And so it begins. Another baseball season is starting for many of our clients this next coming weekend. Last year seems so far away, but it also catches up with us quickly if we are unprepared.
Let’s talk about what’s happened since last year when you pitched in really meaningful games with a team of players, and it wasn’t a showcase.
There were a couple of players who celebrated a championship—most did not. There were a couple of players who gained big-time strength and threw faster—most did not. And there are a couple who have had contact with universities and colleges—almost everyone else did not.
Which group do you fall into? Are you part of the class of ’23, ’24, ’25, or beyond? Have you had colleges offer you money to attend their school and play baseball? There are a couple who have—most have not. All of this begs the question of whether you did everything you could to improve the skill set that colleges want to see.
I will tell you about a student of mine; his name is not important. He played JV last year but had the desire to get better. He was part of our summer training for 8 weeks and never stopped coming in to improve. This player also got stronger and improved his velocity by double digits. The result? There are multiple schools after him offering scholarship amounts that most scholarship players don’t receive. His offers were above and beyond that.
The one difference between this player and those who have not been contacted by schools is that this player worked hard week in and week out. No excuses—just flat-out did what he said he would do. That’s not to say we don’t have others who didn’t work because almost all of our players work very hard. There are a few who will receive offers from schools anytime between now and before next spring.
My biggest point is this: what are you willing to do to be the best version of yourself? Are you going to pitch this year or not? A lot or very little? Did your velocity increase to your liking?
These are all things that need to be addressed right after a spring season where the results weren’t what you expected. Sitting down with your coach, your teacher, your parents, or even your pitching coach (who I assume is me since you’re reading this e-newsletter) and setting a plan for reaching goals over the next 8–9 months before the next year’s spring season. Goals are plans with a time frame, so let’s make those plans.
My wish is for you to have a great spring season and enjoy the fruits of all of your hard labor. Know there is always something more you can do, but for now, it’s important to go out and compete the best way you know how.
Our summer training will begin in 4 short months. This is where we go after it and set goals for your training.
We want you to experience the fun of being recruited and having a college coach who wants to get to know you and tell you what they think of you and your skill set. It makes all the hard work worth it.
You can still start early on your training and begin classes with us to help maintain your arm health and recovery. Our training is second to none, particularly for those who do the 1-on-1 lesson work. Nothing stays firm and fixed in that environment. Our repetition work and total body training make our pitchers compete in the strike zone, with added velocity and the ability to recover much quicker.
I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Until next time…
Jim
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 