By Eugene Bleecker

COMMITMENT to becoming a COMPLETE PLAYER = CONFIDENCE in your abilities

This concept is something I developed and preach to my players. This idea can be incorporated into any program and will drive your players towards achieving their goals. If they Commit themselves to becoming Complete Baseball players, in turn they will develop the Confidence that is necessary to succeed on the field.

Commitment to excellence:

In life no matter what you are trying to accomplish, it is important to commit yourself to achieving that goal. In Baseball the road to success is no different. You must WANT to be the best and you must be WILLING to do everything in your power to achieve that. You must understand that there is always someone working harder than you and there is always someone better than you are. Often, players with good physical tools get passed by in high school, college and professional sports because someone who wasn’t as good worked harder. What a shame it must be to have such good athleticism and talent but because you didn’t work hard enough you lost your spot. At the same time what a great feeling it is when you know because of your hard work that you earned your spot. There are only two things you can control in this game:

1) How professional your approach to the game is.
2) How hard you work to achieve your goal.

*To approach the game in a professional manner encompasses many different things. You must respect the game, your coach and your teammates. You must be willing to do whatever is asked to help your team succeed. You must hustle on as well as off the field and commit yourself to learning all of the intricacies to the game of baseball. You must pick up your teammates when they need it and respect and guide them towards success and victory. You must crave knowledge in the game and never act above the game. All of these things are vital to becoming the best player you can be.

*How hard you work for something plays a pivotal role in whether you succeed or fail. The harder you work, the more of an opportunity you are giving yourself to achieve your goal. If you put in a little time, you will see a little success. The more time you put in, the better you will get and the more successful you will be. Putting in time every day is the only way to be the best. This is true for everything in life. No matter how hard you work there is no guarantee you will be in the Major Leagues, but if you don’t work as hard as you can, you will never know how far you could have made it.

Complete Player:

A complete player is someone who can do everything that is asked of them when they step on the field. A complete player is always working hard and looking to get better. A complete player has worked hard to get their knowledge and knows they can handle any situation on the field because they have prepared. This player has worked extensively to understand the finer points of the game such as situational fielding, hitting and running and takes pride in the fact they have this knowledge. This player will always succeed on the field because of this knowledge they have. This player does not rely on ability alone, but understands how difficult the game of baseball is and that it is necessary to work hard and prepare in order to truly succeed. This is the kind of player every coach wants on their team and every team is happy to have. Becoming this player takes Time, Energy, Perspiration, Preparation and Perseverance. Finally, to become this player one must have DESIRE AND DETERMINATION.

Confidence:

Confidence on the field is necessary to becoming the absolute best player you can be. The only way to get this confidence is through seeing success in the game. Not just success physically, but success mentally. This kind of success is only achieved through “dedication to preparation” both physically and mentally. Knowing that you played two steps to your right because someone is a pull hitter and you were able to get to a ball you never would have gotten to without making that move. Knowing that you were looking for a 2-2 inside fastball because the pitcher did it to three other guys, and because you paid attention to that information you were able to drive in the game winning run. Knowing that you worked hard to get faster and stronger for next season and you did.

This will lead to knowing that every time you step on the field, you have prepared physically by working hard on the field, working hard on the fundamentals and working hard in the weight room. This will lead to knowing that in any given situation you know what to do with the ball and you WANT the ball. This will lead to knowing that every time you step on the field, you will succeed because you are prepared to do so. This will lead to a strut and confidence that will be so visible in you, that everyone on the field KNOWS that YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING!

Eugene Bleecker is the Founder and Director of Player Development at 108 Performance., and the author of Old School vs New School, The application of data and technology into baseball.