James A. Lovell once said, “Be thankful for problems. If they were less difficult, someone with less ability might have your job.”

Problems don’t just happen. People cause problems and problems are solved by people.

Baseball is the vehicle I use most often to coach people through their problems. Being a coach is a calling for me. It is life-giving and heart fulfilling.

I am so thankful there are hundreds of boys and girls, and men and women I have been able to directly impact. And there are thousands I have been able to reach through my book, weekly blogs and YouTube videos.

I’ve been coaching professionally since 1998 and I have definitely made a mark on the game.

Living on purpose is not something that I take for granted. Being convicted got me to the point I became aware of my calling to coach.

When my baseball career as a player was over, I struggled to figure out what to do next because being an athlete was who I was. The four questions I asked myself and mediated on that set me on the path of positive identity and fulfillment were:

1. What do you worry about?
2. What do you dream about?
3. What do you cry about?
4. What brings you joy?

Transformed people transform people. I am a transformational coach and I give honor and glory to God for allowing me to be a coach.

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.

What batting average do you want to end the spring 2023 season with? How many home runs would you like to have?

Did you know that it takes 3,000 reps to build a habit?

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.

What gets measured gets improved. I suggest you keep track of every rep you take November through January so you will be confident to compete in the spring.

That way your bat is booming while the flowers are blooming.

Okay, now here’s your homework:

• Get notebook paper and a pencil.
• Create a graph with seven columns.
• Each column will represent one of the seven parts mentioned above.
• Start tracking your reps today through the end of January for each part.

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.

It’s November, and that means my hitters already have put in the work this fall (August-October) to try new things. The time they find what works and what doesn’t.

From November-January, we will commit and discipline ourselves to build strength and habits based on what works.

There are three types of strength that I focus on with my hitters:

• Mental – How you think
• Emotional – How you feel about what you think about
• Physical – How you get things done

Thinking about things at a high level is a skill that must be developed. Albert Einstein once said, “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

I don’t like riding roller coasters because I don’t like not being in control of things. This is especially true when something is making me go fast or high up one moment, and down the next.

Our emotions can be like a roller coaster. A lot of time is spent on building the body to be strong, and we often get that wrong. Building physical strength must also include rest, a good diet and do the right exercises the right way for the right reasons.

On a scale of 1-10—with 10 being the highest—how do you rate your areas of strength:

• Mental – How you think
• Emotional – How you feel about what you think about
• Physical – How you get things done

What are you doing to get/maintain mental, emotional, and/or physical strength?

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.

This is my hitter’s final week of the Assessment Phase (August-October). During this time, we remain committed to trying new things to determine what works and what doesn’t.

November-January is all about building strength and habits based on what works.

Taking good swings usually is not the major issue for most hitters, especially if you are athletic.
Being athletic is the ability to make things happen, particularly when you do not have the fundamentals and habits to do it.

In order to become a skill, a good swing must be supported by strength and habits.

There are three types of strength I focus on with my hitters:

1. Mental
2. Emotional
3. Physical

Talent is what you do well. Habits are what you do well repeatedly without thought. Habits can be broken up into three parts:

1. Cue
2. Routine
3. Reward

Skills are things that you do well repeatedly without thought while under stress.

I will unpack all of this for you in future blogs. In the meantime, if you have not spent enough time this fall trying new things, try one of the following ways to load using a tee. Try this along with your 25 reps each for five straight days—employing the mindset of making adjustments and being athletic leading the way.

• High Leg x 25 reps for 5 straight days
• Toe Tap x 25 reps for 5 straight days
• Bat Wrap x 25 reps for 5 straight days
• High Leg x 25 reps for 5 straight days
• Your Way x 25 reps for 5 straight days

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.

 

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going—it is what you do well repeatedly without thought. Skills are what you do well repeatedly without thought while under stress.

November through January is the time my hitters commit and discipline themselves to build habits and strength after spending the fall (August through October) trying new things. This is done to find out what works and what doesn’t.

Habits are divided into to three parts:

1. Cue
2. Routine
3. Reward

Hitters spend most of their time focusing on important hitting routines such as being on time, having a short approach, extension, etc. But if you never change the cues during practice and training time, you will not be ready to perform in the spring and summer.

Changing cues include pitch types, speeds and locations.

I am not much of a golfer, but I may subject myself to mental anguish once a year. Recently I was playing golf and my swing was feeling great at the driving range. I thought, “This is going to be a great day.”

As soon as I saw the water to my right and the houses to my left, reality set in and reminded myself that my swing was not as good as it felt.

The houses and water were cues. Tiger Woods wouldn’t have even given either a thought. Why? Because he has a swing that works well without thought while under stress.

Practice well this winter (October-January) to build your habits so that you are ready to train well in the spring (February-April) to convert those habits to skills.

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.