When working with my Diamond Directors clients and L.E.A.D. Ambassadors, there is one thing I always like to emphasize: Don’t let good results be an accident.

The only way things can be intentional is through purpose and practice, working November through January.

Purpose is the reason for doing something and practice is getting habit-building reps.

Bear with me as I teach a bit more. Talent is what you do well and habits are things you do well repeatedly without thought. Skills are things you do well repeatedly without thought while under stress.

There are seven parts to the swing that include:

1. Stance/Load
2. Timing
3. Tempo
4. Tracking
5. Approach
6. Contact
7. Extension/Finish

Seven parts of the swing times 3,000 reps is 21,000 reps.

Timing is a habit that is under-coached and one of the easiest to develop.

Here’s a simple timing drill for you to execute through the end of January. I challenge you to get 3,000 reps.

If you do it, it will be on purpose and one of the most meaningful periods of practice that you’ve ever had.

Remember, skills pay the bills.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.

Quality is not an act, it is a habit. For proof, let’s take the seven parts to the swing:

1. Stance/Load
2. Timing
3. Tempo
4. Tracking
5. Approach
6. Contact
7. Extension/Finish

Seven parts of the swing times 3,000 reps is 21,000 reps.

The number—21,000—is indeed a lot of reps but the key to building a good habit is making sure that you get quality reps. As Amit Ray once said, “Excellence comes when we balance quality with quantity.”

Excellence means you must meet expectations. That’s why having a plan for your practice time is so key to developing a quality habit. Don’t show up to practice with a mindset of hit until you are tired. If you do this, you may get better by accident, but you may also get worse.

The load is a very important part of the swing. You can get 100 reps in per day for the next 30 days to build a habit.

Over the Christmas break, you also can spend 10 days of work on your load and get 300 reps per day.

Just build a plan and stick to it with quality reps.

Get started with this load drill HERE.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.

Criticism and blame are addictions. There is a lot of intentional work that must be done during Winter Workouts (November-January) for my hitters.

Criticism and blame are addictions. There is a lot of intentional work that must be done during Winter Workouts (November-January) for my hitters.

You should start by practicing and training better to win games during your spring season, instead of trying to win the criticism and blame game.

Practice is the time to build habits (November-January). Remember, as we always say, talent is what you do well and habits are things you do well repeatedly without thought.

Skills are things you do well repeatedly without thought while under stress and the best time to build skills is in the spring (February-April).

Skills pay the bills. So, if you haven’t started to pay the cost during your winter workouts, criticism and blame may be two of your best strategies.

These are the “losing twins.”

Coaches usually are the top recipients of these “losing twins” when hitters are performing. On deck is the “bat.” In the dugout are the parents, the team, the batters box, etc.

You want to build habit? Do you remember what it takes? It takes 3,000 reps. There are seven parts to the swing, which include:

1. Stance/Load
2. Timing
3. Tempo
4. Tracking
5. Approach
6. Contact
7. Extension/Finish

Seven parts of the swing times 3,000 reps is 21,000 reps.

Here’s a GREAT LOAD DRILL to get you started.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.

“You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret to your success is found in your daily routine.” – John Maxwell

I am a committed and disciplined person when it comes down to doing things I am called to do and that I care about.

Here is how I define some of the keys words that are listed in that sentence:

• Committed — Making and fulfilling a promise made
• Discipline — Doing the things that need to be done even when I don’t want to do
• them
• Called — Assignment from God that is initiated from a convicting act
• Care — Love in action

Making up my bed daily is one of the things I do to maintain my commitment and discipline muscles. I also send text messages daily to various people in my network I most care about.

There is nothing more exhausting to me than to be doing things I’m not supposed to be doing with and for people that I don’t care about.

Before you write me off as an insensitive jerk, I believe all people and all things are important. But I don’t believe anybody has the capacity to care about all people and everything.

To care about yourself and/or somebody is to commit yourself to doing whatever needs to get done for you and others even when you don’t feel like doing it.

I am a coach. I care about using baseball as a vehicle to help others I care about become the best versions of themselves.

Every year from August through October, I submit to an assessment phase to determine what I care about and how I will care for those that I care about. I cannot care about everything and everybody and neither can you.

• Who are the Top 5 people in the world that you care about the most?
• What does it say about you if you are not on that top five list?
• What has God called you to do in life?
• What happens to you when you go beyond your capacity to care about others?
• What do you do or should do daily to help you fulfill your life’s calling?

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.

November is knocking. Are you ready to start building habits and strength? Successful people are simply those with successful habits.

As we have discussed, talent is what you do well, while habits is what you do well without thought. Skills are what you do well without thought while under stress.

There are seven parts of the swing and it takes 3,000 reps to build a habit:

1. Stance/Load
2. Timing
3. Tempo
4. Tracking
5. Approach
6. Contact
7. Extension/Finish

That’s 21,000 reps.

What parts of the swing need the most attention this winter during your habit building workouts? For the remainder of October, focus on trying new things, which will help determine what works and what doesn’t.

Remember, skills pay the bills.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today. Also, check out our Digital Magazine.

C.J. Stewart has built a reputation as one of the leading professional hitting instructors in the country. He is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and has also served as an associate scout for the Cincinnati Reds. As founder and CEO of Diamond Directors Player Development, C.J. has more than 22 years of player development experience and has built an impressive list of clients, including some of the top young prospects in baseball today. If your desire is to change your game for the better, C.J. Stewart has a proven system of development and a track record of success that can work for you.