By Jonathan Massey –
It’s crazy how time flies. It honestly feels like just yesterday that my good friend’s mom was dropping us off at this hole-in-the-wall place, renowned for its “development of pitchers.” Little did I know at the time just how much this place would change my life. Now, in just five days, I will begin my 20th consecutive summer of training or coaching here at the Texas Baseball Ranch®. To mark this special event, I thought I’d share with you the 10 Best Training Tips I’ve learned over the past 20 years.
1.) Failure is part of the process. If you’re not failing, you’re not stretching yourself. Growth only occurs along the edge of your comfort zone—and any time you get close to that edge, there is a chance you could stumble. However, if you never risk stepping outside your comfort zone, you cannot grow.
2.) Act “as if.” I’ll never forget the day I was sitting in one of the mindsets when Coach Wolforth said, “If your goal is to be an All-American, then you better start acting like one now.” Act as if you’re already an All-American—even before you get there.
3.) It’s about the journey. No matter what, baseball ends for everyone someday. For some, it happens at 18; for others, it’s 22; and for the lucky few, it’s 40. Oftentimes, I see guys get so obsessed with where they want to be that they forget that it’s who you become along the way that matters most.
4.) The power of .038%. Steady wins the race. There’s a reason why our parents read us the story of the tortoise and the hare—it teaches us that persistence and consistency win out over the long haul. If you were to improve .038% every day, you’d improve by roughly .25% in a week. Do that every week, and by the end of the month, you’d improve by 1%. If you did that every month for a whole year, you would improve 12%. Just imagine what could happen if you continued to do that year after year. Small, steady improvements over a long period of time are what win.
5.) Deep, deliberate practice. One of my favorite Coach Wolforth analogies is his story of becoming a better piano player. It goes like this:
“Let’s say I had a dream of becoming a world-class pianist. So, for a year, I woke up every morning at 5:00 AM and banged on the keys of my piano for two hours. Would I be a better pianist after that one year?”
The answer—which I’ve never had a kid miss—is a resounding “no.” Yet, that is akin to, “I just need to get my reps in.” Practice isn’t everything, especially if it isn’t deliberate and purposeful. What if, after every throw, you asked yourself how good it felt on a scale from 0-10, with 10 being the best it’s ever felt on your arm? Or when blending, you ask how similar it felt to your drill work, 0-10? Does that not raise the standard of your practice? It does. Now, instead of just getting your reps in, you are engaged in deep, meaningful practice.
6.) Be good on a regular basis. One of my favorite quotes of all time is: “Being great is simply being predictably and continually good, over a long period.” Too often, guys believe that they have to pitch up to this impossible standard for them to be great. To be great, all you have to do is just be good on a regular basis.
7.) When in doubt, revert to athleticism. I can’t count how many times I’ve given a player a cue, and to put it nicely, it doesn’t go well. Almost always, the next thing I say is, “Alright, forget what I just said, and go back to being athletic.” What’s funny is that when they return to focusing on being athletic, it usually works out the way I wanted it to in the first place. So, when in doubt, make what you’re doing feel more athletic.
8.) Don’t be a sheep. If you do what everyone else does, you will get what everyone else gets. That is the very definition of “average” and being part of the herd. To be exceptional, you cannot simply follow the crowd. You must be willing to stand out.
9.) Decide what you want. I think one of the most common mistakes young players make is not truly knowing what they want from their training. We ask kids all the time why they come to The Ranch, and without fail, 99% of the time, they say it’s to get better. Better at what? Better velocity? Better command? Better arm health and durability? Better-looking girlfriend? One of the easiest ways not to improve is to try to excel at everything. Decide what you want, and go all in on it.
10.) Iron sharpens iron. When I first started coming to The Ranch, I wanted to be in the same group as one of my good friends, Travis. Not only because we were friends, but because Travis threw harder than I did. My only goal that summer was to try to beat him at everything we did. (It didn’t happen, but I closed the gap.) Without Travis there to push me, there’s no way my progress that summer would have been as significant as it was. The better the competition you surround yourself with, the better your growth will be. Iron sharpens iron.
It goes without saying that these tips extend far beyond the baseball diamond. I apply them every single day of my life. As Coach Wolforth has often said, “If it were just about baseball… we’d be doing something else.”
Hopefully, I’ll still be here in five years to revisit this list and update it with more things I’ve learned during that time!
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Important TBR Updates
- Summer is just around the corner. A great introduction to the Texas Baseball Ranch® and our world renowned training is through our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamps. Upcoming dates include:
May 24-26 (Sat-Mon)
June 6-8 (Fri-Sun)
June 20-22 (Fri-Sun)
July 4-6 (Fri-Sun)
July 18-20 (Fri-Sun)
Aug. 1-3 (Fri-Sun)
Aug. 30-Sept 1 (Sat-Mon)
To register or learn more CLICK HERE
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but are still on the fence? To help, we have a detailed information package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package and start making plans for the summer, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- Coach Wolforth is hosting a special 90 minute webinar – “The Velocity Code: 3 Secrets to Improving Velocity and Staying Healthy” on Thursdays at 7pm CST. If you’d like to attend the next webinar, CLICK HERE to register.
- Check out this new video on our YouTube Channel! Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpliY0GhrqE and share your opinion in the comments.
- Interested in our “Summer Intensive Development Program”? Join us for 2-11 weeks this summer. For more information on this one of a kind Summer Training experience and for a registration form visit https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/tbr-summer-program/.
- Would you like to participate in the Ranch Summer Program but can’t find 2+ weeks in your schedule? We have an option for you! Attend one of our 3-Day EPBC’s and add the summer program week after. It’s seven days of training and is a great option for those players with an extremely busy summer schedule. Give us a call and we can provide you with more details – (936) 588-6762.
