coaching – Page 18

Why you need to remember the name Jaiden Byse

August 24, 2022 by C.J. Stewart

Trying new things will allow you to determine what doesn’t work and what does work. A great example of this is Jaiden Byse, a 9th grader (c/o 2026) at Benjamin E. Mays High School in Atlanta.

This is the same high school that graduated notable alumni such as Symmion Willis, Zachery “Pooh” Hines, Xavion Curry and Termarr Johnson.

Jaiden has only been playing baseball for a little over a year and he has been selected to play in the 2022 MBP Underclass All-American Game in Gastonia, North Carolina.

He is extremely athletic. Any person who participates in a sport is an athlete. But athletes who have an ability to critically think at a high level and physically execute in situations they have never been in are athletic.

Jaiden is a kinesthetic learner, very cerebral, and possesses a high level of aptitude and work ethic. The 2022 MBP Underclass All-American Game is going to be a good test of his talent but he will not be overmatched.

He is a dream come true for a coach like me who has been discovering diamonds in the rough and polishing them like me for over 20 years.

Talent is what you do well. Habits are what you do well without thought. Skills are what you do well without thought while under stress.

Bookmark this blog and remember the name Jaiden Byse.

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.

Practicing the art of committing to new things

August 10, 2022 by C.J. Stewart

Jaiden Byse takes a much needed break after hundreds of reps where he worked on six different loads.

The ancient Chinese philosopher and writer Lao Tzu once said, “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

The load is the fundamental part of hitting—the part that positions the hitter to track the pitch and, if done well and on time and on tempo, will help him execute the other parts of the swing. The end result is a lot more hits.

As my Diamond Directors’ clients know, there are seven parts to the swing, which include:

Stance/Load
Timing
Tempo
Tracking
Approach
Contact
Extension/Finish

I look forward to fall baseball for my hitters because it is the time of year (August through October) that we commit and discipline ourselves to trying new things. The end goal is to determine what works and what doesn’t.

Based on what works, we use November through December to build habits and strength.

There are seven ways my hitters will load this fall, regardless if they like it or not.

If they don’t like to load using one of these ways, great. This will force them to be athletic, which is what I define as the ability to critically think about and physically execute something that you have never done before.

So, basically, athleticism can be taught.

Hand Drop
Toe Tap
Bat Wrap
High Leg
Cross Grip
Open Stance
Switch Hit

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

Tilling, planting and harvesting the seeds you sow

June 1, 2022 by C.J. Stewart

Robert Louis Stevenson once said, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.”

May through July are the months my hitters focus on maintaining skills. These months are harvesting time. Before you can reap a harvest, you must first till the ground, plant the seeds and nurture the crops for weeds.

The calendar year starts in August and ends in July. This is the time we try new things to determine what doesn’t work and what does work.

November-January is when we build strength and habits based on what works.

February-April is the conversion phase converting habits to skills.

How do you define skills?

Talent is doing things well. A habit is doing things well repeatedly without thought. Skills are doing things well without thought while under stress.

If you are not playing under cruise control this summer, you need to reevaluate your development strategy so that you can experience the joy of reaping what you sow.

To help keep your skills sharp, we have introduced a new type of Skill Build—our Virtual Skill Build—where I can help you develop hitting skills anytime, anywhere using anything.

Remember: Intelligence tops being smart.

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

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