“Dad, I don’t know what else to do. I worked so hard…”

Last season Ben had been cut from one of the top youth travel teams in the country. 

He was a good baseball player – with a smooth swing that often got him on base and the athleticism to play anywhere on the field. 

But his dad knew he wasn’t ready for “serious ball” yet, he just hadn’t developed that explosive power yet or unlocked the arm he needed to play elite baseball. 

But heading into this year’s tryouts felt different. 

Something had switched and suddenly he had become obsessed with becoming a better baseball player. 

He spent hours hitting off a tee in the backyard, he set up drills to practice his throwing accuracy on the move, he had his dad hit ground balls to work on his fielding. 

He even started running sprints & doing workouts that he found on Youtube. 

He was a kid with a goal – make the team this season. 

“I’m sorry, buddy. We saw a lot of improvement from last year, but we just don’t have a spot for you this year.”

The conversation that stings every athlete had come – he got cut. 

It hit Ben like a ton of bricks.

He’d never worked so hard for anything in his life, and now, despite all his effort, he felt like it wasn’t enough. 

The kid who used to spend every minute thinking about baseball suddenly didn’t even want to talk about it.

The backyard batting stopped. His glove stayed in the garage. His dad watched as the passion drained. 

One night, after dinner, Ben sat at the table and said: “Dad, I don’t know what else to do. I worked so hard… maybe I’m just not good enough.”

His dad’s heart sank. He knew Ben had the talent, but what he needed wasn’t more effort—it was direction.

So he reached out to the Coach and asked what Ben had to improve for next season. 

“This is the age where kids who are getting stronger & more powerful are getting ahead… they’re faster, their velo is higher, and they’re connecting with the ball harder.  We can refine mechanics with them, but those attributes go a long way at this level and age. I think it could really help Ben take that make step.”

Then he suggested reaching out to Coach Kyle – who had worked with a number of the older club players and alumni now playing in the NCAA and pro levels.  

When we met with Ben is was obvious that he had to get stronger & more powerful.

So Coach Kyle made it clear: “Players this age need a specific plan. They rarely need to just “work harder” they need to structure their work to make it count. Developing into an elite baseball player doesn’t happen by luck or randomness.”

Ben’s dad knew this is what he needed – and Ben was fired up to get the exact game plan that would help take him to the next level. 

We created a 12 week plan that he could follow that would develop not only the foundational strength and power he needed to thrive as an athlete, but also develop the exact attributes that translate most to the field. 

• We focused on movement quality and exercises that would help him increase movement fluency and become an elite mover. 
• We emphasized developing foundational strength & power that would let him unlock more bat speed, higher velocity, and more speed in his sprints both now & for years to come.
• We challenged speed & athleticism with speed drills that would help him refine his movement mechanics and help him play more dynamically & make big defensive plays while continuing to enhance his overall athleticism.
• We used functional mobility exercises that would help them to stay healthy, address the imbalances that baseball players have, and start to build a bulletproof body.
• We utilized conditioning that specifically challenged the energy systems to allow him to stay mentally sharp & keep his mechanics dialled-in late in the game or in a long weekend tournament in the heat. lacrosse players use on-field so that he could play at top speed even when other players were slowing down. 

Week by week, Ben’s confidence started to return and his dad could see subtle changes. First his swing started to look more powerful, he was fielding balls faster, and he looked faster. 

By the time next season’s tryouts came, Ben was a completely different player.

This time, when his dad stood on the sidelines, he wasn’t just hoping Ben would make the team—he knew he would.

And he was right. Not only did Ben make the team, but he became a key player, driving in runs, making big defensive plays, and even winning the unsung hero of year award.

Coaches and other parents all made the classic “what are you feeding that kid” joke.

But the jokes quickly became serious conversations about what he was doing, what camp had he been going to, what coach he worked with – where did he find the edge?

The truth is, there was no secret sauce. No coach was going to turn him into an elite baseball player. No workout that would magically increase his bat speed.

It was Ben’s hard work applied to the right game plan.

At the time, we had created digital programs that were being used by pros and college players, but seeing Beh's results made us realize that youth players needed a blueprint to give them the exact structure they needed to develop into elite baseball players.

They had the ambition; they just needed the game plan – and that's when the Relentless Youth Development Program was born.

Since then we’ve had thousands of ambitious youth players translate their hard work and hustle into true athletic development that gives them not only the advantage over players now, but long term.

We've been fortunate to watch many of these players unlock their potential to go from youth to varsity, earn scholarships, and continue to thrive in the game.

If you have a youth baseball player at home that's serious about becoming the best player they can be, then now is the time to start getting relentless with their training!