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Clear the Mechanism
By Justin Su’a
If you are a fan of baseball and movies than chances are you’ve seen the film, “For the Love of the Game” starring Kevin Costner. Kevin Costner portrays a veteran pitcher in the Big Leagues at the tail end of his career trying to prove to himself and others that he still has what it takes to be successful in the Show. One of my favorite parts in the movie is when he…
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Pitching Routines: Getting Into the “Groove”
By Justin Su’a
Did you know that baseball is one of the only sports where the defense controls the ball? As a pitcher, it’s comforting to know that when you are on the mound you literally hold the heartbeat of the game. You can dictate how fast or how slow the game will go based on the rhythm you set out to establish, and the rhythm of your choosing will depend on your routine. What does it mean to have a routine?
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Baseballs Mental Game W.I.N.
By Justin Su’a
So the story goes, Lou Holtz’ Notre Dame football team was getting beat pretty handedly after the first half of the game, upon entering the locker room Coach Holtz’ walks up to the chalk board and writes the letters W-I-N. “Boys, this is what we need to focus on!” Confusion entered the minds of his players, “Win?” many of them thought, “How could we possibly focus on winning at a time like this? We’re getting killed!” Then Coach Holtz in his masterful way of teaching told them that the three letters on the board didn’t imply that they should focus on becoming victorious, W-I-N stood for…
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Pitchers that can throw the heat are fun to watch. I recall watching an All-Star game in the late 90′s when Randy Johnson faced John Kruk of the Phillies. You could tell John was intimidated by Randy’s presence alone, but he was also intimidated by how hard Randy was throwing. On top of that, Randy Johnson was only throwing 47 feet away at release of the baseball; that’s nuts. John made a comment on SportsCenter later that evening that he “felt lucky to be alive.” The average fastball in Major League Baseball is…
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Baseball Psychology Q & A
By Justin Su’a
What suggestions do you give pitchers on how to regain lost focus while they are pitching? Thanks!
This is a great question because a common obstacle for athletes to overcome is falling into the trap of distraction. It is imperative that a pitcher maintains focus each pitch because it could mean the difference between a great pitch and a poor one. First of all, pitchers must know..
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The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of Goal Setting
By Justin Su’a
If you’re anything like me, you’ve made a number of goals over the course of your lifetime—Short term goals, long term goals, specific goals, time-bound goals, goals that will push you to the limit, easily attainable goals, or even goals that you set just to please your boss. The next time you sit down with a pencil and a piece of paper to put your goals to writing, let me give you some things to consider before you start your thought process.
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Surprise! A Baseball Players Worst Enemy
By Justin Su’a
Have you ever had a surprise birthday party thrown for you? Do you remember the excitement that filled your body as your beloved friends and family jumped out to yell, “Surprise!!” or “Happy Birthday!!”? Do you remember the thrill of that unexpected greeting? I bet you’re remembering one of the most memorable birthdays and/or special occasions in your life—Well hate to break it to you, but being surprised on the baseball field is one of the worst feelings you could experience.
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The Art of Coaching
By Justin Su’a
Leadership is often a common topic of discussion amongst my peers. I love evaluating leadership styles and dissecting principles that govern successful teams and/or organizations. In this article, I’m going to share with you two powerful leadership principles accompanied by examples to illustrate my point.
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