The acclaimed television series "Blue Bloods" is a fictional police drama centered around a multi-generational New York City police department family. Frank Reagan, patriarch of the family, portrayed by renowned actor Tom Selleck, presides over a weekly Sunday dinner during which he dispenses wisdom and counsels his family, including his esteemed father. A recent episode concerned the controversial actions of eldest son Danny, whose attorney sister said, "Being held to the same standard as everyone else is fine, but it feels like Danny's being held to a higher standard."

Selleck's character's response is a perfect summary of why higher standards are necessary, proper, and beneficial. It is paramount that a coach, teacher and parent demand the best. Here's the reasoning, in the response:

"You're damn straight he is {held to a higher standard}," Frank said. "When I coached you ... I always held you to a higher standard because you're capable of meeting it. And because you are, I expect it." 

If you can throw an accurate bounce pass, you can be a great shooter. If you can make an appropriate pass into a low post teammate, you can be a great shooter. If you can gauge how hard and at what angle to throw a pass to a cutting teammate, you can be a great shooter. Although the mechanics may differ somewhat, the intent for both a passer and a shooter remains the same: aim at a specific target and deliver the ball to that target at a precise trajectory with a particular speed. A great passer means a great shooter.

If you struggle with your shot, adopt this mindset - think of a shot as nothing more than a pass, delivered at a target, in this case the basket. The easiest way to imagine this is to start with a lay-up. When you shoot a lay-up, in many instances, you bank the ball off the backboard. Think of this as a pass, to the backboard, rather than a shot. Remove the distinction between a pass and a shot, and instead focus on the particular target of each. If you can hit your target, you van hit your shot.

Be a great passer and be a great shooter. If you can be proficient at one skill, you are proficient at both. Pass, shoot, score!

A renowned Physical Therapist teaches the concept "proximal stability before distal mobility." In layman's terms, this means "master what is close before attempting what is far." In basketball terms, this means that until you can make 95 to 100% of your uncontested lay-ups, defined as "any shot, from any location, within 1 to 3 feet of the basket," you should not attempt a longer-range shot.

Ohio State basketball coach Thad Matta enters the 2011-2012 season with a talented, young squad. Three crucial leaders have graduated, and Matta opens the season with a team centered around, and counting upon, the leadership of several sophomores and a lone senior. Pre-season practices focused on the discovery of a team leader(s) and the improvement of communication between teammates.

`The players agree. To paraphrase, they indicate that an essential ingredient in the development of their team is the capacity to talk. It seems that a number of the team are the veritable "silent" type, and each aspiring leader is learning to speak while competing, thereby learning to communicate with both their teammates and their coaches in an inspiring and audible manner.

Communication between teammates is essential. Even, dare say especially, if you believe it's not in your nature to talk to your teammates during a practice or a contest, endeavor to speak. Say something! 

The next step: say something great. Say something inspiring. Say something that lets your teammate know you care. 

The reality television series "Kitchen Nightmares" concerns acclaimed chef Gordon Ramsay and his attempts to salvage a restaurant in crisis. More times than not, the crux of the crisis is a fractured family dealing with a communication crisis. In order to save the struggling business, Ramsay must first heal the broken family.

It is now basketball season. And, just as the seasons change from fall to winter and beyond; from football to basketball and beyond, a great basketball player knows how to change his level in order to succeed.

Imagine a player, standing on the court in an athletic stance, dribbling a basketball. In general terms, a coach's preferable instructions are to dribble a basketball at waist height or below, close to the body, at a driving, aggressive tempo. Makes sense, yes? At a younger age, this makes perfect sense. At all ages, during certain drills in practice, and even during some scenarios in a game when the defensive pressure is relaxed and passive, this makes absolute sense. However, during the chaos of game conditions, especially when the defender is nearby and aggressive, this preferable instruction may become predictable and thus detrimental. What's the alternative - should a player, with deliberate aforethought, dribble the ball at different levels, speeds and directions, even if it countermands common sense and great practice habits?

The answer is a resounding "yes." During any situation in which a dribbler is defended at close range, he must aspire to confuse and bewilder his defender. A great way to do that is to, with deliberation and precise control, dribble the ball at different heights and in different directions. For example, even if the variation is a matter of mere inches, dribble the ball higher than waist height on one dribble then at lower than knee height on the next. Then, as an example, dribble chest height to your left, then waist height to the left, then shin height to the right. Watch your defender buckle at the waist and lose his ability to react, as a result.

When you dribble, change! Change levels of the dribble. Change the speed of the dribble. Change the direction of the dribble. Confuse, obfuscate, and be unpredictable. Change, in order to become great.  

Thus far, the blog entries have been almost exclusively about the mindset of greatness. That theme will continue, unabated and forever.

In addition, this blog now begins an extensive instructional component. Whether mind or body, thoughts or action, Raising A Hitter is devoted to your success.

Think. Act. Become great!

It's a fact that you tend to become like the people you associate with. Sometimes, a so-called friend criticizes you for wanting to practice your sport, instead of hanging out or goofing off. Sometimes, a so-called friend encourages you to settle for less than your best effort. Sometimes, a so-called friend wants you to do something and act in a way that you know, in your gut, is wrong. Sometimes, a so-called friend makes fun of others and belittles the accomplishments of those who succeed. Sometimes, a so-called friend isn't very friendly, and doesn't really care about you. If any of these scenarios are true, you doom  your full development when you continue to associate with him.

A young boy stands at the top of a mountain. The mountain is covered in the thick, wet snow that yields the perfect snowball, and makes the perfect snowman. He takes a small handful of snow, about the size of a Super Ball, and rolls it along the ground. The slick surface allows the cylindrical object to gather speed, and within a few rolls it is larger than a softball. Several turns later and the ball is bigger than a dodgeball, and growing. The descent grows faster the farther the snowball rolls from the top, and as the speed increases the snow sticks to it in large sheets just like the rolls of sod that cover a baseball diamond. Within seconds, the snowball is a boulder of ice and snow and is bigger than a car and rolling downhill faster than a runaway locomotive. The boy is fascinated! He's never seen anything this awesome and this powerful and this big! The rolling, thundering mass engulfs the side of the mountain and obliterates everything in its path. In fact, to the young boy it appears as though the enormous hulk of snow swallows everything to the front, side and even behind it, adding every bit of the mountain to itself and growing stronger, bigger, faster and more powerful the faster it goes. It's like a magnet of snow that attracts everything around it. Other snowballs form in its wake and became similar boulders in their own right. Soon, the entire landscape is dominated by rolling mounds of snow, each following the path of their leader. It is the perfect snowball, and the boy is proud.

In particular as an athlete reaches middle school, he often needs to try out for a roster spot on a given team. This is necessitated by limited resources and increased competition. The athlete who strives for greatness loves the tryout, because he sees it for what it is: a chance to display the admirable traits that make him unique and indispensable. Here are several tips to enhance your status during a cut-throat tryout, no matter the sport:

1) In the months and weeks preceding the tryout, attend any and all open practices, meetings and informational sessions. Make certain the coach knows you by name. If not, introduce yourself. Say "hello" each time thereafter, and indicate how excited you are to have an opportunity to tryout. 

The remainder apply to tryout night:

2) Show up no later than 20 minutes early, fully dressed and ready to go. Look like a player, and treat this as the most important game of your life.

3) When the coach speaks, look him in the eye, and nod your head in affirmation. Resist the urge to talk with your friends or indulge in any horseplay. Your coach is looking for a player, not a class clown. If the coach asks you something, reply "yes, sir," with enthusiasm.

4) Sprint to and from each drill or station. Try to be the first in line. 

5) Volunteer for everything. If the coach asks if you're interested in position "x" or skill "y," always reply "yes, sir!." 

6) No matter the result, thank your coach afterward. He gave you an opportunity. Whether you took advantage or not is on you!