UPB Development Pyramid #3 (Specific Physical Development)

The third level of the UPB Development Pyramid is called Specific Physical Development. At this level athletes have a good idea of what they need to work on and have a specific plan to address those issues during their practice session. They don’t mindlessly go through their practice sessions just performing repetitions but rather their repetitions have a purpose. They may perform less repetitions however their practice sessions may be longer in duration because they are focused on each repetition.

When an athlete reaches this level in their practice sessions they are beginning to develop a good level of mastery over their physical skills and their practice sessions are geared to make finer and finer adjustments. While the athlete will begin to use their mind to aide in their development by simply focusing more and having a plan they are still not using their mind fully to help maximize both their development and their performance. They may still cling to the idea that they are limited and their performance (while they can improve) is somehow based on natural ability.

These athletes are more focused however and as a result more engaged during their practice times and private lessons. When these athletes take private lessons they listen and take ownership over what’s being taught. They then go home and try to apply what they’ve learned by performing the drills they’ve been taught and they start to think about what they are doing and make adjustments on their own. The great thing about athletes at this level is that they are starting to use their minds and are usually able to climb to the next level easily. Athletes found at this level are usually elite college players and top professional prospects.

Clearing Interference

Many times the way we respond in a given situation is entirely due to the questions we ask ourselves both consciously and subconsciously. If we have a tendency to respond in negative and unproductive ways we can usually eliminate this by simply changing the questions we ask. The questions we ask direct our focus and the results we produce are directly linked to what we focus on. So you might be thinking, “How does this apply to baseball?” In baseball we are judged by our performance which as an athlete is producing an external result. As a result when we don’t perform at the level we think we should we immediately begin searching for an external cause. The questions that I’m routinely asked are the same questions that the athletes are asking themselves, “What’s wrong with my swing?” “What am I doing wrong?” and so on. Our minds tend to immediately go to an external cause for our external failures.

The problem with this is that these questions put us in a negative and unproductive state. It leads us to be constantly thinking about and focusing on “what’s wrong” which then causes us to produce more and more of “what’s wrong”. This of course leads to inconsistent performance not to mention a reduced level of confidence in the athlete.

So how is it that we can rephrase these questions and begin to shift your focus on something more positive and productive? What question can we ask that will really get to the root of the problem and allow us to experience more success? Well, before we get into that it’s important for you to understand how your subconscious mind effects your body. Maybe even more important is how your mechanics are planted into your subconscious mind and what it is that causes mechanical breakdown.

After you are introduced to proper physical mechanics and have time to perform proper repetitions they become stored in our subconscious mind. Often what we refer to as muscle memory is nothing more then proper movements or skills becoming stored into our subconscious. Now the subconscious stores all of our skills that we perform day in and day out without any thought. Walking across a room, the beating of your heart, typing on the computer, and your breathing are all stored here. When you want to execute a skill for example such as getting off the couch and walking across the room the subconscious mind sends your intention to your body and your body performs the skill, usually easily and effortlessly. The very same process takes place when we decide to throw a pitch or swing at a pitch. But if our proper mechanics are stored in the subconscious then what is it that causes so much inconsistency in the execution of our mechanics?

Unfortunately the information being delivered from the subconscious mind to the body can become blocked or somehow distorted by negative thoughts or focusing on the external. Don’t believe me? Well, have you ever see someone have an anxiety attack where they exhibited signs of having a heart attack? Negative or stressful thoughts in their mind created a block between the subconscious mind and their body. As a result they began to show the signs and symptoms of having a heart attack. Now if negative thinking and stress were powerful enough to block the subconscious mind from telling the body to beat the heart (something we never think or worry about) then why couldn’t it cause breakdown or inconsistency in your ability to execute your mechanics? In fact what is commonly referred to as “The Zone” by athletes is nothing more then short lived experiences where there is a complete absence of interrupting thoughts and therefore the information from the subconscious mind is clearly communicated to the body allowing for abnormally high levels of performance.

Unfortunately we think of “The Zone” as fleeting and something that you may only experience once or twice a career. We have the belief that while we are experiencing this state that we are “playing above ourself”. As if this isn’t our true level of performance. The truth is that “The Zone” is our natural state. This is the level of performance we can achieve all the time if we were only aware of how to create this level of performance and what prevents it from happening.

So when an athlete asks themselves “What wrong?” they are unknowingly creating more and more roadblocks, preventing the correct information from going from the subconscious to the body. Over time frustration builds, more and more negative, stressful thoughts are created and ultimately a new movement pattern is stored in the subconscious. Which is what we would call a “bad habit”. At this point even when you have a clear mind you have now created a poor movement pattern or skill for which to call upon and your overall performance is diminished.

So what can you do? The first step involves becoming aware of the questions you are asking yourself when your mechanics breakdown. Instead of asking, “What’s wrong?” consider that your swing or pitching mechanics or whatever are already perfect and that they only way for them to breakdown is that something interfered with your subconscious’ ability to communicate your mechanics to your body. Instead ask yourself, “What interfered?” If you ask this question your focus will be directed more inward and you will find the real culprit of your less than desirable performance. You will begin to notice that maybe your effort levels were too high (trying too hard) or that you weren’t focused and were thinking about something else. Whatever it is, you will find it will be far easier to refocus and allow your mechanics to be executed instead of becoming panicked over the possibility that you have a major mechanical flaw.

“If you make a swing that falls short of perfect (for you) don’t get down on yourself or try to fix your swing. Instead, direct your awareness to reflect on what might have interfered. The basic point is: Don’t change your swing, change your mind.”
~Dr. Joseph Parent
Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game

Focusing on Mechanics

We hear it all the time, “Focus on what you can control” but for most of us we really never understand what that means. We’re told that if we focus on the process of success then success will happen naturally. Great! The problem is most of the time the people telling us this have no idea what the process to success really is. As a result we get into this mode of trying to do everything we can to succeed. We develop a mentality that is focused on everything external, we focus on trying to create a result, trying to hit the ball as hard as we can but we don’t have the knowledge or ability to focus on what we need to do to create that result. Fortunately for those of us who work for or work with the guys at UPB we are able to gain the knowledge and develop the skills that we need to create the results we desire to create. The hard part is trying to break our old mental habits and actually begin to focus on the process.

In baseball just like in life there are certain laws or rules that produce success. Success in hitting and success in pitching can be broken down into specific physical and mental skills that have been proven to produce superior results. Over the course of my career I have been on a quest to discover what these specific rules are. As more and more things were revealed to me it was then necessary for me to change my way of thinking. To try and think like the new player I was and not continue the same mental habits that I had as a player with lesser ability. I didn’t understand at the time how difficult this would be, however for the first time I understood what it meant to, “Focus on the process”. Like most athletes I had been told to, “Focus on the process” but just like most athletes nobody had told me what that process was. I was receiving mixed signals, on one hand I was being told that success on the baseball field was in large part due to my genetics, my natural born ability, and then on the other hand I’m being told to focus on the process. WHAT??? I mean how is there supposed to be a “process” of success if we are either born to succeed or born to fail?

Fortunately I didn’t buy into the belief that my success was in some way related to my genetics or natural born ability (If you still think it does I recommend two books, Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin and The Biology of Belief by Dr. Bruce Lipton). Over time I was able to gradually change my thinking and what I found was when I focused on simply executing proper mechanics my success took care of itself. I began to take the focus off of external results such as hitting the ball hard or getting hits and began to bring my focus more inward and focus on executing proper mechanics. What I found was not only greater success but success with far less effort. Now when I do my tee work or take batting practice I don’t necessarily concern myself with where the pitch is. Oh sure I recognize where it is, whether it be inside, middle, away, up, or down, but once I recognize where the pitch is my focus is then totally on allowing the pitch to enter the hitting zone and then just executing a good swing.

Once you have been exposed to and have learned proper physical mechanics I would recommend that you take your focus off of outward success and place it on executing good sound mechanics. Pitchers, once you get the sign from the catcher don’t concern yourself with getting the hitter out but rather focus on executing good mechanics which will allow you to execute a good pitch which will allow you to get the hitter out. Hitter’s sometimes we get too caught up in the “see ball hit ball” mentality. We go up to the plate with the attitude that we are going to hit the ball hard and as a result our mechanics leave us because we exert too much effort. Instead make your goal to execute a mechanically sound swing on pitches inside the hitting zone. Recognize the pitch type and location and once you do allow it to enter the hitting zone and simply put a good, mechanically sound swing on it. Taking this approach will help relax your mind, you will feel in more control over your performance and you will find more power production at the plate and you will begin to experience far more success.

New UPB Service!!!

I am really excited to announce a new service that we at UPB are offering. We are now offering video analysis of your hitting mechanics. However this isn't just your run of the mill video analysis. Here is how the UPB analysis is different. You will receive a personalized DVD with your swing brokendown by UPB Founder Ryan Dambach. In addition to the analysis the DVD will also contain a personalized, step by step program to help you develop your swing mechanics. This program will include videos of each of the drills you are to perform with explanations of all the drills, plus the frequency in which these drills should be performed. If you've always wanted to take private lessons from the guys at UPB but maybe you live too far away or it might be too expensive this is a way for you to receive the high level of instruction that UPB offers in the comfort of your own home.

How does it work? You basically have two options: 1) You can schedule an appointment to have your swing captured on film by one of the UPB instructors or 2) You can send UPB video that you have shot or your own swing. After that the guys at UPB will analyze your swing, put together your DVD, and then send it out to you. It's really that simple.

How much does it cost? For current UPB clients who are looking to supplement their individual lesson program the cost is $75. If you are not a current client or live out of the area the cost is $125. This is just slightly more then 1 one hour session with our highly trained UPB instructors.

If you are interested feel free to contact either UPB Founder Ryan Dambach at: Ryan@UnlimitedPerformanceBaseball.com or UPB Director of Pitching Instruction Tom Oldham at: Tom@UnlimitedPerformanceBaseball.com

Common Hitting Flaws

During this past weekend’s showcase/skills camp I was responsible for morning player check in and to throw batting practice in the afternoon. One of the deals I made with the director of the camp was that my hitting coaches and myself could evaluate each hitter and then use those evaluations to entice some of the players to take private lessons. As the day progressed I began to notice that almost every hitter was suffering from the same 3 or 4 flaws.

I was blown away almost every hitter, most of which have private hitting coaches, all suffered from the same 3 or 4 flaws. The hitters who didn’t have these flaws in their swing were the hitters who looked like they had never played before. So not only did they share the same 3 or 4 flaws that the other hitters had but they had a whole list of other problems as well. But I just couldn’t believe that every athlete had the same problems. That none of their hitting coaches could recognize where these athletes could improve and then make the necessary adjustments to their swing.

Like I’ve said before I believe much of this comes from coaches who just don’t know but also It has to do with the fact that if a player’s numbers are good then we have this belief of, “If it aint broke don’t fix it”. The problem is that regardless of what your numbers or accolades are it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have mastered the skills necessary to succeed at the next level. There is always room for improvement. You can always produce more power, more consistency, more repeatability. You can always improve your mind which will greatly improve your performance. There is always something to be worked on. So don’t assume that just because you hit .400 or were all this or all that, that you’ve got hitting mastered.

A couple of other theories that prevent coaches and athletes from striving to find higher levels of performance is the “Natural Born Talent Theory” and also the belief that, “Everyone’s different”. We have this belief that one thing might work for one person but it might not work for another. Unfortunately this is looking at it from an extremely limited perspective. Sure everyone is different and somethings work better for some than they do with others, but the main reason behind that is that they may have different flaws. Most corrections from hitting coaches merely cover up other flaws. They don’t fix the real problem. So in that regard one “fix” might work for one but not another.

If you look at hitting from a biomechanics perspective then everyone, whether they are 5’8” or 6’5”, are biomechanically the same. If you want to generate power it’s important that you do certain specific things to ensure that you are in the strongest position possible at the point of contact. Look at coaches in other sports. Take sprinters for example: There are specific ways of using your body to get the maximum speed out of it. Sprinting coaches don’t tell one athlete to run one way and another athlete to run a different way just because, “everyone’s different”. There has been proven ways to generate speed and maximize efficiency and coaches teach their runners accordingly. The same is in weight lifting. When you are working out there are specific mechanics you must perform in order to avoid injury and maximize strength. It is the same in hitting. If you want to maximize power and consistency then there are specific mechanics that need to be performed.

Unfortunately most athletes never learn these mechanics and as a result success is left up to physical size, strength, dumb luck, or anything else that might lend credibility to the “natural talent theory”. So what were the flaws each hitter was suffering from? What was it that each hitter could do better to drastically increase their level of success?

Base- I didn’t see a single player that had a strong base in their stance. This is primarily due to the “weight shift theory”. Most, if not all hitters are taught to rock their weight to their back leg during the stride and load phase and then it will transfer slightly forward during the swing. This has caused most hitters to have a weak base. They believe that the weight shift back and then forward produces power. The problem is it puts them in a weaker position at the point of contact. When a hitter has a strong base their swing is more repeatable and they are able to produce more power with less effort.
Hip Separation- In addition to a strong base there wasn’t a single player at the camp that got sufficient hip separation. This is an aspect of the swing that not many people talk about. Oh sure, we know that the power comes from the hips and that we must turn our hips to swing but what many fail to realize is that there has to be separation between the hips and hands in order to maximize power production and enable you to maximize your bat path. So more than just turning your hips make sure that you are getting separation between the hips and hands.
Bat Path- The bat path is one of the most difficult thing for the untrained eye to see. Most hitters believe they have a “short” swing but what they don’t realize is just how much shorter and direct they could be. My belief is that this is due to the old teaching technique of “get the hands inside”. While this is good advice what most coaches don’t realize is just how to accomplish this goal. As a result most hitters pull the bat through the zone trying to force the hands “inside” the ball. This forces the bat head down, lengthening out the swing, putting the hitter in a weaker position at the point of contact, and causing the hitter to produce top spin. In addition a small fluctuation in the degree of the bat path creates a massive result in what the flight of the ball will be. Understand that just because you may have a “short” swing doesn’t mean you are as direct as you could be. Worry less about being “inside” the ball and more about being direct to the ball.
Extension- Finally I didn’t see a single player who had good extension through the ball. This is primarily due to the bat path. If you bat path isn’t where it should be then you won’t be able to extend through the ball as well as you should. Most hitters cut themselves short and finish their swing shortly after they make contact. Using the analogy of a punch think of a boxer finishing his punch immediately after making contact with his opponent. The boxer wouldn’t hit his opponent very hard as he wouldn’t be transferring all of his available energy into the body of his opponent. The very same thing is true in hitting. When a hitter finishes his swing too early then he doesn’t transfer all of his available energy into the ball. Which limits the amount of power he is able to produce. This is important not only for hitting home-runs but also for producing more hits. The more energy transfered into the ball, the faster the ball exits the bat, the faster it gets through the infield or shoots through the gap.

In order for the game to change and become better then it’s up to us as players and coaches to pay more attention to the details that create success. There’s an old saying that if we do things the same way we’ve always done them then we’ll continue to get the same results. Our game has become stagnant, it isn’t open to new techniques or new ideas and as a result it lends more credibility to the “natural talent theory” leaving success up to luck or size or strength. Unfortunately many athletes aren’t living up to the potential that resides inside them and even sadder still is that they won’t realize all of their dreams. If you want to perform better, if you want to reach the levels of performance you know you can reach then you must pay attention to the details. Don’t be satisfied with your current level of performance or just try and explain it away by making excuses about your size or genetics. Change these four aspects of your swing and you will begin to produce results that you once didn’t believe were possible.

The Truth about “Showcase Camps”

What a crazy weekend I had. This past Sunday I was asked to work at a college showcase/skills camp. I wasn’t there to do any instruction but just check people in and then abuse my arm by throwing two hours of batting practice. The camp ran from 7am-5pm and featured 16 college coaches. I could not believe how many athletes showed up and from how many different areas. The camp was held here in Southern California and while most of the athletes were local or from just a short drive away there was athletes from Northern California, Arizona, and Nevada in attendance. The basis of the camp was supposed to be that the athletes receive instruction from top college coaches and at the same time were able to showcase their skills in front of these schools.

150 athletes showed up, all of them believing that they had been invited. That these schools were actually interested in recruiting them and that they had a legitament opportunity to showcase themselves and impress these coaches with their abilities. I myself bought into the idea that this camp was something more than just a money maker. I went into the day thinking that this camp was a genius idea. I mean not only is the coach that is running it going to make some good money but he also has the opportunity to get all of the athletes he is interested in recruiting in one place at one time which would only make his job as a recruiter easier.

As the camp progressed it became painfully clear to me that this camp was nothing more than an opportunity to make a lot of money and fast. There were only a few recruitable kids at this camp and the level of instruction that was offered was terrible. Of course the consumers were happy, each one leaving the camp believing they received top level instruction from some of the country’s top college coaches and that they just showed each school that they were deserving of attending and receiving a scholarship to a Division 1 university.

As I walked away from the experience I was bothered by how these coaches preyed upon the dreams of these athletes. Each athlete dreaming of earning the opportunity to play major college athletics and each coach with no intention of signing a single player at that camp. My thoughts raced back to my experiences in college and professional baseball. Each showcase event you attend you are filled with the feeling of hope. You feel excited for the opportunity that awaits you and you just know that someone at this camp will see you and want you to sign with them. Sadly, the majority of the coaches and scouts have checked out long before they even take a look at you. Either because they looked at your bio and have already made a judgement on you before ever seeing you play or because they don’t really have a need for you and they are just attending the event to collect a paycheck. Which is what happened at this camp. I spoke with one coach of a major university who told me that their recruiting is done on players who graduate in 2010 and 2011 and they only need two more players for 2012. Which means they only need to recruit two more high school sophomores before they’re done recruiting for 2012! That’s crazy, especially when you consider that the majority of the kids at this event were seniors doing everything they could to get noticed.

My frustration stems from the blatened disregard for the feelings of the athletes. Most of these showcase events take advantage of the athlete’s desire to play at the next level. They play off of the athlete’s and the parent’s desperation to get noticed or get a scholarship usually costing the family thousands of dollars when there really was never any ligitament chance of the athlete getting recruited.

So here is how it works. Athletes in their desire to play will sign up for websites that claim to help them get recruited. Coaches then go on these sites and download hundreds of email addresses from the athletes who have signed up. They then tailor an email to the athlete or the parents making it sound as though their school is legitimately interested in the athlete, which usually isn’t very hard to do as most athletes and parents (because of their ego) are so excited of “being recruited” that they are willing to believe that this coach really is interested in them. The email will then invite them to their “showcase” event which only costs an arm and a leg but “you might get a scholarship out of it”.

I think it’s important for you to understand the real process of recruiting. What really goes on and what you can expect when you do start getting calls, letters, and emails. I’m tired of seeing good athletes taken advantage of and dumping tons of money into something that isn’t going to produce a result. So here are somethings to think about.

If you are entering the second semester of your senior year and you still have not committed to a school your dream of playing at a major Division 1 school is probably over. Unless you attend a Juco and transfer in two years most major Div. 1 schools have already signed their players years in advance. Are there exceptions? Of course, I’m just saying it’s not likely that they are actively recruiting you. You should consider a smaller school, a lesser known Div. 1 or consider attending a Div. 2, 3, or NAIA school. I know it doesn’t sound as sexy but other than your own ego the level in which you play doesn’t really matter.
Just because you receive a letter, email, or phone call from a college coach it doesn’t mean they are recruiting you. With the internet today there are multiple player lists available to coaches. Many times a coach will access one of these list and just mass mail a number of players. Many times they go based on stats and accomplishments but if you’ve read any of my other blogs then you will know that neither is a good way to determine ability. I once played with a guy who his senior year in high school was first team all state and lead the state of California in hitting. We recruited him based on his numbers and when he got to our school we quickly discovered that this player could hardly hit in batting practice. He even didn’t make it one semester. You compare that to myself who never won any awards or even played a single day of varsity baseball but was able to play four years of college and for 5 professional teams then you will understand that your stats really don’t mean much. They send out these mass emails to players with decent stats to try and entice them to attend the “showcase” camps.
Be wary if you are asked to attend a “showcase” camp where you have to pay to attend. In my experience with my players who have been legitimately recruited and signed they were never asked to pay for the showcase event. The schools that recruit them did have them attend their showcase event but it was never one they had to pay for. In addition the event they attended didn’t have anyone else who paid either. Meaning that the schools obviously have multiple events, one for the players they are really recruiting and one for the players they ask to pay.
College recruiting has become a science. Colleges have coaches whose main responsibility it is to find players and convince them to come to their school. As such the chances of you getting seen without attending these events is very high. Now the smaller schools don’t necessarily have the budget to travel all over and recruit which works in your benefit. They are more likely to sign you off of your stats or a video which means either way you don’t need to attend an event. The major schools probably won’t sign someone out of a camp and the small schools aren’t there so what’s the real reason to go? Unless you attend an event hosted by a highly reputable company (like Perfect Game) a high profile school probably won’t sign you out of a camp. Even if you attend the PG event the likelihood of you getting a scholarship immediately is highly unlikely. Most of the time the big showcase events just peak the school’s interest in you and then they will follow you more closely. But it is a combination of things that gets you signed not just the “showcase” camp.

So does this mean all showcases are bad? Well no, there are some reputable companies out there (I can only think of two) that major universities will attend and recruit players. However you are better served to play on a quality travel team and attend showcase tournaments over showcase camps. If you play in these events, play travel ball, high school, and so on chances are you’ve already been seen by college coaches a number of times. If you are nearing the end of your high school career and there is still no interest don’t be frustrated, it’s not over, you just need to adjust your approach and begin to consider smaller universities and schools in less populated areas, such as the midwest or the northeast.

By no means do I mean to discourage you about your chances of playing in college. My goal here is to educate you on the process so that you and your parents can spend your money on things that are more beneficial for your career. Spending your money and time on quality instruction is far more beneficial. Playing at a small school in no way hurts your chances of playing professionally. What it does is allow you time to develop your skills and since baseball is a skill sport this time is valuable. Don’t get caught up in the ego part of the game. Don’t put importance on the name on the front of the jersey when choosing a school or even getting excited about getting a letter from that school. The name on the back of the jersey is what matters after all it’s your career and you are the only one who will really care about it. Coaches are concerned about their careers and if they don’t feel like you can help them win or make money then they don’t have any use for you. Understand the process and do what’s best for you. Coaches will find you and by no means do you need to spend thousands of dollars trying to be seen. Chances are they already know who you are.