About 25 years ago, Ron Wolforth started what is now known as the Texas Baseball Ranch.
Located about 30 miles north of downtown Houston, Ron, his wife Jill, and the staff have been revolutionizing how pitcher development is viewed and applied across all levels of baseball.
But it didn’t start that way.
Ron has routinely explained to both my Dad and I how they went through many years of being called “crazy”, “insane”, and “bad for baseball”.
But, as time went on, Ron and his team stuck to their process, continued to research, learn, and apply, and now TBR is widely known across the world.
I was 17 years old when I first went to the Ranch. At the time, I was pitching well – well enough to earn a scholarship to continue my career in college, but I was hurting.
While battling tendonitis in my forearm, shooting pains in my elbow, and biceps issues throughout my entire senior year, I saw a major decrease in the speed and movement of my pitches.
I still remember the first day at the “Pitcher’s Bootcamp” in August. It was somewhere around or slightly above 100 degrees with about 90-100% humidity.
In the “what you need for camp” section of the welcome packet, it said, “make sure you bring an extra shirt.” Now I knew why…
Ron starts each day at the Ranch with a 30-minute mindset session. Typically, he will show a motivational video, give a speech, or explain an aspect of the mindset of pitching and being great.
That first hot, August day, he uttered a phrase that shaped the next decade of my life.
“You must learn to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
At the root of becoming an elite athlete, successful entrepreneur, excellent parent/spouse, is the idea of being comfortable in the uncomfortable.
That’s where growth happens!
That weekend, by applying Ron’s teaching, I went from having a dead-arm with average stuff to an arm restored to life with massive increases in my velo.
Since hearing that phrase, I’ve gone on to live in 6 different states, 3 colleges, a baseball career that had significant ups and downs, injuries, failures, and disappointments and found the love of my life in Michel, my wife of 2 years.
Many uncomfortable moments.
But that phrase stuck with me and helped me form a mindset around what it means to seek out uncomfortable situations in order to grow.
So, whether it’s your health, your performance, your relationships, or something else… get uncomfortable. Dive into the unknown and learn to fail forward.
It’s changed my life and I know it will change yours, too.
Thank you, Ron and Jill, for investing in me on that hot day in August – and for the many young men you’ve shaped over the years through baseball.