Competing Without Your Best

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!!!

So we are currently on a five game win streak.  Much more fun playing out in front of the bunch then playing tug-o-war and five hundred baseball.  During the streak we have done an amazing job as a team to simply compete.  Every AB, every inning, we have been right where we need to be with our focus.  No matter if we are down during a certain part of the game or playing out ahead, we have done a very solid job of playing until the bell sounds.

Yesterday (July 29th) we had a young left handed pitcher go out to the mound.  From the start he was having trouble commanding his fastball and working ahead of hitters.  There were times where he would throw a ball in the dirt, then a ball way up in the zone and then a perfect strike.  He basically had no feel for what was going on out there. 

But here is the thing...

when you are a pitcher there are going to be all sorts of different feelings you have when you are on the mound.  Some days you are going to feel amazing and nothing will bother you.  Some days you will feel horrible the entire game and you are just going to have to deal with it the best you can.  Some days you will feel amazing and then all of a sudden in the middle of the game you lose feeling.  Some days it will be the opposite, where you start out feeling horrible but then little by little you gain that feeling place back and you roll through the rest of the game.

No matter what the situation is you MUST be able to compete without your best.  That is exactly what our left handed pitcher did last night.  He was able to battle, not get too discouraged where he was unable to make pitches when he needed to.  There were specific times where he knew he needed to get a little extra focus to get out of a jam and he dug down deep and made it happen.  This is something that is not always easy to learn or to deal with for young professional pitchers, but it is a huge part of their makeup and will allow them to play at higher levels and increase their chances of becoming big leaguers some day.  Very rarely will a pitcher feel absolutely perfect on the mound.  We want to strive for that but not let it discourage us or beat us up if we don't get that each time out. 

Ok, all for now...just a friendly reminder from your friend here at Passion for Pitching.  Hope all is well and happy pitching!!!

Focus Before...Focus During!!!

Hello Passion for Pitching Family!!

So the other night we played a tough one in Princeton, WV against the Rays Organization.  The game went into extra innings and we ended up pulling it out to the tune of 9 to 8.  It was an exciting game and the guys battled back twice from deficits during the game.  The pitching finally stabilized towards the back end of the game and put it away for us once we grabbed the lead in extra frames.

There were a couple things I noticed about not only the nights game but also the entire time I have been with the Cardinals Organization.  The young starting pitchers are really not sure how to get themselves ready mentally or physically before a start.  Sometimes they don't really even know what to do during a game as well.

My example is from the Princeton game.  We had a young man go out to the mound where you could just see it in his face that he was not up for the challenges that the game was going to bring.  I wish I would have had a camera in the dugout because he went through three different types of focus during the game and each one showed on his face like you were staring at yourself in the mirror. 

First off, starting pitchers need to make sure that they understand that preparing yourself before the game is not just about physically moving your body and then starting to throw.  There should be a build up of intensity, concentration and focus that happens throughout the day and into the start.  Heck, there are even times where you hear of pitchers getting going the day or the night BEFORE their next start.  There is a certain tuning that needs to be done so you are ready to commit your emotions and mentality to the battle you are about to take on.

In the rookie league you see young pitchers walking out of the clubhouse maybe 10 minutes before they need to start throwing.  Then you see them do a couple tugs on their body and a couple light jogs and then they pick up a ball and start throwing.  There is a lack of realization that the physical work is not just to prepare your body to start throwing so you can get on the mound.  The physical work is also a fine tuning, a mental preparation to bring forth the focus and intensity needed to allow your body to perform how you want it to.

Let me get back to my example though.....ok, so during the bullpen prior to the game you could just see he wasn't into it.  His body language was lazy, his focus was flat and because of that his bullpen session was below average at best.  Before he threw a pitch in the game I knew he was in for a rough one.  It had nothing to do with his physical ability whatsoever.  It had everything to do with his facial expressions and his body language.  So he went out in the first inning and was hit quite hard.  He was lucky to get out of it with just two runs scoring in the inning.  When he came back in the dugout you could see he looked defeated.  That is the first point where I wish I would have taken a picture.

So the 2nd inning comes and out he goes.  The first guy got on in this inning as well but he was able to calm down enough to start making some better pitches.  Then he got the defense behind him to make a couple plays and you could see him starting to turn it around.  When he went back out for the 3rd inning you saw a whole new pitcher out there.  This was the second time in the ballgame where I wish I would have had a camera.  The focus was there and the intensity was in his face.  He sat quietly and confidently on the bench and at this time it was a 2-2 game.

But then came the top of the fourth and we scored three runs.  This is the third point in the game where I wish I had my camera.  You should have seen this kids face.  He went from out in the ozone, to intently focused, to overly cocky and not paying attention, all in a time frame of just four innings.  When we were scoring runs for him in the fourth he was joking with teammates and basically not realizing he still had a job to do.

So what do you think happened next???  Well, he went back out for the bottom of the 4th and we were up 5 to 2.  He never made it out of the inning and we ended up giving up the lead in that very inning. 

Focus is a goofy thing.  You either have it or you don't.  You either understand it or you don't.  You either feel it or you don't.  But either way, you better be able to understand how you lose it and how you get it back if you want to survive as a pitcher in professional baseball.  There are way too many things that can go on in a ballgame that can turn you all different ways.  You must be able to focus on your job and your job only.  You must be able to know how to prepare yourself before the game and then maintain that preparation and focus during the game, no matter the circumstances.

The next time you go to a major league game or watch one on TV check out the starting pitcher.  See what he does before the game and during the game.  See what his facial expressions are.  See if he is hooting and hollering in the dugout or if he is cool, calm and collected and mainly keeping to himself to maintain his concentration and focus.

That's all for now Passion for Pitching!!!

Happy Pitching!!!

Umpires Don't Exist

We lost a tough one tonight in Elizabethton against the Twins Organization.  One long, rough inning sealed our fate.  Isn't that funny in the game of baseball?  You could score three separate times in three separate innings but if the other team gave you an ass whooping in just one of the 9 innings, you will still lose the game.  That is what happened to us tonight.  We jumped on them quick in the first 2 innings by the score of 3-0.  But in the 4th our pitcher had a tough time recovering and ended up giving up 7 runs in one inning.  Definitely a tough one to swallow when you are on the bench and not able to do a thing about it.  They did not score in any other inning but obviously they didn't have to when you score 7 in just one inning...LOL!!

But it brings up an amazing learning experience I wanted to share with you.  The title of this Blog is Umpires Don't Exist for two reasons.  One, is an effective velocity reason which I will explain shortly.  The other, is a focus and mindset reason which I will also expand upon.

Ok, so first one is the effective velocity topic.  Effective velocity is a more scientific way to look at the strike zone and how it effects the hitter.  So for example, if you are a pitcher that throws 90mph and you throw it right down the middle of the plate, it looks and feels like 90mph to the hitter.  No secret there, right?  But if you throw that same pitch, which reads 90mph on the radar gun, but now throw it inside and high it looks like a different velocity to the hitter, it looks faster, it has an effect of being faster.  The same goes for the ball low and away.  It looks slower then 90mph to the hitters eye.  Does that make sense??? 

So as a pitcher your job is to make sure and keep the hitters attention where you want it so you can cause the least solid amount of contact possible.  This way you can get some pop-ups and some easy groundball outs. 

When you are a pitcher throwing in a game, there are going to be plenty of times (especially at the college and high school levels) where the umpire does not call pitches strikes that you believe are just that, strikes.  Well, this is how you want to handle this situation.  If you feel like you got the attention of the hitter with the pitch you just threw, no matter if it was called a ball or a strike, move on to the next pitch in your pitch sequence.  Remember, your job as a pitcher is to pitch to contact, soft contact hopefully.  So if you have command of your pitches and are confident in what you throw, you really never have to worry about the umpire at all.

The example I will give you was in tonight's game in the 3rd inning.  Our pitcher threw a first pitch fastball on the inside part of the plate, right where he wanted it.  However, the umpire called it a ball and our pitcher clearly did not agree.  But instead of having confidence in his ability to be able to throw a strike on the next pitch and let it be the pitch he wanted, the change-up, he listened to the umpire, saw the count was 1-0 and felt he was locked into a fastball count.  Now the at bat ended up just fine and he got out of the jam he was in, but he carried it with him to the dugout and was complaining about the umpire.

This takes us right into the second topic of focus and mindset.  When our pitcher went back out in the fourth he was still reeling from the inning before and you could tell his intensity level was not the same.  He let the jam that he got into (and he felt the jam was caused by the umpire) totally change his mindset and it took him mentally out of the game.  The funny thing was that he didn't even give up a run in the 3rd inning but still let the umpire take him out of his mindset.

Now he goes back out for the fourth inning with a loss of focus and a "poor me" attitude and well....you know the rest....7 runs and he is out of the game.

You young pitchers at home, please pay attention to this.  Focus is a choice.  Mindset is a choice.  What you allow to effect you positively or negatively is a choice.  Whether you choose to let things effect you that you are not in control over is totally up to you.  In the game of baseball (as in life) there are going to be plenty of times where things may not be going the way you want them to be going.  In that moment of time you have two choices, fuel the fire (make yourself more upset) or move on and let it go.

In pitching, it is such a mental/emotional position that you are challenged almost on every pitch to maintain your focus and mindset.  You are asked to not allow any so called "obstacles" that are thrown in your way to bother you.  You must pitch with blinders on and never let the outside stuff, such as umpires, fans, the other team, bother your focus and concentration.  I know this is easier said then done, but if this is not something you practice or are aware of when you are on the mound, then you simply will not last that long in the game of baseball, especially professional baseball.

Ok, that is all for now.  Happy Pitching and talk to you all soon!!!!

Playing Catch

Another day of rain with the boys up here in Tennessee.  We will be playing two games tomorrow, hopefully the rain will stay away so we can get going again tomorrow.  Whenever I get going during a season it is always nice to play almost everyday.  There is a reason why I leave San Diego and leave the beautiful weather and the waves and all that good stuff.  Not playing because of rain is not one of those things....lol!

Today's topic is Playing Catch.  What I mean by playing catch is being able to throw all of your pitches, as a pitcher, while you are playing catch.  At this level it is all about developing pitches that will be there for you as you move up levels and when the going gets tough.  There are a lot of young pitchers who get lost in results and never truly gain ownership of their pitches because they are skipping steps in the process.  You must crawl before you walk, right? 

When you go to a major league game and you watch pitchers warm up in the outfield and practice all their pitches you see guys owning the movement to all that they throw.  I will give you this example...when you go to a professional basketball game and guys are warming up before the game I am sure you witness almost every guy on the court shooting prior to the game.  How many shots do you see those guys miss???  Not too many!!  Most of the shooters hit every shot from every spot on the court during warm-ups.  This is the same for pitchers.  How would you expect to throw all your pitches in a professional game with the pressure turned up when it is tough to even throw all your pitches in a game of catch?

Start with catch and then build from there.  If you can spin the ball properly to your breaking ball, if you can throw the change-up with the same arm speed as your fastball, if you can create consistent angle and plane to your fastball when you are throwing to your partner, now you are ready for the next step.  But if you are not able to do all these things consistently, over and over and over,  there is no need to move on to flatground or to bullpen work or to a game.  It only is going to get tougher as you add in the steps.  Take your time in the process.  No need to rush it because if you take the time and do it right, you won't ever go backwards.  Plus you will always have a process to get back to where you want to be just in case you lose your way just a bit. 

Ok, that's all for now...Happy Pitching!!!

The Creative Process (LOA cont...#4)

Hello Passion for Pitching Family,

This next blog takes us back to the Law of Attraction series I started last month.  The blog I am writing today is about the Creative Process.  It basically combines the first three blogs in this series so you can see how all the parts fit together.

After this blog I will be going into the intricacies of this process with explanations, examples, and definitions of perspective, contrast, belief and desire.  It is my hope that by the end of this series you will see how everything that is happening in your life is all intertwined and interlaced and any other word describing a web that you can come up with.

The Creative Process is explained like this...

           YOU ASK          UNIVERSE ANSWERS (or yields it to you)      YOU ALLOW IT IN

I am going to write this blog in three parts and attempt to explain how each step works with as few words as possible.  Sometimes that can be tough when trying to explain how the Universe works so bare with me...LOL!!

Ok, so here it goes...

Step 1 is YOU ASK.  Ok, so what does YOU ASK mean?  You asking can be defined in several ways, the most basic is you actually asking.  So, you would maybe speak or scream out to the Universe that you want a new baseball coach because you don't like the one you currently have.  Or you may scream out to the Universe you want to throw a faster fastball because your competition is throwing harder than you.  Or you may scream to the Universe that you want to have better command to all your pitches because you are giving up too many walks and it is hurting your outings.

That is an easy way to understand asking.  You actually, consciously speak out loud or in your own mind about something you would like to have in your life or something you would like to have happen differently than what is currently going on.

Ok, so because this is an energy based, vibration based planet there are also ways to ask vibrationally.  Remember back to the initial Law of Attraction blog?  We discussed that whatever frequency your vibration is tuned to, that is what is going to come into your experiences.  Well, when things happen in your day to day life which cause you to ask the Universe for something more or something different, you don't always have to consciously sit down and ask.  Your body, your soul, your spirit actually is asking through the vibration you are emitting.  This happens very naturally without you even needing to be aware of it.  My example would be just like the on-star system you can get in your car where they track where you are at all times.  The car is you, the honing device is your vibration, and the company that tracks your whereabouts is the Universe.  Whatever vibration you are sending out at that time is what you are asking.  The Universe hears it, knows it and is sending it back to you.  That takes us into step 2.  

Step 2 is UNIVERSE ANSWERS.  Whether you believe it or not the universe is a naturally abundant and joyful place.  If you would think of it as a constant stream or river it is easy to comprehend.  The universe is a powerful, constant stream of joyful and abundant energy that is flowing downstream.  Imagine the powerful Colorado river.  Those rapids are roaring downstream and there is nothing that is going to stop that.  Well, this is how the Universe is set up.  There is a constant stream of abundance and joy that is flowing to you and through you, all you have to do is get on the raft, let go of the oars, and let it take you downstream.

You can also think of it as a cork in water.  You can try to push the cork down all you want, but the only way the cork will stay underwater is if you are constantly pushing on it.  Once you let go of the cork it pops back up to the top of the water.  So when I talk about the UNIVERSE ANSWERS I am telling you that the Universe is flowing abundance and joy your way, all day and every day.  No matter what.

The way you push your cork underwater or try to paddle upstream is by thinking thoughts that don't feel good.  An example of that would be ridiculing yourself after a bad outing and blaming yourself for the teams loss.  If you can think of a time you did that to yourself all you have to do is remember how you felt.  So how did it feel?  Did it feel like you were connected to that stream and you were full of energy and joy?  Or did it feel like you never wanted to play baseball again and you hated a lot of things about yourself at that time?

Step 3 is YOU MUST ALLOW IT.  Ok, so now as you understand and start to come to believe that this Universe is a joy based Universe, your only work is to allow that stream to flow to you and through you.  Allow that cork to float.  How do you do this?  Since you are naturally a vibration based human being and the Universe is naturally flowing this joy and abundance to you, the only thing that holds you from allowing this in is you and the thoughts you think.  Remember the blog on emotions?  The way you feel is an indication on what thoughts you are thinking and allowing.  If you feel crummy, you know that the thoughts you are thinking are probably not that good for you and they are disconnecting you from that joyful and abundant stream you want to be riding down.  But if you can train yourself to think thoughts that make you feel good, then that emotion is telling you that you are letting that stream flow to you and through you.  You are letting your cork float.

Now there is a fine line to all of this information that you have to find the balance of on your own.  I understand that after a tough outing you are not going to be in one of the best moods that you can be in.  That is okay, there is nothing wrong with that.  The point is that once you become aware that how you feel is the most important thing, because how you feel is telling you whether or not you are headed downstream with the power of the Universe or not, then you get that your work is how to figure out how to feel good more often than not.  Then you get that the sooner you can bounce back from a bad outing or a tough life experience, the faster you can be headed where you want to be headed.  The Universe only knows abundance and joy and whatever amazing feeling words you can come up with.  The Universe is always set up to let that abundance and joy flow to you and through you.  Focus/ practice on allowing that to happen by focusing/practicing good feeling thoughts on all the subjects in your life.

When it comes down to it, it really is all about perspective and how you choose to view the experiences you are having in your life.  As your perspective improves, the way you feel improves.  As the way you feel improves, your life improves.  And so on and so forth, it is a never ending cycle of joy and abundance.  Remember, the stream is already there, the cork already knows how to float, YOU already are a naturally happy and abundant human being.  There are just experiences that happen in our lives that we allow to take us away from the flow of that stream.  You just have to remember to get back on the raft, let go of the oars, and let the stream take you away.

More on perspective in the next LOA blog.  Hope this blog is assisting in bringing this all together for you.  You are almost there, keep reading and re-reading these blogs.  I will have some references for you at the end of this series if you have enjoyed it enough to practice and continue this work.

Happy Pitching!!!! 

    

A Fun Conversation

Hello Passion for Pitching Family,

The other day, April 1st, was the last day of Spring Training.  On the last day the triple A pitching coach was not there because he had already left to start driving to Memphis, TN where the triple A affiliate plays during the season.  That meant I was given the honor to finish up Spring Training as the triple A pitching coach, such a fun treat this was.  The best part of it was that Lance Berkman was one of the hitters that day.  Sometimes the big league guys want to get some extra at bats before the season, kind of fine tune things.  So what they do is come to the back field where all the minor league teams play.  They are allowed to hit wherever they want, whenever they want.  So on this day, Berkman hit lead off for us in each of the first three innings.

It is so much fun when the big league guys come down to the minor league fields because you get to ask them questions and find out some really cool information.  After each AB Berkman would come sit down on the bench where the coaches sit for each game.  I got to ask him a few questions about hitters and what they are looking for in regards to pitchers maybe tipping pitches.  I also got to ask him about what he thought were ways to get big leaguers out.  Berkman was very upfront and forthright and personable, it was quite an experience!!

It just so happens that I wrote a blog right before this one about repeating pitches.  It also just so happens that I have been writing a blog series about the Law of Attraction and how it plays an amazing part in all of our lives if you care to understand how it works.  The great thing about this blog is that, not only did Berkman reinforce what I wrote in the "Repeating Pitches" blog (which I will share for you in a second) but it also gives a perfect example of the Law of Attraction in action.  I wrote a blog about repeating pitches, then a couple days later one of the best big league hitters in today's game sits down next to me so I can talk to him about that very thing.

Ok, so I'll get to it because I know you are on the edge of your seats....LOL!!

It went like this, I overheard Berkman telling another player next to him that he looks for an exact strike zone for himself, sort of like an imaginary box.  Not a strike zone that the umpire creates, but his own strike zone that he knows he can handle in a game depending upon the pitcher throwing that day.  So I asked him what he looks at for tips that the ball is not going into that strike zone that he creates for himself.  Basically, his answer was that he picks up all sorts of small things based on all the pitches he has seen in his career.  The brain has put all these pitches into the bank and as a pitcher throws each pitch he is intuitively seeing little giveaways to let him know what is coming.  So then I asked him what would a pitcher be able to do to take that away from a hitter.  He simply stated that if a pitcher can repeat his delivery on every pitch, repeat the same plane out of the hand on every pitch, that it is very tough for a hitter to be successful.

Now counts and situations in a game add to this equation but you guys get the drift.  If you are a pitcher your only work right now should be to make sure you are repeating the same delivery, same arm action, same arm slot, same aggressiveness, same plane out of the hand, same everything, on all of your pitches.  Don't take my word for it....take Lance Berkman's....LOL!!

Ok, that's all for now....Happy Pitching everyone!!!

Repeating Pitches

Hello Passion for Pitching Family,

I am going to break it up a bit and actually give you guys a pure pitching blog today...lol!!  I thought it would be nice to give those who may not be so wrapped up in my Law of Attraction series a little nugget of baseball info.  I will have the next blog in the series available very soon!!!

Today's blog is going to be about repeating your pitches.  Their are many kids in this world that are capable of throwing a fastball and a curveball and a change-up, etc...but do you really know what you are doing when you are throwing all your pitches?  Let me put this more specifically, do you know what you look like when you are throwing your pitches?

What I mean by when I say, do you know what you look like, is do you look the same when you are throwing all of your pitches.  As a young pitcher it does you no good to go out and practice your craft, especially your pitches, if you are not working on the right things.  I am not going to go into everything you must know about throwing your pitches but here is a quick tip.

When you go out to do your throwing program make sure each session consists of some time spent on repeating the same aggressive arm action with your off speed pitches as you would do with your fastball.  After you have thrown your long toss for the day come back in to about 70-90ft.  If you are younger then, let's say, 14 yrs old you may want to move in a bit closer then that.  Once you are at the proper distance continue moving your feet and your body aggressively.  DO NOT pitch just yet.  Make sure and move your body sideways just like you do when you want to throw a ball four hundred feet.  Now here is the trick...throw a fastball and remember the feeling of that pitch in your body.  Remember what your arm slot felt like, remember what your aggressiveness felt like, remember how you finished the pitch.  Now try a chg-up.  Did it feel the same?  If it did then great!!!  Now throw another one.  If it didn't feel the same, try another fastball.  Keep going back and forth, one or two fastballs, then one or two chg-ups.  Do this until you feel you have been able to repeat the same motion with both pitches.  Then you can move on to another pitch, curveball or slider or whatever else you throw. 

If you are not doing this drill every time you go out to throw you are wasting a lot of time.  When you get on the mound you must have the confidence to throw all your pitches the same, with the same arm speed, the same body movement and of course the same emotional/mental state.  As you get higher and higher in levels the hitters get better and better.  Their eyes and their brains have seen more and more pitches.  All these pitches are kept in their brain in a nice little library.  When they get to a game and get into that batter's box their brain remembers what each pitch looks like.  Your job as a pitcher is to hide these pitches, hide the identity of these pitches as long as possible.  If you do anything different on any of these pitches to give it away, trust me, the hitter will spot it and jump all over it.  So add this to your workout process if it is not already there and watch how much better your off speed stuff gets.  You will be amazed as the K's start adding up!!!

All for now.....happy pitching!!!!

Developing Young Pitchers

At the end of January, the weekend of Jan 21st and 22nd to be specific, I will be speaking at the National Baseball Expo in San Diego.  The topic I will be addressing is Developing Young Pitchers.  For about a month or so now I have been stewing on how I want to present the information at the expo.  Sometimes when you are talking to an audience it can be a little goofy trying to get the info out the way you want to, with the message you are trying to send.  I always look for a nice opening to get the attention of the crowd and set the tone for the talk.

So today when I got out of the water from a fun and peaceful surf in Encinitas, it hit me.  I know exactly how I should start the talk and the angle I will take to share the information I have learned and loved since I started playing baseball when I was 6 years old.  Guess what that angle is.....wait for it....I HAVE NO ANSWERS!!!  LOL...how does that one feel audience??  It is the truth though and here is why.  (I am fast forwarding some of the background info so give me some leeway on this one) 

Let's all pretend that there really are no wrong or rights in this game of baseball and how to teach pitching to young athletes.  And since there are no wrong or rights the individual needs to decide what is best for them.  What is wrong or right for them.  But since there are no wrong or rights we will call it, what FEELS best for them.  Now here is where I come into play.  Since I have no answers what good am I???  Well, the experiences I have been having over the past several years as a coach has assisted me to come up with guidance and suggestions on what pitchers should do to train themselves and reach the goals they are striving for.  I am not giving them right or wrong answers, I am having experiences along the way that FEEL good and as I continue to have those experiences I choose to bottle them up and pass them on to the clients that choose to work with me.  But the funny thing about all this is that it doesn't mean that since it worked for some of the kids I work with, that it will work for all of the kids I work with.  So now my job is to identify what works for which athlete and curtail a program that works for them.

Now the athletes part is really simple.  They must first take ownership for what they are doing.  They can't just go to a lesson and wait for me to tell them what they need or do not need.  This process takes them further away from who they really are and now we are both going to be lost.  The reason why something a coach tells a kid to do actually works is because the coach and kid believe in what the coach is saying.  Either the kid really trusts the coach and then the underlying feeling from that kid is a good one and so he proceeds or the coach is so good at inspiring the kid to believe in him (the coach) and in himself (the athlete) and now the suggestions work. 

But I want everyone to understand the underlying points here:

       Coach has ideas....athlete listens....coach believes in ideas....athlete responds to the belief....coach continues to see the athlete as a success....athlete holds that same belief and now succeeds....

      So is it really about right or wrong answers???  Or is it more about believing and having a feeling behind the actions that are taking place, the actions that the athlete takes to become better???

      This is why it is soooooo important for the athlete to be present when these "lessons" take place.  It can't be an excuse that a kid is too young to understand or to care about what they are doing.  It can't be an excuse that the kid is too young to understand the process of how the body works to throw a ball and that they must be aware of how their body moves in space to create an efficient and powerful throw.

       This is also why the parent should be present in this process as well.  To support the young athlete and continue to believe that their young pitcher can and will turn into something great if they so choose, no matter what the situation!!!

       That is just about it for this blog....just wanted to write a little about my slant on the topic of Developing Young Pitchers and share that with you.  Now, to get the rest of the info, as in, the suggestions I have for these young kids.....well.....guess you are going to have to come to the expo to find out!!!  LOL....at least for now...I'll shoot out another blog after the expo for all those who were not able to be present to let you all know what we discussed.

        Ok, that's all for now....happy pitching!!!  Hope everyone truly enjoyed their holidays!!!  I know I have!!!

        

Want and Believe

So I went to a workshop this weekend, one that I normally attend at least once a year.  This workshop is for my personal growth, but then again everything in life really is.  But I use the workshop as a way to evolve as a person which in turn will always allow me to evolve as a coach.  My job as a coach is to not only research, watch film, gain knowledge in my sport, but it is also to get better as a person so I can have better relationships with the players I work with.  In the end that is what it is all about because I could have all the answers and the best information in the world, but if nobody wants to listen because I am the worlds biggest jerk, then none of that really matters.

 The message I wanted to talk about and get across to the lovely athletes who actually read this thing is a little thing called Want and Believe.  This is something that stuck with me this weekend.  In order to manifest anything you want in life there is always a process of creation that is going to take shape.  But before you can move forward in the process you must bring along two very specific things, Want and Believe.  Seems pretty simple right.  This is the starting point and basis to everything you go for in your life. 

Now in my line of work this is a HUGE deal.  To want and to believe is really what it is all about.  The thing is though that the wanting has to be through the roof.  You have to want so badly that you will do anything to get what you want out of this profession.  You have to want so badly that there is no real sacrifice because you don't care about anything else.  You have to want so badly that all the workouts and the games and the traveling and all that other stuff you could throw into the bag is never called work or a job.  You have to want so badly that you eat, sleep, drink... (you know the rest)...this sport.  To be a professional pitcher in the biggest of stages your wanting needs to consume you.  Yes!!!  Consume you!!  I understand I am on the verge of sounding cultish and insane and overdone but it is the truth.  There is always perspective that comes into this as well.  So when I mention all these crazy sentences you must realize the perspective that you must have on all this.  The perspective is coming from a passion and a love.  Not from a lack or a longing for.  This means that sacrifice doesn't exist because your perspective on what you are doing is clean.  This means that work or a job type focus is not in your vocabulary because it is just your life and what you love to do.  This means that the choice to have baseball consume your life is a choice of joy and not insanity.  It just means you love the sport so much and you choose to succeed so you practice at your craft and you study your craft and you love your craft.  That is the "consume" that I speak of.

The next step is the Believe part.  If you have this ever-burning desire or wanting to be a major league pitcher you must then have the belief in yourself, no matter what the situation brings, to back that wanting up.  You have to believe so clearly and confidently that you never hear the doubters, the naysayers, the people who tell you that you are too small, too short, too fat, too slow and whatever else the critics think of.  The perfect example of belief right now is Tim Tebow.  Look at that guy.  You think he believes in himself?!?  He believes so strongly in himself and he wants to succeed at quarterback so badly that he has convinced his entire team, his entire organization that he can win, no matter what.  No matter how bad it looks or how bad he throws or how bad the game goes into the 4th quarter.  Nothing matters, nothing shatters his belief because he knows he is capable of anything.  Just think of the belief he has in himself when week after week he has to hear the critics and the opposing teams continually criticize the way he looks on the football field.  But yet he wins and has been highly successful solely based on his wanting and his belief.

So the next time you go to practice or to your game and are wanting to have results that are satisfying, just think about how much you want it and then believe that it can happen.  You could go as far as measuring on a scale from 1 to 10.  1 being the low and 10 being the high.  If you go home each night and answer the question honestly to yourself you will know exactly why you get what you are getting out of your sport right now.  Increase the wanting, increase the belief and see the performance in your sport flourish!

Ok, that's all for now folks...hope all is well in your baseball world and keep throwing!!!!

How I Conquered The Impossible cont...

I wanted to clarify some things on the recent Blog I wrote about my troubles with BP.  I wanted to let you know why I really ended up deciding upon writing that Blog.  You see for me, I believe there is a process to this life we all live.  There is a consistent path there to assist you in times of contrast.  A path that never leaves you, never strays, never goes off into the woods.  A path that you may not be able to see all the time, but it is always there.

I wanted to share this Blog with you because I wanted to tell you that you all have the answers you want in life.  You all have the answers to what you think you need in life.  I say this because I know of this now.  I needed this contrast in my life to prove to myself that I could trust the process, trust the path, and simply walk down it.  I didn't need a drug, a sport psychologist, a shrink, nobody.  All I needed was to learn how to trust myself, love myself, listen to myself and have confidence in myself.  In no way am I saying that people don't need assistance or that assistance is not a good thing.  Not true, assistance is an amazing thing along the path of life, but it is not supposed to be a dependency.

When I truly decided I was going to get over this "Yips" thing, I finally made the decision that I didn't care what others thought about me.  I didn't care that I may have looked funny or people were laughing at me or whatever else was going on behind my back.  I even remember one day about a year or so ago, having a conversation with a well known man on this topic.  You know how sometimes you feel like you have nothing left to give a subject you are trying to fix.  You have been working for years and years and it just isn't helping.  So you have given up on yourself and you go to anyone in the industry you think can help.  You read articles, go to classes, workshops, seek guru's on the subject.  Anything to shake the situation you are currently in.  Well I did all that.  I went to the guy people were all paying money to to help them on the subject.  Do you know what he said to me???  He told me that if it is as bad as I am describing it and I was not able to pay the thousands of dollars it would have cost to go through his program, then I should simply quit.  He told me there is nobody who can get better from the position I was in and it would be best to just quit trying.  

That is why I wrote the last Blog and am writing this one.  There is no impossible, there is just you thinking it is impossible and that is all.  I am living proof!!  This doesn't mean I am the best BP thrower in the world or that I still don't have thoughts of "OH SHIT" go through my head about the subject.  But I found my path, I trusted the process.  Each one of you can do the same thing, no matter what the task.  The trick is though, you have to do the work. 

Now I know I just said you have to do the work and that everyone who just read this Blog said "Yes, hard work is the answer.  Determination, motivation, grit, sacrifice"  That is not the work I am speaking of.  The work I am speaking of is not physical at all.  The work I am speaking of is inside yourself, it is emotional work, it is evolving work, it is growing work, it is wanting to be all of who you can be type work.  There are all sorts of things out there in this world to "fix" you or "help" you or "solve" you.  But the problem I have with most of these things is that they leave you reaching outside of yourself.  Again, they give you a drug or an antidote or whatever it is they are offering.  But there is one thing they are all missing, they never teach us how to be us.  How to be all of who we are.  How to trust our intuition.  How to trust our emotional guidance.  How to build our foundation and knowledge from the inside out.  That is why I wrote this Blog.  I wanted people to understand that this life is an inside job, not an outside job.  All you have to do is have some patience and trust the process, learn the process.  And nobody can tell you ultimately how that is for you.  That is your job.  Nobody truly knows how you feel or where you are on certain subjects, you are the only one who truly knows.  That is why we need to start looking at things from the inside out.  Stop fishing for the quick fixes and learn yourself.  Sure, it may take a bit but it may not.  And once you truly figured out your own process to make things work for you, it never changes.  You will have that forever no matter what you do in your life.  To me, that makes it worth the "work".

Ok, no more soap box for now.  Hope all is well in your pitching world and I am sure we will talk soon.  Keep pitching!!!

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!!!

Posture

Welcome Passion for Pitching Family.  This is a momentous occasion.  The first blog since requesting some ideas from the Passion for Pitching Family!!!  I wanted to acknowledge and thank the first person who submitted a topic to be discussed on my blog.  His name is Ryan Williams and he is the Head Baseball Coach at Peoria Notre Dame in Peoria, IL.  So thank you Ryan and congrats on being the first!!!  Ryan asked a question about posture and head position during the pitching delivery.  I am going to do my best to answer in blog form of what posture really means in regards to pitching.

Before I start we need to all understand how I am attempting to explain posture in regards to the pitching motion or delivery.  There are many different "styles" to pitching and if you watch a major league game you will be able to witness those different "styles" firsthand.  But while I am explaining posture for the sake of this blog we are going to think about phase 1, a young pitcher who is first learning how to deliver a baseball from the mound across home plate.  When I refer to specific positions of the body for the set-up and then delivery of the pitching motion, make sure you understand that this is what I would be suggesting to an athlete or coach learning about posture.  Once the athlete has a good hold on the concept of posture and what it feels like to maintain their posture during the throwing motion, they can make it look any which way they choose.  The "style" will be their own and the "technique" will be universal.

When we talk about posture in relation to the throwing or pitching motion we need to first think about locking in an initial position.  Even though "locking in" may be too deliberate of a term, it is really true.  I don't mean this in the way that you must be stiff and immobile in your movements but if you can maintain an initial position once you go into leg lift, it will assist you in maintaining your energy for the duration of the throw, as well as allowing your levers the freedom to set-up and move like they want to.

Let's start out by visualizing a right-handed pitcher in the stretch position.  The first thing I want us to picture is a pitcher staring into the catchers mitt prior to leg lift.  They should be taking a stance that allows for athletic movement.  What this means is the pitcher should have some flex or bend in their knees and a slight lean or bend at the waistline (where the hip and spine create an angle).  This is very similar to hitting.  When a hitter sets their body up to see the pitch out of the pitchers hand, there is a specific angle they want to be setting up.  It is a specific hip and spine angle that allows them to rotate powerfully.  The same goes for pitching.  If you can create a specific position to start that enables you to feel powerful and athletic and then maintain this position basically until foot plant, you will be in a great position to rotate and finish the throw.

Let me reiterate this here for everyone.  I want everyone to really know how important the initial set-up/posture position is for pitching.  Think of it this way, if you can start well, you should be able to finish well.  Now I know many of you are reading this blog and saying, "Gee thanks for the breakthrough Doug, really helpful."  But think about this for a second.  If we set our body in motion properly to begin with, our bodies levers will do what they need to do to perform the task at hand.  I am very serious about this.  If any of you at home have ever watched a major league pitcher throw in slow motion you will know what I am talking about.  The bodies levers (arms, legs, etc...) work very well if the body is positioned correctly from the start and then maintained through the movement.  If the powerful and athletic position is locked in, then there are only a few ways the levers can actually move.  The joints function in specific manners, such as external and internal rotation,  they can only do so many things.  So again, if positioned properly your body will work for you, not against you.  The issues pitchers have all over the world aren't mechanics, it is the belief that their body won't do what it needs to do.  They don't realize that the functions the joints, muscles and bones are making are very normal and natural if you get out of the way.

Ok, so off my soapbox and back to work.  Once the initial position is set and the pitcher is ready for leg lift, now the pitcher just needs to perform a leg lift that will allow them to stay with the posture they have already set up.  If the leg lift takes them off course it is because it is too violent or high and they just are not able to handle the movement.  So just back off a bit until you can get the feel for a powerful leg kick while maintaining an athletic posture.

Now we can fast forward to foot plant.  The pitcher should be able to maintain the initial hip and spine angle until landing into foot plant.  There are always shades of gray when referring to angle and degrees of angle but you get my drift.  When watching film of a pitcher from behind home plate you should be able to see a very similar position at the hip and spine from pre-leg lift, to leg lift, then into foot plant.  If there is any drifting or movement out of that initial hip and spine angle you will be able to notice it and make the corrections. 

The video clips that come to mind for me on this topic are Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens.  If you can youtube or find some video of these two pitchers, watch them, but make sure the view is from home plate.  You will notice that once they perform their leg lift, they lock in a posture and don't deviate from it until foot plant.  The other thing you will notice is how their levers (scapula, arms, thoracic spine) move independently of their posture and it doesn't effect their posture.  That is because their bodies understand how the separate parts of their body work to sequence the whole movement.  The reason the younger pitchers can't stabilize their movement patterns is because they are not mobile in the areas of the body they need to be to make the corresponding movements.  For example, what I just mentioned above about Clemens and Ryan.  When you watch the film you will see the scapula, thoracic spine and then arms act as they are supposed to.  That is because their body is aware of how to move.  This can be taught if needed.

Once at foot plant it is time for the front side to stabilize so the back side can deliver the pitch and follow through.  At this point in the delivery you will get very different looks from many different pitchers.  It is all about the individuals arm slot from here on out.  The posture created during rotation is to support the arm angle/slot that the pitcher throws from.  Most of the time you will see pitchers clear their head so their arm can come through and be delivered.  The cases where you see pitchers heads really start to pull of the target can be from many different reasons but I will cover a couple major ones now.

The first could be from poor initial momentum.  If a pitcher starts their motion but doesn't gain the proper momentum/tempo/direction that they would like to produce a sufficient amount of velocity, they have to make that up somewhere.  Most pitchers (definitely the younger and weaker pitchers) will try to pull their upper body through in one violent pull to try and create some velocity.  This will definitely show up in film as someone who pulls their head off target too soon and ruins their posture.

The second could be from poor front-side arm stability.  If a pitcher starts to rotate after foot plant but they are not aware of how their front arm is supposed to act, you will see a lot of east to west action with their shoulders. (chicken winging)  You will see the front shoulder pull off target too soon and therefore the head needs to go with them.

The third example ties in with the second example.  When a pitcher does not know how to properly use their front side, they do not know how to finish their throw with more north to south movement then east to west.  What I am referring to here is understanding the movement of the upper body when going into release point and through to the finish.  The upper body (more specifically in the thoracic spine area) must have some angle to its finish.  The example I always use, which I got from a friend, is the ferris wheel.  Picture your upper body as a ferris wheel.  Or more specifically, picture your spine as the ferris wheel.  So when you rotate your chest towards home plate and it is square to the plate and you are ready to release the baseball, their must be some ferris wheel to your movement.  Your upper body or spine, needs to finish with some tilt, not east to west rotation.  If the pitcher is not behind the baseball and working through the baseball into finish it will show up with the head pulling off the target too soon.  It is kind of like the pitchers head is running away from the hand and we obviously don't want that.

In the end, if you can create a healthy and powerful starting posture prior to leg lift, then continue with that same posture into leg lift and then have that carry you all the way into foot plant, you will be 3/4 of the way there.  The rest is rotation, pronation and a finish.  Watch film of the best in the game from the home plate view.  See what they do and how long they are able to maintain their posture into foot plant.  Show your young athletes what they look like and what the best look like and start copying them.  In no time at all you will see a huge difference in their perfomances!

That's all for now...if you have any questions feel free to email or call me on this topic.  Lots of information in this one...LOL!!  Good luck Passion for Pitching family and happy pitching to you!!!  Stay tuned for the next requested topic....coming soon!!!





            

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!

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!!!!!

Pitching Inside

Today was the first day of minor league games in Spring Training.  We played intersquad games where the AAA team matched up against our AA team and the High A team matched up with our Low A team.  There were some great arms on the mounds today and it is nice to see some of the guys I had last year start up the new season.

Every morning before we head out to the fields for the day the coaches have a meeting to go over whatever is needed to prepare for the day or get the focus for the day that is about to begin.  One of the portions of the morning meetings is saved for special topics.  Today the topic we had a coach bring up was pitching inside.

Pitching Inside is such a taboo conversation because it is talked about a lot but performed very little or very badly on the field of play around baseball as a whole.  It used to be where guys got knocked on their ass on a daily basis and nothing was thought of it.  The pitcher tried to establish that he owned the inside half of the plate and the batter was not to disrespect that.  "Old School" guys like Bob Gibson, Don Drysdale, Sandy Koufax, and I am sure there were many more, made sure of it that hitters never got too comfortable in the box.  But if you really want to be a successful pitcher and pitch for a long time, you need to learn how to throw inside.

Whenever discussing any sort of topic there are usually two sides, the problem, or issue, and the solution.  So, we know that the problem is that a lot of pitchers have a tough time pitching inside.  Now, instead of going too far into it and figuring out when should I pitch in side and to who and in what situation, let's go right to the solution and let the rest of that stuff take care of itself as you gain more experience along the path.

The first step to pitching inside is understanding that it is something you are going to accomplish.  You are understanding why it is necessary and that it is a great part to the game of baseball.  This is a game and part of being a competitor is owning both sides of the plate.  Remember, as the pitcher you are the one who is supposed to be intimidating the hitters, not the other way around.  You are the one throwing the baseball, they are the ones standing there hoping to see the ball well enough to hit it.  You can't be worried about hitting guys when pitching inside.  Understand that it is part of the game and that you are not intentionally trying to harm anyone.  But if you learn how to throw inside at an early age, this will never be an issue for you. 

The second step to pitching inside is understanding the lane you can throw the baseball down.  You must be able to see the path the ball should take to end up at the spot and through the spot you want it to go.  Ignoring the plate at this point would be a smart idea.  Understand that as a pitcher you want to throw the baseball to a glove, not to the plate.  The plate is just there as a reference for the umpire but your job is to hit the glove.  So if you can see the lane that your ball should go down to hit the glove and be on the inside part of the plate, you have come a long way in this process.

The third step to pitching inside is understanding the angle that the fastball needs to take as you throw it to the plate.  A lot of pitchers stand on the mound and look to the inside part of the plate and don't see the angle the ball should take to throw properly to the inside part of the plate.  Do your mechanics need to be pretty solid to make this happen?  Well, of course, but we wouldn't want it any other way, right?  So, what does the angle look like?  If I am a right handed hitter, facing a right handed pitcher, I should see the ball working from the middle/inside part of the plate and continuing further inside as the ball travels towards me.  The look of a 4 seam fastball should be constantly bearing down on a hitter.  You do not want the baseball starting on the inside part of the plate and then working back towards the middle.  If you work with the wrong angle it will make it a lot tougher to stay in on hitters and to not make mistakes over the middle of the plate when you are trying to go inside.  Also, if the ball works back over the middle and the hitter hits the ball out in front of the plate, it will be a lot easier for them to keep the ball fair down the line.

The fourth step to pitching inside is going out and doing it.  Take your Dad, your friend, or whoever you can get to the field and practice throwing inside.  You could even purchase some padding for your buddies to wear.  Anything you need to do to not worry about hitting someone while you are working on pitching inside is what you should do.  If you have your friends there and they know you are throwing inside and they are ready for it then there should be no issue.  They could even just stand there with a glove on so just in case you miss they can protect themselves.  You are going to hit batters on your path to the big leagues.  That is a definite.  But the more you work at it now, the more comfortable it will become, the more you will recognize the arm path and arm stroke to use to that inside pitch.  Practice with the understanding that you are working for the feel of the inside lane.  You want to be aware of how it feels in your body to own that lane, angle and placement.

Owning the inside part of the plate and having the confidence to throw it there is a big part in becoming a successful pitcher.  Stay positive, understand the process, and then go after it!  Enjoy and we will chat soon!!

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!!!! 

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 Process of Long Toss-Part 3

We are now on the third post in regards to the long toss process.  How far you should throw a baseball during your long toss program and how much time you should spend throwing during a long toss program have already been discussed.  So let's move on to the next process...

How Often Should I Throw?

The question you really want to ask is how often should I not throw.  Becoming a successful pitcher in baseball is obviously a very tough thing to accomplish.  The amount of work that needs to be put in over the years is truly astounding.  Of course, it is never truly work if you love the game and are enjoying the process, but time spent is definitely needed.  Whether you are a young athlete in little league or a more established pitcher at the college or professional level, you should be throwing at least four to six times a week during the off season and five to seven times a week in season.

Now, this is where an individual pitcher and maybe even their parents, depending on their age, need to monitor what is going on.  Even though I say you basically need to be throwing everyday of the week in season and off season, there needs to be a complete resting period as well.  After the end of a season there should be an extended period of complete rest.  This means do not throw a baseball at all.  The amount of time a pitcher should take off is really up to them.  The questions you could ask yourself are how long was the season, how many innings did you throw during the season, and how long do you have before the next season begins.  A rule of thumb would be somewhere around three weeks.  For a young little league athlete, taking time off could be easier because they usually are playing different sports throughout the year and so time off of baseball virtually takes care of itself.  However, if you truly want to become an outstanding pitcher, don't wait until the next baseball season to start throwing again.  Take your needed time off after the season is over but then work in throwing sessions while you are still playing the other sports.

What I am referring to when I list the amount of days during a week a young kid or adult athlete needs to throw in the off season is when they are gearing up for a season.  A high school, collegiate or professional athlete may need two months or longer before a season begins.  A little league aged athlete may only need a couple months or less prior to a season.  For a little league athlete it really depends on how serious they are at becoming a prospective collegiate or professional athlete.  If so, they may want as much time to prepare for a season as a professional.  I have heard stories of kids throwing all year around from very early in their lives.  However, if you have taken some time off between seasons and from your throwing schedule, take your time as you first start out working back into throwing shape.  Start with a smaller amount of days that you throw during the week and work up to more.  Also, make the workouts less intense at first until you know you are in shape to handle more.  Once you get back into the flow of things and you know you are in top throwing shape you could add in mound sessions to work on things for the upcoming season.