Building a Better Player – The Lost Art of Player Development
by: Steve Bernhardt

Twenty high school games, sixty-five summer league games, eighteen fall league games and a handful of practices mixed in. Too many young players follow a schedule that nearly mirrors this one. With many of the practices being relaxed batting practice sessions with a round of infield or a scrimmage included, it is no surprise that youth baseball today is turning out more experienced players but not necessarily better players. Game experience is an extremely important aspect of developing a player, but it is only one of many elements involved in truly building a better baseball player. By shifting more of the already designated “baseball time” from games to practices players can accelerate their development process. If professional players at the absolute pinnacle of the sport spend over a month before the season in spring training and top college programs practice for an entire six weeks in the fall and several more weeks before the spring season begins, then why do younger players, those still needing the most skill development, practice intermittently through their high school season and only a handful of times throughout the entire summer and fall? It’s simple – games are easier and more fun.

Building a better baseball player is a large undertaking that takes a major commitment from both player and coach. It takes a true desire to improve on the part of the player and it takes time. It takes hours on the field and in the gym as well as the passage of time to allow the hard work to turn into results. The misconception today is that the players have the desire, but not enough time. Quite the opposite is usually true. They have the desire to succeed but not the deep down desire to really work for that success and they have plenty of time, they just don’t use the time they have the right way. They are spending enough time on the game, but the ratio of game time to practice time is too lopsided.

Baseball should certainly be fun. We want more young players playing the game and that comes from enjoying their time on the field. In most cases, the fun of baseball in a player’s eyes is the result of team or individual success. A player’s chance for success increases by either becoming a better player or by playing more games. Unfortunately the latter is chosen more often today – let’s just play as many games as possible and eventually everyone will have a taste of success. If coaches learn how to make an instructional practice environment fun and understand that players can enjoy the success of seeing improvements in their abilities as much or more than a two-hit game, we can get back to the true development of young players.

This development process involves a commitment that encompasses much more than hitting in the cage during the winter and showing up for every game throughout the season. This is a commitment to improve not just baseball skills, but also speed, strength, conditioning, mental understanding of the game and the ability to deal with both failure and success. To truly maximize one’s ability, all of these areas must be addressed. Not only does the player’s ability improve by working on all parts of the game, his body is better prepared physically. This should help him to stay healthy and avoid the injuries and surgeries that continue to increase in young players. Once the depth of the commitment is understood by the player, he is ready to follow the steps necessary for reaching his full potential.

1. Create an honest evaluation – This should include a self-evaluation as well as an objective evaluation from a baseball professional. In the self-evaluation phase, players must be honest with themselves. They know their own abilities and shortcomings well, but are often hesitant to admit any weakness. Without addressing these things they can’t formulate a truly helpful game plan. A professional scout is the best person to offer an objective evaluation of the player, but coaches and former players also have the ability to outline a player’s strengths and weaknesses. A player who wants to improve must be able to put away his ego and accept constructive criticism during the evaluation process. Moving forward he must be willing to work not just on accentuating strengths, but on attacking weaknesses as well. Knowing these strengths and weaknesses is the first step.

2. Formulate long term goals – Players need very specific future goals to work to reach. They should be realistic and encompass the big picture. They must be more than game statistics; they must drive the player in all areas on and off the field. Once a player determines where he is now as a baseball player and where he realistically wants to be in the future, he is ready to move on in the process.

3. Develop a game plan – A game plan must be designed, put on paper and committed to by the player. This game plan must encompass all facets of player development and have a unique structure for both in-season and off-season. The game plan should include specific weekly workout schedules that include training in all areas: strength, speed, agility, flexibility, mental preparation, arm strength, offensive skill development, defensive skill development, baserunning and game situations. Pitchers should have a game plan that includes specific mechanical work, secondary pitch work, command/control work and pick-off work as well. Each area will not be addressed every day, but each category should be incorporated into the workouts multiple times per week.

4. Formulate short term goals – Once the game plan has been set, short term goals should be made. These should specifically target each of the areas and will act as checkpoints along the way for the player. As these goals are hit, new ones should be developed to continue to further the player’s development and get him closer to his long term goals.

5. Execute the game plan through quality practice – It all looks good on paper, but now it is the player’s responsibility to execute the game plan and begin reaching those short term goals. Proper repetition at the right intensity is the key to executing the game plan. In order to change muscle memory, the body must perform the task in the new, or proper, way over and over again until it becomes the natural, engrained way for the body to react. Players and parents can benefit from seeking out expert instructors to assure that their practice time is being used most efficiently. Working on swinging the bat is usually a fun exercise for all players, the tougher thing is for catchers to spend time working on blocking balls to the glove side or infielders to perfect fielding slow rollers.. Making fundamental changes requires hard work and patience.

6. Perform in games – The final piece to the puzzle and ultimate goal is to be successful when it counts – in games. By concentrating on the process of player development, successful results will emerge during the games. These game results will provide feedback that will show players the continual adjustments that must be made to their game plan, goals and practice routine.

The process of building a better baseball player is not a short or easy one. Players, coaches and parents must all share in the responsibility of saying no to the seventh tournament of the summer and yes to more practice time. The long term results will be much more rewarding.