012: A Good Off-Season is Critical to In-Season Success

Elbow Up Youth Baseball

Happy New Year!
2021 is here, and the Spring baseball season is right around the corner.
How have you handled the off-season?
Do you have a plan for your son or team for the next couple of months?
If not, it’s not too late!
Click play to listen 🎧 or read below 📝!
First, some housekeeping. Everyone’s schedule is crazy towards the end of the year, so in case you’ve had other things on your mind, here’s a few updates:
⚾ If you missed my last podcast with 11-year MLB veteran turned youth baseball coach and dad, Shawn Kelley, you’ve got to go back and listen. I can’t wait for part 2!
⚾ My youth off-season throwing program went live. Premium subscribers should have received it in their email and can access it here. If you’re not a premium subscriber but still want the program, you can purchase it here.
⚾ As you prepare for the upcoming season, I’d like you to revisit one of my favorite posts - Focusing on Winning is a Race to the Bottom.
The off-season has always been important, but it’s more critical than ever now that young kids are playing organized baseball 9 and 10 months out of the year.
As we approach the end of 2020, there is still time to take advantage of the off-season, and get ready to show up healthy, refreshed, and improved for 2021.
A successful (and healthy) off-season includes three key components:
Time Off / Rest
Developing a Plan
Accountability (Sticking to the Plan)
Time Off
Young guys are playing longer than they ever have before. Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons run together, and arms are being overused everywhere and at all ages - but especially the younger ages!
While it can be tempting to continue to throw into the winter months, it’s extremely important to take some time off and let the body rest - specifically the arm.
It’s also important to do other things. Clear the mind of baseball and get another hobby, spend family time together, learn something new. Enjoy it!
Common myths, or excuses, I hear from parents who continue to work without rest often include:
“My kid just loves it so much. He wants to be out there throwing every single day.”
I understand this, however you are the parent and adult. Rest is important, and taking weeks (even months) off from throwing is healthy and needed.
Your child also loves playing XBox but you don’t let him do it all day and all night without a break. I’m sure he’d eat snacks and candy for dinner if you’d let him. But you don’t because you’re the parent and you know what’s healthy.
There’s no difference in baseball when it comes to arm health.
“You don’t understand. To stay competitive we have to keep working. We only do a lesson or two indoors each week.”
No, I do understand. The fear of missing out (FOMO) or getting behind is real for you, but not for the kid. Put the baseball gear up for a couple of months and go play basketball, flag football, or indoor soccer. They’ll bec

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