 al·li·ance (/əˈlīəns/, noun) 1. a union or association formed for mutual benefit, especially between countries or organizations. 2. a relationship based on an affinity in interests, nature, or qualities. 3. a state of being joined or associated. Having coached Division 1 baseball for 14 years and being a Colorado native, I’ve had a broad look at Colorado baseball for some time. The baseball culture has changed in Colorado since I heavily recruited this state as a Division 1 coach at Texas Tech, Kansas, Texas-Arlington and Dallas Baptist. The state has always been fertile with a population base that supports and produces fine athletes who want to further their baseball opportunities at higher levels. However, the onset of travel baseball teams and tournaments has changed the culture. Kids are playing more games and getting more opportunities to hone their game. While the volume of game play has increased, the commitment and reality of truthful development becomes a tricky conundrum. Game play is certainly an important part of development, but intentional training is of equal importance. I’ve often witnessed the sacrifice of one in leu of the other, and intentional training is often the choice left on the altar. This doesn’t need to be the case and it shouldn’t be so that every child will develop to their fullest potential. One of our most successful programs has been our In House Youth Team Training. Our Bardo’s teams have experienced great on-field success thanks to matching excellent development and intentional training with wonderful coaching, appropriate game play opportunities, and talented young players. This past summer, we began the process of branding our In House Teams with “TCA” - Team Colorado Alliance. The idea here is that we have built an alliance with many youth teams in a relationship where we come together for mutual benefit. Because of the success of that program, we starting to expand this idea and contextualize it to the High School level as well. We started with four different instructional clubs this past fall (Healthy Heat, 3D Hitting, Catcher’s Club, and Impact Infielders) and the results have been very encouraging. We’re seeing players improve, but, more importantly, we’re starting the process of working with the high school coaches so we can all experience the mutual benefit of development. We’re choosing to build alliances with high school coaches for the good of the baseball community and build development opportunities for players of all ages. It is our desire to help and build up the culture of baseball in Colorado through these healthy alliances. Over the summer, we’ve created a program called High School Summer Alliance Training. It gives players the opportunity to train their arm through our Healthy Heat program and their bat through our 3D Hitting program. The program also provides a 30-minute power-building workout. The program is designed for players playing in any program to come in and train for intentional development. Playing the game is an important step in the process, but every player needs to spend time developing their arm and bat during the season. Playing the game alone can’t accomplish the goals, dreams, and expectations of developing players. We want baseball athletes to experience the freedom to play where they want, and train in a program like our High School Summer Alliance Training. Spend time on your arm and bat during the summer season, and be prepared for an incredible season of improvement. The link to register for this program is below. There are five options open for training, and players can choose to come once or twice per week. The price comes out to less than $20 per hour for individualized training and protocols provided by both Healthy Heat and 3D Hitting. The program starts on Monday, June 4 and runs to the end of July. I want to encourage all high school players to join us this summer and develop through our High School Summer Alliance Training! http://www.bardosdiamondsports.com/hs-summer-alliance-training.html
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