So, what are you working on this off-season?

By now, I have been in touch with all of our Varsity returning players with areas to work on during the off-season.  I hope you are getting to it.  


I am committed to being better than ever in 2013.  What about you? 


I get asked a lot regarding what players need to be doing.  The short answer is ... it depends.  I know, there I go again. 


Most all of you need work on at least one (if not two or all) of the following:  1) arm strength; 2) core work; and 3) speed work.  Before addressing some of the individual elements of these three areas, let's talk about some general principles.  


First, make sure that you are alternating work in each area.  As an example, do sprints and core work on M/W/F and heavy throwing work (long toss) on T/Th/S.  You can certainly throw, run, or do other work on a more frequent basis, but your muscles/related muscle groups need time to heal and rebuild in order to get better.  


If you are working a weight, weighted ball, or other strength/conditioning program, adjust your other work accordingly.  Weights certainly have their place in baseball training, but bear in mind, that there is really no substitute for throwing in terms of building arm durability and strength. A lot of guys can throw every day because ... golly, they throw every day. 


If you are working on all three of the areas below (as many of you are), then consider mixing in two on one day, i.e., core exercises in between sprints.  


Throwing Work -- I would encourage you to consider long-tossing at least a couple of days per week.  For those wanting to improve your off-speed pitch, I would suggest spending the better part of at least one day doing off-speed long toss (where you throw your off-speed pitch at about 90-120 feet and work on the feel and grip).  Pitchers, at least one of the days that you throw either a bullpen, play 21, or work hitting your spots/target.  Make sure that you also are long-tossing to a target, as well, and only backing up when you have hit your target within a few feet a couple/three times before backing up.  We are training to throw, rather than simply chunk.  Make every throw purposeful. 


Speed Work -- You will note that I said speed work.  Whenever you are running, make sure you are sprinting or striding hard.  Keep it short and explosive.  I would recommend keeping your sprints at/under the farthest you will run on a baseball field.  I know that some other teams (there are fewer all the time) are jogging around slowly, but such work really benefits players little, if at all.  The only reason to be doing distance running if if you need to drop weight.  But ... think about it ... do you ever jog during a baseball play? We train like we play, and baseball is a game of controlled explosions with short rest intervals in between.  We are training baseball athleticism (rather than football, cross-country, etc.). Really, for our purposes, sprinting at 60 yards and under will work just fine.  For those needing to work on your quickness, practice exploding out of a ready position at 20 yards.  Work in core exercises between sprints for a workout that will really kick your tail.  


For exceptional results (particularly if you want to drop weight), run sprints with a weighted vest.  You absolutely can get faster ... maybe even a lot faster.  We have seen it done, so go do it again. 


Core Work -- The core essentially is the body minus the arms and legs.  It's where your center of gravity is located, and it is also the foundation for all the major movements necessary to succeed on the baseball field. Throwing, hitting, and running explosiveness and power start in the core.  Thus, it is vital to strengthen your core.  


There are myriad ways to this.  Here are some:  All manner of push-ups -- i.e, diamond, knee up (both after each pushup); squat run with weights, lunges (reach with weights), squat x-reach, leg lifts and bananas (reverse leg lifts, try holding for a minute), sit-ups and crunches, mountain climbers, towel hops (set of 50), steam engine (set of 50, with right elbow to left knee and vice versa).


And, oh, by the way, our ladder work is great for your core.  But you have to push it.  No coasting.  


Bonus Work:  Yes, bonus work.  Train your mind.  A lot of you I have addressed specifically about this, that is, to get better understanding certain aspects of the game.  But let's take it another step.  We talk a lot about the "mental game" but we still have a lot of work to do in this regard.  Each of you must own  it to make it yours ... to make it work for you.  


So, I'd like to challenge/encourage each of you players to read "The Mental Game of Baseball," by H.A. Dorfman.  If you have yet to read it, try it.  It will change your game and maybe your life in the process.  You will under stand the importance of having a routine and plan like never before.  


Also, I would like each of our high school pitchers to read "The Mental ABC's of Pitching," by Dorfman.  This book is a practical guide to addressing all manner of issues/challenges/situations that pitchers face.  This is a great book that for all pitchers to read ... and apply. 


Finally, if you plan on swinging a bat on the Varsity level next season, read "The Mental Game of Hitting," also by Dorfman.  This book marries up a mental game and "Moneyball" concepts and will help you better understand hitting so that you'll have a better chance to succeed in the batter's box in 2013.  


No, I am not related to the late H.A. Dorfman ... no commissions, either.  But he is the father of the modern mental game in baseball.  Pretty much all successful teams at the higher levels are employing the mental game.  If you want some other mental game or baseball reading, let me know.  


Besides reading the foregoing, I 'd also like to encourage you to watch as much baseball at all levels in the off-season.  I mean, what else are you going to do in your free time?  It's a great way to learn.  But ... watch as a student.  Watch aspects of the game that you need to learn.   You can learn something every time you are on a baseball field or watching a game. 


So, train your body.  Train your mind.  Accept nothing from yourself other than excellence.  Trust your teammates to take care of themselves.  Concentrate on being the type of teammate you want to be. 


If you have questions about any of this, let me know.  Ultimately, each of you has to decide how good you want to be.  As for me, I want to be excellent and I want players who want the same. 


See you on the the field ... 

"Wherever I Wind Up -- My Search for Truth, Authenticity, and the Perfect Knuckleball" by R.A. Dickey -- My Review

A busy season has led to busy off-season and now our summer schedule in the Cooper League.  The Astros are falling back, so my focus on all things MLB has been a little, let's say, unfocused of late.  I had the TV on in my office Monday night when I heard the crew of my favorite show -- "Baseball Tonight" on ESPN -- talking about who they believed was the best pitcher in baseball right now.  The consensus was that baseball's best pitcher at the present is the guy who had just thrown his second consecutive one-hitter.  That would be R. A. Dickey of the N.Y. Mets.


For those who don't know, R.A. Dickey's main pitch (he throws it 85% of the time) is the knuckleball.  So, yes, baseball players and fans, the best pitcher going right now is R.A. Dickey, the knuckleballer.  His fastball, which he occasionally uses to surprise hitters or disrupt their timing, tops out at about 86 MPH. That would be a big enough story itself.


But there is more.  Actually, there is much more.


While perusing Facebook the morning after Dickey's latest one-hitter, I come across a book review by Eric Metaxas, the author of Bonhoffer, Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.  My wife is reading Metaxas's book, and I recently watched the video of his amazing keynote at the National Prayer Breakfast.  So, I am an instant fan.  Metaxas is an authentic Christian, a real man with a sense of humor.  He is an English major from Yale, too, and he knows good books.  Metaxas's review that catches my eye is of the autobiography of R.A. Dickey:  "Wherever I Wind Up."  This post is Tuesday morning, June 19, the day after Dickey's one-hitter.


I am intrigued, and now I feel compelled to read this book.  So, I adjust my lunch plans and go get it at Barnes and Noble.  I read through the lunch hour, pick it up again at night.  Then,  I read some more the next morning and the lunch break on June 20.  By 6:30 p.m. on June 20, I am finished with this 325-page book.  I have finished it in 36 hours.  And I am a slow reader.


I stopped to underline in a few places, too.  I underlined less than I usually do when digging into a book, though, because frankly a lot of the book was so consequential that it seemed to be writing notes in my mind ... and heart.


Wherever I Wind Up is one of the most powerful books I have read.  Note, I didn't say most powerful baseball  books. I said most powerful books. The two works that come to mind that are close are The Shack by William P. Young and So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobsen.  But this book is different that those two for two key reasons.  First, it is non-fiction, and two, it is a baseball book. Thus, this book -- the compelling story of R.A. Dickey's incredible journey to the top of the baseball pitching heap in New York, New York -- deeply resonates with me.


Wherever I Wind Up masterfully chronicles Dickey's journey from the risk-taking son of an alcoholic mother and aloof father to a remade, top of the rotation guy (and probable NL starter in the 2012 All-Star game) for the Mets.


A number of readers may already be familiar with Dickey's remarkable journey.  The twists, turns, staggering adversity, and serial setbacks are amazing.  But more stunning still are Dickey's perseverance, the love of his wife and family, and ultimately God's grace and plan for his life.


As one reads how Dickey's journey unfolds, the fingerprints of God are everywhere, down to the smallest detail.  For instance, while he was a 95-MPH fireballer leading the University of Tennessee to its first College World Series berth in more than 50 years, Dickey majored in English Literature and developed a love for the printed word and communicating well.  And so ... the story-teller was trained and prepared along the journey before he even knew there was a story to tell.


The climax of the book occurs when Dickey, while on a road trip with his teammates five years ago near the end of his minor-league career (Note: 2012 is Dickey's 16th professional season, and he has spent all or part of 14 of those seasons in the minors), decides to swim the mighty Missouri River.  This effort, though, turns into a metaphorical baptism of sorts.  Indeed, when Dickey emerges from the river, he is humbled to the point where he can turn the corner both personally and professionally.


I have been going over the various things that make this book so meaningful to me.  It's hard to nail down entirely, but I think that it particularly meant so much because I know the feeling of being doubted (both by myself and others), of being knocked down and struggling to get up, of working through my parents divorce when I was seven, and of experiencing tremendous pain and loneliness as a kid.  And I know the power and joy of God's grace, of redemption, and of finding His purpose in my life.


Also, as a coach, I really enjoyed learning how this great pitcher became great.  Here is what I saw:  A willingness to be honest with himself and do whatever it takes to succeed (Dickey was remade as a knuckleballer in the middle of his minor-league career); support from his friends and family, especially his godly wife;  a deliberate, uncommon work ethic and a competitive fire; the help of mentors along the way (knuckleballing greats Charlie Hough, Tim Wakefield, and Phil Niekro all helped Dickey's development); a tried and true routine, plan, and solid stay-in-the-moment approach; teammates who were willing to go the extra mile and work with him; and also coaches and managers who believed in him when others had given up.  Buck Showalter and Orel Hershiser are notable in this regard.


Ultimately, though, it is Dickey's authentic faith -- his honesty with God and others -- that becomes his greatest asset to take his game and life to the next level.  He sees his development as a player and man as connected.  He writes, "... [I]f I have it in me to be fully present in one realm of my life, it will overflow into the other realms."


My principal takeaways from this book are:  1) Keep believing in what God is doing in your life and never let go of what He has placed before you as your calling; 2) Be open to do whatever is necessary to get the best that God has for you because His plan is greater than any fiction book you could imagine; and 3) God's grace is more powerful than the mighty Missouri River and any other force in the universe. 


And really, there is a fourth takeaway, and that is, "A righteous man may fall seven times ... but he rises again." Prov. 24:16.  R.A. Dickey would probably quibble with the description of him as a "righteous" man, but indeed, the core of the true pursuit of God is to keep at it ... always ... keep striving ... to get up.  As much as any figure in sports today, R.A. exemplifies this.  


So, who is this book for?  Baseball people, people who know baseball people, Christians, people who are not Christians but might need or want a reason to believe, people who wonder how one deals with dark secrets and the worst adversity imaginable, people who think they have blown it so bad that there is no hope for them, people who want to hope again that something good can happen after so many things have gone wrong, and people who have been deeply hurt and want to get better, to name a few.


I give it my highest recommendation and look forward to hearing your reviews.


See you on the field ... 

My Underlines ... "Wherever I Wind Up"

When I read a book ... a really good book that I am reading to learn from ... I underline, circle, and make notes.  Here are the passages from R.A. Dickey's "Wherever I Wind Up" that I noted (lots of plan, routine, deliberate practice, hard work, and good thinking below, you will see):


"The best pitchers are the guys who have a plan and know how to execute it -- who know how to compete and never stop doing it."    

"The mental is to the physical as four to one."


"I keep throwing, and keep thinking of Larry Bird in his number 33 Boston Celtics uniform as I throw. Bird did an interview once where he talked about never letting himself be outworked, about being haunted by a fear that somebody, somewhere, was taking shots while he was resting.


"I don't want anybody to outwork me, either.  I may not make it as a big-league knuckleballer, but it won't be from lack of effort.  So I keep throwing against the cinder blocks, picking out a particular block to hit with every pitch, knowing that whatever happens, I will never regret not putting in more time.  Even when I'm not in Uncle Ricky's gym, I am working.  I keep a baseball in my car and drive around Nashville with only my left hand on the wheel so I can practice my knuckleball grip with my right hand."


"It's another one of Charlie's [Hough] suggestions.  There's no substitute for having the ball in your hand.  I still keep a baseball in my car.  You never stop working on your grip."


"I am not obsessing about how good I have to be to get back to the big leagues, or what numbers I have to put up, or about the time pressure because of my age.  I am focusing not on the next month or year or uniform but on the next pitch, putting all my energy into the process of pitching."


"You get the best results not when you apply superhuman effort but when you just are -- when you let the game flow organically and allow yourself to be fully present."


"I'm just pitching knuckleball to knuckleball and surrendering to the results."


"You have lived your whole life as a survivor, doing what you need to get by, to flee from pain, to seek safety.  Now I want more.  I want much more.  I don't want my life to be about settling.  I don't want it to be about avoiding pain.  I want it to be about pursuing joy."


"I learn from Tim [Wakefield] that not every [pitch] has to be perfect.  I drive myself batty trying to make every one perfect.  They just have to be good enough to get an out, Tim says."


"Ichiro's routine is calibrated to the minute, from the time he gets to the park every day to when he uses the bathroom before the game.  He takes the same amount of swings in the cage during batting practice.  He eats the same pregame meal (a salmon rice ball) at the same time (ninety minutes before game time).  His stretching routine is so thorough and intricate, you wonder if he moonlights as a contortionist for Cirque du Soleil. ... Ichiro's approach over 162 games never varies.  Nothing changes regardless of the results.  The man is so vigorously regimented that all you can do is simply surrender to the fact that you can try to match his discipline, but you never will."


" ... if I have it in me to be fully present in one realm of my life, I know it will overflow into the other realms.  The only way to prove it is by showing up every day and being someone who is worthy of trust."


"The effort, it occurs to me later that night, is really what matters the most, isn't it? Outcomes can get completely convoluted, buffeted by all manner of forces and factors.  You honor yourself and your game when you pour all you have into it, when you live in the athletic moment."


"You manage them [regrets] by forgetting them as soon as the ball leaves your hand, or leaves the park, and turn 100 percent of your intensity and your competitiveness to the next pitch.  It's the only pitch you can throw, after all."


"I like to keep a very specific routine before I pitch, because it helps lock me in for the competition to come. ... This is my routine and I don't deviate from it."


"If you aren't willing to face your demons -- if you can't find the courage to take on your fear and hurt and anger -- you might as well wrap them up with a bow and give them to your children.  Because they will be carrying the same thing ... unless you are willing to do the work."


"God, you've blessed me in so many ways this year, and I am so grateful for that.  As I prepare to take the ball for the last time this year, please help me to be trustworthy one more time and to be in the moment every pitch, to glorify you in in everything I do.  Amen."


As you can see from the foregoing quotes, this book is full of wisdom about baseball, about faith ... about life.  I encourage you to read the whole thing and get on with the hard work in your life and game.


See you on the field,