So, today was a bit of an experiment. I decided to try what I’ve been calling in my head “Calvin Johnson baseball” practice. Yeah, I know, sounds a little out there, but hear me out. Sometimes you just gotta shake things up, right? Get out of the usual routine that can start to feel like you’re just going through the motions.
It’s kinda funny how this whole idea even popped into my head. I was actually flicking through some old sports highlights a few nights back, mostly football, just to see some pure athleticism. And then this one highlight of Calvin Johnson came on – you know, “Megatron” – just making some unbelievable catch, pure power and grace. And a thought just sparked. What if I tried to bring a sliver of that explosiveness, that aerial dominance, into my baseball drills? My regular routine felt stale, like I was hitting a plateau, and I figured, what’s the harm in trying something different? My old coach used to say, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” That stuck with me.
My “Megatron” Baseball Session
First off, I wasn’t trying to reinvent the wheel or anything. It was more about the mindset. Thinking about that sheer determination and physical presence he had. I got to the field and just started messing around. My main focus was on explosiveness and, well, trying to own the air a bit more, even if it’s with a baseball glove instead of football ones.
Here’s a rundown of what I tried:
- High Point Drills: I had my buddy launch some fly balls way higher and deeper than usual. The goal wasn’t just to catch them, but to really attack the ball at its highest point. Lots of jumping, trying to get that feeling of out-leaping everyone. Felt a bit silly at first, like I was overdoing it, but then it got kinda fun.
- Explosive Take-offs: For base running, instead of just typical sprints, I focused on that first-step burst. Like how Johnson would just explode off the line. Short, sharp sprints, trying to get to top speed as quick as humanly possible. My legs were burning after a few of those.
- Power Swings (Football Style): Okay, this was more visualization. When I was taking some batting practice, I tried to channel that raw power. Not about technique so much today, but just feeling that coil and uncoil, trying to generate maximum bat speed. Imagined I was trying to power through a tackle, but with a bat.
Honestly, some of it probably looked ridiculous. I definitely fumbled a few of those sky-high balls trying to be too acrobatic. And the power swings? Let’s just say not every ball went where I wanted it to. But it wasn’t really about perfection today.
The Takeaway? Well, I’m not suddenly going to be making circus catches in every game or hitting 500-foot home runs. But you know what? It was refreshing. It broke the monotony. It made me think about movement and power in a slightly different way. Sometimes, just stepping outside your normal box, even if the idea sounds a bit weird, can light a little fire under you. It’s good to remember that there are different ways to push yourself. I left the field feeling pretty energized, actually. Might just keep a few of these “Megatron” elements in my back pocket for when I need to mix things up again.
