What Does
A NJ Thunder Season
Look Like...
Our training philosophy is different then most. We rely heavily on Fall and Winter practices to correct bad habits and to develop new skills. Although adjustments need and will be made, we don't believe complex skills such as swing changes and arm angels to name a few, should be adjusted in-season. In the Spring and Summer, while we are competing, we are focused on executing the skills we learned during the fall and winter while focused on "controllables" such as but not limited to awareness, communication, positioning, rotations, and leadership.
FALL
Weekly
1 (2 Hour Multi-Team Practice)
1 (1.5 Hour Positional Practice)
1 (Open Hitting Practice)
We are not always successful, but we prefer our kids to take off in August and September. Our official training season starts at the beginning of October and goes until winter break. We try to play in 1 to 2 tournaments during late fall to assess our fall skill development.
Winter
Weekly
1 (2 Hour Multi-Team Practice)
1 (1.5 Hour Positional Practice)
1 (Open Hitting Practice)
When we come back from Winter Break, we start to pick up the intensity. During the fall, our hitting progression is mostly machine-based, focused on hitting faster speeds. After Winter Break, we go to a 60/40 Machine to Live ratio, working towards 60/40 Live to Machine to prepare for the start of Spring Games.
SPRING
Weekly
1 (2 Hour Multi-Team Practice)
1 (Open Hitting Practice)
Although we might play a tournament or two in March, if the weather cooperates, the season truly starts the first weekend in April. We will play between 4 to 5 tournaments between March and June. Practices decrease in the season as we like to be conscious over kids rec and travel schedules.
sUMMER
Weekly
1 (2 Hour Multi-Team Practice)
1 (Open Hitting Practices)
The Summer comes and goes quickly. We are very aware of burnout and completely understand if the kids aren't making it to every practice. We want the kids to enjoy their summers, although when we suit up on the weekends, we know our Thunder Players are ready to compete. We generally play 4 to 5 tournaments in the summer, including our state and national tournament.