Fall baseball is supposed to be the time of year that Travel Baseball Coaches allow their players to “develop.” I’ve been coaching baseball professionally for 21 years. During the first half of my career I was ignorant about what baseball development should truly be. Because of my ignorance and arrogance, fall baseball was more of time of stress for my players than it was about development.
I define development as the process of growth.
Babies grow to become infants and later adults. Trees are planted, grow tall and strong, and can become bats. Baseball swings start as choppy and inconsistent. But with the right coaching, they can become smooth and consistent.
I recently interviewed four of my clients to get their thoughts on all things fall baseball.
Jonathan Hunt
1. What is the purpose of fall baseball?
To try things out and understand what works and what doesn’t work.
2. How do you define “baseball development”?
Baseball development is everything you do to further develop your skill in baseball
3. Some coaches say that “fall baseball’ is the time to develop. Explain what fall baseball has meant to you.
Coaches help me develop during the fall season by allowing me to try new things and figure out if it works or not.
4. What causes you the most stress during the fall baseball season?
Nothing causes me stress; I enjoy working to get better.
Brandon Ingram
1. What is the purpose of fall baseball?
The purpose of fall baseball is to maintain and improve your skills. It gives you the opportunity to fail and/or work on aspects of the game that you fall behind in.
2. How do you define “baseball development”?
Baseball development is accepting failures and constantly making adjustments to limit those failures.
3. Some coaches say that “fall baseball’ is the time to develop. Explain what fall baseball has meant to you.
My coaches have allowed me to develop in the fall through practices and putting me in games to get an adequate amount of at bats and reps in the outfield.
4. What causes you the most stress during the fall baseball season?
What causes me the most stress is not meeting my goals or expectations in the game knowing that I worked on that aspect.
5. What do you do to help solve this stressor?
It is realizing that baseball is a game of failure and that I will never be perfect. I have to remind myself just to have fun even when things aren’t going too well for me individually.
Colton Nickell
1. What is the purpose of fall baseball?
The purpose of fall baseball is to train to be the best you can be when spring arrives.
2. How do you define “baseball development”?
I define baseball development as getting better based on the potential on the player and setting your mind to the process of getting better and working.
3. Some coaches say that “fall baseball’ is the time to develop. Explain what fall baseball has meant to you.
Pressure and over working have been an issue. If you are being over worked for baseball without breaks, there was fatigue during the day.
4. What causes you the most stress during the fall baseball season?
Some stress that was caused in previous years would have been basketball and playing sports instead of baseball, causing distraction to my baseball development during the fall.
5. What do you do to help solve this stressor?
Sleep and working out helps reduce the stress and hanging out with people outside of baseball.
Cash Pinson
1. What is the purpose of fall baseball?
To improve and get ready for spring baseball.
2. How do you define “baseball development”?
Physical and mental training to improve my game.
3. Some coaches say that “fall baseball’ is the time to develop. Explain what fall baseball has meant to you.
A lot of coaches take fall ball seriously and push you to get better, but other coaches use fall games as practice and not competitive play.
4. What causes you the most stress during the fall baseball season?
There generally isn’t much stress during fall ball except it is frustrating that it is not taken as seriously as I would like.
5. What do you do to help solve this stressor?
Work as hard as possible and try to use fall to prepare for spring.
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C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an area scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 12 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and track record of success that can work for you.
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