SWAG 101
Invisible Mechanics, Perfect Collisions and .400 Hitters
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The mirror doesn't lie. Either you are or you aren't. Either you have it or you don't. If you are honest with yourself, you will know. If you are honest with yourself, you can fix things. Some people spend their whole life trying to get it and never do. Some people have had it and then somehow lost it. And then some people are fighting like hell just to keep it. Whatever category you fall into, SWAG 101 is your mirror, showing you yourself through the author’s experiences in teaching, results, and feedback. When organized thoughts collide with the perfect sequence of mechanics you find yourself in a zone -somewhere between REALITY and some VIRTUAL place that only YOU can take yourself. In the world of performance, be it the stage, final exam, or batter’s box, we actually create another person and get into character, as in the world of the Performing Arts. Few athletes are able to take on the attributes of this self-created character, let alone find her. In this place commonly referred to as “the zone,” we are able to manifest a projection of perfection that cannot be articulated – we just do it –either instinctively or the situation pulls it out of us. With proper training and preparation, athletes can learn how to get to this place of high mental focus –at will. In SWAG 101, we will explore the possibilities. Invisible Mechanics is the eyes to brain to body communication which happens when neurons transmit data faster because of information in the form of stored visual data from past experience. Most hitting coaches deal only with the swing itself and not the dynamics that determine how and why we arrive at a particular swing. The way in which we react, respond, or swing is determined by visual stimuli and our unique interpretation of it -perception. This data is then processed or cross-referenced with stored data and sends responses to the hips and hands for the appropriate action or response -the swing. There is a unique set of neurons created for every pitch, from every angle, against every possible background, at every speed, from every trajectory, and every distance you have ever seen. These are invisible mechanics. A deeper level of hitting and another layer of performance.
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About the Book
SWAG 101
by Rob Crews
"The trajectory of learning has changed, therefore the trajectory of teaching must change as well. Be innovative in player development."
"I love talking the game with Rob Crews, especially when you talk about hitters. The insight that Rob has given me when it comes down to his perspective on hitting has been very beneficial to me as a hitting coach. You are not going to find another hitting coach as passionate as Coach Crews."
-TIM WALTON Head Coach, University of Florida Softball
"Rob breaks down teaching and learning not only for athletes but for the common everyday citizen. I recommend SWAG 101 to everyone interested in becoming more knowledgeable of the teaching and learning process no matter your intelligence level."
-ORV FRANCHUK Hitting Coach, Los Angeles Dodgers
"SWAG 101 teaches hitting and the mental game from a player's perspective. His innovative ideas and strategies are straight forward and keep the game simple. I'm proud to call Rob a teacher and a friend."
-HOWARD DOBSON Hitting Coach LSU, Team USA Softball
"This book is an absolute must read for those players aspiring to reach the top level game! SWAG - the secret weapon all great hitters possess but are reluctant to share."
-LAUREN GIBSON 2013 SEC Player of the Year, Team USA Softball
"Rob knows hitting and more importantly he knows hitters. In SWAG 101, hitters learn to know themselves through his teachings - perhaps the most critical piece to the performance puzzle."
-KRIS HERMAN Head Cpach, Williams College Softball
"The book does a great job of tying in the various components of learning and how important each aspect is to an athlete in their own development. Rob is world class when it comes to showing the countless ways there are for an athlete to improve -not just with the physical, but more importantly the mental facet."
-MIKE STEUERWALD Head Coach, Chicago Bandits, NPF
The bottom line is most athletes with great swings and great form, aren't even that good! So what makes them good? SWAG 101 is about Invisible Mechanics -the mechanics that we can't see. What goes on under the hood. Most of which precedes the swing. Its about perception. Organzing your thoughts. In this book, the author digs deeper into the athlete's operating system. Invisible Mechanics is the brain working together with the eyes to create a faster, more efficient response from the body. The COMPLETE GAME instructional model, as narrated by Rob Crews, combines mind/body research outlining and how effective teaching is continuing to evolve.
About the Author
After consulting some of the greatest minds in athlete development today, Rob Crews, author and founder of COMPLETE GAME has fused together techniques that have been successful for athletes of every age and skill level. The hitting model consists of strategies for the improvement of perception, recognition, decision-making and reaction time. The Complete Game Instructional Model combines research in modern Sports and Neuro Psych, Visual Strategies for efficient recognition and anticipation. Complete Game also teaches athletes practical application of mechanics and movement for easy learning and transition from practice/preparation to performance. The areas of focus combine Mental/Emotional Skills, Performance Nutrition, Enhanced Focus and clarity of thought to be applied to all aspects of performance from Skill Sets to Linear and Multi-Directional Speed and Acceleration. Complete Game's curriculum is based on more than a decade of experience in supporting elite athletes and studying what has been proven at the A-Level. Complete Game has synthesized the curriculum into a format that some say is second to none in terms of achieving real results. Complete Game organizes drills and practice regiments into a process that makes sense and is customized to the mental and visual make-up of the individual. The system evaluates and profiles how athletes think, learn, process, and apply familiar and new information. Rob’s teaching skills and results with athletes from the youth to the professional levels, has earned him the respect of coaches across the U.S. and abroad. Rob has consulted organizations from Youth, Professional and Olympic level, and college teams in the Pac-10, SEC, C-USA, ACC, and Atlantic Ten, and others. As part of the 2010 USSSA PRIDE coaching staff, a professional women's fastpitch team in the NPF, Rob earned a championship ring. He also worked with the Venezuelan Olympic softball team in the areas of hitting mechanics, visual strategies, and the mental game. Rob is also the author of the book, Complete Game, a mental skills publication for improving in-game focus and confidence. Rob is the founder of A-Game, a Student-Athlete Branding and Development Firm, currently the Fastpitch Advisor to SKLZ, consultant to Sports195, T2 Motion, and AXIS Bats.