(Or read below to learn more)

...because along side all of the other "good" players, I didn't stand out at all.

I was flying "under the radar"

Just a face in an ocean of faces.

I certainly wasn't showcasing my athleticism in a way that would make coaches or scouts take notice.

Here's the bottom line...

I was COMPLETELY unaware that I was setting myself up for failure...

Fortunately, and the reason I'm here right now talking to you, is because I found my "ONE THING" that could make me stand out (and made coaches want me) in defense.

And that changed everything

From high school...

...to college

...to pro

...once I learned the real Art of Defense, it boosted my confidence...

...AND opened doors for my future in baseball

But let me be very clear about something...

I was NOT a natural, or a defensive "genius", or anything like that.

Not at all.

For a very long time, I STRUGGLED with my defense.

Even after years of working on my fielding with instructors and coaches, I was still an average fielder... maybe even below average.

Near the end of high school, as I was reaching out to universities, there was a noticeable lack of enthusiasm.

I distinctly remember one game in high school, I was playing 3rd when coach took me out in the 9th inning. He told me it was because he needed his best defenders out there, and I wasn't good enough.

I was humiliated.

Before that game, I had ALREADY been putting in hours and hours of fielding practice...

... and it didn't seem to help AT ALL!

This was when I start to lose hope.

At this point, I started to realize that I would be lucky just to walk on in college.

And I had really no hope of scholarship - or playing pro.

But thankfully, something happened that changed everything for me.

The summer after my Junior year of high school, I met a former Major League infielder named Brad Wellman who worked with me on my defense.

Wellman understood defense differently than anyone I had ever heard before.

He knew how to teach mechanics and footwork in a way that flowed into ANY situation, rather than turning you into a robot that could only handle one type of groundball.

Soon afterward...

And that was the beginning of a long career where infield defense became my secret weapon.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Doug Bernier gets the force out as Angels' Gordon Beckham slides into 2nd base.

- Reason #1 -

A Rare Advantage

Infield play is a unique dynamic to the analytical game of baseball.

Infield play has far less data that can be collected, which is one of the big reasons that elite infield defense isn't as well understood by as many people as pitching or hitting.

And so, most coaches rely on tradition, teaching things the exact same way we were taught.

When this happens, bad habits and bad teaching become *extremely* common.

This used to happen in hitting… For example, I was taught to hit by swinging down to the ball… even in my first couple years of pro ball. But things have changed a lot since then. With better analytical tools such as bat sensors and cameras that measure angles, we now know that’s not actually what the best hitters do.

But the way we evaluate infielders hasn’t changed as quickly as with pitching and hitting.

In a way, many coaches are still teaching our infielders to “swing down to the ball” in their defense.

So with this lack of understanding of elite defensive techniques, many infielders never reach their full potential defensively.

This is sad for them, but it’s an opportunity for you… because when an elite defender does show up, coaches and recruiters are very, VERY interested.

- Reason #2 -

Practice Makes Permanent... Not Perfect

This is a big one and I feel so bad for players that practice so hard, but they are practicing the wrong things.

When we practice we are creating permanence...

...and Permanence doesn’t care if the skill is CORRECT or NOT.

Eventually the speed of the game will require you to make changes if your actions are inneficient, or if are you are making too many mistakes.

One of these 2 things will typically happen:

-- Scenario #1 --

An EXTREMEMLY common for a "good" infielder to move up to the next level (faster runners, hitters hit the ball harder, bases are further back)

...and then begin to struggle.

So, a player has to make adjustments.

Development time is wasted because they have to unlearn things they have been doing and re learn something new.

This not only takes valuable time from building on a solid foundation but now instead of reacting and letting your skills happen automatically on the field, you start to think a little more about making certain plays. We make mistakes when we overthink.

This is a common reason why a player that is one of the best players on the field one year, mightily struggles or loses his starting spot the next year.

-- Scenario #2 --

The better scenario is that a player learns how to do things properly and continues to build and grow by gradually adding layers to a strong foundation.

This player doesn’t have to take 1 step backwards to take 2 steps forward. Rather, they are constantly moving forward.

If a coach, team, organization can see that you are constantly going in the right direction (even if its slower than others) most of the time you will still get the benefit of the doubt.

- Reason #3 -

"Advanced" does not mean "Mechanical"

One of the reasons that good infield defense is so hard to learn is that we tend to become overly mechanical in our learning.

This is a very real danger that affects many, many infielders. It gradually strips away our athleticism and makes an infielder look stiff, unable to make athletic plays and throws.

Infield play needs to be taught in an externally focused way. The goal is to learn new skills in a natural progression, where each layer becomes automatic and instinctive.

If done properly, skill acquision is less mechanical and enhances your athleticism as an asset.... rather than stripping it away with the more common, overly mechanical approach.

The goal is to look smoother and have more options, not look rigid and make every play the same.

- Reason #4 -

Talent & Work Ethic ALONE are not enough

Don’t confuse talent with skill.

You can have all the talent in the world, and have a great work ethic but eventually its not enough to make up for a lack of knowledge and lack of skill... because you are eventually going to run into someone that has similar talent, similar great work ethic but has more knowledge which creates better skill.

When you can bring all 4 of these together –- talent, work ethic, knowledge and skill — that’s when the magic happens. Thats when you start to stand out and doors start to open. You become a valued, complete ball player.

Being uncommon amongst common people is what evaluators are looking for. Defense provides unbelievable opportunity for this. Because many coaches don’t teach or know the small facets of the game that allow you to slow down --- becoming more efficient, which makes you quicker.

Now when it comes to making defense into your secret weapon, you have 2 options

1. Take what I taught you today and have a stab at it yourself and try and get it working for yourself.
   
2. What if I personally helped, coached and mentored you through the entire process. What if I took an active role In your results and worked with you to help you achieve this for yourself?
   

If you choose option 1, then I genuinely wish you all the best. I really want you to have amazing results in those areas.

But for some of you, you want to skip the learning curve, skip the potential problems, and have some direction to make sure you’re working on the right things.

If option 2 sounds interesting to you, then I’d love to tell you about a program that I am SUPER excited about.

It’s called The Confident Infielder Advanced.

I created this program because I want you to be able to learn in a few months what took me many years of trial and error, working through mistakes and backtracking

I only survived that process because I was fortunate to find a mentor who could teach me what I needed to know in time for it make a difference in my baseball career.

Most infielders are not that lucky.

That's why I’ve spent nearly 2 years developing this program

It’s designed to help you accelerate your journey to becoming a complete, polished, high value infielder

You might be familiar with the original Confident Infielder training program.

I have been so proud and excited for the results players are getting inside the Confident Infielder, with some of you even going through it a 3rd, 4th or 5th time!

IF YOU HAVE NOT YET COMPLETED THE 1st CONFIDENT INFIELDER (fielding fundamentals), then I highly suggest you complete that program before starting the Advanced program. TCI Advanced assumes that you already have the knowledge and skills taught in TCI Fundamentals

you take advantage of the bundle discount today.

If you check the box below, you can add it to your order.

Now a father & high school coach, flew Doug Bernier out to work with his infielders. Here's what he had to say... (Click play on the video to hear it directly from Billy)

" We have 3 guys going to D1 schools and it's a huge part in thanks to Doug Bernier's 7 steps to learning infield fundamentals."

- Billy Wagner, 7x MLB All Star Pitcher, Father & High School Coach

" Doug knows everything there is to know about the infield."

- Jared Hoying, TX Rangers Outfielder

" Doug is very knowledgeable about all infield positions... 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop... It was pleasure to go to work with him every day. We would talk about the subtle nuances - positioning, footwork - Doug was a master of them all. If you need any help with infield, Doug is the guy to go to. "

- Trevor Plouffe, MN Twins 3rd baseman

"Inside The Confident Infielder & TCI ADVANCED, I've condensed more than 2 decades of learning from the best infielders & coaches ever to play the game with my own experience into easy-to-follow learning experience.

When you work through the instructional videos, drill progressions and other resources...

...you can experience the kind of skill mastery that could otherwise take years of private "once a week" lessons.

And that is one reason why elite defense is so rare. Few parents have the resources to devote to that many lessons!

Think about it...

$80 per lesson x 52 lessons = $4,160

Using private lessons, a parent could easily spend $4,160 on a kid learning these skills!

And even so, your infielder wouldn't have the benefit of being able to go back and review or refresh what he learned!

More than $4,000?!????

To me, that is unacceptable.

Learning elite defense changed my life, so I want to make sure it's not only "the lucky few" who have access to this information.

That's why I've spent months - many, many long days -working to make that goal a reality through The Confident Infielder program."

The same (or better) results...

...for the cost of just a handful of private lessons.

(And if you have more than one infielder, the savings get bigger and bigger. )

- Doug Bernier, MLB infielder & Course Instructor

When you begin to understand how to play great defense, it can change everything. The impact is really tremendous. I've seen hundreds of infielders transform from struggling with inconsistency, frustrating failure and confusion...

...to successful and CONFIDENT, both on the field and off.

And it opens doors for your future, to be valued part of any team, and to play at the next level.

I'd love to be part of your journey. If you want to become a confident, sought-after infielder, then fill out the form below, and I'll see you inside The Confident Infielder in just a few moments.

PS - Don't forget to add the coupon code BLACKFRIDAY23 for 50% off