As we draw 1 month to another exciting Summer Training Camp here at Throwzone Academy, I wanted to give you some Myths, Facts and Solutions to what is perceived with players who are looking to be recruited or even just make their HS teams.
Over the years….and it has been going over 30+ years of coaching so my experience in lending insight into families is strong….many of the items I talk to families about is the Return On Investment (ROI) when it comes to their son and his quest for a scholarship. Not unlike investing money in the stock market….a mutual fund….or property….you have to get the most ‘bang for your buck’. Many times there are what I term fools gold that is brought to families by showcase companies (Perfect Games is the biggest one) who write very slick marketing pieces about being seen by their specific company and their ‘vast’ array of college and professional scouts who will see their son if they attend their specific showcase.
Many times, you will be charged $500-$700 for the showcase and then afterwards you are left wondering what happened…..no real follow up, no phones calls, nothing. This happens in 97% of the players who attend the showcases.
The ROI in these events is simply awful.
This is also popular with going to Arizona for USA Baseball Junior Olympics tournaments. Many, many players participate in this tournament but afterwards they are left with a sunburn and their parents are asking themselves why they spent a week’s worth of hotel, food, entertainment and let alone the tournament fee and the coaches who need to be paid as well. Again, the ROI is not even remotely logical.
Here are just a few of these topics that families have questions on:
*Myth #1: I must play a lot of games during the summer months in order to get noticed by colleges….
*Fact #1: If you do not possess a skill trait such as high velocity on your pitches….run more fast than anyone else around you…..or can hit like Mike Trout……then it is a waste of time to go to showcases.
*Solution: Training during the all important summer season to prepare you for scout ball or your HS fall season is an ABSOLUTE must. Here at Throwzone Academy, we can train you to improve your throwing and pitching skill set by adding velocity to your pitches…..creating better movement on other pitches such as a breaking ball or changeup…..and providing a roadmap to continue on your quest to pitch at the collegiate level and above.
*Myth #2: If I go to a college camp that has multiple college coaches at the camp then I will get more noticed than if I don’t go to the camp.
*Fact #2: College showcases are very expensive…usually anywhere from $500 to $2500. One of the biggest camps is the Stanford University camp that has as many as 30 different university and college coaches attending. That camp is close to $2200. A good portion of the camp goes to pay volunteer assistants some stipend money…..the coaches attending will usually get paid to attend the camp as well as long as they wear their college polo shirt and sun visor and have a clip board. College camps are 99% a waste of valuable resources that could be put to training whether with a coach or an investment if a weight training program.
Solution: Development and training is the single most important thing for a player to move onto the next level. By raising the bar on your own development then you are investing in yourself to throwing the ball harder with more consistent strikes and the ability to recover from your outing and throw the next day. Our Throwzone summer training will insure that you improve yourself as to be able to showcase yourself to coaches when the time is right.
*Myth #3: If I throw a baseball 85 mph then I will get to pitch in college!
*Fact #3: This is true if you want to pitch at a small D3 college in the middle of country or farther east. However, if your goal is to pitch at a big university then the magic number is 92 mph for a right-handed pitchers and 90 mph for a left-hander.
Solution: Throwzone Academy has guaranteed that our players will get a stronger arm and will add velocity with an impeccable desire to improve and throwing with the intent of mad-man who has goals of 90 mph and above.
Many of these issues with being seen can be addressed by what is always the top priority for baseball players and that is Training and Development. Training and development ALWAYS trumps playing in games…..especially after a long fall, winter and spring season…practicing every day…playing 2-3 games a week. A baseball player’s body needs to get some rest but then it needs to train. The body needs to get back to its primary shape and strength needs to be built. Throwzone Academy can and has always got players to their peak shape and getting ready for the next season…..for which many HS players is practicing as early as mid-August with no real breaks.
Our summer training camp is the perfect compliment to getting into the peak shape that is needed to get noticed and attention on your skill set. Players have gained strength and velocity with our training camp and coupled with a solid weight lifting program the gains are noticeable and then you can think about a camp of your favorite university or the camp of a school that has shown interest in you.
If you play, play, play then a player will never be able to get their best self on the mound and on the field.
Contact Throwzone today about our summer training camp…..click below for more information:
I guarantee that you will not be disappointed in the camp and the results!
Jim Wagner's ThrowZone Academy 