If you ain’t failing, you ain’t excelling

Vincent Van Gogh once said, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?”

I am most afraid of heights and snakes. I used to be afraid of public speaking. However, lots of speaking opportunities has allowed me to embrace and enjoy it, and become effective.

The months of August, September and October are known as fall baseball months. This is when travel baseball coaches advertise that their players get to work on things for the sake of development.

It sounds like a great plan, but often is never implemented because we don’t have an understanding of development.

I’ve been coaching players for more than 25 year. In the beginning, failing to get players to reach their full potential on purpose forced me to become an avid reader and get a coaching mentor of my own.

I’ve grown to understand that development has a starting and ending point—one rooted in a mission and vision that has an evaluable outcome.

• Mission – A mission is a short statement of why you are doing what you are doing, as well as the overall goal(s).
• Vision – A vision is what happens when the mission is accomplished.
• Evaluable Outcome – Outcome evaluation is used to identify the results of a program’s effort.

For some, the word development can be like air. You know it is there and why it is needed, but you don’t completely understand how it works.

Courage is what we do in response to our feelings of fear.

Most hitters are afraid to try new things because they are afraid to fail. I get it. But if you ain’t failing, you ain’t excelling.

Under my leadership, my hitters are committed to trying new things to determine what works and what doesn’t August through October.

I challenged them to try different stances and different loads to improve their approach to the ball, and in an effort to try to produce more power.

If they cannot be allowed three months to be innovative and to tap into their athleticism, how will they ever be able to compete at the collegiate and/or professional levels.

“The hallmark of successful people is that they are always stretching themselves to learn new things.” — Carol S. Dweck

To help keep your skills sharp, we have introduced a new type of Skill Build—our Virtual Skill Build—where I can help you develop hitting skills anytime, anywhere using anything.

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

For more information, visit www.diamonddirectors.com today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

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 associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 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 a track record of success that can work for you.