Category: Baseball (Page 2 of 16)

As parents and coaches, we have a unique opportunity to help our athletes develop skills and traits, both on and off the field.

And mental toughness is one of the key characteristics that should be on everyone’s focus list.

“Building toughness and focus in youth athletes requires a multi-faceted approach that includes physical conditioning, mental training, teamwork, and selflessness.” Brad Myott, Nitty-Gritty Baseball

I’m linking to a great article for coaches and parents from Brad Myott at Nitty-Gritty Baseball and I’d invite you to check it out here…

A few excerpts:

Model a Growth Mindset

A growth mindset is the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence can be developed through hard work, practice, and perseverance. In contrast, a fixed mindset is the belief that one’s abilities and intelligence are fixed traits that cannot be changed. In order for our player’s to develop a growth mindset, we must model it for them on a consistent basis.

Set Challenging Goals

Setting challenging but achievable goals can help build toughness in young athletes by providing them with a sense of purpose and direction. Encourage your players to set goals that are specific, measurable, and challenging, and help them create a plan to achieve those goals. Celebrate their progress along the way and help them stay motivated and focused on their goals.

Practice Mental Toughness Through Mindfulness

In recent years, mindfulness has gained popularity as a tool for promoting mental health and well-being. However, its benefits extend beyond stress reduction and relaxation; mindfulness can also help youth athletes build mental toughness. By learning to focus their attention and regulate their emotions, athletes can develop greater resilience, confidence, and perseverance on the field.

Again, I highly recommend that you view the entire article here…

Every athlete makes mistakes; however, not all athletes rebound from them.

How do you deal with mistakes during a competition? Do you quickly refocus on your game, or do you dwell on mistakes for too long?

As I’ve mentioned previously, one of my favorite athletic mental coaches is Dr. Patrick Cohn of Peak Sports Performance. Dr. Cohn is a sports psychologist out of Orlando Florida.

Dr. Cohn has written an article recently on how to overcome mistakes in your mental game. I’ve posted it here…

Why focusing on mistakes interferes with athletic performance:

1. Fearful of making mistakes can paralyze athletes or cause athletes to be hesitant in competitions and lead to the same mistake you seek to avoid.

2. Ruminating about mistakes fosters negative emotions, lowers confidence, and interferes with decision making.

3. Dwelling on one mistake mentally takes you out of the game. You are no longer fully immersed in the present moment.

When you fail to refocus after a mistake, you give your opponents a significant mental edge.

How to counter mistakes:

1. Understand mistakes are a part of the game – Every athlete makes mistakes from time to time. There is no perfect performance or perfect athlete.

When you accept this fact, you will not be so hard on yourself after making a mistake in a competition. In addition, you will be more willing to take risks during a competition.

2. Let go – When you focus forward, you lessen the impact of mistakes. Letting go of mistakes keeps your confidence intact and prevents negative emotions from taking over your game.

3. Refocus on the next play – The goal is to minimize the amount of time between making a mistake and immersing yourself back in the game. The mental skill of refocusing is the hallmark of elite athletes.

In the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes fumbled the ball in the third quarter, giving the Cincinnati Bengals the ball on their 45-yard line. The winner of this game would advance to the Super Bowl.

Instead of panicking, Mahomes remained poised and finished the game with 326 passing yards and two touchdowns, leading his team to a 23-20 victory.

After the victory, Mahomes talked about his mindset after the fumble.

MAHOMES: “I think when you’ve been in some big games now a couple of years in a row, you’ve learned from your mistakes, and I felt like the year before, I let one mistake kind of compound into two, three, or whatever it was. Whereas this game, this last one, instead of worrying about, ‘Man, I made a huge mistake when we probably could’ve had a good chance of giving ourselves a big lead,’ (the mindset was) let’s not magnify it. Let’s move on to the next play.”

The mistake itself is not the problem. The issue lies in the inability to react with composure after the mistake.

Since focusing is a skill, you can learn to become proficient in your ability to refocus. When you learn to refocus quickly, you will feel confident you can rebound after a mistake in stressful circumstances.

Acknowledge the mistake without self-judgment. “Instead of saying, “I’m so stupid for throwing an interception” tell yourself, “Look for the open receiver or scan the field for receivers in single coverage.”

Remind yourself that the mistake is in the past and you can’t change it or get it back–you can only move on to the next play.