Are You Hitting Singles or Home Runs?
Imagine that you’re a baseball fan in the 1990’s. For many of you, that’s pretty easy, but if you weren’t a fan, just imagine!
Two of the very best hitters in all of baseball were Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. Both lead their teams and even their leagues for years in batting average. They could hit and hit and hit.
These two guys were consistent for a decade. They were batting champions, rich, successful, and from all appearances, happy guys.
They accomplished all of this while hitting just a handful of homers a year between them. These two guys hit tons of singles and doubles, with the occasional triple or homer thrown in on rare occasions. They didn’t even try to hit homers. They knew what their strengths were, and played to them. They were slap hitters, not power hitters, and they knew it.
Then there was Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. They didn’t win any batting average championships, but in the 1990’s there were few bats more feared. When it came to hitting big home runs, they were the men.
You can be successful many ways. Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs will be hall of famers for hitting singles and doubles. Jr. and Arod will be hall of famers for being power hitters.
I’ve always been a Tony Gwynn or a Wade Boggs.
Of course I’m speaking metaphorically here, but you can substitute other areas of your life for baseball. There are those who grind out financial success by just doing the same successful things over and over, year after year.
Then there are those who want to hit grand slams, and reach for huge success in a shorter period of time. They don’t want to wait for 20 or 30 years to reach their goals. They want to get bigger hits and drive in bigger runs sooner rather than later.
I just keep cranking out singles and doubles, and after 25 years of consistently getting my share of hits, I’ve achieved a level of success that I am very proud of.
As a huge baseball statistics fan, I have analyzed the game from every angle imaginable. And one of the things I’ve noticed is that as players mature, if they work at it, so do their power numbers. There are those players who hit high fly balls to the warning track for outs when they’re 23 or 24 hitting them 10 feet further for homers when they 27 or 28.
If you look at the big home run hitters of all time, their home runs per season go up from the time they’re young to the time they mature.
I’ve matured and now and it's time to become a Ken Griffey Jr. or an Alex Rodriguez. Singles and doubles are fine. I’ll take them, but I’m ready to swing for the fences. And I think I’ve added enough muscle to get the ball out of the park.
I’m excited about 2006 unlike any excitement I’ve had in a very long time. It’s a whole different mindset to be thinking about hitting homers instead of getting a base hit.
In baseball, the guys who are the all time home run hitters are also the all time strike out leaders. Did you know that? But do you think Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle or Reggie Jackson will be remembered for all of their strikeouts or all of their homers?
Regardless, do you think that when Ken Griffey Jr. or an Alex Rodriguez goes up to the plate they’re thinking that there’s a better chance that they’ll strike out than that they’ll hit a homer?
No way. They’re up at the plate looking for something they can drive. And if they see something in their zone, they’re not going to get cheated on their swings. If they strike out, there’s always another at bat coming up.
They have a very specific mindset. Mine has always been to cut down my swing and get the sure single. Now I’m willing to give up some batting average and make sure I’m swinging for the fences at least once every at bat. And if I see a pitch I really like, I’m going to swing at it hard!
Are you swinging for the fences in your life? Are you willing to pay the price of preparation and practice to develop into the person capable of hitting homers?
One thing I can assure you. If you prepare yourself to hit homers, if you practice, train, workout and focus on it, when the right pitch comes along, (and it will) you will be prepared to hit it out of the park.
It won’t be any accident. It won’t be any fluke.
And you can take that to the bank.
Make 2006 a special year in your life. Keep coming back here for more ideas, and I promise you, we’ll all be up in the top 5%.
Namaste.
Jeff
Two of the very best hitters in all of baseball were Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs. Both lead their teams and even their leagues for years in batting average. They could hit and hit and hit.
These two guys were consistent for a decade. They were batting champions, rich, successful, and from all appearances, happy guys.
They accomplished all of this while hitting just a handful of homers a year between them. These two guys hit tons of singles and doubles, with the occasional triple or homer thrown in on rare occasions. They didn’t even try to hit homers. They knew what their strengths were, and played to them. They were slap hitters, not power hitters, and they knew it.
Then there was Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez. They didn’t win any batting average championships, but in the 1990’s there were few bats more feared. When it came to hitting big home runs, they were the men.
You can be successful many ways. Tony Gwynn and Wade Boggs will be hall of famers for hitting singles and doubles. Jr. and Arod will be hall of famers for being power hitters.
I’ve always been a Tony Gwynn or a Wade Boggs.
Of course I’m speaking metaphorically here, but you can substitute other areas of your life for baseball. There are those who grind out financial success by just doing the same successful things over and over, year after year.
Then there are those who want to hit grand slams, and reach for huge success in a shorter period of time. They don’t want to wait for 20 or 30 years to reach their goals. They want to get bigger hits and drive in bigger runs sooner rather than later.
I just keep cranking out singles and doubles, and after 25 years of consistently getting my share of hits, I’ve achieved a level of success that I am very proud of.
As a huge baseball statistics fan, I have analyzed the game from every angle imaginable. And one of the things I’ve noticed is that as players mature, if they work at it, so do their power numbers. There are those players who hit high fly balls to the warning track for outs when they’re 23 or 24 hitting them 10 feet further for homers when they 27 or 28.
If you look at the big home run hitters of all time, their home runs per season go up from the time they’re young to the time they mature.
I’ve matured and now and it's time to become a Ken Griffey Jr. or an Alex Rodriguez. Singles and doubles are fine. I’ll take them, but I’m ready to swing for the fences. And I think I’ve added enough muscle to get the ball out of the park.
I’m excited about 2006 unlike any excitement I’ve had in a very long time. It’s a whole different mindset to be thinking about hitting homers instead of getting a base hit.
In baseball, the guys who are the all time home run hitters are also the all time strike out leaders. Did you know that? But do you think Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle or Reggie Jackson will be remembered for all of their strikeouts or all of their homers?
Regardless, do you think that when Ken Griffey Jr. or an Alex Rodriguez goes up to the plate they’re thinking that there’s a better chance that they’ll strike out than that they’ll hit a homer?
No way. They’re up at the plate looking for something they can drive. And if they see something in their zone, they’re not going to get cheated on their swings. If they strike out, there’s always another at bat coming up.
They have a very specific mindset. Mine has always been to cut down my swing and get the sure single. Now I’m willing to give up some batting average and make sure I’m swinging for the fences at least once every at bat. And if I see a pitch I really like, I’m going to swing at it hard!
Are you swinging for the fences in your life? Are you willing to pay the price of preparation and practice to develop into the person capable of hitting homers?
One thing I can assure you. If you prepare yourself to hit homers, if you practice, train, workout and focus on it, when the right pitch comes along, (and it will) you will be prepared to hit it out of the park.
It won’t be any accident. It won’t be any fluke.
And you can take that to the bank.
Make 2006 a special year in your life. Keep coming back here for more ideas, and I promise you, we’ll all be up in the top 5%.
Namaste.
Jeff
posted by Jeff Fagin at 6:06 AM
3 Comments:
Jeff,
Fast forward to now. I'm running the bases and taking batting practice. Very soon, after my inner game is where it needs to be, I'll start swinging the bat. I'll hit singles, doubles, triples, & home runs.
Jeff
Initially I tried to hit the home run but it caused over swinging. Better hitting came from being a smarter swinger.
Larry E.
At first I would not swing the bat. Now I have hit some singles but need the knowledge to steal to second. The timing and circumstances will determine if I make it to second.
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