Category Archives: 21 Days to Building a Better Ballplayer

Find a Training Partner

Today’s task in the 21 Days to Building a Better Ballplayer project is to find a training partner.

Why do you need a training/throwing/hitting partner?

Before the 2007 season, I spent a good chunk of the off-season throwing and training all by myself. Man was it tough. I had a bucket of balls and a net that I would set up at a nearby park and I would throw, and throw, and throw. I had to balance this with work, so some days I was up at dawn and avoiding sprinklers as I got my work in. It would have been really easy to justify sleeping in a little longer and just throw the next day.

If I would have had a throwing partner, he could have kept me accountable with my throwing routine and my training program. Not only would he have made me get my work in, we could have bounced ideas off each other, pushed each other harder, and competed to see how good we could become. It’s amazing what a dedicated partner can do for your success.

What to Look for In a Training Partner

Your training partner does not need to have the same goals as you, but he does need to have his own goals and he needs to have the desire to become a better ballplayer. You want to find a partner that you can improve with and compete with. The two of you need to set out a game plan and keep each other accountable. When one guy is tired and doesn’t want to throw or hit that day, it’s the other partner’s job to remind him of all the reasons to not skip out on that day’s training.

So, reach back in your list of names and think of a current or former teammate (or even possibly an opponent) that you know will keep you on track and push you to get better. If you can find a guy that is a better ballplayer than you to begin with, even better.

Now, give him a call and tell him that you need someone to throw, hit, and train with on a regular basis. Tell him your goals, desires, and dreams so he knows what to expect. Then ask him to tell you all of his. This will help you develop a bond and connection that will keep both of you committed to the task at hand.

You could even challenge him to commit to the 21 Day Challenge with you.

Write Down Your Goals

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Write Down Your Goals

Yesterday, we started the 21 Day process of striving to be a better ballplayer. Your task was to define your mission statement – Why do you play baseball? Building directly off of that mission, today’s task is to write down your goals.

I’ve gone into detail before about the how to and why of writing down your goals, so I won’t be spending to much time detailing it here. But, now is the time to reflect on your mission statement from yesterday and begin writing down more specific goals that drive your motivation.

Is your goal to be a starter? To make all-conference? To hit .400? Are you a pitcher and want to have the lowest ERA on the team? Whatever it may be, make sure you write down your goals.

You can most certainly have more than one goal, but remember to make each one:

Measurable
Attainable
Adjustable
Realistic
Specific

So, head back and read Basic Goal Setting, then grab a pen and paper and get to work. You don’t become a better baseball player by thinking about it, but rather by taking action. And if you want to share a few of your goals with us here, just leave a comment below.

Define Your Mission Statement

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Your first task in the 21 Days to Building a Better Ballplayer Challenge is to define your mission statement.

Mission statements are usually used by businesses to define why they are in business. What are they trying to accomplish? What are they working towards? Why are they in business?

How does this relate to you as a ballplayer? At its most basic level, a mission statement will help you recognize your reason for playing the game of baseball. So, take some time today (or this week) to answer this question:

“Why do I play baseball?”

What are your motivations? As you begin to answer this question, make sure to be honest with yourself as you will find yourself reflecting back on your mission when you are practicing, training, and making sacrifices to become a better ballplayer.

Some examples of mission statements might include:
-I play baseball to have fun.
-I play baseball because I love sports.
-I play baseball to help me relax and get away from everything.
-I play baseball to meet cute girls.
-I play baseball to get a scholarship for college.
-I play baseball to make friends.
-I play baseball because I want to be a big leaguer and make lots of money.
-I play baseball because I want to be the best that ever played the game.

These are just a few examples. They may or may not reflect your mission as a ballplayer, and some might not have such simple answers. You may play for a variety of reasons. Whatever they may be, write them down in one or two simple sentences.

There is no right or wrong answer to this question, and your answer may be completely different than another person who plays the game. But, whatever your motivations for playing the game, your task right now is to define it.

Knowing what your mission is will help you set up a game plan for reaching your mission. Don’t think to specific just yet. Simply look at the big picture and nail down your core motivations for playing the game.

So, what is your mission? Why do you play baseball? Tell us in the comments.

21 Days to Building a Better Ballplayer

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I’ll be honest, when I started The Full Windup, I was hoping to make at least one weekly post so that readers could have a regular website to visit to find tips and information on how to become better at the game of baseball. Well, despite my best efforts I haven’t been too consistent. While I believe the posts that have been written provide great information on how to improve a ballplayer’s game, I want the Full Windup to be a better resource for passionate ballplayers, coaches, and parents.

Enter a challenge – 21 Days to Build a Better Ballplayer. With a little inspiration from Darren Rowse’s own 31 Day Challenge to his blog followers, I hope to make a more consistent effort in posting quality tips and drills to help you become a better ballplayer.

While my challenge will be consistency, your challenge will be to read the posts and complete the tasks associated with each post. I want each and every post to inspire, motivate, and challenge you to become better at this wonderful game of baseball. In other words, I want you to find and reach your potential as a baseball player.

The first task in this challenge will come tomorrow, Friday, January 27. I chose this start date for a few reasons:

Tomorrow will be the first day college baseball programs are allowed to start official practice of the 2012 season. Exactly 3 weeks from tomorrow, February 17 (21 days), they will open the 2012 season
While every state has different rules, the high school baseball season will begin in approximately 3 weeks. High schools in colder weather states will be hosting tryouts, and most schools in warmer weather states will be beginning their seasons.
For my own nostalgia, 21 was my uniform number when I played in high school, college, and even pro ball. So, 21 days seemed like a fitting number.

The Posts

Each of the tips discussed in this 21 Day Challenge will be fairly quick to read through. However, the idea is to get you to work on improving your game, so each day’s post will be accompanied with a task for you to take part in. After all, if you are not taking action then how are you going to build yourself into a better ballplayer? Some tasks will only take that day to complete. Others will be tasks that need to be worked on over the course of an entire baseball career. Either way, they are designed to benefit you.

I do not claim to know everything there is to know about baseball. So, if you have something to add or share, please feel free to leave comments, questions, or other tips on any of the posts. I want you to get the most out of this series.

Let’s make 2012 your best baseball season yet!