At certain times of the year, there seems to be a moment when a decision needs to be made about which direction your baseball-playing son is going. I’m not talking about choosing a college or whether or not to get a car, but a decision about what type of baseball player he wants to become.
As our current season starts to wind down over the next 3 weeks, coaches will decide whether players will become part of their summer high school team or not. The end of May is when a number of player’s baseball careers come to an end. Sometimes it’s their own decision to take a different direction into adulthood, and sometimes, unfortunately, their coach will make the decision for them.
It’s a sad time in both situations as families have spent the better part of almost a decade traveling around from game to game. Practices and private training sessions seem to be all for naught. We’ve invested so much of ourselves that when it sometimes ends overnight in some instances there is relief, and in other instances there is shock.
My own baseball-playing career came to an end because my college coach told me that I was 22-years-old and had a shoulder injury. Just like that, my collegiate career was over. I was hurt and shocked and wondered if I could have done anything differently. In taking stock of my life and the decisions I made, I can honestly say I didn’t make good decisions when it came to baseball and preparing myself to do well at the next level.
The taking of the proverbial next step in baseball really needs to be made this month. Do I continue to do what I have been doing and not really make too much improvement? Or do I make a decision to train in a manner where coaches take notice and I continue my playing career? There are so many players on a roster, many of whom are on the team but don’t really play much. Why not take steps to do something about it? Playing in games is so much better than being at a game, right?
There are things you can do to make a difference in your playing career, and it doesn’t mean playing in more games. Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is doing something over and over and expecting different results each time. I cannot tell you how many ‘insane’ people I meet and work with who think playing on multiple teams is somehow going to make a player better.
If there is anything you’ve probably learned from me, it’s that training and development completely trump playing in game after game. There are so many parents whose sons I’ve worked with, both past and present, who think that it’s okay for their son to pitch multiple times over a weekend. Then, when their son gets hurt they realize he was overused and now has an arm injury. THAT is insanity!
We’ve run our Summer Training Camp for 15 years now and will continue our training this year on June 7th through July 29th. Camp is held three times a week for 2 1/2 hours a day, and it will be the epitome of what is expected from your coach when you go back to school in August. Can you afford not to train and improve your skill set on the mound?
Past camps have included both Trevor Bauer and Tyler Glasnow when they were in high school, and I’d bet my bottom dollar they both found value in our camps. Some of our college players, like starting pitchers JD Callahan (UC Santa Barbara) and RJ Gordon (Oregon), would say that the summer training helped them improve on the mound as well.
There are numerous stories of players who participated and after 8 weeks of training said their arm didn’t hurt anymore or that they can’t believe they gained 5 mph in such a short time span.
If we really need to make the decision to take the next step and play in more games instead of being at games, then don’t be insane and wait for something else to magically enhance what you’re doing. You’ve found the right place at Throwzone Academy. We have a few spots left for our summer training, but it’s filling up fast.
This time of year is crucial to taking your game to the next level. Make a wise decision to do something about your skill level. Reach out to us and let us help you reach your goals and dreams. It’s what we do and have done for the past 20 years.
We look forward to seeing you here soon! Check out our website for more information.
Until next time,
Jim
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 