Ever since I can remember, my dream was to become a major league baseball player. Did I end up making it to the pinnacle of baseball? No I did not. But looking back it wasn’t about the end result; it was about the journey and everything I learned along the way. Plus I have been blessed enough to get my education paid for, play professional baseball, travel the world, and discover my love of coaching.

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It’s very cliché, but my story is like the poster that hangs in every elementary school classroom, “Shoot for the moon. If you miss you’ll land among the stars”. It’s a testament to never giving up on your dreams, because even if they don’t turn out exactly how you imagined, if you give it your all, you will find success.

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As a player, I was never the biggest, strongest, fastest, or most talented on any of the teams I played for but what I did have was a burning desire to improve, the courage to pursue knowledge that would set me apart, and a relentless perseverance to apply expert knowledge to my own skill set.

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While in university my baseball skills ended up plateauing and hitting a ceiling that I couldn’t seem to break through. At the time, when I practiced, I had a preconceived notion and mental picture of, “this is how you hit, this is how you field, this is how you throw, etc.” Every day I worked hard focusing on perfecting my mechanics and doing things, in what I had been taught, was “the right way”. Over time I became frustrated because I was putting so much time and effort into training but wasn’t getting the results I wanted. Shortly afterwards I went to my first American Baseball Coaches Conference and it was there that everything changed. It was there where I first learned about the Bernstein Principle, Frans Bosch, and Newell’s Model of constraints. Those core concepts lit a fire inside me and set me on a path of personal development where I sought out and consulted with countless experts in their fields, broke through my baseball plateaus by unlocking my athletic potential, and laid the ground work for my future coaching philosophies that translate to any and all sports.

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The Bernstein Principle:

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The body will organize itself based on the ultimate goal of the activity.

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Example application for a baseball swing: The ultimate goal of hitting is to hit hard line drives. I will create drills where the only way for you to hit those line drives is to swing efficiently. 

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Frans Bosch Quote:

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“We don’t learn a movement by doing it over and over. We learn it by changing it up.”

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Example application for a baseball swing continued: As you begin to hit the line drives, I will change the drill being performed to see if you can continue to hit line drives. If initially you can’t, I will help you make adjustments so you can.

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Newell’s Model of Constraints:

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You can increase or decrease the difficulty of a task, create variety within the same set of drills, and develop players who can adapt to new challenges by manipulating the task, the environment, the organism, and or the implement.

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• The Task: The ultimate goal and specific rules of the activity.

 

• The Environment: The space provided to perform the activity which can be influenced by the temperature, weather, surface, time allotted, space provided, obstacles, etc.

 

• The Organism: The individual performing the task which can be influenced by the bodies starting position, the limb used to execute the skill, the skill being performed, etc.

 

• The Implement: The tool(s)/equipment provided to the organism, within the environment, that must be used to achieve the task.

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Example application of the Model of Constraints for a baseball swing: As you progress with your swing we could challenge you further by manipulating the task from hitting line drives to center field to hitting line drives to right field; the environment by changing the way the ball is tossed to you from underhand front toss to overhand throws; the organism (you) by changing the drill being performed; and the implement by getting you to switch from swinging your regular bat to a short 1 handed bat.  

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The more constraints an athlete is exposed to the more adaptable and relaxed they become under pressure. The more ways an individual can respond to changes in the task, the environment, the organism, and the implement of a skill, drill, or game the quicker and easier they will coordinate body movements, think in a critical manner, and problem solve.

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After learning about the Bernstein Principle, Frans Bosch, and Newell’s Model of Constraints I realized I needed to change the way I physically, mentally, technically, and tactically prepared for competition. I came to the conclusion that better by definition is different than what I have always done and that if I continue to do what everyone else does because it’s “normal”, then I will continue to produce average results. I needed to step outside my comfort zone to grow.

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At this time in my playing career I was already pretty good at baseball so I considered all the other abilities that go into executing baseball skills. That’s when I really started to dive heavily into the athleticism topics of speed, strength, coordination, plyometrics, and mental performance training. Practice became enjoyable again because of the endless, novel, creative, and challenging ways to train the same skill set. As I experimented with movements I kept what worked, threw away what didn’t, and saw every failure as an opportunity to learn and grow because without failure learning cannot occur.  As I increased my strength, speed, explosiveness, and coordination my baseball skills improved across the board. I began to adapt, adjust, and self-correct to achieve the desired result which enabled me to perform skills in ways that others couldn’t, regardless of the constraints. The more athletic I became the more my confidence grew. The best athletes in the world, regardless of their sport, are coordinated, strong, fast, explosive, mobile, and confident, which were the exact skills I was developing and had a passion for learning about (and still do!).

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As I transitioned to coaching professional baseball and creating strength and speed programs for those teams, I was able to test my ideas and theories on others. The Multi-Sport Mindset programs were met with great success on and off the field. There are a lot of people who can perform a sport’s skills but how many can achieve the desired result, any way imaginable, while under any constraint, in any situation, under pressure, in a game? As a team we were stronger, faster, more explosive, more mobile, and more coordinated that the other teams in the league which enabled us to perform our baseball skills to a higher degree; and when we did train specifically for baseball we used individual specific constraints to constantly challenge each player to improve.

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Benjamin Franklin said “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn”. At Multi-Sport Mindset we involve you in athletic challenges so you can learn to problem solve through movement. Those movements will build a strong foundation of physical literacy, athletic ability, and sport skills so you can excel. As someone who has stood in your shoes and understands the process let me help you achieve your dreams.

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About Coach Joe Germaine

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I am a former Division 1 athlete, 6 year professional baseball player-manager, and head development coach for 5 sport organizations. I have helped thousands of athletes just like you achieve excellence and have fun doing it!

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I have a BSc. In Exercise Science (MVSU), my Advanced Coaching Diploma (CSIO), and certifications as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (NSCA), Chartered Professional Coach (CAC), Competition Development Coach (NCCP), Learning Facilitator (Baseball Canada), and Coach Developer (Baseball Canada).

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I coach because I am motivated by the challenge of helping each athlete achieve excellence. My vision is to build meaningful relationships, wherein I can help others by sharing my knowledge as an expert, leader, mentor, and coach. My mission is to constantly strive to use my values of courage, imagination, and honesty to learn and grow as an individual, to create a safe, inclusive, and fun environment, and to hold myself accountable to the highest standard.