We’re past the Fourth of July, and already closer to the start of the next school year than
we are to the end of the previous one. Our summer program has been flying by, but it’s
been really productive with plenty of new personal bests already set in exit velo and
distance, throwing velo, weight room numbers, and force plate metrics. We’re not ready
to wind down just yet—but now that I’ve had time to look back on the past couple of
months, I wanted to share some thoughts I keep coming back to this summer.

1: Consistency is a cheat code
The guys who keep showing up tend to be the guys who show out. The year is one big
cycle that keeps building upon the previous phase—that’s why it’s so important to
commit to training year-round. How you start your fall depends on where you end your
summer. The fall offseason sets the stage for the spring season by developing a base of
strength and work capacity that will be used throughout the rest of the year. Taking the
summer off means spending the first part of fall rebuilding what was lost before seeing
any true progress. Each phase sets up the next. Putting in effort to get ahead always
beats putting in effort to make up ground.

2: Take the vacation
Families only get so many summers where they can make memories before everyone
grows up and moves out. Missing a week or two of practices and training sessions
when a kid plays and trains year-round doesn’t bother me a bit. All athletes need
breaks. Now, the timing of those breaks can be important, especially for high school
athletes playing summer ball and particularly for pitchers (can’t pitch at max intent if you
just came off a break from throwing). When you need to be ready for games,
showcases, or camps then you should try to stay on top of training while you’re gone.
But better yet, try to plan trips after important competitions or at the end of the summer
season. This frees you up to take your break as seriously as your training.

3: Ups and down are normal
Even athletes who are incredibly consistent will still see fluctuations in their training
results. We did mid-summer force plate testing to get some data at the halfway point,
and a lot of guys were down on their jump heights and power numbers. I think a few
things were at play here. First, some of our guys have been playing in games for almost
five months. That’s a VERY long time for a teenager to be in season. He’ll be able to
better handle the physical demands of playing that many games as he gets older, but
seeing indicators of fatigue this time of year in guys playing summer ball is normal.
Second, many guys who are typically consistent with their training have been missing a
lot more sessions than normal. Between tournament travel and vacations, a lot of them
have been in and out of town all summer. (Note to self: remember not to test right after

the Fourth of July next year since so many athletes go away that week.) Lastly,
improvement isn’t always going to be linear. As athletes grow and get used to being
taller and bigger, their performances often take a temporary dip. Stay patient, be
consistent, and things will turn around.

4: Each season is a fresh slate
You get to choose who you are. You can change any time you want. Wish you’d had a
better attitude last year during the offseason? Didn’t see the results you wanted in the
spring? Great, it’s summer now. Start over and adjust your approach. Plenty of our
players grew a lot these past few months, both physically AND mentally. Show up as
the athlete you want to be. We’ll treat you like the guy you are now, not the guy you
were back then.

5: Summer is where real separation is made
You can tell who is all-in by how they spend their summer. I have an athlete who has
been travelling for tournaments all summer, and on every trip he texts me photos of the
weight room in his hotel so I can write him lifts to do on the road. We’ve had guys show
up still wearing their uniforms to lift after games. Some of our pitchers are travelling out
of the country and communicated this early on to Kevin Eichhorn so he could design
summer throwing plans that maximized their time in Santa Cruz. Several athletes
reached out to request development planning meetings with our staff. I could go on for a
while about other examples of dedication we’ve seen, but what all of them have in
common in this: It’s guys taking initiative to put in the work. If you want it badly enough,
you’ll make it happen. And we’ll match your effort.

As fall inches closer, hopefully you are using your final weeks of summer to get ready
for your offseason. This might mean ramping up your strength work, getting back into a
consistent training routine, or taking a much-needed break after summer ball. Whatever
it is you need to do, I encourage you to take advantage of this time!
-Jen