by Wayne Mazzoni

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”
— Henry Ford

Just about everyone would like to be more motivated in the way they prepare for the upcoming season. This is never more important than in
the winter months when the weather turns for the worse
and the days on the field can seem distant.

However, this is the time when you can make the most improvement both in your strength and in your skill. During the season, generally you are what you are and it becomes time to compete with what you have. The sport shifts to more about mental improvement than picking up speed on your fastball, or improving your home-to-first time. Yet we all can face challenges staying motivated during this time.
Here are a few thoughts that can help you stay on track throughout the winter.

“There is nothing noble in being superior to some other man. The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.”
— Hindustani proverb

Measurement

Let’s face it, baseball is a numbers game. Batting averages, fielding percentages, ERAs, 60 times, radar readings, etc. So you should make your training the same way; it should have something you can measure. This can be strength related, velocity related or even some creative way. For example, if you have access to a medicine ball and a gym, you can measure how far you can throw the ball from a side toss, overhead, etc. As you gain in strength and technique, you will be motivated as you see the improved results. The same can be said of your body weight/fat. The results are trackable and measurable to let you know if you are doing the right things.

“We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once.”
— President Calvin Coolidge

Accountability

It helps to have a coach or a friend or friends to help keep you on track. So if you can find a strength trainer or nutritionist, hitting or pitching coach, this can help hold you accountable to your improvement. Further, having a hitting group, throwing group, sprinting group, any group, can help make you feel more responsible for showing up and giving your best when you are there. If you don’t believe me, see how much weight you push around in the weight room alone, then with a friend, then when you are with a group of friends.

There is energy with people, so use it to your advantage. You can take that further by creating some prizes and a competition among friends.

Could be a speed outcome goal, strength, batting average, strikeouts, etc. You name it. One thing our strength coach at Sacred Heart University does is have players pick weight and body fat goals and then post those goals along with a shirtless picture as their Facebook profile picture. Talk about accountability.

“The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.”
— Thomas Henry Huxley

Habits equal change

The fact is the habits we create lead to who we are. Smoking, a bad habit, often leads to physical illness. Whereas the habit of doing yoga three times a week leads to wellness. Getting rid of bad habits or creating ones is often a step-by-step process. For example, if you get a bagel smothered with butter as your daily breakfast, it may not work to go to egg whites, fruit and water just because you know you should eat better. Try making small changes each week. So first week, make the bagel whole wheat. Second week, turn the butter to low fat. Third week, butter half of it. Fourth week, eat half the bagel and fruit. And so forth until you are eating the breakfast you want.

“If the power to do hard work is not a skill, it’s the best possible substitute for it.”
— President James A. Garfield

This article originally appeared in the January-February 2012 issue of New England Baseball Journal.

Wayne Mazzoni, the pitching coach at Sacred Heart University, is the author of two motivational books: “You vs. You: Sports Psychology for Life” and “Athletes Instruction Book: 500 Tips on Sports and Life.” For more information, visit WayneMazzoni.com. He can be reached at feedback@baseballjournal.com

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Choosing College Baseball Camps

            In the field of athletic recruiting it is harder to find a more hot button topic then that of the role of camps.  Here are some key points in regards to a college coaches view on camps:

Above all else, get an evaluation:  One of the biggest benefits you can get by going to a camp in any sport is for you as the athlete, or as the parent, to get a sense of how talented you are as it compares to the other players at camp.  So many athletes only judge themselves against a smaller recruiting pool and thus a camp provides an opportunity to be with a larger number of college bound players to see where you stand.  If you go to a camp and you feel as if you are the worst of all 100 players, unless you do a lot of work to improve your game, you may not be talented enough to play at any level.  Conversely if you are in the top of that group you are not only a college level player, but maybe even a Division I scholarship player.  In addition, many of the camps allow the college coaches to evaluate you and give you a written report on all facets of your game.  You or your parents may not like the report, but it will be honest.  I tell all the coaches that work my events, to be 100% totally truthful.  No need to sugar coat it.

In this regard, it is also crucial to find a camp that does infield and outfield defensive evaluations as close as possible to your typical pregame routine.  Some camps put all the infielders at short and hit them 7 balls in a row while everyone else stands around and you get tired doing one after another.  They do this because of filming, but it is boring for you and the coaches.   Find camps that do pre-game style infield-outfield.

Camp selection is critical.  In the recruiting seminars I give, one question I am always asked is how do you determine which camp to choose.  Well, I can tell you one way not to pick it and that is by googling it.  Just because a camp comes up high on the list of searches does not mean it is a good camp or the right camp for you.  Ideally you start by determining which colleges make a good fit for you then finding out which of those schools run camps or which camps those coaches attend.  Sometimes a simple call or email to a college coach can give you the best word of mouth on which camps to attend.  Best bet, word of mouth.  Find out where your friends went and what they liked and didn’t.

Notify coaches before you go.  Camps are a great way for college coaches to find and evaluate players, but many of them are also hard to manage.  They are big, spread out, lots of kids, long days.  It will help to separate yourself from the pile of kids by sending a note to the coach before camp that you are interested in attending. 

At the camp.  Some camps don’t provide interaction with coaches while others do.  In an ideal world you do choose a camp where you get to meet and work with the coaches.  That personal connection can go a long way in recruiting.  It’s important to dress properly (on and off the field) and to have a good attitude.  That means no complaining, always hustling, and good body language.  Coaches get to pick their players, they want upbeat kids who are fun to be around.  They also want leaders.  Hustle to pick up balls, shag, carry water, whatever.

Camps are great, but not the be all end all.  Camps come in all shapes and sizes from one day events to week long sleep aways, however, make sure not to put all your recruiting eggs in the camp basket.  If you don’t show well, get sick, your team makes the playoffs and you have to back out, or you don’t play well at camp, have an injury, or don’t wind up being seen by the right coaches, you still need to do other marketing things to get recruited.

Coach Wayne Mazzoni has been a college coach since 1992.  He is the author of The High School Athletes Guide to College Baseball.  His websites are www.BaseballRecruitOnline.com and www.CollegeBaseballCoachesCamp.com

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It is fairly typical of athletes at any level to be self-centered.  After all sports has a winner and loser, stats, playing time, etc.  It can create an environment where all you think about is yourself, your role on the team, your performance, your next game, your workouts, etc. 

It is nice to step outside this tiny world to take the focus off yourself and put it on others.  Recently our team at Sacred Heart did this through an elementary school read a loud and a youth baseball camp.  I’m no dummy.  Given the choice, I am sure they would all rather do something for themselves, sleep being high on the list.  But if you ask every play involved if they enjoyed the experience, grew because of it, and felt good about themselves for doing so, you’d get a yes across the board. 

So when you can, try to set up something for yourself or for your team where you are in a situation where the focus is off you and on others.

Coach Mazzoni

www.CollegeBaseballCoachesCamp.com

www.BaseballRecruitOnline.com

www.D1PitchingMechanics.com

www.LeftHandedPickOff.com

www.NewBaseballStrengthTraining.com

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Many thanks for such a well run camp.
Josh really enjoyed himself and also appreciated the kind words and helpful suggestions.

We will definitely look into attending your camps over the summer.
Have a great season and we plan on coming up to see a few games.

Take care.
Jake Cote”

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If the answer is yes, my question to you, is why were you not this fired up all along?  I’m always amazed in sports how certainly things wake up a player and a team and my feeling is “why the heck were you asleep?”.  You play 16 games in the NFL, 20 in the hs baseball season, you dream about it all year, you practice, you lift, you visualize, and then you sleep during the game?  Are you kidding?  I don’t care if you are up 15-1 or down 20-0.  High school baseball, college baseball, man it only last so long. 

So not only should you be training the mechanics, training the body, but good lord train the mind.  Train the mind to play from opening pitch of the year to last pitch of the season like your shortstop just got taken out on a illegal slide and then their guy laughed as he ran off the field.  Play at level 10. 

Good luck this season.

Coach Mazz

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One day a week a do a distance run on the beach.  I like it because I can be outside, take my dog, and it’s the beach!  However, without really being aware of it, I have built in expectations that certain things will happen.  Here are some of them…

• My laces will stay tied
• I won’t get a blister
• My ipod will stay charged and the headphones will work.
• The tide won’t come up and soak my feet.
• My dog will not run off and chase other dogs or horses (yes, horses).
• The weather will be nice, especially a lack of wind.
• But most of all, I hope it’s low tide.  At low tide, the sand is firm and I can run sort of like I do on teh street.  At high tide, it’s not quite quick sand, but close.  

I found that I always expected things to go my way and I would get frustrated and defeated if things didn’t. 

What I did was make a few changes in my attitude. 

First, I stopped expecting everything to go perfectly.  I still want things to be ideal, but I don’t need or expect them to.  I prefer them to, but again, don’t need them to. 

Secondly, when things don’t go as planned, I simply chalk it up to a challenge that I can overcome.  I want low tide, but if it’s high tide, rather then be bummed, I say “oh yeah, you think you can slow me down- – doubt it!”

Next time you find yourself frustrated with a coach, teammate, equipment, umpire, referee, instead of being defeated by it, add it to your challenge pile.  Then after you handle them, look back and congratulate yourself with your behavior.  Additionally, it can also help to visualize or plan for these things ahead of time.  Sure you want to envision success and everything going right, but to also plan for facing challenges is a great way to be prepared for trouble when it will inevitably come your way.

All athletes, all people, all humans, have challenges and when we deal with them in a reasonable manner we increase our mental toughness.

Good luck.

Coach Mazzoni

Coach Mazzoni was a recent presenter at the Mohegan Sun World Baseball Coaches Convention.  He is also director of the highly successful College Baseball Coaches Camp showcases.

www.CollegeBaseballCamps.com/CBCC

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I had the good fortune of getting to meet Theo Epstein and Brian Cashman last night at a Sacred Heart event.  Prior to their appearance on stage I had some time to talk about some things as it related to their careers which was further stated once they took the stage.

What I took away was how patience and long term thinking are often rewarded.  First off, both men started as bottom of the barrel interns and advance to GM’s.  That alone shows their patience, intelligence, and perserverance.  

Further, both view their roles and their organizations in the same way.  They have long term values that they will not trade for the short term.  A good lesson for us all.

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Format: Players will rotate through clinics and instructional stations. Showcase part of camp, each player will be seen by ALL coaches in attendance.

School confirmed: Yale, Post U, Sacred Heart, Stonybrook, Hofstra, Marist, New Haven, Southern Connecticut, Mercy, Farmingdale, Western Connecticut, Fitchburg, Muhlenburg, and St. Anselm

For more information or to register, click

P.S. Great, great video. Click here.

Wayne Mazzoni
Sacred Heart University Baseball
Pitching Coach
www.SacredHeartPioneers.com

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