PRACTICE
"There may be people with more talent than you, but there is no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do."
-Derek Jeter

The Derek Jeter Practice Award

I can tell you that if you are willing to put in the time and effort practicing, you will get better, at anything you do.
To promote the importance of practice, we've created The Derek Jeter Practice Award. This award will be given to the Chameleon that logs the most self-practice sessions throughout the course of the season, thus living up to the ethos of hard work. The award will be presented at the Team Party at the end of the season. To enter a practice session, simply click one of the Enter Practice Session links found throughout this website.
New York Yankees Hall of Fame shortstop Derek Jeter's quote is a good reminder that there is no excuse not to work hard, not to try your best.
As a young baseball player it is important to understand that it is going to take a lot of failed attempts, a lot of practice, and a lot of repetition to be good. It is going to take even more failed attempts, more practice, and more repetition to be great. The fact is, the better you want to be, the more failed attempts, the more practice, and the more repetitions you will have to endure.
Below, are examples of some of the most important skills a young baseball player must develop along with suggested drills.
Skill #1:
Have a Strong Mental Game
"The mental game is what separates the good players from the great players. So anything I can do to help get that mental edge to help me stay my best, I'm gonna try and do it." -Aaron Judge
The mental game is BY FAR the most important skill a baseball player needs to develop. A player can have all the talent in the world, but if he isn't strong mentally, he will struggle.
To play at your best you need to be relaxed, loose, and confident. There is an old saying that loose muscles are quick muscles. In baseball you need quick, explosive muscle movement so the more loose and relaxed you can play, the better.
Take a moment and watch the videos in this section. Watch as current MLB player Aaron Judge describes how he gets a mental edge and the importance of having a short memory when things don't go your way. Former MLB player Jermaine Curtis describes how controlling your breathing and visualization can help you achieve that mental edge.
Practice Staying Loose:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and visualize. Start by slowing your breathing down. Feel your heart beat slow down. Then visualize yourself stepping up to the batters box, relaxed, ready to see the baseball, ready to make a violent and explosive swing at the ball. Stay calm, tough, and focused. Picture the loud crowd and everybody watching you. Then drown them out and focus on the pitcher. Keep your eyes closed for the remaining 5 minutes and visualize. Visualize your success.

Lesson #2:
Torque creates power
Have you ever seen how fast a Chameleon’s tongue is? If you haven't, watch the video, it’s explosive!
A baseball player needs to learn to be explosive, but in order to be explosive, you have to be quick, and in order to be quick, you have to be relaxed.
As the saying goes, loose muscles are quick muscles. To keep your muscles loose you need to slow down your breathing, your heart beat, you must be relaxed. Only then are you ready for explosive movement.
Practice Staying Loose:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Close your eyes and visualize. Start by slowing your breathing down. Feel your heart beat slow down. Then visualize yourself stepping up to the batters box, relaxed, ready to see the baseball, ready to make a violent and explosive swing at the ball. Stay calm, tough, and focused. Picture the loud crowd and everybody watching you. Then drown them out and focus on the pitcher. Keep your eyes closed for the remaining 5 minutes and visualize. Visualize your success.
