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Recap Show: Terry Wolf

Welcome to The Baseball Awakening Podcast where we dive into the raw, unfiltered, unsexy side of player development.

Summary:

On this episode, Host, Geoff Rottmayer,recaps his conversation with Terry Wolf . The biggest takeaways that he discussed on this show are:

  • Terry getting Trey enrolled to baseball at 8 years old
  • Trey started pitching at 10
  • The process Terry use to getting him at Athletic Mission Baseball Academy
  • How the routines came together for Trey and the consistency and results came.
  • Training for the next level isn’t for everyone
  • and many more.

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Email Address:geoff@baseballawakening.com

 

 

 

Transcribe:

Hey guys Geoff Rottmayer here with the Baseball Awakening recap show where I share with you the biggest takeaways I got from my conversation with Terry Wolf – as well as how I plan to implement what I have learned with my players that train with me at my academy in Tulsa Oklahoma. 

Again, as I always say, we want to hear from you because different things mean different thing to different people so it would be interesting to see how you guys interpret something that Terry said or something that I am going to say today. I will make a show reading your email because we can all learn something from it, so my email is going to be geoff@baseballawakening.com, so some your thoughts, comment, or feedback. 

This conversation was great and great for parents to listen. Everyone path is different so it’s not to say that this is what works for him, but you can see how Terry explain his son playing baseball players in life than most – 8-9 years old was the first year he played. He also did not start playing competitive ball until he was 12,13,14 years old and while he liked it for the competitiveness side of the game, knowing what he knows now, he would have likely held off couple more years. Which is different then what the culture will tell you. We are seeing kids start competitive ball younger and younger. 

He also went on to say that he didn’t start pitching until he was 10 years old – so 4 years prior to high school and he ends up making the high school team as a pitcher only. He was a late bloomer type and the key that Terry said that makes a huge difference is he talks about how Trey believed in himself. Most of the time, you hear stories about these late bloomer type having to work harder because they are not yet physically developed and have to work harder to hang, which is a root to work ethic for the kids who really love the game and really believe in themselves. I tell kids all the time, you have to know you belong out there and you have to know you will get it done. And if you don’t keep working hard and have a short memory and get it done. But you can’t hang your head.

Parents play a huge role is helping a kid develop into what he can be – so Terry recognizes early on that he needs to get Trey with the right person, and in this case it happens to be us, to provide the guidance and show him the ropes. What separate Trey, from a lot of kids that I have worked with – is that he didn’t waste time when he showed up, he didn’t cut corners, he would be dripping in sweat on the coldest days of the year, he asked questions, he wanted to know why and wanted to get deeper into it which helps him develop because he has the knowledge and understanding, he bought into writing stuff down, he bought into developing routines, he would go home and watch youtube channels and watch documentaries on baseball. The kid wanted it.   

Terry and Trey also understood it was a process. They were really realistic with expectations. Terry explained how you would see a glimpse of hard work coming together his sophomore years and they start seeing more consistently on into the junior year and senior year. Developing is not quick, it a long process. There are a lot of pieces to it and where most kids I believe mess up is they are not willing to seek more information. I hand out paperwork for players to fill out and start thinking about different things, very few kids really put the time into it and very few even do it. That shows you who is committed and who is not. It also one of those things where different kids respond to that stuff at the different time. But you have a guy like Trey who would do everything and start the process early and it a part of the process that helped him become a D1 pitcher. 

Terry also went on to say, seeing Trey go about his business and some of the other kids at our academy, its def not for everyone. They would leave school practice and then head over and get some more work in at my place 3-4 days a week. This extra repetition and routine that he went through accumulated and eventually he bloomed. Are there always stuff to work on, of course, but it got him to the point where he would throw 90+ mph and go to a D1 program. 

Terry also explains how they choose not to play summer ball his freshman summer and then only playing a few his sophomore year. He talks too how tough it was going against the culture and trusting that it was the right things. A lot of parents struggle with this. The culture says you need to play and if you don’t you blew it. The reality is, if you don’t have the skills worth showcasing then it will do more harm being on the field where your first impression matters. Showcase ball is great when you are ready and have something worth showcasing. So get with someone who can evaluate you and help you save some money. 

Terry explains how Trey junior years a lot of things really started to come together, but this was also the year where is routine came together and he started to see consistency in his approach, in his performance, and in his mechanics. The routines take time to develop but you have to start the process. Just like Kevin Wilson said, just have one even if its a bad one. Reflect on it and make adjustments. It worked for him, then as he went to college and everything change, he had to figure out a routine at college that would work for him. And he recognizes that and it took him several months and maybe he is still trying to figure it out but it is a work in progress to get a routine that is going to allow him to be consistent. 

Terry also explains to Trey that he needs to get to a point where he was asking for feedback from his coaches and except what they were saying. You get lost in the grind and even with me training him and knowing where the process was taking us, I still need someone from the outside to share what they were seeing and thinking. So you have to be comfortable asking your coaches for feedback and like I said you have to be willing to take the feedback and use it to get better not pout. You do not want good feedback all the time. You want to constantly improve and push yourself, you can get better at everything. 

Later on in the conversation, Terry talked about how Trey was still getting calls from schools who had money to offer even after his committed in his junior and senior year. There is this notion that if you aren’t committed by the time you are a junior then there are no opportunities. And for the most part that is true, but if you are guys that that late bloomer type and out of nowhere recognized as a guy throwing 90+ you will get opportunities. But if you are guys that going into junior/senior year and you throw 82, then yes there is no money and no opportunities. So this comes down to understanding your numbers and understand what programs are looking for. 

We will in a time of numbers and data, it really is a great time. I love all that stuff, so now you have to train and achieve numbers in order to have an easier time getting your foot into the door. They certainly help and understanding what these numbers are and having a plan to achieving these numbers are important. You need to develop a routine and consistency and you need to give it time. A lot of guys will scrap things if they don’t see an immediate result. Huge mistakes, I think you need to give things 6-12 months and see if it works. Reflect on it, and if the results aren’t there, and you will get some results, but if it’s not what you wan then make adjustments to the routine.

Lastly, he talks about what he would do now, knowing what he knows now, and I think its great advice to help you have money and time. So be sure to go back to that and listen. 

This was a great conversation that I already got some feedback on with some parents who were stuck in some areas. Thanks for checking it out and we will catch you again next time. 

  

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