How do you feel about your future? Check out my previous blog, “5 Ways to Get Ready for 2022,” so you can know what I am working toward in 2022. For the five weeks of December, I am focused on helping my hitters develop my “Five A’s:”
- Attitude – How A Player Acts
- Awareness – How You Think
- Adjustments – How You Respond
- Aptitude – How You Correct
- Athleticism – How You Make Things Happen
Learning how to think is a very under-coached part of being a fulfilled person and baseball player. I believe that when we are thinking properly, we can get a lot done with ease.
As a teenager, I did not understand that failure was a starting point of learning. I also did not know the right next thing to do after I failed. As a coach, I teach that making adjustments should happen after you fail. I will go deeper on this in next week’s blog.
The great thing about being able to think is that the awareness of your attitude and your ability to rely on the habits and/or skills you have developed will be heightened. Have you ever struck out looking at a perfect fastball thrown right down the plate and had your coach yell, “What are you thinking?”
I remember the early days of my coaching when I would tell my hitters not to think too much at the plate.
The great thing about being able to think is that the awareness of your attitude and your ability to rely on the habits and/or skills you have developed will be heightened.
Talent is things we do well. Habits are things we do well without thought, while skills are things we do well repeatedly without thought while under stress.
To build habits requires getting reps in the tens of thousands. Developing skills is getting those thousands of reps while doing it under stress. We build habits by practicing and skills by training.
I have been coaching professionally now for 23 years. I know it is okay to think while you’re at the plate until you’ve been trained to properly respond. It requires a strong commitment from yourself and your coaches to get you ready. Until you become a professional hitter who can turn on cruise control, think for a change.
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.
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