Texas Baseball Ranch October 2018

RANCH REVIEW THE

OCTOBER 2018

www.texasbaseballranch.com (936) 588-6762

A RANCH VISIT TO KIWI LAND

International Sports Group (ISG) coaches & wives on the ocean

Coach Wolforth’s session with New Zealand players

View of Auckland from the marina

We considered the fall to be a slow time 10 years ago, but it’s anything but slow now. The fall has become the time for us to take the Ranch on the Road™ to train players and coaches not only around the country but also around the world. It has become routine for us to have at least one baseball trip abroad during the fall, and this year is no different. In late September, Jill and I, in conjunction with the International Sports Group, traveled to New Zealand for a weekend coaches’ clinic. Several people have said, “We didn’t know they played baseball in New Zealand.” Actually, they really haven’t played much. The Kiwis have been steeped in softball (both men and women) for years but a few years ago, a small group decided they really want to push for baseball in the country. I can tell you they’re off to a great start. The enthusiasm of the coaches we worked with was amazing. Thanks to the hard work and dedication of many of these people, New Zealand will have a professional team in the Australian Baseball League (ABL) this winter. The league consists of teams from Australia, Korea, and now New Zealand. This is a winter ball league, so you will see several MiLB players on the roster this year. It’s really exciting to see and be part of something that’s starting on the ground floor. We feel extremely blessed that they’ve entrusted us to help with that development. And speaking of New Zealand, I’m a huge fan of the All Blacks, their famed rugby team — so much so that, as a part of our Extended Stay Summer Program, we have a leadership group called “Legacy,” whose name came straight from the book written about the All Blacks. It was a treat for me to be able to ask a lot of questions about the game of rugby and the All Blacks. I am grateful for the patience people showed me in trying to explain many of the details. I have a new appreciation

ISG group enjoying some New Zealand wine after a wine tour

for people trying to understand the game of baseball, because I am still confused on the rugby rules.

This month I’d be remiss if, while talking about development, I didn’t remind everyone of our 19th Annual Ultimate Pitching Coaches Bootcamp taking place Dec. 6–9 at The Ranch. It’s really exciting that two of our 15 presenters, Brent Strom of the Houston Astros and Derek Johnson of the Milwaukee Brewers, both made it to the playoffs. I hope you’ll join us, but if you can’t, make sure you order the DVDs. I promise you’re going to want them as part of your baseball library. Information and registration can be found at CoachesBootCamp.com.

–Coach Wolforth

Where You Can DREAM as BIG as Your Work Ethic Will Allow! PHONE (936) 588-6762

PRESEASON ALUMNI BOOT CAMP Service Highlight A Special Opportunity for Ranch Grads

Two weeks after the ball drops in 2019, Texas Baseball Ranch® will be hosting a special Preseason Alumni Boot Camp. It’s only available to those who’ve already attended either an Elite Pitchers Boot Camp

Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind chance to get comprehensive evaluatio and next-level training before the season starts! When you leave camp, you’ll take with you a customized 21-day plan specific to your needs that is based on the results of your video analyses. TEXAS BASEBALL RANCH® 2019 PRESEASON ALUMNI BOOT CAMP Dates: Jan. 12–13 Hours: Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Because a ticket to the camp makes the perfect gift for the aspiring big leaguer in your life, we’re offering pre-Christmas pricing of $1,599 if you book a place on or before Dec. 25. After Christmas, registration is $1,899. To register online, head to texasbaseballranch.com and click on “Alumni” under the “Events” tab. You can also register via phone by calling (936) 588-6762.

(EPBC) or a Ranch on the Road Camp. As a result, this camp will be much more intimate than our regular camps, with attendance capping out at 24 rather than 45. It’s a unique opportunity for pitchers who truly seek to be elite.

The Preseason Alumni Boot Camp will cover a variety of advanced

concepts and techniques that are not part of the EPBC. These include Khaos Training, Lower Body & Upper Body Synergy, and Command Work using V-Flex technology. Each pitcher will also receive multiple video analyses performed by Coach Wolforth and one-on- one time with each of the Ranch Coaches.

We’ll see you in January!

PROTEIN PANDEMONIUM

those engaging in regular exercise. For people who are training nearly every day, the recommendations range from 0.55–0.91 grams per pound of body weight a day, depending on activity level. One 2017 summary of recent research suggests that the sweet spot for highly active athletes hovers around 0.72 grams per pound of body weight. So, for that same 168.5-pound woman, the RDA skyrockets to a total of 121.32 grams of protein. Of course, these are rough estimates. It’s impossible to pinpoint a one-size-fits-all approach that will work for you. But if you’re an ordinary person going to work, heading home, and maybe walking the dog every now and then, you probably don’t need to worry. If you were an elite athlete pushing your body to the limit every day, then protein intake would definitely be something to keep your eye on. Most dieticians recommend paying more attention to protein quality than quantity. That means consuming more fish, beans, nuts, chicken, and eggs instead of beef or processed meats. So, whenever you can, put away the powder and focus on eating high-quality foods instead. Should You Worry About This Nutrition Craze?

In the age of ketogenic and paleo diets, protein is king. Moms pack baggies of mixed nuts for their kids’ soccer practices, high- protein variants of foods line the shelves of the supermarket, and nearly every household with a regular gym-goer has a tub of whey protein hidden away somewhere. Protein is essential to every living cell in your body. But are we going overboard with our protein obsession? Short answer? Probably. Though marketers would have you believe otherwise, it’s actually pretty easy for the average person to get all the protein they need from regular meals. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein — the minimum you should be getting each day — is only 0.36 grams per pound of body weight. If you’re an average American woman weighing 168.5 pounds, that means you should take in roughly 60.66 grams of protein per day. For reference, a serving of chicken breast about the size of your palm will contain about 35 grams. Even if you’re vegetarian or vegan (and tired of being asked how you get your protein), it’s relatively easy to meet the recommended daily minimum.

It’s worth noting, though, that these recommendations are minimums — they’re for sedentary folks, not for elite athletes or

www.TEXASBASEBALLRANCH.com

Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com

BREAKING THE BREAKING BALL STIGMA The Truth about Curveballs, Sliders, and Cutters

incorrectly — to manipulate or “turn” the curveball, making the efficient deceleration/pronation of the arm even more difficult. In fact, sometimes incorrect instruction literally makes an efficient deceleration impossible. In addition, many youth pitchers fall in love with the pitch. They throw 40–60 percent breaking balls, because the hitters they face at their level usually have little experience hitting curveballs and are easily fooled by such a pitch.

The curveball is only one of many mitigating factors in the injury of youth pitchers. Every

prepubescent pitcher’s growth plates are wide open for stretches in their early baseball career, so their soft tissue and bones are already at greater risk from the stress of throwing a baseball at high speed.

THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY Dave Roberts Steals Second Baseball is a game of details. The tiny decisions that happen throughout a game can end up shaping entire seasons. Perhaps no single decision in baseball history has had greater ramifications than Dave Roberts’ steal of second base for the Red Sox in game four of the 2004 ALCS. After a hotly contested AL East race throughout the year, it was only fitting that the Red Sox would meet their archnemesis, the Yankees, in the ALCS. At the time, the long-suffering Sox hadn’t won a World Series since 1918. After they lost the first three games of the series, fans in Boston adopted their usual fatalism. When they were down 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, all hope was lost. That is, until the moment that has come to be known as simply “The Steal.” Dave Roberts was on first base, Bill Mueller at the plate. Roberts, in a moment of utter bravery, decided to steal second. After reaching safely, he scored on Mueller’s single. The game went into extra, where David Ortiz hit a walk-off in the bottom of the 12th. Roberts’ steal ended up being the catalyst for the biggest comeback in playoff history and the Red Sox’s first World Series title in almost a century. Eliminating the curveball in games will have very, very little impact on injuries and will introduce other negative elements into the game — like amateur umpires determining if a pitcher actually threw a breaking ball or a slip/split change-up (they have their hands full with strike/ball and safe/out already), and coaches and players trying to scam or stretch the new rule to their advantage. The curveball/slider/cutter makes the deceleration of the arm more complicated. While it’s not a great idea to complicate an already inefficient and immature movement pattern, the risks are not nearly enough to warrant banning the curveball or promoting it as the primary cause of injury. Such a call for action is an overreaction and represents a significant inferential leap.

Most youth pitchers also have asymmetries, strength imbalances, and mobility/flexibility constraints

or limitations, which will complicate any movement pattern, so their soft tissue and

bone are already more at risk from the stress of throwing a baseball at high end-point velocities.

Many youth pitchers are taught to throw the curveball

UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS Nov. 17–19 (Saturday–Monday)

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! STRATEGIC PARTNER, Dec. 28–30 (Friday–Sunday) Jan. 19–21 (Saturday–Monday) OUTSIDE CAMP Nov. 9–11, Fastball USA, Chicago COACHES CLINIC Dec. 6–9 (Thursday–Sunday) SPECIAL WINTER SESSION Dec. 17–21 (Monday–Friday)

For more information, go to TexasBaseballRanch.com/events.

www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro

3 Where You Can DREAM as BIG as Your Work Ethic Will Allow! PHONE (936) 588-6762

Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.NewsletterPro.com

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

www.texasbaseballranch.com 5451 Honea-Egypt Road Montgomery, TX 77316

(936) 588-6762 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A Ranch Visit to Kiwi Land PAGE 1 Join Us for an Alumni Boot Camp PAGE 2 Are You Getting Enough Protein? Probably! PAGE 2 The Truth About Curveballs, Sliders, and Cutters PAGE 3 The Most Important Steal in Baseball History PAGE 3

WHY THERE ARE KIDS ON YOUR PORCH ASKING FOR CANDY

The History of Trick-or-Treating

Long before there were young’uns on your porch dressed as Thanos with candy-filled pillowcases in hand, the Celts believed that Samuin marked an overlapping of the realms of the living and the dead. To trick the spirits leaking into our world, young men donned flowing white costumes and black masks — a great disguise when ghosts were about.

As Halloween looms and you load up your grocery cart with candy, you may ask yourself, “Why do I provide these spooky gremlins with a sugar high every Oct. 31, anyway?” Well, when your doorbell starts ringing around 6 p.m. this All Hallows’ Eve, you can thank the Celts for this tradition of candy and costumes. Halloween itself is a kind of mishmash of four different cultural festivals of old: two Roman fêtes, which commemorated the dead and the goddess of fruit and trees (not at the same time); the Celtic Samuin or Samhain, a new year’s party thrown at the end of our summer; and the Catholic All Saint’s Day, designed to replace Samuin and divorce it from its pagan origins.

The Catholic Church was never a big fan of these pagan traditions, so they renamed it “All Saints’ Day” and gussied it up in religious garb. By the 11th century, people were dressing up as saints, angels, and the occasional demon instead of spirits. Eventually, costumed children started tearing through town begging for food and money and singing a song or prayer in return — a practice called “souling.” But when did they start dressing up as Minions? Starting in the 19th century, souling turned to “guising,” which gave way to trick-or-treating in mid-20th-century America, and the costumes diversified. So put on some clown makeup and a big smile, scoop up a handful of sweets, and scare the living daylights out of ‘em — ‘tis the season!