The Advanced Guide to Lessons: How to Get the Most Out of Your Time

Contrary to popular belief, accuracy is only a byproduct of a lesson. The real goal of a lesson is to "build a repeatable motion." One is part of the process, and one is the actual outcome. As you know, you can't control an outcome, but only your effort that goes into it. How, then, can you best use your time in lessons to achieve both your process goal (build a repeatable motion) and your outcome goal (throw more strikes)? If you feel like there have been times where you haven't gathered enough takeaways from your lesson and aren't sure what to work on, read ahead.

The first thing you need to do after your lesson is create a written practice plan. In order to do this, you'll need to learn how to structure your weeks and months. Read my blog here to create a basic layout. It will help you answer the questions, "how much should I practice per week and when should I take a break?" It doesn't have to be too fancy, just something you're motivated to follow. Forming your own plan gives you a sense of ownership. Once you have a basic structure blocking out days and times, it's easier to drag and drop in your weekly practice routines with drills and pitch counts. Your practices can be done with a parent or alone, but are probably best with a mix of the two.

Next, you'll have to populate your plan with what drills and pitches to practice.

My second tip for getting the most of your lesson is: Write down both explicit and implicit instructions on what to work on. Instructors might say the exact words, "this is your homework" and tell you an exact number of drills to complete. It's your responsibility to wright down in your binder or in our CoachNow app those directions, then actually practice it. Sometimes, we might not be so explicit in our direction and you'll have to draw your own conclusions. For example, if today was rise ball day, and I said, "here's an idea to help you get better at this," that means you need to write it down and practice it. How many? Well, you'll have to experiment on your own. We probably don't know the correct number either, since the true and uncomfortable answer to, "how long will it take to get better?" is: it takes as long as it takes. So, if you choose to practice the rise ball spin 30 times this week, and you find out you aren't any better then last week, then increase the number you practice.

Next, practice with intention. Ask yourself, "What, exactly, am I trying to get right with this pitch? Is it my banana? Am I trying to get more arm whip?" In order to build a new neural pathway, you need to pay attention to your intention. You'll have to feel different. This is a difficult thing to do. If you are trying something new and your are comfortable or thoughtless, you are doing it wrong. Too many times young players just throw balls to check it off of the to-do list. Pay attention to your intention.

Another thing you can do to get the most out of your lesson is make sure your mom or dad gets involved. Even if they might not know what to tell you about mechanics, they can be extremely helpful. As we learned in last week's mental-game lesson, recalling what you just learned and then telling it to someone makes you more likely to remember it down the line. So if you tell them about mechanics, then they'll get better at helping you! Also, no one knows about your personality more than they do. Ask them to make sure you don't slack in your lesson or have a bad attitude. They can remind you to do your think/play box. During the car ride home, double check with them on what they think the best practice plan would be for the week. That way, you can be held accountable to the goals you set. Parents are a great resource, make sure to use them.

Finally, use the tools Practice Pro gives you. We now have a level system that will help you set goals. These will help you determine what you need to work on in practice. For example, if you are trying to complete level 3, you'll have to add movement pitches to your practice plan. If you are trying to improve your mechanics, use your notes from above to pick two main things to improve by the end of the session. Using our CoachNow app, watch your mechanics video from the first lesson. We took a video of everyone's mechanics. Then take a current video of yourself and compare it to the first one. Is it different? If not, use it to help you decide what to practice. We add video recaps of the lessons for the week, so if you forget how to do a drill, watch it. We also have mini practice plans on our current students webpage. If you are a current student you have access. Let's say Coach Sarah said you need to "work on your resistance," simply look up "resistance" and click on the 40-pitch practice plan and insert it into your layout.

By mindfully listening to what your instructors say and practicing with intention, you'll improve. Creating and implementing your own practice plans builds the level of buy-in you'll need to be exceptional. Take the initiative with your own practice and you'll benefit tremendously.