CJ Stewart took Dexter Folwer on as a client of Diamond Directors when the aspiring baseball player was only 13 years old. Though his athletic ability was high, at that time his skill level was low. Dexter is currently playing his third year of professional baseball with the Colorado Rockies, so clearly, Diamond Directors made a big difference! CJ Stewart remembers some of the early challenges that helped Dexter grow as a player.
Dexter lacked control, but had lots of strength. CJ began weighting the bat to make sure Dexter could really feel his swing. “Even now,” CJ said, “we’ll laugh about, but I still tell him to slllllooooooowwwww down.”
In the beginning, Dexter’s footwork also needed some attention. He had a habit of striding towards the plate and angling his body away from it, which made him work that much harder. With work and repetition, CJ trained Dexter to improve that habit.
In Dexter’s case, group training wasn’t an ideal option, because he got distracted. Through one-on-one work with CJ and plenty of homework for him to complete, Dexter slowly turned his natural ability into a reliable, learned skillset, helping him reach the point he’s at today.
His drive and determination had a lot to do with that, CJ said. Dexter was disciplined, and would always go home and practice after a training session. Whether in group or solo, it’s important that clients practice what they’re learning during their sessions with CJ, and Dexter certainly understood that. As for determination, when Dexter set his mind to something, he accomplished it.
Two weeks before the major league drafts, Dexter decided to try switch hitting. He and CJ focused on isolating the upper half of his body, to counteract the natural tendency to rotate the lower body. When he was drafted, it was as a right-handed hitter, his natural habit. He ended up switch hitting throughout the first year, though, and ended the season with four home runs due to switch hitting under his belt.
BIO:
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, CJ 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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