By Isaiah Trevino-
Oftentimes, especially through the summer and fall, athletes are stuck between playing travel ball and actual training. While playing and seeing live batters or pitchers can help you prepare for your spring season, there isn’t quite a substitute for actual training. On the other side, it is hard to replicate game-like scenarios and feelings during training. There are pros and cons to both, and you must consider a few things when deciding what to do for the summer and fall.
If you are at the stage of your career where you need development more than anything—at the plate, on the mound, or in the field—I believe training is more beneficial than playing all/most of the summer and fall. I know that playing baseball, especially in the summer and fall for travel ball, is the more glamorous thing to do. However, if it is not the most beneficial to your development and your career at the time, then you should reconsider what you decide to do. There’s nothing wrong with playing partially in the summer or fall just to get some game reps in. If you can do both, sometimes that is the answer for many people. However, if that is all you do and you never train, it will be very difficult to continue to get better by only playing the game. In my experience, I didn’t play much in the off-season, as I spent most of my time training. If I had to redo it, I would try to play a little more. I would still get close to the amount of training I did during the off-season, though, because I feel like I grew a lot because of it.
On the other hand, if you are already pretty well developed for your age and trying to get your name out there for college and professional scouts, I think playing in the summertime can be a great idea. There’s not one single answer that will fit everyone, as each person is on their own developmental path and will have different needs at different times in their career. For example, if you are going into your senior year of high school and throwing 82 to 84mph, you probably have no business going to a University of Texas prospect camp. Instead, you should be training with a plan of gaining four to six mph before the start of your senior year. Now, if you’re 91 to 93mph and, for some reason, you do not have a place to play in college yet, then going to a prospect camp would be a good idea.
Like most things here at the Ranch, even this is not a one-size-fits-all answer. At some point, you’ll need to train more. And at some point, you may need to play more. Whatever stage you are at in your career right now—whether you are training or playing—stay in the moment and be 100% engaged in whatever you do.
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Important TBR Updates
- Our Fall/Winter Elite Pitchers Bootcamps are filling up fast. Get your spot now for one of the upcoming dates! Please CLICK HERE to learn more and secure your spot.
Dates include:
Oct. 12-14 (Columbus Day weekend – Space Limited)
Nov. 23-25 (1 Spot Available)
Dec. 28-30
Jan. 18-20 (MLK weekend)
Feb. 15-17 (President’s Day weekend)
- Calling all CATCHERS – Registration NOW OPEN for our 6th Annual Elite Catchers Bootcamp (ages 13 & up). For more information go to www.TexasBaseballRanch.com/
catcher or CLICK HERE to sign up.
- ATTENTION Ranch Alumni: Our Advanced/Alumni camp in January is over half full.To register CLICK HERE. For more information go to https://www.texasbaseballranch.com/events/alumni-pitchers-bootcamp/. Only 1 spots remain!
- Registration is full for our October training classes but you can secure a spot for November. If you’re a local athlete and looking to make an impact for your team this Spring, this is your edge. For more information, call (936) 588-6762 or email AnnaDugger@TexasBaseballRanch. Space is limited!
- NEW VIDEO on our YouTube Channel: “Post Pitching Recovery – Part 6”. Watch it at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jazOA59Y-_Y and share your opinion in the comments.
