(Editor’s Note: For more than a decade, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He works behind the scenes as a private hitting consultant to some of the best hitters in Major League Baseball. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan.
He is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller The #GoodBatting Book and co-hosts a popular podcast, KWB Radio, that showcases unique conversations with the pros. If you want Kevin to speak at your next event or if you want take advantage of his popular 2-day KWB Experience for players and coaches, contact Kevin today! The following words are his own.)
Each of us is uniquely designed. No one has the exact same mix of factors that make you unique. That means no one else on Earth will ever be able to swing the bat or play the role exactly the same way you do.
Your abilities are the natural talents you were born with. Some people have the ability to hit with power. Others have the ability to make consistent contact no matter where the ball is thrown. Few can switch hit. Some will succeed with a no-stride stance. No matter what your natural talents are, they are unique to YOU.
You are the only person on Earth who can use your abilities. Someone can’t walk into a department store and buy a large box of your unique talents, rush out onto the field and expect to perform with them. Many hitters today are swinging someone else’s swing and expecting the same results as the other person. It’s sad to see so many hitters who discount their own unique talents, never reaching their full potential because they are so wrapped up in doing it how someone else likes to do it.
Your abilities were not given to you by God just to make a living. He equipped us with all that we need to live our lives fully. And knowing this, we should seriously examine what we are good at doing. So many spend time focusing on their weaknesses, that they forget or neglect to focus on their strengths. Joe Ferraro and I spoke about this at length on KWB Radio. You can listen to that episode here.
Focus On Your Strengths
Time and time again, hitters will readily tell me everything they can’t do, but when asked what they are good at, they have to pause and think about it.
This is the moment when they begin to realize they don’t know what they don’t know.
Because you are unique, there will be times when you feel like you are different, or perhaps an outcast. You will feel like you don’t fit in. These are all natural feelings we experience in our daily lives. So instead of resenting or rejecting who you are and the talents you possess, celebrate how you can uniquely impact your environment with your talents.
Part of accepting your shape is recognizing your limitations.
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Nobody is good at everything, and no one is called to be everything. We all have defined roles, and we need to “stay in our lane” so we can intentionally focus on mastering our strengths. Many of us running through life, will look into the other lane and become envious or distracted. Simply focus on the gifts you possess and try and develop them to best of your abilities
When we focus on our strengths and being the best version of ourselves, we begin to enjoy the personal satisfaction of having done our jobs well, and we won’t need to compare ourselves to anyone else.
There is a danger in comparing ourselves to others.
One, you will always be able to find someone who can do it better than you. This can easily cause you to be discouraged. Two, you will always find someone who doesn’t do it as well as you do and you can become full of pride. Either attitude will rob you of your joy in living in your shape.
Along your journey, you will inevitably find people who don’t understand your uniqueness or shape. They will criticize you and try and get you to conform to what they think you should be doing. My advice for you is to ignore them. For example, if your hitting coach is forcing you into a swing that you know won’t work for you, you instantly know that coach isn’t in it for you. Stand up for what you know works for you, and continue working towards becoming the best version of yourself.
Develop Your Shape
Once you’ve found your unique skills and talents, start developing in knowledge and understanding of your shape. Find out what you’re good at and work to develop your uniqueness. Think about your shape as a muscle. If you don’t exercise, your muscles will weaken. In the same way, if you don’t work on your unique abilities and skills, you will lose them.
Whatever talents you have been given can be enlarged and developed through deliberate practice – practice that promotes purpose and an understanding of WHY you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s also important to point out that studying your craft and being open to constructive feedback, will allow you to become a better version of yourself.
No one is perfect. I see young players coming up in today’s game trying to perfect a swing, and they wonder why they aren’t successful. Instead, they should be developing ways that allow them to master their swings and approaches, put themselves in positions to stretch themselves and learn all they can to be the best version of themselves.
Take advantage of every training opportunity to develop your shape and sharpen your talents.
Before you go to bed tonight ask yourself this question: How can I make the best use of the talents that God has given me?
Follow Kevin on twitter @KWBaseball and visit his website KWBaseball.com
