October 5, 2026 | By: Jennifer Stitt in For Love of the Game
Why the Off-Season Matters
Our off-season training officially kicked off this weekend, and there is something exciting about getting back into the facility and starting another season of development. At Field of Dreams, we have always believed that off-season training should be about more than simply getting in repetitions. Repetition is important, but only when we are repeating the right things.
Training With Purpose
As players progress to higher levels of baseball, how they train becomes increasingly important. Taking hundreds of swings, throwing hundreds of pitches or fielding hundreds of ground balls doesn’t necessarily make someone better if they are reinforcing poor mechanics or bad habits along the way.
That’s where quality instruction matters.
Good training is about understanding the fundamentals, learning proper mechanics, making adjustments and then putting in the repetitions needed to make those movements more natural. Our goal isn’t for players to simply leave tired because they completed a lot of drills. We want them to understand why they are doing something and leave as better, more knowledgeable baseball players.
That is one of the reasons I am so excited to have George Kottaras working alongside me and becoming such an important part of our training programs this year.
George spent seven seasons playing at the Major League level, and that experience brings another level of knowledge to what we are able to offer our athletes. He understands what proper development looks like, what separates players as they progress through higher levels of the game, and the small details that can make a significant difference.
Having someone with that level of playing experience working directly with our coaches and athletes is an incredible opportunity. More importantly, George shares our philosophy that great coaching isn’t just about knowing the game — it’s about being able to teach it.
The Off-Season Is for Every Player
Off-season development isn’t only for advanced players. For a child who is new to baseball, the winter can actually be one of the best times to learn.
Joining a team or league for the first time can feel intimidating when you don’t understand where to stand, where to throw the ball, how to properly swing or even some of the basic rules of the game. Spending time learning those fundamentals in a supportive training environment can completely change that experience.
Our Fundamentals programs are designed to give newer and developing players that foundation. When spring arrives, they aren’t walking onto the field feeling completely unfamiliar with the game. They have already thrown, caught, hit, fielded and learned how baseball works.
That knowledge builds confidence, and confidence is often what allows a child to relax, participate and ultimately fall in love with the game.
But there is another reason we continue training throughout the fall and winter that has very little to do with creating better baseball players.
We live in Canada. For a significant portion of the year, the weather limits how much time kids can spend outside playing sports and being active. Finding ways to keep children moving throughout those months is incredibly important for their physical health, but also for their mental, social and emotional well-being.
Our clinics give kids somewhere to run, throw, hit, compete, laugh and just be kids.
They also give them community.
Some players come with teammates and get another opportunity to spend time with their friends. Others arrive knowing nobody and leave having made new ones. That social side of sport has always been one of my favourite parts of baseball and one of the biggest reasons we do what we do at Field of Dreams.
Of course we want to develop great baseball players. We want to teach strong mechanics, solid fundamentals and a deeper understanding of the game.
But ultimately, our goal has always been bigger than baseball.
We want kids to build confidence. We want them to learn how to work with others, challenge themselves, handle success and failure, make friends and feel like they belong somewhere.
If they become better baseball players along the way, that’s pretty great too.
Join Us This Winter
Our fall programs are underway, but there is still an opportunity to train with us this off-season. Registration is open for our winter session beginning in January, with limited space remaining in select clinics.
Whether your child is picking up a bat for the first time or looking to take their game to the next level, we would love to have them spend part of their winter training, learning and growing with us.
Dream Big. Play Ball.
– Jennifer