“Off Season” really means “Training Season”

“Off Season” really means “Training Season”

During my 14 years in professional baseball I always at the end of each season took 2-3 weeks off to rest physically and mentally. Playing either a 140 game minor league schedule or a 162 game big league schedule it took its toll. The time off not only provided me the rest I needed from the grind but also prepared me for my upcoming winter training routine. That is why I could never look at the winter as an “Off Season”, I could only see it as “Off Weeks”. So the term “Off Season” meant I was entering a new season which I called my “Training Season“.

The term “Training Season” means the pressure of having to produce is eliminated; the idea of people watching, evaluating and critiquing was non-existent. “Training Season” is that time when we work in attempt of mastering the areas of our game we do well and focusing heavy on the areas of our game that needs improvement.

Developing baseball skills comes through repetition. I was fortunate to have been drafted by the Baltimore Orioles when Cal Ripken, Sr. was overseeing the player development. One of many things that Cal, Sr. would say that stuck with me was “Practice doesn’t make perfect, Perfect practice makes perfect”. That is the pure physical and mental approach to the work that has to be done over the winter or “Training Season”.

So many players will go through the motions of working out and don’t approach their workouts with a plan or understanding of how to get better. Just hitting to hit or throwing just to throw does not do it. We have to work systematically during the “Training Season” to develop sound fundamentals, confidence, strength and positive muscle memory. All of which we need once we get back to the "In Season".

Perfect practice is the key to bettering ourselves in our “Training Season” in order to perform at a higher level than the season(s) before. Every workout needs a plan and should be approached with a purpose. Don’t just do it, understand how it is supposed to be done and why it is done a certain way. The “Training Season” is the time when we elevate our game.

I will end with these thoughts. Never be satisfied with mediocrity and always challenge yourself to be great. Take advantage of the “Training Season” because if you’re not you can be sure someone out there is.

Jeff Schaefer
Carolinas Baseball Center
www.cbcbaseball.net

“Baseball is the most over coached and under taught game in the world”
Branch Rickey