365 Days to Better Baseball - Rule of 5

Sunday Setting Sights on Success Tip of the Day "Patience is a Virtue" but a real ballplayer is the result I am sure that whoever came up with that statement had baseball in mind. First, baseball skills are difficult and difficult to perfect. Second, changing muscle memory takes a long time. There are usually no quick fixes, although occasionally a good tip or two can help a player in the short term.

The pitching motion of the Quebec City Capitales' pitcher Karl Gélinas, in the Can-Am independent baseball league.

Français : La décomposition d'un lancer du lanceur des Capitales de Québec Karl Gélinas, dans la ligue Can-Am de baseball indépendant. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When parents bring their son or daughter to me for a baseball lesson, they understandably want immediate results. However, one of the first things I tell them is that I can generally notice what their child is doing wrong in the first five seconds. In addition, I tell them that I can tell them drills to fix the problem in the next five seconds. However, seeing some improvement will take at least five hours of practice, with much improved results taking five weeks and having the habits set in stone takes a good five months of practice. Of course, all of those are exaggerations but the point I am making is that change comes slowly and just telling someone what is wrong rarely changes the issues. Patience, practice, and perfect practice are the only way to improve fundamentals and those take a long time. The good news is that those who are willing to wait for better results often have a real successful ballplayer on their hands.