The 3 I's

The "3 I's," as I like to say. Intelligence: the ability to make sound
decisions on your feet and to play smart. Immediacy:
the sense of urgency in accomplishing a task; the belief that now is the time to
act. Intensity: the emotion and passion that an
individual brings to his or her task. Do you have the burning desire to be the
best that you can be all at times? Not every player or employee has all three
to the maximum, but those who do stand out from the pact. The teams that have
individuals with the 3 I's are more likely see success.From
"How Good Do You Want To Be" by Nick
Saban

MOTIVATION

"Today I will do what others won't, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't."

- Jerry Rice

SIMPLE WINS

A lot of players want to make "big plays"; but you win more games
because of "basic winning plays" repeated over & over again. Simple wins
more! Focus on making the routine play every time. That will lead you to
success.

Having a plan at the plate

Study from NCAA Division 1 baseball:

Here are a few quick reminders to give you an advantage at the dish:

-For every 10 ground balls hit, 3 will fall in for a base hit, and the on base average is 42 percent.

-For every 10 line drives hit, 8 will fall in for a base hit, and the on-base average is 84 percent.

-For every 10 fly balls hit (including home runs), 2 will fall in for a base hit,a nd the on-base average will be 29 percent.

Working on your own- Great Example

Wasn’t that beautiful?
 Many players would probably look at that clip and not think “beautiful.” Boring might be a better fit for kids today. It may be boring to some but that would be a result of them not really “seeing” what is in the clip. Upon closer inspection, here are some key features of the clip that many would miss.

He is by himself.
Practicing by yourself is a must if you want to be great. A field, a garage, a gym, a basement, a batting cage, and/or a back yard are the places where good players become great. Waiting for your coach to call a practice will get you nowhere. There are a million things a player can and should be doing on their own if they want to continue playing baseball in the future. As Jean de la Bruyere (17th century French writer) said, “All of our unhappiness comes from our inability to be alone.”

Rhythm.
Watch the clip again and count the seconds that pass between the swings. Start counting (or just look at the clock) as soon as the bat hits the ball on the first swing and start counting again from the beginning when the ball is hit again. (Like this … 18, 19, 20, HIT, 1, 2, 3 … HIT ). Notice anything? When I counted, it was EXACTLY 16 seconds between both swings!! How did that happen and why would it matter? Many players hitting off a tee do not take their time. They rush. They swing, swing, swing without any type of rhythm. Joe Mauer takes his time and recognizes that the quality of the swing is much more important than the quantity of swings. Developing a systematic rhythm to your swings gives your body the proper muscle memory that allows it to go on autopilot in times of high stress or pressure. He would not even know it but his natural rhythm between swings off a tee is about 16 seconds. What’s yours need to be?


Game like.
This goes along with the rhythm piece. After setting the ball on the tee, Mauer goes through his exact, game-like procedure prior to the swing – he looks down to set his feet properly, he gives a normal practice swing, his eyes are forward on where the pitcher would be, he loads up, he strides, and he swings. He is practicing exactly what he wants to do in the game. The rhythm, technique, and timing are all the same.

Approach to the game

“You can't just beat a team, you have to
leave a lasting impression in their minds so they never want to see you
again.”

-Mia Hamm

3 terms that todays players need to understand

Great stuff from Kevin Eastman

Hard Work

-It is the price of admission

-If you don't work hard you don't get between the lines

-Everyone works hard, so hard work won't seperate you. It will get you in the door.

Competitveness

-Most are competitive once they seperate from a group

-Inside Determination

-Desire to win anything you are involved in

Committed

-This is an elite group (guys that put in the extra work and wont stop until mission is accomplished)

-People talk about it but don't understand it

-Think about what it takes to be great

-Everyday trying to get better, think long term, have the attitude that you never have arrived

OPPORTUNITY

Opportunity follows struggle. It follows effort. It follows hard work. It doesn't come before.

Focus on the present

Each at-bat is a new day.

We don’t just have the opportunity to start fresh each day. We have the opportunity to start fresh each moment.We can learn from past failures and mistakes, but we shouldn’t get stuck there. We can keep future goals in mind, but we shouldn’t get stuck there, either.

The only way to reach our potential is to focus on what we must do now – this moment, the day – to perform effectively and to win.In baseball, a hitter mired in a slump can belt a home run on any pitch. A team on a prolonged losing streak can always win that day’s game.

From "Ground Rules for Winners" by Joe Torre

TCU Baseball 2012 - The Grind

It is time for the grind!

Good Stuff from new LSU Pitching Coach Alan Dunn

“I want pitchers to establish a mound presence so there is no question in anyone’s mind who is pitching on that particular day. This starts with their mound tempo, which is showing the ability to work fast and keep the pressure on the hitter. Body language is huge regardless of what is happening in the game. They have to show the ability to control the game and not the game controlling them.” Next he points to the pitchers attitude towards throwing strikes and attacking hitters, “It is a must that pitchers show the conviction in attacking the zone and pitching to contact. We want to make the action happen early in counts and to do this they must throw the ball in the zone.”

“The fastball is still the most important pitch a pitcher has in his arsenal. Whether it is 82mph or 98mph a pitcher must pitch off of his fastball to be successful. What I mean by this is that the pitcher must “command” his fastball. Commanding the fastball means he has the ability to make quality pitches with his fastball in fastball counts and get the hitter out. In this game if you are a hitter and you can’t hit the fastball and you’re a pitcher and you can’t pitch with the fastball you will never be successful.

Was today your best?

"At night when I go to bed, I ask myself, 'If I don’t wake up tomorrow, would I be proud of how I lived today.'”

-Muhammad Ali