Hello again passion for pitching!! I know it has been quite some time but I am back again and ready to roll. It has been quite an exciting year so far and I have had lots to do. I was waiting to be inspired to write a post and waiting for a refreshing idea to assist the folks who join in and read these blogs. So, it happened, finally....LOL!!
Because I am in the middle of a season there are tons of subjects that I could discuss on this blog. What I do with the pitching staff almost on a daily basis is something we call YellowPad. What this is is a daily review of the game the night before along with other topics we may need to review or learn as a staff. The topics could be anywhere from focus and being present, all the way to holding runners at second base. So I thought it would be great to let you guys in on some daily conversations I have with the pitching staff and the different things we encounter during a Rookie League season.
So here it goes....
Thus far in the season we are right at .500 with our record. We are playing inconsistent baseball but just well enough to keep us in the race for the playoffs and give our guys something to be reaching for. In this last week we had a day off and then back to back rainouts. For the rookie league season you play 68 games in 71 days, so the days off are far and few between. They come about every two to three weeks. It is perfect for me though, because it allows me to push a certain focus on certain things they need to learn at this level and then build upon those things as the season progresses. For the first part of the season it is usually the same every year. These pitchers need to learn about FB command with good plane out of the hand and good angle to both sides of the plate. They also need to learn how to control the running game. There are specific plays that we have as an organization that the pitchers at this level need to have memorized like the back of their hand by the end of the season. All the things they learn here, this year, will be just about the same thing they will always have to do their entire career, especially if they stay with the Cardinals. So it is very important they learn it now so they can move on to other things as they move up in levels.
So after coming back from the day off and having a couple of rainouts I wanted to make sure the guys were still all on task and realize what we need to keep striving for in these next couple weeks until the next day off. We had a quick review of what we have learned so far and then I added a couple items to it...
The first item was focus. We need to keep doing the same physical things we are doing now, such as a proper long toss program, solid flatground work, good bullpen work, etc...but with that we need to tighten up our focus while we do these things. It is one thing to show up each day and just have someone tell you what to work on each day. It is a total other thing to realize why you are doing those things and then bring the proper focus with you to your work so that each rep is making you a better pitcher.
The next item was remembering your passion. Sometimes in a professional baseball season, especially when it is new, you forget why you are there and what your goals are. You forget that there is a reason why you live in a small town, get paid no money, travel in buses weekly, and show up to the field daily with almost no days off. The reason is because you LOVE to do it. It is NOT a job, it is a LOVE, a PASSION. If you can come to the field each day and remember why you are here, why you do what you do, it brings things back into perspective and allows you to keep things fresh. The ultimate focus behind a season needs to be fun. If you come to the field every day and it is a grind and it is tough or hard work it is probably not going to be something you will stick with or enjoy and so you will be pushed out like most. But if you can remember the love you have for the game and the reason why you play, it helps alleviate some of the pressures and some of the grind so you can develop and produce.
The funny thing about playing professional baseball and I would figure all professional sports is that most people would feel it is a very physical thing and the most talented survive. For me that couldn't be further from the truth. The people who stick around are the ones who "get it." The guys who stick around are the ones who have a perspective about their day that allows them to evolve and grow and move onward and upward. They take their mistakes and make them their successes. There is a fine line to it but once you figure this out people really take off quickly. You will see some guys struggling at the rookie league level one year and then climbing through the ranks the next year just because they figured it out....they "get it"
Ok, all for now...hope this is of some assistance for you all out there in pitching land. More to come.....
Happy Pitching!!
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baseball. Show all posts
Monday, July 16, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
The Art of Allowing (L.O.A. series cont...#3)
Hello Passion for Pitching Family,
You are now on part three of the Law of Attraction series. I know that if you are reading this right now that you are enjoying reading this series of blogs just about as much as I am enjoying writing these. It feels very good to finally give you all the basis of how the Universe is working for us and how much fun we can truly have if we just practice a little bit of focus throughout our day. More on that to come...
So this blog is to introduce the Art of Allowing. As you get further and further along in this series you will see how these all mesh together and work hand in hand with each other. As you have learned in the two previous blogs, the Law of Attraction is bringing things into your life (like attracts like), the emotions you have are giving you indicators to what type of things you are bringing into your life and now the Art of Allowing is the key to unlock the door to let those things in to your life.
The Art of Allowing is very simple, it is about being happy with where you are right now. Another way to say it is, to make peace with where you are right now. There is nothing you HAVE to have or nothing you HAVE to do. Your sole focus in this world is to practice how to be in alignment, how to be happy, how to be joyful, with what you have in your life right now.
Allowing is easy when you think of it in this way...
Think of the universe as your personal assistant, a sexy personal assistant at that!! (sorry ladies, this is a baseball blog ya know...lol) Your assistant knows everything you want, knows who can bring it together, knows the players involved, knows where you need to be and when you need to be there. Everything is going to be set up perfectly for you before you arrive. The only problem in this scenario is that your personal assistant is now sending you a text to tell you where to be and when to be there but you don't have your phone on. Maybe you are busy worrying about the job your assistant is doing, who knows, but your phone is not on. Well, how are you going to allow these amazing things into your life if you don't have your phone turned on??? Get it?? YOU must be the one who turns on the phone to receive the calls, the texts, the signals that your personal assistant (the Universe) is sending you every day. That is the Art of Allowing.
Let me give you another example just in case you didn't like that one...
Allowing is like eating at a buffet. When you walk down the line and see all the different foods, you simply pick what you want and put it on your plate. But as you pick the foods you want and place them on your plate, you are also looking at foods that you do not want to put on your plate. The funny thing about that is you really probably never even notice or remember the stuff you chose NOT to put on your plate. It is much easier and way more fun to just focus on the foods you enjoy and then put those on your plate so you can go sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal. That is what allowing is all about. See the buffet, see what you like and what you don't like, continue to pick (focus on) what you do like, place it on your plate, proceed to the check out counter and go about eating your meal. It happens so nonchalantly that it is not even noticeable, that is the "art" of allowing.
So what is one of the best ways to be in this allowing mode? Appreciation is one of the best and most efficient ways to get into the allowing mode. Appreciation is a signal that is most felt and heard by the Universe. The great thing about appreciation is that you can appreciate a person, a place, a thing, it doesn't really matter as long as you appreciate. Since you are here in this moment and I have given you some drills to work on in the other blogs, why not do an appreciation list as a drill right now. Pick something that is very easy to love and appreciate. It could be your dog, your skateboard, your surf board, your car...whatever you can think of that is EASY to appreciate. (remember, these drills are very general for your benefit. They are starting places to work forward from. Keep them easy and lite for right now.) Now write a list of ten things you appreciate about the subject you chose. If you can go past ten just keep on rolling. When you are done with that, check in with your emotions, how do you feel? If you are in a good feeling place you are in the allowance mode and things are coming to you as you sit here and read this blog.
Now there is a little trick to this allowing thing that I want to let you all in on. This is going to be brief because I am about done with this for now. But the little trick I wanted to mention is about focusing on the process, not the results (manifestation). The toughest thing to do in this allowing game is to get your mind off of the things you want to allow in and put your focus on where you are now. Be present and feel good in your now. Feel good about your life now. No matter what the circumstances. I understand that may be difficult for some of you, but it is where you must take this. Finding peace in your now opens the door to tomorrow. Trust me, the Universe will fill in the details for you as you go.
That is all for now. Heading to the creative process next and I know you can't wait to read what's next!!!
Happy Pitching!!!
You are now on part three of the Law of Attraction series. I know that if you are reading this right now that you are enjoying reading this series of blogs just about as much as I am enjoying writing these. It feels very good to finally give you all the basis of how the Universe is working for us and how much fun we can truly have if we just practice a little bit of focus throughout our day. More on that to come...
So this blog is to introduce the Art of Allowing. As you get further and further along in this series you will see how these all mesh together and work hand in hand with each other. As you have learned in the two previous blogs, the Law of Attraction is bringing things into your life (like attracts like), the emotions you have are giving you indicators to what type of things you are bringing into your life and now the Art of Allowing is the key to unlock the door to let those things in to your life.
The Art of Allowing is very simple, it is about being happy with where you are right now. Another way to say it is, to make peace with where you are right now. There is nothing you HAVE to have or nothing you HAVE to do. Your sole focus in this world is to practice how to be in alignment, how to be happy, how to be joyful, with what you have in your life right now.
Allowing is easy when you think of it in this way...
Think of the universe as your personal assistant, a sexy personal assistant at that!! (sorry ladies, this is a baseball blog ya know...lol) Your assistant knows everything you want, knows who can bring it together, knows the players involved, knows where you need to be and when you need to be there. Everything is going to be set up perfectly for you before you arrive. The only problem in this scenario is that your personal assistant is now sending you a text to tell you where to be and when to be there but you don't have your phone on. Maybe you are busy worrying about the job your assistant is doing, who knows, but your phone is not on. Well, how are you going to allow these amazing things into your life if you don't have your phone turned on??? Get it?? YOU must be the one who turns on the phone to receive the calls, the texts, the signals that your personal assistant (the Universe) is sending you every day. That is the Art of Allowing.
Let me give you another example just in case you didn't like that one...
Allowing is like eating at a buffet. When you walk down the line and see all the different foods, you simply pick what you want and put it on your plate. But as you pick the foods you want and place them on your plate, you are also looking at foods that you do not want to put on your plate. The funny thing about that is you really probably never even notice or remember the stuff you chose NOT to put on your plate. It is much easier and way more fun to just focus on the foods you enjoy and then put those on your plate so you can go sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal. That is what allowing is all about. See the buffet, see what you like and what you don't like, continue to pick (focus on) what you do like, place it on your plate, proceed to the check out counter and go about eating your meal. It happens so nonchalantly that it is not even noticeable, that is the "art" of allowing.
So what is one of the best ways to be in this allowing mode? Appreciation is one of the best and most efficient ways to get into the allowing mode. Appreciation is a signal that is most felt and heard by the Universe. The great thing about appreciation is that you can appreciate a person, a place, a thing, it doesn't really matter as long as you appreciate. Since you are here in this moment and I have given you some drills to work on in the other blogs, why not do an appreciation list as a drill right now. Pick something that is very easy to love and appreciate. It could be your dog, your skateboard, your surf board, your car...whatever you can think of that is EASY to appreciate. (remember, these drills are very general for your benefit. They are starting places to work forward from. Keep them easy and lite for right now.) Now write a list of ten things you appreciate about the subject you chose. If you can go past ten just keep on rolling. When you are done with that, check in with your emotions, how do you feel? If you are in a good feeling place you are in the allowance mode and things are coming to you as you sit here and read this blog.
Now there is a little trick to this allowing thing that I want to let you all in on. This is going to be brief because I am about done with this for now. But the little trick I wanted to mention is about focusing on the process, not the results (manifestation). The toughest thing to do in this allowing game is to get your mind off of the things you want to allow in and put your focus on where you are now. Be present and feel good in your now. Feel good about your life now. No matter what the circumstances. I understand that may be difficult for some of you, but it is where you must take this. Finding peace in your now opens the door to tomorrow. Trust me, the Universe will fill in the details for you as you go.
That is all for now. Heading to the creative process next and I know you can't wait to read what's next!!!
Happy Pitching!!!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Emotions and the Law of Attraction (L.O.A. series cont...#2)
Hello Passion for Pitching Family,
You are currently reading the 2nd blog of the Law of Attraction series I have been writing for all of you. If you are new to the blog you can go back and start on number one so you can get the fullness of the message. You will see (L.O.A. series #1) in the title so you know where to start. Enjoy!
In the first blog I introduced and defined the Law of Attraction for you. You now know that like attracts like and that we have the power to create our own realities. The next step in this process is to go a little deeper and delve into the world of emotions so you can further gain hold of this Universal Law.
Your emotions are similar to a GPS system, they navigate you from point A to point B in your life. It works like this, every time you think a thought it evokes an emotion from you. That emotion is an indicator to you of whether or not you are headed down the road you want to be heading down or whether it is time to make a turn and head down a different road. It really is that simple. Where it gets difficult is when you choose not to listen to the voice on the GPS. It gets difficult when you ignore the GPS so much you can't even realize it is on and working for you. Let me give you a baseball example of this. Can you think back to a time you were in a game and on the mound pitching when you felt pretty clear and focused in the game? Do you remember how you had little impulses or even BIG impulses where you knew what pitch you wanted to throw next? Then you followed those impulses and the game went in your favor throughout? Or how about when you had those impulses and didn't go with them and every time you went against those impulses you gave up a hit? Remember telling yourself you would never do that again? This is one way of how your emotions can assist in your sport and in life.
The first step in this process of understanding emotions and how they are our best friend is playing a quick game to make sure you are aware of your emotions. It goes like this...think of something good, something fun that makes you smile. DO IT!!! Close your eyes and think of your favorite dog when you were growing up or your favorite song or your first kiss or when you hit the game winning homerun. Can you feel the emotion inside you right now? How does it feel? It should feel like a million bucks, like you just lifted your soul and some weight fell off your shoulders. Ok, now let's do the opposite. Think of something bad, something that you know you do not like. For example, the day your dog died or your teacher scolded you in front of your friends or your parents grounded you. Can you feel the emotion inside you right now? How does it feel? It should feel like sadness or guilt or pain or anger.
Could you feel the difference in emotions when you were thinking good thoughts as opposed to bad thoughts? That is exactly what you want to be able to feel. Now you are starting the process of being aware of your emotions. Now you can call your EMOTIONS your guidance system and not the GPS system in your car...LOL!
So let's have a quick recap. The Law of Attraction is bringing things to you. "Stuff" is brought to you by the vibration you are tuned to. Emotions let you know whether you are tuned to things you would like in your life or things you may not want so much. How you feel (the emotion you feel) is that indicator.
Now you have the knowledge of the Law of Attraction and the knowledge of how emotions assist you with the Law of Attraction. The next step is to continue messing around with the drills I have given you in both of the blogs. So keep thinking of fun stuff you want to see and keep being aware of how you are feeling from time to time throughout your day. This is a great start and now you can continue on to the next blog and add another piece to the puzzle.
All for now....Happy Pitching!!!
You are currently reading the 2nd blog of the Law of Attraction series I have been writing for all of you. If you are new to the blog you can go back and start on number one so you can get the fullness of the message. You will see (L.O.A. series #1) in the title so you know where to start. Enjoy!
In the first blog I introduced and defined the Law of Attraction for you. You now know that like attracts like and that we have the power to create our own realities. The next step in this process is to go a little deeper and delve into the world of emotions so you can further gain hold of this Universal Law.
Emotions and Law of Attraction work together in the sense that Law of Attraction responds to your thoughts, but the emotions or feelings you have on a moment-to-moment basis are indicating to you what you’re in the process of creating or attracting.
You have emotional responses every day, practically in every moment, even if you’re not paying attention. You feel happy, sad, mad, annoyed, frustrated, angry, excited, eager….but do you know what your emotions mean? Do you know what they’re telling you?
Your emotions are similar to a GPS system, they navigate you from point A to point B in your life. It works like this, every time you think a thought it evokes an emotion from you. That emotion is an indicator to you of whether or not you are headed down the road you want to be heading down or whether it is time to make a turn and head down a different road. It really is that simple. Where it gets difficult is when you choose not to listen to the voice on the GPS. It gets difficult when you ignore the GPS so much you can't even realize it is on and working for you. Let me give you a baseball example of this. Can you think back to a time you were in a game and on the mound pitching when you felt pretty clear and focused in the game? Do you remember how you had little impulses or even BIG impulses where you knew what pitch you wanted to throw next? Then you followed those impulses and the game went in your favor throughout? Or how about when you had those impulses and didn't go with them and every time you went against those impulses you gave up a hit? Remember telling yourself you would never do that again? This is one way of how your emotions can assist in your sport and in life.
The first step in this process of understanding emotions and how they are our best friend is playing a quick game to make sure you are aware of your emotions. It goes like this...think of something good, something fun that makes you smile. DO IT!!! Close your eyes and think of your favorite dog when you were growing up or your favorite song or your first kiss or when you hit the game winning homerun. Can you feel the emotion inside you right now? How does it feel? It should feel like a million bucks, like you just lifted your soul and some weight fell off your shoulders. Ok, now let's do the opposite. Think of something bad, something that you know you do not like. For example, the day your dog died or your teacher scolded you in front of your friends or your parents grounded you. Can you feel the emotion inside you right now? How does it feel? It should feel like sadness or guilt or pain or anger.
Could you feel the difference in emotions when you were thinking good thoughts as opposed to bad thoughts? That is exactly what you want to be able to feel. Now you are starting the process of being aware of your emotions. Now you can call your EMOTIONS your guidance system and not the GPS system in your car...LOL!
So let's have a quick recap. The Law of Attraction is bringing things to you. "Stuff" is brought to you by the vibration you are tuned to. Emotions let you know whether you are tuned to things you would like in your life or things you may not want so much. How you feel (the emotion you feel) is that indicator.
Now you have the knowledge of the Law of Attraction and the knowledge of how emotions assist you with the Law of Attraction. The next step is to continue messing around with the drills I have given you in both of the blogs. So keep thinking of fun stuff you want to see and keep being aware of how you are feeling from time to time throughout your day. This is a great start and now you can continue on to the next blog and add another piece to the puzzle.
All for now....Happy Pitching!!!
Friday, March 16, 2012
The Law of Attraction (L.O.A. series #1)
Hello Passion for Pitching Family,
I start this Law of Attraction series with one of the most important Universal Laws you could ever know about. This is not something make believe and this is not something made up in a movie. This is an actual Universal Law and it is the law that brings all things together in your lives.
The law I am speaking of is the Law of Attraction and it can be defined in several ways...
LIKE UNTO ITSELF IS DRAWN
LIKE ATTRACTS LIKE
WHAT YOU PUT OUT YOU GET BACK
ENERGY = VIBRATION = POINT OF ATTRACTION
It is really rather simple as long as we don't try to complicate it too much. The Universe and everything in it is made up of energy. All energy has a vibrational frequency. Similar vibrational frequencies attract each other and eventually end up coming together.
Have you ever heard of Einstein? Have you ever heard of E=mc2? Of course you have. This equation is the main equation that explains how the energy in the Universe works and how we are all connected. Now I am not expecting you all to go out and start reading books about Quantum Physics but that is really what we are talking about here.
So why is the Law of Attraction important to you? Since the Law of Attraction is a Universal Law stating that like attracts like and since we are human beings made up of energy just like everything else in this world, that means we actually have a say in what we bring or attract into our lives. This is HUGE for us as human beings. This means that we are able, through our vibrational frequency, to attract things to us that we like and love. Things that we want in our life. Things such as an amazing baseball career, a great school to play baseball at, interacting with special trainers that can transform our bodies, and amazing coaches to assist us in our careers. Anything that you can think that you would ever want in your life you can attract and have because of the Law of Attraction!!
So what should you do now? I am going to continue answering that question in the series that I am writing. We will go into things such as emotions, allowing, and creating that will bring this Law of Attraction thing full circle. But first I just wanted to define for you what the Law of Attraction actually is.
There is one thing however, that I would like you all to try this week. I want you to start to be aware of the Universal Law, Law of Attraction. I want you to start noticing things that are coming in and out of your experience this week. I want you to notice how you feel while these things or experiences are happening. Try this...tonight before you go to bed I want you to think about something you want to see or experience this week. Something very simple and easy. It could be hearing a song you love to hear while you are driving to school or to work. It could be seeing a type of dog that you love and it brings a smile to your face every time you see it. It could be seeing a bunch of good looking ladies. It could be seeing an amazing sunset. Anything that is easy to think about and you know it would bring you joy if you saw or heard it.
Now, don't try to get ahead of yourself here and request a million dollars. I do understand that that would bring a smile to most everyone's face, but for the sake of this drill let's make sure we keep it nice and simple...LOL!!
I will leave you with a quick example...
When I was at home in the off season in San Diego I lived in a home where the owners had a sweet old dog. The dog would come up to my door almost every morning when they would let her out. I remember one day thinking, "man, it would be so cool if I had a tennis ball right now so I could play with her a bit each morning." That thought left me as quick as it came. It was just something fun, easy and pure, where I could completely see it taking place and had no resistance towards it. Later that week (think it had been three days) I woke up and went to go check the surf. The first spot I checked was in Del Mar on a community street where there are never any cars during the work week. I always park in the same spot because it is a block from the water. Well, that day was no different, I went right to my favorite spot. It just so happened that when I pulled up to my spot that there was a tennis ball sitting right there in the street in front of my car. I remember thinking to myself, "man this Law of Attraction thing is sooooooo cool. Thanks Universe!!" And then continued upon my day.
Just a little Law of Attraction story that may inspire you to do the drill I want you to try this week.
Ok, so that is all for now. Remember, there are plenty more blogs to come, each building on the one before, each making this message more and more clear.
Thank you and enjoy!! Happy Pitching!!
PS....quick note....if you are reading this blog right now and asking yourself why I am not writing about pitching but this crazy stuff...well...you are missing the point...keep an open mind and just read...I will be back to the pitching stuff very soon...although this is the pitching stuff if you allow yourself to see it that way!!! Smile!!!
I start this Law of Attraction series with one of the most important Universal Laws you could ever know about. This is not something make believe and this is not something made up in a movie. This is an actual Universal Law and it is the law that brings all things together in your lives.
The law I am speaking of is the Law of Attraction and it can be defined in several ways...
LIKE UNTO ITSELF IS DRAWN
LIKE ATTRACTS LIKE
WHAT YOU PUT OUT YOU GET BACK
ENERGY = VIBRATION = POINT OF ATTRACTION
It is really rather simple as long as we don't try to complicate it too much. The Universe and everything in it is made up of energy. All energy has a vibrational frequency. Similar vibrational frequencies attract each other and eventually end up coming together.
Have you ever heard of Einstein? Have you ever heard of E=mc2? Of course you have. This equation is the main equation that explains how the energy in the Universe works and how we are all connected. Now I am not expecting you all to go out and start reading books about Quantum Physics but that is really what we are talking about here.
So why is the Law of Attraction important to you? Since the Law of Attraction is a Universal Law stating that like attracts like and since we are human beings made up of energy just like everything else in this world, that means we actually have a say in what we bring or attract into our lives. This is HUGE for us as human beings. This means that we are able, through our vibrational frequency, to attract things to us that we like and love. Things that we want in our life. Things such as an amazing baseball career, a great school to play baseball at, interacting with special trainers that can transform our bodies, and amazing coaches to assist us in our careers. Anything that you can think that you would ever want in your life you can attract and have because of the Law of Attraction!!
So what should you do now? I am going to continue answering that question in the series that I am writing. We will go into things such as emotions, allowing, and creating that will bring this Law of Attraction thing full circle. But first I just wanted to define for you what the Law of Attraction actually is.
There is one thing however, that I would like you all to try this week. I want you to start to be aware of the Universal Law, Law of Attraction. I want you to start noticing things that are coming in and out of your experience this week. I want you to notice how you feel while these things or experiences are happening. Try this...tonight before you go to bed I want you to think about something you want to see or experience this week. Something very simple and easy. It could be hearing a song you love to hear while you are driving to school or to work. It could be seeing a type of dog that you love and it brings a smile to your face every time you see it. It could be seeing a bunch of good looking ladies. It could be seeing an amazing sunset. Anything that is easy to think about and you know it would bring you joy if you saw or heard it.
Now, don't try to get ahead of yourself here and request a million dollars. I do understand that that would bring a smile to most everyone's face, but for the sake of this drill let's make sure we keep it nice and simple...LOL!!
I will leave you with a quick example...
When I was at home in the off season in San Diego I lived in a home where the owners had a sweet old dog. The dog would come up to my door almost every morning when they would let her out. I remember one day thinking, "man, it would be so cool if I had a tennis ball right now so I could play with her a bit each morning." That thought left me as quick as it came. It was just something fun, easy and pure, where I could completely see it taking place and had no resistance towards it. Later that week (think it had been three days) I woke up and went to go check the surf. The first spot I checked was in Del Mar on a community street where there are never any cars during the work week. I always park in the same spot because it is a block from the water. Well, that day was no different, I went right to my favorite spot. It just so happened that when I pulled up to my spot that there was a tennis ball sitting right there in the street in front of my car. I remember thinking to myself, "man this Law of Attraction thing is sooooooo cool. Thanks Universe!!" And then continued upon my day.
Just a little Law of Attraction story that may inspire you to do the drill I want you to try this week.
Ok, so that is all for now. Remember, there are plenty more blogs to come, each building on the one before, each making this message more and more clear.
Thank you and enjoy!! Happy Pitching!!
PS....quick note....if you are reading this blog right now and asking yourself why I am not writing about pitching but this crazy stuff...well...you are missing the point...keep an open mind and just read...I will be back to the pitching stuff very soon...although this is the pitching stuff if you allow yourself to see it that way!!! Smile!!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Top Two On My List
It is June 10th and I am three days away from completing my fourth extended spring training with the St Louis Cardinals!!! This has been the best extended spring by far and it only seems to be getting better and better. It is like each year I ask for more stuff whether it be better living arrangements, better players (lol), better relationships with coaches and players, and every year that is exactly what happens. I am super excited about the young group of pitchers I get to work with in Johnson City, TN this year. We may only have one or two kids coming with me that are 21 years of age, the rest are 20 and 19. So we may have our days where we get our asses handed to us but these guys compete and they aren't afraid so I am ready to sit back and watch!!!
That brings me to the subject of this new blog. The more I am around the game the more I realize what it takes for someone to make it in this game, besides the obvious answers such as talent and ability. More and more I realize how you must believe in yourself and also how damn competitive you must be. That's why I called this blog, "Top Two On My List".
I was speaking with some of the pitchers today and I was giving them a goodbye speech and all of my precious words of wisdom!!! LOL! I shared with them what I thought were the two most important things a player needed to have to make it to the big leagues. After listing belief/confidence and the desire to compete everything else just falls under that umbrella for me. Mechanics, knowledge of the game, preparation, focus, etc....it all falls under the belief you have in yourself and the desire to compete. All things will come to you in this game if you practice those two things first.
The reason why I wrote this blog though was to really talk about competition and competing. There is soooooooooo much that goes on during a season for these young athletes that the competitive nature is really what makes you or breaks you. Just think of this, you get up every morning at about 5:30am. You go to the field, eat breakfast and then start early work about 7:30 until 8am. Then you come back inside, take a breather and head back out to the field for an 8:30 meeting before you start the day. From about 8:35am to 10:30am you go through a routine of stretch, condition, throwing, fundamentals, and BP. Then you head back inside for some food. By about 11:35am you head back out to the field for a Noon game that lasts until 3pm on most days. Don't forget this is Florida so it is humid and hot all day, everyday!! Picture this day and then repeat it from March until the middle of June. That is exactly what the kids down here do, the kids who are not able to make a full season club and leave right after a month of spring training.
Be honest, do you think you could handle that??? It is not an easy thing to do at all. That is why if you don't have the desire to compete you will never make it in this game. The story of guys going from college to the big leagues in less then a year is far and few between. It may have only happened a handful of times in the history of the game. Most guys spend year after year in the minor leagues just hoping for a chance. Now, I am not trying to make excuses for anyone here I am just pointing out to you out there in computer land that if you really want this dream you better be one competitive son of a gun or this game will eat you up and spit you out. There are a lot of good players out there in minor league baseball that come to play each and every day. Those are the guys who make it, the guys who love to compete and can inspire themselves to perform each day. The guys who don't depend on anyone else to tell them they need to be ready to play or wake up before it is too late.
I take my hat off to these young kids down here because they are doing things I really don't know if I would have been able to handle when I was their age. It takes some real desire to hang in there and keep battling like these guys do, back on field 75 where nobody comes to watch. So if this is something that calls you, then great!! But make sure you start to practice that competitive drive right now. Don't let anything get in your way, compete, compete, compete!!!
Ok, all for now....wish us luck this year and every now and again check in on the Johnson City Cardinals up in the Appalachian League!!!
That brings me to the subject of this new blog. The more I am around the game the more I realize what it takes for someone to make it in this game, besides the obvious answers such as talent and ability. More and more I realize how you must believe in yourself and also how damn competitive you must be. That's why I called this blog, "Top Two On My List".
I was speaking with some of the pitchers today and I was giving them a goodbye speech and all of my precious words of wisdom!!! LOL! I shared with them what I thought were the two most important things a player needed to have to make it to the big leagues. After listing belief/confidence and the desire to compete everything else just falls under that umbrella for me. Mechanics, knowledge of the game, preparation, focus, etc....it all falls under the belief you have in yourself and the desire to compete. All things will come to you in this game if you practice those two things first.
The reason why I wrote this blog though was to really talk about competition and competing. There is soooooooooo much that goes on during a season for these young athletes that the competitive nature is really what makes you or breaks you. Just think of this, you get up every morning at about 5:30am. You go to the field, eat breakfast and then start early work about 7:30 until 8am. Then you come back inside, take a breather and head back out to the field for an 8:30 meeting before you start the day. From about 8:35am to 10:30am you go through a routine of stretch, condition, throwing, fundamentals, and BP. Then you head back inside for some food. By about 11:35am you head back out to the field for a Noon game that lasts until 3pm on most days. Don't forget this is Florida so it is humid and hot all day, everyday!! Picture this day and then repeat it from March until the middle of June. That is exactly what the kids down here do, the kids who are not able to make a full season club and leave right after a month of spring training.
Be honest, do you think you could handle that??? It is not an easy thing to do at all. That is why if you don't have the desire to compete you will never make it in this game. The story of guys going from college to the big leagues in less then a year is far and few between. It may have only happened a handful of times in the history of the game. Most guys spend year after year in the minor leagues just hoping for a chance. Now, I am not trying to make excuses for anyone here I am just pointing out to you out there in computer land that if you really want this dream you better be one competitive son of a gun or this game will eat you up and spit you out. There are a lot of good players out there in minor league baseball that come to play each and every day. Those are the guys who make it, the guys who love to compete and can inspire themselves to perform each day. The guys who don't depend on anyone else to tell them they need to be ready to play or wake up before it is too late.
I take my hat off to these young kids down here because they are doing things I really don't know if I would have been able to handle when I was their age. It takes some real desire to hang in there and keep battling like these guys do, back on field 75 where nobody comes to watch. So if this is something that calls you, then great!! But make sure you start to practice that competitive drive right now. Don't let anything get in your way, compete, compete, compete!!!
Ok, all for now....wish us luck this year and every now and again check in on the Johnson City Cardinals up in the Appalachian League!!!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Do You Know Your A,B,C's???
There are so many different ways to train out there these days it can make your head spin!!! There are so many coaches, trainers, specialists, organizations, etc...how do you keep it all straight and not get overwhelmed?
This can be directed towards players, coaches and parents. Everybody can be thrown into the mess. If you are a parent trying to obtain the best possible information for your son or daughter how do you keep everything in order and know what is best for your child? If you are a player working on your craft, which road do you go down? If you are a coach and you want to make your players better and have parents like you or at least get off your back (lol) who are you supposed to trust? Well, I don't need to go that far, it is not as crucial as trusting the person in front of you, really it is just about feeling good about the information you are paying for or passing on to your players.
Well, let's look at it this way...do you know your A,B,C's? Really, I could take this blog session in a million different ways after asking this question, but let's see if I can get a bit more specific. I want to just focus on the player for a minute. When I ask, do you know your A,B,C's, I am referring to proper movement patterns in relation to the players. I can't tell you enough how crucial it is for athletes to learn proper movement patterns in ANYTHING they do, not just in their specific sport. The better the movement pattern, the better the result, at least 9 times out of 10. I would think that I could get most of you to agree with this statement. Haven't you heard the best players, trainers and coaches make a statement very close to this before, "if I can just get into this position when my foot touches the ground, everything else will happen for me." It is so true and I here it all the time. If we just focus on baseball, most would agree that the swing and the throw happen on its own as long as you can get your body to a specific position at foot touch. The issue with this is that there are better, more efficient ways to get to this crucial point in the movement. So if we are talking about pitching, there are many ways a pitcher can get to the "power position" (for lack of a better term), but when it is time to now rotate and throw, if the pitcher got to this "power position" in a non-efficient manner, there is no way they will be able to produce what they want to produce to gain results.
This all goes back to knowing your A,B,C's. If I am an athlete and I took the time to educate myself on proper movement patterns in basic things like running, rolling, bounding, skipping, jumping, striking then I am going to be prepared to compete in almost any sport. My body will line itself up the way it needs to in order to perform the movement efficiently. If I do not know my A,B,C's how is my body aware of what it needs to do for anything???
So, let's try to bring this all back and include players, coaches and parents in this manner. If I am a parent and I have a young athlete I want to know that the coach I am providing for them knows his A,B,C's. I want to know that this coach is willing to break down the movements made to throw a ball, hit a ball, catch a ball, whatever it is I am trying to get better at. If I am a parent and I go to observe the workouts and I see that there is no work being done on breaking down movements and introducing the A,B,C's to my son or daughter, I know this is someone I may not want to use at this point in my young child's career. There are basic developmental stages that kids should go through as they grow up and blossom from young kids to young adults to mature men. If there is a stress put on the basic movement patterns to athletics early on in life, this process is made much easier and you will see how successful the athlete can be.
Now, is this to say that the only way a young athlete can learn is to break down every movement pattern and then build it back up again, not at all. There are many different ways to do this. The first suggestion I would give a parent with a young athlete is to sign them up for as many different activities that make their kids move in many different ways. For example, dance classes are great for balance, coordination, agility, proprioception, and general strength. Or how about martial arts, gymnastics, or any sport that a young child could play, like soccer, football, basketball and of course baseball. By allowing your young athlete to participate in these different activities, it allows them to learn movements that their body would not be aware of if they only played one sport all year around at a young age. That is why travel ball is not something I am a big fan of. Kids play baseball all year around while juggling other things. They never own their craft by training, they just play. Not to mention the pitchers who throw during the weekend but never pick up a ball during the week because it is not baseball season. That is an injury waiting to happen, but that is a conversation for a later date.
To wrap this up, basically it is important for all interested parties to know their A,B,C's. Know the basic subjects an athlete should be fluent in as they build their athletic career. Understand that this is a process and it is long term when we are referring to these young athletes. Rome wasn't built in a day and it didn't need to be. Take your time, don't rush it, enjoy the process and work your A,B,C's!!
Ok, that's all for this one....hope all is well!!!! Talk with you soon!!
This can be directed towards players, coaches and parents. Everybody can be thrown into the mess. If you are a parent trying to obtain the best possible information for your son or daughter how do you keep everything in order and know what is best for your child? If you are a player working on your craft, which road do you go down? If you are a coach and you want to make your players better and have parents like you or at least get off your back (lol) who are you supposed to trust? Well, I don't need to go that far, it is not as crucial as trusting the person in front of you, really it is just about feeling good about the information you are paying for or passing on to your players.
Well, let's look at it this way...do you know your A,B,C's? Really, I could take this blog session in a million different ways after asking this question, but let's see if I can get a bit more specific. I want to just focus on the player for a minute. When I ask, do you know your A,B,C's, I am referring to proper movement patterns in relation to the players. I can't tell you enough how crucial it is for athletes to learn proper movement patterns in ANYTHING they do, not just in their specific sport. The better the movement pattern, the better the result, at least 9 times out of 10. I would think that I could get most of you to agree with this statement. Haven't you heard the best players, trainers and coaches make a statement very close to this before, "if I can just get into this position when my foot touches the ground, everything else will happen for me." It is so true and I here it all the time. If we just focus on baseball, most would agree that the swing and the throw happen on its own as long as you can get your body to a specific position at foot touch. The issue with this is that there are better, more efficient ways to get to this crucial point in the movement. So if we are talking about pitching, there are many ways a pitcher can get to the "power position" (for lack of a better term), but when it is time to now rotate and throw, if the pitcher got to this "power position" in a non-efficient manner, there is no way they will be able to produce what they want to produce to gain results.
This all goes back to knowing your A,B,C's. If I am an athlete and I took the time to educate myself on proper movement patterns in basic things like running, rolling, bounding, skipping, jumping, striking then I am going to be prepared to compete in almost any sport. My body will line itself up the way it needs to in order to perform the movement efficiently. If I do not know my A,B,C's how is my body aware of what it needs to do for anything???
So, let's try to bring this all back and include players, coaches and parents in this manner. If I am a parent and I have a young athlete I want to know that the coach I am providing for them knows his A,B,C's. I want to know that this coach is willing to break down the movements made to throw a ball, hit a ball, catch a ball, whatever it is I am trying to get better at. If I am a parent and I go to observe the workouts and I see that there is no work being done on breaking down movements and introducing the A,B,C's to my son or daughter, I know this is someone I may not want to use at this point in my young child's career. There are basic developmental stages that kids should go through as they grow up and blossom from young kids to young adults to mature men. If there is a stress put on the basic movement patterns to athletics early on in life, this process is made much easier and you will see how successful the athlete can be.
Now, is this to say that the only way a young athlete can learn is to break down every movement pattern and then build it back up again, not at all. There are many different ways to do this. The first suggestion I would give a parent with a young athlete is to sign them up for as many different activities that make their kids move in many different ways. For example, dance classes are great for balance, coordination, agility, proprioception, and general strength. Or how about martial arts, gymnastics, or any sport that a young child could play, like soccer, football, basketball and of course baseball. By allowing your young athlete to participate in these different activities, it allows them to learn movements that their body would not be aware of if they only played one sport all year around at a young age. That is why travel ball is not something I am a big fan of. Kids play baseball all year around while juggling other things. They never own their craft by training, they just play. Not to mention the pitchers who throw during the weekend but never pick up a ball during the week because it is not baseball season. That is an injury waiting to happen, but that is a conversation for a later date.
To wrap this up, basically it is important for all interested parties to know their A,B,C's. Know the basic subjects an athlete should be fluent in as they build their athletic career. Understand that this is a process and it is long term when we are referring to these young athletes. Rome wasn't built in a day and it didn't need to be. Take your time, don't rush it, enjoy the process and work your A,B,C's!!
Ok, that's all for this one....hope all is well!!!! Talk with you soon!!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Welcome Home
It is September 14th at 8:55pm. I am back in San Diego and I am sitting in my friends apartment with nobody around and nothing but quiet surrounding me. The off season has definitely arrived. I have been in the water twice already and looking for more surf tomorrow. Although, there really isn't much surf now anyways so I am really just showing off. I found a place to live but can't move in for a couple weeks so I am couch surfing until the move in day. Ahhhh, the life of a professional coach! It is like I am a rolling stone...lol!
I know I keep saying this, because it is true, but it has been a while since I wrote on here. There will be much more opportunities for me to write now that I am back home and in the calm of the off season so we can all look forward to some more insightful writing by yours truly!!
I'm sure you are all wondering what the heck happened from July 19th to now, seeing as that is how long it has been since I have been on my blog page. Well, we kicked a whole lot of butt in the Appalachian League. We ended up with the best record, won the division and then swept through the playoffs and won the chamionship!! This goes down as my second in three years with the Cardinals Organization and to be brutally honest, I am very proud of the work I did this year. We had a couple pitchers make the all-star team, one of which also won pitcher of the year. We had a blast!
One of the things I am learning more and more about in my life and also in this game of baseball, is that you must sit back and congratulate yourself every once and a while. It is ok to be tough on yourself at times and it is also ok to praise yourself. There is no growth unless you allow yourself to feel it and self praise or self appreciation is the best way to accomplish that.
There were many great times and memories during the course of our season but nothing feels better then when I think about the relationships I shared with the guys. That is why I coach. I coach to have relationships and to be there for the pitchers when they need me. This year was better then the year before, which was better then the year before. The relationships I was able to create with the guys this year is something I will never forget. What is so great about all this is that it is only going to get better because that is how the world works. The better it gets, the better it gets!! The amount of growth I have had from day one with the Cardinals to now has been huge and it is something I look forward to getting better and better.
So, thank you Passion for Pitching family for hanging around. It is going to be an amazing off season and I can't wait to get things started!!
I know I keep saying this, because it is true, but it has been a while since I wrote on here. There will be much more opportunities for me to write now that I am back home and in the calm of the off season so we can all look forward to some more insightful writing by yours truly!!
I'm sure you are all wondering what the heck happened from July 19th to now, seeing as that is how long it has been since I have been on my blog page. Well, we kicked a whole lot of butt in the Appalachian League. We ended up with the best record, won the division and then swept through the playoffs and won the chamionship!! This goes down as my second in three years with the Cardinals Organization and to be brutally honest, I am very proud of the work I did this year. We had a couple pitchers make the all-star team, one of which also won pitcher of the year. We had a blast!
One of the things I am learning more and more about in my life and also in this game of baseball, is that you must sit back and congratulate yourself every once and a while. It is ok to be tough on yourself at times and it is also ok to praise yourself. There is no growth unless you allow yourself to feel it and self praise or self appreciation is the best way to accomplish that.
There were many great times and memories during the course of our season but nothing feels better then when I think about the relationships I shared with the guys. That is why I coach. I coach to have relationships and to be there for the pitchers when they need me. This year was better then the year before, which was better then the year before. The relationships I was able to create with the guys this year is something I will never forget. What is so great about all this is that it is only going to get better because that is how the world works. The better it gets, the better it gets!! The amount of growth I have had from day one with the Cardinals to now has been huge and it is something I look forward to getting better and better.
So, thank you Passion for Pitching family for hanging around. It is going to be an amazing off season and I can't wait to get things started!!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Attention to Detail
As I spend more and more time down here in Extended Spring Training there is one main focus these kids are missing and that is attention to detail. Being specific and having attention to detail is a major factor in whether people become successful at whatever the endeavor. When you go out and work on whatever it is you want to do in life there must be some sort of attention to detail. Some people would say sense of urgency, some people would say desire, some people would say motivation. But in the end you can have all the desire and motivation in the world but if you don't have an approach and a way to direct that desire and motivation then it is going to be tough to evolve into the professional you would like to be.
The examples for attention to detail are fairly simple when you are a coach in Extended Spring Training. Each day I walk around and observe the pitchers I work with, I focus mainly on their approach. If these pitchers got drafted and were able to be good enough to have someone notice them and give them a shot to make it to the big leagues, then you would think there shouldn't be a reason why they struggle so much when they get into an organization. But then as you walk around and watch these young guys you can see why they do struggle. There is no real direction to their process and their workouts. The attention to detail is lacking. This is not saying that it is a fault of anyone because if you haven't been exposed to these type of experiences in your life then how would you pick up attention to detail. If you are the best in your city all of your life and you really are never challenged on a daily basis in competition, then one could understand why there would be a lack of attention to detail. But now, since you have a chance to read this Blog, there should be no excuse and you should read these words very carefully.
Ok, so let's get into it then. Attention to detail is having an awareness of what you are doing during your workouts and that you are not just going through the motions. An example of this is when pitchers do their flatground work or especially their bullpens. A lot of the time pitchers start throwing and have no real focus to their process. They start throwing and don't have a consistent direction to the fastball. It is up in the zone for most of the workout. Then they move on to another pitch even though they never really accomplished anything with the fastball. Now they start throwing the change-up and they slow down their motion to take speed off of the pitch. Or perhaps they throw four or five in a row and never hit the strike zone with it and then switch to another pitch and just continue on like they are getting quality work done. I am sure while you are reading this at home you are thinking to yourself, "yah right", but trust me, it is true. Some of these younger pitchers never really ever threw bullpens or flatground work before. Some of the kids out of high school threw on Tuesday and Friday night games and that was their work. Add in a little long toss in between and they were golden. When you are blessed with an arm and are not challenged as a young pitcher there really is no reason for these kids to have a clue about the process. To be honest, I guess that is a good thing or they wouldn't need any coaches...lol!
I really didn't want to make this a long, drawn out blog but I did want to get a certain point across. Know what you want to accomplish every day you are working on your craft. If you are a pitcher and it is your day to throw long toss, then before you start, know what you are trying to accomplish in that specific workout. And once you start the workout, be in the moment and focus on what it is you set from the beginning. Do the best you can to not jump ship from the plan you. Also, do your best to stay present and not forget what you are doing. The attention to detail part kicks in while you are performing the actual workout. So, again, if it is long toss that day and you want to work on the overall rhythm and movement of your body, then focus on that and make sure that that is what is happening. The attention to detail is focusing on each individual rep and accomplishing what it is you are working on.
The game of baseball is a very tough game. The higher up you go the more guys that are there who look just like you and perform just like you. You have to start establishing yourself as the one who works harder, who is more focused, who is more composed, who is more intelligent on the field, who self motivates and stays present from moment to moment. In the end that is what really gets you a chance and it will create you more opportunities then the next guy.
Ok, done for now...hope everyone is enjoying the baseball season thus far!! Go Cardinals!!!
The examples for attention to detail are fairly simple when you are a coach in Extended Spring Training. Each day I walk around and observe the pitchers I work with, I focus mainly on their approach. If these pitchers got drafted and were able to be good enough to have someone notice them and give them a shot to make it to the big leagues, then you would think there shouldn't be a reason why they struggle so much when they get into an organization. But then as you walk around and watch these young guys you can see why they do struggle. There is no real direction to their process and their workouts. The attention to detail is lacking. This is not saying that it is a fault of anyone because if you haven't been exposed to these type of experiences in your life then how would you pick up attention to detail. If you are the best in your city all of your life and you really are never challenged on a daily basis in competition, then one could understand why there would be a lack of attention to detail. But now, since you have a chance to read this Blog, there should be no excuse and you should read these words very carefully.
Ok, so let's get into it then. Attention to detail is having an awareness of what you are doing during your workouts and that you are not just going through the motions. An example of this is when pitchers do their flatground work or especially their bullpens. A lot of the time pitchers start throwing and have no real focus to their process. They start throwing and don't have a consistent direction to the fastball. It is up in the zone for most of the workout. Then they move on to another pitch even though they never really accomplished anything with the fastball. Now they start throwing the change-up and they slow down their motion to take speed off of the pitch. Or perhaps they throw four or five in a row and never hit the strike zone with it and then switch to another pitch and just continue on like they are getting quality work done. I am sure while you are reading this at home you are thinking to yourself, "yah right", but trust me, it is true. Some of these younger pitchers never really ever threw bullpens or flatground work before. Some of the kids out of high school threw on Tuesday and Friday night games and that was their work. Add in a little long toss in between and they were golden. When you are blessed with an arm and are not challenged as a young pitcher there really is no reason for these kids to have a clue about the process. To be honest, I guess that is a good thing or they wouldn't need any coaches...lol!
I really didn't want to make this a long, drawn out blog but I did want to get a certain point across. Know what you want to accomplish every day you are working on your craft. If you are a pitcher and it is your day to throw long toss, then before you start, know what you are trying to accomplish in that specific workout. And once you start the workout, be in the moment and focus on what it is you set from the beginning. Do the best you can to not jump ship from the plan you. Also, do your best to stay present and not forget what you are doing. The attention to detail part kicks in while you are performing the actual workout. So, again, if it is long toss that day and you want to work on the overall rhythm and movement of your body, then focus on that and make sure that that is what is happening. The attention to detail is focusing on each individual rep and accomplishing what it is you are working on.
The game of baseball is a very tough game. The higher up you go the more guys that are there who look just like you and perform just like you. You have to start establishing yourself as the one who works harder, who is more focused, who is more composed, who is more intelligent on the field, who self motivates and stays present from moment to moment. In the end that is what really gets you a chance and it will create you more opportunities then the next guy.
Ok, done for now...hope everyone is enjoying the baseball season thus far!! Go Cardinals!!!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Contrast
What is the definition of Contrast? For this blog the definition of contrast will be anything that happens to you in your career path for baseball that is deemed negative. A quick example of that is when you are a pitcher and you are the starter for your team that day. You get all warmed up and ready to go for the game. Your bullpen felt great and you feel you are prepared and set for a great outing. The next thing you know the game starts and you can't throw a strike. You are walking guys, guys are getting hits off of you and you don't ever make it out of the first inning. That would be a great example of Contrast.
Now that we have a pretty clear idea of what Contrast is, the next step is to figure out how to deal with Contrast. The first thing we need to know about Contrast is that it is there for our assistance. Contrast is there to guide us so we know what parts of the game we need to improve upon. But the most important thing we could learn from Contrast is how it grows our desire. The more Contrast we have the more desire we should have. Think about that for a second because this is a pretty tough pill to swallow sometimes, especially when we are in the middle of the Contrast. The more Contrast we have, the more desire should grow inside of us.
The best way I know how to relay this information to the players I work with is perspective. If you can look at Contrast as your friend, then it won't beat you up so much. Think of it this way, what if by having Contrast we also at the same time got better in our minds and our bodies. What if every time you threw a bad game or hit too many batters or threw too many balls or gave up a game winning home run, what if at the same time you experienced this Contrast you knew that your mind and your body were learning from the experiences and they were fine tuning themselves for you even if you were not aware of it. Now, if you could wrap your head around this belief, would you feel a little bit better about Contrast? Would you allow yourself to feel better about the situation and not beat up on yourself because things did not go your way?
You see, I am going through that same thing right as I am typing this blog to you. I have had an ongoing battle with Batting Practice. Over the years I have trained myself to feel a certain way about batting practice and what it represents. I have twisted the story in my head so badly that it is tough for me at times to even go play catch with the guys out here. But let me explain to you what really is going on. The more I beat myself up and talk down to myself and feel unworthy, the more that comes to me and the worse it gets. But the minute I am able to switch my focus to what is I want and then keep my undivided attention to that, things get better. The Contrast I have experienced through the years have ultimately set me up for a lifetime of great batting practice!! But to tap into that energy and create that good BP, I must also be able to understand that Contrast is a good thing and it is nothing to be scared of. Contrast is there to help me grow my desire and get me to a point of where I really want to be. My job is to continue telling myself that. My job is to do the best I can to not discourage myself from throwing but to understand things are ok and it will get better. In no way am I telling you that it is that easy. Trust me, I have wanted to quit many times because of how badly it felt. But when I look at the bigger picture and understand that me not throwing good BP right now does not make me any less of a person. It does not make me a bad coach. In my opinion, it makes me a better coach because I know exactly how it feels to battle through confidence issues. I know how it feels to fail and I need to be able to communicate to my players how they can push through those setbacks.
In the end, this all ties back into Focus. Step one is experiencing the Contrast. Step two is identifying what you do not want, which allows you to now know what you do want. Step three is taking your focus to what it is that you want and being so stubborn that you won't allow yourself to think any other way. For example, what I need to do better is take all that energy and focus I have on not wanting to fail while throwing BP and pivot my thoughts to the other end of the spectrum. I need to focus on succeeding and throwing well and sitting with the feeling of how great it will be and is when I throw great BP. The more I can take my focus and put it on where I want to be and not what currently is, then I can start to tap into the energy I have stored up through all the Contrast. So, if there are ever any times you experience Contrast in this game of baseball, and there will be (trust me on that one...LOL)just make sure you remember that Contrast is your friend. It is setting you up for a world of future success. Just take your focus to where it is you want to be and continue to dream as big as you can.
That is all for now...enjoy your weekend Passion for Pitching Family!!!
Now that we have a pretty clear idea of what Contrast is, the next step is to figure out how to deal with Contrast. The first thing we need to know about Contrast is that it is there for our assistance. Contrast is there to guide us so we know what parts of the game we need to improve upon. But the most important thing we could learn from Contrast is how it grows our desire. The more Contrast we have the more desire we should have. Think about that for a second because this is a pretty tough pill to swallow sometimes, especially when we are in the middle of the Contrast. The more Contrast we have, the more desire should grow inside of us.
The best way I know how to relay this information to the players I work with is perspective. If you can look at Contrast as your friend, then it won't beat you up so much. Think of it this way, what if by having Contrast we also at the same time got better in our minds and our bodies. What if every time you threw a bad game or hit too many batters or threw too many balls or gave up a game winning home run, what if at the same time you experienced this Contrast you knew that your mind and your body were learning from the experiences and they were fine tuning themselves for you even if you were not aware of it. Now, if you could wrap your head around this belief, would you feel a little bit better about Contrast? Would you allow yourself to feel better about the situation and not beat up on yourself because things did not go your way?
You see, I am going through that same thing right as I am typing this blog to you. I have had an ongoing battle with Batting Practice. Over the years I have trained myself to feel a certain way about batting practice and what it represents. I have twisted the story in my head so badly that it is tough for me at times to even go play catch with the guys out here. But let me explain to you what really is going on. The more I beat myself up and talk down to myself and feel unworthy, the more that comes to me and the worse it gets. But the minute I am able to switch my focus to what is I want and then keep my undivided attention to that, things get better. The Contrast I have experienced through the years have ultimately set me up for a lifetime of great batting practice!! But to tap into that energy and create that good BP, I must also be able to understand that Contrast is a good thing and it is nothing to be scared of. Contrast is there to help me grow my desire and get me to a point of where I really want to be. My job is to continue telling myself that. My job is to do the best I can to not discourage myself from throwing but to understand things are ok and it will get better. In no way am I telling you that it is that easy. Trust me, I have wanted to quit many times because of how badly it felt. But when I look at the bigger picture and understand that me not throwing good BP right now does not make me any less of a person. It does not make me a bad coach. In my opinion, it makes me a better coach because I know exactly how it feels to battle through confidence issues. I know how it feels to fail and I need to be able to communicate to my players how they can push through those setbacks.
In the end, this all ties back into Focus. Step one is experiencing the Contrast. Step two is identifying what you do not want, which allows you to now know what you do want. Step three is taking your focus to what it is that you want and being so stubborn that you won't allow yourself to think any other way. For example, what I need to do better is take all that energy and focus I have on not wanting to fail while throwing BP and pivot my thoughts to the other end of the spectrum. I need to focus on succeeding and throwing well and sitting with the feeling of how great it will be and is when I throw great BP. The more I can take my focus and put it on where I want to be and not what currently is, then I can start to tap into the energy I have stored up through all the Contrast. So, if there are ever any times you experience Contrast in this game of baseball, and there will be (trust me on that one...LOL)just make sure you remember that Contrast is your friend. It is setting you up for a world of future success. Just take your focus to where it is you want to be and continue to dream as big as you can.
That is all for now...enjoy your weekend Passion for Pitching Family!!!
Monday, March 29, 2010
Spring Training is Winding Down
So today started the last week of Spring Training. The teams are getting closer to their final rosters. We have made two rounds of releases so far and may have two or so left. There are some pretty darn good competitions left for the pitching side and there are sure to be some upset people as camp breaks.
You see, the competition for the younger guys is to not be left back in Extended Spring Training. Everyone who is invited to Spring Training has the goal of making a full season club. Now, for the older guys that is a given, unless of course they are getting close to the end of a career and may be released. But for the younger pitchers who are coming to Spring Training for their first or second time, they are hoping they make a squad so they don't have to stay here in Florida and work through the Extended program.
The Extended program can be quite tough. The games are in the early afternoon, under the lovely Florida sun and unforgiving humidity...LOL!! It is the same routine every day. They have to get up early, there are no crowds to watch them play, they play the same two teams for 8 weeks and they get paid next to nothing. For the athlete who is left behind here, in the little picture, there is nothing good about being in Extended. But from the coaches view and the bosses view, looking at the bigger picture, they are lucky to still have a chance to compete and develop. A lot of kids get caught up in the fact that they are in Extended when really they need to be focused on the fact they still have a chance to play professional baseball. I am sure some of you readers out there are saying, "gees Doug, these kids should be grateful for the opportunity. I would switch places with them in a minute." Well, you are right! And to be totally honest with you, that is why SOME of these guys, not all, but some of these guys are going to be down here in Florida for Extended. It is all about their focus and where it is at.
When you play professional sports the thing that separates the men from the boys, besides belief in self, is the focus. Focus is huge in any sport, especially baseball and especially in pitching. These players sometimes don't understand what type of opportunity they have here. They are only focused on what is happening to everyone else and how everyone else is getting special treatment and they are not or others are moving up and they are not. But the funny thing about all that crazy thought is it is all make believe in their own head. The players really never know why they get left in Extended or why things happen to them. There are many different reasons why a certain decision gets sent down from the big bosses. Reasons that these players sometimes never know about. But they spend half their day, pissed off, acting like victims, when they could choose to change their focus on the subject and move on. The biggest thing these young professionals don't understand is the more they focus on the politics of the game and the negative parts of this profession, the more that comes to them. You see it every day in anything you do. I am sure every one of you who is reading this blog can remember having friends who could just let things go and focus on the more positive parts of their day and stuff always seemed to work out for them. Then, on the other side of that, I am sure you all remember having friends who constantly bitched and complained about everything and then bad stuff just seemed to continually happen to them. They were always the "victim" in every circumstance. Well I am here to tell you that that is not the case. You get what you focus on no matter what. That is sometimes tough to hear but true. What these young professionals need to start doing immediately is taking their focus to what they can control and that is themselves. They can't control their teammates and their teammates career. They can't control their boss and what they decide to do with everyone else. They can't control the catcher they get stuck with in each game they pitch. They can't control the umpire and how tight or inconsistent the strike zone is. Do you see what I am getting at?? But what can they control? You can control your thoughts, emotions and how you want to feel on a day to day, moment to moment basis. And if you just start with that little bit, working on you and only you, things will slowly start to turn around for you and the next thing you know you are the kid that everyone says, "man, things just seem to always work out for that guy!"
Alright, I'm getting off my soap box for now. I understand sometimes these blogs seem a little scattered but what I am attempting to do is bring up subjects like focus and belief in these smaller, quick ways so that I can touch on them in more complete ways down the road. So hang with me and enjoy!!!
You see, the competition for the younger guys is to not be left back in Extended Spring Training. Everyone who is invited to Spring Training has the goal of making a full season club. Now, for the older guys that is a given, unless of course they are getting close to the end of a career and may be released. But for the younger pitchers who are coming to Spring Training for their first or second time, they are hoping they make a squad so they don't have to stay here in Florida and work through the Extended program.
The Extended program can be quite tough. The games are in the early afternoon, under the lovely Florida sun and unforgiving humidity...LOL!! It is the same routine every day. They have to get up early, there are no crowds to watch them play, they play the same two teams for 8 weeks and they get paid next to nothing. For the athlete who is left behind here, in the little picture, there is nothing good about being in Extended. But from the coaches view and the bosses view, looking at the bigger picture, they are lucky to still have a chance to compete and develop. A lot of kids get caught up in the fact that they are in Extended when really they need to be focused on the fact they still have a chance to play professional baseball. I am sure some of you readers out there are saying, "gees Doug, these kids should be grateful for the opportunity. I would switch places with them in a minute." Well, you are right! And to be totally honest with you, that is why SOME of these guys, not all, but some of these guys are going to be down here in Florida for Extended. It is all about their focus and where it is at.
When you play professional sports the thing that separates the men from the boys, besides belief in self, is the focus. Focus is huge in any sport, especially baseball and especially in pitching. These players sometimes don't understand what type of opportunity they have here. They are only focused on what is happening to everyone else and how everyone else is getting special treatment and they are not or others are moving up and they are not. But the funny thing about all that crazy thought is it is all make believe in their own head. The players really never know why they get left in Extended or why things happen to them. There are many different reasons why a certain decision gets sent down from the big bosses. Reasons that these players sometimes never know about. But they spend half their day, pissed off, acting like victims, when they could choose to change their focus on the subject and move on. The biggest thing these young professionals don't understand is the more they focus on the politics of the game and the negative parts of this profession, the more that comes to them. You see it every day in anything you do. I am sure every one of you who is reading this blog can remember having friends who could just let things go and focus on the more positive parts of their day and stuff always seemed to work out for them. Then, on the other side of that, I am sure you all remember having friends who constantly bitched and complained about everything and then bad stuff just seemed to continually happen to them. They were always the "victim" in every circumstance. Well I am here to tell you that that is not the case. You get what you focus on no matter what. That is sometimes tough to hear but true. What these young professionals need to start doing immediately is taking their focus to what they can control and that is themselves. They can't control their teammates and their teammates career. They can't control their boss and what they decide to do with everyone else. They can't control the catcher they get stuck with in each game they pitch. They can't control the umpire and how tight or inconsistent the strike zone is. Do you see what I am getting at?? But what can they control? You can control your thoughts, emotions and how you want to feel on a day to day, moment to moment basis. And if you just start with that little bit, working on you and only you, things will slowly start to turn around for you and the next thing you know you are the kid that everyone says, "man, things just seem to always work out for that guy!"
Alright, I'm getting off my soap box for now. I understand sometimes these blogs seem a little scattered but what I am attempting to do is bring up subjects like focus and belief in these smaller, quick ways so that I can touch on them in more complete ways down the road. So hang with me and enjoy!!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Belief Conquers All
A lot has been said this Spring Training, as is always the case when you get into a room with 20 coaches and bosses and roving instructors and all the rest. Each morning we go into a meeting before we head out to the fields and each morning a coach or boss or whomever is assigned a topic for the day so we can debate and discuss different things. Yesterday it was my turn and I discussed the word "startle". In short, "startle" is basically what happens to the body when it feels threatened in some way, shape, or form. The body is built for survival and it goes into survival mode when it feels the need. That is basically the definition of "startle"
So, who cares, right?? Well, basically it doesn't matter at all if you are a person who is not competing against 150 other professional players for a job in the big leagues. But, if you are one of those guys fighting for your livelihood and your life in professional baseball, then it does matter. "Startle" is something you can get in many different ways by doing many different things. For me, I go into "starle" each time someone mentions Batting Practice!! LOL...right now I am pretty bad with that!! But for these young pitchers on the mound "startle" is something that can be very serious and very real. Basically it is when you are on the mound and you feel as though you have no chance in getting anybody out. Or it comes up when the catcher drops down a sign to throw a curveball and you feel a shortness of breath because you have no feel for the pitch that day. Or it comes up when the manager walks out to the mound and points to the bullpen and the umpire runs over and says, "you're in!" However it comes up it all comes down to one thing and one thing only.........BELIEF!
The bottom line of all things in life is belief. If you truly believe in who you are, in what you are doing then "startle" is not an issue for you. "Startle" is just another word that some fancy shmancy coach uses to explain what goes on in the nervous system when the body feels threatened. And for those who do believe in themselves and their abilities that is what the word "startle" will always mean to them. But for the pitchers out there who do get freaked out when it gets tough on the mound or when a big time hitter comes to the plate or when there are too many people in the stands watching your every move, you need a way to deal with this so called "startle".
Well, belief is the way to go. Belief needs to be something you practice daily. Now I am not talking religion here and going to church and all that stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this is not a blog on religion. The belief I am writing about is the belief, the knowledge in yourself and your abilities that no matter who is hitting or what the situation is or who is in the stands watching, none of that matters because you believe in you!!
People all the time debate on talent vs. hard work. I realize that talent and hard work are both equally important, but when it comes down to it, if you don't believe in what you are doing and in your own abilities, all the talent and hard work in the world will not mean a thing. In professional sports especially, you must be so locked in to who you are and what you are capable of or the game will eat you alive. The game is not forgiving, don't forget that. I compare it to the ocean and the waves in the ocean. Riding those waves out there the ocean seems so beautiful and fun, but you lose your focus on a big time wave for a second and that beauty can turn into pure fear in an instant...LOL!!
I guess what I am trying to get at with all this blabber is that belief can be learned. Belief is something that you can train yourself into and it is not just given to those who are gifted. Belief is something we all have in our bodies right from birth, it is just that some of us get trained out of that along the course of life. That is ok too, you just got to get back on course and realize who you really are and what you are capable of. I know I am giving a lot of eyewash now but don't worry, the belief sermon is not over yet....stay tuned!!!!!
So, who cares, right?? Well, basically it doesn't matter at all if you are a person who is not competing against 150 other professional players for a job in the big leagues. But, if you are one of those guys fighting for your livelihood and your life in professional baseball, then it does matter. "Startle" is something you can get in many different ways by doing many different things. For me, I go into "starle" each time someone mentions Batting Practice!! LOL...right now I am pretty bad with that!! But for these young pitchers on the mound "startle" is something that can be very serious and very real. Basically it is when you are on the mound and you feel as though you have no chance in getting anybody out. Or it comes up when the catcher drops down a sign to throw a curveball and you feel a shortness of breath because you have no feel for the pitch that day. Or it comes up when the manager walks out to the mound and points to the bullpen and the umpire runs over and says, "you're in!" However it comes up it all comes down to one thing and one thing only.........BELIEF!
The bottom line of all things in life is belief. If you truly believe in who you are, in what you are doing then "startle" is not an issue for you. "Startle" is just another word that some fancy shmancy coach uses to explain what goes on in the nervous system when the body feels threatened. And for those who do believe in themselves and their abilities that is what the word "startle" will always mean to them. But for the pitchers out there who do get freaked out when it gets tough on the mound or when a big time hitter comes to the plate or when there are too many people in the stands watching your every move, you need a way to deal with this so called "startle".
Well, belief is the way to go. Belief needs to be something you practice daily. Now I am not talking religion here and going to church and all that stuff. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this is not a blog on religion. The belief I am writing about is the belief, the knowledge in yourself and your abilities that no matter who is hitting or what the situation is or who is in the stands watching, none of that matters because you believe in you!!
People all the time debate on talent vs. hard work. I realize that talent and hard work are both equally important, but when it comes down to it, if you don't believe in what you are doing and in your own abilities, all the talent and hard work in the world will not mean a thing. In professional sports especially, you must be so locked in to who you are and what you are capable of or the game will eat you alive. The game is not forgiving, don't forget that. I compare it to the ocean and the waves in the ocean. Riding those waves out there the ocean seems so beautiful and fun, but you lose your focus on a big time wave for a second and that beauty can turn into pure fear in an instant...LOL!!
I guess what I am trying to get at with all this blabber is that belief can be learned. Belief is something that you can train yourself into and it is not just given to those who are gifted. Belief is something we all have in our bodies right from birth, it is just that some of us get trained out of that along the course of life. That is ok too, you just got to get back on course and realize who you really are and what you are capable of. I know I am giving a lot of eyewash now but don't worry, the belief sermon is not over yet....stay tuned!!!!!
Monday, March 15, 2010
Process, Process, Process...
Life is a Process...
What does that mean? Well, since this is a blog for baseball let's relate it to that. Baseball is all about the process. You either have one and when you enjoy the process and follow it and believe in it and don't stray too far from it, the game will bring you success. But when you float around aimlessly and don't have a process and don't focus yourself on a daily basis, the game beats you up.
Take the professional season for example. It doesn't matter if you are in Low A or the Big Leagues, there is a process to each day that the manager and organization lays out for you. Everyday you come to the park you get into the locker room and sit down. There is time to say hello to your teammates or for the coaches to review the prior days work or what will go on for the current day. Then the players will dress for some early work and get some hitting in or perhaps watch film or do whatever they feel they need to get better each day. Then the team will meet together on the field and go through a warm-up, long toss session, fundamental for the day, BP, and bullpen sessions for the pitchers. After all the pre-game work is through the players and coaches will have a bit of down time to relax before the game. At about 30 minutes or so before the game the pitcher will go out with the catcher and pitching coach and start to throw and get loose for the start of the game. Usually all the games will start at 7:05pm right after the Star Spangled Banner. After the game the guys get into the locker room, they shower and then head out for the night hopefully getting something to eat on there own and then going to bed. The coaches will do their reports for the night and then go eat and replay the days workings in their heads to see if they could do something different or improve upon what they did the day before. Then it is off to bed for all so that we can all do it again the next day.
You can see from this brief description of a day in the life of a professional player or coach that the process is long and repetitive. But this is a great thing. What this does is, it allows the players a chance to get comfortable in their environment and surroundings so they can focus on what they need to focus on. What happens sometimes though is the players don't ever wake up and realize what their own process needs to be. What I mean by that is there is a routine layed out each day just like what was mentioned above, but the kids don't seem to realize that is not the exact process for them as an individual. You don't want to just be sucked in by the schedule and not know what you should be doing inside of that bigger schedule. Most players get caught just rolling along with the herd and doing the same old thing not understanding that each day is passing them by and there is no real work going on.
We all do the same type of drill work and the same type of preparation each day, so why are there some players that are soooooooo much better then others? Well, that's because they have a process of their own, inside of the overall process that is provided for them by each organization. The point of all this jabber is that you must be present when you do your work. And even before that you must have a process of your own that you follow each day. Then when you follow the process each day you must be awake and present and focused as you perform this process. The amount of repetitions, types of drills, skill work, physical training workouts, whatever it is that you are deciding to do that day, you must be present and focused for the session. The trick to training is not doing more then the next guy, the trick is to do it more focused then the next guy. Being more deliberate, more concentrated, more focused, more intense, more passionate then the next guy is what really matters. The physical work matters, but the mental and emotional approach to the physical work is much more important. This is something that is easily talked about and at times easy to understand, but tougher to actually do. Not that many people choose to want to be that aware of what is going on or be that focused on a daily basis. That takes much more effort then physically running through the process and performing a series of exercises. It is much easier to just shut your thoughts down and run on auto pilot through the workouts. That is the true reason starting pitchers need 5 days in between starts. Of course they need to recover from the physical workload, but even more so they need recovery from the mental focus they hopefully were using for the nine innings they were pitching in the game.
In closing, the process you choose in your daily life should be something you do with a trained focus that continues to make you better as a person and player everyday. You create the process, you decide what makes you tick, you go after it the way you want to go after it. But just don't forget that while you are in this process be aware, be present, be in the moment and take advantage of the process. Don't let the process take advantage of you!!
Spring Training rolls on. Games for the minor leagues start in two days. Talk to you soon!!!!
What does that mean? Well, since this is a blog for baseball let's relate it to that. Baseball is all about the process. You either have one and when you enjoy the process and follow it and believe in it and don't stray too far from it, the game will bring you success. But when you float around aimlessly and don't have a process and don't focus yourself on a daily basis, the game beats you up.
Take the professional season for example. It doesn't matter if you are in Low A or the Big Leagues, there is a process to each day that the manager and organization lays out for you. Everyday you come to the park you get into the locker room and sit down. There is time to say hello to your teammates or for the coaches to review the prior days work or what will go on for the current day. Then the players will dress for some early work and get some hitting in or perhaps watch film or do whatever they feel they need to get better each day. Then the team will meet together on the field and go through a warm-up, long toss session, fundamental for the day, BP, and bullpen sessions for the pitchers. After all the pre-game work is through the players and coaches will have a bit of down time to relax before the game. At about 30 minutes or so before the game the pitcher will go out with the catcher and pitching coach and start to throw and get loose for the start of the game. Usually all the games will start at 7:05pm right after the Star Spangled Banner. After the game the guys get into the locker room, they shower and then head out for the night hopefully getting something to eat on there own and then going to bed. The coaches will do their reports for the night and then go eat and replay the days workings in their heads to see if they could do something different or improve upon what they did the day before. Then it is off to bed for all so that we can all do it again the next day.
You can see from this brief description of a day in the life of a professional player or coach that the process is long and repetitive. But this is a great thing. What this does is, it allows the players a chance to get comfortable in their environment and surroundings so they can focus on what they need to focus on. What happens sometimes though is the players don't ever wake up and realize what their own process needs to be. What I mean by that is there is a routine layed out each day just like what was mentioned above, but the kids don't seem to realize that is not the exact process for them as an individual. You don't want to just be sucked in by the schedule and not know what you should be doing inside of that bigger schedule. Most players get caught just rolling along with the herd and doing the same old thing not understanding that each day is passing them by and there is no real work going on.
We all do the same type of drill work and the same type of preparation each day, so why are there some players that are soooooooo much better then others? Well, that's because they have a process of their own, inside of the overall process that is provided for them by each organization. The point of all this jabber is that you must be present when you do your work. And even before that you must have a process of your own that you follow each day. Then when you follow the process each day you must be awake and present and focused as you perform this process. The amount of repetitions, types of drills, skill work, physical training workouts, whatever it is that you are deciding to do that day, you must be present and focused for the session. The trick to training is not doing more then the next guy, the trick is to do it more focused then the next guy. Being more deliberate, more concentrated, more focused, more intense, more passionate then the next guy is what really matters. The physical work matters, but the mental and emotional approach to the physical work is much more important. This is something that is easily talked about and at times easy to understand, but tougher to actually do. Not that many people choose to want to be that aware of what is going on or be that focused on a daily basis. That takes much more effort then physically running through the process and performing a series of exercises. It is much easier to just shut your thoughts down and run on auto pilot through the workouts. That is the true reason starting pitchers need 5 days in between starts. Of course they need to recover from the physical workload, but even more so they need recovery from the mental focus they hopefully were using for the nine innings they were pitching in the game.
In closing, the process you choose in your daily life should be something you do with a trained focus that continues to make you better as a person and player everyday. You create the process, you decide what makes you tick, you go after it the way you want to go after it. But just don't forget that while you are in this process be aware, be present, be in the moment and take advantage of the process. Don't let the process take advantage of you!!
Spring Training rolls on. Games for the minor leagues start in two days. Talk to you soon!!!!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
First day in the books!
It is 4:44pm here in wonderful Jupiter, FL and I am sitting in the lobby of the local honda dealership so I can take care of my trusty automobile and continue to depend on it to take me wherever I go next down the road to the big leagues!!
Today was the first day we were on the field. The first two days were spent in meetings going over the entire minor league personnel, covering organizational philosophy, and getting reacquainted with all the staff. Today we got on the field with all the pitchers and catchers. It is nice to see all the guys you have had over the past years and see them grow more successful and also more appreciative of our relationship. It has taken me a bit to get to the level where I can be more of myself and really enjoy making relationships with some of the players. I don't mean buddy, buddy type of relationships either. I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher understands what I am there for and they are not threatened by me offering information. Also, I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher actually respects what you say and there is a mutual respect with what we are both working to accomplish. That is really what is so great about the game of baseball, and for me, the professional game of baseball. I love working with the best of the best and hopefully guiding them a bit to get even better. I would like to think I have something to do with some of these pitchers successes, but I also am fully aware that they are the true creators of their reality and they are going to determine, in the end, what happens to them in the game of baseball. But it sure is fun to watch the players grow and get better and reach the level of success they are aspiring to.
I did want to talk a bit about success today and why I feel it is no accident why guys get what they want and what they work for. Every year I get to come back to this Organization, I am reminded of the process of being a successful major league player. I get to see guys like Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, and of course, Albert Pujols. People want to know out there how they are so good at what they do. To me it is very simple, they understand focus and they can keep it for the periods of time that it is most needed.
As I get older and have more experiences in my life I can see more clearly why certain guys fail and others succeed. But not only that, I can see it coming before it happens. Now, this is nothing new to a lot of coaches, especially the ones that have been around a while. But if you watch more closely you can see the ones who "got it" and the ones who don't. There is a presence, an aura, an energy around the players that "got it". But even more then that, the players that "got it" are the same ones that have a routine, who trust the process, who work hard at their craft, who understand focus and how powerful it can be. If you could have the opportunity to come down here and see Albert Pujols work in the batting cages you would clearly understand what I am writing about. This guy is just so darn good at focusing and knowing what he wants to accomplish with each workout and not settling when he works. He doesn't waste any of his time. He doesn't quit on his repetitions. He doesn't just go through the motions and hurry through his workouts. Everything he does has a focus and intention to it and that is why he is Albert Pujols. How did he get like that?? Not sure, that you would have to ask him. But if I had a guess at it I would say he got it from experiencing contrast at different points of his life and never wanting to feel a certain way again. He took all his focus and energy and put it towards what he wanted to accomplish and what he wanted to feel like in the game of baseball and then he did it. He never wasted his time sulking, feeling sorry for himself or being afraid. He spent all his attention and focus on turning into the player that he knew he was capable of being. Man is he good!!
More on this to come folks...hope all is well!!!!
Today was the first day we were on the field. The first two days were spent in meetings going over the entire minor league personnel, covering organizational philosophy, and getting reacquainted with all the staff. Today we got on the field with all the pitchers and catchers. It is nice to see all the guys you have had over the past years and see them grow more successful and also more appreciative of our relationship. It has taken me a bit to get to the level where I can be more of myself and really enjoy making relationships with some of the players. I don't mean buddy, buddy type of relationships either. I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher understands what I am there for and they are not threatened by me offering information. Also, I am referring to the type of relationship where the pitcher actually respects what you say and there is a mutual respect with what we are both working to accomplish. That is really what is so great about the game of baseball, and for me, the professional game of baseball. I love working with the best of the best and hopefully guiding them a bit to get even better. I would like to think I have something to do with some of these pitchers successes, but I also am fully aware that they are the true creators of their reality and they are going to determine, in the end, what happens to them in the game of baseball. But it sure is fun to watch the players grow and get better and reach the level of success they are aspiring to.
I did want to talk a bit about success today and why I feel it is no accident why guys get what they want and what they work for. Every year I get to come back to this Organization, I am reminded of the process of being a successful major league player. I get to see guys like Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, and of course, Albert Pujols. People want to know out there how they are so good at what they do. To me it is very simple, they understand focus and they can keep it for the periods of time that it is most needed.
As I get older and have more experiences in my life I can see more clearly why certain guys fail and others succeed. But not only that, I can see it coming before it happens. Now, this is nothing new to a lot of coaches, especially the ones that have been around a while. But if you watch more closely you can see the ones who "got it" and the ones who don't. There is a presence, an aura, an energy around the players that "got it". But even more then that, the players that "got it" are the same ones that have a routine, who trust the process, who work hard at their craft, who understand focus and how powerful it can be. If you could have the opportunity to come down here and see Albert Pujols work in the batting cages you would clearly understand what I am writing about. This guy is just so darn good at focusing and knowing what he wants to accomplish with each workout and not settling when he works. He doesn't waste any of his time. He doesn't quit on his repetitions. He doesn't just go through the motions and hurry through his workouts. Everything he does has a focus and intention to it and that is why he is Albert Pujols. How did he get like that?? Not sure, that you would have to ask him. But if I had a guess at it I would say he got it from experiencing contrast at different points of his life and never wanting to feel a certain way again. He took all his focus and energy and put it towards what he wanted to accomplish and what he wanted to feel like in the game of baseball and then he did it. He never wasted his time sulking, feeling sorry for himself or being afraid. He spent all his attention and focus on turning into the player that he knew he was capable of being. Man is he good!!
More on this to come folks...hope all is well!!!!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Spring Training
Hello Passion for Pitching Family!! Hope everyone is doing well out there in the baseball world and that your seasons have started out as you would have liked them to. Currently I am in Jupiter, FL for the start of Spring Training with the St Louis Cardinals. I thought since this is the first year I have been doing this blog and it just so happens that I am starting the professional season, that I could change up the format a bit. For the next 6 months I have decided to let you the viewer in on what it is truly like to be a professional baseball player and coach in the minor leagues.
The daily work, the processes, the rituals, the long bus rides, the extended spring training season, the new draftees, the daily fundamental work, the sandwich lunches, the early mornings, all of it I will share with you!!
So, let's get started!! On March 3rd I started a long trek, 2600 miles cross country, to get from San Diego, where I live in the off season, to Jupiter, FL, where I will be for the next three and a half months. It took me three full days of driving to get here and now I am "home" for a while. The drive felt unusually quick this year. The days were sunny and clear, the mornings were exceptionally crisp and it was very nice to see the sunrise for the first time in a while. I never really get to see the sunrise when I am in San Diego, although I can't really complain because the sunsets make up for it!! Either way it was a nice change of scenery and it makes you remember how many different reasons there are to love this earth we are living on. Driving cross country gives me a chance to think a whole lot. There is nothing like being alone in a car for ten hours a day with nothing but your thoughts rolling across your mind. Sometimes it is nice to have that alone time to ponder on some subjects in your life and to gain a new perspective on things.
I arrived on the night of the 5th at about 10pm. The hotel we stay at here in Florida is a beautiful place. All the coaches get there own rooms and have plenty of room on the big King size beds to spread out!! Whenever I get to a new spot I immediately like to get unpacked and organized. I rolled the luggage carrier about a half mile around the hotel building until I finally arrived at my car for the unloading process. With all the "stuff" I bring I feel like a woman. (no offense to the lite packing ladies out there) I piled all my stuff about 5 feet high on the roller and then headed to the elevator and then on to my room. About 30 minutes later I was all set up and ready to get into my big, comfortable bed for the night.
The next morning came and it was March 6th, one day from the start of meetings and the first official day of Spring Training 2010. This is my third year with the organization so I am already familiar with the area and know exactly where all the best places are to eat. Breakfast is great, it is right across the street from the hotel and is only about 6 bucks to fill my stomach. It is a neat little spot. The owner is definitely from the northeast because he has banners up from the Yankees World Series win, the Patriots last Super Bowl victory and the Boston Red Sox championship from 2004. It feels good to be back in a place that is familiar to me although I can't lie that it is tough to leave San Diego. After breakfast it was on to the clubhouse to get set up for the start of Spring Training. It always feels good to first walk into the clubhouse and see all the coaches again and get reacquainted with everyone. We all look at each other in wonderment that we made it through another season and that we are crazy enough to do it again!! I don't mean that in a bad way because the experiences are well worth the grind, but it is funny what us coaches go through each year during a season. There are so many different emotions that come into play during a season and so many different personalities that you come across that it is definitely one of the most challenging professions a person could choose. The growth you take as an individual is truly amazing, as long as you allow yourself to take the growth of course. There is so much to learn on and off the field from the players, other coaches, the game itself that each year at the end of it all you are left in amazement at what you have been through and made it out alive...lol!!
Well, that is it for me tonight, it is time to make some phone calls to friends and family and then hit the sack. Tomorrow's day begins at 8am and it is another full day of meetings. I'll fill you in later!! Goodnight Passion for Pitching Family.
The daily work, the processes, the rituals, the long bus rides, the extended spring training season, the new draftees, the daily fundamental work, the sandwich lunches, the early mornings, all of it I will share with you!!
So, let's get started!! On March 3rd I started a long trek, 2600 miles cross country, to get from San Diego, where I live in the off season, to Jupiter, FL, where I will be for the next three and a half months. It took me three full days of driving to get here and now I am "home" for a while. The drive felt unusually quick this year. The days were sunny and clear, the mornings were exceptionally crisp and it was very nice to see the sunrise for the first time in a while. I never really get to see the sunrise when I am in San Diego, although I can't really complain because the sunsets make up for it!! Either way it was a nice change of scenery and it makes you remember how many different reasons there are to love this earth we are living on. Driving cross country gives me a chance to think a whole lot. There is nothing like being alone in a car for ten hours a day with nothing but your thoughts rolling across your mind. Sometimes it is nice to have that alone time to ponder on some subjects in your life and to gain a new perspective on things.
I arrived on the night of the 5th at about 10pm. The hotel we stay at here in Florida is a beautiful place. All the coaches get there own rooms and have plenty of room on the big King size beds to spread out!! Whenever I get to a new spot I immediately like to get unpacked and organized. I rolled the luggage carrier about a half mile around the hotel building until I finally arrived at my car for the unloading process. With all the "stuff" I bring I feel like a woman. (no offense to the lite packing ladies out there) I piled all my stuff about 5 feet high on the roller and then headed to the elevator and then on to my room. About 30 minutes later I was all set up and ready to get into my big, comfortable bed for the night.
The next morning came and it was March 6th, one day from the start of meetings and the first official day of Spring Training 2010. This is my third year with the organization so I am already familiar with the area and know exactly where all the best places are to eat. Breakfast is great, it is right across the street from the hotel and is only about 6 bucks to fill my stomach. It is a neat little spot. The owner is definitely from the northeast because he has banners up from the Yankees World Series win, the Patriots last Super Bowl victory and the Boston Red Sox championship from 2004. It feels good to be back in a place that is familiar to me although I can't lie that it is tough to leave San Diego. After breakfast it was on to the clubhouse to get set up for the start of Spring Training. It always feels good to first walk into the clubhouse and see all the coaches again and get reacquainted with everyone. We all look at each other in wonderment that we made it through another season and that we are crazy enough to do it again!! I don't mean that in a bad way because the experiences are well worth the grind, but it is funny what us coaches go through each year during a season. There are so many different emotions that come into play during a season and so many different personalities that you come across that it is definitely one of the most challenging professions a person could choose. The growth you take as an individual is truly amazing, as long as you allow yourself to take the growth of course. There is so much to learn on and off the field from the players, other coaches, the game itself that each year at the end of it all you are left in amazement at what you have been through and made it out alive...lol!!
Well, that is it for me tonight, it is time to make some phone calls to friends and family and then hit the sack. Tomorrow's day begins at 8am and it is another full day of meetings. I'll fill you in later!! Goodnight Passion for Pitching Family.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Process of Long Toss-Part 2
In the last blog I introduced the process of long toss and discussed how far a pitcher should throw the baseball during their long toss program. In part 2 we are going to discuss how much time should be spent during your long toss workouts.
How Much Time Should I Spend Throwing?
Time spent for each throwing session is going to depend on the individual and what the circumstances are for that week. A good rule of thumb is at least a ten-minute session during the season and however long you would like to throw during the off season, each time you throw. This will allow the body enough time, as long as your movement is good, to flush itself of any unwanted soreness or tightness as well as give you enough of a workout to further instill proper movement patterns into your body's map.
During the season, throwing sessions may not go much past a ten minute time period. This would of course depend on whether you are a starter or a reliever, when you pitched last, when you are going to pitch again, and how your body feels that specific day. However, my suggestion is to at least attempt the ten minutes each and every time you throw. On a longer distance day it will be easier to throw past the ten-minute mark. The days where you are not moving back that far are the days you want to make sure you are still getting the repetitions in that are needed. For example, if you are only going to throw 90 feet on a certain day and it only takes you five minutes to back up that far, stay there and continue throwing at whatever intensity level works for you that day for at least another five minutes.
My experience with this type of program at the professional level has really opened my eyes to how well this truly works. It does take a bit of getting used to and changing your mental mind state to make this work. But once you have done so this will work great. On several occasions I have had professional pitchers tell me how much they doubted the ten-minute program, combined with throwing at least 6 days a week, if not everyday. However, after attempting the program for at least 2 weeks the players immediately changed their pattern of thought. Their arms felt stronger, they were less sore between outings, they recovered faster, and they fatigued less quickly.
During the off season, workouts should extend much past the ten-minute time frame. This is the part of the year where there is no rush to get through your workout. The purpose is to take your time and sooth your arm. You should treat this like an aerobic workout for your arm. It is not uncommon to throw at least thirty minutes if taking the proper time to back up and throw a baseball as far as you can.
Make sure and use your entire body when throwing long toss. Try standing sideways to your target before you start and allowing yourself a couple of steps or shuffles prior to throwing. Remember, it is all the body, all the time when you pitch. Make the entire body move aggressively and smoothly as you move to throw the baseball. Have fun and make it a relaxing and joyous experience, try never to just go through the motions. Enjoy, part 3 is on its way!
How Much Time Should I Spend Throwing?
Time spent for each throwing session is going to depend on the individual and what the circumstances are for that week. A good rule of thumb is at least a ten-minute session during the season and however long you would like to throw during the off season, each time you throw. This will allow the body enough time, as long as your movement is good, to flush itself of any unwanted soreness or tightness as well as give you enough of a workout to further instill proper movement patterns into your body's map.
During the season, throwing sessions may not go much past a ten minute time period. This would of course depend on whether you are a starter or a reliever, when you pitched last, when you are going to pitch again, and how your body feels that specific day. However, my suggestion is to at least attempt the ten minutes each and every time you throw. On a longer distance day it will be easier to throw past the ten-minute mark. The days where you are not moving back that far are the days you want to make sure you are still getting the repetitions in that are needed. For example, if you are only going to throw 90 feet on a certain day and it only takes you five minutes to back up that far, stay there and continue throwing at whatever intensity level works for you that day for at least another five minutes.
My experience with this type of program at the professional level has really opened my eyes to how well this truly works. It does take a bit of getting used to and changing your mental mind state to make this work. But once you have done so this will work great. On several occasions I have had professional pitchers tell me how much they doubted the ten-minute program, combined with throwing at least 6 days a week, if not everyday. However, after attempting the program for at least 2 weeks the players immediately changed their pattern of thought. Their arms felt stronger, they were less sore between outings, they recovered faster, and they fatigued less quickly.
During the off season, workouts should extend much past the ten-minute time frame. This is the part of the year where there is no rush to get through your workout. The purpose is to take your time and sooth your arm. You should treat this like an aerobic workout for your arm. It is not uncommon to throw at least thirty minutes if taking the proper time to back up and throw a baseball as far as you can.
Make sure and use your entire body when throwing long toss. Try standing sideways to your target before you start and allowing yourself a couple of steps or shuffles prior to throwing. Remember, it is all the body, all the time when you pitch. Make the entire body move aggressively and smoothly as you move to throw the baseball. Have fun and make it a relaxing and joyous experience, try never to just go through the motions. Enjoy, part 3 is on its way!
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