Will Durant once said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
I define excellence as meeting expectations. I cannot make it any simpler than that. In order for me to be an excellent coach to my hitters, I must first ask them what they expect from me.
Most times, they struggle to put their expectations into words. When the words come, several have said they expect me to:
- Be honest with them about how they are doing
- Communicate with clarity
- Have a process for them to follow
- Not to waste time with them if I don’t believe in them
Excellence is a core value for my family. Because I have made it a habit of being excellent starting with the ones I love the most, it allows me to show up with others as my real self.
I am not perfect, but I do make it a habit of living a life of excellence.
Talent is what you do well and a habit is what you do well repeatedly without thought. Habits consist of a cue, routine and a reward.
A cue is a signal for action. Me being honest in love with my hitters is the routine and the reward is me having the feeling of excellence. There are times when my honesty hurts my hitters. There also are times when they have constructive feedback for me that hurts.
Commit to being excellent and building good habits as you complete your winter workouts through the end of January.
Remember, it takes 3,000 reps to build a habit. If you need to build habits for all seven parts, that’s 21,000 reps.
I teach the swing using seven parts that include:
- Stance/Load
- Timing
- Tempo
- Tracking
- Approach
- Contact
- Extension/Finish
Here’s a good drill for you to execute 3,000 times to improve your tempo and approach.
For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today.
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.
