Category: Baseball (Page 13 of 16)

We all have been there at one time or another – when you are playing with confidence and playing “free”, even when you are exhausted.  The game seems slower, in a good way – you see the seams on the ball more clearly and it doesn’t seem to be moving as fast. You can’t wait for your next at-bat or the ball to be hit to you or to throw that next pitch.  Really, it’s all about mental preparation and being ready in that particular moment.

“My ability to fully focus on what I had to do on a daily basis was what made me the successful player I was. Sure I had some natural ability, but that only gets you so far. I think I learned how to focus; it wasn’t something that I was necessarily born with.”

Hank Aaron

How do you get there?

I’d highly recommend that you first check out this video/interview with Evan Longoria about how he made the decision to really work on his mental preparation. Click on the image below to play:

As Tom Hanson and Ken Ravissa write, “working on the mental game is not a substitute for hard physical work. Regardless of how good your mental game is, if you are not putting in the effort on your physical body….you will not find out how good you can be.”  Hanson and Ravissa have co-written Heads-Up Baseball: Playing the Game One Pitch at a Time.

I’d invite you to take a look at their book, here:

It’s the mental side of the game that makes the difference in getting to that “zone”.  Most athletes leave their thinking to chance.  If they are playing well, they are easy going and loose – but when things are not going well for them, they can’t get out of their own way.

I’m a big fan of both authors – and I hope you become one, too.  I love the fact that these guys want players to embrace being uncomfortable in practice – so that they will be better prepared when the game is on the line.  They encourage players to have a mental plan of letting the uncontrollables go and moving on to the next pitch or play.

I’d also highly recommend that you take a look at a variety of other “mental coaches” and read what they have to say.  Here’s a list to start:

• Dr. Patrick Cohn and his site, Peak Sports
• Steve Springer and his site, Quality At-Bats
• Dr. Jim Afremow and his site, Gold Medal Mind
• Dr. Tom Hanson’s Book, Play Big

If you are a parent, take the time to sit down with your player and watch the Longoria video.  And make sure to check out the links listed above.  Take heart – you never know when your physical tools will catch up to your mental side to take you to that next level!

The mental game of baseball is always a great topic – because it is important, clearly has value, and players perform better the more time they spend on their mental game.  One of my favorite reads is Justin Dedman’s “Hitting Mental” blog – he has great content for players looking to better themselves at the plate.

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” – John Wooden

Says Dedman “Wooden nailed it when it comes to hitting, too. Whether you are a college, high school or travel ball coach, or a hitter working on his craft during the summer or winter months, you better have a plan.”

Year-Round Planning

Dedman talks about how his team plans for the fall – they plan in segments.

“Over the course of a fall season, we have a skill work segment, team practice segment, and then more skill work. Our first set of skill work is three weeks, with one hour each week to work with a hitter, divided into two, thirty-minute sessions. Without a distinct focus and direction, we couldn’t optimize the time allotted to help our hitters improve.”

They then begin video work of their mechanics, although there is very little talk of mechanics in the first three weeks. Their plan is to develop rhythm, tempo and timing (their approaches) first. Justin believes that when a hitter implements these things first, there are fewer mechanical adjustments needed.

“Our plan also includes side work (next to the main BP cage) of exit velocity testing, forearm/grip strength development, mental game training, breathing techniques and mirror work. In the cages, during those two weeks, hitters throw to each other, work tee drills, overload and underload train, front toss, do mirror work and hit mini wiffle balls with a taped broom handle.”

Source: Justin Dedman’s Hitting Mental Blog

The Mental Workout

Secondly, Justin shares his “Mental Workout” – a pre-game process that will help players focus on the tasks at hand:

1.) Centering breath: Breathe in for six seconds, hold for two, breathe out for seven.
2.) Identity statement. Say a preconceived personal mantra to yourself that reflects your strength and desire for success.
3.) Personal Highlight reel: Spend 30 seconds visualizing three “done-wells” from the previous 24 hours, and then spend another 30 seconds visualizing three things you want to do well in the upcoming 24 hours.
4.) Repeat your identity statement (same as Step 2)
5.) Centering breath: Take another centering breath to prepare yourself for the upcoming performance. Again, breathe in for six seconds, hold for two, breathe out for seven.

If all hitters would take the time to see themselves doing great things – and breathing effectively to slow things down, I guarantee their success rate will go up!

“What separates the top few from the many in a sport?  Mentality.  The importance of the mental side of athletics was once brilliantly summed up by basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: ‘Your mind is what makes everything else work.'”

Dr. Jim Afremow is a mental game coach, licensed professional counselor, and the author of The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train and Thrive. He is the founder of Good to Gold Medal, PLLC, a leading coaching and consulting practice right here in Phoenix, Arizona.  His book (it’s also available as an audio book) is really worth checking out.

Dogged determination requires keeping your feet moving forward through inconveniences, discomfort, and insecurities to reach your goals.”

Here’s an excerpt from his book:

“Mental toughness is built by doing something that is hard over and over again, especially when you don’t feel like doing it. Our society has conditioned us to believe that there should be no discomfort, to stop when we are uncomfortable. But the discomfort we feel when we’re doing a challenging workout is an important part of the strengthening process. Push through your down days when you’re not feeling your best (unless, of course, you are injured or ill).”

I’d encourage you to learn more about  Dr. Afremow’s book here.

For over 15 years, Dr. Afremow has assisted numerous high school, collegiate, recreational, and professional athletes. Major sports represented include MLB, NBA, WNBA, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, NHL, and NFL. In addition, he has mentally trained several U.S. and international Olympic competitors. He served as the staff mental coach for two international Olympic teams, the Greek Olympic softball team and India’s Olympic field hockey team. From 2004 to 2013, he served as a senior staff member with Counseling Services and Sports Medicine at Arizona State University.

Visualization is one of the primary techniques used in sports psychology today – and one of the most underutilized by athletes.  An athlete’s performance is often the result of what’s happening inside his or her head, or more specifically the movies and soundtracks playing inside that head!

Performance visualization is used by virtually all great athletes and research has shown that, when combined with actual practice, improves performance more than practice alone. Imagery also isn’t just a mental experience that occurs in your head, but rather impacts you in every way: psychologically, emotionally, physically, technically, and tactically.

Think of mental imagery as weight lifting for the mind.

There are two keys principles to keep in mind when practicing visualization. The first is, your practice needs to be consistent. 10 minutes a day every day, will always beat an intense hour long session once a week. It helps to make a commitment to practice your visualization the same time every day.  First thing in the morning as close to waking as possible is ideal. This is because the mind is still slightly lucid at this time, which makes it easier to conjure up images.

The second key principle is you must stay positive in your thinking.  Even if you can’t quite see crystal clear images yet, you will still gain huge benefits from your visualization practice.  Trust me, it still works.  For some people that will be feeling the image, or just getting a sense of what it might look like.  Wherever your current level is, nurture it and allow it to grow.

Accept that you can’t always perform the way that you visualized

Research has also indicated that the act of envisioning a relevant muscle movement can potentially result in electrical activity in the specific muscle, despite the fact that there is the absence of the actual movement of the muscle. That same electrical activity bears a resemblance to the electrical movement that occurs during the actual movement. In this regard, the relevant muscles are primed for the upcoming physical activity.

Finally, check out this video  from one of my favorite sports psychologists, Dr. Patric Cohn.  I’m a big fan of the good doctor, as he really values and emphasizes the power of visualization in sports. Although this isn’t the most dynamic video you’ve ever seen, it’s content is extremely powerful.

Best of luck to you out there!

Attention all of you parents out there – of which I’m one, as well.

Steve Springer is the mental hitting instructor for the Toronto Blue Jays and one of the best instructors out there.  I’d invite you to visit Quality At-Bats site to find out more about him (he’s also featured on my site here under the “Coaching Links” section).  His “Mental Side” CDs are fantastic and can really help a player learn how to find the right mental state prior to competition.

Anyway, in this particular video clip, Steve is speaking directly to parents of young baseball players and talks specifically about the importance of perspective.  Please click on the picture above and take a look and listen to what he has to say.  It might impact the way you engage with your youngster.

“I know you would die for your kid….but your kid is playing the biggest self-esteem destroying sport in the world.”

Instead, build your kids up – be as positive as possible, as the game itself is tough enough.  As Springer recommends, take your kid for ice cream after the tough outing.

Please, please remember that the relationship with your kid over the long term is far, far more important than his performance on the field.  More than likely, your son isn’t going to get a D1 college scholarship, let alone be a Big League player – the statistics really bear that out.  Do, however, show love and respect for your kid and be there for him, regardless of whether hes 0 for 5 or 5 for 5!

If you find this helpful, shoot Spring a note through his Twitter feed – @qualityatbats – I know he’d be excited to hear from you!