Awesome video on the mental side of baseball.
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Florida State Fan posted:Awesome video on the mental side of baseball.
Outstanding, I am a huge believer in the process. Thanks for sharing FSF!
Tommy Lasorda, whom I respect immensely once said in an interview baseball was about 90 percent confidence.
Florida State Fan posted:Tommy Lasorda, whom I respect immensely once said in an interview baseball was about 90 percent confidence.
It's why he nicknamed Hershiser "Bulldog." He didn't believe Hershiser had the confidence he should have with his ability.
Do you guys see the following phenomenon: Team doing well. One or two of the key players hit a bit of a slump. Whole team implodes. My husband says it's because the kids don't have the mental toughness (or confidence I guess). So my second question is: can mental toughness be taught or is it innate?
I believe mental toughness can definitely be taught. In fact I believe it is taught. Those who don't have it have been protected from it.
Mental toughness is so important these days. Equally important is being a student of the game, to understand not just the rules but applying specific situations to your performance. I mentioned this in a previous post but a good athlete/baseball player who becomes a student of the game has the potential to be an excellent player. You may not have a physical advantage, genetics or raw talent compared to others but you may be "better" than them due to understanding the game. Look at many of the professional coaches/managers in different sports. Many were not superstars or MVP's, just a regular athlete who because they understood the game they were a much better player. In college it becomes very apparent which players understand the game and have a plan.
Mental side of the game as players progress is critical. Another great resource is Brian Cain. My son's pitching coach is a big Brian Cain guy. My son gets equal amounts of pitching and mental training which have combined to help him make BIG strides in performance on the mound. When he has not performed well, he has had the mental toughness to stay composed and continue to compete. It is one of the qualities that a D1 pitching coach noted after a recent outing in which my son struggled. That same school is still talking with my son despite that performance. Says a lot about the benefits of mental training. Here is another short but good video about Coastal Carolina working with Brian Cain: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDT1KZheE-8
Midwest Mom posted:Do you guys see the following phenomenon: Team doing well. One or two of the key players hit a bit of a slump. Whole team implodes. My husband says it's because the kids don't have the mental toughness (or confidence I guess). So my second question is: can mental toughness be taught or is it innate?
So my second question is: can mental toughness be taught or is it innate?
OK, not a cop out answer but IMO it's both. Some kids have it, others don't. But the key is to learn the situations to be tough and apply it to baseball. This has to be taught to the player. Many aspects of the game where failure (and success) is bound to happen. Understanding the reasoning, the overall picture, frame of mind and attitude requires a learning process. Sometimes a fine line between being mentally tough vs not caring vs negativity.
I suspect you're right, Trust. This is actually a pretty important topic. Would love to hear more from the board.
Yes, the mental side can be taught (that's what the OP's clip is all about) and there have been far more advances in recent years with teaches for the mental side than the physical side. Tools such as visualization, breathing techniques, yoga, PMA, meditation, focus exercises, access to sports psychologist, etc., are becoming much more mainstream. The common thought process in the current environment is that you cannot achieve peak sports performance without adopting some of these mental exercises.
That said, give me the naturally tough, gritty guy any day.
I think there is proven value to much of the mental training but, at times, I think it can go too far and negate some of the opportunity for a player to step up and exceed his capabilities in clutch moments. I think there is a balance. For example, learning how to control emotion, heart rate, muscle relaxation and blocking out external factors can allow for a relaxed body to perform quite efficiently and consistently. But, sometimes, external factors can provide added motivation and adrenaline that can make for remarkable performances.
The more I am learning about the former, the more difficulty I am having finding that balance as a coach, still believing in some of the latter. I want to provide every tool to my players but I struggle sometimes with where this might be going. I suppose there will always be a pendulum.
Florida State Fan and anyone, 2 books are really great that cover the mental side of the game. I highly recommend both. The Mental ABC'S of Baseball (or Pitching, Hitting) by H A Dorfman, and Head In The Game by B Snead. Excellent reads! edited spelling of h a dorfman.
Totally agree that it can be taught but how? Would love to hear what some of you do as parents and coaches do to help prepare mentally your kid / player. I got what I do but want to hear from you first.
Trying to keep things simple when dealing with the larger group of a HS team, I use basic breathing/relaxation techniques and focus techniques, with the importance of a very specific plan as the centerpiece of the focus techniques. I also incorporate some very basic visual cues. As example, we had a bullpen session yesterday for some of the pitchers. We sat down prior and I gave each of them a dime. I instructed them to visually place that dime on their target - exactly where they want to start their pitch, not where they wanted it to end up. Throughout the session, they would be asked exactly where they were visually placing that dime. This is process driven instead of results driven and it also illustrates the "aim small, miss small" mental thought process.
Within the process of having a specific plan, we talk about what aspects of the game require that very specific plan, when it should start and at what point a player can let go and just react.
Agree with "process driven vs results driven" visualization technique. Very good!
Mariners organization have implemented a comprehensive program around the mental aspects of the game, and are in continual touch with each player at all levels to discuss and reinforce.
Everyone has heard and probably even said that baseball helps prepare you for life. Things like when you fail...turn the page to go after it again, keep battling to the end, team work, etc. But probably the biggest is the mental toughness, staying focused, having a process, etc. That came back around for me when I was diagnosed with throat cancer...twice and I was thankful for the mental process I had during baseball to help keep me on track and doing what I needed to do in order to get through the chemo and radiation. Must've worked since I've been cancer free for 3+years.
When I coached the hitters at SSU. We had a few rules.
1. no cell phones, no social talking in the dugout and one hour before.
2. On road trips we had "hitters" verbal clinics.
3. Hitters not in the game rotate to the batting cage or tee to keep active.
4. Discussions constantly how to hit the opposing pitcher, how to focus from dugout, on deck and in the batter's box. What adjustments do you make in the batter's box.
When we travel International, play 12 games in 15 days, a player learns to adjust.
Bob