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.

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

Parents that get it

We have a unique reader base. Our readers are the parents that get it and are constantly in search of more information and education about baseball for their son. They understand that there is only one way for their sons to achieve success and that’s through hard work, a great attitude and an undying passion for the sport. If they don’t have those three attributes, along with their talent, then their chances of success will be greatly diminished.

Most of our readers have sons that play travel ball and through that experience, they understand that there is always a better player ready to take their sons position…many parents want their son in that position…it’s an incredible life lesson…because in the real world, there are tons of obstacles, thousands of competitors, mounds of stress and grizzly, man eating bosses and executives ready to churn and burn your ego. My son loved those hard nosed coaches…still does. They motivate, exhilarate and create a desire to be better…not to mention make life very interesting.

The parents that need this the most don’t read this site. They don’t care to. They live in their overly protected world and create drama for those that dare trespass into it. They don’t want competition, they want democracy. They don’t want their son to have to put up with a grizzly coach…they want Ward Cleaver. They protect their son, but in the process leave him so vulnerable to the realities of the outside world. They only want to win, if their son is part of the victory..,otherwise, they are the type of parent that loves to see a .450 hitter strike out and then say. “See, he’s not that good, my son could do better than that.”

So send a copy of our articles to a parent that doesn’t care to read what we have to say, but has to…Who doesn’t think that what we say is of any importance, but is important for them to know that there are others who don’t agree with them…to a parent that will read this and feel real uncomfortable and hopefully find comfort in our message. Then send it to your coach and tell them that we have their backs…and so do you. More on this topic tomorrow.

This post isn't just about dollars and cents, it's about how we have altered our lifestyles, to give our sons a chance to be the best they can be at baseball. The questions that we always hear are, after all of the travel and nights away from the rest of the family, work, friends, costly lessons, tournament fees, coaches per diems and $350 bats, are our sons better baseball players? Do they understand and love the game more? And, is it their passion or ours?

It's unanimous here at Rounding Third. It definitely was well worth the experience. All of our sons are playing D-1 college ball. We think that if they had taken the route that most of their friends took, and had relied on their high school coaches and the local leagues to get them to the next level, our sons would not have had the offers or the opportunities to play D-1. Now we know that there are exceptions. Some of our sons friends may get a chance to play JC ball and if they step up their routines and become more serious about the game, they could get a chance to play at the next level.

But the one thing our sons have that their other friends do not, is a passion, self discipline and serious attitude about baseball and the knowledge that the game requires a devoted work ethic both in the off season and in pre-game preparations that we have witnessed many rec ball athletes do not have. It's not their friends fault. That's the way they were taught. There are distinct philosophical differences in the way a travel ball coach develops his players and a Babe Ruth coach develops his.

Nevertheless, below we have listed some characteristics of a travel club to look for and even some things we would have done differently based upon our last 6-7 years of travel ball.

Integrity
What is a good travel program? 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 travel program 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 travel team 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 2008 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 2007. 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...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 travel clubs 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 travel 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 travel clubs are about developing and giving players the opportunity to take their game to the next level. And, those top travel clubs 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 travel team that is entered into all of the top tournaments and showcases can run in excess of $10,000.

That $10,000 is broken down as follows:
1) $1,500-$2,500 coaches fee/tourney fees. Fees vary by team and region.
2) $350 uniform and equipment costs
3) $3,000/Car Rental/Gas/Airfare for 2
4) $4,000+ (Two,1 Week Trips @ $85 a Night, Six 3 night Stays at $85 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.

How to produce your Skills video

WebBall.com - How to produce your Skills video

How to produce your Skills video

Rick Macneal Rick resides in Tucson AZ. A strong advocate of video analysis as a coaching tool, Rick has extensively researched and continues to experiment with the best methodology for using video as a means to improve coach/athlete communication and accelerate the learning curve related to developing sound fundamental skill mechanics.

In December ’05 Rick launched a unique business providing the service of video analysis and corrective drill recommendations to coaches and athletes at all levels of development. Armed with professional quality video capture, analysis software and some very well respected skill specific instructors, Rick is able to apply his analysis and instructive techniques to virtually any sport or athletic skill mechanic.

His client list currently includes amateur softball, baseball, golf and sprint coaches and athletes in the southern Arizona region. (Click to close.)
With recent advancements in video transmission via the Internet, the availability of inexpensive basic video editing and CD/DVD burning software, coaches at all levels of the collegiate landscape are requesting (or at least open to receiving) video in some form from aspiring recruits.

by Rick MacNeal
Here's why he's put these tips together...

As a fan of Webball and therefore its community I’d like to offer a basic primer on the skills video presentation topic. Whether you have access to the equipment and the desire to produce your own skills video or would rather have one produced professionally, there are some basic axioms for this type of production I see broken everyday. Unfortunately, a cottage industry of web sites, national scouting sites and wedding video turned sports photographers have sprung up to relieve parents of any spare change they haven’t already spent on equipment, private lessons and travel to regional tournaments or showcase events.

Below you’ll find a listing of general things to incorporate (or avoid) in your video. If, after reading this article you are interested in more details or have comments, please contact me directly.

What coaches want (and don’t want):

* A “skills” video is just that, coaches want to view the athlete’s mechanics. Under most circumstances you will capture better quality video during a practice or planned video shooting session than you will under game conditions.
* Absolutely use a tri-pod. This may seem rudimentary but I’ve seen numerous cases of this simplest rule being broken. Don’t be a culprit! Getting a coach seasick does not make the best first impression.
* DO show a skill from different perspectives, but DON’T be overly repetitious. Collegiate coaches are at that level for a reason; don’t waste their precious time showing your athlete performing the same mechanic over and over.
* DO burn your production to DVD (versus CD) when possible. DVD is more universal and decreases the chance your product is incompatible with the coach’s viewing options.
* DON’T waste your time or money on “slick” video production; especially music! To paraphrase one college coach from a D3 school “if I get one more video with Eye of the Tiger blaring away, I’m going to slit my wrists”
* DON’T exceed 4min 30secs in total length. Five minutes is a “lifetime” in both video (and a coaches concentration time per athlete) if you can’t show off your athlete’s skills in less than five minutes you’ve done something wrong.

Creative Tips:

* Shooting angle: Try to shoot at right angles as much as possible. Directly face-on or back and at 90° of these. The more you deviate from these perspectives the harder it is for the coach to scrutinize the athlete’s mechanics accurately.
* Personality: Whether through text or visually, give the coach a sense of your athlete’s personality. Coaches like to know whether a player exudes passion or is a sea of calm under pressure. They like both types and successful team chemistry is never made up of one personality type.
* Accentuate positives: whether academic or athletic recognition, but don’t ever embellish or overly boast. IT WILLL COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU; particularly things like sprint times. Being less than honest will only harm your athlete’s chances to make a given program.
* Video calling card: View this production more as a movie “trailer” than a full-length feature. Trailers leave the viewer wanting to see more. That’s your goal! Your chances of getting a scholarship offer based solely on a skills video are virtually nil. I advise my clients to view the skills video as a nice electronic calling card. If it introduces you and perhaps gets you on the radar screen for an institution it has served its purpose.
* Control contact info: Unless you have no concerns about theft of sensitive personal information leave telephone and personal address information out of the body of the video. I work with a lot of fast-pitch softball players so I’ve gotten into the habit of only putting contact information on the label of the DVD. That way if they also post videos to web sites, they can control communications to their liking.
* Do your homework: If your athlete is not an elite D1 “blue chipper” do your homework on the institutions or programs you plan on sending your information to and express the reasons for your interest in them. Lot’s of excellent collegiate athletic programs are understaffed or hogtied by stringent academic standards. Therefore coaches concentrate on pursuing only kids they can get past the admissions department and are truly interested in attending their college if accepted.


There are additional nuances associated with this topic, but if you adhere to the general rules listed you’ll create a fully serviceable production, make some bleary eyed coach happy and provide the exposure your athlete needs without spending a lot of money needlessly.

Best of luck in pursuing the dream!

Rewind...Everyone is Smarter than You

Rounding Third

Rewind...Everyone is Smarter than You

RT Staff Note: One of the best recruitment guides we have seen is from yesterdays contributor Jim Giles. The TeachDGame College Prep and Recruitment Guide is very detailed and we will add it as a resource on our side bar soon. On another note, we thought the following article from Jim was appropriate considering the e-mails we have been getting lately. Enjoy!

By Jim Giles...
As we move through the game of baseball and life, we learn by listening to coaches & people we trust, by doing, by watching others and many other methods. At some point, everyone seems to think they know it all. Sometimes this happens in our teenage years of high school, sometimes during our early 20’s as we move through college or for some after, as we enjoy our adult life. It is natural and hard to control our own Ego and basic human instincts. On the baseball field this can limit our potential or other devastating consequences.

The game of baseball on the surface is very simple, or so it would appear. While it has been 90 feet between the bases for over a century and many aspects of the game have not changed, there are many different methods and ways to get things done on the field.

As a player, you may constantly have coaches telling you to do it this way or that. At times this may contradict what you were taught before or that expert advice you are receiving from your “batting / pitching / baserunning / mental psychologist” trainer or advisor. Every time you play on a different team, you may find a coach who wants things accomplished differently. This is fine. You need to stay open to these idea’s because ultimately, how you are in the eyes of that coach, and how you approach the game from their perspective, will be the determining factor in the amount of time you spend on the field vs next to them on the bench. Sometime even whether you make the team or not.

As you moveup in the game, you continue to move up because of the success you have had. DO NOT BLIND YOURSELF BY THIS SUCCESS. Every step up the ladder, will be tougher than the last. You must continue to improve yourself every day or risk reaching your highest potential sooner than you like. You must search beyond yourself and often find that improvement beyond your normal comfort zone. As a coach, you have your ideals and beliefs about the way things need to be done. In many instances, this has been born possibly out of years of success.

DO NOT BLIND YOURSELF BY THIS SUCCESS. The biggest challenge for any coach is not just to win, but to KEEP WINNING. Anyone on any day can win any game. The truly great teams win over the long run. To do this, it is extremely difficult to accomplish without adapting and learning.

The easiest way to learn is to believe EVERYONE IS SMARTER THAN YOU. This is not to say you must sacrifice your own confidence and beliefs. You must be confident in your abilities, without being cocky. Regardless of who we are, or what we know, there is always someone around who might know a little more or something different than we do. EMBRACE THIS ! For us to seek greatness on our own is a sure fire way to fail. Look to everyone and anyone for additional knowledge. You may find this in places you have never imagined. It may be in a different sport, or different field of thought. It may be from that player or coach we can not stand. Watch them, study them. In doing this, we can obtain the experience and knowledge possibly without the pain of struggle.

Watch the GREAT ONE’s. There is a reason they are there. Find a way to adapt what they do to your own individuality. You can not merely copy them, because everyone is different. You must find a way to apply those aspects to your core beliefs and strengths.

Surround yourself with those that are smarter and better than you. As a player, do not seek an environment where you are the best. While this may drive your ego, it will not DRIVE YOU to accomplish greater things. Seek to surround yourself with those individuals you can learn from. For in doing this, you will push yourself to greater achievements in the long run. Yes, it is a long run. As a coach, seek knowledge and input from anyone who has something to say. You never know when that one thought or idea, combined with your existing beliefs and ideals might be the accelerator to greater achievements.

In closing, always keep your eyes wide open for learning opportunities. They may come from any source at any time. There may be ideas or thoughts related to other subjects or sports or even people you never imagined that can be adapted to your situation. For if you really embrace and believe that everyone is smarter than you, you might in the end, just be the smartest one of all.

Wrapping Up a Great Pro Baseball Off-Season | EricCressey.com

Wrapping Up a Great Pro Baseball Off-Season | EricCressey.com

Today marks the end of one of the funnest “eras” of my life.

Back on September 9, we officially kicked off the pro baseball off-season with Tim Collins’ arrival at Cressey Performance for his first training session of the off-season. Coming off a great season that included a promotion to Double-A at age 20 and a Blue Jays organizational pitcher of the year award, Tim was ready to get after it - and that’s exactly what he did. From that day in September through February 6 (when he was called to Florida for mini-camp), Tim added 21 pounds to his frame while getting leaner - and increased his vertical jump by four inches (to 37.9 inches).

Tim was one of over 30 pro guys we had this winter. Results were typical.

Chad Rodgers (Atlanta Braves organization) went from 206 to 233 while adding just under three inches to his vertical jump. And he dominated “No Shave November.”

Jeremiah Bayer (Red Sox organization) packed on muscle mass faster than just about any athlete I’ve ever seen - to the tune of 13 pounds in only two months - while adding an inch to his vertical. That’s a 5.6% improvement in predicted peak power in a short amount of time - and one that is carrying over to the mound already.

Heck, Pat Bresnehan packed on 14 pounds and jumped 37.5 inches (a 6.3 inch) improvement - and got himself signed by the Mariners - after coming to us in the latter phases of his rehab period!

Craig Albernaz (Rays organization) increased his vertical jump by over five inches while adding seven pounds before heading to big league camp - and this is a guy who has always struggled to put on any weight, let alone good weight!

Cory Riordan (Rockies) and Steve Cishek (Marlins) win the awards for the longest commutes to train. Cory drove two hours to CP, and two hours home to Connecticut to get in his work with us - and he’s got a new body and a lot more athleticism to show for it. Cishek wasn’t far behind with his 1 hour, 45 minute commute from Cape Cod four times a week all the way up through January. I can say without wavering that both of them would tell you that the ride was 100% worth it.

Two other Braves guys - Derick Himpsl and Matt Kramer - also put in some great work that is already carrying over to the field.

Zach Piccola’s headed to White Sox camp with a great few months of training under his belt alongside free agent Nick Asselin. Jim Fuller (Mets) committed himself to train like he never had before, and looks fantastic now. Another Mets guy, Tim Stronach, has busted his hump to get better alongside his rehabilitation from shoulder surgery.

Steffan Wilson leaned out and dramatically changed the way he looks and moves - and it helped get him a much-deserved call-up to big-league camp last week.

Kevin Youkilis had a great off-season as well - due in part to his love of pushing the sled. So far this spring, Youk’s looked good, and we’re excited about the Red Sox season ahead.

Will Inman (Padres), Phil Negus (White Sox), and Kevin Nolan (Blue Jays) put in a great few months in the fall, and Steve Hammond (Giants), Kevin Pucetas (Giants), Nick McBride (Rangers), Benji Johnson (Braves), Matt Morizio (Royals), Justin Edwards (Cardinals), and Howie Clark (Blue Jays) made the most of all their visits to Boston this winter.

And, some “distance-based” guys of mine - Chad Jenkins (Blue Jays) and Anthony “A-Tan” Seraterelli (Royals) - made some excellent progress by following everything to a “T.” A-Tan, Howie, and Morizio even made a hilarious video about their experiences (a joke, FYI):

One athlete, though, stepped it up big time on Thursday to set himself apart from all the rest. Tim Kiely (Angels) added 11 pounds and seven inches to his vertical jump, but his biggest claim to fame is that he took home the Gold in the first ever Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Olympics on the last day. Granted, the “Olympics” were limited to five participants who collectively agreed to not tell the most athletic guys of the bunch about the event ahead of time - but that doesn’t mean that the boys didn’t bring their A games! The Silver (5-lb) went to CP pitching coach Matt Blake, and the Bronze (2.5-lb) went to free agent Alex Szymanski. Shawn Haviland (A’s) finished fourth, but he has a Harvard degree, and probably would have won if Sabermetrics trivia and word searches had been part of the contest. Here’s the much-anticipated medal ceremony:

I am not sure where the championship belt fit in, but the entire day didn’t make much sense, so it seemed right. Congratulations, Tim.

From these videos, a lot of people might think that we’re all about goofing around - but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our guys have a good time, for sure, but it always comes after they’ve busted their butts in the gym. And, frankly, if we didn’t have such great camaraderie and the guys weren’t such good friends, the motivation to train would never approach the level it has. A good culture and outstanding results absolutely, positively go hand-in-hand.

Most of my writing on this blog is obviously geared toward educating folks on the training, research, nutrition, and other geeky science stuff. However, I should make it absolutely clear that all the knowledge in the world in these regards won’t matter if you don’t have a good culture established for your athletes and clients. They need to enjoy training and look forward to each and every session because they enjoy the process as much as the destination.

They need to be willing to come to you to critique the best man’s toast they’ve written (happened this winter). They need to feel comfortable staying at your place if they’re in town for a few days (happened multiple times this winter). They need to feel welcome spending Thanksgiving with your family (two of my athletes came home with me this past November). And, they need to respect you enough as a person to value your opinion as a professional. As the saying goes, they don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

That’s why most of our pro guys train six days a week from September/October all the way up until now, whereas many other places pro guys frequent consist of 3x/week “workouts” for the 4-6 weeks before spring training starts. And, I feel like it is one of many things that differentiates us from our competition (whatever that may be). We are about making athletes better, not just “working them out.”

I’m proud of all our guys not only for their hard work this off-season, but for taking an ownership stake in Cressey Performance to make it something special now and in the future.

Thanks for an awesome 5+ months, guys. We can’t wait to do it again.