If it does not work in the game, it does not matter.

There was a time I was working with a collegiate hitter and felt confident in the plan we built. We both agreed he was not getting into an athletic hitting position, so we created a progression: no stride work, flips, and controlled BP. In training, it looked great. Clean movements, consistent reps, and good ball flight. Then he got into games, and everything disappeared. He reverted to his old pattern almost instantly.

At first, it was frustrating. Then it clicked. The environment we trained in did not match the environment he competed in. The change could not handle game speed.

So we adjusted. We challenged the move under more game-like conditions: mixed BP, 3-plate drills, double machine. We made him stabilize the pattern when the “temperature” of the environment was turned up. That is when the improvement started to transfer.

It taught me something important. Development is not about what works in a controlled space. It is about what holds up when things are fast, unpredictable, and competitive. If the pattern breaks under game conditions, then the training did not truly prepare the player.

Ever since that moment, I have approached training with a different lens. The goal is not pretty swings in practice. The goal is for it to hold up in competition.