So many opinions out there ranging from anyone can throw 90 with enough work (I suppose what we would all like to believe) to its god given and can't do a thing about it. The truth is of course probably somewhere inbetween. My question is this: can a general lack of flexibility (the god given part) be made up for with strength and workouts to increase flexibility. So for our strength and fitness gurus out there... weigh in!
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To paraphrase that immortal movie, Animal House: YO-GA! YO-GA!! YO-GA!!!
......(and long toss).
Seriously, do a quick Google search for power yoga, or yoga for baseball. There are plenty of DVDs out there. GHHS Jr started doing power yoga last August (every other day) and continues to this day. He swears by it. He also does long toss every other day (on the days he doesn't do yoga).
I did serious weight training in High School under the instruction of a former training partner of Mr. Olympia. I have a 15 year old that plays baseball. We do not have any weights in the house. Weight training done wrong is the absolute worst result for a baseball player. He runs, he throws and works on agility. Flexibility is more important than "football" muscles or "beach" muscles, so YOGA or quality stretching is very important.
You have to do both for optimal performance. My son (finished college career and now just staying in shape) is reading a book he wishes he had read earlier. "Becoming a Supple Leopard". link below. Probably a bit technical for a HSer but good stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/19366...f=pd_sl_4qku44a440_e
You can also get great stuff from Mobility Wod
Yoga and Pillates are also great, but there are wasted movements (time waster) doing Yoga. It is great don't get me wrong but there is a lot of information on the subject for high performance athletes.
Good luck.
Improving ROM through mobility work is possible. It's worth checking out Kelly Starret's videos on youtube and his book. Fair warning, Starret's book (Supple Leopard) is an encyclopedia and its easy to fall down a mobility rabbit hole it you don't have a plan.
As I've written elsewhere, every athlete seeking self improvement of any kind should have a plan. Having a professional to develop that plan for you and oversee it's implementation and execution is highly recommended.
I tend to agree that it's somewhere in between. My own son lifts no weights and is far weaker than you would think by looking at him. He's 6' 4" / 195 and has pretty big biceps. However, he can't do a chin up and can only do a few correct push ups. I recently started him on a band program and was floored with how he struggled with resistance that I was able to handle without even feeling it - and I'm a weak, overweight 50yo with no muscle tone. However, he can throw 87mph and I'd feel lucky to top 65 on a good day.
When coaching in college we spent three years working with a Karate instructor. He didn't know anything about baseball and we knew nothing about Karate. Between us we developed a workout for our players. Took the Karate techniques that closely related to baseball and did that three times a week during the winter months, once a week after that.
In three years we never had an injury of any kind let alone an arm problem. Could have just been luck, but it still turned me into a believer. The various drills were all about balance, flexibility, and explosive movements. Very much geared towards using core strength. some of the things our players learned to do was simply amazing, like laying flat on their stomach with hands raised high over their heads, then digging their finger tips into the floor and doing push ups that way. When we first saw the instrictor doing it, we laughed and said that is impossible. About a month later most all our players were doing it. Funny thing is, it really had very little to do with strength and everything to do with how their body worked.
If I ever went back to coaching, I would definitely get the best Karate instructor I could and do it again. At least until a non collision injury or two occured. No breaking boards or cement blocks involved. Mostly baseball related movements. Amazing what better balance and fexibility can do for performance.
BOF posted:You have to do both for optimal performance. My son (finished college career and now just staying in shape) is reading a book he wishes he had read earlier. "Becoming a Supple Leopard". link below. Probably a bit technical for a HSer but good stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/19366...f=pd_sl_4qku44a440_e
You can also get great stuff from Mobility Wod
Yoga and Pillates are also great, but there are wasted movements (time waster) doing Yoga. It is great don't get me wrong but there is a lot of information on the subject for high performance athletes.
Good luck.
The author of that book is big into Cross-fit.
The Flexible part should come first, but that can be worked on as you go along, you need a plan as stated above. It has been told to me many years ago, that the more flexible you are the more power you can generate. When you have flexibility or are working on it, you should lift with a full range of motion (as an example - deep squats, well beyond parallel). This would mean mentally accepting lifting a smaller amount of weight so that I can perform the lift properly, with a full range of motion. Build strength throughout the full range of motion and not just parts of the range (think full squat vs sissy squats). Full range of motion lifting can help prevent injury elsewhere in your body. I agree that you need to have a plan, mobility with a plan and incorporate that into lift with a plan.
2020dad posted:So many opinions out there ranging from anyone can throw 90 with enough work (I suppose what we would all like to believe) to its god given and can't do a thing about it. The truth is of course probably somewhere inbetween. My question is this: can a general lack of flexibility (the god given part) be made up for with strength and workouts to increase flexibility. So for our strength and fitness gurus out there... weigh in!
It is a combination from mechanics (trained), height/levers (genetic), strength ( part genetic part training), flexibility ( part genetic part training), muscle fibre type (genetic) and intent.
it can be improved a lot but within your genetic limits.
i would assume that most healthy kids could learn to throw 80 plus at some point with good mechanics and a good velocity program.
90 is a different animal though, you probably need good genetics to reach that.
Dominik85 posted:2020dad posted:So many opinions out there ranging from anyone can throw 90 with enough work (I suppose what we would all like to believe) to its god given and can't do a thing about it. The truth is of course probably somewhere inbetween. My question is this: can a general lack of flexibility (the god given part) be made up for with strength and workouts to increase flexibility. So for our strength and fitness gurus out there... weigh in!
It is a combination from mechanics (trained), height/levers (genetic), strength ( part genetic part training), flexibility ( part genetic part training), muscle fibre type (genetic) and intent.
it can be improved a lot but within your genetic limits.
i would assume that most healthy kids could learn to throw 80 plus at some point with good mechanics and a good velocity program.
90 is a different animal though, you probably need good genetics to reach that.
My experience is that I can get almost any kid to 80mph. Anything much above that is up to other factors that I have no control over (or at least haven't discovered yet).
My son is 15, 5.7ht 135lbs on a good day after a meal and tops out in the upper 80s, he uses the most 10pound weights, does a lot of pullups and push ups at home along with proper training and arm care taught and inspired by Ron wolforth , In IL at Mike Ryans Fastball USA. this is really one of the only guys I trust in my area.
we do a lot of long toss in the off season, and jaeger bands as well .
my 2 cents
I think many are scaring baseball players away from the weight room. I won't argue the value of ROM centric exercises but there can be no doubt strength is needed for any position player. You don't get your man strength from yoga.
Personally, I have seen vast improvements in my son's performance both on the mound and at the plate because he is much stronger now that he has incorporated free weights into his regimen. No bench pressing but does heavy squats, dead lifts and cleans. Just maxed out at 465 lbs on his squat. The scouts liked that and didn't care about his ROM metrics.
2020dad posted:So many opinions out there ranging from anyone can throw 90 with enough work (I suppose what we would all like to believe) to its god given and can't do a thing about it. The truth is of course probably somewhere inbetween. My question is this: can a general lack of flexibility (the god given part) be made up for with strength and workouts to increase flexibility. So for our strength and fitness gurus out there... weigh in!
Definitely not trying to scare anybody away from using weights (GHHS jr also lifts 4X a week, in addition to yoga and long toss), but the original question was what his kid could do to increase flexibility. Weights aren't gonna do that. Yoga will definitely increase both strength and flexibility. Weights will definitely increase strength, but not so much flexibility.
PS: I'm definitely not a "guru", but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once.
My son is strong as an ox. His challenge is flexibility. He has never been hurt because he was not strong enough. he has been hurt because he was not flexible enough. (Dealing with a pulled hamstring right now.)
PGStaff posted:When coaching in college we spent three years working with a Karate instructor. He didn't know anything about baseball and we knew nothing about Karate. Between us we developed a workout for our players. Took the Karate techniques that closely related to baseball and did that three times a week during the winter months, once a week after that.
In three years we never had an injury of any kind let alone an arm problem. Could have just been luck, but it still turned me into a believer. The various drills were all about balance, flexibility, and explosive movements. Very much geared towards using core strength. some of the things our players learned to do was simply amazing, like laying flat on their stomach with hands raised high over their heads, then digging their finger tips into the floor and doing push ups that way. When we first saw the instrictor doing it, we laughed and said that is impossible. About a month later most all our players were doing it. Funny thing is, it really had very little to do with strength and everything to do with how their body worked.
If I ever went back to coaching, I would definitely get the best Karate instructor I could and do it again. At least until a non collision injury or two occured. No breaking boards or cement blocks involved. Mostly baseball related movements. Amazing what better balance and fexibility can do for performance.
And there is no video to show these techniques because????????
Tell a 13 year old he needs to do Yoga you get this look like "Way to try to wussify me".
Tell a 13 year old he needs to do some Karate movements and he will be all like "Hey, sign me up!"
I'm pretty sure you could have a best seller on your hands, seriously!
I get that some kids (and all the Lincecum stories) never lifted a weight and throw x mph. But again those are the naturals. And I pretty much guarantee those are the rubberband arm types. So the question really is what about the kids that DO NOT have the natural gift. Obviously there has to be some natural athletic ability but do we believe that kid whose body is more rigid can work his way to 90? I agree with root pretry much anybody can get to 80 but 90... thats a bit tougher. I understand the components involed, strength, mechanics and possibly increasing flexibility. Question is - can it be done? The karate thing was interesting, but who has the money after what travel ball costs? Have heard pros and cons on yoga but generally I have to believe it helps more than hurts. Back in the day when I started coaching we never thought about all this stuff. You could either bring it or you couldn't. We never asked well what if this kid... weights and strength overall were almost universally rejected in the baseball world and yoga or dance as some have suggested were just never going to happen. Its a different world now with a lot more knowledge of how to manipulate our bodies and get the most out of them. Somebody once suggested we would be a lot better in the long run allocating less money to baseball by playing on a lower caliber team and spending that money on more strength and fitness. That made a lot of sense to me - probably why we didn't do it! But instead we signed him up for a $10 a month xperience fitness membership where he duplicates his workouts. Hopefully thats the best of both worlds. Time will tell.
2020dad...what I don't get is why try so hard to get that kid to 90? There seems to be this constant need in our society to drive people to be what they were never meant to be. It's just not suppose to be that hard. It really is okay if Johny pitches faster, and it's okay if Tommy runs faster. We all have natural gifts, the key is to find them. If it's proven pitching isn't the gift the kid has, why push it? Why not find his gift or just accept he doesn't have one?
Lincecum was one of the most natural's... That guy could do more push ups and pull ups than any one on the team, more than any athlete at U of Wash... crazy athletic ability.
CaCO3Girl posted:2020dad...what I don't get is why try so hard to get that kid to 90? There seems to be this constant need in our society to drive people to be what they were never meant to be. It's just not suppose to be that hard. It really is okay if Johny pitches faster, and it's okay if Tommy runs faster. We all have natural gifts, the key is to find them. If it's proven pitching isn't the gift the kid has, why push it? Why not find his gift or just accept he doesn't have one?
Gee I am not trying hard at all. I am old and fat and grey and balding. It's him who is trying. But i am definitely here to help and encourage. And frankly I am not much concerned about johnny and tommy. Why should he try so hard? Because that's what life is all about. If you say its your dream then prove it by working as hard as you can to achieve it. That's a work ethic that will take him far in life. And we have to be careful when we say someone is not meant to be something. That is a slippery slope. If a kid has an average IQ should he not try to be a doctor if that is his dream? I get that the body reaches a speed limit at some point. But unless you do everything in your power you will never know for sure what that speed limit would have been. And why 90? Well that's kind of the magic number. Probably every pitchers goal who wants to pitch college. But that is just a goal. 87 with wicked stuff will still get you D1. And even low 80's with a good second pitch will put you in a decent D2 or D3. So while 90 is a goal not reaching it doesn't make a kid a failure. But why would a kid say my goal is to throw 82 someday? Shoot big and then be proud of what you accomplish even if it never quite reached the level of your dreams. And the question still lingers. I am not sure what I believe - thus the original post - but a lot of reputable people believe you can reach 90 with enough hard work. I am confused by your wording. The gift thing. Not every person who succeeds is just naturally gifted. And a 14yo who is tracking just a little behind schedule is hardly one to give up on. And as for it being ok if others are better... thats a tricky one for me. As a coach it was never ok to say someone is better at least until the game/season/career is over. Once you start conceding where does it stop? Don't give in and don't give up.
Dadofa17 posted:My son is strong as an ox. His challenge is flexibility. He has never been hurt because he was not strong enough. he has been hurt because he was not flexible enough. (Dealing with a pulled hamstring right now.)
Would you mind sharing his velocity? A PM is fine if you don't want to share with the group. But sounds a lot like my son. 6'3" 220 just beginning to show signs of muscle but no real definition yet. But strong. Can deadlift 350 shooting for 400 by fall of freshman year. Strength guy says don't bench so no idea there. But like your son not naturally flexible. Hopefully mid 70's this year. 80 by freshman season. I think its reasonable to expect he will achieve those numbers. I just have a gut feeling it will be an inch by inch battle after that. Wonder if time will run out on him. Like the old saying "never lost a game just ran out of innings"
Jim T. posted:I think many are scaring baseball players away from the weight room. I won't argue the value of ROM centric exercises but there can be no doubt strength is needed for any position player. You don't get your man strength from yoga.
Personally, I have seen vast improvements in my son's performance both on the mound and at the plate because he is much stronger now that he has incorporated free weights into his regimen. No bench pressing but does heavy squats, dead lifts and cleans. Just maxed out at 465 lbs on his squat. The scouts liked that and didn't care about his ROM metrics.
What year is your son? Do you mind sharing velocity?
2020dad posted:CaCO3Girl posted:2020dad...what I don't get is why try so hard to get that kid to 90? There seems to be this constant need in our society to drive people to be what they were never meant to be. It's just not suppose to be that hard. It really is okay if Johny pitches faster, and it's okay if Tommy runs faster. We all have natural gifts, the key is to find them. If it's proven pitching isn't the gift the kid has, why push it? Why not find his gift or just accept he doesn't have one?
Gee I am not trying hard at all. I am old and fat and grey and balding. It's him who is trying. But i am definitely here to help and encourage. And frankly I am not much concerned about johnny and tommy. Why should he try so hard? Because that's what life is all about. If you say its your dream then prove it by working as hard as you can to achieve it. That's a work ethic that will take him far in life. And we have to be careful when we say someone is not meant to be something. That is a slippery slope. If a kid has an average IQ should he not try to be a doctor if that is his dream? I get that the body reaches a speed limit at some point. But unless you do everything in your power you will never know for sure what that speed limit would have been. And why 90? Well that's kind of the magic number. Probably every pitchers goal who wants to pitch college. But that is just a goal. 87 with wicked stuff will still get you D1. And even low 80's with a good second pitch will put you in a decent D2 or D3. So while 90 is a goal not reaching it doesn't make a kid a failure. But why would a kid say my goal is to throw 82 someday? Shoot big and then be proud of what you accomplish even if it never quite reached the level of your dreams. And the question still lingers. I am not sure what I believe - thus the original post - but a lot of reputable people believe you can reach 90 with enough hard work. I am confused by your wording. The gift thing. Not every person who succeeds is just naturally gifted. And a 14yo who is tracking just a little behind schedule is hardly one to give up on. And as for it being ok if others are better... thats a tricky one for me. As a coach it was never ok to say someone is better at least until the game/season/career is over. Once you start conceding where does it stop? Don't give in and don't give up.
You bring up the catch 22 - velocity is probably at least somewhat limited by genetics. However, you can't really know what that subjective limit is until you push it. A kid might be genetically gifted enough to reach 90, but never throw above 75 because of a lack of specific training and a lack of knowledge. I think that's what you're seeing today. Pitching instruction, with the aid of quickly advancing knowledge and revolutionary advances in training are showing us that, although velocity has a substantial genetic component, there are a lot more guys for whom 90mph is possible than we previously imagined.
2020dad, you say that " not every person who succeeds is just naturally gifted." While there may be some truth to that, I think what is more important to understand is that not every person who is gifted will succeed.
roothog66 posted:2020dad, you say that " not every person who succeeds is just naturally gifted." While there may be some truth to that, I think what is more important to understand is that not every person who is gifted will succeed.
Agreed 100%. That's what allows the hard workers to slip in there!
2020dad posted:Gee I am not trying hard at all. I am old and fat and grey and balding. It's him who is trying. But i am definitely here to help and encourage. And frankly I am not much concerned about johnny and tommy. Why should he try so hard? Because that's what life is all about. If you say its your dream then prove it by working as hard as you can to achieve it. That's a work ethic that will take him far in life. And we have to be careful when we say someone is not meant to be something. That is a slippery slope. If a kid has an average IQ should he not try to be a doctor if that is his dream? I get that the body reaches a speed limit at some point. But unless you do everything in your power you will never know for sure what that speed limit would have been. And why 90? Well that's kind of the magic number. Probably every pitchers goal who wants to pitch college. But that is just a goal. 87 with wicked stuff will still get you D1. And even low 80's with a good second pitch will put you in a decent D2 or D3. So while 90 is a goal not reaching it doesn't make a kid a failure. But why would a kid say my goal is to throw 82 someday? Shoot big and then be proud of what you accomplish even if it never quite reached the level of your dreams. And the question still lingers. I am not sure what I believe - thus the original post - but a lot of reputable people believe you can reach 90 with enough hard work. I am confused by your wording. The gift thing. Not every person who succeeds is just naturally gifted. And a 14yo who is tracking just a little behind schedule is hardly one to give up on. And as for it being ok if others are better... thats a tricky one for me. As a coach it was never ok to say someone is better at least until the game/season/career is over. Once you start conceding where does it stop? Don't give in and don't give up.
That is the debate isn't it.....what is the line between having a dream and working hard to achieve it, and just accepting your limitations? Our society is raising a whole generation of children who are convinced that they are special and they can accomplish ANYTHING!...well...they can't.
Those that accept they have limitations will do far better in the real world than those that are convinced they are indestructible, and they just have to try harder, or scheme a different way to get what they want, because they have been taught that ANYTHING is possible, and it just isn't.
You said that a 14yo who is tracking just a little behind schedule is hardly one to give up on...I say, "who's schedule"? But yes, if a 14yo wants to try to become an elite pitcher he should go for it...but not let it define himself as a person. This generation has the VERY bad habit of being obsessed with one thing that seems out of their reach and they will work hard to try to get it, even when it's not getting any closer...but they are SURE they can get it...at what point to you say, it's not going to happen. Is that at 16u? 18u? How about the 23 year old who still hasn't made the minors but he is SURE he will get there soon and then magically be found by an MLB team...at what point do we reality check our kids so they aren't living in our basements when they are 35 and still trying to accomplish that dream of theirs?
Well given the choice I would rather have my kids believe they can accomplish anything rather than accepting their limitations. But as always I believe there is a middle geound and I thought that is what I conveyed. That if he doesn't reach 90 and worked as hard as he could at it then he should be proud of whatever level that hard work brings him. You ask who's schedule. Fair question. Some time back I started a thread about when was your son first recruited and what was he throwing? There are outliers to be sure on both ends but the general consensus was mid 80's by sophomore season. Also general consensus is most youth potchers will pick up 4 to 6 mph every year just from growth. Then after growth ends it varies pretty wildly from no gain to 7mph in a year because of maturity and coordination leading to better mechanics. So just taking lets say 84mph at sophomre season. Back that out to 80 freshman year and 75 in summer after 8th grade. That's the schedule. No not an end all be all just a guide. Since we have not played a game yet I am not even sure if he will be behind that goal but I am conservatively estimating he will fall a little short. When is it time to give up? Great question. Maybe when there are no teams who will let you try anymore! I don't know. Up to him I guess. But I do get your point. Basketball is probably not going to happen. And I think he knows that. And the amount of time he would have to spend even to give himself a shot would be prohibitive. Small college basketball - maybe but still an uphill battle all the way. But we are talking baseball here. Still the one of the three majors that an ordinary looking athlete can still work hard enough to be good. Baseball players come in all shapes and sizes. Don't have to be 6'6" 275lbs and bench 500. So making it through hard work and dedication to task is far more realistic than being the next JJ Watt. Jimmy Valvano lost his battle to cancer as we all knew he would. But have there ever been more inspiring words than "never give up, never ecer give up"
If you do not believe that everything you attempt to achieve before you start is possible, let the next guy, because you have to believe or you have already lost!
Reading these sometimes it seems there are 9 pitchers on the diamond, what about the other 8 position players?
Isnt it pretty obvious come your junior/senior year whether you have it or not to go to the next level? Grades should be #1, as long as your doing that I see no harm in pursuing your dream, average people don't take risks and usually settle for the known. If your grades were priority #1, you should have something to fall back on.
Grades should be a very high priority. But not everyone is equal as a player or as a student. Personally I think the top priority should always be becoming a good person. Someone who cares about others. Those who "care" are extremely valuable no matter how good their grades are are how talented they are at athletics. At the same time it helps them become the best student or athlete they are capable of.
Reality? I don't know what that is! How many truly reach their full potential at anything? And even if you think they have, how would you know? Our world would be so different today if there were never anyone shooting for the moon. Dreams can change, nothing wrong with having big dreams.
2forU posted:If you do not believe that everything you attempt to achieve before you start is possible, let the next guy, because you have to believe or you have already lost!
There is a fine line in between the idea that hope and perseverance can conquer all, and living in reality.
Do average people accomplish the extraordinary, yes.
Do extraordinary people always live up to what they are capable, no.
But most people are not extraordinary, but they are being raised to think they are. That's my problem. The hard thing is knowing when to give up to reality and stop focusing on something that will never happen. It's nice to have a dream, but I'd also like to teach my kid that he can't fixate on one thing that will define him. He has to be a well rounded person, who is capable of seeing what is in front of him, not live in the clouds of what might be.
I'm not so concerned with the 14u kid who is trying for 90. My concern is a generation of parents that are stuck in la-la land. In this corner we have the "oh he can do anything he sets his mind to" parents, and in this corner we have the "Oh, I couldn't possibly tell him to give up on his dream, I just can't crush him like that"....and in both their basements are their 35 year old children, still trying for the dream. The sad thing is when the kids finally realize they really couldn't do X, no matter how hard they tried, they just fall apart because that goal and dream has defined them for so long they don't know who they are without it.
CaCO3Girl posted:2forU posted:If you do not believe that everything you attempt to achieve before you start is possible, let the next guy, because you have to believe or you have already lost!
There is a fine line in between the idea that hope and perseverance can conquer all, and living in reality.
Do average people accomplish the extraordinary, yes.
Do extraordinary people always live up to what they are capable, no.
But most people are not extraordinary, but they are being raised to think they are. That's my problem. The hard thing is knowing when to give up to reality and stop focusing on something that will never happen. It's nice to have a dream, but I'd also like to teach my kid that he can't fixate on one thing that will define him. He has to be a well rounded person, who is capable of seeing what is in front of him, not live in the clouds of what might be.
I'm not so concerned with the 14u kid who is trying for 90. My concern is a generation of parents that are stuck in la-la land. In this corner we have the "oh he can do anything he sets his mind to" parents, and in this corner we have the "Oh, I couldn't possibly tell him to give up on his dream, I just can't crush him like that"....and in both their basements are their 35 year old children, still trying for the dream. The sad thing is when the kids finally realize they really couldn't do X, no matter how hard they tried, they just fall apart because that goal and dream has defined them for so long they don't know who they are without it.
The only 35 yr olds living with mom I have ever known of that were "pursuing the dream" were pot heads.
Who is extraordinary, what is extraordinary? Someone who excels in something they were meant to do? How did they know they were meant to do that? Luck, perseverance, chance, forced??
Like when Forrest asked his mom what is the meaning of life, its like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get lol.
I do believe you can do anything you set your mind to do but of course, there are always limits, more so for some then others. Sometimes it can be as simple as being in the right place at the right time, sometimes its whos better looking. The point is life is never fair and the bottom line is raising your kid right, to work for what you want and realize sometimes you will fail, heck isnt that what baseball is all about? Life is short and tomorrow is no guarantee.
You are describing a parenting problem. I agree with that and the Kobayashi Maru. I still believe I can do anything. Maturity will come over time and reality checks with peer comparison should be part of the process and progress. This helps the kid grow up. Not sure what to do about the parents.
2forU posted:You are describing a parenting problem. I agree with that and the Kobayashi Maru. I still believe I can do anything. Maturity will come over time and reality checks with peer comparison should be part of the process and progress. This helps the kid grow up. Not sure what to do about the parents.
I think the Kobayaski Maru can teach a valuable lesson. Sometimes there is no way to win...you know....unless your Kirk, but he cheated, so that really shouldn't count. Sometimes it really is our failures that we learn more from than our successes. I seem to be surrounded by parents that insist on never letting their kids fail at anything....yeah....good luck with THAT!
this is kinda off Topic but I say it anyway: I think it is good to aim high but I feel many people are asking too much "what can the world give to me" and not "what can I give to the world". I'm not trying to be religious here and talking "kharma" or whatever, you should not give yourself up to help the world, but I feel that many People are not spending enough time and thought to find their own unique Talent but instead the make up a plan based on what they like at this moment, what their parents like at this Moment or "what the economy currently demand" (looking at salary Charts...) and then make up a plan and put ridiculous effort to reach that Goal, disregarding their individual Talent and also their deepest inner will. that leads to basically chase a dream for the sake of the dream rather than the real Thing.
for example that kid will make up his mind at 17 that he wants to become a doctor and then he puts in tons of effort into learning stuff, getting good at test and making Connections with Schools, without asking himself if being a great doctor is really the Thing that their own nature given talents Excels best at. of course that kid still can become a solid doctor but often it was chasing and fullfilling the dream that satisfies him and not the Thing itself.
don't get me wrong, being a doctor is probably the greatest Job there is but if you chase it for the wrong reasons that is not really good for you.
I believe in fullfilling yourself and Setting the bar high but I feel that more tought should be spent into getting to know what:
a) you really want deep inside yourself (easy to trick yourself there)
b) is really suiting your individual Talent
instead of making up a plan and than developing a total tunnel Vision and missing everything left and right of that path. don't get me wrong at some Point you Need to make a decision what you want and then make a plan and execute it (just dreaming and changing your Intention every day will get you nowhere) but still make sure that the chase itself doesn't become a means. too many People make a plan, execute it perfectly and then at Age 50 realize that they chased a wrong dream and did something for most of their life that they actually hated ("just 4 more years until I have my degree" then "just 3 more till my PHD").
I feel if you do something that is according with your natural Talent you usually will be more happy (and often successful) than if you make up the dream first and then try to fit your Talent that dream.
But that was extremely off Topic, back to chucking Baseballs
.
I will not squash my kids dream.
I will elaborate on probability as he continues to mature. I will help him develop a plan to get there. Executing the plan requires, preparation, discipline and motivation from him.
Now that my kid is a sophomore he understands his dream is still possible, but, he now understands probability. He now understands the importance of staying focused in the classroom, to play other sports and be involved in other activities/clubs, and enjoy being a kid.
My kids dream has now turned into a goal of utilizing his baseball abilities to get into a good college, and if he's lucky, something bigger might happen. He knows to be prepared, never know when your lucky day has arrived.
If it doesn't happen, he'll be OK, because he'll know he went for it. Pursuing a dream and having options if it doesn't work out sounds good to me.
2020Dad, if your kid loves to pitch, having him work on flexibility can only help. Yoga, karate, whatever. He may reach his goals on the mound, he may not. But I'm a firm believer that it is the striving that matters. Hard work is its own reward, as the saying goes.
Funny thing is, my kid has the opposite problem -- he is hyper-flexible (a/k/a double-jointed) but needs to add strength and weight (he was celebrating the other day when the scale said 150 for the first time!)
Looking ahead, one of the nice things about California is we don't have to worry about our kids being 35 and living in their parent's basement -- the homes here don't have basements!
While you are working out the muscles, plan your workouts so that you give your tendons and ligaments time to adapt to strength. Tendons have different metabolic rates than muscles (much slower).
Here is an article on strength and flexibility (it covers and answers in detail some of your questions):
"Tell a 13 year old he needs to do Yoga you get this look like "Way to try to wussify me"." This made me laugh because I can picture the kid and the statement. However, (anecdotal experience) put that same 13 year old kid in a facility filled with returning pro's doing their winter work, and let that same kid hear those guys talk about how important yoga is to their development, and you end up with a 13 year old kid that will eventually be interested in yoga. Happened in our place last winter and there were groups of kids adding yoga to their winter workouts!
Dominik85 posted:I feel if you do something that is according with your natural Talent you usually will be more happy (and often successful) than if you make up the dream first and then try to fit your Talent that dream.
^^^THIS!
I want every kid to dream, I want them to think they can do anything, but as Gov hinted at it's important to temper that dream with a dose of reality and probability while remembering to be a kid.
I know that if my son somehow is lucky enough to make it to MiLB and he makes a whopping $10K a year I will help him in supporting his dream. However, if he is a fully grown senior and hasn't touched 80mph I am going to be clear that I think his skills lay else wear and pitching may not be his thing.
