Thirty Dollar Thursdays - Complete Baseball Instruction & Training

As a baseball player you must be physically ready to perform the skills the game requires. What distinguishes the great players from the good players? Great players are dedicated to improving their overall game which includes baseball skills such as hitting and throwing as well as conditioning for baseball specific movements. You may now meet all of these baseball specific training needs at St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy in a convenient and affordably priced format. Each Thursday beginning December 3rd you may now receive 30 minutes of hitting instruction followed by 45 minutes of Nike SPARQ training. That is 75 minutes of total baseball instruction for just $30. Space and time is very limited so sign up today. For more information please contact Sean Erwin at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Fall/Winter Sessions

Speed Boosters will again be offering their "Open" fall/winter sessions at St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy beginning November 3rd. Open sessions will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday nights from 5:15-6:00, 6:00-6:45, and 6:45-7:30. Sessions are only $10 per 45 minute session. Speed Boosters also allows you to pay as you go! For more information contact sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Speed Boosters session days and times for Grizzlies Baseball Academy at GCS Stadium coming soon!

Fall Sports Season

Are you ready for the fall sports season? Speed Boosters offers customized sports specific training programs to meet your needs. Whether you are preparing for football, volleyball, softball, or cross country Speed Boosters has you covered. Speed Boosters will even travel to you, a small group, or even to your team to do the training. Getting a training program started with Speed Boosters is simple. If you are interested in setting up training prior to the upcoming fall sports season visit http://www.speedboosters.net/SessionInfo.htm for additional information.

Female Speed & Agility Camp

Speed Boosters will be offering a Speed and Agility Camp specifically designed for females at Lafayette High School this summer. The camp is designed to meet the pre-season needs of female athletes prior to entering the fall sports season. Each participant will receive SPARQ training as well as a SPARQ rating from Speed Boosters nationally certified staff. The camp will run on Monday/Wednesday/Friday beginning on July 20th and end August 7th for a total of 9 training sessions. Camps will be as follows on the campus of Lafayette High School:

Elite Camp (Grades 9-12) 8:00-9:00 a.m. ($215)
Basic Camp (Grades 6-8) 9:15-10:15 a.m. ($135)
Basic Camp (Grades 6-12) 10:30-11:30 a.m. ($135)

For more information or a flyer contact Sean Erwin at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net or Lafayette High School Head Softball Coach Scott Denoyer at denoyerscott@rockwood.k12.mo.us

Spring Session Times

Our spring SPARQ Training sessions have now begun. Below you will find the days and times of our sessions at both of our locations. Whether its preparing for the spring season or in-season training Speed Boosters will meet your sports performance training needs. Summer session schedule, SPARQ Testings, and summer camp times coming soon.

Spring SPARQ Training Sessions
Location: St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy
Tuesday: 4:15-5:00, 5:15-6:00, 6:00-6:45
Wednesday: 5:15-6:00 & 6:00-6:45
Thursday: 4:15-5:00, 5:15-6:00, 6:00-6:45
Cost: $10 per session
Pay As You Go!

Spring SPARQ Training Sessions

Location: Grizzlies Baseball Academy @ GCS Stadium

Tuesday: 7:15-8:00 & 8:00-8:45

Thursday: 7:15-8:00 & 8:00-8:45

Call about Team Training Sessions.

Cost: $10 per session

Pay As You Go!

Thank You!

Speed Boosters would like to thank the 102 and 108 athletes who have trained with us the past two weeks at St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy and the Grizzlies Baseball Academy. Speed Boosters would like to wish all spring athletes the best of luck as they prepare for the start of their high school seasons next Monday.

New spring hours begin March 3rd and are listed below:
St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy - Tues/Wed/Thurs - 5:15-6:00 & 6:00 - 6:45
Grizzlies Baseball Academy - Tues/Thurs 7:15-8:00 & 8:00 - 8:45

We look forward to seeing you in our spring training sessions. For additional information contact Sean Erwin at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Baseball SPARQ Testing

On Thursday February 26th, Speed Boosters will be offering baseball SPARQ testing at St. Louis Baseball and Fastpitch Academy. The testing will take place promptly at 3:30 p.m. The baseball SPARQ test consists of the 30 yard dash, vertical jump, 5-10-5 shuttle, and rotational powerball throw. To find out how you rate attend the SPARQ testing session on Thursday.

5 Tool Players

The "Five Tools" for a baseball player are speed, hitting for average, hitting for power, arm strength, and fielding. It amazes me that many players address the last four tools but do not work on the first tool (speed) and probably the most important. Speed really effects each of the other four tools. A player with speed stands out among others.

Yes, speed can be developed through a program that addresses form, first step quickness, explosive power, and efficient movements. Just by taking 1/10th of a second off your time from home to first you are taking one less step down the first base line. How many times over the course of a season is a player thrown out by one step? I would argue it happens from 8-12 times per season. Increasing your speed by just that 1/10th of a second would give you 8-12 additional hits over the course of the season. That will give a player a huge increase in batting average. Don't overlook the importance of speed!

To begin a SPARQ training program with Speed Boosters at one of our two locations or at your team practice contact Sean Erwin at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Talent is Overrated?

I'm in the middle of reading Talent is Overrate by Geoff Colvin. The title really grabbed my attention. The premise of the book is very simple: you are not born with certain abilities or talent, you gain the ability to perform at a high level (regardless of activity) through "deliberate practice." Basically you must develop a specific program where you can improve your abilities which will then carry over to your sport, activity, job, or trade. Colvin uses examples of such high level achievers as Mozart, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Tiger Woods, and Jerry Rice.

The story of Jerry Rice's rise to a great performer was interesting. He was talked into playing high school football. He was not highly recruited out of high school. Division IAA Mississippi Valley State was the only program to really show interest. How did Rice go from his humble beginnings to being one of the greatest players to every play in the NFL? His approach. No one put in as much time as Rice did to prepare for the game. It is estimated that only 1% of his time was spent playing on the field in the NFL compared to the other 99% which was spent preparing for that time using "deliberate practice." Amazing yet not surprising.

How do we improve our performance? Deliberate practice. Athletes will not improve their performance on the field by playing 100 games a year regardless of sport. Improved performance will come through a well designed "deliberate practice" routine. Building a good strong foundation for future development in your sport will come through a sports performance training program as well as your sport specific skill instruction. How much "deliberate practice" are you taking part in?

For more information on Speed Boosters training sessions as St. Louis Baseball & Fastpitch Academy and the Grizzlies Baseball Academy @ GCS Stadium contact Sean Erwin - sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Grizzlies Academy

Speed Boosters Nike SPARQ sessions have begun at the Grizzlies Baseball Academy. Every Monday & Wednesday night from 5:15-6:00 and from 6:00-6:45 you can Nike SPARQ train with Speed Boosters nationally certified staff. Sessions are only $10 for a 45 minute session. As well as Speed Boosters training you can get professional hitting and pitching instruction from the staff of the Grizzlies Baseball Academy which includes former and current pro players as well as the current coaching staff of the minor league Gateway Grizzlies. Begin your pre-season training today with Speed Boosters training and professional instruction by the Grizzlies Baseball Academy staff. For more information contact Sean Erwin at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net

Grizzlies Academy Sessions Beginning

We will be beginning our SPARQ training sessions at the Grizzlies Baseball Academy beginning Monday January 19th. Sessions will be offered on Monday & Wednesday nights from 5:15-6:00 and from 6:00-6:45. It is open enrollment which means you can attend on the nights and time that fit best into your schedule. The cost is just $10 per training session. Along with the training sessions on Monday and Wednesday nights we will also be offering team SPARQ testing and training. To arrange your team sessions please contact me at sean.erwin@speedboosters.net To learn more about SPARQ visit their website at http://www.sparqtraining.com/

Becoming A Better Athlete

How important is sports performance training in your quest to becoming a better player? Extremely important! Just ask Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops. The NY Times had a great article on the importance of the strength coaches for the Oklahoma and Florida football programs. The role that these strength coaches play within each program is ever expanding. At the college level an athlete will spend more time with his strength coach than he will with their position coach. How much time do you spend focusing on strength and conditioning? Many coaches at the collegiate level see the hiring of the strength coach as the most important hire they can make. If you get a chance check out the article http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/08/sports/ncaafootball/08college.html?_r=2

If your looking to prepare and improve your strength, speed, and agility prior to the season now is the time. For information on Speed Boosters training and facilities visit www.speedboosters.net