Spring Training is always a welcome time of year for me
because it’s a sign that spring is right around the corner and that the worst
of this brutal winter is behind us.
The Detroit Tigers are in Lakeland, Florida preparing for
the upcoming Major League Baseball season and several themes have emerged that
provide valuable lessons for young athletes.
I am going to contrast the approach between two athletes
that are taking two very different approaches as they prepare for the upcoming
season.
First up is Josh Hamilton of the Los Angeles Angels. For a
5-season stretch (2008-2012) Hamilton was amongst the best players in the sport
but last season he slumped terribly and was beset by injuries. Hamilton entered
Spring Training last year at about 225 pounds, roughly 20 pounds lighter than usual
after starting an offseason natural-juice diet, and finished the year at 217.
His goal this offseason was to add a few pounds, in a healthy manner, in order
to play at a weight he's more comfortable with in the summer.
Hamilton has added an additional 18-pounds. He now weighs
235.
"I've never lifted heavy, heavy weight before, so
that's what I'm doing this offseason," Hamilton said on MLB Network.
"Just trying to put muscle on, trying to have a couple of cheat days here
and there, pizzas, burgers every once in a while. But for the most part trying
to stay gluten-free, because that makes my joints feel better. So overall I'm
feeling better."(1)
Of note in Hamilton’s situation is the importance of
nutrition to peak physical/mental performance (avoiding gluten can lead to
better digestion/nutrient absorption and more mental clarity). Using a juice
diet to shed weight for a brutally long professional season is not a good idea.
Most professional athletes struggle to maintain weight over the competitive
season and most of the weight loss comes in the form of lean muscle. Less
muscle over the course of a season logically equates to less power and strength
while also serving to make the athlete more susceptible to injury.
On that note Hamilton, strained his left calf during a base
running drill the fist week of spring training, and will be out of action for a
minimum of two weeks. Weight training can be a very effective tool in boosting
strength and size but it must be kept in perspective that Hamilton is an
athlete first and foremost, not a bodybuilder. Bulking up excessively over an
off-season can lead to an athlete that is a little stiffer and not as mobile.
It seems Hamilton suffers from a case of extremes and
demonstrates that a little knowledge (juicing will help you lose weight and
lifting heavy to bulk up) can lead to big problems. Juicing and weight training
can be pieces of a larger preparation puzzle but in Hamilton’s case they likely
took up a disproportionate amount of his game plan.
Meanwhile, new Tiger second baseman Ian Kinsler tailored his
offseason work to his new home the spacious Comerica Park. He showed up for
Spring Training weighing about 10 or 15 pounds less than he ever has when
reporting to Spring Training. He doesn't have to worry about losing weight in
the Texas heat this summer, and he wanted to regain his speed in order to take
advantage of Comerica Park's spacious outfield. Kinsler spent extra time
working on his leads on the base paths and stealing bases. (2)
Speed changes
everything and size doesn’t matter
Also new to Detroit is manager Brad Ausmus, who came into
spring training with an aggressive base running plan, and the players are
buying into it.
“I’m trying to change the frame of mind,” he said. “So far,
I’ve been very happy with how it’s gone.”
When asked, for instance, if a change of mentality is more
important than results, Ausmus said “oh, yeah. We told them from day one that
we want them to force the defense to make plays.
“Not only do we need to find out, but they need to find out
what they can do. We knew going in we’d be using an aggressive style in spring
training, but not faulting someone for getting thrown out.
“We want them to take chances now in the hope it creates an
overall mentality of base running for the team. But it’ll get refined as
players realize what they can and can’t do.”
Aggressive base running is more of what Ausmus believes in
as a manager than a flaw he saw in the team he inherited.
“It would be the same even if we hadn’t traded for Ian
Kinsler and signed Rajai Davis,” he said of the new speedsters.
It would be the same because all the players, fast or not,
are being allowed the same freedom.
“Right now, they all have the green light,” said Ausmus.
“That will change.
“But some of these guys might end up surprising themselves
how often they can take extra base.” (3)
“It’s exciting,” Davis said.
“It dominates,” Torii Hunter said.
“It’s what this game is about,” Kinsler said.
Sure, runners won’t always make it. But last year they
didn’t always try.
For a little historical perspective in 1915 Fritz Maisel
lead the American league in stolen base percentage (51/63, 81%) while Ty Cobb
lead the league in total stolen bases (96) but his percentage was much lower at
72%. The lesson, Cobb is a baseball legend while this will be the first and
last time you ever read anything about Fritz Maisel. Playing it safe will never
allow young athletes to reach their true potential. Mistakes are good because
it means you are one step closer to figuring out how to become more successful.
This is an important concept for young athletes and coaches
to focus on during the developmental years. I think kids are coached to be so
risk averse and to avoid mistakes rather than to use their speed and athleticism
to make things happen. Sports should be fun for kids and we should emphasize to
them the importance of testing their limits without fear of repercussion, such
as being yelled at or even benched. That is what the developmental years are
for, to find out just what kind of athlete you can become. Winning should never
take center stage in the development of young athletes!
Speed and athleticism provide young athletes with
opportunities they may otherwise not get. Consider the case of Billy Burns a
minor league outfielder with the Oakland Athletics. Burns was 967th
pick in the 2011 draft but has a legitimate shot at earning a job in the Major
League despite his size (5’9) because of his speed that has been described by
Oakland manager Bob Melvin as; "It's a jailbreak with him all the time.
Very few guys I've seen are at top speed within two steps like that. We knew he
was fast, but not like this." Also of note Burns was a two-sport star
(football, baseball) at his Georgia high school. (4)
Detroit Tiger 2013 Minor League Player of the Year Devon
Travis also measures in at 5’9 but has impressed the organization with his work
ethic and athleticism. In spite of his non-prototypical build Travis has
established himself as a player to watch in the organization. Speed,
athleticism, and work will trump size more often than not.
Injury Prevention
Back to the aforementioned Josh Hamilton who underwent
surgery for a sports hernia in November 2011 and, as he said, "When you
have surgeries, things turn off."
"You start compensating, you start doing [different]
things," Hamilton added. "The great thing about professional athletes
is they're great compensators. They're the best in the world. So they get out
there and try to perform. So this offseason, one of the things I've done is
work with a functional movement coach, and getting things turned back on."
(1)
Similarly, Detroit Tiger ace pitcher Justin Verlander also
developed an injury that may have been the result of compensation. Verlander
suggested his inconsistent performance in 2013, might have been related to the
core muscle injury that required surgery to repair two months ago.
"What we're thinking is, the adjustments I'm making,
the way I was throwing last year, might have had something to do with an injury
being there without me knowing," Verlander said, "and that might have
been why I had to change my mechanics a little bit. …
"We think it was a very slow kind of injury, and that's
why there was never a pop or anything. I was losing strength through my core,
and that was what I think -- what we think -- was my body trying to adjust to
that and being able to pitch through it."
One difference Verlander said he noted was a tilt in his
shoulders. Instead of having everything parallel, he was firing from a lower
angle. He's now trying to bring that back to a level. (5)
Young athletes are also great compensators because of their
youth and less wear and tear from decades of overuse and abuse. For this reason
injury prevention is key to nip these compensations before they blow up into
something potentially serious. A good off-field conditioning program can
provide the defense young athletes need to stay pain free while also running
efficiently on all cylinders.
Leadership
Another valuable lesson for young athletes is to devote some
time not only to skill development but also growing as a leader.
Tiger manager Brad Ausmus raved about Tiger star Miguel
Cabrera’s character and personality: “When the best player on the team is
playing the game the right way, it’s hard for the 10th-best player on the team
not to play the game the right way. So it makes it easier on the coaching
staff.”
Cabrera technically didn’t have to be in camp early like
every other position player, but he checked in before the mandatory start date.
But Cabrera was really early — he made his first appearance in camp more than a
week ahead of schedule.
“MVP, Triple Crown, and he shows up a week early,” Ausmus
said. “That’s what I was talking about. When you have guys like that. ... You
can tell Miggy enjoys being around the clubhouse. He enjoys playing the game.
He’s always smiling and laughing.”
Players had to be dressed by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Ausmus said
he saw Cabrera at the park before 8 and “he already had a sweat on him.”(6)
Commitment and dedication are the essential elements of
athletic development and the best athletes in their sport inordinately possess
this trait more so than any other factor such as size, strength, or sport
specific skills.
MLB introduces
technology that will track speed and athleticism
There is a fine line that separates the best athletes in
sport from their relatively “ordinary” counterparts. Check out this video and
the cool technology Major League Baseball has introduced that do an outstanding
job of tracking athletic speed. Just for reference Reed Johnson is a veteran
journeyman, an “average” professional player while Jason Heyward is a young
athletic future star. Check out how why athletic speed is a real game changer:
Reference:
(6)http://www.freep.com/article/20140219/SPORTS02/302190064/detroit-tigers-miguel-cabrera-brad-ausmus
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