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
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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
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