By Garrett Wolforth –
I don’t know about all of you, but when I think of baseball season starting, it brings back a lot of memories (both good and bad, of course). The competing, the wins and losses, the miracles and heartbreaks—each and every day on a baseball field is filled with excitement and stress.
As our athletes shift into their seasons, much of their focus turns towards competing. And rightfully so! If they want more pitching time on their high school team, they’d better get outs. If they want to earn a college scholarship, they’d better get outs. If they want to improve their draft stock so they can play professionally, they’d better get outs. And finally, if they want to make it through the gauntlet of Minor League Baseball and eventually call themselves Major League Baseball players, then they’d better get outs. This mindset shift is only logical as we approach the season.
However, today I want to take a look at the guys whom I have seen advance to the highest levels of baseball. These guys not only competed, but they also did what is incredibly hard to do: they got BETTER during the season.
If you’ve been around The Ranch long enough, I’m sure you have heard the concept of “training vs. competing.” It’s the idea that we are either in a mode of trying to improve ourselves through our training, or we are competing and helping our team win. The mistake many people make is attributing each of these focuses strictly to either the off-season or the in-season: you can only improve in the off-season; that’s when real progress is made. Or you can only worry about helping your team, not about bettering yourself, during the season because it’s time to compete.
I think this ideology is flawed and needs to be replaced.
Of course, the off-season is the easiest time to get better. And, of course, we want to win during the season. But what about the days in between?
Let’s use a Major League starter as an example. Teams generally have a five- or six-man rotation, so a pitcher will throw once every five to six days. Does that mean he is simply trying to maintain on the days in between? No. He is actively working on something every single day that he goes out and throws. Was his slider shape poor during his last start? Let’s throw more sliders during catch play and bullpens. Was he placing extra microtrauma on his arm because of a poor movement pattern? Let’s see what tools or drills we can use to alleviate that stress before the next start.
My whole point is this: everyone gets the same number of hours in a day. I want you to take a long second to think about how you are spending those hours. Are you just trying to “stay fresh” for games, or are you attacking a potential opportunity for improvement?
If the best in the world are always trying to find an edge, then we should, too.
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Important TBR Updates
- Make your plans now to join us this summer for an Elite Pitchers Bootcamp!
May 23-25 (Sat-Mon)
June 19-21 (Fri-Sun)
July 3-5 (Fri-Sun)
July 31-August 2 (Fri-Sun)
September 5-7 (Sat-Mon)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Interested in our “Summer Intensive Development Program”? Join us for 2-11 weeks this summer. For more information on this one of a kind Summer Training experience and for a registration form visit Early Bird Savings through March 31st.
- Would you like to participate in the Ranch Summer Program but can’t find 2+ weeks in your schedule? We have an option for you! Attend one of our 3-Day EPBC’s and add the summer program week after. It’s seven days of training and is a great option for those players with an extremely busy summer schedule. Give us a call and we can provide you with more details – (936) 588-6762.
- Coach Wolforth is hosting a special 90 minute webinar – “The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy” on Thursdays at 7pm CST. If you’d like to attend the next webinar, CLICK HERE to register.
- Coach Wolforth is also hosting another webinar – “The 4 Pitching Pitfalls that Sabotage Velocity, Arm Health & Long-Term Success” Mondays at 7 pm. CST. CLICK HERE to register.
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