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