I had the good fortune to watch a long-time client pitch at UC Santa Barbara the weekend prior. It was his last home game of a 4-year career with its fair share of ups and downs, but the goal is getting a student-athlete to graduate (which he did) and continue playing the game he loves while perfecting his craft. Whether a player makes it to the next level or the big leagues is not a big deal in the grand scheme.  

I saw a blurb online today saying roughly 792,000 players will play varsity baseball in their life. There are approximately about 32,000 players that play in college, of which around 8,500 players play D1 baseball. And from there, about 1,500 players make it to pro ball (including international players), and 720 make it to the major leagues. Needless to say, the percentages are pretty small, so to be able to play in college is a huge accomplishment.

But this particular pitcher got pulled from the game early, much to the dismay of family and friends all there to root him on. As the game went on and UCSB was getting blown out, the mother of this player was introducing different people to my family and me, and one of the player’s friends I met has been his lifelong friend. When he met me, he said, “Oh, you’re the guy he always had to leave early to train with at your facility.” I said, “That’s me,” and he proceeded to tell me that he did not understand at the time why this player would always leave and how they used to tease him. 

However, when he realized that his close friend was pitching at a prestigious university and the magnitude of this, he said to me, “Now I understand why he went to your place to train so much because this whole thing is awesome.” The friend understood later why my pitcher trained so hard throughout the year. It was a telling moment for me.

This pitcher worked hard for years to realize his dream of pitching in college. He took time away from his friends to get better. In 8th grade, he really committed to being better than everyone else, and he knew he needed to work hard throughout the year to get to the place he wanted to go—one of the top 25 universities in baseball and a higher number in terms of athletics, in Santa Barbara no less! This pitcher, and his family supporting him through all of it, knew he wasn’t gifted enough to just rely on the talent God gave him. He trained throughout the year, even when baseball was over. He needed it badly, which is much better than wanting it.

I wanted to build a pitching business that I could do full-time and work for myself, but was I willing to do what it took to get to that point? In my case, I NEEDED it badly, and I did do whatever it took to make it happen. Working outside for years in the park, driving to people’s houses, parents not paying me what they owed me, light rain in December with a freezing 9-year-old pitcher in under 40-degree weather, almost getting punched by a former owner of a facility I worked out of, and an employee who tried to take a swing at me at another. I have seen it all, but it’s worth it.

Is your son willing to do what it takes to become his best? Is he coming in to train only when it’s convenient for everyone? Or does he take time off after the spring season ends and then come back while all of his buddies, who continued to work tirelessly, jumped in velocity, arm health, recovery, AND flourished in games? 

In my experience, success is not fleeting, but success is going to work every day with your lunch pail and going after your goals without excuses or reasons why you can’t do something. Taking time off to rest will not improve your game unless extenuating circumstances take precedence.

Summer is the perfect opportunity to continue training at the best baseball pitching facility in Southern California. Here at Throwzone Academy, we will push you to become your best, but you must also commit to the process and not just dip your big toe in the water. Are you willing to do everything in your power to become the best baseball pitcher and thrower you can be? We can help you reach those goals! 

Spots are still available in our July summer training camp for our older players (ages 13 and above). However, spaces are filling up fast.  Don’t wait to become your best version as your peers play in meaningful games while you’re either not playing or not getting on the field. You want to make the team, but more importantly, you want to be THE guy on that team!

Contact us today to become your best! Throwzone is here to help!!

Until next time,

Jim

“Dream big and dare to fail.“

– Norman Vaughan

What’s the very best reason to sign up for summer camp? Throwzone Academy and its summer programs allow players from all over to help each other out with training and sharing the protocols they have learned over the years. Each year we have multiple players who have trained with us for at least 5 years in a row, and some of them come back to coach players and work at our camps. It’s a fun atmosphere, a family atmosphere, and players come to learn and grow, plus they inevitably meet lifelong friends, all in the name of chasing 90 mph!

Camp starts on Monday! Click the following link and join us: https://throwzone.com/2023-summer-velocity-enhancement-and-arm-health-camp/.

Throwzone Academy is a full-service throwing and pitching academy specializing in building arm strength, arm health, and recovery for the thousands of players who have walked through our doors. Through April 2023, over 212 players have reached 90 mph, 83 players have reached 94 mph, and 24 have reached 100 mph.

For injuries, Throwzone Academy is second to none in finding out what’s causing the injury, and we have a proven plan to get players back to good health and throwing better than ever. During our summer program, players come to us not for velocity but for arm health and recovery. After 8 weeks, those players are amazed at how much better their arms respond to the stresses in front of them, whether pitching in a game, in the bullpens back at their school, and even how their long toss allows them to throw far without any stress.

Camp starts next week! Click the following link to grab your spot: https://throwzone.com/2023-summer-velocity-enhancement-and-arm-health-camp/.

Throwzone Academy is a full-service throwing and pitching academy specializing in building arm strength, arm health, and recovery for the thousands of players who have walked through our doors. Through April 2023, over 212 players have reached 90 mph, 83 players have reached 94 mph, and 24 have reached 100 mph.

The referrals we get from other players, parents, and coaches are quite flattering. In fact, I met with a top SoCal football head coach just to talk shop about throwing mechanics for QBs and how baseball players throw. It must have made an impact because even 5 years later, that coach put me in touch with a family member who asked about any baseball pitching coaches he knew of, and, of course, he recommended Throwzone Academy. Our families are our best referrals because their sons pitch well in games, so naturally, they get asked, “Who does your son work with? Why Throwzone?” Our reputation is solid for the training we offer during summer camp and beyond.

Click the following link for more information, and sign up today to hold your spot with our Throwzone Academy Summer Training Camp: https://throwzone.com/2023-summer-velocity-enhancement-and-arm-health-camp/.

Throwzone Academy is a full-service throwing and pitching academy specializing in building arm strength, arm health, and recovery for the thousands of players who have walked through our doors. Through April 2023, over 212 players have reached 90 mph, 83 players have reached 94 mph, and 24 have reached 100 mph.

We are very good at placing players with the right coaches who utilize our training methodologies. We constantly have coaches for scout teams and colleges, as well as professional scouts, ask us about the right players to play for them or who to watch for the July draft every year. And every year, we find the right mixture of players to move on to the next level. Why is that? Because these coaches and scouts know Throwzone campers work hard every summer and that they’re the right players to evaluate and look to recruit.

Click the following link for more information, and sign up today to hold your spot with our Throwzone Academy Summer Training Camp: https://throwzone.com/2023-summer-velocity-enhancement-and-arm-health-camp/.

Throwzone Academy is a full-service throwing and pitching academy specializing in building arm strength, arm health, and recovery for the thousands of players who have walked through our doors. Through April 2023, over 212 players have reached 90 mph, 83 players have reached 94 mph, and 24 have reached 100 mph.

“You can’t use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have.“

– Maya Angelou

Catch a glimpse of the training that takes place during Throwzone’s Summer Velocity Enhancement and Arm Health Camp in this behind-the-scenes video! Sign up today to get ready for next season!