Train With Us

• Find other activities, including other sports and cross training methods, that will help develop players but get them away from baseball to avoid burnout

• Focus on building complete players, not just focusing on specific training and preparation for competition

• Overcome geographic and ideological barriers to develop a commonly held framework for leadership, player development, and overall direction

• Realign the focus (at all age and skill levels) from winning to performing at a personal and team best

• Introducing new athletic skills in a timely, systematic way

Our ultimate goal is to be the leading baseball organization in the world. We want our programs to be recognized for achieving excellence in all areas of baseball training, providing exemplary instruction and coaching, maintaining the traditions of the game, and cultivating top-tier players.

Research shows that achieving expertise in a given field takes a minimum of 10 years, or roughly 10,000 hours of practice and deliberate training. Reaching elite levels of athletic abilities is no different. This translates to more than 3 hours of training or competition a day for a decade.

But before that 10-year or 10,000-hour journey even begins, players must develop physical literacy (how to move and utilize their bodies effectively) and acquire basic fundamental skills.

Unfortunately, many young players spend more time competing than they do focusing on the fundamental skills that will become very important over the course of their athletic careers. Too many games played at a young age (instead of time spent with coaching or training) can actually slow skill development.

Sports fundamentals can be difficult to instill in young players, though these players will be grateful for them in the long run. To solve this problem, fundamentals should be introduced through fun and games, and allow young players to draw enjoyment from learning essential baseball skills.

These fundamentals include basic physical literacy (movement skills) and essential sports skills that will carry across multiple athletic disciplines.

Developing physical literacy helps people move with efficiency, poise, and confidence, and eventually allows them to read, respond to, and even anticipate situations on the field. Additionally, a well-developed sense of physical awareness helps develop self-esteem, confidence off the field, and motivation to pursue greater goals.

The fundamentals of movement are largely related to three core skills: agility, balance, and coordination. These skills can be developed on the ground, in the water (swimming, water polo, etc.), in the air (jumping, diving, etc.), or on the ice (skating, hockey, etc.).

Many of the activities that lead to high levels of physical literacy can and should be developed before adolescence. Some of these basic activities include:

• Running

• Jumping

• Skipping

• Climbing

• Throwing

• Catching

• Speed

• Swimming

• Balance (bike riding, etc.)

• Kicking

These activities can be incorporated into exercises and games that both develop physical literacy and get young people interested in honing their skills.

Mastering the complex skills needed for an elite level of baseball (and many other sports) depends on an early development of many of these physical literacy skills. Many children develop them naturally through play and early sports involvement, but by focusing on their importance when working with young athletes, we can help ensure their long-term growth and success