Last week, we discussed why building habits is far more effective than relying on hope. Now let’s break down how to build habits that last and ensure your offseason work translates into success when it matters most.

The Anatomy of a Habit

To build a habit, you must understand its structure:

• Cue: The trigger that initiates the habit.
• Routine: The behavior or action performed.
• Reward: The benefit gained from completing the action.

Most hitters spend nearly 48% of their time in the winter focusing on their routine—repeating their load, working on their swing. Another 48% is spent on the reward—hitting the ball hard and seeing results. That leaves only about 2% of their time spent on the cue.

And here’s the problem: pitchers control the cues in games. They change pitch types, speeds, and locations. If you don’t learn to adjust to those cues, your habits won’t hold up under pressure.

To build true habits, hitters must focus on all three elements—especially the cues—so they can adapt and succeed in real-game situations.

Deliberate Practice: The Dentist Analogy

Habit-building isn’t just about showing up and swinging a bat. It must be as deliberate as a visit to the dentist. When you go to the dentist, you’re not there for casual conversation. You expect a professional to examine your teeth, identify problems, and provide a strategy to fix them. You want precision, professionalism, and purpose.

The same level of focus is required in the batting tunnel. Just taking random swings off a tee isn’t deliberate practice—it’s going through the motions. Without a plan, you’re not building habits that can sustain you in high-pressure situations.

What Does Deliberate Habit-Building Look Like?

• A Clear Goal – Know what you’re working on before you take your first swing. Is it tempo? Bat path? Tracking?
• Purposeful Reps – Every swing should have intent. It’s not about quantity; it’s about quality.
• Feedback & Adjustment – Like a dentist with X-rays, assess your progress regularly and adjust your approach as needed.

Build, Don’t Hope

This winter, shift your focus from hoping to building:

1. Commit to a daily routine that challenges both your body and your mind.
2. Discipline yourself to show up and give your best, even on days when you don’t feel like it.
3. Pay attention to the cues you’ll face in games and practice responding to them.
4. Repeat these actions tens of thousands of times until they become second nature.

When spring arrives, you don’t want to step into the batter’s box relying on hope. You want to walk up with confidence, knowing you’ve built the habits that will lead to success. Hope is fleeting, but habits are lasting.

This winter, make the choice to be deliberate. Build over hope, because in baseball—and in life—building is the only winning strategy.

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today.

If you found this inspiring and thought-provoking, or if you have any questions, comments or concerns, add me on Discord and let’s go deeper.

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 marks the start of the Build Phase, where we focus on creating habits based on what works. After experimenting and assessing from August through October, it’s time to refine and repeat. Habits—built through consistent cues, routines and rewards—transform skills into second nature.

For Marcus, a 14-year-old baseball player, this phase was pivotal. His coach challenged him to improve his hitting tempo by mastering the Hop Drill.

Over three months, Marcus committed to completing 3,000 reps of the drill.

• Cue – A daily training timer
• Routine – Hop, load, swing
• Reward – More consistent, powerful contact in practices

By January, Marcus’s tempo was automatic, setting him up for success in the spring.

February to April: Converting Reps into Results

Spring season arrived, and Marcus’s hard work paid off. His rhythm at the plate became effortless, earning him the nickname “The Metronome.” His consistency turned him into one of his team’s top hitters.

May to July: Applying Habits on a Big Stage

During the summer travel season, Marcus’s habits were tested against elite competition. Facing a 90-mph fastball, his tempo never wavered. The triple he drove into the gap was a testament to months of disciplined reps.

Success starts with building habits through repetition. November through January is your time to do the work. By spring, you’ll see results, and by summer, you’ll be ready to shine—just like Marcus. Start building your habits today.

Photo iSmooth LLC

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today.

If you found this inspiring and thought-provoking, or if you have any questions, comments or concerns, add me on Discord and let’s go deeper.

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.

As we step into the off-season, it’s crucial to understand that November, December and January are not just months on the calendar—they’re the foundation for greatness. These are the months where habits are built, and habits are what allow us to perform consistently and instinctively under pressure.

What Are Habits?

Habits are things we do well repeatedly without thought. They’re the building blocks of success, the invisible framework that allows elite hitters to shine when the game is on the line.

But here’s the truth: It takes 3,000 reps to build a habit. That’s not a myth; it’s science. And in baseball, the swing is broken down into seven key parts. To build solid habits for your swing, you’ll need:

7 parts x 3,000 reps = 21,000 reps.

It might sound daunting, but that’s the price of being elite. The off-season is the time to put in those reps—every swing, every drill, every moment of focus is an investment in your future success.

The 7 Parts of the Swing

1. Stance/Load – Your foundation, where balance and readiness begin.
2. Timing – Coordinating your swing with the pitcher’s release.
3. Tempo – Maintaining a smooth rhythm and flow.
4. Tracking – Following the ball’s trajectory from release to contact.
5. Approach – Deciding where to attack the pitch and how.
6. Contact – The moment of truth, where precision and power meet.
7. Extension/Finish – Driving through the ball and completing the swing with control.

Each part of the swing is essential, and each requires 3,000 reps to solidify into a habit.

The Anatomy of a Habit

Every habit is made up of three key parts:

1. Cue – The trigger that initiates the habit.
2. Routine – The action you repeatedly perform.
3. Reward – The benefit or feeling you get from completing the habit.

For hitters, the cue might be your stance in the batter’s box, the routine is your swing mechanics, and the reward is consistent, powerful contact with the ball.

But here’s the catch: just as it takes 3,000 reps to build a good habit, some people have built a habit of not building habits. These individuals avoid the work, skip the reps, and rely on talent alone. Those are the players who will end up buying the ticket rather than being the ticket at the college or professional level.

From Habits to Skills

Come February, March, and April, it’s time to convert those habits into skills. Skills are habits performed under stress. The difference is the environment: habits are built in controlled settings, but skills are tested in the heat of competition.

Think of it this way:

• Habits = Consistency without thought.
• Skills = Consistency under pressure.

The more intentional you are in the off-season, the better prepared you’ll be to handle the stress of live pitching, game situations and high-stakes moments.

Drill Spotlight: The Andrew Beattie Drill

To help you get started, here’s one of my favorite drills for building the Load portion of your swing. It’s called the Andrew Beattie Drill, named after professional hitting coach Andrew Beattie. This drill focuses on maintaining balance, rhythm, and explosiveness during the load phase.

Check out this video for a detailed breakdown:

Andrew Beattie Drill 

The Work Starts Now

Here’s the reality: success isn’t about working hard—it’s about working smart and putting in the necessary reps:

21,000 reps are the price of admission to elite performance.Habits are built during the off-season. Skills are tested in the season.

If you want to compete at the highest levels, now is the time to commit. Start building your habits today.

The question is simple: will you be the ticket or will you buy the ticket? The answer lies in the work you’re willing to do over the next few months.

21,000 reps. You better get going.

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

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.

As we transition into the Build Phase (November-January), it is time to focus on strengthening what works. The foundation of this phase is built on the insights gained during the Assessment Phase (August-October), where hitters experiment with new approaches to discover what doesn’t work and, most importantly, what does.

At its core, this phase is about creating habits—specifically those that will carry you through the season and beyond. But what exactly is a habit? A habit is composed of three essential components: cue, routine and reward.

• Cue – The trigger that initiates an action.
• Routine – The actions you take consistently in response to the cue.
• Reward – The outcome that reinforces the habit.

The Build Phase: Key Areas of Focus

For hitters, about 95% of their intentional practice time during this phase is devoted to building a consistent routine centered on timing, approach, and extension. These elements are critical for producing power and, ultimately, getting lots of hits—the reward every hitter desires.

But the true challenge comes when the game season arrives. Many hitters fail to maintain a high level of performance, leading to doubt about the effectiveness of their winter workouts. The issue often lies not in the routine itself but in the lack of adjustments to the cues.

Why Changing Cues is Crucial

In games, pitchers are the ultimate curveballs—literally and figuratively. They introduce variable cues through changes in pitch type, speed, and location. If a hitter’s training environment doesn’t simulate these unpredictable changes, the habits built during the Build Phase won’t translate effectively to the field.

To address this, I incorporate tools and techniques that modify cues and simulate game-like scenarios:

• Hitting Jack-It Weights – These weights are excellent for altering swing mechanics and simulating changes in pitch speed. By training under varying resistance, hitters adapt to fluctuating cues, much like they would in a real game.
• Duraband & Durabat – The Duraband Complete Baseball Trainer is a game-changer in developing strength, mechanics, and focus. It introduces variability to the training process, allowing hitters to build habits that withstand the test of in-game conditions. Learn more about the Duraband HERE.
• Tanner Tee Adjustments – By varying height placement on the tee, hitters develop adaptability in their swing plane and extension, preparing them for the wide range of pitch locations they will encounter during games.
• Front Toss & Coach Pitch – These methods help train hitters to react to changing speeds and trajectories, further reinforcing their ability to adapt their routines to different cues.

Building for Success

The Build Phase is not just about physical repetition; it is about intentionally training the mind and body to adapt. The routines established during this phase should be robust enough to handle the inevitable changes that come with competitive play.

Remember, the key to building a good habit lies in embracing change—not resisting it. By modifying cues during training, hitters develop a level of consistency that prepares them to thrive under the unpredictable conditions of the season.

The habits formed now, during the Build Phase, will serve as the backbone of success when it matters most. So, stay focused, embrace the process and trust the work you’re putting in this winter.

** Photo at 2025 Buck O’Neil Professional Scouts and Coaches Association Convention

For more information, visit L.E.A.D. Center for Youth today.

If you found this inspiring and thought-provoking, or if you have any questions, comments or concerns, add me on Discord and let’s go deeper.

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.