Texas Baseball Ranch Summer 2017

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RANCH REVIEW THE

SUMMER 2017

www.texasbaseballranch.com (936) 588-6762

IT’S THAT TIME!

Summer is upon us, and we are full steam ahead here at the Texas Baseball Ranch ® . The first session of our Extended Stay Summer Program is well underway, and we’ve already had our first Elite Pitchers Boot Camp of the season. We absolutely love this time of year (other than the sweltering heat) because we are blessed to work with so many young men that love the game of baseball and want to continue to improve and move on to the next level. In attendance, there is a neat range of athletes. On one end, we have players about to enter high school, working hard to earn a spot on the team, while on the other, we have seasoned college guys who know they’re right on the verge of a breakout season, working for that little extra that will aid them in getting the attention of the scouts or improving their draft status. It’s really rewarding to work with these young men over a two- to 10-week period and see the great gains they make, athletically, mentally, and emotionally. The Ranch motto says, “A place where you can dream as big as your work ethic will allow!” And there’s no better time to witness that than here during the summer. This month is a perfect time to brag on our staff and the terrific job they did this spring in preparation for the summer. We’ve taken another step up in the program, expediting the transfer from concept to performance.

These pictures depict just a few samples from the training …

Matador Bag Training

Power Core 360

Hip Disassociation

Suspension Training

Command Trainer

Connection Work

We continue to focus on athleticism and our athlete’s ability to move, which ultimately aids in velocity enhancement, better command, and overall arm health and durability.

If you don’t already have plans to join us sometime this summer, please accept this as your personal invitation. We’d love to see you at The Ranch and help you take the next jump in your performance.

– Ron Wolforth

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

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For advanced athletes, summer brings the opportunity to add some extra “play hard” to your “work- hard-play-hard” routine. To the most dedicated of gym buffs, the thought of laying around on a beach for a week during vacation sounds absurd. So what should you do when you have to leave your regularly scheduled workouts and your gym membership at home? Luckily, there’s a workout for you — it’s called the Sore Legs, No Equipment Workout. WORK OUT ON THE ROAD The No-Equipment Workout

The Sore Legs, No Equipment Workout, also known as the Hotel Room Workout, was created by Bobby Maximus, author of “Maximus Body” and a regular contributor to Men’s Health. While this workout is especially beneficial for endurance and strength athletes, anyone up a creek without a paddle, or rather, in a hotel room without gym access, will find this workout helpful. Maximus’ Sore Legs, No Equipment Workout involves a series of repeated lunges and wall-sits to bulletproof your lower body. Not only will this give you more stamina on a long run or ride, but you’ll also get rid of aches and pains. Better yet, if you don’t have any lower body issues related to running now, you’ll prevent issues down the road by using this workout. Most strength athletes find themselves in a rut because they don’t do enough reps. This workout is designed to solve that problem. This workout is not only designed to increase your lower body strength and harden your body, but to challenge you mentally as well. It’s an old, worn out warmup routine. The pitcher, 45 minutes before the game, will do a light stretch and toss the ball for 30 minutes or so before their 20-30 minute bullpen practice. Then he’ll throw on a jacket and take a seat in the dugout — not exactly what I’d call prepared for “peak” performance. We have a saying at The Ranch: “Your body can’t possibly recruit what isn’t awake.” Basically, if all of your body’s components aren’t fully awake and ready to go, you can’t use them to their full ability. Your full body, not just your arm, needs to be awake and ready if you want to see any drastic improvement to your pitching performance. Although most athletes know they need to have complete utilization, or wake-up/warmup of their body, most people try to get by on less. In the end, their warmups are ineffective, and even dangerous. Let this be clear: Warming up your arm is not enough. Without focusing on the entire body during a warmup, pitchers put themselves at a greater risk of injury, and that’s something we have zero tolerance for here at The Ranch. If it’s the fear of getting worn out during the game that concerns you, you might need to rethink your conditioning. YOUR OWN WAKE-UP, WARMUP Creating an Individualized Pre-Game Routine

In essence, the Sore Legs, No Equipment Workout involves 40 alternating bodyweight lunges,

followed by a 30-second wall-sit. Then, 38 alternating lunges, followed by another 30-second wall-sit. You reduce the number of

alternating lunges by two every time and end each rep with a 30-second wall-sit until you are down to two alternating lunges followed by a 30-second wall-sit. To get the most out of this workout, it’s recommended that you make it through the workout without resting. Most likely, you’ll find that a few reps into the Sore Legs, No Equipment Workout, your legs will be just that — sore. Beyond that, this workout is a great way to add variety into your normal workouts and keep you at your strongest during summer vacations and work trips.

A warmup should never be the cause of fatigue. This means the pitcher should strengthen his warmup process, constantly tweaking it and adapting until the ideal level of personal readiness for peak performance is achieved. For example, if the first inning is where you struggle the most, ramp up your warmup to a “third inning lather.” If you start to fade later in the game, it’s probably time to look at both your warmup and conditioning. Warm up this way, and your body will adjust and even crave that level of stimulation before game time. The big takeaway here is to develop a routine that works for you. This might mean your wake-up and warmup routine is more lengthy and involved, but continually adapting to your individual needs is what will make the process the most effective.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT VELOCITY (PART 2) Crank Up the MPH Velocity Enhancement Through Massive Simultaneous Action

There is no question that velocity can be developed and enhanced. I see it every single day. I believe one could make a very strong case that we at The Ranch possibly do velocity enhancement better than anyone who has ever done it before, and we are far from finished evolving our processes. Not by a long shot! What I can tell you after 20 years of doing this is that velocity creation is a multifaceted equation made up of dozens of variables. A few of those variables we cannot change. For example, some of us were simply born with a higher concentration of fast twitch muscle fibers and the neuromuscular wiring to move faster than our neighbor or even our brother. However, a vast majority of those variables fall within our ability to affect, enhance, augment, change, alter, and/ or modify. In my view, the most frequent mistake made by parents, athletes, and their coaches is addressing only a few of those variables at any one time. Instead, at The Ranch,

we address velocity enhancement from a 360-degree perspective. Our goal is to positively affect as many of those variables as possible over a given time span. We refer to it as “massive simultaneous action.” Addressing only one or two of the variables often has very limited success. That is because a young man has often already developed his capacity and capability in that area about as well as he can; therefore, the potential for gain is very small. If we use massive simultaneous action as our guiding dominant process, the chances are far greater that we will hit the area(s) with the greatest sweet spot for growth in that individual. Of course, assessment is a big part of our process which enables us to tailor our training to fit each of our client’s needs and his greatest potential for growth.

THE MIDNIGHT MASSACRE Remembering One of Baseball’s Most Infamous Trades In today’s baseball climate, fans are accustomed to seeing their favorite players switch teams. Free agency is pervasive, and every summer, we get to hear our team described as either “buyers” or “sellers” at the trade deadline. Back in 1977, however, the idea that a player would stay with a single team for their entire career wasn’t unusual. So when Tom Seaver, a pitcher nicknamed “The Franchise,” was traded from the Mets to the Reds on June 15, 1977, New York reporters dubbed it “The Midnight Massacre.” Seaver is perhaps the most accomplished player ever to put on a Mets uniform. He won three Cy Young awards, made 12 All-Star Game appearances, and was a first-ballot Hall of Famer. During the early months of the 1977 season, Seaver and the Mets organization began to disintegrate. Adding to the tension, New York Daily News columnist Dick Young passionately sided with Mets Chairman M. Donald Grant. With no reconciliation in sight, the Mets decided it was time to part ways with their ace and shipped him off to Cincinnati.

UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS

ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMP

July 7–9, 2017 (Friday–Sunday) July 21–23, 2017 (Friday–Sunday) August 11–13, 2017 (Friday–Sunday) September 2–4, 2017 (Saturday–Monday)

Additional Summer Program Information is available at TexasBaseballRanch.com/events/tbr-summer-program.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! STRATEGIC PARTNER,

www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro

Who’d they get in return? Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Pat Zachary, and Dan Norman — not quite a king’s ransom.

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

(936) 588-6762

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

It’s That Time! PAGE 1 Work Out on the Road PAGE 2 Individualized Pre-Game Routine PAGE 2 The Truth About Velocity (Part 2) PAGE 3 This Month in Baseball History PAGE 3 What to Do With All This Sunlight? PAGE 4

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THIS SUNLIGHT?

How to Celebrate the Longest Day of the Year

Catch Some Waves The summer solstice also happens to fall right after International Surfing Day, so why not enjoy the extra hours of sun by road tripping out to the beach to catch some waves? The official International Surfing Day website, surfrider.org/isd, has lots of information and lists great ways to celebrate. You might even be surprised to find awesome events near you!

We call the summer solstice the “longest day of the year,” and though there aren’t really more hours in the day, extended hours of sunlight do make June 21 feel longer. So, why not do something with that extra light? We can’t all make a pilgrimage to Stonehenge to watch the sunrise, but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the summer solstice wherever you live. Try Outdoor Yoga Yoga is a popular activity for exercise and stress relief, practiced by millions across the world. The International Day of Yoga is held on June 21 each year. Expert and beginner yoga enthusiasts alike celebrate by taking their yoga mats outside. Find ways to get involved by visiting idayofyoga.org.

Shakespeare in the Park The week surrounding the summer solstice is often referred to as midsummer. William Shakespeare’s beloved

comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” takes its name from, so what better way to mark the occasion than with some of the Bard’s classic works? Theater groups all across the country put on outdoor performances, and it’s a wonderful chance for the community to come out and enjoy some of literature’s greatest stories.

There are numerous celebrations surrounding the summer solstice. So why waste a sunny day? Get out there and have some fun!

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