EFFICIENCY: TIPS TO MAXIMIZE IMPROVEMENT

Most of the good advice we receive in our lifetimes can be applied to almost every other aspect of life. So in the next couple blog posts we’re going to discuss certain elements that are pivotal in improving the success of any outcome. No matter when or how they are applied to life. In our case we’ll discuss how they apply to training an athlete, specifically a baseball or softball player. Along with some tips for improving them.

A crucial facet of life we’re going to discuss in this blog post is EFFICIENCY! When properly applied to any situation, it’s an element of life that rapidly changes the outcome of any objective.

Efficiency: IMPROVE IT OR LOSE IT

Here are some key factors of being efficient and common pitfalls when it comes to baseball/softball training:

• Don’t waste time – Whether it’s a player wasting time on areas of weakness they don’t have, because others on the team do. Or a coach wasting time trying to “think up” exercises, strength training or throwing programs, or charting player results and progress in an effort to manually develop their own player specific “programming”.
• Don’t waste energy – Just like time, we only have so much of it, so don’t waste it. Spend more energy on weaknesses rather than strengths. Priorities how it’s spent, work weaknesses at the beginning when energy, thus intensity and concentration, is higher. Save strengths for the end, when energy levels are lower, because so too is intensity and intent. Ideally, spend energy on functional movements that translate to the activity the player is training to improve.
• Don’t take shortcuts – They lead to an inferior outcome and a greater risk of failure/injury. “Cookie cutter” training may be faster and cheaper but not nearly as effective. Coaches don’t have their P.O.s and hitters spending the exact same amount of time on the exact same areas/drills in practice. So why would they do that in the gym or in their throwing programs?
• Invest in the proper TOOLS – Having/utilizing the proper tools is a huge advantage. Hitting on the field can be cool and fun, but nets and tunnels allow you to get a lot more accomplished in a lot less time. So why wouldn’t you utilize tools that allow you to do the same thing in other aspects of player development and strength training?
• Take advantage of TECHNOLOGY (your competition is) – Technology is the #1 solution for increasing efficiency in the world! It’s also the #1 way in which companies and organizations are putting their competition out of business. Technology that allows you to waste less time and energy, without sacrificing quality, encompasses the definition of technology that improves efficiency. Meaning you have more time to spend on skill work, drill work, recruiting, managing and generally coaching.

EFFICIENCY = SPEED

When I think of efficiency I think about how quickly and feasibly I can properly EXECUTE an objective. Whether that objective is an idea or simple task. How fast can I properly accomplish it? This is where having superior/ideal tools at your disposal can make all the difference in the world. It’s like assembling a piece of furniture. You can probably accomplish the task with some simple hand tools. But you can complete the task a lot faster and more efficiently with a set of power tools.

+ QUALITY CONTROL

However, speed is not the only determining factor when measuring efficiency. Otherwise you will likely find yourself repeating or fixing work you took “shortcuts” when executing tasks “too fast” the first time. Using the same furniture assembly project as an example. If you concern only with the speed and simplicity, completely avoiding the PROPERLY aspect, you may try to omit the use of “tools” altogether. Simply grab a hot glue gun and start sticking pieces together according to the picture on the box. The problem is the finished product is not going to be quality or reliable. And if you spend lots of time constantly fixing your mistakes you didn’t really save any time.

At the end of the day, as it relates to training for a team related sport. The less time and energy each member of a team wastes, the better off they and in turn the team is. So obviously, if you could afford to equip every player on a team with their own personal trainer to maximize their improvements individually. You would in-turn be maximizing the improvements of the team as a whole. Because both as an individual and a team, we’re only as strong as our weakest link.

+ FEASIBILITY

But regardless of how efficient something is, it doesn’t help us if we can’t afford to access it. So we also have to keep in mind feasibility. Which is why equipping every player on a team with their own sport specific personal trainer is not feasible, thus realistic. But 20 years ago math teachers also said we wouldn’t walk around with a calculator in our pocket all the time. But now, with smart phones, that’s exactly what we do. Things that were once not feasible or realistic are now not only possible, but have become the standard. So now, with products like ours that leverage technology, not only can a team provide each player a sport specific personal trainer. But one they actually carry in their pocket and have with them all the time. No matter where they are in the world.

Technology and products like our Throw Smart and Train Smart mobile apps are redefining training, efficiency and ultimately the capacity for improvement. So over the next few years expect them, and products like them, to become the standard.

With group, team and organization packages, efficient, sport-specific, personal training has never been this affordable. Especially for our college coaches with our EXCLUSIVE COLLEGE “Team” and “Staff” (designed to accommodate a pitching staff) packages.