There are two primary ways for an athlete to improve their performance: SSP, and GPP
SSP is Specific Sport Preparation . This is an athlete practicing the specific skills of the sport itself: throwing a bullpen, hitting BP, taking ground balls
Then there is GPP, General Physical Preparation. This is using non specific means, such as the squat and deadlift, to raise an athletes force outputs. This allows them to then perform their sport skill at higher levels of speed and velocity
The issue many athletes have is they think they should be “focusing” on one or the other, or they do one at the expense of the other. The reality is they will need BOTH to succeed, ESPECIALLY at the higher levels
For example, take a high school pitcher who has good command, good off speed, competes well, and throws 83-86. At the high school level he’d be successful: win a good amount of games and have a low ERA. But because he only throws 83-86, he has no future at all in the sport unless he addresses his GPP and raises his velocity
You will need to consistently improve both your SSP and GPP to be able to reach your goals.
It’s good to dream; it’s better to work hard