by Ron Wolforth, Texas Baseball Ranch

To review the key points of Part I, click here.

The three critical questions...

1. Once plateaus occur…now what?
2. What caused them in the first place?
3. How do we now get unstuck?

First of all, as a general rule, I do not ever try to research the exact causes of any plateau. Plateaus are what they are. They exist. They are natural. Their causes are complex and multitudinous. In fact, the complete cause of any plateau very often involves factors outside of our personal awareness and/or beyond our present comprehension. In my opinion, our energy is far better spent on the 'now what' or the 'what's important now' instead of trying to investigate the specific cause?

Even if we are exceptional in our planning and preparation, plateaus naturally occur to each and every one of us because we as humans longing for growth are always fighting against the body and mind's natural inclination toward homeostasis.

In other words, the body wants to remain neutral… configured and balanced as it is now...

It resists change. It longs for plateaus.

So here is our straight-forward 2 step game plan at the Texas Baseball Ranch, whenever our athletes get stuck...


At Spring Training every year, professional ballplayers will return to the basics. The basics never change. The basics are always critical. But often we simply drift away from them. Therefore 'the basics' must become our default setting. In other words, whenever we aren't getting the growth or the results we are looking for…we always return to the basics.

What are our 'Basics' ?

We have each athlete seriously contemplate the following questions and rate their personal quality. Shown here is a scale from 1-7 with 1 being no commitment and 7 being full on. Each player should circle the value for himself. (See side note on the scale used).

The first set of questions has to do with self-awareness and understanding.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Intent & Conviction

Do you truly believe in your current path and plan of action and do you habitually act according upon that faith? In other words, how well do your actions match your beliefs or do you say one thing and behave in another manner?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Work Ethic, Persistence & Commitment

Do you dabble and hope…or are you ALL IN each and every day?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Specific Plan of Action

Do you actually have a specific plan of action or are you just swinging wildly and hoping you hit something?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Awareness 

Have you developed a keen sense of what is happening now…currently. Are you clued in, tuned in and turned on or are you just guessing and going through the motions?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Objective Measurement

If it's important…do you find a way to objectively measure it…AND record AND track it.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Adjustment/ Adaptation/ Evolution 

If you keep doing what everybody else does…you are going to get what everybody else gets. If you keep doing what you've always done…you are going to get what you've always gotten. Are you continually and constantly changing, adjusting, adapting, modifying…and doing it as soon as you see that the need is real.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Perspective 

Step back and look at the big picture …take a 360° look. Are you not seeing the forest for the trees? Are you missing something here?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Ask for Help  

Do we need to find an expert in a specific area or do we simply need another set of eyes to offer perspective?

The second set of evaluation questions is purely physical. (This could apply to hitting and fielding as well as pitching.)

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Connection/ Disconnection

Are You Loose/ Free/ Fluid ? Are you Connected? Linked up? In Synch?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Aggression/Intent/ Energy

Are You Letting it Go? Are you attacking or are you hesitant?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Stability 

Are you stable? Are you controlling your Center of Gravity?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Consistency

Are you repeatable? Can you repeat the desired movement pattern?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Practice Characteristics

Do you need to change the quality, quantity, intensity or frequency of your practice repetitions?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Game Carryover or Transfer   

Are your practice repetitions game like enough?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Skill Specific Adjustability

Are you constantly adjusting or are you repeating the same flawed movement pattern over and over again?

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 Routine  

Are you taking a deep breath, clearing your mind and visualizing your desired outcome prior to your activity or does one repetition simply meld into the next without assessment or evaluation?\

In this set of questions we are looking for degrees of certainty about constraints. 1 = Absolutely certain that this issue is not a constraint. 7 = Absolutely certain this area is constraining my growth. Note that some of these are physical,, but more are about have=ing that game plan, the emotional make-up and the game sense.
A Physical

• Limitations in General Strength 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Limitations in Skill Specific Strength 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Limitations in Mobility/Flexibility/Range of Motion 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Asymmetries/Anatomical mis-alignments 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Strength Imbalances 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Lack of Rest/Recovery/Sleep 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Poor Diet/Nutrition 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Limitations in Neural Pathways/ Neuromuscular Coordination 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Lack of deliberate / deep practice 1-2-3-4-5-6-7

B Mental/ Emotional

• Poor/ Defeatist Self Talk 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Limitations of Emotional Control 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Poor/ Defeatist Body Language 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Incongruent / Less effective Rules of Personal Success & Failure 1-2-3-4-5-6-7

C Strategic

• Poor / limited or less effective game plan 1-2-3-4-5-6-7
• Poor game time decisions 1-2-3-4-5-6-7