Why following the 3 Rs will help turn your game around

August, which is right around the corner, marks the beginning of another fall season (August-October). During these first few weeks of July, I’m giving you permission to relax, reflect and relate. This will help as you prepare to get things moving for fall.

Relax
To relax is to become less tense. Baseball is a simple game that is made to be complex, especially when you’re trying to gain a spot on a collegiate or professional team. This complexity and competition invites tension.

Learning to relax is a worthwhile skill to develop, just like staying back on a breaking ball.

You don’t have to stop your practice routine in order to relax, but consider the following 3 Ss:

1. Simplify your practices
2. Shorten the time of your practices
3. Slower pace

Do these three well, and you will have more time for the lake, beach or pool.

Reflect
Reflection is to think deeply about something. You must think more deeply about your life than you do about hitting a game winning home run. Take some time this month to answer the following 10 questions. It’s you against you.

1. Who am I?
2. Why do I play baseball?
3. How would people treat me if I didn’t play baseball?
4. Do I enjoy practicing?
5. What’s my dominate learning style?
6. What’s my dominate listening style?
7. How do I describe the perfect baseball coach?
8. Can baseball be used as a platform for me to solve a world problem?
9. Is travel baseball preparing me to compete at the highest level of baseball?
10. Is travel baseball preparing me to win at the game of life?

Relate
The competitiveness of travel baseball can cause you to become a bad version of you, because there is pressure for to be the best despite the rest.

• What do children suffering from childhood cancer dream about?
• What do foster children in your community worry about?
• What do elderly people who live in your community get excited about?

Millions of baseball players like you dream of making it to the Major Leagues, which has lots of money and fans. What if you cannot relate to your fans? In July, try volunteering at a children’s hospital, foster home or assisted living facility. This will help you relate to your future fans.

Remember: Intelligence trumps being smart.

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

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.