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 By: Jay Johnson
Are you tired of being that guy always watching the quarterback throw the game winning touchdown, the clean-up hitter hit that walk-off homerun or the star point guard hit the three pointer to put the game away? If so, then prepare yourself for the road to success paved by this article. Nobody ever said it was an easy road and after all, if it was then why would you want to take it? This article will discuss the approach one should take to step up, step into the spotlight, and step down for no one, from mentally preparing yourself to training your way to the top. Earning your way into the lineup and going from being "that guy" to being "The Man" is much more possible than you could have ever imagined and with hard work, you could be the one sending the other team home hanging their heads.
  Click Image To Enlarge.This Article Will Discuss The Approach One Should Take To Step Up, Step Into The Spotlight, And Step Down For No One.
As one should always, we begin by stepping back and mentally preparing for the journey ahead, the obstacles which could stand in the way and how we will conquer them. You must constantly ask yourself the question, "Do you wanna be good, or do you wanna be great?" This question always comes to mind when everyone is tired and just wants to go home and end practice early and forces to push on for just "one more".
A WestPoint fitness trainer once told me that a workout doesn't begin until you are tired. With this being said, let everyone else go home so you can let your workout begin, whenever you are not working, someone else is. One who truly wants to be the king of the mountain one day must never stop because it's too hot, or because it's raining but must push through no matter what, letting the dedication drip from his brow. You are a machine, a monster, and nothing can step in your way on the road to the top and if it does, you will squash it. It's like Cleveland Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. once said, "I'm a soldier!"
 Click Image To Enlarge.You Are A Machine, A Monster, And Nothing Can Step In Your Way On The Road To The Top.
Now that we have the mental aspect on lock, realize our goal and know that we will achieve it no matter the obstacle, let's move on to the more physical aspect of accomplishing this feat, training. As a baseball player for fifteen years I have been through many team practices from the end of the school day until the sun goes down. Most athletic teams (especially high school and up) hold practice almost every day there is not a game but how many of these players practice even more once they get home?
I know once you are finished with that long hard practice you don't want to go on but I can promise you see the results of your work come game day. If you want to be great at something, you must do something about it every single day on top of what is required. Depending on the sport, this can be achieved in many different ways for instance, if you are a baseball player you can go to the batting cage for some extra swings or if you are a football player you can do push-ups or jump rope at home. No matter the case, you have to keep in mind that you will only get out of something what you put into it; as Gen. George S. Patton once said, "If a man does his best, what else is there?".
 Click Image To Enlarge.You Have To Keep In Mind That You Will Only Get Out Of Something What You Put Into It. The specific ways you can increase your performance will be discussed in the following paragraphs but it is important to first know that you have never done enough if you still have some left in the tank. With that being said, let's increase our performance in a big way. No matter the sport, it is important to remember that speed kills and in this case it will be the opposition you will be killing.
In order to achieve this, I put a lot of faith in plyometric training with something we used to call "leg circuits" for baseball; of course they can be used by any athlete in order to build speed. Leg circuits are performed as three to four sets consisting of quick squats, lunges, box jumps and squat jumps all performed as one giant set. The sets are to be performed as depicted below:
  Click Image To Enlarge.Quick Squats.
  Click Image To Enlarge.Lunges. Video Guide: Windows Media - Real Player
  Click Image To Enlarge.Jump Squat. Video Guide: Windows Media - Real Player
Later on in your training you can incorporate more resistance by holding a five to ten pound dumbbell in each hand, I learned this reading an article about Philadelphia Phillies' shortstop Jimmy Rollins who was and still is one of the fastest men in Major League Baseball. Leg circuits are great for many reasons with the primary one being that you can perform them without the use of any equipment. I have heard many coaches over the years make the statement, "You can't teach speed," but it is definitely something that can be obtained with the hard work and dedication we have focused on thus far.
I would recommend that leg circuits be done three times a week, after workouts or practices in order to add that extra mile to your work load which is what we want.
Another great tool used to develop speed is the timeless jump rope. Jumping rope is another exercise that you can do anywhere at any time and is a great way to build up cardiovascular strength as well as speed. Typically when I was training for baseball, I jumped rope each day after practice building up to one thousand reps which usually took around twenty minutes to complete.
Although leg circuits are a great way to build up both speed and strength, the most important thing you should do as an athlete in training is to run. No matter what sport you are participating in, chances are at some point you will be running. Running can not only make you faster but it also builds your endurance better than anything else, and that will never change. I remember the days of training when it was pouring rain outside and what do you do? You run through the gym and out the door into the rain to complete your two mile run for the day.
It is truly the best feeling in the world to walk back into the gym soaked completely through your clothes knowing that nothing could possibly keep you from your goals and your dreams. As an athlete, you must have a steady running regimen in order to stay conditioned enough to complete the tasks demanded of you in your respective sport. This can be specified to each sport by training with primarily sprints or by long distance running.
 Click Image To Enlarge.You Must Have A Steady Running Regimen In Order To Stay Conditioned Enough To Complete The Tasks Demanded Of You. As a baseball player, we always did a lot of sprint training since you are idle a lot with short spells of sprinting in between. The sprinting workout we used and I feel is a great one to have is shown below:
This form of sprint training is one that you will never get used to which is what makes it so great! This workout will put a hurt on you no matter how conditioned you are. As far as long distance running goes, this was not the primary focus of our baseball workout but it was the focus of the football workouts I accompanied players in. We would go through our entire leg workout consisting of squats, lunges, leg presses, etc. all before we ever made it to the track.
As stated before, a workout has not begun until you are tired and this is that principal at its best. One to two miles should be run at least every other day in order to build endurance. I would recommend that these miles be ran around an eight and a half minute pace in order to build the stamina you need to outlast the opposition. Two methods have been discussed which can dramatically increase your stamina as well as your speed, two things one must have in order to compete in any sport and make a statement. Although only two factors were mentioned, there are many more ways to step your game up and make being "The Man" a reality. The next time practice ends and everyone else goes home, stay after and run some extra sprints or do some extra push-ups. These are the things that can not be taught and the coach will notice more than anything else you could do. Related Baseball Articles: The most important thing you will build in all of this is your heart, which without you will never make it to the top and if you do you will not be there for long. The transformation from a "Bench Warmer" to a "Bench Monster" is something that you must dedicate everything to and with that dedication anything is possible. Start today and along with the principals mentioned in this article develop your own ideas and tools to personalize your road to the top. No matter the road always remember, "If a man does his best, what else is there?" Sources:
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