Re-Defining Success

As a pitcher, success is something that we measure with every pitch. We ask ourselves: Was that a good pitch? Was it hard enough? Did the batter hit it? Was it hit hard? The questions keep going. Oftentimes a pitcher will measure success under the idea that failure is not an option. Well, I would like to change your perspective on what a successful pitcher is. This means we have to re-define what success means in the sport of baseball.

The most important thing to know is that baseball is a sport of failure. I know it seems harsh, but it's true. It is the only sport that an above-average hitter fails seven times out of ten. That's 70% of the time! It seems like pitchers have a huge advantage, but what happens the other 30% of the time? Well, a great pitcher has a an era of 3.00 or less. This means that in that small window of success, an offense still manages to get 3 runs a game off of a pitcher.

What do all these numbers imply? It means that we cannot measure success with score or ERA or even strikeouts for that matter. We cannot rely on factors outside of our control to determine our success, because there are too many variables that we cannot account for or even measure. By measuring success in this way, we give ourselves a false sense of accomplishment and/or failure. We want to measure things that give us a more accurate account of our performance and realistic expectations of ourselves.

What can we measure? In order to answer this we have to figure out what is in our control. Every one has a to have a starting point, a time when you begin to measure success. For professional athletes it is a constant in their routine. In season, this begins immediately after their outing with how they recover. It then moves from there to measuring the success of side sessions and then pre-gameday preparation, pre-game preparation and all the way through the start. For the sake of this article we will focus specifically on the game itself. It is a great place to start from and to learn the process. Later, we can expand on it.

Here are some questions we can use to help measure success in a game. They are broken down into 4 categories: Before the Inning Starts, During the Inning, Between Innings and The End of Your Performance.

Before the Inning Starts - Were my warmup pitches effective? Did I locate them? Did I have a plan for them? Did I throw each warmup pitch with conviction?

During the Inning - Did I throw each pitch with conviction? Did I hit my spots? (Notice how I didn't say 'did I throw strikes?' This is something the umpire controls, not you.) How was my tempo? How did I deal with adversity? (This is important because it can be the difference between a good outing and a bad one.) Did I field my position?

Between Innings - What did I do between innings? Was I in the game? If you are batting, are you able to separate it from pitching? (These require two completely independent means of measurement. You have to be able to switch and differentiate between the two.) Before taking the mound again was I ready to commit to a new inning?

The End of Your Performance - Do not make a final determination of your success until after the game when you have time to re-visit each question above. Your ability to stay in the moment will translate to the mound. If you are sulking in the corner this attitude can be projected on to other teammates. When you do have time to re-visit your outing (within 24-hours), quantify each answer by use of a scale. It could be as simple as answering the questions with always, sometimes, rarely, never. This way you can see how this improves over the season.

Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Don't let your measurement be result driven, meaning that once the ball leaves your hand the result is out of your control and therefore cannot be quantified or reflect your success.
- Sometimes in this game you will get beat even if you have done everything above. It is the nature of the game.
- If you can answer all these questions with confidence and you know you did everything you should have, that should be all you need to say "I was successful".
Be satisfied with that and I guarantee that you will become a better pitcher.

Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. If you, or someone else you know, needs individual instruction please contact me via email at gwhelan@tpgpitching.com for more information.

The Importance of Off-Season Training

It's that time of year again. Spring season is coming to an end. Now is the most important time for a pitcher. Of course, if you've been playing every week since the fall, then you should take a few weeks off before beginning any training regimen. After that, it's crunch time.

We can gain a lot from an off-season training program. First, we start back at square one and begin rebuilding our base, our fundamental foundation of pitching. This is great for pitchers because there is no pressure to perform or "carry the team". It's a great rebuilding period. We can go slow and iron out all the wrinkles.

Now this rebuilding period happens in two different age groups and at two different times of the year. For the older guys high school and above, summer gives you an opportunity to extend your season and prepare for the next level. Everyone knows what happens in October! Your off-season program usually begins in the late fall.

For the younger guys (those not yet in high school) and for those that are not playing summer baseball, that time is NOW! I consider this age group the developmental stage. For young pitchers to grow it is vital that the proper base is built. If you're one of my students you know that for something to become a habit it must be repeated 1,000 times. Then it becomes muscle memory. What's a better time to do this than right now?!

The important thing here is that we start slow. We learn good habits by not overloading the brain with more information than it can handle. This means we would learn a new drill, or two, about every two weeks, working from one part of the pitcher's delivery to the next. Now before I mentioned you need to do something 1,000 times before it become habit. That doesn't mean 500 times now and 500 times in the winter. That means we repeat every drill 1,000 times, before moving on to the next. So, you have to do your homework.

Those that take this seriously can really benefit come spring time. I guarantee if you put the work in this off-season, you will be shocked at how much better you have become. I can also guarantee you that with a good strength training program you will be much stronger as well.

Remember: nothing can get you to the next level faster than working with a professional. I can help you with all of this and more. If you, or someone else you know, needs individual instruction please contact me via email at gwhelan@tpgpitching.com for more information.