Tag: mental game (Page 1 of 2)

Mind Games: What Makes a Great Baseball Player

July 8, 2024 / Tom Bonetto

I’m linking to a very interesting article by Andrea Thompson at Live Science. She’s analyzing Mike Stadler’s book “The Psychology of Baseball”.

While all sports involve a certain amount of psychology to strategize and plan in given situations, baseball is unique as there are so many different mental factors at play.

You can f ind Stadler’s book here…

And you can fi nd Thompson’s article here… and I’d invite you to read the entire piece!

Some key takeaways…

“Baseball is impossible without psychology: impossible to play, and impossible to appreciate fully as a fan,” Stadler wrote. “Watch any game, and most of what you see is thinking.”

Here are more excerpts from the Stadler book…

Mental agility

“Most baseball players have extraordinary capabilities to coordinate physical and mental processes, including fast reaction times, focus and high visual acuity.

Studies conducted by Columbia University on Babe Ruth while he was playing showed that he could react to visual and sound cues much faster than the average person and that he had better hand-eye coordination than 98.8 percent of the population.

Baseball players tend to have excellent vision, which allows them to see things like the spin on a curveball hurtling toward them at home plate, cues they can use to get a hit.

Reaction time is also critical in baseball, and the better players seem to have better reaction times. There’s some suggestion that this could simply be a matter of having more practice, “but you actually find even within really highly skilled players, the players at the higher end, the faster reaction times still tend to have higher batting averages and be slightly better hitters,” Stadler told LiveScience.”

“Most baseball players do have pretty good vision; a huge proportion of them test at better than 20/20,” Stadler said.

Baseball “Personality”

“Besides the physical process and acute mental abilities, successful baseball players also typically have certain personality traits—this is perhaps best exemplified by the diverging career paths of Darryl Strawberry and Billy Beane, Stadler said.

Both players were drafted by the Mets in 1980 (Strawberry was picked much higher than Beane)—the team even had trouble deciding which player to pick first because of their comparable athletic abilities. But while Strawberry came to be one of the best hitters in baseball, Beane couldn’t hack it in the majors (though he went on to become General Manager of the Oakland A’s).

“Beane was just sort of crushed by the pressure of the batter’s box, just didn’t have that sort of self-confidence, almost arrogance, just to know, ‘I do this well. I’m fine. So what I just struck out, I’m going to hit next time,'” Stadler said.

Strawberry displayed the exact opposite reaction: “You can look at some of Strawberry’s early interviews when he broke into the league and was struggling a little bit as player’s naturally do, but he, even then he just said, ‘I know I’m a good hitter. I’m going to hit plenty of home runs,'” Stadler said. “He just wasn’t worried about the pressure.”’

Player Variability

“When a player starts to have a spate of really bad or good games, fans can get involved in the psychology of “streaks” or “slumps”. But Stadler says that research has shown that these supposed trends are really a matter of fans not taking in the big picture.

“It’s hard for the fan to take that really long view and keep in mind the player’s whole career as opposed to just the last few games’ performance,” he said.

Fans also tend to ignore how much baseball statistics can mask a players’ actual performance. A hitter may have a sub-par batting average, though he is still hitting balls really hard—they’re just hit to fielders who catch them.

In his book, Stadler mentions an interview with pitcher Greg Maddux after a streak of no-hit innings, where Maddux said he just got lucky because some guys hit balls really hard, but hit them right at a fielder.

“I think the players can kind of see that distinction in ways that, you know, because they’ve been around the game so much, that fans … might not be able to see that as the players are,” Stadler said.”

The blog postings on this site represent the positions, strategies or opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the positions, strategies or opinions of Guild Mortgage Company or its affiliates. Each loan is subject to underwriter final approval. All information, loan programs, interest rates, terms and conditions are subject to change without notice. Always consult an accountant or tax advisor for full eligibility requirements on tax deductions.

From Fragile to Fearless: How to Build Unbreakable Toughness

April 12, 2023 / Tom Bonetto

Baseballs and a Player in the Background

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…

How To Re-Focus In Competition After A Mistake

February 18, 2023 / Tom Bonetto

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.

Four Mental Training Tips for Baseball Players

July 13, 2022 / Tom Bonetto

I’m linking to a fantastic article from Dan Blewett’s blog over at Elite Baseball Performance entitled “Four Mental Training Tips for Baseball Players”.

The mental game in baseball is often overlooked and definitely under trained. Here are four tips that will assist the player improve on-field performance and handle pressure situations.

Blewett is a former pro pitcher, baseball academy owner and author of two baseball books. A professional pitcher of six seasons, Dan specializes in pitching and strength and conditioning for baseball and softball players.

You can find the entire article here… and I highly suggest that you check it out! Below are excerpts from his post:

Start a Simple Meditation Practice

The word meditation sounds weird and scary, right? Many players think that only monks, hippies or yoga enthusiasts take time out of their days to meditate. But meditation doesn’t have to be a big scary thing. Rather, athletes should just think of it as quiet time to sit, reflect, and let their minds get a break from everyday life.

Here’s how easy a meditation practice can be:

Step 1: Find a quiet place where you can sit where you won’t feel self-conscious or nervous. A place out of the public eye is ideal.

Step 2: Find a comfortable cushion to sit on or lay flat on your back. Propping up the back by sitting against a wall can be good, but I don’t lay down in a bed or another place where falling asleep is likely.

man wearing black cap with eyes closed under cloudy sky

Step 3: Set a timer for 10, 15 or 20 minutes. Start shorter—10 minutes is a good starting place where you can get your feet wet.

Step 4: Sit still, relax, close your eyes, and let your mind wander wherever it wants to go.

Step 5: Breathe in and out through the belly—pushing it out and in—and consider counting each breath. Counting belly breaths helps keep your mind present, where you’ll feel less distracted by things from the past and future that you’re concerned about

That’s it! Keeping it simple will help you get started, and the quiet meditation time will help reduce the anxiety and stress we athletes feel in pressure situations on the mound or at the plate.

Visualize Yourself Succeeding

hands holding trial frame against white background

Visualizing success is an important part of an athlete’s mental skills routine. If we don’t deeply believe that we can accomplish goals, become who we dream of, or execute on a very specific task…we never will. The self-fulfilling prophecy is a concept in which when we believe something will happen, it becomes more likely to actually happen. Thus, if we believe we’re destined to fail or choke under pressure, we increase the likelihood that we’re correct.

Expect and visualize yourself succeeding—the positivity will carry you through hard times and tough situations. Visualize the good swing you’ll put on the ball, the flight of the pitch you’re about to make and yourself competing in the Major Leagues in front of thousands of fans. If you do that, it becomes more likely that it will actually happen.

Have Confidence and Create a Fight Mentality

When under pressure, it’s easy to want to pull back and be passive, hoping you can get the outcome you want. Rather, we have to get even more aggressive when we get nervous in games, reminding ourselves that we CAN do it, and that we’re going to pull through no matter what.

As athletes, we need to truly believe we can succeed. By both imagining it and reminding ourselves that we’re capable of anything we put our minds to, we can maximize our chance at success.

A lot of times in a game, it comes down to the fight or flight dilemma: when we’re scared of giving up the game-losing hit or we’re nervous about not getting the game-winning hit as a hitter, we pull back and play the game scared. Athletes play their best when confident and aggressive – trying to take the fight to the other team, forcing them to play scared. When times get tough, show those teeth like a wolf and fight for yourself and your team.

Use Positive Comparison

Find players in the Major Leagues who you look up to, who possess similar qualities or characteristics. How would your heroes respond if placed in the situation you’re in? Would they come through and get out of a bases-loaded jam? Would they have a good at-bat when the team needs a big hit? Would they feel nervous or afraid?

Find a player or players who share similar qualities and ask yourself if he wouldn’t be afraid, why should I? If so-and-so would confidently walk to the plate with the game on the line and have a great at-bat, why can’t I? If he could beat this team, I can too because I’m a lot like him.

Use positive comparison as a tool to remind yourself of the special skills you do have, that you might forget when you’re nervous or lacking confidence.

In Conclusion

Nothing happens overnight, so get started today with building new, positive mental habits. Mental skills training is very overlooked despite the fact that most players will report that they feel themselves struggle with doubt, anxiety and low confidence on the field. Make a change today and start seeing how good you could be if you played with confidence and a clear mind every single day on the diamond.

10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Game

August 10, 2020 / Tom Bonetto

Athletes do all sorts of physical things to prepare for competition…from nutrition, weight training, sport-specific drills and all sorts of other things.

But what about mental preparation? Are you taking the time to develop a strong mental game that gives you an advantage over your competition?

I’m linking to an article from one of my favorite mental game teachers, Dr. Patrick Cohn of Peak Sports Performance. Dr. Cohn is a sports psychologist out of and he’s always preaching on how to build mental toughness – as well as the techniques athletes can use to grasp it.

I’d invite you to read the entire piece here…

Here are Dr. Cohn’s top 10 ways to improve the mental game:

Pushing past the discomfort of a hard training session.
Maintaining a positive attitude when you experience a rough patch during your season.
Ignoring distractions and keeping your focus during grueling competitions.
Sustaining motivation throughout a long season.
Bouncing back after a mistake in competition.
Rehabbing from injury and readying yourself for your return to competition.
Managing your competitive emotions especially when playing in hostile environments or playing against opponents who try to taunt you.
Being confident when your performance is not up to par.
Overcoming comfort zones in sports and breaking out.
Coping with high expectations from others to perform well.

Dr. Cohn has put together a free online e-book that can be found here: http://www.peaksports.com/baseball-softball-confidence-report/

If you are a player, or parent of a player, I’d recommend that you download it and get to know the contents!