I once asked him what made La Russa special. His answer surprised me.

“ABC. Tony believed he should always be coaching.”

He explained that La Russa was constantly walking the field, getting to know players, standing behind the cage evaluating with intense focus. Sometimes he said nothing for an hour. But he was always teaching—or preparing to teach.

That’s the same belief behind Trosky 365, the most comprehensive daily training system available. When the pupil is ready, the coach is in your pocket.

And the reps? They’re added every day.

Strength Reps: Arm Care for the Long Season

This week’s Strength Reps prepare the arm for the marathon of a season.

Velocity gets you noticed.

Arm care keeps you playing.

“Arm care isn’t something you do when you’re hurt. It’s something you do every day so you don’t get hurt.”
— Justin Verlander

Old-School Arm Care: The Program

As Opening Day approaches, light dumbbells—and learning to isolate small muscles—keep players durable and available. Setup doesn’t need to be fancy. It can be as simple as a can of beans.

Choose your load:

• Newbies: No weight. Master the movement.

• Rookies: 15-oz can of Bush’s Baked Beans.

• Arm-Care Vets: Up to 2.5 lbs.

Frequency:
Begin 3–4 days per week. After a few consistent weeks, progress to 5–6 days.

Set & rep guideline:
For each exercise below, perform 3 sets of 12 controlled reps.

Throwing is explosive. Earn that explosiveness by building the base first.

Staying healthy starts with the boring stuff. These six exercises work just as well in the weight room as they do in the living room.

Exercise #1 — Cross Raise

Builds stability in the shoulder and upper back. Controlled movement and muscle isolation allow light weights to fire muscles that rarely get targeted.

Exercise #2 — Shoulder Press

Each controlled rep builds coordination. Small muscles develop the same way big ones do—slowly.

Think progression:

Stability → Strength → Power

Pinch the scapulae lightly before beginning.

Exercise #3 — Reverse Goalposts

Arm speed works only if you have the brakes to slow it down. This exercise builds the decelerators—the most commonly neglected part of the shoulder.

Elbows stay just below shoulder height. Arms stop near parallel to the ground. Movements are controlled, with a light scap pinch before each set.

Exercise #4 — Rows

With your chosen weight, isolate the scapulae independently. By working one arm at a time, row through a full range of motion.

Before you “pinch the scaps” to make a long throw, build stability and strength in the part of your back that keeps the shoulder in place—the scapulae.

Exercise #5 — Full Cans

Stand tall with strong posture. Palms face the quads as both arms raise slowly.

Pause and breathe between reps to avoid recruiting the deltoids and reinforce smooth range of motion.

Exercise #6 — Empty Cans

Pinkies up. Thumbs down. Stop short of shoulder height.

With this final exercise, review and set your plan. These movements are in your Journey this week inside the Trosky 365 daily training app.

Balanced and stable plays longer. Old-school simple; Bush’s Beans practical.

The Virtual Coach

Trosky 365 supports complete development—physical, mental, and personal. Created to deliver daily training and prompts, here’s what’s coming this week:

Character Reps

Breathe into your goals with the godfather of baseball’s mental game.

In Heads-Up Baseball (1995), Dr. Ken Ravizza laid the foundation for modern mental training. One core habit: breathing.

“The breath helps you shift from consciously thinking to just doing. Let go of the thinking and move to the doing. Breathing is a powerful tool because it represents so much. It brings oxygen to the brain.

When you need to relax a little bit, focus on the exhalation.

When you need energy, focus on the inhalation.”

Make-Your-Bed Mantra

Control the controllables—starting every morning.

Watch the mantra twice, then ask:

What’s one small win I can get today?

Examples:

1. Make your bed

2. Clean your room

3. Organize your backpack or folders

4. Pick up trash at school

Fill this in: “My make-my-bed moment will be when I __________”

Baseball Development

Infield Mastery #1 — Field Through (IF Back)

For the next five days, we’re setting the highest on-field standard: do it like a big leaguer.

This is a visualization exercise that takes less than one minute but builds elite habits through repetition.

No matter your position, see yourself as an MLB shortstop. Watch the Infield Mastery video again. Then close your eyes and make the play—clean field, strong footwork, decisive throw.

After the out is made, answer one question to sharpen the visualization:

What do you turn and tell your outfielders?

Monday through Friday, one new play each day to challenge the visualization muscle:

• Monday: IF Mastery #1 – Field Through (IF Back)

• Tuesday: IF Mastery #2 – Drop-Step, Get in Front

• Wednesday: IF Mastery #3 – Sweeping Backhand

• Thursday: IF Mastery #4 – Routine

• Friday: IF Mastery #5 – Lateral Left, Get in Front

Short reps. Clear intent. Big-league standards—every day.

365 Daily Training

Weekly Player Development Meetings

Last week, Hammer and I discussed choosing one primary mental skill for 2026. (YouTube link here.)

This Monday, we’ll focus on how Trosky 365 prepares players in short, powerful bursts. That conversation will be posted next Tuesday.

Sign Up for The Class

Or, join directly any Monday night at 5pm PT:

Join Live with Zoom Link

Have a great week!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Our Team

Trosky EdTech Inc. is dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of baseball and business leaders — is united in changing academics and athletics forever. Our regional academies combine school + baseball, backed by groundbreaking whole-person training tech.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.
Together, we elevate a generation.

Share

The senior season is not the time to complicate things. It’s the time to simplify.

One Word. One Season.

The LA Rams, Boston Celtics, and Clemson Football, among others, lean on Jon Gordon for performance and life skills. His book One Word introduces a powerful, simple concept: choose one word to guide a year or season.

That single word shapes decisions, habits, and goals.
Instead of overthinking and clutter, focus creates momentum.

The impact spills everywhere—mind, body, relationships, faith, academics.
The right word drives better choices.

Now take it one step further.

From Word → Skill

Spring is the most exciting time of year—for both the 5-year-old and the 2026 grad.

But January is where things often fall apart.

Too many goals. Too much noise.
By mid-month, as Alan Jaeger puts it, we’re “trying to tame chaos.”

This is your reminder to turn anticipation into commitment.

Choose one pillar skill to work on from now until the final pitch.

Surprisingly, everything else improves too:

• Written goals sharpen adjustments

• A mantra becomes a reset when the game speeds up

• Visualization improves on-deck prep

• Small habits compound into confidence

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”
—Bruce Lee

14 Choices — Own One

“Ten thousand hours of practice is required to achieve the level of mastery associated with being a world-class expert in anything.”
—Daniel Levitin, Neurologist

Exercises for each of the skills below live inside the Trosky 365 Training App.
These are just the tip of the developmental iceberg.

Pick one.
Commit for 90 days.
Go one rep at a time.

1) Memorize a Mantra

Say it out loud. Lock it in.
A simple phrase clears the mind in moments of pressure.
Benefit: Consistency of thought
📍365 App Location: Programs

2) Set Written Goals

Write weekly goals for body, tools, and makeup.
Benefit: Mental clarity
📍365 App Location: Daily Reps

(Yes—these are the now-famous Ohtani goal scribbles.)

3) Devour Productive Reels

Replace scrolling with learning.
Each reel is a rep toward growth.
Benefit: Time well spent
📍365 App Location: Programs

4) Extra Strength Before Bed

Short nightly work adds up fast.
Example: 3 sets of 12 bodyweight squats, every night = 13,140 reps per year
Benefit: Power through consistency
📍365 App Location: Daily Reps

5) Practice Breathing

Two-minute centering techniques you can use on and off the field.
Benefit: Calm in high-pressure moments
📍365 App Location: Mind Gym

6) Use “The Script”

Play the game in your mind before you play it on the field.
Mental rehearsal sharpens communication, anticipation, and awareness.
Benefit: Preparation
📍365 App Location: Programs

7) Set a Pre-Throw Program

Seven extra intentional minutes per day = healthier arms months later.
Works on throw days and rest days.
Benefit: Arm maintenance
📍365 App Location: Programs

8) Develop Speed & Quickness

Add 10 focused minutes after practice or at home.
Benefit: Explosiveness
📍365 App Location: Programs

9) Post-Practice or Post-Game Journaling

Process beats results.
Mission beats mood.
Benefit: Growth planning
📍365 App Location: Mind Gym → Performance Journal

10) Have Real Conversations

At dinner, have better conversations, like:
What did you learn today?
Growth happens beyond the box score.
Benefit: Maturity
📍Location: The Dinner Table

11) Hit Different

Train eye-hand coordination like Dominican street players.
Bottle caps. Sticks. Freedom. Fun.
Benefit: Creativity + coordination
📍365 App Location: Programs → Vitilla Throw Routine

12) Write Nightly Reflections

Grade yourself in five scout-based areas.
You’re the player and the evaluator.
Benefit: Self-awareness
📍365 App Location: Daily Reps → Nightly Reflection

13) Build-Ons & Work-Ons

After practice, workouts, or school, ask yourself:

1. What went well?

2. What challenged me?

3. What’s tomorrow’s plan for improvement?

Benefit: Directing your own development
📍365 App Location: Mind Gym → Performance Journal

14) Nighttime Visualization

Watch elite examples. Close your eyes.
See yourself making the play on the biggest stage.
Benefit: Confidence through clarity
📍365 App Location: Programs → Major League Footwork Mastery

Your Pillar

Ten focused minutes a day builds a pillar that carries into Spring.
Body. Mind. Makeup.

No tricks in 2026.
Just honest work on the one that matters most to you.

Coach Trosky’s Message

“This winter, remember to work on your athletic throws. Be creative—use a baseball, tennis ball, and Vitilla. It will pay off in the spring.”
— Coach Nate Trosky

#BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR

From the Field

365 Live Recording

With infectious energy, Luke Cherry and Bob Saunders broke down how to train young infielders to play beyond their years—guided by Coach Hammer in a lively one-hour discussion.

For instruction snippets, follow Trosky Academy’s Instagram.

For full training programs, explore the Trosky 365 App.

Trosky 365 Daily Development

To the Class of 2026

Enjoy the senior-year marathon.
One word. One skill. One rep at a time.

Growth is coming.

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re transforming education and amateur sports through whole-person training and technology.

Our mission is simple: impact a generation.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share

In Horseheads, New York, President Jim Russ and the Finger Lakes Falcons built the baseball version of that vision.

Passion. Purpose. Development.

For players as young as nine.

In a Jerry Maguire moment, Jim said, “I’m doing it.” And the fish came with him.

In less than two months, a small nonprofit in a town of 18,500 paired big ideas with world-class instruction. With planning support from Nate Trosky, baseball — and the power of “penny decisions” — began to level up fast.

The approach was clear:

Give players structured progressions.

Make small daily choices matter.

Work Meets World-Class Training

Once a department store on Chambers Road, the Falcons’ facility is now a fully immersive, visually guided growth environment — part classroom, part practice lab, part IKEA walkthrough for development.

• Mental primers line the walls

• Step-by-step breathing cues center players before work

• Warm-up progressions hang where players loosen up

• Quotes from the game’s best reinforce standards and mindset

Nothing is random.

The Falcons don’t guess.

They see the plan, commit to it, and do the work.

“Out of the gate, my son had more purpose. He does his L-shuffle, center-secure work, and posture checks at home. It gives him a reason to keep working.”
— Jeremy, 11U Parent

Layered Learning

What lives on the walls doesn’t stop there — it flows directly into the 365 App, reinforcing habits in three key ways:

Daily

Players log reps, drills, and reflections through 365.

With more than 1,000 reels and drills, players build concentration, clarity, and consistency — one rep at a time.

Journaling prompts support both baseball and academic growth. Bonus: they spark great dinner-table conversations.

“We use the app every day — the whole thing, top to bottom.”
— Kevin Doane, parent of a high school player

Weekly

More than 50 unique Tuesday-night classes (live and recorded) cover everything from elite field training to the recruiting landscape. Players, coaches, and parents learn together — and stay aligned.

Facility Integration

In-person group training and detailed practice plans rival the structure of college programs. Coaches get better as they learn, and practices improve as a result.

“We’re building the most comprehensive training system.”
— Jim Russ, President

Players and Coaches Say It Best

“As a coach, it gives me a chance to focus on fundamentals. I’m learning 4-5 days a week — ‘center-center’, being on time, being gritty. Then, I can help the kids focus on their fundamentals.”
— Coach Pirozollo, 12U Falcons

“Now that I’ve shortened my arm stroke, I make the play every time. It’s also helped me get more flexible.”
— Ely, 12U Falcons

“Every day I look at the daily starter. I use the baseball skills and body reps to help me get stronger. I love the release point versatility program and 36 plays to follow.”
— Beckett Doane, high school player

“Coach Russ and the Falcons are the model. Whole person growth for the academic and baseball journey — I haven’t seen this in 30 years observing amateur baseball.”
— Matt French, Trosky EdTech Cofounder & CTO

The players win. Period.

Trosky Trained

This isn’t quite a Christmas miracle — but it’s close.

A few “heroes down the street” put a gift under the tree that 12-year-old Ely has opened every day since November.

His review?

“I just love it.”

Development is work. Research shows that people who work just 10% more can earn 40% more over time. In Horseheads, baseball has become a thoughtfully designed vehicle for everyday improvement.

If you want to follow the Falcons’ model, Trosky Trained is just a paint job and posters away.

Trosky Trained

Coach Trosky’s Message

Functional strength has nothing to do with lifting weights — and everything to do with repeating a specific task, daily.

A guitarist develops strong fingers by playing.

A tennis player builds strong legs by moving.

A quarterback builds an arm by throwing.

Here’s Lyam and his friends jumping rope on rocks — yes, rocks.

Why are their feet so strong?

Because every day after school, they play barefoot: walking, running, jumping on the reef.

Action to take:

Identify what you want to be strong at — and do it every day.

That’s functional strength at its best.

#BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
— Coach Nate Trosky

From the Field

365 Live Recording

Coach Trosky and Head of Strength Kyle Harris broke down small-space training and off-season power development in a 50-minute session — with plenty of Coach Hammer humor along the way.

🎄 Reminder: No meeting tonight —
For daily instruction snippets, follow Trosky Academy’s Instagram.

For full training programs, explore the Trosky 365 App.

Trosky 365 Daily Development

Happy New Year from all of us!

We hope you enjoy this season with family and friends.

On the adventure,
— Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re transforming education and amateur sports through whole-person training and technology. Our mission is simple: impact a generation.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation. 💪

Share

Below are 11 smart options for productive couch time—resources that inspire the mind while giving the body a needed break.

4 Sports Documentaries

The Last Dance made it feel like Michael Jordan was at the house for dinner. The right documentary inspires, informs, and offers a productive way to rest. Think of it as cross-training for the mind.

The Last Dance (2020)
Appeal: Leadership through standards. Competitive edge. Accountability.
Quote: “Winning has a price, and leadership has a price.”
Note: Contains strong language in parts.

The Last Dance and the three documentaries below share one thing in common: the central figure sets the tone for everyone around them through habits, standards, and commitment.

The 2008 U.S. Olympic basketball team needed Kobe Bryant’s example. The NBA’s biggest personalities lined up behind him once they realized one thing—he was more committed than they were.

LeBron James said:

“At 5:30 a.m., Kobe is already drenched in sweat. He’s different.”

Carlos Boozer remembered:

“The next thing you know, it goes from just Kobe at 5:30 in the morning to LeBron and D-Wade. By the end of the week, the whole team was getting up every morning. We were on Kobe’s schedule.”

That Netflix special is called The Redeem Team. If you think the name gives away the ending, trust your instincts.

The Redeem Team (2022)
Appeal: Team chemistry. Defining roles.
Quote: “We had to figure out how to become a great team.”
Note: Frequent strong language.

Bye Bye Barry (2023)
Appeal: Humility. Simplicity. Father–son relationship.
Quote: “He just wanted to play football.”
Note: Some strong language.

Evan Longoria’s Mental Maturity (2015)
Appeal: A player’s perspective on the mental game.
Quote: “The most important thing that changed was his mental maturation.”
Note: Clean. Full 11-minute segment below.

7 Good Books

Courtesy of our friend Joe Fangmann, with notes.

The Mental Game of Baseball, by Harvey Dorfman
He wrote a series, but this one still hits. At age 47, the players and examples remain relevant.

Mind Gym, by Gary Mack
Similar themes to The Mental Game of Baseball. A practical guide to inner excellence.

The Rise of Superman, by Steven Kotler
A fascinating look at the science of peak human performance. Bonus: excellent audiobook narration.

The Baseball Playbook, by Ron Polk
A nerdy classic on practice planning and program organization. Covers everything from field management to washing uniforms. A great reference tool.

Rich Dad Poor Dad, by Robert Kiyosaki
Not baseball-specific, but full of valuable lessons. As an accountant, I’ve always appreciated this mindset. My uncle introduced me to investing at 12—he’s my “Rich Dad” in many ways.

For the 12U Hungry Learner

The Unexpected Light of Thomas Alva Edison, by Raymond Arroyo
A powerful reminder that there are many paths to greatness. Especially meaningful for kids who struggle in traditional classrooms.

Win the Next Pitch, by Dr. Curt Ickes
Part of a great series. Essential mental-game skills for young baseball players.

A Winter Challenge for High Schoolers

Two simple ways to sharpen training when no one is watching. This applies to high school players—and serious middle schoolers—who want to win the day.

1. Set a plan: Make calls in advance to line up workout partners.

2. Create a schedule: Each Sunday, write a 7-day script for the upcoming week.

The more detailed the plan, the better the map. Be specific down to 30-minute blocks (or smaller). Include time to eat, read, and rest.

The question isn’t if I’m going to lift, run, or throw—it’s when, with whom, and for how long. Writing it down builds ownership.

Sharpen the schedule each week by:

1. Adjusting and resetting goals

2. Signing the bottom (a weekly contract with yourself)

3. Keeping your performance journal visible

Any $3 notebook becomes a performance journal. As you write, the pages gain value. Consistency plus sweat builds confidence.

Walk a little taller as school and practice begin in 2026.

Player Development Is Personal Development

The best app I’ve ever seen in any training/sport — maybe even self-development included!
— Happy Parent

Fifteen minutes a day changes mindset.

More than that changes your game.

Training + Engagement = Growth

“I wake up different because of 365.”
— Marc Warner, Charlotte, NC

What's Inside 365

Join us Tuesday night—the best info for the people who make the impact: you.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

Have a great week! See you tonight.

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of baseball and business leaders — is united in changing academics and athletics forever. Our regional academies combine school + baseball, backed by groundbreaking whole-person training tech.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share

Tuesday night’s talk with Mike Murphy and Pete LaForest was exactly that — profound and practical — plus, it was genuinely fun!

Robin Roberts once said of Greg Maddux, “The hallmark of genius is simplicity.”

Pete and Mike brought that same spirit. They shared high-level concepts in a way that connected for everyone — pitching coaches, Little Leaguers, and yes, even my 12-year-old, who listened as part of his homework.

More than once I caught myself thinking: “This might be the most magnetic hitting conversation I’ve heard.”

Humble & Effective

Mike and Pete talk with each other for the players.

They’re a rare mix: thousands of at-bats between them and thousands of hours teaching hitters how to become consistent. They understand the theory, but they prioritize the “how-to.”

Their focus on productive batter’s box habits — approach + swing — sticks because they present it like two happy warriors swapping wisdom. The fun they had is contagious.

“Some hitters go 0-for-7 on a weekend and ask what they’re doing wrong. You have to remember you’re still doing a lot of things right.”

— Coach LaForest

“The Last Command Rule keeps the focus on the approach and the barrel, not the body.”

— Coach Murphy

The audio from Tuesday is shared above in a new format so you can listen while driving or winding down at the end of the day. Wish us luck as we test out Substack’s podcasting tools. Enjoy the 50 minutes — I hope you get as much out of it as I did.

Join Us Each Tuesday Night

Coach Trosky’s Message — Enjoy the Game

Sometimes players get consumed by stats, goals, and outcomes.

They forget to “ETG” — Enjoy The Game!

When you enjoy it, you play better. Simple as that.

— Coach Trosky

Tonight’s Academy Session

Learn what makes Trosky Academy a unique educational experience.

Modern students are often overwhelmed by noise and distraction and lack passion-driven intent. Trosky Academy flips that script — fanning passion for baseball and channeling it into a college-prep style curriculum that prepares students for success on the field and far beyond it.

Academics

• NCAA-approved track

• Optional progression into college-level courses

• Life-skills + executive function training

Baseball Development

• Skill, strength, and speed training

• High-rep, age-specific development at every position

• Measurables that drive goal-setting, work, and reflection

It’s Different at the Academy

Tonight, we’re introducing a new partnership coming Fall 2026: Just Start LA, a dynamic executive function coaching team teaching “what school doesn’t.”

Jordyn Shapiro’s group will help students build the same traits elite players rely on — focus, preparation, reflection, confidence.

Game nerves and test nerves? Nearly identical. This program tackles both.

Follow their excellent micro-lessons on Instagram for a taste of what’s on the way.

Join us — Dec. 9th, 6 p.m. PT — Virtual

Tonight's Academy Session

30 Years of Training. One Quiet Place.

“The best app I’ve ever seen in any training/sport — maybe even self-development included!”

— Happy Parent

Coach Trosky and tech architect Matt French built a platform that distills 30 years of aligned training into a daily development tool — available this winter for less than $20 per month.

Fifteen minutes a day changes mindset. More than that changes your game.

• Training: On-field development + championship mindset

• Engagement: Players “talk” with the program through goal-setting, session planning, and reflection

“I wake up different because of 365.”

— Marc Warner, Charlotte, NC

What's Inside 365

Thank you for the positive notes on this GYMR Newsletter. Because of your sharing, this community has grown to 120,000 strong. If there’s a topic you want us to cover, send an email. We borrow the best ideas from friends and deliver them to the people who make the biggest impact — you.

As Mike and Pete showed Tuesday night, great teachers deliver happily for their players. Dive into the podcast and have a great week!

See you tonight.

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of baseball and business leaders — is united in changing academics and athletics forever. Our regional academies combine school + baseball, backed by groundbreaking whole-person training tech.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share

Early in BP rounds, Barry Bonds sometimes hit balls through the right-hander’s batter’s box, scorching liners toward the third-base dugout. It looked absurd yet controlled—one of the greatest power hitters alive was intentionally hitting foul balls. But the challenge was deliberate: let the ball get deep while maintaining bat path. It was a drill for growth, not for games… unless Bonds happened to be aiming at someone leaning on the rail.

Catchers refine glove control the same way Bonds refined bat control: with high-rep drills that show up when it’s time to present pitches. Fancy framing has led to fancy training. This isn’t that. This is foundational glove work—learning the pocket, the palm, the web, and how to get more leather over more plate.

Glove Control

Before all the “advanced receiving” has you swatting imaginary wasps, settle the glove. Take a thousand reps to sync the eyes, hand, and pocket. Start simple with as little movement as possible. Hit the hornets later.

Once the palm, pocket, and web are under control, getting your leather over the white becomes natural framing.

Two examples:

• Fastball Away to a Lefty: Catch it in the palm → ~75% of the glove stays over the plate.

• Fastball Away to a Righty: Catch it in the web → ~75% of the glove stays over the plate.

Should anyone be catching 100 mph in the palm? Debatable. But learning to use all three glove zones is worth it.

Pocket Awareness Drill

Setup

• Catcher: Set up in the middle of the plate

• Thrower: Fastballs from ~30 feet

Win Each Part of the Glove

Each zone gets deliberate work, with the catcher saying “Yes” when the ball hits the correct area while keeping as much leather over the plate as possible.

• Start with 5 each: Palm → Pocket → Web

• Grow to 5 in a row: Palm → Pocket → Web

The High Pitch: Divide the glove into top and bottom.

• High FBs — Top of glove. “Pinkie above ball”

  

• Low FBs — Bottom of the glove. “Thumb below ball”

Keys

Quiet hand. Minimal movement. Dominate the pocket. Present well for the umpire behind you.

Preparation in Parable Form

A little preseason perspective—and a winter read.

A few years ago, Chop Wood, Carry Water became a go-to for college teams. It reminds us—in parable form—that the journey to mastery matters more than the destination.

John’s experiences and Akira’s teaching highlight stepping into the mundane and laying a meaningful foundation. The lessons aren’t just for athletes; they’re for anyone stuck in the “stat race.”

Themes from the book:

• Embrace the Process
Consistent daily work builds great players and great people. Small reps, done with intent, compound.

• Build a Strong Foundation
Skills, habits, and character formed through steady effort carry you when pressure hits.

• Take Responsibility
Your development is yours. Every day adds up.

• Adopt a Growth Mindset
Failure is part of the game. Learn, adjust, continue.

• Lead with Humility and Gratitude
True success isn’t stats—it’s relationships, lessons, and gratitude.

Grow forward—one page at a time—with Chop Wood, Carry Water.

30 Years of Training. One Quiet Place.

A decade ago, Coach Trosky’s Infield Drills Quick Tips clip went viral as YouTube became a hub for baseball instruction. The teaching still holds up, but now there’s a full environment behind it.

Coach Trosky and tech architect Matt French built a platform that distills 30 years of aligned training for the complete player—available this winter for less than $20 a month.

Trosky 365 blends:

Training: On-field + championship mindset
Engagement: Players “talk” with the system—setting goals, planning sessions, reflecting on progress

Fifteen minutes a day changes mindset. More than that changes your game.

“I wake up different because of 365.”
— Marc Warner, Charlotte, NC

See What's Inside Trosky 365

Tonight’s 365 Live

Get your popcorn ready for this one.

Mike Murphy (13-year pro) and Pete Laforest (former MLB catcher, head coach, 21 years pro) are teaming up for an electric mini-panel on hitting. I’ve heard both of them break down the craft, and trust me—they bring fire and insight. Between the two of them, we’re looking at more than a half-century of professional hitting and teaching… and somehow neither of them looks a day over 95.

📅 Tuesday, December 2
🕔 5 PM PST / 8 PM EST

Bring your performance notebook, set a reminder, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter. Together, we elevate a generation.

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The University of Washington played its lone game of the season at the home of the Seattle Mariners. The radar board was running. Knowing starting pitcher Andrew Kittredge’s pitch count was getting high, his coach started watching for fatigue. Before pitch No. 94, the thought was: let’s see if he’s tired.

Then 94 MPH flashed on the screen. Kittredge was still holding his top-end velocity.

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Kittredge will begin his ninth Major League season next year. He was such a late bloomer that a scout once said, “He’s not a Pac-10 starter.” But during his sophomore year in college, something shifted. He hit what we’ll call the Endurance + Power Apex — the point where durability and velocity meet.

It’s not scientific, but it is earned. For Kittredge, 94 MPH on the 94th pitch was a sign of exceptional arm health, built brick by brick.

Training to the Apex

Your best velocity, at the same-numbered pitch, is functional strength.

For a high schooler, it might mean touching 88 MPH on pitch 88.

The timed play-catch progression below is for pitchers willing to do the boring stuff — because reaching the apex means building a pyramid one block at a time. First stability, then endurance, then top-end velocity.

Boring is beautiful.

Play catch in intervals, like a sprinter: rest between reps, as if between innings. As time throwing decreases, the body heats up, the arm speeds up, and the workload becomes organized instead of chaotic.

Customize distances for age, strength, and current endurance. The arm warms, jogs, and then sprints.

Begin each round with 5–8 warm-up throws, just like between innings.

Warm — 9 minutes (30–70 ft)

It will feel like an hour. Take your time between throws.

Rest: 4.5 minutes

Jog — 8 minutes (70–190 ft)

Medium long toss + distance.

Rest: 4 minutes

Sprint — 7 minutes (190–60 ft)

5–8 warm-ups → arm speed → squatting catcher.

On the way in: about 2 throws every 10 feet from max distance to 60 ft.

In the final 2 minutes: finish with a flat-ground pen to a squatting catcher or partner. Rhythm and stability improve as endurance improves.

Conditioned, older pitchers may rest 3.5 minutes and head straight to the bullpen. For most, the 7-minute “inning” will be plenty of volume.

Prepare for the 94th pitch. You never know when it’ll come — maybe even in a big league stadium.

2026 Development Roadmap

Win the season by driving one primary focus at a time.

Pre-Season — Goals, Groundwork, Planning

“Championships start long before Opening Day — the work you put in when nobody’s watching is what decides who’s ready.”
— Mookie Betts

In-Season — Steady Attack

“Play fast, play fearless, and never let the season wear you down—make it chase you.”
— Corbin Carroll

Summer — Habit Creation + Power Building

“Summer separates the committed from the comfortable. When the heat rises, your habits either carry you or expose you.”
— Bryce Harper

Winter — Dead of Winter. Alive with Growth.

“Winter is when I slow everything down and rebuild it better. You win games in the summer, but you become a player in the winter.”
— Aaron Judge

Coach Trosky’s Message

One of the best drills you can do at home — or before taking grounders — is Posture Holds.

Hold your three fielding positions (Neutral, Backhand, Forehand).

Perform 2 sets per lane, holding each for 15–30 seconds.

5 Key Checkpoints:

1. Flat back

2. Chest down / glove down

3. High hips (60–70° knee-to-hip angle)

4. Glove-hand wrist cocked

5. Hands out front

Go to the source for video instruction + the NEW Trosky Rebounder. Combine the details of the day with your year-long development plan. Reach your ceiling — and have fun doing it.

2026 Training Packages

Upcoming Player Development Meetings

No meeting this Tuesday — but what’s coming next will be a blast.

Dec. 2 — 50 Years of Hitting Wisdom

Former Major Leaguer Pete Laforest and 13-year pro Mike Murphy share what they’ve learned from a lifetime of hitting and teaching. Between the two of them, they’ve seen a literal million swings.

Here’s Mike translating for Fidel Castro.

Dec. 9 — Trosky Academy Info Session

“School + baseball reimagined.”

From teaching executive function skills to expanding into Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, Trosky Academy is on the rise.

“Why aren’t all families doing this?”
— Scott Myers

Get Calendar Reminders - 365 Live

Tuesdays @ 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

Bring your performance notebook.

Enjoy the holiday. Thank you for investing in young people through their passion for baseball. As you settle in with family, here’s a question for your players from Dennis Prager — one that makes everyone pause:

“Have you ever met a happy person who’s not grateful, or a grateful person who’s not happy?”

Happy Thanksgiving,

— Greg Moore

Our Team Says: Happy Thanksgiving!

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Share

Together, we elevate a generation of thankful people and players.

Feel free to expand in the “Additional Comments” section. Your feedback enters you for a chance to win one of three $50 Amazon gift cards. The survey closes Monday. Thank you in advance for helping elevate a generation—it’s more than baseball.

2-Minute Survey

During his early Giants years, Willie Mays went home to Harlem in the off-season and played stickball. Legend says he learned to hit breaking balls in the street. It was fun then — and now we have old snapshots and modern science confirming the value of swinging a mop handle.

Why This Winter

Aaron Judge explains November–January better than anyone:

“Winter is when I slow everything down and rebuild it better. You win games in the summer, but you become a player in the winter.”

— Aaron Judge

The break from regular practice and game rhythm is an opening: time to train specific skills toward productive, long-term goals. This week, we look at simple speed training.

Underspeed and Overspeed Swings

Don’t let “a study” get in the way of the barbaric joy of moving faster and hitting farther.

Exit velocity — the result of swinging harder — shows up on ESPN graphics and makes our jaws drop.

But mixing StatCast logic with stickball simplicity reveals the truth: you don’t need tech. You just need a gamified pursuit using a few bats of different weights.

Three bat weights build rotational power and functional strength:

• Your normal game bat (with the correct length and weight)

• One about 3 ounces lighter (your little brother’s bat)

• One about 3 ounces heavier (your buddy’s bat)

(If the bats aren’t exactly 3 ounces different, don’t sweat it. Availability over precision.)

Train It Simply With a 5-Part Progression

Use a tee and hit into a net. Repeat this for 3 sets:

1. Overspeed Bat (-3 oz): 10 swings

2. Rest: 30 seconds

3. Underspeed Bat (+3 oz): 10 swings

4. Rest: 1 minute (to stay explosive)

5. Your Game Bat: 10 swings

This 20-second video from Trosky Academy Lead Instructor Kyle Harris breaks down underspeed and overspeed training:

For more content like this, follow the Trosky 365 Instagram. For more from Coach Harris, follow here.

Measure Progress the Happy Gilmore Way

Like a golfer at the driving range, measure distance gains every two months.

Find a football field. Bring your game bat, tee, and a handful of quality baseballs. Set up on the goal line and take your most aggressive swings — yes, like Happy.

A friend marks the farthest landing spot.

40 yards in September becomes 45 in December (that’s +15 feet).

Record each new PR in your performance journal, set a new goal, and return to the 5-part progression.

Compete against yourself: You vs. Yesterday.

Have fun like Willie. Let it fly like Happy.

Coach it Up

Help shape the future of the Trosky 365 App! Take this quick 2-minute survey to share your feedback and enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Take 2-Minute Survey

Survey closes Nov 21, 2025. Three respondents will be selected to receive a $50 gift card.

Coach Trosky’s Message — The Freedom to Move

Equip driven players with the rebounder and video-based training programs that make #BetterEveryDay an actual plan, not just a slogan.

Rebounder + Video-Based Trainings

Trosky Academy Info Session

Trosky EdTech hosted a 50-minute session on “school + baseball reimagined.” If you missed it, tune in to hear what made a former MyGym executive ask:

“Why aren’t all families doing this?”

Join Us Weekly — Trosky 365 Live

Tuesday @ 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

This week, Coach Trosky breaks down Elite Infield Play.

Bring your performance notebook, set reminders, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Upcoming Camps: AZ, CA, MI, & the Dominican

“Nate was an amazing inspiration to my son. What he did in 4 hours was incredible. I would like to know when a camp is close to us next time so my son can continue to train with him for years to come.”

— Josh Dietrich

Upcoming Camps with Coach Trosky

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of baseball and business leaders — is united to change academics and sports forever.

Our regional academies combine school + baseball, backed by groundbreaking whole-person training tech.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share Get Your Mind Right

When Will Smith was 12, his father tore down a brick wall in front of his business and told Will and his 9-year-old brother to rebuild it. Remembering the day, Smith explained his approach:

“You don’t set out to build a wall. You say, ‘I am going to lay this brick as perfectly as a brick can be laid.’ You do that every single day, and soon you have a wall. Putting a single brick down now leads to the biggest, baddest, greatest wall ever built.”

A single brick, laid with focus, becomes the foundation of something great.

Three daily “bricks” fuel winter — often self-driven — workouts. Desire, focus, and a plan are easy to apply in games, but the best players bring them into practice — when no one is watching.

John Wooden defined success as:

“Knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

That’s the goal of November and December.

Stack each brick as perfectly as you can. Hunt the challenge. Stay locked in. Create a detailed plan.

Three 1-Minute Videos to Get Your Mind Right for Winter

1) Want the Ball — Like Betts

It’s pitch 192.

2) Locked In — Calm, Slow, Relaxed

3) With a Plan — Details of Prep

Go an inch wide and a mile deep.

Stack Winter Wins

The program that brings desire, focus, and a plan to daily training.

“The skills have translated to the field and he has grown as a player. Sincerely, thank you so much. We look forward to the skills series!”
— Grant, father of a middle school player in Naples, FL

The daily work is in ever-updating drills and guidance. The Trosky Pro Rebounder Series includes training guides and demonstrations to optimize workouts — or you can simulate the drills without it.

Get in and get after it!

Learn More. Download Trosky 365

Tonight’s Academy Info Session

Where GPAs rise and ERAs fall.

Blending life and field skills compounds development — leading to academic breakthroughs and explosive results on the field. Kyle Harris (Rock Hill, SC) will share how he reinforces both, and how softball debuts in 2026.

Learn about our virtual options for homeschoolers and the upcoming 2026 physical academy locations:

• Texas: Spring, Katy, Mansfield

• Michigan: Kalamazoo

• South Carolina: Rock Hill

• California: Pasadena

New academies are coming soon to San Diego and Northern California.

🗓 Join Us — Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

Within these walls, all we do is grow. It’s school + baseball reimagined.

Academy Info Session Signup

Coach Trosky’s Message

Say this 5 times today — at different times!

“ITB!”
“ITB!”
“ITB!”

“I’m the best!”
“I’m the best!”
“I’m the best!” Ya!

“I’m the best fielder and I’m gonna get you out!!”
“I’m the best hitter and you can’t get me out!!”

#BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
— Nate Trosky

A Blueprint for the Baseball Adventure

For families, we’ve created a free eBook: Coaching Coaches and Parents — a 10-minute read that reinforces the approach we want for our kids (and the kids down the street).

Download Coach the Coaches

A Lesson from Ted Williams

Ted Williams — one of baseball’s greatest hitters — paused his career twice to serve as a Navy and Marine Corps pilot in World War II and the Korean War.

Despite losing five prime seasons, he hit .344 for his career and remains the last player to bat over .400 — embodying discipline, courage, and devotion to both country and craft.

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
— Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Last Week’s Class: Self-Authoring

Our final life-skills course introduced Self-Authoring — writing your own script for the months and years ahead.

Research shows it boosts clarity, GPA, and even college retention by 50%. Players start with a 3-week plan, expand to 9 and 56 weeks, and follow a roadmap inspired by Kipling’s “If.”

Best part? It’s completely player-driven.

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of top talent from baseball and business — is united to change academics and sports forever.

Our regional academies combine school + baseball, supported by groundbreaking technology for whole-person training.

Join us in our quest to impact a generation through baseball, academics, and character development.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share Get Your Mind Right

Subscribe now

A pitcher and his arm will tell you: 130 pitches in a single game is easier than what Yoshinobu Yamamoto did in the final 28 hours of the World Series.

The MVP threw a complete game, slept on it, and came back the next day. He wasn’t ready — just available.

“When I started in the bullpen before I went in, to be honest, I was not really sure if I could pitch up there to my best ability. But as I started getting warmed up, because I started making an adjustment, I started thinking I can go in and do my job.”

—Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Yamamoto threw 235 pitches in eight days, which is impressive but not unheard of. Madison Bumgarner threw 291 in the 2014 World Series — his gritty final 68 came on two days’ rest, a five-inning save to help the Giants beat the Royals in Game 7.

Yamamoto did it the achy way. He loosened up in the pen, then finished Saturday’s game with 2 2/3 scoreless innings. Players can take two key lessons from that kind of grit:

1. No limits.

2. Feeling good is overrated.

Build a “Find a Way” Mentality

1. No Limits

Yamamoto was ready to pitch on 24 hours’ rest because of a mindset and a body built over years. Almost a decade ago, he did something similar as a high schooler — taking the ball on just two days’ rest.

On July 16, he threw 7 2/3 innings, struck out 11, and earned a win. Then, on July 19, he bounced back to face Miyazaki High School, losing 2–0. That’s where he earned his “find a way” mentality — by finding a way, over and over again.

2. Feeling Good Is Overrated

Don’t wait for perfect. Take the ball.

The “find a way” muscle grows every time you get it done while feeling less than 100%. As the season wraps up, players can use these final games to remind themselves: With work, I’m capable of feats like Yoshi’s.

Limitless at Trosky Academy

Every day, Trosky Academies teach that the same holds true off the field.

Last week, a student received the Student of the Month award from the California Virtual Academy. Academics come first — NCAA-tracked and focused on getting ahead now while preparing for college.

With coaches like Kyle Harris in Rock Hill, SC, skills like staying balanced are reinforced both in the box and in the classroom.

🗓 Join Us — November 11 at 5 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. CT

Join our Trosky Academy Information Session and learn how we grow players, students, and leaders.

Academy Info Session Signup

Coach Trosky’s Message

#BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
—Nate Trosky

A Blueprint for the Baseball Adventure

For families, we’ve created a free eBook: Coaching Coaches and Parents — a 10-minute read that reinforces the approach we want for our kids (and the kids down the street).

Download Coach the Coaches

“The Class” — 5 p.m. PT Tonight

Last Tuesday, players began creating a mental highlight reel by producing their own video highlights — a mix of mental skills and movie-making magic to engrain wins in the mind. The band Sublime was the soundtrack.

The Poll

Last week’s question: Which MLB hitter was pictured from his high-school days?

Mike Trout was the hitter (and the most frequent answer).

Mike Trout – 52%
Will Smith – 29%
Mark McGwire – 16%
Bobby Witt – 3%

This week’s class is about self-authoring, our final in the nine-week course. Players will build a tool belt for a successful winter — turning Kipling’s poem “If” into a roadmap for the long-term adventure.

Best part? It’s player-driven.

The road forward is summarized in this video:

📅 Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

Bring your performance notebook, set a reminder, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Last Week’s Class: Build On Successes (50 minutes)

Our Team

At Trosky EdTech Inc., we’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

Our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of top talent from baseball and business — is united to change academics and sports forever.

Our regional academies combine school + baseball, supported by groundbreaking technology for whole-person training.

Join us in our quest to impact a generation through baseball, academics, and character development.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter. Together, we elevate a generation.

Share Get Your Mind Right

Subscribe now

The Greatest Closer of All Time

Mariano Rivera — “The Sandman” — posted an incredible 0.99 ERA, 32 strikeouts, and 11 saves across 24 World Series appearances.

Pete Laforest, former MLB catcher and current Head Coach at Trosky Academy East (Kalamazoo, MI), shared what it’s actually like to face him:

“I’ve never seen a cutter move about a foot, on the same plane, with zero dot. It’s a straight 4-seam that cuts across.”

For a smile (and a nightmare for hitters), watch Laforest describe it in the video below.

Rivera was also known as one of the kindest players in MLB history. Later in his career, he often sought out the opposing team’s closer before first pitch to talk about the craft of finishing games. He saw it as his responsibility to pass knowledge to the next generation.

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” — Mariano Rivera

Get in the Game Like a “HOF Defender”

In last week’s newsletter, we talked about using a stopwatch to catch run, leg, and pop times during the World Series.

This week: use the center-field camera angle to track balls off the bat — like Denzel Clarke.

When Clarke was 16, a scout in Canada said, “Clarke will be an 80 defender.” Translated: a future Hall-of-Fame caliber outfielder.

That scout was right. This year, the Oakland A’s rookie center fielder made a catch that set social media on fire — many called it the greatest catch ever.

So how did Denzel develop elite defensive instincts while growing up in weather-challenged Toronto?

He got creative. Indoor space was limited, so he stood 15 feet from his TV, used the center-field camera angle, read contact and ball flight on every pitch, and took two or three “break” steps as if he were actually in center field.

Clear the coffee table and track ’em.

Coach Trosky’s Message

Manny Ramirez — one of the most dominant (and most eccentric) hitters of all time — once told me this story on a flight from the Dominican Republic to Miami:

“Nate, the reason I wore big baggy pants throughout my career was to get my mind right! The purpose was to take my focus off of what I looked like and what other people thought of me. Those baggy pants allowed me to focus solely on winning the game, one pitch at a time! I wasn’t a slob — I was locked in. The best player on the field!”

BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
—Nate Trosky

A Blueprint for the Baseball Adventure

For families, we’ve created a free eBook: Coaching Coaches and Parents — a 10-minute read that reinforces the approach we want for our kids (and the kids down the street).

Download Coach the Coaches

“The Class” — 5 p.m. PT Tonight

Baseball is a game that guarantees failure, so building on success takes practice.

Creating a mental highlight reel starts with an actual one. Don’t just watch video to correct flaws — capture your best clips, add music, and even a great speech. Engrain your wins in your mind every day.

This week is all about building success to increase consistency.

📅 Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

🗒️ Bring your performance notebook, set a reminder, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

He’s Stacking Daily Wins

See how this high schooler is using the Trosky 365 App for complete player development.

Learn More. Download Trosky 365

Last Week’s Class: Communication (50 minutes)

1. Sharpen body language, eye contact, and verbal skills

2. Public v. private language

3. The “Grandpa Rule” from the dugout

4. The “Grandma Rule” for social media posts

Our Team

We’re dedicated to transforming education and amateur sports.

At Trosky EdTech Inc., our mission is to fulfill Nate Trosky’s vision of impacting a generation. Our team — a blend of top talent from baseball and business — is united to change academics and sports forever.

Our regional academies combine school and baseball, supported by groundbreaking technology for whole-person training.

Join our quest to impact a generation through baseball, academics, and character development.

Meet the Team

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Share Get Your Mind Right

For the game on TV — and the one you’re playing this weekend.

Encouragement, practical work, and fun.

“The best advice I got was from Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth:
‘Every out is magnified. So just take the outs as you get them. Don’t try to make a moment bigger than it is. The best you can, try to block out the crowd.’”
—Blake Treinen

World Series Challenge — A Game to 27

What can you catch? Block out the crowd.
Put your phone in another room and go pitch by pitch. You play too.

Getting in the game requires a stopwatch (or two) and Major League focus.
Forget fantasy football — there’s a game within the game on TV during the World Series.

Keep score on notebook paper that hangs on the fridge to celebrate the house winner.
Beat your brother, or aim for 27 points solo, by catching these times:

1. Pitcher: Time to the plate (1 point)

2. Runner: Home to 1B on a grounder (3 points)

3. Catcher: Pop time — leather to leather (10 points)

Hunt each pitch.

1) Leg Times (1 point)

From the stretch… first pitcher movement → catcher’s glove.

Roki Sasaki’s leg time is solid at 1.27 seconds.
His catcher, Will Smith, averages a 1.94 pop time (glove to glove).
Ricky Henderson’s legendary 3.01 steal time still wins.

The MLB average from steal break to second base is 3.4 seconds —
so Sasaki and Smith beat the average with 3.21 vs. 3.4.

Leg time is the start of a math equation. A typical three-part formula looks like this (thanks to the Acme Scouting Report):

If a pitcher is 1.4 to the plate and a catcher is 2.0 to second, the runner has 3.4 seconds.
Excluding a pitcher’s “tip,” the jump, and the throw’s accuracy, the leg time sets the baseline — and determines whether the manager sends the runner.

Example: Roki Sasaki + Will Smith vs. Jackson Chourio = 1.27 + 1.94 = 3.21 seconds.
That’s a bang-bang play.

How did the distances between mound and bases end up perfectly calibrated for a mini-game decided by 0.05 seconds?
Divine intervention?

2) Home-To-First Times (3 points)

Clock 3 points for each infield grounder.
Start the stopwatch at contact; stop at foot on first base.

You’ll see how fast the Big League game really is — and what it looks like when a runner turns it on.
The difference between safe and out is often less than a tenth of a second.

That’s why the fastest players rise in the draft — and the toughest players run hard even on a grounder back to the pitcher.

For reference, below are the guys big leaguers are chasing — and their home-to-first times:

David Chandler and Chandler Simpson were on a different list — 4.02 and 3.97, respectively.

3) Catcher Pop Times (10 Points)

From catcher’s glove to the middle infielder’s glove on a steal attempt — leather to leather.
Here’s the upper-middle class of Major League pop times:

Catch a pop time during the game and earn 10 points.
On average, there are slightly fewer than two steal attempts per game (between both teams).

Coach Trosky’s Message

Posture is the position of the body that unlocks performance.

Posture minimizes momentum and effort — and maximizes athleticism and outcome.

GYPR: Get Your Posture Right!

When you’re indoors on a rainy or snowy day, master your AP — Athletic Position.
The Infield Mastery program in the Trosky 365 app has 27 drills to show you how.

Get in and get after it!
Daily Infield Training

BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
—Nate Trosky

A Blueprint for the Baseball Adventure

For families, we’ve created a free eBook: “Coaching Coaches and Parents.”
It’s a 10-minute read that reinforces a powerful idea:

“Reach them where they are. Teach them the boring stuff. Win the small victories.”

Download Coach the Coaches

See You in “The Class”

In last week’s class, our students were both specific and insightful.
From our list of three mental skills for success on and off the field, we’ve covered:

• Lock: Concentration that sustains

• Block: Separation task-to-task

• Talk: Communication that wins — this week’s focus

Join us Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
Bring your performance notebook, set reminders, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or join directly:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Stack Daily Wins

Download the daily program that one notable sports agent called:

“The most substantive training in baseball — they’re teaching what no one else is teaching, especially to young players.”

Learn More. Download Trosky 365

Last Week’s Class 6: Task-by-Task

35 minutes — separating on and off the field.

Help us reach 1 million players and families by sharing the GYMR Newsletter. Together, we elevate a generation.

Share Get Your Mind Right

Welcome to the GYMR Letter — part encouragement, part practical work, to elevate our players.

Why They Win the Long Game

The race to the top is a marathon.

The NFL’s MVP (Josh Allen) went to community college before the University of Wyoming. The NBA’s greatest shooter (Steph Curry) and one of baseball’s best pitchers (Tarik Skubal) were all overlooked by top colleges. Skubal was the 255th player selected in the 2018 Draft.

Now they’re household names — with two things in common: each attended a mid-major college and each mastered this week’s theme — full immersion in a single task.

“This Task” — The Growth Mindset in Action

Students with a growth mindset are 3x more likely to score in the top 20% on tests and 50% more likely to stay in college than those with a fixed mindset.

That belief — that abilities can be developed through dedication and effort — is the foundation of what we’re building in players.

At the end of each day, ask:

1. Did I hunt for work?

2. Did I love the challenges?

3. Did I reflect on growth?

Then, put one simple “job” at the center — again and again. The power is in the micro.

Kobe Bryant once explained it like this:

“My hands are big, but they’re not massive. So I strengthened them every day. I needed to palm the basketball to do what I wanted to do on the court.”

With direction and encouragement, we can all coach the productive, simple stuff. Consistency and immersion come over time.

Here’s an example of how to center on a single task.

Control Your Breath. Control Your Focus.

Number Breathing is one of the simplest, most powerful tools to control your breath, calm your mind, and sharpen your focus. It’s used by athletes, military personnel, and high performers to reset under pressure.

Why It Works

• Controls your nervous system: Counting creates rhythm and activates a calm response.

• Improves focus: Trains the mind to stay on one thing — the count — while blocking distractions.

• Builds emotional control: Slowing your breath slows your thoughts, helping you make clearer decisions.

• Creates consistency under stress: Practicing rhythmic breathing in training helps your body automatically regulate stress during games, tests, or high-pressure moments.

A Blueprint for the Baseball Adventure

For families, we’ve created a free eBook: “Coaching Coaches and Parents.”

It’s a 10-minute read that reinforces a powerful idea:

“Reach them where they are. Teach them the boring stuff. Win the small victories.”

Download Coach the Coaches

Built to guide the people who matter most in a player’s development — coaches and parents — the Coaching Coaches & Parents eBook includes:

• Real stories from former big leaguers and elite coaches

• Mental performance frameworks to handle adversity and pressure

• Strength training insights for all ages and levels

• Game-day wisdom connecting mindset, preparation, and performance

• Actionable tools to guide your player through every stage of their journey

See You in “The Class”

Players draw from the same skill set — separation, going task by task:

1. From practice to night class

2. From offense to defense

3. From this pitch to the next

4. From the breath to the focal point

Join us Tuesday at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET

Topic: Block — One-Thing-At-A-Time

Bring your performance notebook, set your reminders, and show up ready.

Sign Up for The Class

Or use this direct link to join live:

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

Stack Daily Wins

Download the daily program that one notable sports agent called

“The most substantive training in baseball — they’re teaching what no one else is teaching, especially to young players.”

Learn More. Download Trosky 365

Watch last week’s Class 5 below.

Help us reach 1 million players and families by forwarding the GYMR Newsletter.

Together, we elevate a generation.

Twenty-five years ago, his dad taught him about the “quality at-bat.” Freddie was 11. Decades later, the memory brought tears to the bottom rim of his eyes. Freeman remembered the meaning of the small things—it’s how he approaches his job today.

“My swing is because of him. My approach is because of him. I am who I am because of him,” Freddie told reporters after his walk-off grand slam during the 2024 World Series opener against the New York Yankees on Oct. 25. “That’s mostly his moment because if he didn’t throw me batting practice — if he didn’t love the game of baseball, I wouldn’t be here playing this game.”

The Quality At-Bat

“You’re not measured by you’re batting average! These seven things help us score and win: a hard-hit ball, a 7+ pitch AB, a walk, HBP, RBI, sacrifice (bunt or fly), and hits. Throughout the season, we’ll tally QUABs.”

The kid took this as motivation to build zone discipline and bat control. He took off as a player, understanding the mirage batting average can be. Give breadth to your game. The meaning is in the small jobs that make a big difference.

Connecting Work to the Why

Players today rightly ask, “What job should I focus on?”

Before entering college to save the whales, cure the climate, or run a Fortune 500, sitting up straight in meetings matters. Concentration with hyper-focus for long periods, and eye contact during one of those old-fashioned handshakes, are fundamental. It’s the work before the “moment” that everyone else sees.

“My 12-pitch at-bat in the 5th knocked their starter out an inning early. We got into their pen and came back to win 6–4.”

How many players (or parents) see the quality in the at-bat when it ends in a strikeout?

“Average players want to be left alone.
Good players want to be coached.
Great players want to be told the truth.”

—NBA Coach Doc Rivers

Players who want to be left alone might dwell on boilerplate success measures like ERA and average—or worse, PG Player Rankings. If the “why” is clear, hitting .400 is secondary to doing your job well. This separates the good who play from the great—simplify.

Students at Trosky Academy are practicing eye contact and the handshake daily.

Inside Trosky Academy

Baseball is both a metaphor for life and a vehicle to improve it. Lead Instructor at Trosky Academy Rock Hill, Kyle Harris, teaches focus and reflection through simple, profound exercises. Players write three personal core values early in the semester. Each creates a mantra (the “theme” to guide) and a one-word reset.

Coach Harris doesn’t allow the bank account or batting average to define worth. Prompts and single-word anchors reset player control. The Academies are defining solutions to what the best researchers in the world describe as a crisis.

At the University of Toronto, award-winning lecturer Dr. John Vervaeke (Awakening from the Meaning Crisis) and psychologist Dr. Jordan Peterson (Maps of Meaning) both call it a “meaning shortage”—a gap showing up in students and athletes everywhere. Their conclusion? Far too little time is spent focusing on self-control and the micro—the daily jobs that reinforce purpose. Here’s how we help.

Reach Players Where They Are

The Trosky 365 App launched a powerful program today. Coaching the Coaches & Parents is built to inspire the people who matter most in a player’s life. Through stories from former big leaguers, game-day perspectives, mental performance strategies, and age-appropriate strength training insights, you’ll learn directly from respected voices in the game. Each session provides practical tools to help you guide your athlete through the highs and lows of the baseball journey.

A series of video-based trainings are in the Trosky 365 Daily Training App. For a preview, download the Coaching the Coaches eBook—a good 10-minute read.

The Class: Mental Skills for the Field and for Life

The common mantra is “find yourself.” We’re flipping it to “build yourself.”

Construct more—search less. Before saving the world, players learn fundamentals—sit up straight, focus deeply, and show up with energy and purpose. The small acts won’t make a player a million dollars—they’ll make them worth a million bucks.

Last week’s class built the teammate. Leaders in the making do it in five ways:

• Give time to elevate teammates

• Give focus to mundane tasks

• Give credit to others. Take responsibility

• Give up things that keep you from growing

• Give to baseball. Expect nothing in return.

Watch Week 4 by clicking the video below:

6 Innings Staring at a Glove

The Class this week makes the bench the driver’s seat to build focus. A simple chart with jobs to do, repeated over 40 game days, creates in-game power like the benchpress builds strength.

“In the 6th I finally got into their starter’s glove. We verbaled the pitch and Freddy hit a double to left to score two. Later, I closed. I got the win by picking his glove, and the save by closing it down.”

—Louis Cohen

Learn how six jobs done well help your team win—and grow skills for a career in baseball:

The Class Meets on Tonight

Tuesday at 5pm PT / 8pm ET join players, coaches, and families in The Class.

Topic: “Lock: Train focus, why it matters now, and three innings from this moment.”

Bring your performance notebook. Set reminders and attend weekly.

Sign Up for The Class

Searching for the link the night of? The direct link for The Class is below.

Join Live with Zoom Link

See you in tonight!

On the adventure,
—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com
TroskyBaseball.com

DOWNLOAD NOW

Upcoming Trosky Elite Infield Camps

Coach Trosky is coming to Illinois, Virginia, and Ohio in October.

Infielders will dive deep into advanced skills and Elite Infield Play with one of the world’s foremost minds in infield development. For more information, visit the camp site and schedule.

CAMP REGISTRATION

If this message hits home, share it with a teammate or friend and have them sign up for the Get Your Mind Right Newsletter. It’s how we grow — together.

Share

It usually happens around junior year. A player who knows the system and manages school now wants impact. He asks, “How can I be a better leader?”

The answer: Give. Leadership starts with “reps” of being a great teammate—an often-untaught skill in sports.

“Your image isn’t your character. Character is what you are as a person.” —Derek Jeter

Derek Jeter often said his most important guidance happened when the cameras were off. Over his 20-year career, he described leadership as a simple four-step process:

1. Get to know the people

2. Honesty

3. Communication

4. Be an example

Becoming the Teammate

In Week 4 of The Class, we focus on building the teammate. We train mindset through simple reps of giving. These small acts create a powerful shift: asking “What can I give?” instead of “What can I get?”

That shift turns a high school junior—or college player—into a Jeter-like leader.

We’ll cover 5 ways leaders-in-the-making give today:

• Give time to elevate teammates

• Give focus to mundane tasks

• Give credit to others. Take responsibility

• Give up things that keep you from growing

• Give to baseball. Expect nothing in return

Coach Trosky Joins “The Class”

If you’re thinking about joining, do it. Learn from a coach many call “the GOAT.” Over 30 years, Nate Trosky has taught baseball and perspective across the US, Dominican Republic, and Europe. This Tuesday, he’ll share the core components of a championship teammate.

Nate’s unique stories connect with players from Little League to the Big Leagues. On any weekend he’s in Houston with middle schoolers; the next day he’s in the DR with future All-Stars. And now, he’s coming to The Class.

He brings the spirit of giving while boosting confidence—even with a story about confronting lions. One of my favorites (6 minutes) does both:

New Daily Trainings Soon

The Trosky 365 training library keeps growing. Three new longform programs are on the way:Programs are being added to the Trosky 365 daily training regime all the time. Three more impactful longform trainings give parents and players the best in baseball development.

• The Art of Showcasing - Prepare by writing the script for the day and for your recruiting adventure

• Coaching the Coaches - Guidance for the parent and coach seeking to “reach players where they are”

• Catching Fundamentals - Drills and skills for training from behind the plate

Join thousands taking the challenge. Just 15 minutes a day on the Trosky 365 app resets the mind for success. As high school freshman Luke Uhlig said, “It’s helped me grow each day. I dive into the mental game on the way to school.”

The Class Meets on Tuesday

Signing up takes 30 seconds—and it’s free. Already signed up? See you at 5:00 PM PT / 8:00 PM ET!

Catch up or revisit prior sessions here:
Chris Stapleton, Eudaimonia & Baseball Training (Week 3)

Join Live - Weekly Zoom Link

JOIN LIVE

Set up reminders here.

REGISTER HERE

Bring your questions, energy, and a notebook. And forward this to a teammate, friend, or coach who’d benefit.

“ Say I can and I will…I’m a high frequency player and I’ve come to change the game.” —Nate Trosky

See you Tuesday!

On the adventure,

—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com

TroskyBaseball.com

DOWNLOAD NOW

Upcoming Trosky Elite Infield Camps

Coach Trosky is coming to Nebraska, Illinois, Virginia and Ohio in October.

Infielders will dive deep into advanced skills and Elite Infield Play with one of the world’s foremost minds in infield development. For more information, visit the camp site and schedule.

CAMP REGISTRATION

This is the time to own your training. Information is a click away. Ownership takes thought, planning and sweat. Players who own their training do 4 things methodically. They gather, assess, adjust and respond each day.

“Work harder than anyone else if you want to stand out.” —Aaron Judge

Coach Trosky’s Message

Walking through the Atlanta airport, there was a beautiful video playing of Aaron Judge. It was an advertisement for Ralph Lauren, one of the most prestigious clothing lines of all time.

I remember when Aaron came to my 30 College Showcase Camp in Monterey, California, when he was a junior in high school. At camp, he had no offers. Months late,r he still had no offers.

Aaron continued on his college quest, hoping someone would commit him. He finally committed to a mid-major in his hometown.

Coming from a small town and being unwanted, Aaron Judge turned himself into one of the best players in the game. He will go down in history as one of the greatest of all time.

Just like for Aaron Judge, the majority of your successes will be found in the challenges and struggle of life!

CEOs never give up and live with a better every day attitude. Aaron Judge is a CEO, are you?

BetterEveryday
6TN🌎GYMR
—Nate Trosky

Daily Work – Updated drills and guidance for the Trosky Rebounder Series.

The Trosky Pro Rebounder Series now includes training guides along with demonstrations. Optimize your workouts with the Trosky Pro Rebounder or simulate the drills without it. Check it out!

LEARN MORE

Week 3: The Class

From across the country, athletes and families locked in and actively engaged. If you missed the session or would like to review, the recording is here: The Class Week 2: Calming the Mind

Join us Tuesday for “The Class – Life and baseball skills for college and beyond.”

Bring: Pen & Paper (your performance journal)

Set up reminders here.

REGISTER HERE

Live Zoom Tuesday at 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EST

JOIN US

Get into focus and learn to sustain it. See you in the class!

—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com

TroskyBaseball.com

DOWNLOAD NOW

Upcoming Trosky Elite Infield Camps

Coach Trosky is coming to Nebraska, Illinois, Virginia and Ohio in October.

Infielders looking to take their game to the next level cover advanced and Elite Infield Play. Coach Trosky is recognized globally as one of the foremost minds and master teachers in infield development. For more information, visit the camp site and schedule.

CAMP REGISTRATION

A Grand Slam Response: Our 2025 DR Adventure is Fully Booked

As anticipated, our 2025 Dominican Baseball Thanksgiving Adventure is sold out. If you would like to get on our list for next year, please send your info to contact@troskybaseball.com. This incredible family experience - a baseball vacation of a lifetime that includes player development, culture, and giving back - is the trip for you.

Focus First

A few years ago, an eventual 5-year minor leaguer and I walked to the field before practice. He wanted to talk about school struggles. So did I. His on-field goals were big and reachable, but his inability in the classroom made Jordan ineligible at points in high school and early in college.

The conversation began with openness. “I need to be better,” he said. His perspective pivoted with an accountability question worth translating to serious student-athletes. “You say that in Detroit’s dog day summer, you can beat Verlander in a 2 1/2 hour complete game. How will you outfocus an All-Star if you can’t concentrate on 10 minutes of reading?”

Jordan agreed and gave updates over the next few months. Reading even the obtuse stuff, the focus “muscle” grew. “35 minutes last night!” he would announce. On another day, “55 minutes!”

The RHP with a big league change made a change. He built the ability to lock in through boring practice. 10 years later, and after five seasons in the Giants organization, Jordan is part of a growing Arizona-based tech company. He leads teams of young professionals who are learning that focus on the task at hand is job #1.

Tuesday at 5 pm PT is “The Class.” It’s our second of nine mini-courses on mental skills. To calm the mind once is simple. Doing it daily is difficult. Train it by book and by batting practice. Coach Trosky, Hammer and Moore talk about how. Signup below.

Now, what’s new in Trosky 365’s daily training, from CTO Matt French.

Trosky 365 – Android + New Content

Trosky 365 isn’t just an everyday Trosky Camp–it’s a lifestyle. In three months, Trosky 365 has experienced more than 4,700 downloads. And we’re just getting started.

Now Available–Trosky 365 for Android

Head to the app store on your phone or troskybaseball.com to download Trosky 365. Trosky 365 is available at no cost to current Gold Glove Members. If you are currently subscribed to Gold Glove, you should have received an email from Trosky Baseball with directions on how to obtain your subscription for no additional cost.

Download today!

Coach Trosky Live in Trosky 365

Get behind-the-scenes access to Coach Trosky as he goes live through Trosky 365. Engage in raw, unfiltered interviews, spur-of-the-moment teachings, and so much more. Find them on the app home page, Daily Reps.

New Pre-Throw Routine

Coach Trosky introduces Functional Strength Developer Exercises—over 30 arm-strengthening movements built from the expertise of Tom House, Allan Jaeger, Dr. Frank Jobe, and Nate Trosky—to develop functional strength for strong, resilient arms.

Updated drills and guidance for the Trosky Rebounder Series.

The Trosky Pro Rebounder Series now includes training guides along with demonstrations. Optimize your workouts with the Trosky Pro Rebounder or simulate the drills without it. Check it out!

Week 2: The Class

60+ athletes and families locked in and actively engaged. If you missed the session or would like to review, the recording is here: The Class Week 1 Recording

Goal-setting Homework:

• What will you read this week?

• What will you train beyond the expected?

• Who will you elevate?

Join us: Read – Calming the Mind

Bring: Pen & Paper (your performance journal)

Set up reminders here.

REGISTER HERE

Live Zoom Tuesday at 5 PM PDT / 8 PM EST

JOIN US

Get into focus and learn to sustain it. See you in the class!

—Greg Moore
greg@troskyedtech.com

TroskyBaseball.com

DOWNLOAD NOW