Its an art...and it takes teamwork.

The true reality of winning is that the best lesson learned from the experience is how to win- and why teams win. In order to capture the Grand Prize of a Championship Victory- teams must not just play together, believe in each other, and sacrifice themselves and their bodies- they must free their body of selfishness and do whatever it takes to put the team first, and their teammates first.

The glory of winning- and the marvels that go along with winning sometimes overshadow the lesson at hand- teams win in team sports- and this is a culmination of individual sacrifice to achieve greatness. In the game of baseball- those trying to hit a home run to help the team often times help the team lose- where those that drop a sacrifice bunt to "make something happen" often times become unrecognized heroes in regards to media coverage- but in the mind of the team- that player has achieved respect and clout amongst teammates. To win time and time again- these characteristics have to become a part of who your are- be present everyday- not just when a player feels like it.

The lesson to recap is simple- to win for the team- play for the team- not for yourself- and you will be blessed with winning- which in turn leads to personal fulfillment since you know you contributed to achieving the grand prize.

Often times athletes think that speed development occurs a result of a particular drill, combination of drills, a focus on a particular part of the speed development cycle (gait, leg lift, arm action), then adding resistance to these drills or mechanical focus via rubber bands, parachutes, partner resistance, etc. The reality is, when enhancing speed, you need to not only create movement efficiency by enhancing speed mechanics, but also provide the strength and power to enhance ground contact force so the athlete is able to apply these mechanics to overcome gravity and cover ground each contact and stride. The analogy to this would be placing a go – cart engine in a Ferrari frame. The body is slick and pretty, built in an aerodynamic manner, but the engine is not strong enough to power the automotive athlete. The moral of the story is speed development is derived from an integrated training model of strength, efficiency, and power. When all  three are working together, speed is the end result.

The pre-requisite exercise to a BIG SQUAT is a LITTLE SQUAT. A staple exercise in our program that we use at Major League Strength is the Single Leg Squat. This is such a great squat relative to sport and baseball/softball. Reason being; the single leg squat forces that athlete to control their body, requires incredible balance and coordination, and will work to ensure the joint stability in the knee, ankle, and hip necessary to move big weight in the front and back squat as the athlete progresses.

True strength is measured in an athletes ability to not only front squat and back squat big weight, but by the ability to single leg squat deep like the picture above, and eventually work to move weight, in the form of a vest or plate while executing the single leg squat. Consistent work on this exercise will not only allow for great strength, but better performance hitting, pitching, and while playing defense!

Baseball is a game of fundamentals. Games are played with an incredible frequency, and demand the same great focus day in and day out to achieve success. The greatest players in the game achieve success based upon these principles and are creatures of habit with their routines.

Routines come in many different shapes and sizes- some guys eat a certain meal, eat at a certain time, do their hair at a certain time, get dressed a certain way, workout certain days and times, etc.. you get the point. This is what the successful players do- its as if their day is pre-planned through 162 days, and for that matter, most of the time so are the outcomes.

Those players that follow a successful routine, along with having talent, can virtually predict their results and outcomes. A player in the league 8+ years, knows where he stands in regards to average, rbis, homeruns, and era if they are a pitcher due to past results. Searching through player stats will illustrate this, and you too will see consistency amongst play. Those players that bounce around, have inconsistent seasons, often times lack stability and their routines and daily schedules illustrate this.

So, find your routine, make sure you are prepared each day, and then all you need to do once the game starts is execute. Also in regards to routine, you must believe in your routine through thick and thin, making slight adjustments as needed. The great players stick with it through thick and thin, which creates a solid foundation for them of belief that they are prepared each time they take the field, even though at times slumps will try and knock you off your horse.

Staying consistent and believing in your routine will work to create positive results.

As a modern day athlete it is imperative to create a support system for yourself. What is a support system? A support system is a team of people that help and assist you in the execution of goal achievement. In the sporting arena, this support team is composed of coaches, teammates, parents, friends, family, and any other individual you can lean on that will help you to get to the next level.

The most successful athletes in the world have a positive support system that is their shoulder to lean on in times of greatness, and in times of stress. Without a support team in your corner, your ability to attain success in sport by yourself is very difficult. The lack of a support team allows athletes to get in their own heads in negative ways, taking focus away from performance enhancement, and actually leads to decreased performance.

Your support team needs to be positive, or else there will be a failure in the system and in turn a failure in performance. Work to develop a diverse team, but a team composed of people that believe in you, are trustworthy, and have your best interests in mind. And most importantly, don't treat the admission to this team lightly. Take this very seriously and work to create a team that you feel comfortable with and a team that will aid in your quest for greatness.
 

The most modern day term in the world of training is the word CORE. Many still associate CORE with CRUNCH, or abdominal flexion. Those that are really getting the concept of CORE under stand that the core doesn't start and end with the anterior abdominal muscles of the body ,which are associated with flexion, or bringin the shoulders towards the knees, but understand the function of the CORE goes way beyond that, focusing on the transfer of force from the lower body, through the center of the body, into the upper body, and out the hands.

In essence, that is the function of the CORE, as well as to protect the spine. The ocre includes musculature of the hip, lumbar spine or low back, thoracic spine, and shoulder blades, as well as all the abdominal muscles. The key thing to remember is this: NO MUSCLES OF THE CORE WORK IN ISOLATION.

Once we understand this concept, we will stop training our CORE with simple crunch variations since this does nothing to improve function. In fact, research is showing that excessive flexion of the trunk, in a supine of laying position, will cause disc compression and bulging, also known as BACK PAIN.
 

There are achievers and non-acheivers that roam the Earth. What are you? Why do the achievers achieve? Why do non-achievers not achieve? The recipe can be broken into many different formulas; upbringing, surroundings, culture, friends, etc.

Non-Achievers often times surround themselves with other non-achievers. People roam in flocks; these flocks are composed of people that are typically successful, or not successful. Even when a pack of successful people have a non-successful person in their flock, it is often times that the non-successful person is on his way up the ladder, willing to climb, wanting to be great.

The bottom line is, understand what you want to be, where you want to go, and find the group of people that will accelerate your goals and results. If you want fame, find people that have it. If you want wealth, find people that have it. If you want to be the best athlete, find athletes that are better than you.

Constantly seek out the best in all walks of life. If you choose to become more well versed in martial arts or music, surround yourself with people that are already at a higher level than you.

Life is composed of mini graduations as we climb the ladder, so don't be affraid to leave your comfort zone in quest of a greater result and outcome, and most importantly greater success. It feels great to succeed and smash goals.


"Achieve something Everyday"
 

Hey Guys,

A close friend of mine who is a US Olympic Runner wrote this to me in an email in response to a question I asked him about training, and getting it done no matter what it takes.  I thought it would be cool to share with you, and let you into the mind of an Olympian!

"You know how it goes- its not where you are, but where you're at. My head was in the right place and I trained like a beast in NYC in the snow, rain, no coach, whatever. I was all-in and I'm still all-in. I'm on my second Olympic team and now I'm gunning to be the best in the world. Our sport is so tough though; We don't just compete against the guys in developed countries, we also compete against third-world countries too. Those guys are so tough! They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.  So when you become a world champ in running you really are a world champ because all countries are included."

I thought this was an awesome piece, coming from a guy that has guts, trains, and competes all because he loves it. He's not just doing it for financial compensation. Remember to think about "GETTING IT DONE" and "BRINGING IT" everytime you  train or play!

Dana Cavalea

As athletes get older, it seems that they often times forget why they play their sport.  Most athletes start playing sports because they love the game. Then, as time goes on, they begin to love the competition. Then, sometime after that, the stress begins to build, and the love starts to turn to negative feelings. These feelings often come about due to the stress from a parent or coach, and often times from within.

When you play a sport like baseball, which is a sport of negative (if you fail 7 out of 10 times you are considered a great player), you must always work to keep things in check. Immersing yourself with positive people, such as family and friends, as well as focusing on your positive playing moments and mindsets will help keep you on track.

I tell all athletes I work with when they are struggling, “REMEMBER WHY YOU PLAY THE GAME.” I usually follow this statement with telling players to go watch a youth sports game, where they young kids just love to be on the field or court laughing and having fun with their friends. The bottom line is this, sports are supposed to be fun, don’t make things to complicated!

Dana