Brandon Rembert is a Division 1 baseball player at Alcorn State University. Brandon Rembert has had a very prestigious collegiate baseball career and is even considered a potential MLB Draft Pick for the 2021 Draft. His vast resume and experience make him a great contestant for the topic we are conversing today.
Hi Brandon, we are happy to have you on today. How have things been for you since the Covid-19 pandemic began?
Things have been going good. We just began classes for the fall. We are going to be online for 3 weeks and will resume in class classes after the 3 weeks are up. Right now I am at home training daily for baseball.
Thanks for that Brandon and I’m glad everything is going smoothly for you. Let’s jump right into the interview. Give me a couple of ways that you get your body ready for a long baseball season. I know you guys play about 50 to 60 games.
Yes, we have a pretty long season. One of the things I do to prepare my body is to weight lift. Lifting weights keeps my muscles and body strong so I can endure a pretty lengthy season. I usually lift about 4 times a week and they are pretty heavy lifts. I do the essential lifts such as squats, bench, and deadlifts to go along with other functional lifts. I also lift throughout the season to make sure I retain my strength, but I will go a little lighter on the weight so I will not get too sore.
That’s very good to know. Is there anything else that you do physically to stay in shape and healthy during the offseason and during the regular season?
Besides weightlifting, I try to do a little bit of running. I try to do sprints and mix that in with some long distance running. Sprints help more with my speed and explosiveness. Baseball is an explosive sport, so it’s good to incorporate some exercises that involve some power. I use long distance running mainly for building endurance. Having stamina is key for baseball players. Baseball players have about 3 hour games and play almost every day, so it’s vital to build up that endurance. Flexibility is also important, so I try to stretch and foam roll often. People always say that loose muscles are fast muscles, so it’s important to stretch. Stretching also prevents injury.
That is good stuff Brandon. I know that baseball is a skill sport. Could you elaborate on some of the techniques you use to work on your baseball skills?
Yes, you are correct that baseball is a skill sport. I try to work on the skill portion of baseball at least 5 to 7 days a week. When I’m at the field I work on about 3 aspects of the game on a consistent basis. I work on my hitting, fielding, and throwing. To work on my hitting I simply just hit in the cage and work on my hitting technique mainly. I try to improve on something every day I’m in the cage. For fielding, I will get baseballs hit to me off the bat and work on catching the ball and my footwork. I am an outfielder, so I really work on my routes to the ball. For throwing, I do something that is called long toss. When you long toss, you throw the ball as far as possible, until you can’t throw the ball any farther. Of course you will build up to it by starting at maybe 5 yards, then 15, then 30, and then eventually work your way up to maybe 90 or 100 yards. I usually throw to about 100 yards, which is the length of a football length. Long tossing is great in building arm strength and endurance in your arm. I try to long toss at least 3 to 4 times a week.
That is great Brandon! Now we are going to talk about more of the mental side of this interview. What are some of the mental strategies that you use to prepare for a game?
I use a decent amount of techniques to prepare for a game. The main one that I use is visualization. I think visualization is very important to be successful at anything. I’m a firm believer that all things start in the mind and the way you think. I visualize myself being successful at everything I do on the field. I run myself through scenarios that would happen in a game and see myself being prosperous in those situations. I think visualization has helped take my game to another level. I also like to do self-talk. It may sound weird, but it has definitely helped me in my career. I like to say positive things to myself like, “you got this” or “stay focused.” I like to say simple stuff like that. I also say little cues to myself like, “stay inside the ball” or “wait back”, something of that sort. Those little cues can go a long way.
Thanks for sharing that info. That is truly intriguing. Do you have any meditation techniques you like to use?
One of the techniques I like to use is breathing. I like to take deep breathes, especially when I go out there on the field. Taking deep breathes slows my heartrate down and slows the game down for me. I like to play baseball at a low heart rate because it helps me focus. I also like to pray. Prayer helps me to relax and to focus and be care free. It helps me let go and not worry, which can go a long way. Baseball is so much of a mental game, so anything that helps your mind relax and focus can give you an advantage in my opinion. One thing I like to do before games is to sit in silence on the bus. I just put my headphones in and just kind of relax and chill out. I really like to be relaxed before games as you can see. But, sitting in silence on the bus helps me kind of lock in and focus on the task at hand. All of the techniques that I have discussed help prepare me to be the best player I can be on the field consistently. It can be a lot of work, but it helps put me in the best position to be successful on the field.
That is some great information Brandon! Well, this concludes our interview. Thank you so much for joining us today. The tips you have given us were surely great and hopefully you can help other athletes improve their game with these techniques. Do you have any social media pages that our readers could follow you on?
Thanks for having me on! It has truly been a pleasure. And yes I do have social media. My Instagram handle is b_rembert and my twitter handle is BrandonRembert3.
Thanks again for coming on Brandon. We wish you the best in all of your endeavors!