Practice With a Purpose!

Why "going through the motions" will keep you from breaking through to the next level

We've all been there, we've had a day or two where we just aren't feeling the drive or edge that we feel, pushing us to get better. If you haven't heard the Allen Iverson rant about practice, I suggest that you watch it, because it's comedy gold. However, it's not necessarily the right message to send, especially to youth players (such as myself growing up when the rant was viral.....well on Sportscenter since social media wasn't very popular yet). Kids are so easily influenced by social media and entertainment that it's become a way of life for them, they seem to get withdrawals if they don't have their dose of Fortnite, or Instagram. Is that bad parenting? I don't think so, but it's part of their life because our own schools have introduced them to a whole new world of instruction through technology and I see 8-9 year olds who have phones (ok, that one might be too far....just saying).

Prepare yourself on your own time outside of practice

However, when it comes to sports, they seem to put everything down and focus on the current sport season. But, what about the work ethic of those who are wanting to make it higher? The players who dream to play pro ball, or even college ball. Dreaming and doing are two completely different visions in our life. Yes, even doing is a vision because in our life we have a plan, sometimes things don't work out and other times we may not know the about the plan yet, but there is one. Some people are just goal driven and will do whatever it takes, these people are "doers", while those who think and dream about it are exactly who they are, "dreamers". Being a dreamer is easy, being a doer is what separates you.

Doers have something that others don't, and that's grit. Grit is the will to power through any situation (good or bad) in order to maintain their journey to their goal. One player who comes to mind is Jose Altuve, if you have not heard about his story, I highly advise that you research and read about his journey to pro ball and into the league. He's not the biggest like Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton, but his heart and effort play bigger than he looks, not to mention he has tools to compete at the MLB level anyway. Understand this one thing, talent will only get you to a certain point, it's only the starting point of a race/journey to your goal, your endurance or longevity through the race involves having grit and the will to work!

But how do you get better and break through that glass ceiling? WORK! It's a four letter word that can cause some to run away from while it can make others run through it like it's in their way. By working, that means you gotta put in more work than the guy next to you, the player in another town or even another state. Your 7th and 8th graders, get in the weight room and start learning how to properly lift and develop strength. Even the younger guys can get faster and stronger without lifting weights. In my opinion, as long as you are properly taught, you can still get faster and stronger at a young age, I've always been told that going heavy could destroy some natural growth that young guys go through, however I'm curious about your thoughts, comment below what you think.

While I'm in the industry of helping athletes through coaching, lessons, camps, etc, I'm still the biggest fan of athletes getting better on their own. I'm sorry, but no coach can sit there and tell you that you'll get 100% better just by meeting once a week for a half hour. Sure, you'll learn some new things and make some new adjustments, but athletes this is on YOU! Go out and hit once a day and work on what your coach showed you, throw some bullpens and work on mechanical points of your craft on the mound, or take some ground balls against the wall at home (parent permitted) to focus on one thing at a time. Guys and gals, working a certain task can get you 1% better each day, but that 1% over 100 days can up your game in a tremendous fashion.

While each coach has their own philosophy that works for them, mine is this: You don't need to take hundreds of hacks, grounders, or throws a day. Have a deliberate purpose on how you want to get better. I have my hitters warm by taking 10-15 swings off the tee, however, we break them down into small groups and each group is a purpose. So for instance, first round of 4-5 swings can be focusing on putting the ball up the middle and getting it elevated. The next round, can be something like getting the back side to engage more on a violent level through the ball, engaging more power and our fast twitch muscles to grow. The third round could be anything from slowing down your tempo when you load, or keeping the hands with the back shoulder longer before releasing, to even focusing on keeping the palm up through the zone as long as you can with your top hand. All of these things are nothing but a start for you to think about, but remember this.... DON'T OVERCOMPLICATE IT! Work at practice or on your own about your skills, think about what you're doing and either fix it or keep improving it, but either way you need to let the natural instincts come out when it's game time!

This brings me to my last point, whether we want to think about it or not, school and sports have some pretty similar correlations with the way we work. At school, we give you classwork and homework for you to do and study for the big test. When it becomes test time, most classes don't allow you to use notes, so you have to resort to remembering and analyzing the material when you read the question. In sports, you practice with the team and on your own, memorizing and analyzing your mechanics and knowing how to handle situations when they come about so when it gets to be game time, you can go out and play YOUR game. Don't let things get frustrating and don't sweat the small stuff because those who keep their cool and react tend to succeed more than those who get flustered and overreact. So here's what it comes down to: if you want to make it to the next level, you need to practice with a purpose and have an end goal in mind every time you step into your "office". Go be a doer instead of a dreamer.

Disclaimer, please know that I'm a fan of multi sport athletes and that specialization, especially at a young age may or may not help. If your child wishes to play another sport, let them be kids and do it, your other coaches will thank you for it!!!