The Accountability of a True Student-Athlete

Players & Parents,

Since I began working in amateur baseball full time 5 years ago, I've had the pleasure to develop relationships with so many good kids and families. And although most players and parents have the aspirations to play college baseball, the fact of matter is that many of the players that come through our program will not get the chance to get to that point. This is primarily because most young players do not know how to hold themselves accountable of everything they need to on a daily basis to be a student-athlete at the next level. The key to having success in all areas is time-management.

If a player wants to move on to play baseball at the college level, he needs to condition himself to live the Division 1 student-athlete lifestyle. If he chooses not to, he is at a severe disadvantage and will more than likely not have the chance to play college baseball.

Here is a typical example of what a daily routine looks like for a Division 1 Freshman:

*Keep in mind, there are time gaps in between events for guys to be able to get from point A to B, shower, etc.

6am-8am: Weights
8am-845: Breakfast
9am-12pm: Class
12pm-1245pm: Lunch
1pm-2pm: Individual Work (Defense, BP, Bullpens, Etc)
2pm-530pm: Team Practice
6pm-8pm: Mandatory Study Hall/Tutoring
830pm: Dinner
930pm: Free Time (more than likely there's still more homework/studying to complete)

Often times, student-athletes are only running on 4-6 hours of sleep, and they still need to perform each daily event at a Division 1 level.Too many times, I've heard players AND parents tell me that they are unable to attend weekly practices/local game opportunities because they have too much homework (Good luck telling your college coach that by the way). But when a showcase opportunity comes up, parents/players are willing to carve out the time and money to pursue it. NEWS FLASH: YOU ARE NOT PREPARED, you might as well save your money because you're spinning your wheels.

Each player needs to hold himself ACCOUNTABLE over the entire day, every day. This includes going to class, homework, team practices, individual work, strength and conditioning, NUTRITION (which is often overlooked). True student-athletes do not have the luxury to only hold themselves accountable over their schoolwork like other students who don't participate in sports. If that's how you are preparing your mind and body, you are not conditioned to succeed at the college level.

If you want to play at the next level you have to prepare for what the next level really entails. Remember that 90% of your success at the college level is time management. Every 10 minutes you have free throughout the day is a chance to improve at something on your daily routine.

Hopefully this hits home for several of you.

Thank you,

Joe Spiers

CBA Baseball