Making Pizza: Analogy for Consistent Preparation in Baseball

We all love a good pizza. However, each of us has our own opinion of what a good pizza should include and how it should taste.

If I asked two people to construct a recipe that would generate their favorite pizza, I am sure I would see each person’s recipe showing to be different. However, if I asked them to produce the same pizza every day, it is safe to assume that both individuals would execute their recipe’s the same: using consistent ingredients and preparation in their own regard. This would give them the best chance to perform the task consistently. Even though their path would look different, they would still achieve the goal of generating consistent results. Essentially:

Consistent Ingredients+ Consistent Preparation= Higher Chance of Making a Consistent Pie

I mean, why would they go about it any other way?

I would argue that this analogy should be used in every baseball locker room to teach players about the importance of their consistent preparation relating to reaching their goals. Let me explain through one example.

Hitters may set the goal of consistently barreling the baseball to increase the chances of getting a hit each at-bat; executing the recipe consistently to increase the chances of making the perfect pie each time. But what should players do to consistently barrel a baseball? Everyone should have their own answer.

Hitters should have their own set of drills and warmup attributes that put them where they need to be to succeed; almost like ingredients that would be included on their (personal) perfect pizza. Player A might not like front flips while Player B might only use front flips; Person A might hate pepperoni whereas Person B might want extra. Also, a person may find that pepperoni as a topping just isn’t cutting it anymore after some time, just like a player might have to switch up their drills. Regardless of what ingredients are being used, the goal stays the same.?

Hitters may want to carry out their drills, warmups, on-deck routine, in-box presence, and any reactions throughout the at-bat consistently each time they play a game to increase their chances of reaching this goal; someone making a pizza would follow the recipes’ steps the same each time.

If a player has a consistent set of pregame drills and executes them daily through their hitting routine (which continues while actively playing the game), they would be giving themselves the best chance to see consistent results using the same logic of making pizza.

If we prepare consistently in baseball, we would be increasing our chances to see consistent results in our play. This will not create 5 for 5 performances every game, because even the line drives can result in an out. I implore athletes to think about how they go about their preparation and entertain the idea of keeping it consistent.