Mentorships = Championships

We all need mentors who have been there and done that, who can teach you how to be more efficient, how to be more competitive, and who can guide you professionally and personally.

It doesn't matter if you are an athlete or a coach. We all need someone, or a group of people, to freely communicate with when we have questions or challenges.  

So how do you pick a mentor?  

For starters, you must identify your career pursuits, what you set out to achieve, your blind spots, and forecast obstacles. For example, suppose you are Low-A minor league shortstop who has an issue with backhanding baseballs. In that case, you may want to connect with a player in the organization who is at a higher level and highly proficient in the area you need improvement. Or, if you are a coach and want to confirm an approach you have with a player, do not feel ashamed of asking for help or getting a second opinion—your players will value your effort in leaving no stone unturned. 

In my circumstance, I was looking for an opportunity to expand my opportunities as a sports scientist and could think of no one better to help me improve my analytical skills and knowledge other than Dr. David Szymanski at Louisiana Tech University.  

Dr. Szymanski is one of the most unique people in baseball. He wears many hats and is the Chair for the Department of Kinesiology, the Director for the Human Performance Laboratories at the college, and the Director of Baseball Performance for a team that cracked the top 20 in NCAA D1 Baseball last season.  

His research area is widespread in evaluating performance outcomes across cardiovascular fitness, strength and conditioning, functional strength, and biomechanics related to pitchers and hitters.  

He's also had many students go on to careers in human performance and coaching in Major League Baseball and continues to publish articles year after year despite all of his involvements.

Research with ArmCare

Dr. Szymanski integrated the ArmCare platform this year with the team this fall. We are researching its impact on throwing performance and how strength is connected throughout the body and within the throwing arm. It's fascinating as the information related to arm strength and range of motion will help the industry to measure what matters and understand approaches to improve monitoring and training the throwing arm.

In this week's podcast, we dive into Dr. Szymanski's experience and research interests to date, as he is on path to find out answers that coaches can truly apply to their player development plans and use to overcome deficits in performance. 

One thing is for sure, champions always have someone they owe credit to for their successes, and one day you will return the favor in helping someone else learn, grow and achieve high performance. 

If you are interested in doing research with ArmCare.com, please reach out to me at [email protected] to discuss your research questions, study design and needs. We are happy to assist you. 

Have a great week!

Ryan

[email protected]