CSF Blog

These baseball players, in the video below, are striving for elite status as they prepare for upcoming season in our Conca Performance Baseball Strength and Conditioning program.  

Though elite status is more attainable then it was in previous years, the term attainable is not to be confused with effortless. In fact, that is the underlying theme of Mathew Syed’s book entitled,Bounce. Syed, a British journalist, broadcaster and author sums up the science of success in his book, that any and everyone can fulfill their dreams if they keep at it and find people who’ll help steer them in the proper direction.

In one of his passages in Bounce, Syed writes,

“Purposeful practice is about striving for what is just out of reach and not quite making it; it is about grappling with tasks beyond current limitations and falling short again and again. Excellence is about stepping outside the comfort zone, training with a spirit of endeavor, and accepting the inevitability of trials and tribulations. Progress is built, in effect, upon the foundations of necessary failure. That is the essential paradox of expert performance.”

Syed’s advice should not fall upon deaf ears. In fact, his point is furthered by arguably one of the greatest hockey players/athletes in the history of sports, Wayne Gretzky. Gretzky has admitted, “I wasn’t naturally gifted in terms of size and speed; everything I did in hockey I worked for. The highest compliment that you can pay me is to say that I worked hard every day….That’s how I came to know where the puck was going before it even got there.”

When discussing athletic ability in any level or sport, the one topic that always seems to arise is genetics. It would be foolish to think that genetic make-up does not play a pivotal role in determining an athletes’ true peak performance, because it is does. This is so because genetic make-up is responsible for the functional make-up of the musculoskeletal system. The musculoskeletal system is responsible for things such as bony make-up, muscle fiber type distribution and tendinous insertion locations. All of these components can and will play a role in an athlete’s ability to develop key skills, such as high levels of force production/speed or endurance capacity. Ironically, only a sparce minority of athletes actually come near their true genetic limitation.

A prominent reason for most athletes never hitting their genetic limitations is due to the fact that they do not work hard or smart enough to reach this limitation. Although the peak limitation is tough to measure because it can vary immensely, the best way athletes seem to measure it is by the term of “making it.’ The idea of “making it” can mean differ things to different people. Sticking with hockey, one player’s goal may be to reach the NHL, while another player’s dream is to be able to play at the top-tier of the collegiate level. This idea holds true in all sports, especially in baseball where it isn’t uncommon to see a player drafted straight out of high school. For some that may be the ultimate goal, however, other players may wish to play in college. Regardless of the sport or the endpoint, numerous steps and short-term goals need to be set and obtained in order for an athlete to reach his or her ultimate potential.

When such steps aren’t taken, it can be detrimental to an athlete’s progress. While there are athletes everywhere who are enthusiastic, willing and determined, they do not make up the majority of athletes. Unfortunately, the most common situation involves an athlete setting intermediate goals. These goals do not really challenge or push the athlete to truly hit his or her peak potential. When this occurs, complacency starts to take place. Complacency is a slippery-slope, often leading to plateaus, failed dreams, and the most damaging- self-excusing internal dialogue.

In order to avoid the slippery-slope, one easy step to take is to pursue the role of the underdog. Before you go thinking that you want no part of being an underdog because it is stigmatized as cowardly and undesirable, you should comprehend what kind of mentality an underdog possesses, and how successful an underdog can be.

Despite popular belief, an underdog does enter a contest/fight with confidence. In addition, knowing they have nothing to lose, the underdog is relieved of the high stress levels that accompany fearing failure. A prime example of this mentality was put on display for the world to see during 2007-08, when the New York Giants upset the heavily favored New England Patriots in the Super Bowl (and agin in 2012!). More importantly, the underdog knows that he or she will never, ever be outworked. They may not be the most naturally gifted, or blessed with perfect genetics, but the underdog will outwork any opponent that dares to stand in their way. This doesn’t just take place during events, but also before in preparation.

That is where we at Conca Sports and Fitness come into play. Over the years we have helped, trained and pushed athletes of all sports, genders, shapes, sizes, skill levels, and genetics. It does not matter what your true genetic limitation or goals are, we will help you reach them. All you need to do is be willing to work, sacrifice and push yourself and what you can accomplish may amaze you.

Since we work with many young athletes we get the same question each and every day, “What can you do to make my son or daughter faster?” It’s the #1 question from parents, coaches and athletes, and rightly so, always looking for that “edge” to out perform their opponents. What parents and coaches really mean to asks is “how can their athlete better accelerate?”. Looking at any sport, the two main differences between Junior Varsity, Varsity, Collegiate and Professional athletes, are speed (acceleration) and skill level. Now it’s not hard to notice these differences on the field, but knowing how to acquire speed is a different story.

Let me explain the process we take with all of our athletes here at Conca Performance. It all starts with the initial assessment. Every athlete walks in with unique characteristics. To begin with, most of them (ranging from 12-16 year olds) have very poor movement patterns. This is a result of poor mobility, stability and strength which yields a lack of body control. I believe you can thank the video gaming industry and early sport specialization for this lack of physical development in our youth. 

The first order of business is to develop strength with new athletes. We do this the old fashion way, slowly over time. First and foremost, strength teaches them how to control their body weight. On the field, athletes are constantly changing directions to adapt to the play. As noted before, how is it possible for that untrained athlete to stop on one leg (up to 810lbs of force in the 135lb athlete) and then use that same leg to push back into the ground to change direction? When an athlete is playing on the field, they must be able to control how they are landing and moving. Not being able to do so puts the athlete at a higher risk of injury as well as decreases their performance. 

The take home message for today: Creating a solid strength foundation is the first and most important step in a new athlete’s training program. The cure for slow feet... develop efficient movement patterns and get strong legs!