The 5 Pillars of Great Players

I have compiled a list of what I have come to look for in high school baseball players. Baseball involves a great deal of failure and it is a very difficult game. There are things that can control EVEryday that we can succeed at with certainty...if we get our minds right and Get MADE!

I hope you can find value in this video.

LEARN to love it

It's not about the taste, it's about the fuel...if only we could connect to this fundamental principle we would be able to perform at such higher more meaningful, more fulfilling, more productive, more fruitful, and more positive ways.

It's not about the taste, it's about the fuel...when reading this statement the obvious reference would be to food, which is correct...because IT ALL STARTS WITH FOOD! Baseball, life, positive thinking...all of it starts with food!!! It took me about 27 years to finally and ACTUALLY connect with this fundamental of life! 

It's not about the taste, it's about the fuel...This statement also refers to anything that is not comfortable when we are experiencing it, be it eating broccoli or going through a rigorous workout. The day we can learn to fall in love with the pain that is caused by the things that are good for us, ie;  the discomfort of eating broccoli (assuming you "hate" broccoli), is the day we break through and separate ourselves from the pack. 

The day that you can get over yourself and just put the broccoli in your mouth, start chewing, and just try to dive into the question of "what is good about this?!" is the day you may just eventually find something that you like about the broccoli! This is something that I have put into practice over the duration of my baseball career and it has thankfully poured into all other aspects of my life.

It is scary that we are so manipulated by mass media marketing, fast food, and quick fixes to things in our lives...this is simply not the human process. We are taught to be mesmerized by the taste of fake fast foods and many other unhealthy habits that we create that are often derived from simple laziness. We have to learn to love the pain...we have to learn to find the good in the things that we don't like but we know are good for us. 

Why get so deep into a topic like this when my focus is on teaching young players how to Get Better EVEryday? The answer is easy. You can't start getting better EVEryday until you start thinking better EVEryday. Why do I capitalize the EVE in EVEryday? Because it helps me to think better...stronger, faster, more ruthless, more connected, more passionate, more aware, more thankful, more in-tune....with all of the actions I take on a day to day basis. It helps me to connect with the greater purpose of why I decided to play this game for as long as I have and why now I have decided to go into coaching young players now that playing the game may possibly be behind me. It has helped me to stay positive amongst a maraud of obstacles in my path. 

Staying connected to knowing that I get to do all of this for my mom, the lady that always did everything in her power to help me go as far as I could with the game that I love...it has MADE me who I am as a player and it is what motivated me to play professional baseball for 7 years when they told me out of the gate that I absolutely should not be playing with a total hip replacement. I have learned to love it when people say I can't do something or that I won't make it. I have found the positive in those statements and I will continue to find them as I get stronger with EVEryday. 

At MADE Baseball we strive to help our players connect with these principles. It is far beyond the amount of practices you show up to, the amount of reps you take, or the kind of bat you own...it is about what you are willing to lay out on the line to achieve your goals and to stay true to your dreams and the path you set out to walk. 

When you can learn to love all of the things that are hard about accomplishing your baseball goals, you will start to Live Like a Champion.

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Isaac Hess

Founder & President

www.madebaseball.com

Social media and youth baseball

Social media is a very prevalent part of our lives today. As young baseball players we can either use this to our advantage or, if we are not smart, we can allow it to hurt us. As soon as we become a prospective player in the eyes of a coach or scout a higher level we are immediately going to be checked on our social media profiles.

The reason this is such a good thing in today's age is because if you are smart you can use social media as a means to help define your character as a person in the eyes of not only the peers you have in your networks but also in the eyes of that coach or scout that is interested in you as a player.

It is very important that we be very conscious about what we are posting whether it is on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, or any of the other major social media profiles. We should consistently be posting things of an uplifting nature… Positive things… Things that help show the kind of person that we are, the habits we possess and the nature of our character. Serious young ball players should not allow themselves to waste time posting mindless pieces of content that is not only telling a scout that they waste their time, but also telling a scout that they are simply are not aware of the fact that people can often see what they post on the web.

Plain and simple, the world is much more connected in today's generation and it will be more connected in the generations of our tomorrows. This connectivity that now exists holds us much more accountable as people… As positive people and baseball players. Social media can be used in a very very constructive way, but it is of the utmost importance to be aware of the fact that people see what you put on the Internet. Use it to your advantage, be smart, help show the world the kind of character you have by making quality decisions about what you choose to engage with and or to post on the social media sites. 

At the end of the day, it is your choice about what you may post, choose wisely.

Isaac Hess
Founder & President, MADE Baseball
www.madebaseball.com

The Power of Positive Language

Our ability to be conscious as humans is directly related to the quality of our lives. Cultivating our awareness as a practice on a day to day and decision to decision basis is crucial to our progress, and the level at which we are able to execute this acute consciousness is proportionate to the depth that we can show love to one another. Using positive language willingly and consistently is not only greatly noticed by the people that we surround ourselves with, but it is also deeply affecting to those people as well, on a subconscious level. Consciously using positive language on a regular basis is one of the best strategies that we can use to look at things on the bright side, to put it simply.

Daily we are bombarded by advertisements, messages, news, and situations that can make us feel angst and/or bitterness to our surroundings. The subliminal messages that are constantly thrown at us like 100 mph fastballs at our heads day in and day out really makes it tough to have a foundationally positive attitude towards our EVEryday decision making processes. It's a battle to remain positive though the ups and downs of the roller coaster that we call life.

Using conscious positive language strengthens us from the inside out. It helps to remind us of the good that we need to recognize EVEryday. There is so much beauty in the world and when it is blanketed by negative news, mindless time wasting and thoughtlessness it can be easily overlooked. The words we use dictate the feel, sound and make up of how we communicate. When we make it a point to use positive verbiage with a purpose we feel better about ourselves. This is a practice that I was essentially forced into implementing into my own life in order keep moving forward after I was faced with some very negative cards dealt to me at the age of 19. I had to make a decision to move forward or else I would have plummeted in a downward spiral quickly. I chose to be aware of the language and words that I began to use on a regular basis. Starting to harness the power of words like positive, amazing, champion, CAN, cultivate, nourish, desire, passion, ruthlessness, tenacious, achieve, appreciation, infinite, foundation, focus, health, healthy, inspiration, willingness, yes, attitude, accountable, and of course the mother of all(if you will)...EVEryday, has been a practice and tool that has helped my life more than I can ever put into words.

Approaching the day with this ammunition in my back pocket made and makes me better not only as a person, but as an athlete and for me more importantly a pitcher. Stepping on the mound after constantly brainwashing myself to the idea that I CAN no matter what by using these reinforcing words ALL THE TIME made me a better pitcher, competitor, athlete, and teammate.

For the young players that may read my blog, I suggest you write down the positive language words that can most help you, as a person first and as a ball player second. Use them EVEryday, on purpose. Begin to brainwash yourself into not thinking, but knowing, that no matter what, who, when, or why happens...that YOU CAN. Try it...and get back to me with how it affects not just you, but also notice how other people begin to be influenced by your positive language. Then, do your thing on the mound or in the field and stay a winner...EVEryday.

Thanks for reading,
Isaac Hess
www.madebaseball.com

Pursuit of Presence

To be a premier pitcher you must have the "it" factor when it comes to your presence on the mound. Everyone on the field is looking directly at you before and during every pitch you throw. This means you can hide nothing. You can use this aspect of the game to your advantage, or you can allow it to crush you. No matter what level you play at, youth to professional, you can always control your mound presence.

Any pitcher that works with me knows their priorities when they are on the mound...

#1- "This mound is MY home." I am the one that is lucky enough to be on it and while I am on it, EVEryone will know that it is MINE! This means that I will make it my home immediately. I will do so by fixing t exactly the way I want it. I will take my time, because everyone can just wait until I have done what I need to do with it before I throw a pitch.

#2- "GUAC...give us a chance." What does that mean? It means compete as hard as you can with as much as you can for as long as you possibly can in order to always give your team a chance to win. Generally GUAC or "giving us a chance" would be relative to a quality start or at least a near quality start. A quality start is pitching at least 6 innings and giving up 3 runs or less. Obviously, anything better than that would also be considered a quality start. But, GUAC doesn't have to be thought of as only in terms of a "quality start" because in reality anytime you leave the game with pitching at least 5 innings, and giving up less runs than the other pitcher...that means that you have given the team a chance to win. Sometimes pitching is a straight up grind and things just do not go right, even on days where our bodies feel recovered, strong, flexible, and in-tune for our job for the day. GUAC means staying present throughout the game and knowing that I am going to use everything I have, mentally and physically, to compete and do my part in working towards a win. The key is to stay even keil and realizing that you are always GUACing as long as you are competing like the champion you should know that you are.

#3- "Here it comes, lets see how far you can hit it." This is attack mode, beast mode, clutch mode, compete mode, bulldog mode, champion, winner, competitor, confident, cocky, I KNOW I AM BETTER THAN YOU...MODE. I do not care who you are, where you stand in the box, how many homeruns you have hit in your life, how many people think you are cool, how big you are....none of that concerns me in the slightest. Instead I'm actually pissed off that you think you can step foot near my home plate, because the audicity that you have for doing that is just enough to make me come at you with a conviction that you can't top or even hope to possibly match.

*Note: Your work ethic will always be relative to your ability to harness this attitude. If you don't work hard on all aspects of your game then you have absolutely no business and no right to think this way.

But for those that are committed to Getting Better EVEryday, this attitude is not only justifiable, but 100% necessary and will ultimately be the main factor in how you can separate yourself from the pack.

Teaching you how to have Mound Presence is the main point of this article. Mound Presence is the #1 first and most important factor to being a GREAT pitcher...this blog is not geared towards those who just want to be good.

These concepts have helped me to succeed on the field, but I apply these same thought processes to almost every aspect of my life when it concerns accomplishing something or working towards what I know I can achieve. I encourage those that read this blog to try to apply some of these thoughts as you shake and move through your day and throw them at the obstacles that throw themselves at you.

Click the link if you would like to schedule a pitching lesson in Phoenix with your player today!

Thanks for reading.

Respectfully,
Isaac Hess
Founder & President, MADE Baseball
www.madebaseball.com

What constitutes "being in shape"?

I have come to really appreciate this question and over the years my attachment to it has evolved considerably.

For many of us, the relationship we have with our body image is one that we check-in to EVEryday of our lives multiple times a day...basically anytime we look in the mirror. We check-in with this idea or connection to "in-shape" that we see on the magazines in the grocery isles, the billboards and other advertisements, desperate housewives, and a number of other poisonous interruptions to our subconscious that tend to play way to big a part in answering this question of "am I in shape?" Our question towards our physical state should not be vain asking ourself, "do I look good?"...our question(s) need to be "do I feel good and do I feel strong?"

Our subconscious conditioning through these poisonous advertisements has unnaturally polluted our perception of what it is to be in shape to a detrimental degree. We really need to wake up to this. We are very backwards in our thinking when it comes to being in shape...we think in shape means physical  when in reality it should be rooted in mental. Obviously the physical aspect of "in-shape" matters but again it should be a question of strength and feel primarily and vanity(if we must acknowledge it) secondarily.

Our physical bodies are a product of our thoughts, actions, and most importantly our EVEryday habits. When we ask ourselves, "am I in shape,?" our first responsive thought to this should most definitely be, "well how is my mind working? Are my actions aligning with my words in my life and in my relationships? Currently, are my instincts strong towards being positive in crucial or character building situations or have they been strong towards being negative? Does my routine serve me or does it take away from my potential happiness? (And thennnn)....oh yeah, let me check on my stomach and make sure it looks good!" This should be the order...tailored to the individual and the questions that keep them on their desired path of life performance.

Our level of consciousness towards the physical benefits we receive when we focus on cultivating our mental as well as spiritual strength is as valuable a resource as any we have on this earth. It should be thought of as an equal to Water!! It is measurable in our EVEryday habits. It is measurable in our relationships. It is measurable in our own self reflections. Our level of consciousness is parallel to our level of life.

Athletes that desire to be at a state of consciousness in not only their physical routine but even more importantly their mental routines separate themselves from the pack infinitely before the baseball even begins. They desire to create championship habits EVERY SINGLE DAY. They are very in tune with the conceptual question of "WHAT'S IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?" Is what I am doing right now making me work towards being not only the very best but my very best?

Sometimes when you look in the mirror you just have to allow yourself to get chills at the presence of blessings you have in your life. If that is hard for us to do then we need to figure out a way to create a habit that can help us achieve that goal of truly appreciating what we have. This is measured in not only our quality of athleticism, sportsmanship, training, physique, and endurance, but more importantly it is measured in our quality of life. This ruthless thankfulness and appreciation of all your blessings, again, is as valuable to your life as water.

Harnessing your appreciation of the game of baseball is the first step towards becoming an elite player and an elite person. That appreciation spills over into the mirror into consciousness and realization of self when asking "am I in shape?" When you appreciate everything you have the first question you will ask is "do I feel strong?" Second question.."how can I get stronger today in the game of life?" Third question..."what can I do to help others today?"

Next time you are feeling out of shape when you look in the mirror, tell your mind to focus NOW, on creating a couple of new tangible positive habits that can get you out of your current routine and on to one that will nurture your inner beast and help you to reach your maximum abilities. Tell your mind NOW to be so ridiculously thankful that you still have that person you almost lost. Check in with your appreciation of the mirror you have to look in and the bed you just got out of.

NOW get off your butt and go do some push ups.

Much love to the world out there that desires to keep getting better and appreciates the game of life EVEryday you live and get to love.

Thanks for reading,

Isaac

Camp Changed!

Sorry for the confusion and late notice but our upcoming baseball skills camp has changed! Instead of holding it at Dysart High School we will now be holding the camp at Victory Lane Sports Park on 43rd ave and Pinnacle Peak! Click the link to see the exact address.

The camp will now be from 9-12pm on both days, Jan 2-3. The cost is $85 to attend and registration can be paid upon arrival. Thanks and we look forward to seeing you out there!

-Isaac