Texas Baseball Ranch - Fall 2020

Texas Baseball Ranch - Fall 2020

RANCH REVIEW THE

FALL 2020

www.texasbaseballranch.com (936) 588-6762

STILL MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

In addition to the regular Elite Pitchers Boot Camp on our winter schedule, we have a very special advanced/alumni event that will take place in January. Make sure you read about it in our Service Highlight section. Some fun and exciting family things have happened in the past couple of months. Jill and I were able to go visit our daughter and her family for their winter break in South Haven, Michigan. I managed to keep them somewhat entertained for a few days.

2020 is getting close to winding down, and I know many of you are certainly looking forward to moving on to 2021. I certainly am looking forward to it, but I can say that there are still many good things that have happened this year, and the fall has actually been a buildup to some exciting things that will be happening before the end of the year. We have continued on with our Elite Pitchers Boot Camps as with any other year, and the enthusiasm and effort from everyone who has attended has been tremendous. Normally the staff would be in Italy at this time, and I’d be sharing pictures from that. Instead we were home and actually added a youth event to the calendar. Although working with 9–12-year-olds can be a little more mentally draining, it’s always a lot of fun and heartwarming to see their energy and amazement with everything.

The other big news is that our son, Garrett, got engaged a little over a month ago to Miss Alexa Lezak. We didn’t have to pay her much to say, “yes.” We are excited to have her joining the family.

Like I said, we’re not finished yet. We have our 21st annual Ultimate Pitching Coaches Boot Camp coming up in December as well as our second annual Elite Catchers Camp. Both of these events happen only once a year and are very special to me. I am grateful to the coaches who help make them so successful.

We hope your plans will allow you to come see us before the start of the season, but if not, please have a very happy Thanksgiving.

–Ron Wolforth

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With Special Guest Instructor, Brent Strom ADVANCED ALUMNI PITCHERS CAMP Service Highlight

Before becoming the pitching coach for the Houston Astros, Coach Brent Strom was a regular coach at our elite pitchers’ boot camps. Since joining the major leagues, he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to return. We are thrilled that coach Strom is returning for this weekend as both an instructor and presenter. In “An Evening With Brent Strom,” pitchers will have the chance to listen to Coach Strom give a special presentation. Afterward, there will be a Q&A session, pictures, and autographs. Our Advanced Alumni Pitchers Boot Camp is set for the weekend of Jan. 2–3, but don’t wait until the last minute! This event is limited to 24 pitchers and will fill up quickly. Keep in mind that this event is only available for players who have previously attended one of our events before.

To reserve your spot today, visit www.RanchAlumni.com. SAVE $500 if you register before December 1st!

To start the new year right, we want to give pitchers a chance to further their training through our Advanced Alumni Pitchers Boot Camp. This two-day camp will delve into a variety of advanced concepts and techniques to expand on what pitchers have learned in our other camps. Participants will also receive feedback on video footage, analyzed by Coach Wolforth, in addition to personal time with each of our ranch coaches and our special guest, Brent Strom.

SPECIAL BONUS: Any pitcher who participates in our advanced boot camp can stay for an additional week of training January 4-7 for only $995. Take the concepts learned at the Advanced Camp and hone your skills before the start of the season at the “Extended Stay Winter” session.

5 STEPS TO A SAFER HOTEL ROOM Keep Strangers and Viruses Out With These Quick Tips

3. Quarantine your remote control. As USA Today puts it, “It’s common knowledge that one of the germiest items in a hotel room is the remote control.” To avoid the ick, pick up the remote while wearing gloves and drop it into a Ziploc. Then, remove your gloves and seal the bag. Now you can use the remote without touching it directly! 4. Invest in a rubber door wedge. Viruses aren’t the only risk in hotel rooms — break-ins are another concern. To keep your room secure, bring a rubber door wedge. They cost less than $10 on Amazon and make kicking in a door much more difficult. 5. For maximum security, bring a door alarm. Simple travel alarms hang from the handle of a door and have two prongs that slide between the door and its frame. When the door opens and the prongs separate, that triggers the alarm. These simple devices send thieves running, and Lewis N. Clark makes a model for just $14.99.

Staying home is the best way to protect yourself and your family from illness, but sometimes life gets in the way. Maybe you need to travel for work, to help a relative, or just to keep your kids from bouncing off the walls. If you have a hotel stay on the books, worrying about safety is understandable. But by taking these precautions, you can protect your loved ones and increase your odds of coming home healthy. 1. Bring a sanitation kit and use it! Most hotels are going above and beyond to sanitize their rooms these days, but it never hurts to take extra care. Before you check in, pick up cleaning supplies like disinfectant spray, wipes, plastic bags, and gloves. Then, use them to wipe down your room. Focus on big surfaces as well as features like faucet handles, doorknobs, lightswitches, and microwave buttons. 2. Skip the decorative linens. Many hotels don’t wash decorative bedding like comforters and fancy pillowcases. To be extra safe, strip these off the bed and wash your hands afterward. If you’re chilly, opt for the hotel’s spare blanket (it’s probably hiding in a closet) or bring one from home.

Hopefully, these tips give you some peace of mind on your next trip. Happy trails!

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TO TOSS OR NOT TO TOSS? 2 Truths About Long Toss

A few internet gurus even claim they have a specific method which overrides or shortcuts the long toss route. Most of these methods are simply attempts at marketing products, and they usually amount to a flat-out red herring.

The internet is replete with thousands of ideas and opinions on the efficacy of long toss for pitchers. Some coaches and gurus contend that long toss is one of the most dangerous activities a pitcher could possibly engage in from a health and injury perspective. Others claim it’s simply a waste of valuable training time because it doesn’t reflect in-game mound mechanics. Still others praise it as a godsend, the answer to almost any pitching ailment an athlete could possibly have.

So where does The Ranch fall on the long toss continuum?

The answer is way, way toward the “long toss is a godsend and the answer” end of the spectrum. While we don’t quite view long toss as the ultimate answer for every ailment, we see it as a valuable instrument in our toolbox for developing electric arm strength. When people knock the value of long toss, it’s because they fail to grasp two primary truths. TRUTH 1: One can throw without pitching, but one can never pitch without throwing. To become a prolific pitcher, one must first become a prolific thrower. This truth is simply not debatable. TRUTH 2: There are two primary elements involved in being a world-class pitcher. One is skill. The other is ability. You will need both. Long toss creates, augments, enhances, and develops ability. Long toss stimulates muscle groups in original ways by focusing on the goal of maximum distance. This assists us in creating the training effect we often seek.

These myriad opinions leave many parents and coaches confused. They don’t want to hurt young players or place them in a high-risk situation. On the other hand, they know how important it is to develop a power arm in order to advance. Confronted with so much conflicting information, they choose a middle course that all but guarantees mediocrity.

UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS

THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY One Accomplished Player

ULTIMATE PITCHING COACHES BOOT CAMP: DEC. 4–6

Thanksgiving isn’t just a time for football. In fact, plenty of historic baseball moments have taken place on this particular holiday in the past several decades. Since Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 26 this year, we’re taking a look at one of the most memorable moments that happened on that date in 1980. Mike Schmidt is one of the most renowned players for Philadelphia Phillies fans; he played third base and was a strong hitter. By the time he reached the end of his baseball career, Schmidt had 548 home runs and 1,595 RBIs, but that’s not all. Schmidt earned four Gold Glove Awards, led the National League in home runs three times, and had played in four All-Star Games by 1979.

ELITE CATCHERS BOOT CAMP: DEC. 11–13

ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS: NOV. 21–23 DEC. 28–30 JAN. 16–18

ADVANCED/ALUMNI PITCHERS BOOT CAMP: JAN. 2–3

Yet, Nov. 26, 1980, was particularly special for Schmidt. On that day, he received all 24 votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, unanimously winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award. He received two other MVP awards later in his career before he retired in 1989.

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! EQUIPMENT PROVIDER,

www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro

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www.texasbaseballranch.com 5451 Honea-Egypt Road Montgomery, TX 77316

(936) 588-6762 INSIDE THIS ISSUE

PAGE 1 Still Much to Be Thankful For PAGE 2 Start 2021 Strong With Our Advanced Camp! 5 Steps to a Safer Hotel Room PAGE 3 To Toss or Not to Toss? The Success of Mike Schmidt PAGE 4 How Mental Stress Causes Physical Injuries

And How You Can Stop It HOW STRESS CAN LEAD TO INJURY

If you’re always dealing with stressful situations, then you’re constantly leaving your body open to physical injury. You can prevent injuries with all sorts of physical means, but if you fail to address your mental and emotional health, you’ll still be at a heightened risk. While you might not be able to prevent every stressful situation from ever happening, you can control how you react when one does occur.

While it’s pretty intuitive that physical stressors can cause physical injuries, you might not know that mental and emotional stress can also lead to musculoskeletal injuries that require physical therapy. That’s right — a lack of sleep, a busy workweek, and other stressful life events can make you more prone to injury. Why is this, and how can you prevent the stresses of everyday life from causing you bodily harm? When you experience stress, your body does a few things that naturally put you at an increased risk of injury. First, stress causes your nerves to function inefficiently. Second, stressful situations lead to higher levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone that inhibits muscle repair and immune system function.

A few simple things you can do to prevent mental stress are to get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, and drink plenty of water. If any of these basic stress inhibitors are absent from your daily routine, focus on incorporating them in to alleviate some of your stress. That said, practicing simple breathing exercises or another form of meditation can also be helpful, especially if you’re looking for a physical way to mentally unwind after a stressful day. While learning about how much stress hurts you can be even more stressful, you can find some peace knowing that with a few simple changes to your routine, you can prevent your stress from causing physical injury.

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