7 Things You Can Do: For Young Baseball Players and Their Parents:

1. BE ACTIVE.  (Player)  Go outside and play with some sort of ball, bat, or glove.  A lot of good habits can be obtained by catching bouncing balls with bare hands.  Anything hand-eye coordination will help to build a solid foundation for the future.  Home run derby, wiffle ball, the Tee, etc. When you go outside and play baseball or sport in general, you are getting better at something!
2. GET INSTRUCTION.  (Player & Parent)  Seek out lessons from somebody in your area who is experienced as a player and teacher.  Somebody who cannot only help your kid learn but also give you an honest evaluation of where your kid stands today.  Deal with people in your “Baseball circle” that are honest, up front, and have good intentions.  A good instructor will not only teach good lessons but also instill in your player the importance of self improvement.
3. BE SUPPORTIVE.  (Parent)  “Fuel the Fire”, as I say.  If he likes it than go out of your way to support it.  As you get older you like to do fewer and fewer things.  So, while the interest is there…..please!
4. DO RESEARCH.  (Player & Parent)  You do on everything else.  It’s easier now then ever to find quality teams, coaches, instructors, equipment, training etc. Products and services are heavily reviewed, if you can’t find the answer online than ask around.  Word of mouth is usually the best way to find out the scoop.
5. IMMERSE YOURSELF.  (Player)  Sorry, but it’s part of the process if you want to be good.  You simply cannot be good at something if you don’t spend countless hours doing it.  It’s a fact.  It’s proven.  So don’t just “say” you want to be good at something and don’t do anything about it.
6. BE REALISTIC.  (Player & Parent)  Baseball is a terribly difficult sport. At the higher levels it literally revolves around how well you react and adjust to failure.  It’s a long and slow process to get good.  As long as the attitude, commitment, effort, and ability to learn is there…it’s just a matter of time.  Easier said than done.
7. DON’T FORCE IT.  (Parent)  If he doesn’t like it, he will never be good.  Interest level is very important.  Give it time and ample opportunity (see above) but it’s certainly not for everyone.  Baseball is the most difficult sport there is.

Nothing normal about excellence

One thing that I keep getting reminded of as I grow older and wiser (hopefully) is the fact that there is nothing normal about being excellent.  My business is athletes and in particular training baseball players on how to improve their skills.  I use my own experience as a former professional but I also observe what’s happening in the baseball community around me.  I remember things I used to do, I hear things, I see things, and then I put my own spin on it.  I teach it.  I examine results, I adjust.  I teach it.  I tell my baseball player that your going to learn from me and then your going to put your own twist on it………………and that will be YOU.  The player that you become.

Let me get back to the reason I write tonight:  “There’s nothing normal about excellence.”  To sustain a high level of performance in any arena you must do extraordinary things.  Things like concentrating on what your trying to achieve.  Dedicating more of your time to what you want to get better at.   Dedication it takes.  Sacrifice it takes.  Long hours.  Long hours of discipline to what your focus is on.  The ability to say “no”.  The ability to know “right” from “wrong”.  The ability, want, and desire to stick with it and get through it. The motivation to want to learn.

I teach my athletes that they want to be doing two things at ALL times: “CATCHING UP TO THE COMPETITION or SEPARATING YOURSELF FROM THE COMPETITION.”  Regardelss, your goal is everyday to be thinking about one or the other….or both!  Have a plan.  The plan is important.  The motivation is important.  The want is important.  Those that want “IT”, are more likely to achieve it.  Those are the ones doing big things. 

ASPIRE: to direct one’s hopes or ambitions toward achieving something

Concentration & Awareness (Hitting)

A lot of hitters go into the batters box ill-prepared.  Maybe they’re trying to act a bit too cool trying to emulate their favorite player?  Maybe they’re being annoyed and startled by their own parent or coach screaming last minute cliches that do nothing but, well, nothing?  We want to center our focus and concentration as a hitter around what’s most important.  What is most important?  Staying true to your approach.  Remember, your approach is your own little personalized road map that outlines what you need to do to have a successful at-bat.  Instruction, proper coaching, and the ability to execute your swing properly will help you find your approach.  An approach is unique to each hitter and although some will contain the same information, many will be different.  We all don’t hit the same.  Concentration and awareness is very important to a hitter.  Concentration can be best explained to a hitter as his ability to focus on picking up the baseball as soon as he possibly can.  A little white ball being thrown at you with the speed and location of each pitch always changing makes a hitters job very difficult.  The longer you see it, the more time you have to decide if you want to take it or attack it.  Awareness is super important as well.  The ability to be aware that the pitcher may throw a fastball, change-up, curveball, strike, or a ball.  Being aware of situations helps us better prepare.  Concentrating on the details before and during your at-bat raises your awareness of your weaknesses/bad habits and will help you avoid them more consistently.

Do we think about what’s best for the kid before we open our mouths to instruct or criticize ?

I spend my life trying to figure out the best ways to teach kids & adults the finer points of baseball (Hitting + Throwing + Fielding + Athleticism).  I’ve narrowed it down.  Keep it simple, informative, and important.  Show them, explain it, repeat it, and then repeat it again, and again, and….you get the point.  My job is to critically think about everything I say to a student before I say it.  Young baseball players are very influential.  Basically, they listen to everybody.  Unfortunately, “Everybody” isn’t exactly the best baseball coach.  Who is “Everybody”?  “Everybody” is mom, dad, volunteer coach, friend, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, and the professional baseball coach.  My point is that the kid doesn’t know the difference.  They’re going to usually listen to everybody.  And this can be the downfall of many a baseball player.  An influential ball player needs to know what works best for him.  He needs to eventually become his best coach.  He needs to know what works for him and what doesn’t.  Most people that give you advice do it because they want the BEST for you.  Unfortunately, they are not QUALIFIED to give that advice and don’t really know what they’re talking about.  Anyways, my point is that a huge part of baseball player development is learning about who to listen to and who to trust when it comes to instruction.  I remember being a pro and going out of my way to please everyone and to listen to everyone, forgetting to trust myself and understand what works best for me.  It’s a huge part of the development of a baseball player.   Who do I listen to?  What works for me?

Baseball’s one of those sports…

It’s great to be able to run like the wind, have a rocket arm, and hit the crap out of the ball.  But baseball is one of those sports where the physical gifts are a bit less emphasized. A bit less important.  In a way.  In a way?  In this way…  You don’t want to be be playing basketball with a bunch of dudes that are much taller, quicker, and can jump higher than you.  Just the same, you don’t want to line up in football against a bunch of animals that are bigger, stronger, faster, and uglier than you.  Why? Cause they will most always win.  When your bigger, stronger, and faster than your opponent you usually almost always win.  Baseball has much less to do with this.  Don’t get me wrong, athleticism is important to becoming an elite baseball player.  BUT.  Being a freak athlete, isn’t going to make you a better hitter.  There’s a lot of SKILL involved. A lot of UNDERSTANDING, TECHNIQUE, and LEARNING involved in becoming a good hitter and ultimately a well rounded ball player.  I advise you to force upon yourself good habits and a good understanding of the mechanics of the art of hitting.  You can also learn a lot about a hitters approach (the steps taken prior to executing a great at-bat).  What I’m saying is that there is much more of an education involved in the sport of baseball than most others.  Learning about the importance of correct technique and approach in regards to hitting, and baseball in general, is what’s important.  Remember: It’s a process, and the development of a complete ball player takes time, commitment, discipline, and a lot of hard work.  If you always want to be moving forward in your development as a player, you will seek this out.  It’s never-ending.

I wanted to address some questions that I receive on a daily basis.

7/25/2013

I wanted to address some questions that I receive on a daily basis.  These are from players, parents, and coaches that I have had the pleasure to work with.  I figured if they wanted to know than maybe you do too.  In no particular order, here we go:

Q.)  My kid lacks confidnece, how do I get him to be more confident?

A.)  Confidence comes from experiencing some sort of success.  Success is hard to come by, especially as a youth baseball player, and especially in live game situations.  So,  success can be gained through intense and consistant practice, training, and instructional sessions.  It’s easier to create success when it can be had in a controlled environment.  Once success is obtained in practice sessions it will be more likely to transcend into game situations……the ultimate goal. In a 30 minute hitting lesson a player can take 200 meaningful swings…..it may take 3 years of little league games to get 200 live, game-situation swings.

Q.)  My kids coach is terrible, what should I do?

A.)  Seek help from outside resources.  Find someone in your area that can teach your kid.  Ask around.  Do not rely on a little league or a club baseball coach to get your son better.  In most cases they’re a volunteer.  Their best interest is in their own son.  Or they lack the knowledge of the game to properly teach it.  Some good coaches are out there but they are far and few between.  Once you get into high school you should be around a better cast of coaches in all aspects.  Nevertheless, how you prepare yourself on your own time is going to be the difference maker in your own baseball career.

Q.)  Should I play Club or Travel Baseball?

A.)  Yes.  Baseball at the local little league or park district level can be a terribly watered down product and not a good gauge of your kids true talent and ability.  Seek out a select team, or some sort of option outside of the local little league and park districts.  Whether it’s right or wrong, kids are now playing on select teams at 8 years old.  I think more realistically, you should make every effort to be a member of a select team by the age of 12 years old, especially if you are serious about playing in high school and beyond.  You can still play little league as well but for those who can play at a club level, do it!

Q.)  My kids team is terrible and I’m sick of it!!!!

A.)  Baseball is an individual sport, especially at the younger levels.  Your best resources as an individual player are you, your family, and those you choose to surround yourself with.  Parents!!!! Seek this out.  You will always have a choice in where your kid learns the game and trains properly.  You may not always have a choice in which team they play for.

Q.)  How do I get exposure for my high school kid that wants to play in college?

A.)  Hopefully you have a little bit of help from your high school coaches, but let’s not assume that.  You want to be getting serious exposure by the age of 16.  You have to ask yourself….who is watching me play?  If college recruiters or scouts are not attending your high school and summer-team games then you’re not being seen.  That’s ok.  You can do a lot yourself in terms of research and marketing your son.  Make video’s of game footage and workout/training sessions.  Send them out.  You can obtain nearly every college baseball coaches email by doing a little “google” research. Send them a letter.  Post on a YouTube site that you can refer them to.  Remember:  They want to see a combination of not only baseball skill (hitting, fielding, throwing)  but athleticism (running, agility, strength).  Lastly, remember this,  If you perform well enough and stand out in your area,  THEY WILL FIND YOU, trust me.  Be very skeptic of recruiting services in general.  Technology these days allows us, as athletes to get a certain level of exposure.  Beyond that, you want recommendations.  Maybe that guy you have been training with knows a lot of college coaches and scouts and is willing to help you by writing a letter of recommendation or make a call for you :-).

Q.)  Who is the best all-around baseball player right now?

A.)  Mike Trout is the best all-around baseball player on the planet right now

Q.)  Who is the best hitter in baseball right now?

A.)  Miguel Cabrera is the best hitter on the planet right now.

Q.) Who is the best all-around shortstop right now?

A.) Troy Tulowitzki is the best all-around shortstop on the planet right now.

Q.)  Who is the best defensive shortstop ever?

A.)  Tough.  Omar Vizquel had the better hands but Ozzie Smith had better range AND won a world series.  Ozzie Smith is the best defensive shortstop ever.

Q.)  Who is the best pitcher you ever faced?

A.)  Two come to mind.  I faced a 19 year old C.C Sabathia in Double-A (Akron, 2000) and a 21 year old Josh Beckett in Double-A (Portland, 2001).  For me, C.C Sabathia was the best pitcher I ever faced.  More to come……

I love this blog and I’m grateful for those that read it and support me

4/7/2013

I love this blog and I’m grateful for those that read it and support me.  I’m always hopeful of impacting someone’s baseball career in a positive manner. It’s what I do.  I could care less about the team and winning games, raising money, holding a trophy, looking cool, or saying the right things at the right times.  I do care about teaching effective techniques that can gain the individual an advantage in competition, developing athleticism within the individual, and creating an attitude that exudes confidence at all times.  I truly believe that learning and understanding the game from the physical to the mental is the key to success.  Also, understanding that baseball is an individual sport and your success will be defined by your individual performance in the long run.  You will not be judged on what team you are on but how you perform as an individual when it is your time to perform.  People spend too much time complaining about a negative than they do exploring ways to create a consistent positive.  What I just said, means this:  Too often we want success without putting in the work, effort, and understanding. When you see success in a game as hard as baseball, you can rest assure that it’s the result of hard work, training, learning, and understanding the technique that has made you successful.  Of course this means nothing unless we do it on a consistent basis.  After all, in baseball we are judged on averages, consistency, and the ability to persevere amongst all the failure that we encounter. The best baseball players fail the least, when we truly understand what that means we can develop and prosper.

TEACH, TRAIN, and DEVELOP

3/30/2013

Grateful for the continued support I get down at the Cage that allows me to continue to do what I love: TEACH, TRAIN, and DEVELOP baseball players physically and mentally to prepare them best for the next level.  OK……. I’m done being nice.  I have an important message for players and parents of the serious baseball player and it is this:  An idiot can pick a team, fill out a lineup card, or yell and scream at a kid for NO reason.  This guy is who we usually call coach.  Well, coach, or whoever is deciding how good my kid is, don’t flatter yourself.  They invented a stopwatch to determine who can run fast.  Someone invented a radar gun to determine how hard somebody throws, and anybody with sense can tell you what a hard hit ball sounds and looks like off a hitters bat.  So basically, it’s obvious who is good and who is not.  I could go on and on but I’m gonna wrap with this.  If you can’t teach and develop, than what are you doing out there? What are your intentions?  Are you qualified?  Are those your working with getting better and learning lessons?  I can only hope so.  What inspired me to write about this topic is the lack of guidance and teaching youth baseball players are granted by the traditional system.  What is the system? Little League, club baseball, legion baseball, high school baseball.  Where and when does the individual player LEARN, TRAIN, and ultimately DEVELOP?  Hopefully they get lucky and get someone who cares, can teach (or at least point them in the right direction), train, and develop them.  If not than you best seek out the best way to LEARN, TRAIN, and DEVELOP as a player.

How do I relate this to baseball?

12/12/2012

We don’t want to waste anything in life, right?  Makes sense.  How do I relate this to baseball?  I guess every ball player has a certain amount of at-bats in them, and then……it’s over.  Wasting at-bats is about the most frustrating thing we can do as a hitter.  At-bats are a hitters opportunity to shine.  We only get so many.  Make the most of them.  Make them last. Make them productive.  How do you waste an at-bat?:  1.  getting “out” on a pitch outside the strike zone (swinging at bad pitches).  2.  Not being ready to attack (taking too many strikes) .  3.  Repeating the same bad habits that effect your swing negatively….and not doing anything about it.  The best redemption a hitter can have on a wasted at-bat is to learn from it and make the necessary adjustment (immediately).  And by the way…..pitchers make a lot of mistakes too.  It would be another mistake if we didn’t make them pay for it.  Don’t miss a good opportunity!

Feel it when you do it right & feel it when you do it wrong

12/4/2012

“Feel it when you do it right & feel it when you do it wrong”.  The movements baseball players have to put their bodies through to effectively execute success while hitting, fielding, and throwing can be very technical and very unnatural.  Throwing consistent strikes on the mound as a pitcher can be related to making free throws as a basketball player.  Both athletes will tell you they rely on a certain “feel”  or touch to make sure their execution is successful over and over again.  Any experienced hitter will tell you how good it feels to execute perfect timing while squaring up a ball on the barrel of his bat resulting in a smash of a hit.  Feel is so important in success and failure to a baseball player.  I like to point out to hitters when they get a great result in practice to “remember what that felt like” and that the key of becoming a good hitter is being able to produce that feeling consistently.  On the other hand: when everything is off, doesn’t feel right, and we get a bad result, we need to register that feeling as well……in order to recognize that we don’t want to go back to that feeling.  Inevitably we are always being drawn into that slump or negative feeling, but fortunately for baseball players there is no such thing as perfect. In our game, the best are the one’s that fail the least.  Find ways to get back that feeling:  “Feel it when you do it right & feel it when you do it wrong”.