With the recent epidemic of steroids in baseball it just goes to show the great lengths that athletes will go in order to improve and take their games to the next level. The most successful athletes are constantly on the look out for ways to “get an edge” on their opponent. However I ask the question, “Are they really willing to do all that it takes to take their game to the next level?” I think athletes have proven that they will sacrifice almost anything in order to get this edge. They have proven that they are willing to sacrifice time with their families, their reputation, and even their health in order to get this edge and put some extra money in their pocket. But, what is the one thing that most athletes are unwilling to sacrifice for this edge? Ironically, what is the one thing that if they did sacrifice it would bring them improvement like they never imagined? What could they sacrifice that would allow them to improve at a ridiculous level and still allow them to keep their health, their family, and their reputation? Very simply, their EGO!
Our ego, our sense of self, our idea that we carry around with us of who we are is the number one limiting factor in baseball and in our lives. I find it amazing that athletes at all levels are willing to go to such great lengths to succeed however the hardest and most frightening thing for most athletes is to be able to look themselves in the mirror and admit that: 1) They are not performing to the level they desire and they need to change who they are to get better and 2) They might have been doing it all wrong their entire career. Most athletes, coaches, and instructors believe they have it all figured out. They believe that the instructor they go to is good, they believe that they are good, and they believe that they are playing at the level they were born to play at. If for some reason they don’t reach a level of performance that they desire they immediately begin to blame it on “genetics” or the “natural born athlete theory”, all in an attempt to protect their ego, knowing that they, “Got the most out of what they were given.”
I mean seriously, when you really sit down and think about it, it absolutely comical. As I have read through the list of players that so far have been found to have taken steroids I am amazed. Not so much because they took the steroids but rather because a small adjustment to their mechanics, their mental approach, their attitude, their nutrition, or their training regiment and they would have produced similar or even greater results then they produced on steroids. They suffered from a limited mindset, they just couldn’t believe that they might be doing something wrong. That maybe they could reach the levels they desired if they just opened their mind to what might be possible. I mean just think, you’ve been playing a certain way for your entire career and one small mechanical adjustment, one small change in how you perceive situations and you’d be a great player. This might be difficult for most athletes because most athletes couldn’t handle the idea that they have been doing things wrong. This would show weakness or a chink in the armor. Needless to say, this is a scary proposition!
I see this all the time. I see young players, players in high school who might be solid players but they look up to other, better players. They talk about these guys like they’re from another planet but not once do they try and change what it is they are doing in order to reach the same level of performance as the players they look up to. It’s far too easy to simply blame the better player’s performance on “natural ability” I mean you don’t have to change anything about your routine if that player was just born to be better then you. Players and parents alike are afraid to admit that they have been taking their athlete to the wrong instructor, trainer, or even school. They don’t want to admit that it is possible that they could be performing at the levels of the players they look up to if they simply change the way they do things.
I also see this at the major league level on a daily basis. I have worked with major league players in the past and it amazes me at their reluctance to change things. In some of the players I have been around if they would change simple aspects of their swing or even undergo a complete swing overhaul they would, without question, produce numbers greater then they ever have in their career. At the major league level this can equate to millions of dollars in that players bank account. Yet these players continue to do things the way they’ve always done them. As a result they continue to experience limited performance and the same results they’ve always gotten.
I know this to be true in my own life and baseball career. I spent most of my career with no guidance on what the proper mechanics were or what I needed to do mentally to unlock my limitless potential. At the same time however I never wanted to show weakness. I wanted to be good, I wanted people to think I was good, and I spent most of my time in utter panic that people would find out that I wasn’t very good. It wasn’t until I was willing to face my own demons, until I was ready to look in the mirror and admit to myself that I wasn’t very good and accept the fact that I wasn’t very good that I finally began to improve. You see in order to reach the levels you desire to reach you must be open to all possibilities. You must be willing to learn and accept that who you currently are just might not be good enough (a very difficult thing to do). Most recently in my life I had to go through the same process in order to change the situation I was in and situations that kept recurring in my daily life. I had to look in the mirror, admit that I didn’t like who I had become or how I did things and then systematically begin to make changes.
Once I opened my mind to the fact that anything was possible and once I separated myself from my own ego, my own idea of who I was, answers began to come faster then I ever expected. Ideas on how to improve physically and mentally began to come to me from every direction. I began to put things together and see things that I never saw before. At the same time my improvement as an athlete began to take off. I started doing things on the field that I had once only dreamed of and the more I learned I started to exceed these dreams and become a player that I had never dreamed possible.
I am not going to lie to you. Going through the process is an extremely difficult thing. It’s a daily battle to change your conditioning both physically and mentally. You start to see more and more things that you want to change and for a while you have a sense that you are getting worse and not better. Your ego will fight to stay in control and there will be times that you’ll feel like giving up. If you really want to improve you must stay the course. You must be willing to face these demons if you truly want to reach the levels of performance you desire to reach.
So I guess the real question is, “How bad do you want it?” Are you like most athletes who are willing to do the extra physical work and leave it at that? Are you going to take the easy way out and chalk everything up to, “natural born talent”? Or, are you willing to look in the mirror, face down your ego, and really change? Do you want to experience a level of performance that only a handful of athletes ever enjoy? Are you willing to change the way to eat, train, act, work, think, and feel in order to reach these levels of performance? Are you willing to set aside your idea of your own self importance to finally perform at these levels? Don’t be like most athletes. Desire something more. Be willing to change who you are in order to reach the goals you have. It is a difficult road but you may find that while in the process of changing yourself athletically you might end up changing your life. I know I have!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Limited Mindset Equals Limited Performance 2
You know it’s funny sometimes how in baseball we limit ourselves all the time without even realizing it. We are so attached to numbers and the numbers we produce that sometimes it gives us a false sense of security. In my profession I generally don’t see an athlete unless he believes that he is struggling for some reason. Very rarely do I get an athlete who is doing well but still wants to get better. You see in baseball we have this idea that if we are getting hits then everything is okay. At the same time if we aren’t getting hits then there must be something wrong.
Thinking in this way only limits us from what we could ultimately accomplish. There are so many variables that go into getting hits or not getting hits that basing our success on the number of hits we get is irrelevant. I know, it sounds crazy right? But if you really stop to think about it you will realize that the fact you went 2 for 3 last game really has no bearing on your abilities or how good your swing is. Many times I will get an athlete that comes in for a lesson and the very next game they have a good game. Maybe they went 2 for 3 or whatever and they seem to think that they are “fixed”. There are so many factors though that go into a hitter getting hits that this isn’t an accurate evaluation on whether or not they are “fixed”. Maybe the pitching wasn’t as good as it has been in previous games, maybe the situation was different so they pitched you different, maybe you hit the ball the same but this time it found a hole.
I’ll give you an example of why hits and numbers aren’t an accurate evaluation of your level as a hitter. Just last week I went to a high school game. There was a player who in that game went 2 for 3 and drove in the go ahead run. In that same game there was a player that went 0 for 4. If I would have been a college recruiter I would have walked right passed the kid who had the hits and given my card to the kid who was 0 for 4. I know, it doesn’t make much sense but the kid that went 0 for 4 was a better hitter. He was pitched differently and when he made his outs the ball was hit completely different then the hitter who got the hits. Each out the hitter made was a hard hit ball with backspin. Conversely, the hitter who got the hits got two seeing eye singles that were off the handle of the bat.
Now I am not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy your hits, you most certainly should. However, I am saying that you shouldn’t evaluate your abilities based on how many hits you get. My best hitters show up, ready to learn consistently. Regardless if they had 4 hits or 0 hits the previous game. They are always wanting to improve and never think that they have arrived.
They focus on the process because they understand that if they just focus on hits they are limiting themselves. They understand that in order to reach the levels of play that they desire they have to hold themselves to a higher standard. Don’t limit yourself in any way. Don’t assume that everything is okay because you got a couple of hits. Don’t assume that there is something is wrong just because you didn’t get any hits. Ask yourself the question, “How good can I be?” Play the game with gratitude and an open mind. Be open to any possibility, don’t be satisfied the your numbers, hold yourself to a higher standard and continue to improve and learn.
Thinking in this way only limits us from what we could ultimately accomplish. There are so many variables that go into getting hits or not getting hits that basing our success on the number of hits we get is irrelevant. I know, it sounds crazy right? But if you really stop to think about it you will realize that the fact you went 2 for 3 last game really has no bearing on your abilities or how good your swing is. Many times I will get an athlete that comes in for a lesson and the very next game they have a good game. Maybe they went 2 for 3 or whatever and they seem to think that they are “fixed”. There are so many factors though that go into a hitter getting hits that this isn’t an accurate evaluation on whether or not they are “fixed”. Maybe the pitching wasn’t as good as it has been in previous games, maybe the situation was different so they pitched you different, maybe you hit the ball the same but this time it found a hole.
I’ll give you an example of why hits and numbers aren’t an accurate evaluation of your level as a hitter. Just last week I went to a high school game. There was a player who in that game went 2 for 3 and drove in the go ahead run. In that same game there was a player that went 0 for 4. If I would have been a college recruiter I would have walked right passed the kid who had the hits and given my card to the kid who was 0 for 4. I know, it doesn’t make much sense but the kid that went 0 for 4 was a better hitter. He was pitched differently and when he made his outs the ball was hit completely different then the hitter who got the hits. Each out the hitter made was a hard hit ball with backspin. Conversely, the hitter who got the hits got two seeing eye singles that were off the handle of the bat.
Now I am not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy your hits, you most certainly should. However, I am saying that you shouldn’t evaluate your abilities based on how many hits you get. My best hitters show up, ready to learn consistently. Regardless if they had 4 hits or 0 hits the previous game. They are always wanting to improve and never think that they have arrived.
They focus on the process because they understand that if they just focus on hits they are limiting themselves. They understand that in order to reach the levels of play that they desire they have to hold themselves to a higher standard. Don’t limit yourself in any way. Don’t assume that everything is okay because you got a couple of hits. Don’t assume that there is something is wrong just because you didn’t get any hits. Ask yourself the question, “How good can I be?” Play the game with gratitude and an open mind. Be open to any possibility, don’t be satisfied the your numbers, hold yourself to a higher standard and continue to improve and learn.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Deliberate Practice Part 5
In part 5 of our discussion on deliberate practice we are going to move into some of the mental aspects of deliberate practice. In order for you to maximize your practice sessions your practice session must be “highly demanding mentally” (Talent is Overrated, Geoff Colvin). This is probably where I see most athletes go wrong in their practice sessions. Most athletes simply, “go through the motions” when they practice and don’t ever put any thought into what it is they are doing. What I normally see is a player who goes out and hits a number of balls, they don’t really make any adjustments from swing to swing and after the session is over they are either happy or frustrated depending on how well they hit. There isn’t any thought from swing to swing.
I am as guilty of this as anyone. When I was younger I prided myself on my work ethic. I would hit every day and make sure that I took over 100 swings. I could usually get my 100 plus swings done in 20-30 minutes. Obviously I wasn’t taking too much time between each swing. My level of improvement was limited, I wasn’t performing the way I wanted and I had no idea how to succeed. I was just hitting to hit.
As I matured I began to realize that I needed to focus on the process of hitting more and less on the result. I needed to focus on how to produce a particular result in order to produce the results I wanted. The more I began to think about my swing the more I began to understand what I needed to do in order to produce the results I desired.
The way I practiced when I was younger is what I see from most athletes today. It’s a waist of time! If you are not able to think about what it is you are doing from swing to swing how can you improve?
In Geoff Colvin’s book “Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” he states, “Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it “deliberate”, as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting tennis balls that most people engage in. Continually seeking exactly those elements of performance that are unsatisfactory and then trying one’s hardest to make them better places enormous strains on anyone’s mental abilities.” When you engage in deliberate practice it takes a tremendous amount of focus. You are continually making adjustments from swing to swing. You may not be able to get anywhere near as many swings as you normally would however you will improve at a much faster rate. In addition at the end of a deliberate practice session you should feel mentally drained. Normally in most athlete’s practice sessions they end when you are physically tired. Mental fatigue is far more powerful than physical fatigue. If for some reason you get to physical fatigue in your practice session you probably weren’t practicing deliberately.
There is a previous example of this on an earlier blog I wrote on Manny Ramirez. In an article on his practice routine it states, "By 8 [a.m.], he's in the cage. He'll only take 30 to 35 balls, but he's almost perfect with them. He does it slow. He doesn't rush. He's not firing ball after ball. He takes his time with each swing. It's like each swing is a whole at-bat. He thinks about what he wants to do and then he thinks about what he just did. Every swing he takes with a purpose. And he doesn't talk much when he's hitting.”
This quote shows that Manny is completely focused on what each and every swing.
Similarly I have completely changed my practice routine. In my daily practice routine I hit for 45 minutes but now in that amount of time I may only get 50-60 swings in. The “less is more” approach has worked very, very well. I have improved faster than I ever did before. I have a great understanding of my swing and what I need to do to produce the results I want.
In your practice sessions, slow down. Think about your swings and the adjustments you need to make from swing to swing. Take less swings but focus more on the swings you do take. You’ll find you will improve much faster and have a better understanding of what you need to do to succeed.
To review, Deliberate Practice must be:
I am as guilty of this as anyone. When I was younger I prided myself on my work ethic. I would hit every day and make sure that I took over 100 swings. I could usually get my 100 plus swings done in 20-30 minutes. Obviously I wasn’t taking too much time between each swing. My level of improvement was limited, I wasn’t performing the way I wanted and I had no idea how to succeed. I was just hitting to hit.
As I matured I began to realize that I needed to focus on the process of hitting more and less on the result. I needed to focus on how to produce a particular result in order to produce the results I wanted. The more I began to think about my swing the more I began to understand what I needed to do in order to produce the results I desired.
The way I practiced when I was younger is what I see from most athletes today. It’s a waist of time! If you are not able to think about what it is you are doing from swing to swing how can you improve?
In Geoff Colvin’s book “Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” he states, “Deliberate practice is above all an effort of focus and concentration. That is what makes it “deliberate”, as distinct from the mindless playing of scales or hitting tennis balls that most people engage in. Continually seeking exactly those elements of performance that are unsatisfactory and then trying one’s hardest to make them better places enormous strains on anyone’s mental abilities.” When you engage in deliberate practice it takes a tremendous amount of focus. You are continually making adjustments from swing to swing. You may not be able to get anywhere near as many swings as you normally would however you will improve at a much faster rate. In addition at the end of a deliberate practice session you should feel mentally drained. Normally in most athlete’s practice sessions they end when you are physically tired. Mental fatigue is far more powerful than physical fatigue. If for some reason you get to physical fatigue in your practice session you probably weren’t practicing deliberately.
There is a previous example of this on an earlier blog I wrote on Manny Ramirez. In an article on his practice routine it states, "By 8 [a.m.], he's in the cage. He'll only take 30 to 35 balls, but he's almost perfect with them. He does it slow. He doesn't rush. He's not firing ball after ball. He takes his time with each swing. It's like each swing is a whole at-bat. He thinks about what he wants to do and then he thinks about what he just did. Every swing he takes with a purpose. And he doesn't talk much when he's hitting.”
This quote shows that Manny is completely focused on what each and every swing.
Similarly I have completely changed my practice routine. In my daily practice routine I hit for 45 minutes but now in that amount of time I may only get 50-60 swings in. The “less is more” approach has worked very, very well. I have improved faster than I ever did before. I have a great understanding of my swing and what I need to do to produce the results I want.
In your practice sessions, slow down. Think about your swings and the adjustments you need to make from swing to swing. Take less swings but focus more on the swings you do take. You’ll find you will improve much faster and have a better understanding of what you need to do to succeed.
To review, Deliberate Practice must be:
- Be specific
- Be repeatable
- Be able to gain feedback on your performance
- Be demanding mentally
Size Doesn't Equal Power
You have all heard me preaching about how any player can produce any result they desire. How a great mental approach, great physical mechanics, and control over your thoughts and emotions can generate results that other’s would deem as impossible. The farther along I have gotten with some of my clients the more I am beginning to see that my theory is correct. Some of my more committed athletes are beginning to produce unimaginable results and I have to say it is very fun to watch and at times even a little silly.
For the past couple of months this has become more and more evident while I have been working with my client Drew. Drew is not a big player, he sits right around 5’8” and about 135 pounds. Despite is smaller stature he hits the ball as hard or harder than any player I have worked with. He has developed an ability to drive the ball consistently and he routinely hits the ball farther and harder than all of his larger teammates. His teammates have begun to marvel at how a player so much smaller then they are can drive the ball with so much more power and with much less effort. We need to keep in mind that Drew has not always been able to do this. Through his smart work, attention to mechanical detail, his process oriented approach, and his development mentally he has turned himself into an unlimited athlete. He is now doing things that he could have once only hoped for.
While it has been fun and an honor watching Drew’s development what happened to another one of my clients yesterday really gave me a moment of excitement. I was working with my client Trevor. Now Trevor and I go back a couple of years and to say that Trev is one of my all time favorite clients would be an understatement. Trevor and I have spent a lot of time together as he played on a travel team that I coached about three years ago. Aside from his small stature (5 foot and about 100 lbs.) Trevor is tough as nails. He is a gamer and any coach would love to have him on their team. His physical toughness, mental approach, and his solid fundamentals make him a fun player to be around.
From a hitting standpoint Trevor has always been a slash type hitter. He is a great bunter and always gives a quality at-bat but has always played the role of a smaller player limiting himself to singles and the occasional well placed double. A few months ago we set out and started to perform a complete swing reconstruction. As the months went by his swing and his results got progressively better. As good as he was getting I really wasn’t expecting what happened yesterday. As the lesson progressed I saw that Trevor’s swing mechanics were exceptional. By the end of the lesson I was pitching him live batting practice and I literally couldn’t believe how the ball was coming off of his bat. Here he was all 5 feet 100 pounds of him driving balls better than most varsity high school players. The velocity with which the ball came off his bat was amazing, the backspin and carry he was getting matched that of some of my most advanced athletes. It’s safe to say that he was putting on a hitting clinic.
The point of this is that you shouldn’t limit yourself and what you can accomplish. I have seen proof time and time again that we are truly unlimited in what we can accomplish if we take the right steps to reach that level of performance. Proper hitting mechanics really do make that big of a difference! Your ability to control your mind also has a tremendous effect on the results you produce. Commit yourself like these players have, learn the mechanics and mental skills that they have learned and your results will be similar. Don’t assume that size equals power. Any one of you can produce these results if you really want to .
Monday, March 16, 2009
The Stance
The importance of a hitter’s stance is often overlooked and neglected. Many athlete’s copy the stance of their favorite player or they piece together their stance by having false assumptions about what the different aspects of the stance actually do. In my experience I have found that many flaws in a hitters swing are the result of flaws in their stance. Our goal as hitters is to repeat proper mechanics as often as possible. Many times a hitter’s stance gets in the way or doesn’t allow for swing repeatability. Many times a hitter will choose a stance that makes it more difficult for them to repeat proper mechanics.
Since we want to repeat proper mechanics as often as possible, doesn’t it then make sense that we should set ourselves up in such a way that makes it as easy as possible for us to repeat these mechanics? Why would we ever do anything that would make it more difficult on ourselves to perform a mechanically sound swing? Most of the time hitters piece together their stance to cover up other mechanical flaws that occur later in the swing. Most coaches realize that their is a problem in the swing however they don’t really know how to fix the problem. As a result they have the hitter over compensate for their flaw by placing some sort of “fix” in the stance. For example: let’s say that a hitter is having a hard time “staying back” on the ball. Some coaches may recommend that the hitter put more weight on their back leg. While most of these “fixes” might help cover up the initial problem the fact that the hitter is compensating which will cause some sort of breakdown later on in the swing. You may be able to win the battle but unless you fix the real issue and make sure that the hitter is in a position to allow their mechanics to be repeated then you most certainly are going to loose the war.
So what is the correct stance? How can you make sure you are in proper position to allow your mechanics to be repeated?
To answer this question we are going to start from the ground up. There are some pictures above that will help give you an idea of what the stance should look like. I will try to go over the different aspects of the stance and why they are important.
Starting with the feet, it is important that the hitter has a parallel stance. The toes of the feet should be in a straight line. Now I know you have probably seen major league players with both open and closed stances. Both the open and the closed stance make it much more difficult to get maximum hip rotation and a direct bat path. In order to maximize hip rotation and to ensure that their has no extra movement that might affect the swing somewhere later on down the line it’s important that the hitter starts with their feet in the parallel position. In addition it’s important that the hitter make sure that their feet are pointed straight ahead. Look at the picture above, you can see that in addition to the feet being parallel they are also straight. Sometimes a hitter may be slightly duck footed or pigeon toed in their stance. When a hitter has their feet in either of these positions it inadvertently affects hip performance. When the feet rotate in or out they also prematurely open or close the hips. Either way the performance of the hips will be affected which will in turn affect the power production and bat speed of the hitter.
After the feet are set in the parallel position the hitter must have some slight bend in the knees. You have a little room to play with here as far as how much bend and it is entirely up the comfort of the athlete. However there must be at least a slight bend in the knees. This puts the body in an athletic position but most importantly it has a tremendous affect on the posture of the athlete. Maintaining one’s posture is extremely important when a hitter is trying to repeat proper mechanics. If a hitter is stiff legged their will have a tendency to change their posture when they stride or begin the swing. Any change in posture will cause mechanical breakdown somewhere in the swing and make it incredibly difficult for achieving repeatability.
The next aspect of the stance deals with weight distribution. This is where I kind of go against the mainstream and what it commonly taught. As you can see in the picture the weight of the hitter is distributed evenly on both legs. You might here hitting instructors or coaches say that there should be more weight on the back leg then on the front. I have found that an even weight distribution allows the posture of the hitter to stay consistent and most importantly allows the hitter to rotate their hips faster. You see, when there is more weight on the back leg it prematurely tilts the shoulders. When the shoulders are prematurely tilted they will continue upon this course later in the swing. This will lengthen out the swing causing the hitter to be “long” which slows bat speed and a whole host of other problems that we don’t have time to get into. In addition it affects the angle of the spine. When the angle of the spine is altered it again doesn’t allow for maximum rotational speed making it more and more difficult to produce a desired result.
After a hitter gets their feet set and knees bent they must have a small bend in the waist. This again is important for rotation. The spine has a small window where it is in the optimal position for rotation. If the athlete is too upright the spine becomes locked and won’t rotate affectively. It the athlete is too bent over their center of gravity becomes altered and they again won’t be able to rotate affectively. You can see in the picture above that the hitter has a small degree of bend at the waist. It is important that hitters make sure that they don’t bend any more or any less then what is shown in the picture.
Once the hitter is bent at the waist it is time to set the hands. The hands become very important when the hitter is trying to have a direct and repeatable bat path. At the very least the hands should be set at the top of the strike zone. I recommend that hitters hold their hands as high as the back shoulder. This will ensure that the hitter is able to take the downward path (the optimal path) to any pitch thrown. If the hands are too low the hitter will be forced to drag the bat through the hitting zone and won’t be able to produce the backspin necessary to produce maximum carry. It is also important that the hitter has some bend in both arms. This will allow the hitter to take that same path to the ball. Finally make sure that the hitter’s front shoulder is facing the pitcher. Sometimes when a hitter sets their hands they have a tendency to roll the front shoulder in too far. This activates the front arm and causes the hitter to pull the bat through the zone. Again this won’t allow for the generation of backspin. You can see from the picture above how the front shoulder is pointed straight ahead. Any more than what is shown and the hitter will be forced to pull the bat through the zone.
The angle of the bat is also extremely important when trying to allow for mechanical repeatability. Think of the bat like the hands on a clock. The ideal position for the bat would be about 11-o-clock. If the bat is at 10-o-clock the front arm is again activated forcing the hitter to pull the bat through the zone. If the bat is at 12 or 1, the bat head has a tendency to continue to drop throughout the swing causing the hitter to be long. The 11-o-clock position makes it easy for the hitter to take the direct path to the ball.
Lastly, shoulder position can go a long way in ensuring mechanical repeatability. The bat will always follow the the body’s posture. Since we want to take a downhill, direct path to the ball the best way to set up the shoulders is to have the front shoulder slightly lower than the back shoulder. I have found that this posture makes it much easier for a hitter to take the correct path to the ball. Since the front shoulder is down the bat will follow the body’s posture, this will allow the bat head to get to the hitting zone in the shortest path possible and allow the hitter to generate backspin. Just like the bat head will drop when the back shoulder drops the bat head will follow the downhill posture of the front shoulder. In order to make it easier for yourself to take the correct path to the ball make sure you set up with the front shoulder slightly down.
Mechanical breakdown always has an origin. If you want to make it as easy on yourself as you can to repeat proper mechanics pay special attention to your stance. Your stance goes a long way in simplifying the swing. Master the stance and you will be more likely to master the swing.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
An Example of Deliberate Practice
Okay, so most of you know how I feel about Manny Ramirez. It’s not a stretch to say that he isn’t my favorite player. I mean, aside from the whole “Manny being Manny” stuff (that I think is a disgrace to baseball) the guy has played for my two least favorite teams (Sorry to all the Dodger and Red Sox fans out there). That all being said there is no denying the fact that Manny is a great hitter. Probably one of the greatest hitters of our generation. He has an amazing ability to repeat proper mechanics. In fact if you guys remember the homerun he hit in the playoffs against the Cubs in Chicago where it looked like he reached out for that really low pitch, well when you break that swing down it is almost mechanically perfect. Most hitters would have to breakdown their mechanics to hit that pitch but Manny was able put a very mechanically sound swing on that pitch which enabled him to hit the ball the way he did.
Manny’s ability to repeat his mechanics so frequently is directly linked to how hard he works on hitting and (most importantly) how he practices. I came across an article yesterday that was written about what Manny does during spring training. How much and how he goes through his daily work. The excerpt below is Don Mattingly discussing how Manny goes about his tee work. I think that what he is saying is very relevant to the blogs I have written about deliberate practice. Pay attention to what Mattingly is saying, notice how Manny takes every swing, “as a whole at-bat”. In addition pay attention to what Mattingly is saying about Manny’s swing and think about the things you are learning. Mattingly talks about “simplicity” and “path to the ball” which is what we are always working on. Head stability, stride foot down early, no big movements are all the things we use to keep your swing simple. The top hand work and hip separation are both necessary for the direct, simple bat path.
Finally notice how Manny uses his mind during his practice session. Like we have discussed before, too many of you simply go out and perform mindless repetition. In order to achieve true mastery it is imperative that you incorporate your mind. Perform less swings, but think about what you are doing. Using your mind will enable you to develop the repeatable swing you need to be successful. Enjoy the excerpt, it you want the whole article let me know and I will email it to you.
"Nothing's changed from last year. He just keeps a simple path to the ball," said Mattingly. "He's patient. He knows there's almost a full Spring Training left and he doesn't feel he has to rush. How many at-bats did he get last Spring Training? I figure 40-50 for the older guys is enough."
Ramirez had 34 at-bats last Spring with the Red Sox, but theirs was a Spring Training shortened by unusual travel as they opened the regular season March 25-26 in Japan.
Mattingly said Ramirez's batting approach is successful because of its simplicity.
"I used to think my approach to hitting was simple, but not nearly as simple as his," Mattingly, the 1984 American League batting champ, said of Ramirez, the 2002 AL batting champ." Now I look back and, by comparison, I made it more difficult. His swing is the way to go.
"By 8 [a.m.], he's in the cage. He'll only take 30 to 35 balls, but he's almost perfect with them. He does it slow. He doesn't rush. He's not firing ball after ball. He takes his time with each swing. It's like each swing is a whole at-bat. He thinks about what he wants to do and then he thinks about what he just did. Every swing he takes with a purpose. And he doesn't talk much when he's hitting. But if he doesn't like one, he'll ask what you think he did.”
Manny’s ability to repeat his mechanics so frequently is directly linked to how hard he works on hitting and (most importantly) how he practices. I came across an article yesterday that was written about what Manny does during spring training. How much and how he goes through his daily work. The excerpt below is Don Mattingly discussing how Manny goes about his tee work. I think that what he is saying is very relevant to the blogs I have written about deliberate practice. Pay attention to what Mattingly is saying, notice how Manny takes every swing, “as a whole at-bat”. In addition pay attention to what Mattingly is saying about Manny’s swing and think about the things you are learning. Mattingly talks about “simplicity” and “path to the ball” which is what we are always working on. Head stability, stride foot down early, no big movements are all the things we use to keep your swing simple. The top hand work and hip separation are both necessary for the direct, simple bat path.
Finally notice how Manny uses his mind during his practice session. Like we have discussed before, too many of you simply go out and perform mindless repetition. In order to achieve true mastery it is imperative that you incorporate your mind. Perform less swings, but think about what you are doing. Using your mind will enable you to develop the repeatable swing you need to be successful. Enjoy the excerpt, it you want the whole article let me know and I will email it to you.
"Nothing's changed from last year. He just keeps a simple path to the ball," said Mattingly. "He's patient. He knows there's almost a full Spring Training left and he doesn't feel he has to rush. How many at-bats did he get last Spring Training? I figure 40-50 for the older guys is enough."
Ramirez had 34 at-bats last Spring with the Red Sox, but theirs was a Spring Training shortened by unusual travel as they opened the regular season March 25-26 in Japan.
Mattingly said Ramirez's batting approach is successful because of its simplicity.
"I used to think my approach to hitting was simple, but not nearly as simple as his," Mattingly, the 1984 American League batting champ, said of Ramirez, the 2002 AL batting champ." Now I look back and, by comparison, I made it more difficult. His swing is the way to go.
"By 8 [a.m.], he's in the cage. He'll only take 30 to 35 balls, but he's almost perfect with them. He does it slow. He doesn't rush. He's not firing ball after ball. He takes his time with each swing. It's like each swing is a whole at-bat. He thinks about what he wants to do and then he thinks about what he just did. Every swing he takes with a purpose. And he doesn't talk much when he's hitting. But if he doesn't like one, he'll ask what you think he did.”
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Limited Mindset Equals Limited Performance
Baseball is crazy! I mean, I love it of course but at the same time baseball and the belief system we have in baseball is enough to drive me nuts. Baseball, more than any other sport is attached to the past. While this attachment provides baseball with the richest history of any other sport it also robs us of progress. Baseball’s attachment to the past and it’s attachment to it’s records doesn’t allow for improvement. It doesn’t allow us to ponder, “What is possible?” I mean we think we already know. For some reason in baseball we have decided what the limits to human performance are. We have decided that hitting .300 or 60 homeruns is the limit to what we can do naturally. If for some reason these numbers are to be surpassed then we immediately believe that the player who did it must have been cheating.
Think about it! It’s almost blasphemy to say that Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Lou Gehrig couldn’t compete today with the mechanics they had back then. We want to believe that we will never see anyone who can live up to their talents. This mindset prevents us from surpassing the records these athletes set. Could they really compete today? Could a car, even the best car, built in the 1920’s compete in a race with an average car today? Of course not! The game doesn’t resemble the game these athletes played in. Their mechanics would be exploited in today’s game and they wouldn’t come near the level of success they had back then in today’s game.
The one thing these athletes had however was a limitless mindset. Babe Ruth who played in an era where whole teams were hitting around 20 homeruns a year, saw no reason why he couldn’t hit 60 and as a result he did. Ted Williams saw no reason why he couldn’t hit .400 and he did that very thing. It was their mindset that allowed them to reach these levels not their mechanics. It was this mindset that would cause them to change their mechanics if they played today. If Babe Ruth or Ted Williams played today I believe their swings would look vastly different then the ones we remember. As such they would have been able to compete today but not with their old mechanics.
Over the years and through advances in training, instruction, video analysis, etc., players have become better and more efficient at producing a desired result. Just like in the development of cars, tvs, and other technological advances, we make small improvements over time. When we develop something ground breaking we immediately go to work to make that item a little better. We go from black and white tvs to color, from color to cable, from cable to plasma, from plasma to HD. We didn’t jump from black and white to HD overnight, we made small improvements over time. So then why have the statistics of players not gotten that much better considering they are stronger, faster and better mechanically?
It has everything to do with our mindset as a group. In baseball, when an athlete at any level hits .300 or a certain number of homeruns we immediately think, “He’s got it. He knows what he is doing.” Once they hit these numbers we stop looking for ways for that athlete to improve. We take the, “We just don’t want him to loose it” approach and we are happy with that production. Nobody ever steps back and wonders if we could do more. Nobody wants to take the risk of, “screwing him up” in order to improve upon already good statistics. Everyone wants to believe that .300 is good enough and that hitting .400 is impossible. But what about .450? What about 80 homeruns in a season? Is this possible? I believe it is.
Think of other sports. Every 4 years in track and field we see what we think is the limit to human performance and every 4 years those limits are erased. Look at extreme sports, every couple of months or so we see someone do the “impossible” only to have someone perform an even more difficult trick a few months later. Why is it that there is so much progress in other sports but not in baseball? The track and field athlete is completely focused on running faster then the world record. They know it’s possible and as such they study and look for improvements in training, nutrition, mechanics, and mental skills to make this feat possible. They don’t just shut it down because they are winning races, they are racing against the clock. They are focused on breaking records, their mindset, their goals are focused on doing the impossible. And guess what? They do it all the time.
As everyone knows, baseball has had a run of bad press. We have just finished what could probably be the darkest time baseball has ever seen. Baseball needs someone to change the game. It needs someone to do the “impossible”. We need to improve the sport from the inside out and show the world that it truly is the greatest sport ever invented. In order to accomplish this we have to change our mindset. The limited mindset leads to steroid abuse, the limited mindset leads to complacency and causes our sport to grow stale. The impossible is possible. We can hit .450 in the major leagues. We can hit 80 homeruns in a season. Don’t let the past dictate what you accomplish in the future. Believe in what is possible, change your mindset and help me change this great game.
Think about it! It’s almost blasphemy to say that Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, or Lou Gehrig couldn’t compete today with the mechanics they had back then. We want to believe that we will never see anyone who can live up to their talents. This mindset prevents us from surpassing the records these athletes set. Could they really compete today? Could a car, even the best car, built in the 1920’s compete in a race with an average car today? Of course not! The game doesn’t resemble the game these athletes played in. Their mechanics would be exploited in today’s game and they wouldn’t come near the level of success they had back then in today’s game.
The one thing these athletes had however was a limitless mindset. Babe Ruth who played in an era where whole teams were hitting around 20 homeruns a year, saw no reason why he couldn’t hit 60 and as a result he did. Ted Williams saw no reason why he couldn’t hit .400 and he did that very thing. It was their mindset that allowed them to reach these levels not their mechanics. It was this mindset that would cause them to change their mechanics if they played today. If Babe Ruth or Ted Williams played today I believe their swings would look vastly different then the ones we remember. As such they would have been able to compete today but not with their old mechanics.
Over the years and through advances in training, instruction, video analysis, etc., players have become better and more efficient at producing a desired result. Just like in the development of cars, tvs, and other technological advances, we make small improvements over time. When we develop something ground breaking we immediately go to work to make that item a little better. We go from black and white tvs to color, from color to cable, from cable to plasma, from plasma to HD. We didn’t jump from black and white to HD overnight, we made small improvements over time. So then why have the statistics of players not gotten that much better considering they are stronger, faster and better mechanically?
It has everything to do with our mindset as a group. In baseball, when an athlete at any level hits .300 or a certain number of homeruns we immediately think, “He’s got it. He knows what he is doing.” Once they hit these numbers we stop looking for ways for that athlete to improve. We take the, “We just don’t want him to loose it” approach and we are happy with that production. Nobody ever steps back and wonders if we could do more. Nobody wants to take the risk of, “screwing him up” in order to improve upon already good statistics. Everyone wants to believe that .300 is good enough and that hitting .400 is impossible. But what about .450? What about 80 homeruns in a season? Is this possible? I believe it is.
Think of other sports. Every 4 years in track and field we see what we think is the limit to human performance and every 4 years those limits are erased. Look at extreme sports, every couple of months or so we see someone do the “impossible” only to have someone perform an even more difficult trick a few months later. Why is it that there is so much progress in other sports but not in baseball? The track and field athlete is completely focused on running faster then the world record. They know it’s possible and as such they study and look for improvements in training, nutrition, mechanics, and mental skills to make this feat possible. They don’t just shut it down because they are winning races, they are racing against the clock. They are focused on breaking records, their mindset, their goals are focused on doing the impossible. And guess what? They do it all the time.
As everyone knows, baseball has had a run of bad press. We have just finished what could probably be the darkest time baseball has ever seen. Baseball needs someone to change the game. It needs someone to do the “impossible”. We need to improve the sport from the inside out and show the world that it truly is the greatest sport ever invented. In order to accomplish this we have to change our mindset. The limited mindset leads to steroid abuse, the limited mindset leads to complacency and causes our sport to grow stale. The impossible is possible. We can hit .450 in the major leagues. We can hit 80 homeruns in a season. Don’t let the past dictate what you accomplish in the future. Believe in what is possible, change your mindset and help me change this great game.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Head Stability: Allowing for Repeatable Mechanics
You have all heard me talk about mechanical repeatability. How the most successful athletes are the ones who repeat proper mechanics more often then anyone else. These athletes seem to have greater control over their body then do most people. They seem to repeat their mechanics with greater ease and effortlessness then do athletes with lesser abilities. What allows them to do this?
Control over one’s head is probably the most important and most overlooked aspect of mechanics in any athletic movement. Hitting, pitching, fielding, running, whatever movement you are trying to perform you will be able to perform the mechanics much easier if you are able to have a stable head. We spend so much time on the different aspects of mechanics but we rarely spend any time working on keeping the head stable. In my experience I have found that in many cases stabilizing the head of an athlete takes care of many of the athlete’s mechanical issues and their ability to repeat those mechanics.
Think of your head as a big bowling ball sitting on top of your body. With this weight sitting on top of your body it has the ability to direct what the rest of the body does. When the head moves the body always follows. In hitting for example: if the head tilts to the side the shoulders will follow the head. As a result the bat will follow the shoulders causing the swing to lengthen out. In pitching it’s the same thing. Many times athletes try and throw harder by jerking their head to the side producing more effort. The problem is when the athlete jerks their head the body pulls to the side with it. The end result is the pitcher is not able to get the most behind their pitch. While the pitcher placed more effort into that particular pitch they will end up with a worse result.
Head stability is especially important in any sport that is rotational. Hitting and throwing are obviously rotation in nature. In order to rotate the body to it’s maximum speed the body needs an axis to spin around. The head acts as this axis. If the head is stable it allows the body to rotate faster. If however, the head moves forward, back, or side to side the athlete’s rotation will be slowed and they will not be able to produce the results they desire.
If you are having trouble repeating your mechanics check your head. Focus on keeping your head as still and as straight as possible and you will be surprised at how easy it becomes to repeat your mechanics. Head stability will enable you to repeat your mechanics more often and rotate faster. It’s often overlooked but probably the most important aspect of all athletic mechanics. Stabilize your head and your results will improve.
Control over one’s head is probably the most important and most overlooked aspect of mechanics in any athletic movement. Hitting, pitching, fielding, running, whatever movement you are trying to perform you will be able to perform the mechanics much easier if you are able to have a stable head. We spend so much time on the different aspects of mechanics but we rarely spend any time working on keeping the head stable. In my experience I have found that in many cases stabilizing the head of an athlete takes care of many of the athlete’s mechanical issues and their ability to repeat those mechanics.
Think of your head as a big bowling ball sitting on top of your body. With this weight sitting on top of your body it has the ability to direct what the rest of the body does. When the head moves the body always follows. In hitting for example: if the head tilts to the side the shoulders will follow the head. As a result the bat will follow the shoulders causing the swing to lengthen out. In pitching it’s the same thing. Many times athletes try and throw harder by jerking their head to the side producing more effort. The problem is when the athlete jerks their head the body pulls to the side with it. The end result is the pitcher is not able to get the most behind their pitch. While the pitcher placed more effort into that particular pitch they will end up with a worse result.
Head stability is especially important in any sport that is rotational. Hitting and throwing are obviously rotation in nature. In order to rotate the body to it’s maximum speed the body needs an axis to spin around. The head acts as this axis. If the head is stable it allows the body to rotate faster. If however, the head moves forward, back, or side to side the athlete’s rotation will be slowed and they will not be able to produce the results they desire.
If you are having trouble repeating your mechanics check your head. Focus on keeping your head as still and as straight as possible and you will be surprised at how easy it becomes to repeat your mechanics. Head stability will enable you to repeat your mechanics more often and rotate faster. It’s often overlooked but probably the most important aspect of all athletic mechanics. Stabilize your head and your results will improve.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Deliberate Practice Part 4
For our next discussion on “Deliberate Practice” we will focus on the importance of feedback. For a practice session to really be effective you must be able to gain feedback on your performance. Now remember, I am not talking about feedback from the standpoint of the results you produce. I am rather talking about feedback on the different aspects of your mechanics. This is where a quality coach or instructor becomes extremely valuable. After each swing they have the ability to provide you with feedback on what improvements you can make for the next swing. They have the ability to see things that you might not be able to feel.
If you are basing your feedback on the results you produce you might try and fix something that doesn’t need fixed. An instructor can tell you what exactly you need to fix in order to improve as the practice session goes along. Now, is an instructor necessary? Well, no. However, most hitters, especially young hitters, are not educated enough in the mechanics of the swing to be able to feel, determine mistakes, and fix those mistakes on their own.
That being said there are ways that a hitter can get feedback during practice when they don’t have the opportunity to work with an instructor. I am a huge believer in the use of a mirror. Let’s say a coach tells a hitter about a particular aspect of the swing that they need to work on. That coach usually won’t be able to be around to watch and guarantee that the hitter is performing the movement correctly. In that case the best thing the hitter can use is the mirror. Swings in front of the mirror allow the hitter to get instant feedback on what aspects of their mechanics they need to improve on. The hitter can take a swing, see and feel what their body did, make the necessary adjustments, and take another swing. The mirror allows the hitter to begin to “feel” what the proper movement should feel like. When a hitter can feel what proper mechanics should feel like they are going to be more likely to be able to make adjustments when they are not in front of the mirror.
Secondly, when an athlete does work in front of the mirror it helps to reinforce good mechanics into the subconscious mind. When good mechanics are reinforced into the subconscious mind the hitter is going to learn the proper movement faster and it makes it more likely that the hitter will develop a repeatable swing.
Now I know that a lot of you believe that in order to work on hitting you must be physically hitting a ball. Remember that our goal is to develop a repeatable swing. Mirror work allows you to develop the repeatable swing and provides you with feedback during your practice session faster and more efficiently then any other form of practice. If you don’t have access to an instructor (a good one) then use the mirror. You will be surprised at how fast you improve.
So let’s review what we have covered so far. In order for a practice session to be a “deliberate practice” session it must:
If you are basing your feedback on the results you produce you might try and fix something that doesn’t need fixed. An instructor can tell you what exactly you need to fix in order to improve as the practice session goes along. Now, is an instructor necessary? Well, no. However, most hitters, especially young hitters, are not educated enough in the mechanics of the swing to be able to feel, determine mistakes, and fix those mistakes on their own.
That being said there are ways that a hitter can get feedback during practice when they don’t have the opportunity to work with an instructor. I am a huge believer in the use of a mirror. Let’s say a coach tells a hitter about a particular aspect of the swing that they need to work on. That coach usually won’t be able to be around to watch and guarantee that the hitter is performing the movement correctly. In that case the best thing the hitter can use is the mirror. Swings in front of the mirror allow the hitter to get instant feedback on what aspects of their mechanics they need to improve on. The hitter can take a swing, see and feel what their body did, make the necessary adjustments, and take another swing. The mirror allows the hitter to begin to “feel” what the proper movement should feel like. When a hitter can feel what proper mechanics should feel like they are going to be more likely to be able to make adjustments when they are not in front of the mirror.
Secondly, when an athlete does work in front of the mirror it helps to reinforce good mechanics into the subconscious mind. When good mechanics are reinforced into the subconscious mind the hitter is going to learn the proper movement faster and it makes it more likely that the hitter will develop a repeatable swing.
Now I know that a lot of you believe that in order to work on hitting you must be physically hitting a ball. Remember that our goal is to develop a repeatable swing. Mirror work allows you to develop the repeatable swing and provides you with feedback during your practice session faster and more efficiently then any other form of practice. If you don’t have access to an instructor (a good one) then use the mirror. You will be surprised at how fast you improve.
So let’s review what we have covered so far. In order for a practice session to be a “deliberate practice” session it must:
- Be specific
- Be highly repeatable
- Be able to gain feedback on your performance
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Load
The load is a very important and often overlooked aspect of the swing. The load is a small movement with the hands when the stride foot begins forward. The load is important because it gives the body the an eccentric contraction in the upper body prior to the hands starting forward. This contraction is necessary to maximize muscle performance in the upper body. Think of stretching out a rubber band and letting go. The “stretching back” of the rubber band produces the power when you let go. The same is true in hitting.
Secondly, the load allows the hitter to get the bat in good position to perform the proper bat path needed. Many times the importance of the load is ignored and as a result there is breakdown somewhere later in the swing.
As you can see from the video a good load involves the hitter moving his hands both up and back. It’s important that the hitter doesn’t move their arms straight back causing the arms to straighten out. In order to maintain a good downhill bat path it’s important that the hitter maintains some bend in the arms. The easiest way to accomplish this is for the hitter to use the top hand to load the bat. If the hitter uses the bottom hand it has a tendency to push the bat straight back, straightening out the arms. This will cause the bat to drop and loop as the bat comes forward.
Another important aspect of the load is that the front shoulder does not roll inward. Again, if the hitter uses their top hand to load this should prevent them from rolling the front shoulder inward. If the front shoulder does roll in it will have to roll out again before the bat gets to the hitting zone. This will cause a “lengthening out” of the swing, causing the barrel to drop.
A great way to work on the load is to have the hitter stand in their stance in front of a mirror. In front of the mirror they can take their stride and their load and look at what the front shoulder, arms, and bat are doing. They will be able to feel what a proper load is supposed to look like and over time they will be able to load the bat without looking. This will go a long way in power production and helping them achieve mechanical repeatability.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Effort vs. Results
Have you ever noticed that the greatest athletes in the world almost look as though they aren’t trying? Have you noticed that the best hitters in baseball look as though they swinging at less than 100%? The game is easy for them and all of their movements seem to be slow and smooth. Then how is it that they are able to produce such amazing results? Young athletes are raised to believe that their level of success is directly proportional to the amount of effort the put out. Think about it! In all the different aspects of our life (here in America) we applaud the blue collar worker. We root for the underdog, we appreciate the guy who tries hard and “gives it his all”. Some of us take pride in how hard our life has been and wear our struggles as a badge of honor. At the same time we despise the people who make life look easy. We immediately believe that they must be cheating or getting over on someone because after all “life is hard!”
This conditioning is also apparent in sports. Our young athletes are always told to, “Give 110%” and we expect them to look like they are giving everything they have at all times. The crazy thing is we never stop and ask, “Does this really create results?” We simply believe that if we try hard enough we will succeed. We don’t ever question whether this advice is true or not, we just simply take it for what it’s worth and then go about our lives trying hard to “make things happen” and all the while we are actually getting in our own way of really producing the results we want.
I know, I know, I sound crazy. Before you completely dismiss what I am saying give it a chance and read through the rest of this article. I mean what if you could produce the results you want with far less effort then you are already putting forth? You’d be crazy not to do it, right? I mean why would anyone try to break down a wall to get through it if they could simply open then door and allow themselves to pass right through?
For years we have watched top athletes perform and we are all amazed at the ease and effortlessness for which they play. We have the belief that their superior athleticism allows them to play the game with less effort then the rest of us. Have you ever stopped and considered that maybe their effortlessness allows them to be more athletic? Maybe we have had it backwards all these years. Maybe if we back off on our effort level a little we might be able to perform our mechanics much easier.
The more I study baseball and human performance the more I begin to realize that, “effort” actually stifles results. That the harder we try the farther we actually get from our goals. Now before I start to explain why I want you to understand that I don’t mean that you shouldn’t play hard. There is a big difference between running your fastest to first, diving for balls, and playing the game right and putting out maximum effort when you play. You should always play the game right however you should do it in a way that allows you to produce the results that you desire.
I began to really understand this concept while working with my martial arts instructor. In a drill called, “sticky hands” a student (me) is to keep his hands stuck to the hands of the instructor. The instructor will take the student through various blocks and movements performed in the art. As the drill progresses the instructor begins to move faster and faster. What I realized was the faster my instructor moved the harder I would try to keep up with him. The harder I tried the worse I got at being able to perform the proper movement. When I began to understand that I needed to slow down, to use less effort my body began to perform movements I had just learned at an incredible speed. I was able to keep up with the instructor even though I had just learned the movement. However, once I began to “try” it was all out the window and I couldn’t even perform basic movements.
I began to wonder how this could help my hitters. I have always preached mechanical repeatability and I started to wonder that if this approach would not only help their bat speed but also improve their ability to repeat their mechanics? As I tried it myself I found that indeed my bat speed increased dramatically and it was far easier to repeat my mechanics. In addition I found that the ball was coming off the bat much faster and I was hitting balls much further then I ever was trying to hit the ball as hard as I could. I then experimented with my running. Time and time again my times were substantially faster when I ran at 80% then they were when I was running at 100%. I was convinced! I began to share my findings with my athletes. Just as I thought each athlete had significant improvements in bat speed, exit velocity, and repeatability.
So how and why does this work? Why is it that our long held belief that effort creates results is wrong and that creating results has nothing to do with exerting maximum effort? From a physical stand point effort creates muscle tension. When an athlete exerts their maximum effort the muscles in the body tense up which leads to a decrease in the athlete’s control over fine motor movements. When this happens the athlete is unable to repeat proper mechanics. In addition muscle tension creates friction. The muscles can not move with any fluidity. They actually have to fight each other to perform the movement. Think of a car with it’s parking brake on, you can hold the accelerator down and the car will be giving a lot of effort but it won’t be going anywhere or producing any results. If you simply release the parking brake you can then produce more results with far less effort. The same is true in athletics.
From a mental stand point, effort comes from a place of doubt. Truly confident athletes don’t have to place maximum effort into their movements because they know that if they just perform the movement correctly they will produce a desired result. You see when we “try” or when we really give a lot of effort toward a goal we are not confident that we will attain that goal. We think that we have to try to “make it happen” because if we don’t then it won’t happen. Successful athletes believe that whatever happens things will work out their way in the long run. That they will produce a desired result and therefore don’t have to force themselves to produce that result. This confidence, this belief in themselves enables them to play with the ease and effortlessness we all witness. There is not doubt that they will produce the result they want and as such they almost always produce that result.
The same is true as I write this article. As I sit here I am not trying to write this. I am simply allowing the thoughts in my head to produce the result that I want. If I were to try to write this I would be blocked, I wouldn’t be able to communicate what I want to get across to you.
Coaches across America love to see effort. They love to see their athletes trying hard but the ones who play are the athletes that produce results. Many coaches preach about effort and giving it all you have but time and time again the athletes who play produce results, the ones who make it look easy are the ones who progress onto higher levels of play. You basically have to ask yourself one question, “Do I want to look like I’m trying hard or do I want to produce results?” The answer to that question could make the difference in your career. The answer to that question could finally allow you to produce the results you desire.
This conditioning is also apparent in sports. Our young athletes are always told to, “Give 110%” and we expect them to look like they are giving everything they have at all times. The crazy thing is we never stop and ask, “Does this really create results?” We simply believe that if we try hard enough we will succeed. We don’t ever question whether this advice is true or not, we just simply take it for what it’s worth and then go about our lives trying hard to “make things happen” and all the while we are actually getting in our own way of really producing the results we want.
I know, I know, I sound crazy. Before you completely dismiss what I am saying give it a chance and read through the rest of this article. I mean what if you could produce the results you want with far less effort then you are already putting forth? You’d be crazy not to do it, right? I mean why would anyone try to break down a wall to get through it if they could simply open then door and allow themselves to pass right through?
For years we have watched top athletes perform and we are all amazed at the ease and effortlessness for which they play. We have the belief that their superior athleticism allows them to play the game with less effort then the rest of us. Have you ever stopped and considered that maybe their effortlessness allows them to be more athletic? Maybe we have had it backwards all these years. Maybe if we back off on our effort level a little we might be able to perform our mechanics much easier.
The more I study baseball and human performance the more I begin to realize that, “effort” actually stifles results. That the harder we try the farther we actually get from our goals. Now before I start to explain why I want you to understand that I don’t mean that you shouldn’t play hard. There is a big difference between running your fastest to first, diving for balls, and playing the game right and putting out maximum effort when you play. You should always play the game right however you should do it in a way that allows you to produce the results that you desire.
I began to really understand this concept while working with my martial arts instructor. In a drill called, “sticky hands” a student (me) is to keep his hands stuck to the hands of the instructor. The instructor will take the student through various blocks and movements performed in the art. As the drill progresses the instructor begins to move faster and faster. What I realized was the faster my instructor moved the harder I would try to keep up with him. The harder I tried the worse I got at being able to perform the proper movement. When I began to understand that I needed to slow down, to use less effort my body began to perform movements I had just learned at an incredible speed. I was able to keep up with the instructor even though I had just learned the movement. However, once I began to “try” it was all out the window and I couldn’t even perform basic movements.
I began to wonder how this could help my hitters. I have always preached mechanical repeatability and I started to wonder that if this approach would not only help their bat speed but also improve their ability to repeat their mechanics? As I tried it myself I found that indeed my bat speed increased dramatically and it was far easier to repeat my mechanics. In addition I found that the ball was coming off the bat much faster and I was hitting balls much further then I ever was trying to hit the ball as hard as I could. I then experimented with my running. Time and time again my times were substantially faster when I ran at 80% then they were when I was running at 100%. I was convinced! I began to share my findings with my athletes. Just as I thought each athlete had significant improvements in bat speed, exit velocity, and repeatability.
So how and why does this work? Why is it that our long held belief that effort creates results is wrong and that creating results has nothing to do with exerting maximum effort? From a physical stand point effort creates muscle tension. When an athlete exerts their maximum effort the muscles in the body tense up which leads to a decrease in the athlete’s control over fine motor movements. When this happens the athlete is unable to repeat proper mechanics. In addition muscle tension creates friction. The muscles can not move with any fluidity. They actually have to fight each other to perform the movement. Think of a car with it’s parking brake on, you can hold the accelerator down and the car will be giving a lot of effort but it won’t be going anywhere or producing any results. If you simply release the parking brake you can then produce more results with far less effort. The same is true in athletics.
From a mental stand point, effort comes from a place of doubt. Truly confident athletes don’t have to place maximum effort into their movements because they know that if they just perform the movement correctly they will produce a desired result. You see when we “try” or when we really give a lot of effort toward a goal we are not confident that we will attain that goal. We think that we have to try to “make it happen” because if we don’t then it won’t happen. Successful athletes believe that whatever happens things will work out their way in the long run. That they will produce a desired result and therefore don’t have to force themselves to produce that result. This confidence, this belief in themselves enables them to play with the ease and effortlessness we all witness. There is not doubt that they will produce the result they want and as such they almost always produce that result.
The same is true as I write this article. As I sit here I am not trying to write this. I am simply allowing the thoughts in my head to produce the result that I want. If I were to try to write this I would be blocked, I wouldn’t be able to communicate what I want to get across to you.
Coaches across America love to see effort. They love to see their athletes trying hard but the ones who play are the athletes that produce results. Many coaches preach about effort and giving it all you have but time and time again the athletes who play produce results, the ones who make it look easy are the ones who progress onto higher levels of play. You basically have to ask yourself one question, “Do I want to look like I’m trying hard or do I want to produce results?” The answer to that question could make the difference in your career. The answer to that question could finally allow you to produce the results you desire.
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