There’s an idea from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers that has always stuck with me.

He discusses research looking at how children develop academically during the school year compared with when they’re away from school.

During school, kids are largely exposed to the same environment.

Same classrooms.

Same curriculum.

Same assignments.

Same schedule.

But when school stops, their environments become different.

One kid spends the summer reading, exploring, building things and having their curiosity stimulated.

Another doesn't.

And when everyone comes back together, separation has started to occur.

Not necessarily because one kid was smarter.

But because while everyone else was doing the same thing, they were developing differently.

I think there's a lesson here for baseball.

Better is crowded. Different creates separation.

Look around youth baseball right now.

Everyone hits.

Everyone throws.

Everyone fields.

Everyone takes lessons.

Everyone goes to tournaments.

Everyone does drills.

Everyone gets reps.

And when a player struggles or starts falling behind, our natural response is almost always the same:

They need more.

More swings.

More lessons.

More drills.

More games.

More instruction.

And maybe they do.

But there's a question I think we should be asking more often:

If everyone is doing more of the same things, where is the separation supposed to come from?

If 20 players are receiving essentially the same developmental experiences, eventually one of the biggest separators becomes the most athletically gifted will rise to the top.

The kid who is naturally faster.

Naturally stronger.

Naturally more coordinated.

Naturally more explosive.

The kid who seems to figure movements out faster than everyone else.

So if we're going to develop players exactly like everyone else…

we better hope we have better athletes than everyone else.

Or…

we can develop something different.

What are we developing that everyone else isn't?

That's a question I believe every coach, parent and player should occasionally ask.

Not:

How can we do the same thing better than everyone else?

But:

What are we developing that everyone else is overlooking?

That's a very different way of thinking about player development.

Because the goal isn't to eliminate hitting, throwing, fielding or baseball instruction.

Those things matter.

The goal is to recognize that baseball skills don't exist independently of the athlete performing them.

Every swing requires movement.

Every throw requires movement.

Every defensive play requires an athlete to perceive what's happening, organize their body, transition between movements and find a solution.

Yet we spend an enormous amount of time developing the baseball skill…

and comparatively little time developing the athlete responsible for expressing it.

That's where I believe the opportunity is.

Movement.

Coordination.

Rhythm.

Body control.

Adaptability.

Transitions.

The ability to accelerate and decelerate.

The ability to organize the body from different positions.

The ability to solve movement problems without someone constantly telling the athlete exactly where every body part should go.

These things aren't separate from baseball development.

They're the foundation underneath it.

And that's what makes this kind of development easy to overlook.

You might not see a dramatic difference tomorrow.

You might not even see it next month.

But development compounds.

Give two young players similar baseball instruction and similar playing opportunities.

Then spend years helping one of them develop a larger movement vocabulary, better coordination, more adaptability and more ways to solve movement problems.

At first, the difference might be subtle.

Eventually, you start saying things like:

"That kid is just athletic."

"He moves differently."

"He always seems to find a way to make the play."

"Things just look easier for him."

We often call that natural athleticism.

Sometimes it is.

But sometimes we're looking at years of development finally revealing itself.

The game eventually gets messy.

This is another reason I believe developing the athlete matters so much.

Baseball isn't played from perfect positions.

The ground ball takes a bad hop.

The pitch isn't where you expected it.

Your timing is slightly off.

Your feet aren't perfectly set.

Your momentum is carrying you in the wrong direction.

The game constantly puts players into situations they haven't rehearsed exactly.

That's when players have to find solutions.

And the further they advance, the more valuable that ability becomes.

You can't prepare an athlete for every situation they'll encounter.

But you can develop an athlete capable of solving situations they haven't encountered before.

That's a very different objective.

Coaches: here's the question I'd ask.

If a player trains with you for the next three years…

what will they develop that they wouldn't have developed somewhere else?

More swings?

More ground balls?

More throwing?

More drills?

Those things can absolutely make players better.

But they're available almost everywhere.

The bigger opportunity may be developing qualities that aren't being developed everywhere.

And parents should ask a similar question.

Instead of constantly wondering:

"Does my kid need another lesson?"

"Should we add another team?"

"Should we get more reps?"

Occasionally ask:

What is my child developing that everyone else isn't?

Because doing more isn't always the same as developing more.

Stop trying to be better.

Be different.

That doesn't mean being different just for the sake of being different.

It means identifying what's missing from the traditional development model and intentionally developing it.

Everyone is trying to build better hitters.

Better pitchers.

Better fielders.

We should absolutely do that.

But maybe there's an opportunity underneath all of it.

Build better athletes.

Athletes who move differently.

Adapt differently.

Transition differently.

Solve problems differently.

And eventually…

play differently.

Because if we're going to develop players exactly like everyone else…

we better hope we have more talent than everyone else.

I'd rather develop the advantage.

Ready to Develop Differently?

If you're a parent looking to give your player a different developmental experience, that's exactly why we built Baseball Flows™.

Our programs help players develop the movement, coordination, adaptability and athletic foundation that traditional baseball training often overlooks.

Individual players can start training with Baseball Flows today.

👉 Start Training with Baseball Flows™

And if you're a coach or organization reading this, something exciting is happening.

Over the past month, we've added more team and organizational partnerships that are bringing Baseball Flows directly into their player-development systems.

And we're not done.

We have even more team partnerships being added this week.

Coaches are recognizing that player development can't only be about accumulating more reps.

They're looking for ways to develop the athlete underneath the baseball player.

That's the movement we're building.

Reply with “I’m interested” to learn more about our team partnerships

Whether you're one player, one team, or an entire organization:

Don't just train more. Develop differently.

Move Better. Play Better.

— Dr. Gallo
Former Professional Baseball Player | Doctor of Physical Therapy
Founder, Baseball Flows™