Hoka Hey! EMail States St. Louis Cardinals Used Ninja Tactics

The Pittsburgh Pirates have received a great deal of criticism this offseason for their military style training exercises.  HokaHey!  It’s been a battle cry of its’ own for select Pirates fans.

GM and Sr. VP Neal Huntington and Assistant GM Kyle Stark, implemented a one-of-a-kind training program.  Reportedly, the team blasted prospects with water after an ohh-dark-thirty 5 a.m. wakeup call and carried out team-building exercises.  It should be noted, MLB sources said that top prospect Jameson Taillon suffered a knee injury during the exercises.

We think the bulk of the grief comes from the idea that nobody else in Major League Baseball does similar training.  It’s fair to challenge the team for doing something so new, it happens all the time in our culture.  Pirates catcher Mike McKenry is on the record as stating that his feeling on the topic, is that when an organization is the first to try something it’s easy to criticize.  It should be noted that McKenry said he didn’t get to do “the grueling tasks” that the prospects were going through, so he couldn’t discuss the topic directly, he just gushed about the idea

What if we could tell you that a World Champion team used mental training?   Now it’s not quite full on Hell’s Angels Hoka Hey, but it seems at least somewhat similiar and was included in a recent email we received.

We don’t have any information that says the St. Louis Cardinals told their talented prospects to run through ice water and across sandy beaches, but according to one baseball expert, the Cardinals used mental training to assist in their 2011 World Series victory.

Here is the connection, and perhaps the root of the concept.

Paul Reddick had fourteen years of pro baseball coaching and scouting experience and turned it into an online product empire. Reddick always rocks Pittsburgh Pirates gear in the numerous photographs online as he markets his products.    In this article, …and even more so in this article, Reddick is in full Pittsburgh Pirates uniform as he speaks.

Reddick works a great deal in baseball as one online article pointed out:

"Paul is the Director of The Yogi Berra Baseball School and has also worked camps with Bobby Valentine, Steve Balboni, Tom House and many other baseball greats.Paul is also a ghost writer form some of baseball’s best known authors. You have read Paul’s work…for sure. Paul has worked on The Picture Perfect Pitcher with Tom House, Mike Epstein on Hitting with Mike Epstein, and Surprise Baseball with Stu Southworth…and many others due out. Paul is currently reworking some of baseball’s classic instructional books.Over the last ten years Paul has served as a coach, scout, and consultant to over a dozen major league teams. Paul has spent the last six seasons as a recommending scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates.   Paul also served as a state delegate for USA Baseball and coached in the Montreal Expo farm system."

If you’re still interested, you can check out this interview in which Reddick talks about how he made it big.   Here is a screenshot from the promotional interview:

So fast forward  to yesterday when we saw the below email from Reddick:

"The Cardinals came outof nowhere in 2012 towin the World Series.That team was laser focused.They used 3 “ninja” tacticsto play their best under pressure.Dr. Tom Hanson will give those tacticsto you in his new Effortless Hittingprogram.This is NOT hitting theory.This is NOT hitting mechanics.This is NOT hitting drills.This program gives you the laserbeam focus of Navy SEAL at the plate.You’ve seen great players crack underpressure. It has nothing to do withtheir swing, talent or strength it’s allmental when the game starts.This program is super simpleto follow and use and as AWLAYSwe got your back and have askedDr. Tom to make this thing dirt cheapso everyone can get it.You can get the program for 66% off-> http://www.BaseballSuperSale.comHurry up this sale goes bye-bye tomorrowat midnight. Don’t delay. Get it right now.-> http://www.BaseballSuperSale.comBest,Paul Reddick “The Master Of MPH”Camp Director, Yogi Berra Museum"

So….mental preparation was the key to the St. Louis Cardinals 2012 World Series Championship run?  What?  Well we get the point, even if Reddick is a year off.

The program gives you the laser beam focus of a Navy SEAL at the plate.  Hmmm…

The link from Reddick’s email blast takes those that click it to  an actual sales pitch, by Tom Hanson.     Here is the Baseball Confidence website that Hanson operates and we attached a screenshot for you below.

Reddick works for Yogi Berra, and if you remember one of Yogi’s favorite quotes, maybe this mental preparation training really is the next big thing?  If so, the Bucs are on the right track.  If not, at least the Bucs saved 66% off the program price.