Fishing made me do it
Driving on I-25 towards Denver in the early summer of 2004, I was on top of the world! I was to test my new found "Facts of Hitting" teaching program on one of the best American Legion Teams in the country and do some fly fishing! Heaven!!!
With the 107 degree Arizona heat in my rear view mirror, so was my inferior, theory-based coaching style!
But I was nervous as a fish out of water!
How was it going to work?
How would the kids and coaches receive the information that was so foreign to me, a baseball lifer, just a few months earlier?
Am I walking into a perpetual mine field called baseball tradition?
Would they like me as a coach?
Would they respect me?
But most important of all... would it truly make each one of them better?!?
And would there be an explosive hatch while I was their so my fish stories wouldn't be fish stories.
The whole trip, I had fished thoroughly through my mind for answers to try and be prepared for any and all questions.
Arriving early to a beautiful High School field 30 miles north of Denver, I marveled at the snow peaked Rocky Mountains that dominated the landscape in the area.
Having a few minutes before I needed to set up, I fished for my camera in an 1995 Chevy packed to the gills, to capture the moment.
That picture sits above my desk today.
Was this a "fish or cut bait" moment? Was this new, fact-based hitting development plan as good as I thought or was it just another "fad"? If it didn't work, I had other fish to fry as far as getting a real summer job!
The kids rolled in in a very respectful manner and Bob Bote, the coach of the club, was excited to see what the new hitting development program could do!
As I watched the kids hit, I was getting excited because the program leaves little room for interpretation... either you make all the correct movements at the correct time...or you don't.
Intently watching each swing as though it was a dry fly about to get slurped up by a big brown trout, it was VERY obvious that these kids were talented but each had a "hole" or two I thought I could address and fix.
The 3 day camp went well and the improvements made were significant. The kids and coaches understood, for the most part, what they did well and what they were missing... and most importantly, how EXACTLY to fix it. I was very pleased how my first teaching event went and was ready to... drum-roll... actually go fishing.
And I did for a few days after making plans to come watch the team with Coach Bote after a couple days of wetting my line.
As I rolled into Scott Carpenter Ball Park in Boulder Colorado after a couple days posing as an angler, I was met by a parent fishing for some information. "Are you the Krush guy" she asked. After a chuckle(The krush guy I thought? I like that), I confirmed her hunch with a simple, "I think so."She happened to be a mother of one of the players on the team opposing Coach Botes club. "How do we get you to come to our place?" Another snicker and a stutter and I composed myself and asked where they were from? She told me it was a smaller town in Northeast Colorado. I then asked how she got my information and why she was interested?"My son is good friends with the Kids(on Coach Botes team) and they hit 9 home runs against us yesterday. And they hit 7 in the 1st game today. All the kids said it was because of your camp."Quite embarrassing to hear as I know the program was just part of the equation resulting in their success... but exhilarating!! IT WORKS! IT WORKS! All I could tell myself after hearing her say that!I ended up staying in Colorado for 7 weeks and fished a total of 14 days! Winner!!!Fast forward 12 years. More than 1000 events and roughly 30,000 hitters and coaches in some 31 states later... of course it worked! It is based up FACT! Proven fact...of course it worked. It worked back during day one of our sport and it works now... either you make the correct movements at the correct times or you don't.
I spent years fishing for data and a better way as I still do today... but it comes down to that simple question and ALWAYS will! Facts are facts period. Fishing made me do it... and the fishing is good!!
With the 107 degree Arizona heat in my rear view mirror, so was my inferior, theory-based coaching style!
But I was nervous as a fish out of water!
How was it going to work?
How would the kids and coaches receive the information that was so foreign to me, a baseball lifer, just a few months earlier?
Am I walking into a perpetual mine field called baseball tradition?
Would they like me as a coach?
Would they respect me?
But most important of all... would it truly make each one of them better?!?
And would there be an explosive hatch while I was their so my fish stories wouldn't be fish stories.
The whole trip, I had fished thoroughly through my mind for answers to try and be prepared for any and all questions.
Arriving early to a beautiful High School field 30 miles north of Denver, I marveled at the snow peaked Rocky Mountains that dominated the landscape in the area.
Having a few minutes before I needed to set up, I fished for my camera in an 1995 Chevy packed to the gills, to capture the moment.
That picture sits above my desk today.
Was this a "fish or cut bait" moment? Was this new, fact-based hitting development plan as good as I thought or was it just another "fad"? If it didn't work, I had other fish to fry as far as getting a real summer job!
The kids rolled in in a very respectful manner and Bob Bote, the coach of the club, was excited to see what the new hitting development program could do!
As I watched the kids hit, I was getting excited because the program leaves little room for interpretation... either you make all the correct movements at the correct time...or you don't.
Intently watching each swing as though it was a dry fly about to get slurped up by a big brown trout, it was VERY obvious that these kids were talented but each had a "hole" or two I thought I could address and fix.
The 3 day camp went well and the improvements made were significant. The kids and coaches understood, for the most part, what they did well and what they were missing... and most importantly, how EXACTLY to fix it. I was very pleased how my first teaching event went and was ready to... drum-roll... actually go fishing.
And I did for a few days after making plans to come watch the team with Coach Bote after a couple days of wetting my line.
As I rolled into Scott Carpenter Ball Park in Boulder Colorado after a couple days posing as an angler, I was met by a parent fishing for some information. "Are you the Krush guy" she asked. After a chuckle(The krush guy I thought? I like that), I confirmed her hunch with a simple, "I think so."She happened to be a mother of one of the players on the team opposing Coach Botes club. "How do we get you to come to our place?" Another snicker and a stutter and I composed myself and asked where they were from? She told me it was a smaller town in Northeast Colorado. I then asked how she got my information and why she was interested?"My son is good friends with the Kids(on Coach Botes team) and they hit 9 home runs against us yesterday. And they hit 7 in the 1st game today. All the kids said it was because of your camp."Quite embarrassing to hear as I know the program was just part of the equation resulting in their success... but exhilarating!! IT WORKS! IT WORKS! All I could tell myself after hearing her say that!I ended up staying in Colorado for 7 weeks and fished a total of 14 days! Winner!!!Fast forward 12 years. More than 1000 events and roughly 30,000 hitters and coaches in some 31 states later... of course it worked! It is based up FACT! Proven fact...of course it worked. It worked back during day one of our sport and it works now... either you make the correct movements at the correct times or you don't.
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| Krush Hitting Camp |
I spent years fishing for data and a better way as I still do today... but it comes down to that simple question and ALWAYS will! Facts are facts period. Fishing made me do it... and the fishing is good!!
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