Welcome to The Judge’s Chambers
Looking Back to Look Forward
I know when I was a kid, spring training always seemed like the time when Major League players began to get ready for the new season. Doesn’t it represent a time to look forward? I know it’s when I started thinking about my favorite players getting back on the field, and imagining what they might be doing. The work starts much earlier than that. When I got to the big leagues, I saw Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, guys with all the awards looking to get better. They were always asking questions so they could learn how to improve and get to the next level. I was a rookie thinking they had it all figured out, and yet I learned that you can always hone your craft just a bit more.
So, the day after my season ends, I begin going over everything that happened last year. The good stuff and bad stuff. This gives me an outline of what I need to work on. The items that worked, I will continue to work on, but the stuff that didn’t go well (like my .179 batting average in my first Major League call-up) or skills I'm missing need to be addressed. This is the time to add new workouts or new routines to get me ready for the season. You often hear baseball players talk about turning the page and letting go of what doesn’t work. That is important day to day during the season. But in the off-season, I have to look back. Teams and players are continuing to evolve and develop new game plans and skills. Teams find new ways to defend against me. Pitchers refine their pitching game plans against me. Other hitters are learning new batting techniques. It's my job to continue to evolve and change my game to stay ahead of them all.
Once the assessment is done, I lay out my workout schedule for the off-season, so I have everything laid out. When I have a schedule prepared, it helps me stay on task and check days off. Without the game plan all laid out, I'll skip days and not stay on top of my workouts. With the game plan, I can steadily make progress towards my goals.
The ALL RISE foundation had a pretty good year last year. Despite the pandemic, we developed new programs with partners like LivBits, supported a lot of children and youth through our mini-grant programs, and grew our footprint from San Joaquin County, CA to also include Fresno County, CA and Bronx, NY. Just like I hope to do this year, the ALL RISE team is continuing to develop and find new ways to adapt to help more of our young people and those that teach and coach them. Please stay tuned for what we have in store for 2021 and beyond.
Aaron
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