside a brand-new Online DVD I just finished putting together, called “The Belief Black-Box”.
It’s completely free and a complementary gift from me to you to go along with “The Champion’s Challenge”.
So stay tuned for an email from me early Tuesday morning when all of this starts and if I were you, I’d jump on this faster than James Bond seducing an unsuspecting woman.
Have a great day, I’ll talk to you soon.
Your Coach in Speed and Quickness,
Alex
Todd’s Bio:
Todd Herman is a Peak Performance Coach to Professional and Olympic athletes. He’s also worked with Hollywood actors and business professionals on the inner game of success. But more importantly he loves Root Beer and probably needs counselling! You can find out more at: http://thepeakathlete.com
“You’re never playing an opponent, you’re only really playing against yourself.” ~Arthur Ashe
After 8+ years of working with athletes from all over the world on the ‘inner game’, I can tell you that quote is as true as true can be.
Before we go any further I’m going to make a few assumptions:
1. You have a love for the sport you play,
2. You feel like you have more potential than your results show,
3. You battle with worrying about things you can’t control and no matter how hard you practice you can’t seem to shake the negativity.
Well, I’m going to show you a few things today.
First, where doubt and fear come from. This is important because you’ll have a new way of looking at it, so it’s not the big scary beast that stops you from reaching new heights. Second, the mistakes you’re making that cause fear. And, third, some tips you can start using today, so you’ll begin to become the player you’re meant to be.
So let’s get started:
What is Fear?
Fear is actually an emotion that was originally meant to protect us. You see, thousands of years ago it was just us wandering the fields, plains and mountains of the wild, wide-open world. It was us against nature. Man vs. beast.
Fear is also known as “fight or flight”. It’s that automatic response that stops us from doing physical harm to ourselves or helps us fight back when we’re being attacked.
Fear is in the ‘reptilian’ part of our brain. This is the oldest part of our brain and the part that was originally developed tens of thousands of years ago.
Additionally, when you are experiencing fear, or fight or flight mode, all your blood is redirected to the parts that are needed for fight or flight: your heart, lungs, muscles, and reptilian brain.
The rest of your brain is left with only enough blood to keep it on idle, which means that you have no cabability for rational or creative thought. It’s all
* black or white,
* yes or no,
* fight or flight
* good or evil.
In this state you don’t have the ability to think of alternative solutions to the situation. Only your two choices: run or fight.
The Problem: We don’t really need it as much as we used to.. When was the last time you needed to outrun a sabre-toothed tiger or herd of rumbling mammoths? It’s probably been a while!
But, back in the day, these were things our ancestors were faced with daily. So we needed that ‘fear’ or primitive brain to keep us alive.
Today though‚ you and I enjoy air-conditioned vehicles, stores with everything we’d ever need to survive and recreational activities to enjoy and add pleasure to life.
So, because the reptilian brain isn’t being worked over like it used to‚ it tries to find other ways to be useful, which ends up causing us to fear things we have no need to fear.
Think about it: Should you REALLY fear taking the last second shot in a tight basketball game!? Of course not! It’s not life or death. But that tricky little reptile part of our brain tries to kick in and then we justify that feeling of fear by telling ourselves that there must be something wrong with us, so I better not take the shot. Let’s take a quick look at the..
3 Big Mistakes Athletes Make That Cause Fear
1. Focusing on negative repercussions.
* This builds the fortress of fear and prevents the creative part of our mind from coming up with solutions. It also causes negative emotions to bubble up which paralyzes our ability to perform… NOT GOOD!
2. Talking to people that don’t believe in your goals or are negative.
* Sharing our hopes and dreams with people that aren’t supportive is a fantastic way to crush any positive momentum we’ve built up towards the achievement of our goals. So be very careful who you hang around with.
3. Not doing things daily or weekly that continuously push your comfort zone.
* A person that sits around dreaming and wishing for success without ever taking bold daily action to improving themselves, will be left in the dust by people with less talent but the will to improve.
Any of these three things will cause fear and doubt to build up in the mind of anyone… so avoid them at all cost! (Luckily I have a few tips for you, that you can do today to help build your confidence.)
The Secret Key…
The real key to overcoming self-doubt, fear and procrastination is something most people don’t think of: understanding ‘meaning’.
What do I mean by ‘meaning’? Meaning is the definition you give to an event, thing or person.
Example: If the LA Lakers win. What does that mean to you? Do you love it, hate it or are you completely indifferent and don’t really care?
Meaning is everything in the brain. The brain is constantly asking and answering questions. And most of those questions go something like this - “What does this mean to me?”
You walk out on the court for a game against your arch-rival in their gymnasium and you hear the boos and trash-talk rain down on you.
It’s at this moment your brain is asking, ‘what does this mean’, and depending on what definition you have for boos that are sent your way, it could either be a negative or positive experience.
Most of the athletes I coach at the professional level, love to hear those boos. They feed off of it. So for them , the meaning is positive.
But for others because they so desperately seek approval from other people, the boos can send them off of their game. Which hurts performance, because they lose focus and start worrying about things they can’t control. One of them being, ‘why don’t these people like me?’ ‘They don’t know me.’ ‘I’m a nice person.’ And on and on..
Change the meaning of what those ‘boos’ mean to you… and you can change the emotions that run through you. What if you you changed the meaning to, ‘if you’re booing now… wait until the game starts and than I’ll REALLY give you something to boo over.’ Or, ‘when I hear the boos it’s like injecting me with more and more confidence. I love it’ (Incidentally, that’s the exact mindset of one of my clients in the MLB, that plays for the Philadelphia Phillies.).
Anytime I’m confronted with something that is going to be putting me in a position of possibly making a mistake, failing or trying something new. I get excited.
And here’s why:
My entire life is centered around 3 things:
- Learning,
- Growing, and
- New Experiences.
And, because I know that the only way I can learn, grow and enjoy new experiences is by trying things that I could fail at, I start to get excited about them.
Let me give you an example.
A few years ago I was approached by the Indonesian Government about coming over to Jakarta to do a workshop on leadership and communication. I’d never been to Indonesia and I love to travel, so I jumped at the opportunity.
The Problem: The people that would be attending barely new any English. So I’d have to spend 2 weeks speaking incredibly slowly, so I didn’t go too fast for their comprehension. I was starting to doubt whether I’d be able to deliver the content I needed to, so they would get value out of the workshop.
Because I was going to speaking sooooo slowly, I wouldn’t be able to get through the amount of material I normally would. Plus I found out, the Indonesians like to take a lot of breaks during workshops. So now I would have even less time.
But I decided that this would be a great chance to strip out all the information that wasn’t going to be the highest impact and only deliver the best of the best.
The Result: The government was so thrilled with what I did, they awarded me the Rama Award for exceptional leadership and vision. I received an amazing sculpture from the country, which reminds me every day what can be achieved when you maintain a positive attitude.
3 Things You Can Do Today To Build Confidence
1. Write down all of your successes. Grab a notebook, journal or sheets of paper (preferably a fresh new notebook or journal). Split your life up into 3 or 5 year intervals and write out everything you accomplished, achieved or learned how to do in those various 3 to 5 year segments of your life. And, DON’T over-simplify! Think about it: In your first 3 years of life you learned how to walk, eat, run, talk and on and on. All of those things take exceptional discipline. Continue to do this for all the years of your life and when you get done you should have a nice long list of things you’ve achieved, which should build your confidence and prove to you that when you set your mind to something you can do anything.
The CEO of Levi’s, the huge jeans brand, has a journal on his desk with all of his achievements in it. And, when he’s faced with a daunting challenge or tough decision, he takes out his journal, sits back and reads it. After he’s done, he feels like he can do anything and moves on with his decision.
2. Visualize Your Success. The mind will always move in the direction of it’s most dominant thought. So, if you’re always visualizing youself being successful at a particular skill or endeavour – the mind is forced to help create that reality for you. So every night before you go to bed, visualize yourself running down the court with 5 seconds remaining, dodging defenders, stopping at the 3-point line and draining a ‘nothin but net’ basket. Then bask in the amazing feeling that event would give you. The more you do this, the more your mind will get the idea that’s the way life is supposed to be. Then if you’re ever in that situation, it will feel completely natural for you to do it. All great players are phenomenal at visualization. So start now, and make it a habit.
3. Collect Cheerleaders.I don’t actually mean real Cheerleaders. I mean start to hang around with people that are supportive and want you to succeed. And, the great thing about the web is it’s easier than ever to find coaches, mentors and positive people to learn from.If you had 5 people you surrounded yourself with that were always telling you, ‘you could do it’, or keep working hard because I’m seeing some real improvements- do you think that would help to strip away some of the doubt or fear that creeps into your head? Absolutely!
And, the great thing is‚ you’ve already found 2 with Alex and myself!
Just to recap:
* We learned fear comes from a very old primitive part of our brain that we don’t really have much use for today.
* If you change the meaning of how you interpret the events or things around you, you can change the feeling you have about it.
* And, we learned there are things you can do today to help make positive changes in your game and life.
Be Bold. Take Action.
Todd Herman
Alex: What’d I tell you..
You know how a guy like Eminem is just a BEAST on the mic? Like he can make mistake after mistake, do drug after drug, take years off, then simply decide he’s back, grab the mic and just CRUSH IT — like he was just born to be one of the best ever at his craft?
That’s how I feel about Todd — when it comes to your mental game and your psychology as serious athlete, there is no one better. There is nothing he can’t help you with. Period.
Which Makes Me Even MORE Excited About This Announcement For You…
After Todd sent me this article, we got back on the phone, we caught up some more, talked about some sports psychology and even about my impending move to NYC (where he coincidentally lives) until we came up with an idea that YOU’RE going to LOVE. Here’s what’s up:
Todd has a 60-Day program called, “The Champion’s Challenge”. It’s basically a 60-Day Roadmap to:
* Doubling (or even tripling) your self-confidence
* Performing at your HIGHEST levels of performance EVERY time you play
* Deleting fear, self-doubt and distraction from your mental programming FOREVER
I’ve been through it TWICE so far myself and it has done wonders for me.
And as for others, check this out: I recommended it to 3 different athletes last week. All 3 got it. And then, all 3 emailed me in the last couple days JUST to thank me for sending them Todd’s way and to tell me how DIFFERENT they already feel from the first week of “The Champion’s Challenge”. Imagine how that would feel if it was you..
So here’s the idea we both arrived at:
Starting next Tuesday, Todd is going to offer his 60-day program, “The Champion’s Challenge” to my subscribers ONLY at a big-time $20 Discount.
This way, you too can get access to the program that’s finally going to show you how to ALWAYS believe in yourself and not have to pay what everyone else pays…I’ll be sure to email you early Tuesday morning with the special link that’ll direct you to the Discounted “Champion’s Challenge” page.
Just one catch though: Todd obviously can’t do this forever, so this Special Discount will only be up until Thursday night (and then you WILL have to pay what everyone else pays for achieving 24-hour, rock-solid confidence).
So I really hope you enjoyed today’s article and..oh WAIT…I totally forgot to tell you that
When You Pick Up “The Champion’s Challenge” Next Week At The Big-Time Discount From Todd, I’m Going To Reveal To You My Number One Secret To ALWAYS Believing In Yourself!
Remember those 100+ people who commented in my last blog post “The Secret ALL Athletes Fear”? Well, they all wanted me to share my BEST secret to always believing in yourself and I was all set to today until I heard from Todd and all this happened, so here’s how I’m gonna make it up to you (get ready, it’s ice-cold COOL):
When you pick up a copy of Todd’s “The Champion’s Challenge” NEXT WEEK at that big-time discount, I AM going to reveal to the BEST trick I have to ALWAYS believing in yourself, but I’m not gonna just “tell” you about it…Nah, we do it BIG around these parts, so…
I Just Created An Online DVD Called “The Belief Black-Box” That Will “Jedi Mind-Warp” You Right Into The Confident<--->Cocky Border Zone!
In “The Belief Black-Box”, I’m going to show you my BEST trick for always believing in yourself so that:
* You ALWAYS believe in yourself (never again let those cracks of doubt enter your zone)
* Your coaches and teammates start to look to YOU to get their leadership, passion and confidence from
* You FINALLY play up to the level you know you should have been playing at all along
And GET this: It’s not just some “quick tip” or anything like that — it’s an EXERCISE I’m gonna have you go through that will LITERALLY have you feeling like you just traded places with the MOST confident person you know.
Think about that.. Imagine the most confident person you know.
Then imagine what’d it be like to be MORE confident than them..
That’s exactly what “The Belief Black-Box” has been created to do. It’s quick, it’s powerful and it’s enormously-effective.
And like I said, the darn thing is FREE when you pick up Todd’s 60-Day program “The Champion’s Challenge” NEXT WEEK, when he makes it available for a full $20 Off to my subscribers ONLY this Tuesday.
So, to recap:
1. You just read a GREAT article here at Game Speed Insider and you’re now well on your way to beating fear, once and for all. Double high-five.
2. To hook you up with access no one else on the entire friggin’ Internet gets, Todd is going to offer his 60-Day, absolutely killer program “The Champions Challenge” to my subscribers only at a big-time $20 Off Discount starting this Tuesday and ending Thursday (so a full 72 hours).
3. When you pick up “The Champions Challenge” on Tuesday, I’m going to GIVE you my BEST tip for always believing in yourself inside a brand-new Online DVD I just finished putting together, called “The Belief Black-Box”.
It’s completely free and a complementary gift from me to you to go along with “The Champion’s Challenge”.
So stay tuned for an email from me early Tuesday morning when all of this starts and if I were you, I’d jump on this faster than James Bond seducing an unsuspecting woman.
Have a great day, I’ll talk to you soon.
Your Coach in Speed and Quickness,
Alex
Todd’s Bio:
Todd Herman is a Peak Performance Coach to Professional and Olympic athletes. He’s also worked with Hollywood actors and business professionals on the inner game of success. But more importantly he loves Root Beer and probably needs counselling! You can find out more at: http://thepeakathlete.com
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Live Strong
Rounding Third
Live Strong
In conversations with a few of our contributors, they have asked us to be a bit more detailed on the daily conditioning program during the school year, so that it can be applied to our popular 3-Part Series we published throughout this week. This post is a preview of a series on health and nutrition we will run next week.
Many strength and conditioning experts will have their own ideas and routines, and it would take three pages to give you all of the details...Plus, we are not licensed trainers...So, we have provided you an outline to use as a training template below. While you can do long toss, stretching, hitting, fielding and most core drills on your own, ask your conditioning coach at school or at the gym or a place like Velocity Training on the actual details as it relates to speed drills, equipment and amount of weight you should use. Or, just go to the right hand column of this site and click on the many different web sites that offer baseball training techniques and subscribe to their services.
Why is this important? Mostly to become a stronger player and above all to avoid injury...You are at the stage of your life as a High School Position Player or Two-Way Player, where you will be playing over 100 ball games a year, especially in the warm weather states where baseball is just about a year round activity. You need to be in top physical condition to be able to withstand that kind of schedule. Whether you pitch, play infield or outfield, you need to strengthen your legs, core, and turn your arm into an Iron Mike. You need to have a schedule and stick by that schedule everyday. As we mentioned in our 3-Part Series, take advantage of your schools facilities and work out at least two hours a day everyday with a different routine every other day. Also,it is very important that you eat a small snack prior to your school work-outs and then come home and eat a big, nutritious dinner. Consult your school trainer on the types and number of meals you should be eating every day. Because you are working out every day, be sure to drink at least 10 (8oz.)glasses of water everyday too..
Here's a sample schedule:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Stretch, band work, core conditioning....20 minutes
Long Toss....20 minutes
Hitting...200 swings Wood bat only
Speed conditioning...30 minutes
Weights...Upper body...30 minutes
Tuesday, Thursday
Stretch, band work, core conditioning....30 minutes
Fielding drills...30 minutes
Hitting...300 swings Wood bat only
Weights...Lower Body...30 minutes
Saturday, Sunday
Games, fall, winter ball wood bat only even in games when they use metal, you should use only wood and work on hitting the ball in the sweet spot.
7 Steps to Programming for Young Athletes
7 Steps to Programming for Young Athletes
7 Steps to Programming for Young Athletes
Written on October 19, 2010 at 5:16 am, by Eric Cressey
Today’s guest blog comes from Brian Grasso.
Template Design is a style of programming that has yet to truly catch on industry-wide, but is remarkably effective, especially when working with younger, sport-based populations.
Although I enjoy articles that are weighty in scientific specifics and complete in the depiction of the theories they are purporting, I also tend to benefit as much, often more, from less wordy commentaries that are pithy in nature.
So today, brevity wins.
In the current state of our industry (and I admit, this may be a terribly unpopular statement), we tend to over-scrutinize from a formal assessment perspective – the expense being common sense and practicality.
An explanation may be in order…
If a 13-year old presents, through formal assessment, with a “poor” forward lunge pattern, what does that really tell us?
Does he lack Glute strength or activation?
Are her hip flexors too tight to create a positive forward translation?
Is it a foot issue (that I dare say less than 1% of Fitness Professionals are truly qualified to ascertain)?
Is it a structural abnormality?
Now, the corrective exercise folk among us have all just raised their hands thirsty to share the knowledge of how to “fix” this barely teen – but let me ask another couple of questions first.
Does the kid just not know how to do a lunge? Could the “poor” result be “fixed” with three minutes of proper coaching and cueing?
At 13, has peak height velocity (PHV) begun, rendering this young athlete’s mobility and coordination nearly non-existent?
Moreover, I’d be willing to bet that 90% or better of the 13 year olds who walk into your facility would “fail” this standard assessment:
* They’re growing and lack mobility
* They growing and lack coordination
* They sit all day and have inappropriate hip functionality as a result
* They’ve been introduced to improper “training” and lack posterior strength
A formal assessment can certainly show us gains, improvements and corrections when performed at regular intervals – and because of that, I am all for them.
But here’s what I’ve learned to be true about coaching young athletes in the trenches:
* You see them less than you’d like to and the “homework” you give them in the way of corrective exercise likely isn’t getting done – at very least not the way you’d want it done.
* Your time with them per session is finite, but there’s a whole-lot-o-stuff that needs to be addressed.
* Group and team training is almost always the way it goes – any sort of individualized attention must be created through a systematic approach to coaching and programming.
* Yes, we all preach to our young athletes the virtue of lessening the load and concentrating on form – but, in the high school weight room when you’re not around, but their peers are, guess who is loading the bar?
This is not a declaration to abandon assessments altogether, nor is it a manifesto encouraging you to throw your hands up in the air and announce the situation hopeless.
It’s a simple decree suggesting that your programming practice could aid a great deal in curbing this problem – and doing so not by what you discover “formally” through assessment, but what you know to be true about young athletes:
1. They sit all day long, which means:
a. They are kyphotic and lack thoracic mobility (and therefore proper scapular function)
b. They have tight, weak hips that also lack function
2. They don’t have proper strength and conditioning care outside of you, which means:
a. ROM is compromised in all major joints
b. Form and function of lift technique is entirely unfamiliar
Over the years, I have grown fond of referring to these issues as the “Likely Bunch” and have created a training template intended to meet of the aforementioned needs as a matter of principle rather than what an assessment tells me.
Rather than programming for the day, week or month, my standard Training Template for a high school athlete looks as follows:
1. Tissue Quality – 10 minutes
2. ROM/Torso/Activation – 10 minutes
3. Movement Preparatory – 10 minutes
4. Movement – 10 minutes
5. Strength/Power Technique – 10 minutes
6. Strength Execution – 10 minutes
7. Warm-Down/Active Flexibility – 10 minutes
The “10-minute” time frame represents a maximum (with five minutes being the minimum). This creates a 7-Step Programming Template that takes anywhere from 45 – 70 minutes to complete.
I have 30–50 exercises listed in my personal database for each category and select on a given day what each athlete will work on.
An example day may look like this:
1. Foam Roll (Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, ITB)
2. Ankle Mobility, Hip Circuit, Side Planks, Supine Bridges
3. Various Multi-Directional Movement Patterns (including skipping, hopping and deceleration)
4. Lateral Deceleration into Transitions
5. Front Squat Technique
6. Hybrid Complex – Hang Clean, Front Squat, Push-Press, Overhead Lunge
7. Static-Active Hamstrings/Quads
Within this template, I’m guaranteeing my young athletes get what they need from a developmental and preparatory standpoint each and every time they walk in my door.
Create a Training Template for yourself and see how much easier programming becomes.
Brian Grasso has trained more than 15,000 young athletes worldwide over the past decade. He is the Founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association – the only youth-based certification organization in the entire industry. For more information, visit www.IYCA.org.
7 Steps to Programming for Young Athletes
Written on October 19, 2010 at 5:16 am, by Eric Cressey
Today’s guest blog comes from Brian Grasso.
Template Design is a style of programming that has yet to truly catch on industry-wide, but is remarkably effective, especially when working with younger, sport-based populations.
Although I enjoy articles that are weighty in scientific specifics and complete in the depiction of the theories they are purporting, I also tend to benefit as much, often more, from less wordy commentaries that are pithy in nature.
So today, brevity wins.
In the current state of our industry (and I admit, this may be a terribly unpopular statement), we tend to over-scrutinize from a formal assessment perspective – the expense being common sense and practicality.
An explanation may be in order…
If a 13-year old presents, through formal assessment, with a “poor” forward lunge pattern, what does that really tell us?
Does he lack Glute strength or activation?
Are her hip flexors too tight to create a positive forward translation?
Is it a foot issue (that I dare say less than 1% of Fitness Professionals are truly qualified to ascertain)?
Is it a structural abnormality?
Now, the corrective exercise folk among us have all just raised their hands thirsty to share the knowledge of how to “fix” this barely teen – but let me ask another couple of questions first.
Does the kid just not know how to do a lunge? Could the “poor” result be “fixed” with three minutes of proper coaching and cueing?
At 13, has peak height velocity (PHV) begun, rendering this young athlete’s mobility and coordination nearly non-existent?
Moreover, I’d be willing to bet that 90% or better of the 13 year olds who walk into your facility would “fail” this standard assessment:
* They’re growing and lack mobility
* They growing and lack coordination
* They sit all day and have inappropriate hip functionality as a result
* They’ve been introduced to improper “training” and lack posterior strength
A formal assessment can certainly show us gains, improvements and corrections when performed at regular intervals – and because of that, I am all for them.
But here’s what I’ve learned to be true about coaching young athletes in the trenches:
* You see them less than you’d like to and the “homework” you give them in the way of corrective exercise likely isn’t getting done – at very least not the way you’d want it done.
* Your time with them per session is finite, but there’s a whole-lot-o-stuff that needs to be addressed.
* Group and team training is almost always the way it goes – any sort of individualized attention must be created through a systematic approach to coaching and programming.
* Yes, we all preach to our young athletes the virtue of lessening the load and concentrating on form – but, in the high school weight room when you’re not around, but their peers are, guess who is loading the bar?
This is not a declaration to abandon assessments altogether, nor is it a manifesto encouraging you to throw your hands up in the air and announce the situation hopeless.
It’s a simple decree suggesting that your programming practice could aid a great deal in curbing this problem – and doing so not by what you discover “formally” through assessment, but what you know to be true about young athletes:
1. They sit all day long, which means:
a. They are kyphotic and lack thoracic mobility (and therefore proper scapular function)
b. They have tight, weak hips that also lack function
2. They don’t have proper strength and conditioning care outside of you, which means:
a. ROM is compromised in all major joints
b. Form and function of lift technique is entirely unfamiliar
Over the years, I have grown fond of referring to these issues as the “Likely Bunch” and have created a training template intended to meet of the aforementioned needs as a matter of principle rather than what an assessment tells me.
Rather than programming for the day, week or month, my standard Training Template for a high school athlete looks as follows:
1. Tissue Quality – 10 minutes
2. ROM/Torso/Activation – 10 minutes
3. Movement Preparatory – 10 minutes
4. Movement – 10 minutes
5. Strength/Power Technique – 10 minutes
6. Strength Execution – 10 minutes
7. Warm-Down/Active Flexibility – 10 minutes
The “10-minute” time frame represents a maximum (with five minutes being the minimum). This creates a 7-Step Programming Template that takes anywhere from 45 – 70 minutes to complete.
I have 30–50 exercises listed in my personal database for each category and select on a given day what each athlete will work on.
An example day may look like this:
1. Foam Roll (Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, ITB)
2. Ankle Mobility, Hip Circuit, Side Planks, Supine Bridges
3. Various Multi-Directional Movement Patterns (including skipping, hopping and deceleration)
4. Lateral Deceleration into Transitions
5. Front Squat Technique
6. Hybrid Complex – Hang Clean, Front Squat, Push-Press, Overhead Lunge
7. Static-Active Hamstrings/Quads
Within this template, I’m guaranteeing my young athletes get what they need from a developmental and preparatory standpoint each and every time they walk in my door.
Create a Training Template for yourself and see how much easier programming becomes.
Brian Grasso has trained more than 15,000 young athletes worldwide over the past decade. He is the Founder and CEO of the International Youth Conditioning Association – the only youth-based certification organization in the entire industry. For more information, visit www.IYCA.org.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Commitment
Commitment
It is hard to succeed at a high level (in anything) without commitment.
Commitment is at the intersection of Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice. It means that that you care about something so deeply, that you are willing to put in the hours of sweat and set aside lower priority things. Baseball players that are committed to the sport, and to their future in the sport, separate themselves from other players that "just play".
If you are truly Committed, this process is fun and there is nothing else you would rather do. If it becomes a grind, or if you find it easy to make excuses for not working hard or not making sacrifices, then your Commitment is questionable.
Excuses are the enemy of Commitment.
To truly succeed in something takes Commitment. This is true in baseball, academics (especially in college), and everything else you will do in the future.
For young athletes, it is often hard to separate player commitment from parent commitment. That is why the select baseball process is so difficult. It takes commitment from both to emerge from the process as a success. A committed player, without parent support, will not be allowed to do the things he needs to succeed. Parent commitment includes:
- Driving to practice and arriving early
- Getting to all the practices and games in a long 9 month baseball season
- Providing the money to pay for coaching, instruction, equipment, fees, travel, etc..
- Provide the money and support for strength and speed training
- Traveling to out of town tournaments, and dealing with rainouts in hotel rooms
- The list goes on and on
That kind of commitment is not required to play high school sports and "local" baseball. Kids can just ride the bus to school and stay after school. That is definitely an easier path. But, it does not separate committed players from the kids that "just play". That is one reason that less than 7% of high school baseball players go on to play college baseball.
A couple of weeks ago, a young man named Koda Glover from Oklahoma was selected to play with the Midwest Team at the USA Baseball NTIS event in Cary, NC. On the morning of the event, his flight was cancelled. He would have missed the early part of the event if he waited until the next available flight. So, Koda and his parents drove 20 hours to Cary, NC. No second thoughts, just something that he cared about so deeply that it was a no-brainer. Just get in the car and drive 20 hours (40 hour roundtrip!).
Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice came together. Koda made it to the event on time, pitched 2 times during the weekend, and was one of 8 players (out of 200) selected for the 18u National Team Trials. This level of Commitment translates directly to success.
This is true in baseball and all other aspects of life.
Over the years, a handful of players have left the Gamers program because "it was too hard", the "expectations are too high", "they want to do other things", etc... That is a perfectly normal process of separation. Those young men made the right decision and we wish them the best of luck.
We want young men to succeed and to learn how to succeed. An important lesson is that -- commitment is a pre-cursor to true success.
Commitment is where Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice come together. True commitment takes all three.
Posted by Mark Gallion at 4:59 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
It is hard to succeed at a high level (in anything) without commitment.
Commitment is at the intersection of Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice. It means that that you care about something so deeply, that you are willing to put in the hours of sweat and set aside lower priority things. Baseball players that are committed to the sport, and to their future in the sport, separate themselves from other players that "just play".
If you are truly Committed, this process is fun and there is nothing else you would rather do. If it becomes a grind, or if you find it easy to make excuses for not working hard or not making sacrifices, then your Commitment is questionable.
Excuses are the enemy of Commitment.
To truly succeed in something takes Commitment. This is true in baseball, academics (especially in college), and everything else you will do in the future.
For young athletes, it is often hard to separate player commitment from parent commitment. That is why the select baseball process is so difficult. It takes commitment from both to emerge from the process as a success. A committed player, without parent support, will not be allowed to do the things he needs to succeed. Parent commitment includes:
- Driving to practice and arriving early
- Getting to all the practices and games in a long 9 month baseball season
- Providing the money to pay for coaching, instruction, equipment, fees, travel, etc..
- Provide the money and support for strength and speed training
- Traveling to out of town tournaments, and dealing with rainouts in hotel rooms
- The list goes on and on
That kind of commitment is not required to play high school sports and "local" baseball. Kids can just ride the bus to school and stay after school. That is definitely an easier path. But, it does not separate committed players from the kids that "just play". That is one reason that less than 7% of high school baseball players go on to play college baseball.
A couple of weeks ago, a young man named Koda Glover from Oklahoma was selected to play with the Midwest Team at the USA Baseball NTIS event in Cary, NC. On the morning of the event, his flight was cancelled. He would have missed the early part of the event if he waited until the next available flight. So, Koda and his parents drove 20 hours to Cary, NC. No second thoughts, just something that he cared about so deeply that it was a no-brainer. Just get in the car and drive 20 hours (40 hour roundtrip!).
Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice came together. Koda made it to the event on time, pitched 2 times during the weekend, and was one of 8 players (out of 200) selected for the 18u National Team Trials. This level of Commitment translates directly to success.
This is true in baseball and all other aspects of life.
Over the years, a handful of players have left the Gamers program because "it was too hard", the "expectations are too high", "they want to do other things", etc... That is a perfectly normal process of separation. Those young men made the right decision and we wish them the best of luck.
We want young men to succeed and to learn how to succeed. An important lesson is that -- commitment is a pre-cursor to true success.
Commitment is where Passion, Hard Work and Sacrifice come together. True commitment takes all three.
Posted by Mark Gallion at 4:59 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Google Buzz
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
5 Biggest Reasons You’re Still Slower Than Your Teammates
5 Biggest Reasons You’re Still Slower Than Your Teammates | Baseball Strength Blog
5 Biggest Reasons You’re Still Slower Than Your Teammates
at
Before I tell you all about the 5 Biggest Reasons You’re Still Slower
Than Your Teammates, I first want to thank Coach Dan for all that he does
and teaches — his Baseball Strength info is terrific and you guys are all in
really good hands with Dan.
Now, onto the good stuff, let’s get into these 5 reasons..
1. Your stiffness stinks.
Have you ever been playing a game and had to make a quick
cut or change of direction, and it didn’t feel like it was that
fast or quick? Almost like it was a little unstable and if you
were just “stronger” at that movement, you’d be a lot quicker
and faster?
If so, then you’ve already experienced what a lack of stiffness will
do for you.
Stiffness is the ability of your muscles and tendons to instantly “lock-up”
and stop a negative, downward movement. It’s that moment when you
land from a jump, then immediately have to jump back up again (maybe
for a rebound, etc).
You have to quickly stop the negative downward movement caused by
the momentum of the jump, so you can start your next jump as fast
as possible.
Think about a player like Shawn Marion: He has insane muscular and tendon
stiffness. When he runs and jumps, he spends almost no time with his
feet actually on the ground — he’s always bouncing on to the next step or jump
(and that’s a VERY common characteristic of an athlete with good
stiffness — their feet spend almost no time on the ground when they’re
running).
Now, if you don’t have good stiffness, then every movement you make
is taking WAY longer than it could, which simply means you’re still
one of the “slow guys” out there.
Improve your stiffness and you instantly improve your speed and quickness.
2. You have SLOW reaction time
Reaction time is simply how quickly you can react to an external
stimulus. It’s when you’re guarding the other guy in a basketball game
and he makes a move, it’s how fast you can react to his move and slide
over to stop his drive. I mean, let’s be real here, have you ever had a time
where you were guarding someone and you couldn’t react fast enough to
their quickness and they kept driving by you?
If you could have reacted faster to what they were doing, you would
have been able to stop them a whole lot easier.
3. You’re a “program hopper”.
People love the “latest thing”, right? We all want the newest
gadget, the shiniest object, the latest pair of Air Forces.
Remember when the IPad first came out? EVERYONE had
to have one, even if they had just bought a new laptop. It doesn’t
matter if you already have something like it, we all just love new stuff.
Now this is totally cool and fine when it comes to “stuff”, but when
it comes to YOUR training, it’s not so good. If you’ve
ever started a new training program only to “try” another one
a couple weeks later, you’re guilty of this speed and quickness sin.
To succeed with a training program and attain all of the results
it promises you, you need to actually do it and use it for an
extended period of time.
For example, when one of the hundreds or thousands of athletes
picked up their discounted copy of Truth About Quickness 2.0
yesterday, they found a video from me on the download
page telling them how important following through with the program
will be for their success (and I’m even gonna give out some of my ninja tricks to
make sure they do actually follow through!).
I might actually give away a couple of those on here too..hmm…
4. Your movement efficiency is whack.
Movement efficiency is (big, hairy revelation coming..):
how efficiently you move. It’s not hard for me or you to
understand the importance of moving efficiently if we
want to become quicker and faster, but let me give
you a couple examples here to help you better “feel”
what it is:
Ever watch Derrick Rose play? Tell me if you ever see
any “wasted” movement or energy from him? You don’t.
And that’s because his movement efficiency is serious awesomesauce.
He doesn’t make any loud, “clunky” steps that allow for energy
leaks, he doesn’t unnecessary steps when he’s driving to the basket
and every movement he makes is purely efficient.
Another great guy to look at is Steve Nash. He is SO
smooth with all of his quickness and speed (and what’s cool
about Steve is that while D-Rose’s movement efficiency is much
more “natural”, Nash wasn’t born with it and has had to improve
it himself throughout his career.. I’d say he’s done a good job
of that, eh?).
If any of your movements, accelerations or cuts don’t always
feel super smooth and effortless, there’s a VERY good chance
your movement efficiency is garbage (that’s pronounced gar-baj).
Improve your movement efficiency and your speed and quickness
shoots through the roof.
5. You’ve been using linear speed-training for your
non-linear sport.
Linear sports are ones that take place only
in straight lines: think the 100m dash or
the long jump.
On the other hand, NON-LINEAR sports are ones that
take place in multiple directions and involve lots of “changes
of direction”: think basketball, football, volleyball, baseball, soccer and
so on.
Because it’s just been a bunch of old-school “tradition” dominating
the speed and quickness mafia for decades now, coaches have been
using linear speed training methods for NON-LINEAR sports.
They have basketball players go on the track to run 100m sprints,
thinking it’s gonna make them faster.
They have baseball players running 60-yard dashes, thinking it’s
going to make them better with their first-step quickness off the bag
as they try to steal 2nd.
Or they have volleyball players run lap after lap around the gym,
thinking it’s going to increase their explosiveness.
Let me tell you something: Using linear speed training methods
for non-linear sports is wrong.
Wrong, wrong, WRONG.
Instead, use NON-LINEAR speed training methods for non-linear
sports. The increases you can see in your results from making
this change is going to be HUGE for you.
Now, those are the 5 BIGGEST Reasons You’re Still Slower Than Your Teammates.
Let’s talk ALL about the solutions to overcome each and every one of those major problems,
so get your pen and paper ready, let’s rock:
Part II: 5 Sneaky Solutions To Be Faster Than Your Teammates
1. The Problem: Your Stiffness Stinks.
The Solution: Pogo Jumps (1- and 2-legged)
The best way to improve your stiffness is to use
exercises that involve lots of eccentric Rate of Force
Development and also have a reflexive aspect to them
too.
On top of that, the MOST important place for any team-sport
athlete to have excellent stiffness is their PLANTAR FLEXORS.
Put all that together and there is NOTHING better for quickly
and efficiently improving your stiffness than Pogo Jumps.
There is lots of rapid downward forces being absorbed (eccentric RFD),
they’re inherently reflexive and they focus entirely on your plantar flexors.
To do a pogo jump, you jump vertically up and down, focusing on
getting 95% of the “pop” in your jump from your ankles (NOT from your
knees or hips).
Here’s a video of me doing them for you to check out
(it’s the first vid there):
http://truthaboutquickness.com/CNSPrimingEffect.html
For BEST results, do 3-4 sets of pogo jumps for sets of 10-20 reps
2-3x a week for the next 4 weeks. Rest 45-60 seconds between sets.
Do them before your workouts and most likely, after just a couple
weeks of doing that, you’ll notice a new and big-time boost in your
quickness, explosiveness and best of all, your first-step.
And if you’ve been doing pogo jumps for a while now, try 1-Legged Pogo Jumps.
They’re a much more intense and advanced exercise, so please don’t
try them if you’re not ready yet, but if you’re going to, do them for 4-6
sets of 4-8 reps, with at least 60 seconds of rest between sets.
2. The Problem – You have SLOW reaction times.
The Solution – Try Visual and Auditory-Signaled Drills.
When you’re playing a game, where do you get your
input as to what’s going on come from?
There are 3 main ways:
1. You see what’s going on (visual)
2. You hear what’s happening (auditory)
3. You feel what’s happening (kinesthetic)
And in a game, you take the input from one of those 3 place
and then you REACT to them.
You see the guy you’re guarding fake left and cut right.
You hear your coach call out the play on the next possession.
You back your man down in the post and feel how he’s guarding you.
That’s where you get all of your input from and then you react as
quickly as possible.
And if your reaction speed is lacking, then you’re definitely struggling in a place
you might be able to improve.
And to get to work on your reactions, while simultaneously improving
your speed and quickness, try visual- and auditory-signaled drills
(you don’t use kinesthetic-signaled drills because they get too sloppy/
visual and auditory is more than enough).
To do these, you’ll take ALL of your normal speed and quickness
drills/exercises, BUT, you don’t “start” a set until a training partner
gives you either a verbal or auditory cue.
For example, say you’re doing lateral line jumps. You stand there
on one side of the line and you don’t start until your training partner
snaps his finger (that’d be both visual and auditory).
Or maybe, if you’re gonna do Speed Skater Jumps, you stand there with
your eyes closed and don’t start until you hear your training partner
yell, “We be steady mobbin’!” (that’d be an auditory cue).
Try that for a few weeks and see what it does for you reaction times.
3. The Problem – You’re A Program Hopper
The Solution – Find ONE Program That is PROVEN and Stick With It
This one is almost entirely self-explanatory.
If you want to be 100% SURE that the program you’re using
is going to work for you, then YOU need to stick with and follow
through with it.
The best, longest-lasting results take time and switching
from program to program is the BEST way to make sure you
don’t get results.
I don’t mean to pitch here, but that’s one of the best things
about the Truth About Quickness 2.0: It doesn’t make you
change programs…instead, it fits right in with almost every
other program out there, creating a synergistic effect for your
results.
It fits in so well because the workouts are fast (just 9 minutes long
for most) and they’re supposed to be done right at the start of your
workout.
So you do your TAQ 2.0 workouts, then do the rest of your training.
And pretty soon, you’re drastically quicker, running around like
a tiger in the wild chasing down his prey, PLUS you get all the results
you were gonna get from the original program you were already following.
I cannot even begin to tell you how BIG this is gonna be for you..
4. The Problem – Your movement efficiency is whack.
The Solution – Focus on the SOUNDS made during your plyometric and speed training.
This is easily one of my favorite ways for athletes to make rapid improvements in
their movement efficiency.
For the next few weeks, during all of your plyometric and speed
exercises, focus on the sounds you make every time your feet
hit the ground (whether it’s landing from a jump or a foot hitting the
ground during a sprint, etc).
To focus on your movement efficiency, you want those sounds to be
QUIETER.
You see, most athletes with crappy movement efficiency usually make
really loud, clunky noises with each step and landing and if that’s you,
then you’re wasting potential energy and moving highly inefficiently.
If your steps are quieter, you’re inherently making better use of your
energy and moving more efficiently.
But here’s the key: You don’t want to move so quietly that you’re not
applying any force into the ground; that’ll slow you down more than
anything.
Just pay attention to how much noise you’re making on landings,
and it it’s too clunky or too loud, make a conscious effort to not
sound like an master martial artist breaking a stacks of bricks
with his forehead :-)
Within a couple weeks, you’ll notice your movements to be much
quicker and more efficient — and all of it from one simple change
during your workouts.
5. The Problem – You’ve Been Using Linear Speed Training For Your Non-Linear Sport
The Solution – Use the RIGHT Non-Linear Speed Training Methods In Your Workouts
The problem is that NOT all forms of Non-Linear Speed Training Methods are
created equal. Some that you may have been exposed to probably fit right
in to this “not nearly as good” category.
So what is the “right” way of non-linear speed training?
Well, I’ve tested out every method and strategy under the sun
for the last 6 years, and I have found NOTHING nearly as potent
as the training found in The Truth About Quickness Insider’s System 2.0.
Most of the exercises are NEW for 99% of the population, and the
way we set them up are NEW for 100% of the population.
There’s been a lot of talk, hype and hoopla going on in the last couple
weeks for the long-awaited release of The Truth About Quickness 2.0
and it finally came out yesterday…literally HUNDREDS of coaches
and athletes jumped at the opportunity and are going through all
of the speed and quickness secrets inside TAQ 2.0.
http://www.TheTruthAboutQuickness20.com <—— Get TAQ 2.0 Here!
And on top of that, it’s available right now at a massive $40 OFF
“Launch Special-Only” Discount until TOMORROW.
http://www.TheTruthAboutQuickness20.com <—— Get TAQ 2.0 Here for $40 OFF before tomorrow!
So if you’re ready to have lightning-quickness and get blazingly fast
in just 9 minutes a workout (albeit, a hard 9 minutes), then do not
wait, click this link below and get Instant Access to the incomparable
Truth About Quickness 2.0 before the MASSIVE discount expires tomorrow:
http://www.TheTruthAboutQuickness20.com <—— Go now!
Thousands of athletes worldwide have been waiting for this –
will YOU be joining them?
-Alex Maroko
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Characteristics of a traveling College Development Program (CDP)
Rounding Third
below we have listed some characteristics of a traveling College Development Program (CDP) to look for and even some things we would have done differently based upon our last 6-7 years of CDP ball.
Integrity
What is a good CDP? Our definition is a team that has it's total focus on the development of the players and not just on winning that $5 piece of plastic for the sake of the coaches egos. The costs of a good CDP can be daunting, but make sure that your team is going to the right tournaments and showcases that will:
1) Get exposure for the players first and foremost. Many of the top high school tournaments will have scouts in attendance and you want your team to be there. There are many so called "travel teams" that beat their chest because they win a lot of local and regional tournaments. While it's great that they are playing good ball that is probably a step up from the rec alternatives, when you weigh the costs versus benefits, what was accomplished by winning that trophy that's bound for an old box in the garage?
2) Works with the tournament organizers to make sure your team is playing against the best competition. While winning is great for the psyche of the team as a whole, it's not always going to benefit them if they are playing patsies to get to the championship round. Some people will disagree with us on this, but we strongly feel that your sons will gain more grit playing the good teams early. And, if your CDP has a great reputation, you'll get more scouts at those early games against the better competition.
3)Be Organized! Be wary of the "travel programs" that don't have their summer of 2011 schedule completed by January...Yes that's right...January!!! Many of the top tournaments and showcases like the Junior Olympics are invitation only and if a newer organization wants in, they will have to campaign to get their team in the tournament early in the year. Other showcases tournaments have deadlines and they are usually very early. A lot of planning and logistics go into these national tournaments and they usually don't accept late entries unless there is a cancellation.
4)Have 90% of their roster in place by December of 2010. Many of the top clubs have already had their try-outs this fall. Some in the Sun Belt are still amidst the try-out process via fall ball. It's important that a club knows it's roster so that it can have the spring to create their own player profiles to send out to college recruiters. This does not negate your sons efforts to send out letters and profiles however. Your son needs to do his own marketing on top of what his coaches are executing. (Refer to our post from October 22, 2008...I AM GETTING LETTERS FROM COLLEGE BASEBALL COACHES)
5) Has a reputation as a winning, professional organization with the college and pro scouts. Look at the CDP's web site and look at their alumni page. Many of the better organizations will have a section of their web site dedicated to former players that have gone on to college or even the pros. That says volumes about their dedication to player development. Many college coaches look to these organizations for help and player profiles. Also, ask them if they are communicating with college coaches and where they feel your son fits in with the type of colleges they will be contacting.
6)A payment plan that precedes the season. It is our experience that if a club has a payment plan that is paid prior to the season, then that team gets 100% participation with its players. These payment plans are usually monthly and more reasonable to budget for. These clubs also have travel agencies that they work with and their web site is like a one stop shop. If you have a good, competitive club and they don't have this set-up...have the coaches get it done this way. It's easy and web site set-up costs are usually free or very inexpensive. There are other clubs that have a pay as you go policy and they are the ones that usually are scrambling for players before every tournament. Those type of clubs are usually very frustrating and costly experiences.
7)Coaches as teachers. The best organizations have coaches that work with each individual player to help make him a better player. They are also the teams that gather as a group every inning before their at bats, going over the decisions that the players made in the field, talking about adjustments that need to be made at the plate and getting them in the right frame of mind. Most of these coaches really know the game and love spreading that knowledge to their players. That's the type of added value that makes a good CDP team worth the investment for your son.
Money
We have heard time and time again that travel ball is for rich dads that want to live vicariously through their kids. Not true! Yes, there may be a good number of parents that fall into this category and a good number of "travel clubs" that will accept any ones money to feed that parents desire. But, for the most part, good CDP's are about developing and giving players the opportunity to take their game to the next level. And, those top CDP's have a cost. And, we as parents are whipping out that check book like it was a sure stock tip.
The one thing we would have done differently, would have been to get our kids way more involved in the fund-raising aspect of their travel team. Many of these kids have it too easy and we as parents are guilty of making it easy for them. I know of several Georgia, Florida and Texas teams that raise 100% of their travel costs and coaches fees through candy drives, car washes, raffles and bake sales. Their kids are a part of that fund raising process. There's nothing wrong with parents bringing those candy bars to the office...that's usually pretty easy money...but so is a group of athletic looking kids in baseball caps going door to door or sitting up at the grocery store selling cookies, candy, and raffle tickets to help pay for that trip to East Cobb, Orlando or San Diego. This discipline also gives them ownership of their team and their accomplishments. It also keeps costs down for you, because depending on the organization, the total summer expenses for a high school CDP that is entered into all of the top tournaments and showcases can run in excess of $7,000.
That $7,000 is broken down as follows:
1) $1,500-$2,000 coaches fee/tourney fees. Fees vary by team and region.
2) $350 uniform and equipment costs
3) $2,500/Car Rental/Gas/Airfare for 2
4) $3,000+ (Two,1 Week Trips @ $85 a Night, Six 3 night Stays at $75 a Night) Plus../Food/Gate Fees/Entertainment For 2
These costs can be cut drastically if you room with another family and opt to go to the grocery store and barbeque by the hotel pool (much cheaper, healthier and more fun in our opinion)instead of eating out every night. Also, the advantage of having a travel team that plans ahead will allow you to shop for airfares and hotels well in advance and take advantage of discount rates.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Keep Up The Conditioning
Rounding Third: Keep Up The Conditioning
Keep Up The Conditioning
In a bout a month, fall work-outs will be winding down, but that doesn't mean that baseball players stop working out. It's time to step up the work-outs to avoid injury. The most common complaints when spring comes around are shoulder and elbow soreness and if you don't follow our suggestion to long toss and build arm strength this winter season, you increase the risk of injury.
In addition to long toss and other arm drills, we have found that the Jaeger bands and similar band work is a sure way to strengthen that arm to limit any soreness or injury. A site that we really like and can give you a quick tutorial on what to do to strengthen your shoulders and arms between now and January 15th can be found at the aforementioned Jaeger Sports and at these links at BaseballConditioning.net or BaseballFit.com
Good baseball players don't crash course their work-outs, and the only sure way to decrease the risk of injury is to work out and strengthen your core and the rest of your body year round. But if you didn't have a year round program, starting now, while not ideal, is better than risking injury the first few weeks of practice...the most common time of arm soreness.
Good luck guys. Work Hard!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Discipline
The Beginning | Win Within … or Go Without
You still need discipline. That means you still need to do some things you don’t feel like doing in the moment you need to do them.
That’s why we as a nation are fat, poor and relationship starved: we lack the discipline needed to achieve what we want.
Eleven Rules Not from Bill Gates but still very good.
Bill Gates' high school speech on The Eleven Rules of Life-Fiction!
RULE 1
Life is not fair - get used to it.
RULE 2
The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world
will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel
good about yourself.
RULE 3
You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out
of high school. You won't be a vice president with
car phone, until you earn both.
RULE 4
If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a
boss. He doesn't have tenure.
RULE 5
Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your
grandparents had a different word for burger flipping
they
called it Opportunity.
RULE 6
If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't
whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
RULE 7
Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
they are now. They got that way from paying your bills,
cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about
how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest
from the parasites of your parent's generation, try
delousing the closet in your own room.
RULE 8
Your school may have done away with winners and losers,
but life has not. In some schools they have abolished
failing grades and they'll give you as many times as
you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the
slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
RULE 9
Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get
summers off and very few employers are interested in
helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
RULE 10
Television is NOT real life. In real life people
actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
RULE 11
Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for
one.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Rounding Third
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Staying Closer To Home
As the economy continue to falter, more and more of the top College Development Programs are posting on their web sites and sending out e-mails to players and their families that their 2010-11 fall/summer strategy is to stay a bit closer to home and battle it out with other local CDP's or play up in older age group tournaments to challenge their players.
Don't Play Rec Ball
In an economy like this, many families may forego the decision to play on a CDP team altogether and opt for their local Legion team. If your son is a player that has the aspirations of playing college ball, then he needs to be challenged at a higher level than the watered down recreational style of play that Legion offers.
Follow The Scouts
College recruiters are aware of the changes in travel plans by many of the top CDP's...and those scouts will follow them, not you and your son's decision to play lower level competition. The top CDP's talk, text or e-mail on a weekly basis with all of the college recruiters nationwide. It's their job and their reputation on the line. They care about their players and where they get placed. It's important to the CDP program that their games and local tournaments are teaming with college recruiters and pro scouts. It's also a scouts responsibility to get as much bang for their travel dollar as possible from each trip they take. These scouts know that programs like East Cobb, Norcal, Dallas Tigers, NE Ruffnecks and more are stacked with players that all have D-I potential and will play at that level. They are the the type of teams they will follow. They also know that these are the dedicated kids and parents that have stuck with these programs even in tough times. These are the players that want it the most and the type of players colleges desire. Part Time Legion Dad doesn't have the time, resources, relationship or the knowledge to do that for his players.
Fundraise, Payment Plans and Saving
Most clubs are now in the middle of major fundraising campaigns. This is important for the integrity of the the CDP. Get involved...raise money...and get a benefactor to donate soda, water, seeds, dogs and candy and set up concessions to continue to raise money throughout the season. Ask for a monthly payment plan. A 12 month plan of $150 a month will pay for 90% of all CDP fees in America this year. But don't give up. CDP's are important for the development of your son.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
by the incomparable Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.
Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.
I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.
You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.
And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?
And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.
No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!
Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.
I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.
All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.
And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.
You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)
Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Bryce Harper Legend Grows
The Bryce Harper Legend Grows
His team facing elimination in the Junior College West Regionals, Bryce Harper went 6 for 6 with four homeruns, a triple and a double and ten RBIs in a game this weekend. His team won by a final score of 25-11 (there was a stiff wind blowing out in Lamar, Colorado where the game was played) to propel his team, College of Southern Nevada, to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He had hit for the cycle in a game a day or two before.
This performance pretty much has to cement Harper as the first pick of the 2010 Draft. Key game, lights out performance against what should be the very best junior college competition. It’s hard to imagine a player doing much more than that.
With Scott Boras as his agent, I really can’t see Harper not breaking Stephen Strasburg’s bonus record. At age 17 and playing junior college ball, Harper is two years ahead of the next best high school position player in the country. Harper won’t be the last player to get his G.E.D. in order to go play junior college, but he’s the first, and the Nationals are going to have to pay big money (my guess is around $16.1 million, roughly a million more than Strasburg got) for the privilege of signing him.
I think it’s going to get done, however. After the money the small market Reds gave Aroldis Chapman, there’s really no doubt that the Nationals can afford to cough up a record-setting price for a talent as great as Harper’s. Also, while Harper has the leverage of being able to go back to junior college for another year, I just can’t see him doing it, because he obviously has nothing left to prove at that level.
In a year, he’ll be a year older, and there’s a good chance he won’t be significantly better there next year than he was this year. Or he could get hurt, particularly since he plays catcher.
I’ve commented many times (and so have others) on Scott Boras’ fundamental conflict of interest in representing so many players. Boras has his own interest in waiting until the August deadline to get absolutely every penny to be gotten, because he’s going to represent so many top draft picks in the future. The more he gets for Strasburg and now Harper, the higher the bar going forward.
It would be nice to see Harper sign soon enough that he can start in the short-season rookie league and see if he can hit his way up to the short season A league, where most of the 21 and 22 year olds drafted out of four year colleges start their professional careers, before the end of the 2010 season.
I expect that the Nationals would bring Harper along relatively slowly, because you would want to be really ready when his six year clock for free agency starts.
His team facing elimination in the Junior College West Regionals, Bryce Harper went 6 for 6 with four homeruns, a triple and a double and ten RBIs in a game this weekend. His team won by a final score of 25-11 (there was a stiff wind blowing out in Lamar, Colorado where the game was played) to propel his team, College of Southern Nevada, to the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colorado. He had hit for the cycle in a game a day or two before.
This performance pretty much has to cement Harper as the first pick of the 2010 Draft. Key game, lights out performance against what should be the very best junior college competition. It’s hard to imagine a player doing much more than that.
With Scott Boras as his agent, I really can’t see Harper not breaking Stephen Strasburg’s bonus record. At age 17 and playing junior college ball, Harper is two years ahead of the next best high school position player in the country. Harper won’t be the last player to get his G.E.D. in order to go play junior college, but he’s the first, and the Nationals are going to have to pay big money (my guess is around $16.1 million, roughly a million more than Strasburg got) for the privilege of signing him.
I think it’s going to get done, however. After the money the small market Reds gave Aroldis Chapman, there’s really no doubt that the Nationals can afford to cough up a record-setting price for a talent as great as Harper’s. Also, while Harper has the leverage of being able to go back to junior college for another year, I just can’t see him doing it, because he obviously has nothing left to prove at that level.
In a year, he’ll be a year older, and there’s a good chance he won’t be significantly better there next year than he was this year. Or he could get hurt, particularly since he plays catcher.
I’ve commented many times (and so have others) on Scott Boras’ fundamental conflict of interest in representing so many players. Boras has his own interest in waiting until the August deadline to get absolutely every penny to be gotten, because he’s going to represent so many top draft picks in the future. The more he gets for Strasburg and now Harper, the higher the bar going forward.
It would be nice to see Harper sign soon enough that he can start in the short-season rookie league and see if he can hit his way up to the short season A league, where most of the 21 and 22 year olds drafted out of four year colleges start their professional careers, before the end of the 2010 season.
I expect that the Nationals would bring Harper along relatively slowly, because you would want to be really ready when his six year clock for free agency starts.
Monday, April 19, 2010
A fan’s guide to identifying pitches.
Baseball Pitches Illustrated Sep 20, 2007
A fan’s guide to identifying pitches.
bloop curve pitch diagramI‘m a baseball fan. I’ve watched my share of televised games and attended a few handful. After all this, I was still in the dark about the difference between pitches. I knew a curveball broke downwards, but what exactly was a circle changeup?
The diagrams below are the results of skimming through baseball books and doing online research. This is not a complete guide. I’ve picked twelve of the more common pitches:
* Fastballs: Four-seam, Two-seam, Cutter, Splitter, and Forkball
* Breaking Balls: Curveball, Slider, Slurve, and Screwball
* Changeups: Changeup, Palmball, Circle Changeup
Learning to Identify Pitches
The list of pitches might seem like a lot to keep track of, but remember that each pitcher utilizes only a selection of these pitches. For example, Pedro Martinez throws a curveball, circle-changeup, an occasional slider, and a fastball. Do a little research on the pitcher before the game.
Things to watch for that will help you identify a pitch:
* Speed
* Movement – the general direction the ball is moving
* Break – a sudden shift in direction
There are a few other things that can help you identify a pitch: ball rotation, point of release, and grip. For a casual fan though, it might be a bit much and I don’t illustrate or discuss any of the latter three items.
Reading the Diagrams
Take note of the speed, movement, and break of the ball. Don’t worry about where the baseball is shown in the the strike zone. You can throw a fastball in the middle of the strike-zone like the one illustrated, or you can throw one high and away from the batter. It’s still a fastball. Location doesn’t determine the pitch.
I’ve collected all twelve of the pitch diagrams below, minus the text notes, into a single PDF:
Baseball Pitches
149 kb – PDF
four seam fastball pitch diagram
Four-seam Fastball
85-100 mph
* Fastest, straightest pitch. Little to no movement.
two seam fastball pitch diagram
Two-seam Fastball
80-90 mph
* Also known as a Sinker.
* Moves downward, and depending on the release, will sometimes run in on a right handed hitter (RHH).
cutter pitch diagram
Cutter
85-95 mph
* Breaks away from a right handed hitter (RHH) as it reaches the plate.
* Mix of a slider and a fastball. Faster than a slider but with more movement than a fastball.
splitter pitch diagram
Splitter
80-90 mph
* Breaks down suddenly before reaching plate.
forkball pitch diagram
Forkball
75-85 mph
* Like a splitter, but with a less dramatic, more gradual downward movement.
curveball pitch diagram
Curveball
70-80 mph
* Commonly called a 12-6 curveball. The 12-6 refers to the top to bottom movement (picture a clock with hands at 12 and 6).
slider pitch diagram
Slider
80-90 mph
* Breaks down and away from a RHH.
* Between a fastball and a curve.
slurve pitch diagram
Slurve
70-80 mph
* 11-5 movement. Similar to a curve but with more lateral movement.
screwball pitch diagram
Screwball
65-75 mph
1-7 movement. Opposite of the slurve.
changeup pitch diagram
Changeup
70-85 mph
* Slower than a fastball, but thrown with the same arm motion.
palmball pitch diagram
Palmball
65-75 mph
* Ball is gripped tightly in palm.
* Just like a changeup, this pitch is slower than a fastball, but thrown with the same arm motion.
circle changeup pitch diagram
Circle Changeup
70-80 mph
* A changeup wi
A fan’s guide to identifying pitches.
bloop curve pitch diagramI‘m a baseball fan. I’ve watched my share of televised games and attended a few handful. After all this, I was still in the dark about the difference between pitches. I knew a curveball broke downwards, but what exactly was a circle changeup?
The diagrams below are the results of skimming through baseball books and doing online research. This is not a complete guide. I’ve picked twelve of the more common pitches:
* Fastballs: Four-seam, Two-seam, Cutter, Splitter, and Forkball
* Breaking Balls: Curveball, Slider, Slurve, and Screwball
* Changeups: Changeup, Palmball, Circle Changeup
Learning to Identify Pitches
The list of pitches might seem like a lot to keep track of, but remember that each pitcher utilizes only a selection of these pitches. For example, Pedro Martinez throws a curveball, circle-changeup, an occasional slider, and a fastball. Do a little research on the pitcher before the game.
Things to watch for that will help you identify a pitch:
* Speed
* Movement – the general direction the ball is moving
* Break – a sudden shift in direction
There are a few other things that can help you identify a pitch: ball rotation, point of release, and grip. For a casual fan though, it might be a bit much and I don’t illustrate or discuss any of the latter three items.
Reading the Diagrams
Take note of the speed, movement, and break of the ball. Don’t worry about where the baseball is shown in the the strike zone. You can throw a fastball in the middle of the strike-zone like the one illustrated, or you can throw one high and away from the batter. It’s still a fastball. Location doesn’t determine the pitch.
I’ve collected all twelve of the pitch diagrams below, minus the text notes, into a single PDF:
Baseball Pitches
149 kb – PDF
four seam fastball pitch diagram
Four-seam Fastball
85-100 mph
* Fastest, straightest pitch. Little to no movement.
two seam fastball pitch diagram
Two-seam Fastball
80-90 mph
* Also known as a Sinker.
* Moves downward, and depending on the release, will sometimes run in on a right handed hitter (RHH).
cutter pitch diagram
Cutter
85-95 mph
* Breaks away from a right handed hitter (RHH) as it reaches the plate.
* Mix of a slider and a fastball. Faster than a slider but with more movement than a fastball.
splitter pitch diagram
Splitter
80-90 mph
* Breaks down suddenly before reaching plate.
forkball pitch diagram
Forkball
75-85 mph
* Like a splitter, but with a less dramatic, more gradual downward movement.
curveball pitch diagram
Curveball
70-80 mph
* Commonly called a 12-6 curveball. The 12-6 refers to the top to bottom movement (picture a clock with hands at 12 and 6).
slider pitch diagram
Slider
80-90 mph
* Breaks down and away from a RHH.
* Between a fastball and a curve.
slurve pitch diagram
Slurve
70-80 mph
* 11-5 movement. Similar to a curve but with more lateral movement.
screwball pitch diagram
Screwball
65-75 mph
1-7 movement. Opposite of the slurve.
changeup pitch diagram
Changeup
70-85 mph
* Slower than a fastball, but thrown with the same arm motion.
palmball pitch diagram
Palmball
65-75 mph
* Ball is gripped tightly in palm.
* Just like a changeup, this pitch is slower than a fastball, but thrown with the same arm motion.
circle changeup pitch diagram
Circle Changeup
70-80 mph
* A changeup wi
Saturday, April 3, 2010
The Top 5 Exercises for Bat Speed!
by Dana Cavalea
Many studies have been done that say training must correlate directly to the movements that take place in sport. This is a wordy definition for the phrase: sport-specific training.
If we want greater bat speed we must replicate our swing dynamics using resistance to build strength, and speed training to build power. Strength and Power are directly related. Power in definition is really just fast strength.
With these two points being made, we now need to understand the mechanics of a swing.
When we swing a bat, the swing starts from the ground, up. Think of this ground up theory as a rubber band that is fully stretched and twisted as well. When a rubber band is fully stretched, it is filled with what we refer to as potential energy, meaning if we let go, that band will move. So if our rubber band is now fully stretched and twisted as well, if we let go, the band will move in a rotational manner. In essence this is what happens to your body, your body is this rubber band. As a hitter, prior to the pitch we load up and put our rubber band on stretch. Then just prior to our swing, we put force into the ground, the ground then pushes force up through our legs, hips, and abdominals. At that moment our rubber band (body) begins to un-stretch in a rotational manner pushing the force and energy we created towards to ball. The amount of force and energy that is put into the ball will determine the distance and speed in which this ball will travel.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the swing, we are able to tailor exercises to enhance our force and energy output. I recommend in terms of equipment all baseball players purchase a medicine ball of 4-10 pounds depending on your age and body size. I usually recommend starting with a 6lb ball for athletes over 100 lbs. I would also strongly encourage purchasing some resistance tubing with handles. With these two recommended pieces of equipment you can complete a comprehensive baseball development workout.
These exercises should be done 2-3 days per week. I recommend 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
Core Bridges- This is one of the best core stability exercises. This exercise will help with the transfer of force and energy from your lower body to your upper
How? While laying on the ground face down, bend your arms and place them directly under your shoulders. From this position, you should be able to lift your body up as if you were doing a pushup while resting your weight on your forearms. Hold this posture for 15 seconds to start and as you get better, increase the time of your hold.
Seated Bent Knee Med Ball Rotations- This exercise will begin to develop rotational speed and strength
How? While sitting on the floor, bend both knees so just your heels are on the floor. From this position grab your medicine ball. With the ball close to your body, begin to rotate by turning your shoulders side to side and tap the ball on each side of your body each repetition. When using the medicine ball you will have more of a strength focus. To enhance the speed of muscle contraction, let go of the ball and rotate side to side as rapidly as possible.
High to Low Standing Band Chops- This exercise will also be used to build strength and speed depending on the resistance of your band.
How? Prior to beginning this exercise, it is important that your band is fixed to an object that is a few feet taller than you are. This object could be a pullup bar, doorway, or a partner standing on a table or bench. While standing in your batter stance, weight should be equally distributed on both feet. Grab the handle of the band with your front hand, or the hand that would be closest to the pitcher, then place your other hand on top of the other. From this position you are going to chop down on the same plane you would if you were going to hit the ball off a tee. The movement should be slow and controlled if strength is your goal, if speed is your goal, use a lighter resistance band and speed up the movement to a rapid pace while still maintaining good mechancics.
Low to High Standing Band Chops- This exercise will also be used to build strength and speed depending on the resistance of your band. In addition this will enhance upper body trunk flexibility
How? Prior to beginning this exercise, it is important that your band is fixed to an object that is even with your back foot. This object could be a chair, leg of a table, or even the trunk of a tree. While standing in your batter stance, weight should be equally distributed on both feet. Grab the handle of the band with your front hand, or the hand that would be closest to the pitcher, then place your other hand on top of the other. At this point you will pivot your front foot and rotate your torso towards the object that is holding the band in place. From here, you will immediately begin to chop in an upward direction with your arms extended outward. While this is going on, your front foot will pivot to open up, while your back foot will pivot as if you were hitting and squashing the bug. Upon finish, your arms will finish high and you will look very similar to a golfer when they finish their swing.
Rotational Pushup- This upper body exercise will help develop upper body strength, stability, and flexibility all at the same time.
How? From the top of a pushup position, you will start a slow descent bringing your chest to the floor. Directly following you will push up from the floor while at the same lifting one of your hands and arms up towards the sky.
Utilize these 5 exercises three times each week and you will slowly but surely see improvements.
Many studies have been done that say training must correlate directly to the movements that take place in sport. This is a wordy definition for the phrase: sport-specific training.
If we want greater bat speed we must replicate our swing dynamics using resistance to build strength, and speed training to build power. Strength and Power are directly related. Power in definition is really just fast strength.
With these two points being made, we now need to understand the mechanics of a swing.
When we swing a bat, the swing starts from the ground, up. Think of this ground up theory as a rubber band that is fully stretched and twisted as well. When a rubber band is fully stretched, it is filled with what we refer to as potential energy, meaning if we let go, that band will move. So if our rubber band is now fully stretched and twisted as well, if we let go, the band will move in a rotational manner. In essence this is what happens to your body, your body is this rubber band. As a hitter, prior to the pitch we load up and put our rubber band on stretch. Then just prior to our swing, we put force into the ground, the ground then pushes force up through our legs, hips, and abdominals. At that moment our rubber band (body) begins to un-stretch in a rotational manner pushing the force and energy we created towards to ball. The amount of force and energy that is put into the ball will determine the distance and speed in which this ball will travel.
Now that we have a basic understanding of the swing, we are able to tailor exercises to enhance our force and energy output. I recommend in terms of equipment all baseball players purchase a medicine ball of 4-10 pounds depending on your age and body size. I usually recommend starting with a 6lb ball for athletes over 100 lbs. I would also strongly encourage purchasing some resistance tubing with handles. With these two recommended pieces of equipment you can complete a comprehensive baseball development workout.
These exercises should be done 2-3 days per week. I recommend 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.
Core Bridges- This is one of the best core stability exercises. This exercise will help with the transfer of force and energy from your lower body to your upper
How? While laying on the ground face down, bend your arms and place them directly under your shoulders. From this position, you should be able to lift your body up as if you were doing a pushup while resting your weight on your forearms. Hold this posture for 15 seconds to start and as you get better, increase the time of your hold.
Seated Bent Knee Med Ball Rotations- This exercise will begin to develop rotational speed and strength
How? While sitting on the floor, bend both knees so just your heels are on the floor. From this position grab your medicine ball. With the ball close to your body, begin to rotate by turning your shoulders side to side and tap the ball on each side of your body each repetition. When using the medicine ball you will have more of a strength focus. To enhance the speed of muscle contraction, let go of the ball and rotate side to side as rapidly as possible.
High to Low Standing Band Chops- This exercise will also be used to build strength and speed depending on the resistance of your band.
How? Prior to beginning this exercise, it is important that your band is fixed to an object that is a few feet taller than you are. This object could be a pullup bar, doorway, or a partner standing on a table or bench. While standing in your batter stance, weight should be equally distributed on both feet. Grab the handle of the band with your front hand, or the hand that would be closest to the pitcher, then place your other hand on top of the other. From this position you are going to chop down on the same plane you would if you were going to hit the ball off a tee. The movement should be slow and controlled if strength is your goal, if speed is your goal, use a lighter resistance band and speed up the movement to a rapid pace while still maintaining good mechancics.
Low to High Standing Band Chops- This exercise will also be used to build strength and speed depending on the resistance of your band. In addition this will enhance upper body trunk flexibility
How? Prior to beginning this exercise, it is important that your band is fixed to an object that is even with your back foot. This object could be a chair, leg of a table, or even the trunk of a tree. While standing in your batter stance, weight should be equally distributed on both feet. Grab the handle of the band with your front hand, or the hand that would be closest to the pitcher, then place your other hand on top of the other. At this point you will pivot your front foot and rotate your torso towards the object that is holding the band in place. From here, you will immediately begin to chop in an upward direction with your arms extended outward. While this is going on, your front foot will pivot to open up, while your back foot will pivot as if you were hitting and squashing the bug. Upon finish, your arms will finish high and you will look very similar to a golfer when they finish their swing.
Rotational Pushup- This upper body exercise will help develop upper body strength, stability, and flexibility all at the same time.
How? From the top of a pushup position, you will start a slow descent bringing your chest to the floor. Directly following you will push up from the floor while at the same lifting one of your hands and arms up towards the sky.
Utilize these 5 exercises three times each week and you will slowly but surely see improvements.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Pitching Control
Rounding Third: Pitching Control
Pitching Control
RT Staff Note: The following article is from thecompletepitcher.com.
By Geoff Zahn former MLB pitcher
Keys to developing good pitching control
1. visualization
2. concentration
3. location aids (pitching aids)
Visualization
All players, especially pitchers, should exercise positive visualization. Pitchers should pay attention to the location of the pitches that either were swung at and missed or hit poorly or are hit where the pitcher wants the hitter to hit the ball, i.e., on the ground, up the middle, in a double play situation. If a pitcher’s power pitch is low and away he must be able to visualize that pitch going to that exact location.
Proper visualization involves such depth that your body can feel the pitch being made from your feet to the tips of the fingers of your pitching hand. You should be able to visualize in slow motion, mentally feeling the ball come off your fingertips, watching the spin and the break of the ball as it mentally moves toward the plate and seeing it hit the middle of the pocket of the catcher’s glove as the hitter swings and misses it.
Good visualization is an excellent way to practice without putting any strain on your arm. You should visualize your power pitch and all your other pitches with their break. You should mentally image different counts and all situations that you might encounter. Many times missing the strike zone is as important as hitting it.
The great thing about out visualization is that you can do it at any time and that it requires no stress on your arm. I suggest that every pitcher should take at least ten minutes every day to visualize and create situations for success. It can be done in bed at night before you go to sleep or at different break times during the day.
It is also mandatory that in the heat of a game you visualize a pitch being successful before you throw it. Before you step on the rubber for each pitch you should visualize the right pitch to throw. If the catcher gives you a sign for a different pitch then you must either shake him off and go to your pitch or if you agree with the sign visualize the pitch before you throw it.
A good catcher or even a coach, if he is calling the pitches, will think right along with you and there shouldn’t be a need to shake off very many pitches.
Concentration
Concentration involves mastering the ability to hard focus or fine center your eyes on an extremely small object. Most coaches instruct their pitchers to concentrate on the catcher’s glove. I want pitchers to hard focus on one of the laces on the catcher’s mitt.
I have seen that there are two levels of concentration. If a pitcher is just methodically going through a workout he will have trouble with his control because he is only soft focusing on the target. Although he may say he is focusing on the glove he is not expending all of his energies toward focusing on the glove. This is a soft focus habit of concentration which most pitchers get into unless they are willing to push themselves to the next level.
I illustrate this principle of hard and soft focus almost daily during pitcher’s bullpen routines. During their routine I have witnessed them missing the target, too high, for up to three consecutive pitches. I will ask them if they are concentrating and they will say, ‘yes’. I will then tell them if the next pitch isn’t at the target below the knees, they owe me a lap. Most of the time they hit the target. Why? Because they move from routine to urgency in their purpose. The key is to create that urgency for every pitch. When that happens the pitcher has pushed himself to hard focus. When a pitcher is able to maintain this degree of hard focus over the course of consecutive games he is said to be in a zone. As a coach I have seen it in a pitcher’s eyes. There is a determination there that will not allow anyone or anything to break.
A pitcher becomes what he practices, so it is important that pitchers practice hard focusing every time they throw.
It is also important that as a pitcher starts to come out of his balance point, at the top of his delivery, he is hard focused on his target. Once he hard focuses nothing should be able to distract him, and he should see the ball hit the mitt.
Another key to good concentration is the ability to adjust. For instance, if you are trying to hit a low and away target and your first 2 throws go high down the middle, you must tell yourself that the next throw will either be perfect or miss low and away off the plate. You must train your brain to tell your hand to make adjustments.
A question I get asked quite often is, “how many pitches do I need to throw?” My answer is that great control comes only through much repetition. Twenty pitches in a workout won’t make it happen. I believe it is far better to have a 45-60 pitch workout at 80% velocity than a 20 pitch workout at 95 - 100% velocity.
During that workout you should practice pitches with different counts on the batter. You should practice missing the plate as much as hitting the corners.
Finally every throw should be free and loose. You should never aim the ball but always stay loose and let it fly toward the target.
Location aids (pitching aids)
There are three aids that I really endorse for helping to develop consistent location.
1. The first is what we used to have in Dodgertown spring training called the strings. Using two poles, string, and simple door springs the strike zone is outlined from the knees up. This aid is extremely beneficial because it shows the pitcher and the catcher just where the catcher actually catches the ball when it crosses the plate at the knees. Most catchers and pitchers are shocked to see how low the glove is when the ball hits the strings at the knees, especially with breaking balls.
2. The second is a net called a Porta Sock that has an area cut out with additional netting to catch and collect the balls. It is sold by Osborne Innovative Products out of Washington. It has bungie cords that form a strike zone. This is called a strike zone isolator. I like pitchers to get a bucket of balls and throw to the Porta Sock. What I like is that the pitcher’s control must be exact. There is no catcher to pull their pitches back into the strike zone. Another advantage is that a pitcher can work at his own pace by himself.
3. The last is the use of a wall with the strike zone taped or drawn onto the wall. As every pitcher is aware, there are only so many pitches in an arm before it gets tired or breaks down. I believe it can be beneficial for a pitcher to throw at a target on the wall with a tennis ball. This does not take much out of the arm while it is training the pitcher to focus and make adjustments. He can easily see the action on his pitches as well as practicing pitching to different locations.
One can develop good consistent location when he pitches but once again the key is a will to want to prepare to succeed.
When I think back on the times when I wasn't effective as a pitcher, it wasn't because I didn't have good velocity. It was because I had poor control, and I had poor location of my pitches. Your ability to throw strikes, when and where you need to throw them, is paramount to your success. So how can you work on that?
Throw consistently underneath the bat. Always concentrate on throwing your pitches from the top of the knees to the dirt. If you're a low ball pitcher, your strike zone is the 2 inch area at the knees. Throw to the corners, six inches on either side of the plate.
Consistency comes from much practice. Pitchers like Tom Glavine have proven that being able to throw consistently to one area, on and off the plate, causes hitters to go after pitches out of the strike zone. When hitters chase, you look good. You get outs.
Stay away from the area from the top of the knees to the waistline and, of course, over the heart of the plate.
Geoff Zahn, of the Master Pitching Institute, pitched 12 years in the major leagues. He also is a former head baseball coach at the University of Michigan.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Baseball Showcases: A Great Way to Waste Money and Get Injured
Q: I read your blog here the other day about your “ideal competitive year” for a baseball player. What’s your take on showcases and college camps? They always occur during the “down periods” you mentioned: fall ball and the early winter. How do these fit in to a baseball player’s development?
A: To be blunt, while there are some exceptions to the rule, they rarely fit into development. In reality, they usually feed into destruction - at least in the context of pitchers. I openly discourage all our young athletes and parents from attending them almost without exception.
I know of very few showcase directors and college baseball coaches who legitimately understand anatomy, physiology, the etiology of baseball injuries, the nature of adolescent development, or motor skill acquisition.
Showcase directors specialize in promoting and running showcases. College coaches specialize in recruiting players, developing talent, planning game and practice strategy, and winning games. To my knowledge, understanding scapulohumeral rhythm and the contributions of a glenohumeral internal rotation deficit (GIRD) to SLAP lesions via the peel-back mechanism isn’t all in a day’s work for these folks.
The fundamental issue with these events is their timing. As you noted, they almost always occur in the fall and winter months. Why?
1. It’s the easiest time to recruit participants, as they aren’t in-season with their baseball teams.
2. It’s not during the college baseball season - so fields and schedules are open and scouting and coaching man-power is free.
You’ll notice that neither #1 or #2 said “It’s the time of year when a pitcher is the most prepared to perform at a high level safely.” It is just profitable and convenient for other people - and that occurs at the expense of many young pitchers’ arms.
In 2006, Olsen et al. published a fantastic review that examined all the different factors associated with elbow and shoulder surgeries in pitchers by comparing injured pitchers (those who warranted surgery) with their non-injured counterparts. Some of the findings of the study:
-Pitchers who eventually required surgery threw almost EXACTLY twice as many pitches as the control group (healthy pitchers) over the course of the year…from a combination of pitches per outing, total outings, and months pitched per year. For those of you who think your kid needs to play on multiple teams simultaneously, be very careul; add a team and you instantly double things - at least acutely.
-The injured pitchers attended an average of FOUR times more showcases than non-injured kids.
-Interesting aside: injured pitchers were asked what their coaches’ most important concern was: game, season, or athlete’s career. In the healthy group, they said the coach cared about the game most in only 11.4% of cases. In the injured group, it was 24.2%! These crazy little league coaches are often also the ones running the showcases…
The big problem is that these issues usually don’t present until years later. Kids may not become symptomatic for quite some time, or pop NSAIDs to cover up the issues. They might even go to physical therapy for a year before realizing they need surgery. It’s why you see loads of surgeries in the 16-18 year-old population, but not very often in 15 and under age groups.
So why are appearances like these in the fall and winter months so problematic? Well, perhaps the best way I can illustrate my point is to refer back to a conversation I had with Curt Schilling last year.
Curt told me that throughout his career, he had always viewed building up his arm each year as a process with several levels.
Step 1: Playing easy catch
Step 2: Playing easy catch on a line
Step 3: Building up one’s long toss (Curt never got onto a mound until he’d “comfortably” long-tossed 200 ft.)
Step 4: Throwing submaximally off a mound
Step 5: Throwing with maximum effort off a mound
Step 6: Throwing with maximum effort off a mound with a batter
Step 7: Throwing with maximum effort off a mound with a batter in a live game situation
Step 8: Opening day at Fenway Park in front of 40,000+ people
Being at a showcase in front of college coaches and scouts with radar guns is Step 8 for every 14-16 year old kid in America. And, it comes at the time of year when they may not have even been throwing because of fall/winter sports and the weather. Just to be clear, I’ll answer this stupid question before anyone asks it: playing year-round and trying to be ready all the time is NOT the solution.
I can honestly say that in all my years of training baseball players, I’ve only seen one kid who was “discovered” at a showcase. And, frankly, it occurred in December of his junior year, so those scouts surely would have found him during high school and summer ball; it wasn’t a desperate attempt to catch someone’s eye.
I’ll be honest: I have a lot of very close friends who work as collegiate baseball coaches. They’re highly-qualified guys who do a fantastic job with their athletes - but also make money off of fall baseball camps. I can be their friend without agreeing with everything they do; there is a difference between “disagree” and “dislike.”
Fortunately, the best coaches are the ones who go out of their way to make these events as safe as possible, emphasizing skill, technique, and strategy improvements over “impressing” whoever is watching. So, it’s possible to have a safe, beneficial experience at one of these camps. I’d encourage you to find out more about what goes on at the events in advance, and avoid throwing bullpens if unprepared for them.
As far as showcases are concerned, I’d encourage you to save your money and go on a family vacation instead.
Related Posts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)