Get your team game-ready with preseason habits, efficient practice strategies, and clear goals to kick off a winning season!

Player Development:

Build Preseason Routines for January Success

Getting your athletes game-ready starts with consistent mental and physical preparation. Pre-practice routines help players warm up, focus, and prepare to execute at their best.

Quick Tip: Assign each player to create a pre-practice routine this week. This could include stretches, short drills, or mental visualization. Hold them accountable for sticking to it daily for better focus and performance in January.

Action Step: This week, have each player write down their personalized pre-practice routine, including stretches, a specific drill, and a short mental focus exercise. Review their routines as a team and set a goal to complete them daily. Check-in during practice to ensure accountability and encourage consistency.

My Thoughts: If you are a follower of James Clear and his philosophy on Atomic Habits then it would behoove you to create "processes" or "action steps" that will get your team to their goal. Why? A "goal" is just words while a "process" gives you action steps to improvement.

This Might Help: Game Day Throwing Routine (same was done everyday at practice)

Coach Development:

Plan Practices Like Game Day

Efficient practices lead to confident teams. Treat every session like a game by emphasizing situational drills, team defense, and quick, high-energy reps. This approach ensures players are ready for the real thing when the season begins.

Quick Tip: This week, build a detailed January practice plan. Map out specific drills, timing, and objectives, then share them with your staff to align your team.

Action Step: Draft a January practice schedule this week, breaking each session into segments for situational drills, team defense, and high-energy reps. Share the plan with your coaching staff in a meeting to gather input and ensure alignment. Use this plan to set clear expectations and prepare your team for game-day execution.

My Thougths: Use this "Install Plan" to plan your first three weeks of practice. Copy it as is or use it as an outline to fit your needs. The main idea is to prepare your team for game situations that are game-like and done at game-speed; if not, you are wasting your time!

This Might Help You: Copy of an actual January Staff Meeting.

Program Development:

Set Clear Goals to Unite Your Team

Teams succeed when they work toward shared objectives. Setting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—helps players and staff stay focused and motivated throughout the season.

Quick Tip: Hold a team meeting this week to define three key objectives for the season. Whether it’s improving batting averages, reducing fielding errors, or building team chemistry, ensure everyone commits to achieving these goals together.

Action Step: Schedule a team meeting this week to brainstorm and finalize three SMART goals for the season. Write each goal on a shared board or document, ensuring they are specific, measurable, and time-bound. Assign accountability by having players and coaches commit to actions that support these objectives, and revisit progress regularly throughout the season.

My Thoughts: Here again I refer to the book Atomic Habits that preach it is better to create "processes" or action steps that will help your team achieve their "goals."

This Might Help You:

Offensive Stats We Believed Helped Us Win (Goals)

Defensive and Pitching Actions to Help Us Win (Goals)

Take Action Today:

Address Your Biggest Challenge

The offseason is your opportunity to solve key problems before they impact the season. Whether it’s skill gaps, focus issues, or leadership challenges, small, targeted improvements now can yield big results later.

Action Step: Spend 15 minutes in your next practice addressing one specific team challenge. For example, work on quick reactions in fielding or improve communication during defensive plays.

My Thoughts: If your team has a challenge completing quick and accurate relays then you should work on them. Coach the details of a relay, set up a drill, and then take it to the field. It is also important to use "key words" repetitively the players hear every time they make a relay. For me, when I'd hit the ball I'd holler "Head High - Glove Side" to remind the player what the expectation is and then once the ball was fielded I'd holler "Quick Hands - Quick Feet" to remind the relay man what is expected.

This Might Help You:

• Cuts and Relay Drill

• Cuts and Relay Live

Something to think about:

A strong season starts with preparation. Get ahead now to lead your team to success!

Topic: KretzFiles Staff Meeting - INSTALL PLAN and STAFF Q&A

Time: Jan 8, 2025, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Use this Zoom Link to Join the Meeting

Meeting ID: 836 4195 2075

Passcode: TaZxC8

• I will be using the "free" version of Zoom so I am limited to 40 minutes

• The meeting will be recorded and I will send it out to those who can not attend