THE SP METHOD
When any athlete gets their “big break”, it’s a career defining moment. Pressure mounts as self expectations rise.
In 2014, Blake Dean received a last-minute call up to the Sydney Thunder for his debut Big Bash League match. This was his moment, but as he left the SCG that evening after failing to perform when it counted, his mental health plummeted, and the doubts set in.
A year later, when trialling for a BBL return, Dean was dealt another blow, tearing his right rotator cuff. This meant the all-rounder could no longer bat or bowl without undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.
With a young family and mortgage to pay, Blake declined the expensive surgery and took on a less traditional route to return.
Re-teaching himself to play left-handed and starting in Canberra’s Third Grade competition, The Southpaw Process was born, isolating every shot in the cricket handbook 360 degrees.
Blake wrote and began a new training schedule in the hope of re-teaching himself the game he loved, trying to make his way back to 1st grade cricket, the ACT Comets and just maybe the BBL.
Not only did the process work for Blake’s opposite side but it continued to work in training the first 12 Southpaw students over with their natural hand for the next 5 years. All 12 students made their way from 5th grade up to 1st grade premier cricket and beyond during their core development period.
At Southpaw there is no right or wrong - it’s about following the process that has been proven to work.
A mixture of isolated shot patterns, physical development, gaining as much experience as possible and not being afraid to fail allows each individual to develop in the pursuit of the happiness that playing the game we love brings.
Failed experiences give us the opportunity to learn the lessons needed to build solid foundations. We all need a dream and to perfect one thing means we have the ability to perfect anything in life.
