✔️ The ability to maintain emotional control during competition can make or break your performance. Here’s why emotional control is essential and how you can develop it. 1️⃣ Staying Present Enhances Performance When you let emotions like frustration or anxiety take over, you often lose focus on what’s happening in the moment. Emotional control helps you stay present, fully engaged in each pitch, each swing, and each play. The ability to stay in the “now” prevents mental errors and enhances performance. 2️⃣ Reacting vs. Responding In high-leverage moments, there’s a big difference between reacting impulsively and responding intentionally. Emotional control allows you to respond with calculated calmness, even under pressure. This skill can be the difference between chasing a bad pitch out of frustration or maintaining control of your at bat. 3️⃣ Improved Decision-Making Emotional control sharpens your decision-making skills. When you who let your emotions run wild you might start swinging at pitches you shouldn’t or get overly aggressive. When you manage you emotions effectively, you make clearer, more strategic choices that align with your game plan. 4️⃣ Building Confidence Through Composure Hitting requires a deep sense of confidence. Controlling your emotions reinforces this confidence by demonstrating self-mastery. When you remain composed after a missed opportunity or bad call. You signal to yourself —and others—that you believe in your ability to bounce back. This resilience builds long-term confidence that withstands the ups and downs of the game. 5️⃣ Reducing Slumps and Negative Spirals Emotional control helps you prevent small mistakes from turning into prolonged slumps. If you dwell on a single strikeout, it can snowball into a pattern of negative performance. Maintaining composure and focusing on the next opportunity allows you to reset quickly and stay mentally strong. ✔️ All of this way easier said than done of course. Here are some tips & practices that will help you gain control of your emotions.

✔️ Being a great teammate isn’t just about being popular in the locker room; it’s an essential skill that translates into better performance on the field and builds character off the field. Here’s why. 1️⃣ Boosts Team Morale and Chemistry In any sport, team morale can make or break a game. A team with good chemistry often outperforms individual talent. When you support and encourage each other, it creates an atmosphere where everyone feels valued and motivated. This positive energy leads to better focus, resilience, and, ultimately, better results. 2️⃣ Promotes Personal Growth Being a good teammate means learning to put the team’s goals above your own. This mindset of selflessness and commitment teaches humility and helps players grow, not just as athletes but as people. Learning to work together and support each other is a skill that will benefit you in all areas of life. 3️⃣ Enhances Communication and Trust Strong teams rely on open communication and trust. When you’re a good teammate, you’re approachable, and your teammates feel comfortable talking with you. This openness fosters trust and ensures everyone is on the same page, whether it’s relaying signs or making split-second decisions on the field. 4️⃣ Builds Lasting Relationships Some of the strongest friendships and networks are formed through sports. Being a good teammate allows you to build these lifelong connections, with people who have been through the highs and lows of competition with you. These relationships can extend far beyond the field, becoming a source of support in life. 5️⃣ Sets You Up for Leadership Being a good teammate is often the first step toward becoming a leader. When you help others and show integrity, you naturally earn respect and influence within the team. These qualities are noticed by coaches, scouts, and teammates and can set you apart when future leadership opportunities arise. ✔️ In sports and life, being a good teammate goes a long way. It’s not just about achieving individual success but about lifting others up, building trust, and creating a positive impact. When you commit to being a great teammate, you’re not just helping your team win – you’re building a foundation of character that will serve you in all aspects of life.

With the 2025 season quickly approaching. What part of your game are you working on the most to make sure you hit the ground running on Opening Day?

@xenpennyhitting - I’ve known Xen for about 10 years now. We’ve tackled the hitting space together from the player and now coaches perspective. Xen is raw and he’s the real deal. @propelhitting - Cam’s content is valuable checking lots of boxes covering hitting. Mechanics, mental, approach, skill acquisition, learning habits. He’s also exploring the neurological side of hitting which I’m eager to see what he shares down the road. Cam is an A1 dude as well. @wheelhouse.performance - Hands down the most under appreciated Hitting account on IG. Logan & Caleb kill it with their athletes. Logan was kind enough to help me with work with one of my hitters and both the hitter and myself were blown away at how smart and applicable he teaching methods were. Don’t sleep on the Wheelhouse brothers. Give them a follow! @micahfranklin58 - Micah works with a variety of Big Leaguers and other professional hitters. Micah keeps the main thing the main thing. Simple & efficient approach that works from MLB down to Little League. Micah is REAL one @108_Performance - Eugene and his crew are top tier when it comes to movement. Eugene was helped me connect the dots personally in my swing. Gave me the What, Why’s and How’s in my swing journey. _joeycunha - Like Eugene Joey helped me understand my body and power of the brain-body connection. Joey is a great source of information when it comes to understanding the depth of human movement and why and how movement impacts mechanics. @marylandmade_hitting - Swope is one of the best in the biz. His dudes at Maryland perform offensively year in and year out and he’s the reason why. I find myself going back to his page often learn and implement his teachings. @teamsosabaseball - Ricardo is an OG. He has games best players come through his cages during the winter months giving you a behind the scenes look at how the best in the world prepare. All of hitters at all levels have NASTY swings. @tjhannam10 - All of yall should know Trey. His work speaks for itself. Nasty hitters. Covers all areas of hitting along with the human and behavior side. Trey shares stuff daily we can all take and learn from.