Winter Update

January 2020

The Sands Baseball Academy has had a productive first month back from the winter break. While we are forced inside by the winter weather we are able to slow down and really focus on building good mechanics and making changes to swings, fielding and throwing mechanics.

We have renewed our focus on setting SMART goals for the year, and have added daily practice plans that the students are expected to fill out to guide their practice. The plans are simple and students are expected to include one thing that they will work on that day to help them achieve their long term goal. This will help students be more mindful of their practice and keep them on track as they work towards their long term goals. With students being more mindful of their own learning plans, the coaching staff has been able to better tailor drills to individual needs and growth plans. The students are still getting the hang of writing these brief practice plans but the coaching staff have noticed a more focused effort in our sessions since implementing them.

We have included a strength and conditioning aspect to all of our winter workouts whether we are at Sands or the Ballyard. As a coaching staff we believe that it is equally important to be in good physical condition as it is to have good skills if you want to perform to the best of your abilities. While the circuits that we have done are definitely challenging, they can certainly be supplemented by additional weight training. The students have been working hard during these circuit style total body workouts, using compound movement patterns engaging many muscle groups while using light weights or body weight. The primary focus has been core stability and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).

The coaching staff is looking forward to a productive winter and continuing to work with the students to develop their skills and understanding of the game.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ebrown@deltasd.bc.ca

Eric Brown

Teacher Coordinator

Sands Baseball Academy