Baseball is a simple game on the surface but the deeper that you dive into the sport, the more complex it becomes. Coaches have been looking deeper into micro issues and this has caused the sport to look for all the answers to these smaller issues rather than the obvious ones on the surface. Some of the issues this includes: “does hip-shoulder separation matter in hitting?” or “Should hitters use a scissor kick? Do pitch counts matter?” I could go on for days, but this is just an example of the micro issues that we (as coaches) love to talk about. We can get lost in these problems and lose sight to the macro issues that truly shape an athlete. We know that macro issues are what shapes an athlete over time, but what are we doing to help our athletes with these macro issues? I just read the Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande and I think that this is the answer. Here is a quote from the book that hammers home how we need to master the basics, “the volume and complexity of what we know has exceeded our individual ability to deliver its benefits correctly, safely, or reliably.” I created a checklist for my players and decided to share it with you guys! They are drinking a gallon of water, 8 hours of sleep, 2 hours of movement, self-improvement and unplugging. These are 5 things that I believe will help my athletes with on-field performance and in the classroom. I will go over how important each step is and how the checklist will hold them accountable.

Drinking a Gallon of Water

            We all know how important it is, but how many of us actually get that gallon in? It is tough because we get lost in the fast pace of life and don’t have anyone or anything to check that we have been doing so. That is where the checklist comes in. It holds you accountable and puts the cold hard truth right in front of your face. You can go to webmd.com and see that dehydration can cause you to have lack of energy, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing and much more. These all can be detrimental to athletic performance. Now let’s look at the flip side of things. How can drinking a gallon of water a day improve your quality of life? It increases oxygen in the body, increases energy and regulates body temperature. We often look for increased energy through drinks such as Bang or Red Bull. These drinks can help, if adequately hydrated. In most cases our athletes are not drinking enough water and drinking multiple energy drinks. This combination can actually be dangerous to the athlete. If we know this happens often, then why are we doing nothing about it?

Sleep

            Go back to your college days, did you get 8 hours a sleep on a regular basis? My guess would be no…I know my answer was no. No ask yourself another question. Did you put yourself in a position to even have a chance to get those 8 hours of sleep?  It’s tough to get the correct amount of sleep if you’re not getting on a good sleeping pattern. Without a good sleeping pattern, then your circadian rhythm will be poor. When your circadian rhythm is off, then even on nights where try to get those 8 hours of sleep, it becomes really tough. Now when put the checklist into the equation, you can see the amount of days that you have not received ample rest. I have heard players say, “I have no idea why I feel like crap!” I often think that sleep is a big factor of this. If this same player is using his checklist, then he will be able to see why he feels like crap. Here is additional information from YLM Sport science. They are a great follow on all the social media platforms.

Two Hours of Movement

            When looking at movement, we often think of action in our sport. I want you to think broader and think about how they move when they are outside of the sport. When you are going through school you sit in a chair for the majority of the day. This can be detrimental to sport performance but also to your overall health. The worst thing that happens to your body when you sit for a prolonged amount of time is loss of hip extension. I saw a tweet the other day from Connor Harris that showed all the benefits of restoring natural hip extension.

I could talk all day about the benefits of constant movement, but the last point I want to hit on is increased proprioception or body awareness. The more activities that you perform, the more you will put your body in new positions and this will create a better athlete. This conversation goes directly into the conversation about multi-sport athletes. These players not only benefit from the different sports, but also from just moving more than the single sport athletes. We know the benefits of movement, now the next step is finding a plan that works for you.

Self-Improvement

            This is a broad statement and I like having more broad statements in a group checklist because the players can take ownership of what the boxes mean to them. Self-improvement can also be seen as a growth-mindset. Each day is a chance to get better and closer to your goals in life. It helps to ask yourself each day, “What did I do to get better today?”. Goals are different for everyone and they don’t have to be to become a better baseball player. They can range from whatever you want to do in your professional career, make the world a better place, create better relationships, etc. An example for me personally is that I recently found a love for reading books. I have been making sure that I get an hour of reading in a day. An example of a player’s goal could be one that wants to get into a strong master’s program. Self-improvement for this person can be a certain number of hours studying to make sure they have a strong GPA. I plan on talking about what their self-improvement box meant to them at the end of every semester.

Unplugging

            This is probably the most important of the boxes to check off on a daily basis because of the times we are in. There is a so much uncertainty in the world and days have been piling together for everyone. Resetting at the start and/or end of each day will be crucial to be able to control what you can. I have been caught up thinking about how much this sucks rather than what can I do to be better at the end of this. We all have these times but having a time in the day to reset can be an absolute game changer. Some tools that I will be recommending to our guys will be meditation, yoga, walking and more. You can even combine the two hours of movement with this box because walking is an underrated tool to unwind. Getting away from technology is one of the harder things to do which makes this box harder than any other as well. My hope is that my guys will find a way to do this together, because unplugging together is where the best bonds are built.

Conclusion

            Checklist are something that are used by airline pilots, engineers, doctors and more high-level professionals. We overlook these aspects of performance all too often and a solid checklist is the perfect place to start. I also believe that implementing these healthy living habits now will also help them in their career after sports. You only get one body for this lifetime, let’s start acting like it.