Heart Surgery

Games are the surgery. We need to prepare for them rather than use them to prepare.

Heart Surgery

Did you know that the way that heart surgeons train to become heart surgeons is to only perform live operations? They don’t go to school to learn about the body, the heart, and surgery techniques. They don’t practice “simple”, smaller skills that are used during their surgeries. They don’t spend years upon years of their career learning about their craft before doing anything “live”.

Hmm now that doesn’t sound completely right does it?

Because it’s not! They spend an absolute insane amount of time LEARNING and PRACTICING before getting to do the real thing.

How can we apply this to baseball? Simple. The priority should not be play in X amount of games this year…it should be to develop! And just playing games will NOT accomplish this.

Just like a surgeon, a player needs to practice…needs to train…needs to develop.

Don’t worry about playing 60 games this summer. Worry about getting better. Worry about improving your swing. Worry about becoming a better athlete. Worry about improving your arm strength/healthy.

Worry about developing a skill set that plays at the next level and not just one that “works” on Saturday.

Games are the surgery. We need to prepare for them rather than use them to prepare. Be obsessed.

Ken Spangenburg, Director of Baseball, MapleZone Sports Institute