The Baseball Doctor

"Habit" is defined as an established custom; an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation, which may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition.

It is all too common today that athletes at young ages in the sports of baseball and softball do not receive proper training. Coaches roll out a bucket of balls and give limited instruction on truly how to play the game correctly. Therefore, at an early age, without proper instruction kids constantly practice bad habits making it more and more difficult to break as they get older. But the good news is, bad habits can be broken and developed into good habits! It is scientifically proven that it takes 21 days of consistent repetition to establish a habit. In developing a regime, it is suggested by experts to perform the activity at least 3 times a week, while performing it daily is even better. There must not be any disruptions from this schedule.

Developing a habit and going through the process is much like a Doctor treating a patient. This analogy is exemplified through the normal stages a Doctor goes through with a patient: examination, diagnosis, and prescription.

And this is why, at The Player's Edge, we refer to ourselves as the "Baseball Doctor". Let me explain in further detail of the three critical steps:

Examination: Much like a Doctor does upon an initial visit, we will treat our "patients" with much care and thorough inspection. A comprehensive analysis of the athlete will be done. Mechanics, attitude, and willingness to learn and adapt will be examined looked upon through a microscope. The initial visit is to get a feel for the patient and the problems or "symptoms" he or she is experiencing and then developing a plan to treat the problem. At The Player's Edge, this is why seeing an athlete repeated times will only increase the performance he or she desires!

Here is an example that was recently quoted to me from a good friend. He was experiencing back problems and had previously been to a Doctor who simply tried diagnosing the problem through a series of questions and "feel" techniques. Needless to say this Doctor was not practicing good business. Therefore, my friend went to a different doctor who immediately took an X-ray of his back and used this snapshot to gather an in-depth and detailed look at the problem. From here, the Doctor then diagnosed the problem to my friend and insisted his continuous attendance at therapy sessions to cure the problem for good. In other words, the Doctor simply stated that by coming only for a few weeks, they could treat the SYMPTOMS temporarily but not permanently fix the PROBLEM. He would feel good for a few weeks afterwards, but the problems would arise again if he did not stick to the Doctor's suggested agenda. This analogy is perfect in how we will conduct business at The Player's Edge. We will not just play a guessing game with the athletes, but rather put them under intense focus and take our "X-ray" in order to get down to the true flaws or fundamental problems. We will offer video analysis, for example, to provide a detailed look at what the player is doing through his or her mechanics. This is what will separate us from the "feel" good Doctors. We will have a proven cure for any baseball or softball related flaw.

Diagnosis: Once the Doctor has done a thorough examination, he is then equipped with the knowledge to make a confident diagnosis of what the underlying problem is. Instead of "guessing", athletes will know exactly what they need to work on to achieve maximum performance. Much like the story of my friend, a diagnosis can not be completely done unless things are broken down to a granular level. We will get to the root of the problem and prescribe a focused curriculum to our athletes to permanently fix the mechanics.

Prescription: "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." This quote exemplifies the imporance of repeat visits so we can thoroughly examine the athlete and make sure he or she is practicing GOOD habits. Again, habits are formed within 21 days but only by consistent repetition and having the will to learn and perform the skills properly. This is why The Player's Edge will guide the athletes through the entire process, by sitting one on one with a professional instructor and constantly making sure the prescription fits the diagnosis and that players are following our strict curriculum to fix the problem. This is done through a series of skill specific drills and repetitions provided by The Player's Edge staff.

In summary, the importance of the professional instruction at The Player's Edge is key. You would not take a child to a Doctor who is unqualified or some random person at the side of the road who wears a Doctor's jacket, pretending to be a Doctor. So why subject a baseball and softball player to unqualified coaching? The Player's Edge has the resume and credibility to examine, diagnose, and prescribe the athlete with the proper techniques to permanently fix the problem! Rest assured he or she will receive the proper focus and attention to details that they deserve to develop proper mechanics and instantly increase the performance at which they play the game!