by Jeff Kamrath | @HooRayKam
When the last out is made and the lights are turned off for the season, a wave of emotions runs through us: sadness, nostalgia, excitement, thankfulness and maybe even optimism. For baseball players, especially, after a long season, the break from the grind of the game can be welcome. But after a few weeks away from the game, hitting the books and playing football or basketball, what should you being doing to prep for next season?
We suggest focusing on 3 simple goals:
- Identify weaknesses in your game
- Develop a plan of attack
- Execute
Identifying Weaknesses
Miguel Cabrera has them. So does Clayton Kershaw. Trust me, you have weaknesses in your game. No player is perfect, so get to work understanding the weaknesses in your game.
GameChanger’s advanced stats can help each player identify their own set of weaknesses.
Low Batting Average? Check out your QAB stats and see what part of your hitting approach needs improvement. Maybe focus on driving the ball the other way or on working deeper in counts.
High ERA? Check out your Command stats to see if you’re getting ahead of hitters with First Pitch Strikes. If so, maybe you’re not finishing hitters late in at-bats and need a better put away pitch.
As an amateur player, you might experience some of the following:
- Low SLG% (Lack of functional strength)
- Low Strike% (Arm health issues can lead to bad mechanical habits)
- Pull heavy spray charts (Trouble handling outside or offspeed pitches)
If you don’t know what your weaknesses are, ask your coach. I’m willing to bet that they will be happy to help you become a better player by identifying weaknesses in your game. Your development will only help the team.
Read a previous article to learn about GameChanger’s developmental stats.
Develop a Plan of Attack
Once you identify a weakness, the next logical step is to develop a plan of attack. When working on your game, it’s crucial to only work on one skill at a time. Give it your full attention, then move on. Not to say you can’t work on multiple skills during the same offseason, but when you’re in the moment, lock it down to working on and perfecting one skill at a time.
Working with a coach will come in handy. If you have the means to seek professional/private coaches, do so, but do a little research first. Make sure you find a coach comfortable with you dictating your own set of goals. Some coaches will appreciate having a starting point, while others will want to make their own suggestions. Remember, its your time, your career and your money. Therefore, you need to take a mature approach and take control of your development.
If you don’t have access to a private coach, ask your Little League or High School coach for some drills to work on with a friend or parent. Have them help you understand the goals of each drill and make sure to check back with them to evaluate your progress.
It’s important to have a plan that focuses on shoring up your weaknesses. Players with no plan tend to practice on skills they have already mastered. Be smarter. Put your ego away. Be okay with not being an expert immediately. Put in the work and your game will improve.
Read a previous article to learn how using GameChanger’s spray charts can benefit your development.
Execute the Plan
In his book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell establishes that it takes 10,000 hours of work to become an expert on a particular set of skills. If you played or practiced for an average of 2 hours every day, it would take you almost 14 years to amass that amount of work! While we certainly don’t advocate that amount of consistent work (you need to let your body rest too!), it just goes to show how much work goes into being an expert at your skill set.
I prefer to focus on another number. 1,000. It takes 1,000 perfect reps to make or break a habit.
For example, if you have a hitch in your swing, it will take 1,000 perfect swings without the hitch to build your new swing into a habit. But, if you happen take 250 bad swings mixed in with your new, improved swing, you’ll need to make up for those. So, add 250 more to your initial 1,000, and you’re up to 1,250 perfect swings to break that bad habit.
Remember the 250 bad swings you took? Add those in to the total and you’re up to 1,500 swings. 1,000 perfect + 250 bad swings + 250 make-up swings = 1,500 swings.
You can see that mistakes add up quickly and hinder progress. It’s more important to slow down and work on the quality of your drill/skill and over time, the quantity will add up.
Make sure to compare your stats on GameChanger, year over year, to see if there is improvement and adjust your next offseason’s practice plan accordingly.
Bonus tip: Practice on your own
No player got to the MLB by only practicing one day a week. With only a weekly private lesson and team practices mixed in, you likely won’t get enough work to make progress towards Gladwell’s magic 10,000 hours unless you supplement with your own practice at home. But don’t overdo it. Like anything in life, moderation is key.
Remember, if you practiced 2 hours EVERY day, it would take 14 years to amass 10,000 hours, but you can start your march towards being a better player with consistent daily work.
Here’s an example of a good weekly schedule:
- Day 1: 1 hour gym workout + 1 hour lesson/drill work
- Day 2: 1 hour practice (on your own)
- Day 3: 1 hour gym
- Day 4: 2 hour team practice
- Day 5: 1 hour gym + 1 hour practice (on your own)
- Day 6: Rest
- Day 7: 2 hour practice (on your own)
This type of schedule incorporates a private lesson, reinforced by regular sessions on your own, a team practice and is supplemented by work in the gym to improve your body. If your child is too young to get in the gym, get them doing basic body work exercises for fun.
Note: If you play multiple sports, the gym work might be less necessary if that team works out and conditions as part of it’s practice.
Wrapup
Remember to identify your weakness, develop a plan of attack and execute the plan.
Evaluating your stats on GameChanger can help you gain perspective on where you should focus your attention in the offseason.
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