Okay so for most of you, fall-ball has been done for a couple of months. Question is, have you still been training?
Or have you been playing Call of Duty, or spending a little to much time on “Face Book”?
Yea you know who you are. Guess what…..there is someone out there busting their butt. Taking extra hacks in the cage, running sprints, taking extra ground-balls, and eating the right foods to get ready for the 2012 season.
Are you going to get left behind? Are you going to struggle at the plate this season? Are you mentally prepared?
If you’re worried, don’t be…….
Here are three things that can get you back on track, and if you haven’t dropped the ball…….here are three things that will help you get ahead.
Use simple Hitting Drills to stay sharp
I’ve seen it time and time again, where seemingly over night, a hitter’s swing breaks down after they come back from the holidays.
They had a great fall or pre season, and yet for some odd reason, they seem like a completely different hitter!
A hitter’s swing can be such a delicate thing. The smallest things can offset a player’s timing or rhythm and set him up for a slow start to a new season. So it’s very important to get your swings in during down time. I can’t stress it enough.
How often should you hit?
EVERY-DAY.
I’m not talking about swinging everyday until your blisters pop like a grape, but I do mean, have the mental discipline to make hitting a priority over anything else. The great thing is it only takes 15 minutes to get loose, work on your swing, and get out of there.
The point of developing into a great hitter is knowing what brings the best results, and refining them over and over again until that becomes a foundation for your success.
Here are couple of hitting drills that you can use to stay sharp as a hitter.
Staying inside the ball
How to hit high velocities
Perfect you mental game
It’s no secret that this game is all mental. A big part of becoming a mentally tough player, one who is confident and is able to perform at his greatest potential, comes from how he views success.
Focusing on things you can control will allow you to build confidence. if your confidence is influenced in any way by things out of your control( ie Batting Average, your coache’s opinion of you, scouts in the stands, playing time) your screwed.
I promise you, create what Steve Springer calls “Daily attainable goals” in his Audio-Book “Quality At-Bats” and watch how differently you perform.
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Eat baseball foods
Guys you have to eat the right foods. I know it’s the holidays, and you want to eat mom’s cooking, but make sure you’re eating things that will help you perform on the field.
If you could do just one thing different in your diet, eat less foods that are acidic, and more foods that will alkalize your body.
Here is one simple baseball food that you can eat and that is easy to make.
Why? After a work out, your body craves sugar. A banana is a great supplement for this because it will fulfill this need without giving givning acidic intake.
When? Directly after any sort of baseball related training.
Ingredients
* 2 cups raw oats
* 2 cups raisins
* 1 cup pecans
* ½ cup cut ground flax seeds
* 2 ripe bananas
* A little bit of cinnamon
* 3 tablespoons of agave nectar ( not essential)
There you have it guys. Three different things you can do over the holidays that will help you become a better ball player.
This won’t turn you into an all-star, but it can give you an inch, and sometimes that’s all that is nessasary.
A little goes a long way.
Good luck and happy holidays!