The game of baseball is a game of failure. The best hitters in the game at the highest level fail 7 out of 10 times. There is NO other game on the planet that is this deep rooted in failure and this tough on the mentality of an athlete.
Modern day strength training facilities are built on “perfect” environments. Shiny equipment that’s color coordinated with full indoor turf fields, massage rooms, ice baths, and some even have lounges and ping pong tables! The amenities of a first class facility are nice BUT the only problem with that is SPORT, especially BASEBALL is NOT PERFECT. To only prepare an athlete to perform when conditions are perfect is to do the athlete a GREAT disservice.
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The athletes prepared in “perfect” facilities under “perfect” conditions? These are the athletes that are great in the first quarter of the season, but when shit hits the fan and the SEASON is on the line in a given pitch – these same athletes crumble under the pressure. IRON forges IRON. Period, athletes who are prepared to crush shit by in fact CRUSHING SHIT will be the ones prepared to dominate when the game is on the line.
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My friend and mentor Zach Even-Esh has a quote on his Manasquan Location gym wall, it reads, “He is best who is prepared in the severest of schools.” So, next time you’re thinking about how you as an athlete should prepare yourself, ask yourself if you want to be the guy or girl able to handle the pressure and the weight of an entire team’s season on your shoulder’s OR do you want the pressure to CRUMBLE YOU?
Prepare UNPERFECT.
TRAIN HARD and HEAVY.
Get OUTSIDE your COMFORT ZONE.
AND PREPARE FOR BATTLE.
Because that, in reality is what BASEBALL AND LIFE IS.
Dedicated to Your Success,
-CJ Appenzeller
