What you must focus on right now to get ready for your winter workouts

What do you need to focus on right now to be prepared for your winter workouts? It is a great question, and one that every young hitter should be asking. The winter is coming up soon, and this is the time that baseball and softball players are building habits and strength in my Hitting Lab.

The rule we follow is this: There are seven parts to the swing. It takes 3,000 reps to build a habit. That’s 21,000 reps:

1. Stance/Load.
2. Timing
3. Tempo
4. Tracking
5. Approach
6. Contact
7. Extension/Finish

Here is another question for you to answer. The answer to this question will determine what part(s) of the swing you need to build habits and strength starting in November.

Are you hitting the ball hard 50% of the time with a minimum of 50 at-bats?

If you are, that tells me that you are:

1. Getting loaded well
2. Getting loaded well on time 90% of the time
3. Getting loaded well on tempo 90% of the time
4. Tracking pitches properly 80% of the time
5. Repeating a good approach with your barrel 70% of the time

The above factors are the “5 Must Haves” you need to make work in order to hit the ball hard 50% of the time with 50 at-bats, regardless of the skills of the opposing pitcher.

If you can hit the ball hard that often, you can expect to get a hit 30% to 40% of the time and hit for power 10% to 20% of the time. Developing the “5 Must Haves” require habits and skills rather than luck and chance.

Talent are the things you do well. Habits are the things you do well without thought. Skills are the things you do well without thought while under stress.

Diamond Directors has been providing the blueprint of success for diamond sports athletes since 1998. Let us assess your swing in our next Hitting Combine.

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

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

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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.