Why Baseball Planning Is Overrated

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Baseball's beautiful chaos demands more than just careful planning—it requires thorough preparation. In this thought-provoking episode, Coach Ken Carpenter challenges conventional coaching wisdom by explaining why preparation consistently trumps planning when navigating the unpredictable nature of America's pastime.

Drawing from his 27 years of coaching experience, Coach Carpenter illuminates the fundamental difference between these approaches. Planning creates rigid roadmaps based on expectations—the perfect pitch sequence, the flawless double play—but crumbles when reality inevitably deviates from the script. True preparation, however, builds resilience, adaptability, and creativity that thrives amid baseball's inherent disorder. 

Through practical examples like base running, Coach Carpenter demonstrates how prepared players develop the muscle memory and mental fortitude needed when the unexpected occurs. Rather than merely knowing how to execute a steal with textbook precision, prepared players understand what to do when the pitcher turns with a killer pickoff move or when the ball takes an unpredictable bounce.

The episode delves deeply into mental preparation—arguably baseball's most crucial element. While no amount of planning can fully account for striking out with bases loaded or handling late-inning pressure, proper preparation builds the psychological framework that allows players to bounce back, refocus, and perform under stress. Coach Ken Carpenter offers coaches a transformative question: "Stop asking what's the best-case scenario and start asking what's the worst-case scenario and how do we respond to it?"

Ready to transform your coaching approach? Subscribe now, share with fellow coaches, and join us every Wednesday for more insights that will elevate your program and prepare your players not just for the game you expect, but for the chaotic, beautiful game that actually unfolds.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome back to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, the
podcast that equips you, thelistener, with strategies to
elevate your coaching.
You'll gain practical insightsfrom some of the best coaches
around the country that you canimplement with your team.
Today.
I'm your host, Coach KenCarpenter.
Today we're tackling the topicthat hits at the very core of
effective coaching Preparationversus planning.

Speaker 2 (00:25):
Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken
Carpenter, presented byAthleteOne.
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is apodcast for baseball coaches
With 27 years of high schoolbaseball coaching under his belt
, here to bring you the insidescoop on all things baseball,
from game-winning strategies andpitching secrets to hitting
drills and defensive drills.
We're covering it all.

(00:45):
Whether you're a high schoolcoach, college coach or just a
baseball enthusiast, we'll diveinto the tactics and techniques
that make the difference on andoff the field.
Discover how to build a winningmentality.
Inspire your players and getthem truly bought into your game
philosophy Plus, get the latestinsights on recruiting,
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(01:10):
champions productivity andsuccess.
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On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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Let's dig into why preparationalways beats planning and why
baseball demands a mindset builtfor chaos and not order.

(02:51):
As coaches, we've all heard thesaying fail to plan is planning
to fail.
It's a cliche that rings truein certain contexts Business
meetings, project deadlines,even dinner parties but when it
comes to baseball, a game ofinfinite unpredictability

(03:12):
planning alone won't cut it.
Why?
Because planning is rooted inexpectations of order.
It assumes we know exactlywhat's coming next the perfect
pitch sequence, the flawlessbunt, the textbook double play.
Planning is neat, tidy andsystematic.
Qualities of baseball seldomdelivers.

(03:34):
Preparation, on the other hand,embraces chaos.
It doesn't just acknowledgeunpredictability, it expects it.
Preparation means trainingbaseball players not just for
the ideal scenario, but forscenarios that make you want to
pull your hair out.
It's about equipping your teamwith tools to adapt, innovate

(03:56):
and thrive when the game throwscurveballs, literally and
metaphorically.
Think about this.
When we plan, we create adetailed roadmap based on what
we expect to happen.
We draft our batting order withthe assumption our leadoff
hitter will get on base.
We choreograph our defensiveshifts, banking on hitters

(04:18):
following their usual patterns.
But what happens when thepitcher is off their rhythm or
the opposing team's best hitterbunts instead of swinging away?
Planning falls apart in momentsof chaos because it's rigid.
Preparation, on the other hand,is fluid.
It's not just about knowing howto execute a double play.

(04:41):
It's about knowing what to dowhen the ball ricochets off the
third baseman gloves and rollsinto foul territory.
Preparation is about developinginstincts, fostering resilience
and cultivating creativity.
And cultivating creativity it'sabout teaching your players to
read the situation, adapt on thefly and make smart decisions

(05:04):
under pressure.
Take the example of baserunning.
You can play on all day longfor a textbook steal, the
perfect jump, the flawless slide.
But what do you tell yourplayer when your pitcher turns
and has a great pickoff move?
If that player hasn't preparedfor contingencies, if they

(05:27):
haven't practiced scramblingback to the bag or timing their
lead differently, they're caughtoff guard.
Preparation builds musclememory for the unexpected.
Preparation also teaches us ascoaches to control what we can
and adapt to what we can't.
Whether delays, bad umpirecalls, injuries or even the wild

(05:51):
unpredictability of thebaseball None of these can be
planned for.
But we can prepare for themmentally and strategically.
We can instill confidence inour players to adapt, improvise
and keep battling.
Let's not forget about themental side of the game.

(06:11):
Planning might outline a pregamepep talk, a neatly structured
motivational speech game.
Pep talk a neatly structuredmotivational speech, but
preparation, preparationinvolves training the mental
toughness of your players.
It's about ensuring they knowhow to bounce back after
striking out with the basesloaded, how to shake off the

(06:42):
pressure of a late inning andhow to step up when the game's
on the line.
Mental resilience isn'tsomething you can plan for.
It's something you developthrough preparation.
So how do we, as coaches, shiftour mindset from planning to
preparation?
Here's the key.
Stop asking yourself what's thebest case scenario.
Start asking what's the worstcase scenario.
Start asking what's the worstcase scenario and how do we
respond to it.

(07:02):
Stop scripting every detail ofthe game.
Start equipping your playerswith skills to think critically,
adapt quickly and stay focused,no matter what curveballs
literal and figurative cometheir way.
I'll leave you with this thoughtBaseball is not a game of

(07:22):
certainty.
It's a game of chaos.
Planning might help you map outthe journey, but preparation is
what ensures your team cannavigate the storm when the map
gets blown away.
Prepare your players for theunexpected, train them to
embrace the chaos and when thatmoment comes, the moment that

(07:45):
defines the game, you'll see whypreparation always beats
planning.
That's all for today.
Please be sure to tune in everyWednesday for a new episode
here on Baseball CoachesUnplugged.
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Today's show was powered by thenetting professionals,

(08:07):
improving programs one facilityat a time.
Contact them today at844-620-2707, or visit them
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As always, I'm your host, coachKen Carpenter.
Thanks for listening toBaseball Coaches Unplugged.