“Thoughts” by KW

The following is an excerpt from The #GoodBatting Book, which has helped hitters and hitting coaches around the world understand WHY they do what they do.

Embrace Your Role

There comes a point in a lot of player’s careers when they transition from an everyday player to a lesser role, which is widely known as a “bench player.”

If you are playing high school baseball, you may likely be the best player on your team, or at least in the starting lineup.  That is a testament to your preparation, hard work and skill set, and you should be proud of that accomplishment thus far.

What I’m about to walk you through, however, is information that will become necessary quicker than you think as you continue to climb the ranks in collegiate and/or professional baseball.

When most guys get to college baseball for the first time, it is their first introduction to being at the bottom of the totem pole.  No matter how good they are, or how many awards and accolades they brought with them to school, they are now just another number on a back of a uniform.  They are officially a part of a level that very few players get to play at.

The toughest part of my transition to the college game was just that – sitting and waiting.  Every level I had played at until that moment, I was one of the better players, or the best player, on my team.  I had a rude awakening in college to a number of things, but that first year “on the job” was one of the hardest years in my playing career, being a “bench player.”

When guys find themselves on the bench for the first time, the first thing that gets dinged is the ego.  Every player has one.  It’s pride.  It’s ego.  It’s everything that makes you the player and competitor that you are.  For a coach to sit you down and basically tell you that he thinks he has better at the moment, stings for sure.  Especially if it’s your first time experiencing that.

As a hitter, it’s a lot easier to maintain timing, rhythm, etc. at the plate when you play everyday.  It doesn’t necessarily mean that you are going to have great success just because you play everyday, but it is a big advantage that allows you to maintain your timing at the plate.

Know Your Role

The best piece of advice I can give to you is understand and embrace your role.  If you become a bench player, do not complain about it.  Accept and embrace it.

It’s easy to feel good about being in the starting lineup.  Your swing will feel better playing everyday.  Your mindset will be better seeing your name on the lineup card as part of the starting nine.

What’s hard is feeling motivated and locked in when you’re on the bench.  I have been on both sides of this.  I can tell you from experience that being a bench player is no easy task.  In fact, I respect the bench players in the big leagues more than I respect the everyday players because of their relentless focus on being prepared each and everyday like they are a starter, not knowing if they will ever get in that game that night.

With that being said, hitters need to see live pitching every day to feel like they are on time and in rhythm.  There is only so much you can do with BP and standing in on live bullpens.  You need to feel the rhythm of the game in live action.  But when you’re a bench player, you don’t get those luxuries.

What can a hitter do to keep himself ready for when the head coach calls your name?

Here are some suggestions I have for those experiencing lack of playing time.

First, come to the ballpark each and everyday mentally prepared to start.  It’s easy to come to the ballpark dejected expecting not to play.  It’s harder to get your mind right on the way to the park knowing you may not play, but it can be done.

The reason we do that is because if I told you that you were starting tomorrow night on your way out of the stadium, you would be coming to the park excited and more focused on your preparation for the game.  So what’s the difference if I did or did not tell you?

The pre-game preparation and routine should not really change if we are or are not in the starting lineup.  If your name’s not on the card, it’s easy to hang in the clubhouse and cut corners on your pre-game routine because you may not feel you need to do it.  Just because you’re not being used at the beginning of the game, doesn’t mean that you won’t be called upon to pinch hit, or be put in for defensive purposes later in the game.  So prepare mentally and physically like you are starting each and everyday.  Take a look at who their relief pitchers are and start trying to formulate plans or ideas so when you face them you have prepared at least a little bit, if not a lot, to have a quality at-bat against them later in the game.

The first time you think about pinch-hitting for someone should not be when the coach calls your name.  You have been preparing both physically and mentally for that one opportunity since you arrived at the ballpark.

During the game, you need to pay attention to the flow of the game and try and stay with what you think the head coach will do.  Not only does this keep you focused on the game itself, it also allows you to mentally try to predict and learn your head coach and his tendencies.

For example, it’s the fifth inning and you feel like you can be a pinch hitter for one of the weaker hitters in your lineup the next few innings.  Take it upon yourself to start stretching and swinging a bat around the dugout.  Take a look at the pitcher on the mound and start thinking about your approach against him.  Look into their bullpen (if they have one) and think about who you might be facing.  If your head coach is into matchups, think about how he might use you with a LHP or RHP on the mound.

And lastly, when it comes to the swing itself, bench players need to have a swing that is compact, simple that does not have a lot of movement.  If you have a huge leg kick and only playing once a week, you may want to reconsider.  If you have a long swing that tries to produce power, that won’t help you when it comes to timing.  Take a look at swings in the big leagues of the bench players.  For the most part, they are simple and short with no wasted movement.

When you haven’t seen velocity from a pitcher in a week and then get thrust into a game, the speed of the pitch looks to be faster than it really is.  This is why you need a simple and quick swing to catch up.

Hitters who embrace their role as a bench player are special.  They are total “team players” in every sense of the word.  In my opinion, they have the hardest job of anyone on the team because hitting is rhythm, timing and balance.  The game speeds up if you don’t get at-bats on an everyday basis.

When it’s your turn to become the “bench player” whether it be at 32 years old in the big leagues, or your first year of college, make sure you accept your role and never deviate from your preparation.

Heroes are made in the ninth inning.  Not during the first pitch.

For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!

Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com

There has been a lot said about Josh Donaldson and his swing over the past few years. It’s been dissected, over-analyzed, debated and argued in many online forums, clubhouses and batting cages.

The former American League MVP has made himself a household name because of his performance on the field, but what is even more intriguing is the journey that led him to become one of the most feared hitters in the game.

When you ask around, you will find a lot of people buying what Josh is selling. There are entire hitting philosophies and systems built exclusively around what Josh Donaldson believes in. And on the other side of the spectrum, there are those who believe in what Josh calls the “old school” way of hitting, who despise everything he preaches and can’t stand the sight of another Josh Donaldson instructional video.

By now, I’m sure you’re wondering where I stand on Josh Donaldson and his swing, approach and mindset.

I don’t like it.

I LOVE IT.

Why do I love it? Let me explain.

If you listen carefully (and unbiasedly) to his interviews and what he says to his teammates, he believes 100% that he has found the best way for himself to swing a bat. He acknowledges that he had tried pretty much every other way, without much success, until he found “it.”

The Truth

There isn’t one way to do something, especially hitting a baseball. MLB is littered with hundreds of different body types, athletic abilities, swings and approaches. What may work for one guy, may not work for another. The moment that Josh stopped trying to be like someone else and started to tap into what his body and mind could do, he began to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

But if you pay attention, he’s not doing something with his swing that’s revolutionary.

He’s not the first hitter to learn about rhythm, timing, separation, balance and lining up his body to the point where all he has to do is be on time for the ball to run into his natural swing. But in between the 2012-13 season he found HIS way to be like the best hitters in the league.

There comes a moment in everyone’s career when they have to look themselves in the mirror and decide whether they want to conform to what other’s think they need to be, or fully invest in themselves and find what works best for them.

Early in Donaldson’s career, he didn’t give himself permission to be himself.

In his own words, he was awful.

When he was younger, he had swag. He had what some people called flair to his game. He was confident in his abilities. And because of this, he sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, so he tried to tone it back as much as he could.

But it wasn’t who he was.

So something had to change.

Whether you believe in the changes he made to his swing or not, the bottom line is that we all can agree that he made it a priority to seek out knowledge that would take him to where he wanted to go. As a result of his seeking knowledge, he feels that there are so many things as hitters that we have been taught, that are incorrect. Why? Because they were incorrect for HIM.

But be mindful that the same information that didn’t work for Josh could have helped someone else.

For example, the pictures above show us that Donaldson and another former MVP Mike Trout, get to similar positions with their swing upon contact. But how Donaldson got there differs from how Trout got there.

If you want to succeed in the game of baseball, find out what works best for you. There will be a lot of trial and error, fleeting moments of success and downward spirals of misery. But at the end of the day, if you are in pursuit of mastering what your body and mind can do at the plate, you will reap the benefits of the success that it will bring.

It’s OK To Be Yourself

Josh’s mother told him, “It’s ok to be yourself.” This is tremendous advice coming from a place of love and affection that only a mother can provide.

Here are some thoughts on how you can go about finding out what works best for you:

• Look in the mirror and ask yourself – “Am I swinging my swing, or my instructor’s swing?”
• What are my strengths?
• How do I think I should swing the bat?
• Where do I want to be as a hitter 1, 2, or 4 years from now?
• Which coach can I trust who will be flexible in his philosophy and empower me to become the best version of myself, rather than selling his own one-size-fits-all program?

You only have one chance at this game called baseball, and with hitting being the hardest thing to do in sport, you will want to make sure you are in total control of the information you’re digesting and the subsequent results you’ll produce.

If you find what works for you, don’t ever let it go. Be able to explain in detail WHY it works for you and when people try and poke holes in your theories, don’t defend them, simply give an explanation – just like Josh (and every other good hitter) gives us – on why you are as good as you are.

Remember, hitting is simple. It’s just not that easy.

Love,

KW

For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Sellers The #GoodBatting Book and Finding Clarity: A Mindful Look Into the Art of Hitting and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!

Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com

Have you ever sat across from a car salesman and knew that you were about to engage in one of the most grueling negotiations of your life? Perhaps you’re a parent and have found yourself negotiating with your 8-year old on the ratio of vegetables to chicken nuggets on their plate.

Whether we know it or not, we are constantly negotiating. Life is a complicated, slow dance with “portions” so as to not only receive our fair share of the “deal” but also accomplish some kind of middle ground.  The only way that teams, companies, organizations, etc. can be highly successful is if both parties “buy in.” This is why it’s so important to sell exactly what they need.

Coaching is no different.

If we are truly coaching, we are teaching the person first and the player second. We are in charge of leading young men and women who have their own thoughts and feelings on how it should be done. Their own unique experiences have molded and shaped them into what they are today. We need to embrace those experiences, not judge the person based on the chapter of their lives we walked in on. It’s what makes them unique and what has helped them get to where they are.

People often ask me what my philosophy is on hitting. It’s simple – my philosophy is to find a plan the hitter wholeheartedly believes in. I’m fully aware that everyone is an individual, so I adjust my verbiage and philosophy to match the ability of the hitter. It doesn’t mean that I abandon my principles, however. There are things I believe in when it comes to hitting, but I won’t let those principles stand in the way of making the hitter feel invincible at the plate.

For example, when I was the hitting coach for the gold medal winning USA Baseball 18U National Team in 2013, I spoke to the boys about the benefits of being aggressive in the IBAF World Cup. I wanted them to understand that the best chance for us to drive baseballs and score runs was early in the count. However, our leadoff hitter was not so sure this would work for him.

He approached me and said, “K-dub, I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve never been good swinging at the first pitch, even if it’s in my zone. I like to see at least one pitch first and then work my at-bat from there. I just feel more confident that way. It’s what makes me who I am. And I’m not afraid to hit with two strikes.”

This was a player that needed to listen to himself more than he needed to listen to me. As coaches we need to embrace players with this type of drive. We need to be on board with his tenacity, and ultimately be able to understand him. To empower a player is to understand him, and who knows, with the right mix of fire and direction, he might just go out and win a gold medal for USA.

And that’s exactly what happened.

Listen In Order To Understand

A big part of coaching is listening to what the player has to say in order to understand their beliefs and to see their vision. Many coaches listen to reply, thus creating an environment of debate rather than listening to understand which creates an environment of working towards a middle ground.

It’s not about who’s right and who’s wrong. It’s about listening, suggesting and having conversations that lead to a happy medium where the player feels he is in complete control of the situation.

This requires a coach to be skilled in negotiating.

Plain and simple, coaches are selling. They’re selling a system, a philosophy, a culture, a drill, a mindset, an approach. They are selling a feeling, a vision, a purpose, WHY and intent. They may even be selling a lifestyle. The ultimate goal is to sell players on how unique they are in order to get them to “buy in” to themselves.

Daily Leadership

So what does this type of leadership look like on a daily basis? Each day provides an empty canvas to paint a picture of what you want your players to do. Each day provides new obstacles and opportunities so be prepared to be flexible in your decisions. Leadership requires, among other things, patience, humility, compassion, tough love, honesty, and the negotiating skills to create lifelong impacts on your players.

There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes getting a player to “buy in” to themselves. The finished product on the field doesn’t just come about because they took a few swings in the cage and grabbed their favorite bat on their way out to the field.

Coaches help players arrive at their final destination when they understand the art of negotiating.

What are you selling today?

Love,

KW

For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and Finding Clarity: A Mindful Look Into the Art of Hitting and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!

Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com

Have you ever had a great idea? Have you spent hours, days, weeks and maybe months putting together a solid plan for a business, blog, podcast or book only to come to the most important part of the project (the start) and find out that you can’t pull the trigger?

It’s not just you. It happens to everyone.

Recently, I wrote a post about how we need to stop listening to ourselves and start talking to ourselves. Throughout our days we will have great ideas. But how many times will we take actionable steps to implement those great ideas and bring them to reality?

Don Shula once said, “The start is what stops most people.”

Let’s stop and think about that for a moment. Have you ever told yourself you’re going to do something big with your life?

How about telling yourself you’ll go back to the gym to get that “summer body” you used to have?

Or better yet, have you come up with an idea that you deem a “can’t miss” or “a no brainer” that can change the lives of others?

Now, how many times have you taken actionable steps to implement those ideas into your daily life to make a difference?

One of my favorite videos on this very topic is a talk by Art Williams called “Just Do It.”  It was sent to me a few years ago by my good friend Joe Ferraro, who is the creator and host of the 1% Better Podcast. It was right around the time I had made a trip to Pittsburgh to meet with executives about the expansion of Kevin Wilson Baseball, LLC. I spent 5 hours in a conference room being mentored on how to take KWB to the next level.

I had a clear vision of where I wanted to go, but I didn’t exactly know how to get there.

At this point in the company’s history, I had taken the company as far as I could on my own. It was going to be vital to be very purpose driven in everything I was about to do so that I could impact as many people as I possibly could.

It was exactly what I needed at that time. I found the answer I was looking for.

I had to start.

Every day we are alive, our time for discovery, implementation of ideas and opportunities for influence, grow smaller. We are chasing our own “sunset,” and if we are in tune with our PURPOSE in our lives, we understand that every moment we waste not executing our ideas, we squander opportunities to influence people for generations to come.

What stops us from starting? What holds us back from taking action and making ideas become realities? Every one of us is different and unique. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer that I can give you, but I’m going to walk you down the path and see if you can come up with your own reasons why.

Perceptions Aren’t Realities

Some of us are paralyzed by what others think of us. As a society, we tend to conform rather than be unique and genuine. These perceptions can keep us from pressing the “send button.” We say to ourselves, “If I go through with this project, what are people going to think of me? Will I lose my friends because of this? What happens if it doesn’t work?” We come up with way more excuses to NOT put something into play than we do to START making our ideas reality.

So why are we so worried about what others think? Aren’t we in control of our lives? Aren’t we the ones who determine what we want to do and when we want to do them? When push comes to shove, we are the ones responsible for our thoughts and actions. We are the ones who hold ourselves accountable.

“So what if it doesn’t work?”

This is one of the most common responses from people I mentor when helping them to “take the leap” or “press send.” Some of us are looking too far ahead and worry about the outcomes before we even start the process. It’s like a hitter worried about if they are going to get a hit or not before they even step in the batters box. If you think about it, it’s ridiculous to worry about an outcome that hasn’t even begun to happen.

And yet, we sometimes put the cart before the horse, thus slamming on the proverbial brake pad because we have already decided it’s not worth the risk.

How is this any way to live? From experience, I can tell you it’s not a great way to live. For me, it brought about a lot of stress and sickness. At the time I didn’t think I had permission to go off and do my own thing. I felt I was second fiddle to some of those around me and the fear of branching off and doing my own thing scared me a little.

OK, a lot.

What’s The Worst Thing That Can Happen?

We tell ourselves stories about what we could be one day. How much we can accomplish if we just put our head down and did it. But those stories always have the “worst case scenario” ending attached to it, that is there to delay or derail our actions in making it a reality.

I tell hitters constantly, “What’s the worst thing that could happen?” If you’re looking for a fastball on the first pitch of your at-bat and he throws you a curveball for a strike, what’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? It’s going to be strike one. Who cares what the coach says. Who cares what the well-intoxicated fan behind home plate says, you can’t hit what you aren’t looking for. But you would be surprised how many young hitters are afraid to look to hit one pitch before two strikes.

They are afraid that just because it’s a strike they have to swing at it.

They know they’re wrong, but it’s tough for them to give themselves permission to sit on one pitch. Until they realize that the worst thing that can happen is the pitch is a called strike and they are “down” in the count. That’s it.

Going back to that conference room, one of the executives asked me, “So if you don’t go forward with this expansion, what are the consequences?”

I sat there for a minute and then said, “Nothing.

The worst thing that could happen would to NOT start doing it.” He smiled at me as he strolled down to the end of the conference room table and gave me a high five.

I finally understood it! With that answer, I’ve been able to spread the word of #GoodBatting and impact the lives of thousands across the world. It’s allowed me to take KWB to the next level and position ourselves in different areas of leadership, mentoring and mastermind environments that create more opportunities to live my WHY.

Have you been sitting on a big idea that can help others? Are you working a job just to pay the bills and know there is much more out there for you to accomplish in life? Do you want to be the player you always wanted to be but haven’t pushed yourself hard or far enough to make that jump to the next level?

You know what you need to do. It’s no longer a fantasy or a dream. You have permission to “press send” and change not only your life but the lives of those around you.

Love,

KW

For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!

Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com

 Every morning when my feet touch the ground, I reflect and meditate on two things:

1. Thank you, Lord, for another day on this Earth.
2. How can I help someone today?

 This morning ritual started a few years ago after my family and I had experienced something I hope no family has to go through. It was a period in my life where I started to become less selfish and more grateful. During my transformation, I remember reading a quote from Neale Donald Walsch that said, “The struggle ends when the gratitude begins.”

I started to look at my life’s work through an entirely different lens.

As somebody who the pros look to for guidance both on and off the field, I understand that I am in a position of influence. My WHY is to help people and it’s my duty to be ready and willing to help others who are in search of guidance through their latest situation.

How Do We Define Success?

 So many coaches today are in it for the wins and losses. They worry more about winning the 9U travel ball trophy than winning the hearts, minds and souls of our young people. Coaching is teaching. It’s lifting people up. It’s providing a path for success, not just base hits, and helping a player find his purpose and his WHY. It’s caring about the person first, and the player second. A true leader pours into others and always eats last.

 So when I took on the job of helping professional hitters with their swings and approaches, I knew I was going to help them with much more than that. 10% of what I do relates to hitting a baseball. The other 90% is where “the magic happens.” At the highest level, if you truly want to succeed, your swing will only get you so far. There are so many other variables in play that need your care and attention. Such as, understanding and mastering your strengths, learning and implementing the mental game – approach, plan, purpose, intent, WHY. Knowing your role on the team and working daily to become the best version of yourself. And learning how to live two separate lives, one at the ballpark and one at home, so as not to intoxicate your family when you’re going through the ups and downs of your season.

Helping Others Find Their Success

 When you are in charge of guiding, influencing and inspiring the best athletes in the world, communication is of the utmost importance. It’s not so much what you say, as it’s how you say it and the timing of your communication. I take my job very seriously. The words that come out of my mouth can potentially make an impact on a millionaire. But let’s make one thing clear, the players are millionaires because of their ability to hit. Not because I took any swings for them. They deserve all of the credit. However, they put me in charge of keeping them “in their lane,” being another set of eyes for them. motivating them, calming them and holding them accountable. Therefore, my words carry a tremendous amount of weight and I cannot just carelessly throw out terminology or phrases without any purpose behind them.

Part of being a leader is understanding the opportunities you have to maximize your influence. Pouring into the person first and the player second shows your players you understand the bigger picture. You’re playing the long game. The time you have with your players, is valuable and it requires you to be aware of the “teachable moment.”

All It Takes is Five Minutes

 When I give keynote speeches I understand the impacts I can have with the platform that has been given to me. The most important message I try and convey to coaches and leaders is the idea that all it takes is five minutes to change someone’s life.

Think about the all of the “5 minutes” you have in the course of your day. Think about all of the 5-minute windows you have to make a difference in someone’s life. Now think about the times where you had an opportunity to take advantage of those 5 minutes, but you didn’t…

 Life is full of choices. Much of life’s experiences are shaped by the choices that we make. As a leader, our legacy is created over time by the choices we make to influence others around us.

When you see someone who looks to be having a bad day, and you notice that no one else has taken the time to show that person you care about them, take advantage of those 5 minutes to say, “How are you feeling today?” When you watch one of your players make three errors in the game and proceed to have his head down the entire game, take five minutes after the game to pull him away from the team, lift him up and make sure he leaves the ballpark with a more positive outlook on his situation.

 Sometimes we don’t think five minutes is enough time to make an impact on another human being. But the way I look at it is five minutes spent with another person will have lasting effects, just as much as not taking advantage of those 5 minutes.

Your days are filled with choices. What choice are you going to make today to maximize your influence?

Love,

 KW

For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.

He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today!

Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com