90% of the Game is Mental

The other half is physical.......

I bought this book for my son a few months ago, it came out earlier this year. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ninety-...seball/dp/0738233781

 Full disclosure - I'm an acquaintance of the author.

We did a fair amount but never enough.  A great deal of hitting drills were broken down into count-specific and situation-specific approach work.  We held rain day discussion sessions where mental approach (to just about everything baseball related) was the focus.  We would incorporate thought process review during various drills.  I kept a fleet of "The Mental Game of Baseball" books on my shelf and had players sign out to read, usually during winter conditioning months.  Some examples of visualization included defining specific strike zones with various counts, having the players cut out shapes and place them at the appropriate depth to visualize what they are looking for, then reinforcing with bp pitching, focusing on seeing that zone and attacking... that sort of stuff.  

That said, the amount of work put toward mental game never matched up to the importance (as referenced by your percentages).  And I am certain that far better techniques are out there to incorporate mental approach into active practice routines.  I think more emphasis in this aspect is where the most potential is for the next big leap in performance in the game overall.

Will be interested in hearing from others on specifics being incorporated into practices.

90% of the game is mental, for the 1% that have better technique than all the others.

Until your technique is good, don't waste time on the other stuff. Time is your enemy.

This is what I think after putting 5 kids through HS and/or college sports.

I read The Mental Game of Baseball. Then I incorporated it into my team coaching and the personal coaching I gave my kids.

They go hand in hand. I never teach anything without incorporating the mental approach with the fundamental approach.  Fearless, confident, prepared. If your going to teach a player how to play the game you must see the mental approach to success as equally important as the skills required to have success. Do both at the same time. 

Attack the game. Play fearless. Be the hunter not the hunted. The approach to the game must mirror the mental approach to the game. 

Thanks for the book suggestions 9AND7DAD and RJM.

Cabbage, can you explain in more detail how "having the players cut out shapes and place them at the appropriate depth to visualize what they are looking for" works?  Sounds interesting.

Coach May, exactly what I was thinking.  I love watching other teams practice to see what they do.  There are a lot of coaches that come up with great drills and can teach different situations, but what is sometimes lacking is the approach to the game ... that fearlessness and confidence. 

I was watching a team warm up before a tournament game this summer.  It was really impressive.  Every ball was fielded cleanly, throws were crisp and accurate, the players could all swing the bat.  They were obviously well drilled, but something happened when they hit field.  They were still a good team, but didn't look quite the same as pre-game.  When the other team put pressure on them they panicked.  They didn't hit in key situations.  They ended up winning the game because they were the better team, but that pre-game confidence didn't carry over to the game.

This was a few years ago and I knew several players on a high school age travel team.  I watched them practice and play over several years.  A great practice team and the coach was one of the best practice coaches I had ever seen.  He changed on game day.  He caused his players to play scared and tense.  They were afraid to make a mistake.  The team never lived up to their potential.

I have been a big fan of broad and narrow focus training in both vision/perception and concentration. I am curious to know if the metric used to demonstrate improvement in focus really does translate into the game? For example the color spot tracking gizmo to train vision and reaction time. As you improve your reaction time (they measure it by timing and accuracy), can we really state it is an overall improvement in reaction and vision or just an improvement in that drill? How do we really know it transfers to hitting, fielding, catching a football etc. To me it makes sense but it may be tlhow I felt about swinging a weighted donut on the bat, it seems to help but upon further examination and testing, it may be detrimental to bat speed.

1st&3rd posted:

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Cabbage, can you explain in more detail how "having the players cut out shapes and place them at the appropriate depth to visualize what they are looking for" works?  Sounds interesting.

 

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This is tied in as one of many angles we use in regards to having a solid mental hitting approach...

For overall visualization, I have a large cardboard cutout and a smaller one.  The large represents the average size of the actual strike zone, including some expansion for a ball catching the black.  The size of the cutout and the visual of it surprises the hitters when first introduced - it is big.  This cutout represents the zone that should be protected with two strikes.  We hold the cutout up over a rubber home plate and move it around slightly, discussing variances such as player size and specific umpire zones. 

The smaller cutout represents the realistic size of a zone that an average player can really attack and drive the ball.  By design, we want it small enough that all balls in that zone can be driven hard but big enough that it encourages an aggressive approach.   (Using the bigger cutout, we explore different areas, asking if pitches in various locations can be driven hard.  The smaller cutout is a result of the average area that players can attack.)  Then, thru both discussion and drills, we will help each individual hitter identify his specific "drive zone".  Each hitter is better with pitches in different locations, some preferring middle in, middle away, down in, etc.  So, then, we go back to the small cutout and have each hitter move it around (in relation to the plate and his stance) until he finds and clearly visualizes his attack zone.  We use a rectangle shaped cutout, painted a distinct color, and it may be turned vertically or horizontally depending on hitter preferences.

We also tie in drills that enable the hitter to understand where his maximum power position is as it relates to how deep or how far in front he should try to make contact.  Then, we go back to the cutouts and place them at the optimal depth.  Clear visualization of pitches he should attack.  We will incorporate additional drills where the hitter will see pitches with the primary focus being to identify yes or no (is the pitch in the drive zone).

We will do something similar with the large cutout as it relates to having a two strike approach.  

9and7dad posted:

I bought this book for my son a few months ago, it came out earlier this year. 

https://www.amazon.com/Ninety-...seball/dp/0738233781

 Full disclosure - I'm an acquaintance of the author.

Picked it up for my son (2018 RHP) soon after it came out. He really enjoyed it.

I think it's very important for parents to teach this as well. You can control to a certain degree who coaches your son before he enters HS. But there will come a time when you won't be able to do that. He will also have external forces working against him. All the way up in the game players are taught to support their team mates, work as a team, pick each other up, etc etc. There will come a time when those around him will be working as hard to erode his confidence and mental approach as they are at beating him on the field. He will have coaches that will test his mental toughness and his ability to focus. Some of this is intentional and some of it is just a by product of the environment. The ability to control what's in your head is as important if not more important than the physical skills the player will have and will acquire.

Of course I want my players to be successful because I want to win and I want them to be successful. I believe that the mental side of the game is crucial in the player not only becoming the best player he can be but more importantly being able to perform at his highest level when it matters the most. I believe practice and that includes drills and instruction should always include the mental aspect of the intended result. 

Unfortunately many times the parents and the coach sometimes the same people send extremely mixed signals. Play fearless! Then scream at the player for booting a ground ball as he attempts to play fearless. Be aggressive at the plate! Then scream "You can't swing at everything and expect to hit!" I believe that players starting out need to feel comfortable failing playing fearless. They need to strike out without fear. They need to boot a ball without fear. They need to fail with no fear of failure. This is how they learn to play fearless. 

You can teach them a better approach. You can teach them better fundamentals. You can teach them the finer points of the game. It's very hard to teach them to play fearless and with supreme confidence unless you allow them to fail and reward them with success for playing fearless and with confidence. "Get up there and have some fun. Look to mash and get your money's worth." "Hey good job way to attack the game." Or you can say "Don't swing at a bad pitch. Work the count. Don't get yourself out!" One player is learning how to play fearless and down the road can learn how to become a more polished hitter. The other player is not having fun and may be able to work a count but he won't ever be a hitter with that attitude. 

I want my players to know they can't fail as long as they are playing fearlessly and attacking the game. Even if they strike out or boot a gb as long as the mental approach was correct and the fundamental approach was solid way to get after it. I never want to be the reason a player fails and its a shame when a kid can't enjoy something because he is afraid he might fail. 

Thanks for the response Coach May.  Very good point about coaches needing to be consistent in their messages to players.  I love that fearless approach.  Your players are lucky to have a coach like you.

As a parent of a college senior I will say this.....you an do all the "mental" preparation you want....and you and your son can think you have it all down, but it still comes down to him executing on the field, at the plate on or the mound.  I can't tell you how many times I've asked my son what happened on a particular at bat, or why he threw the pitch he did at a particular time or how he misplayed an easy ground ball.   It happens....he'll just look at you with a blank stare and say "I don't know"....and you can tell that he means it lol.   We're heading into what will likely be his 19th and last season of playing baseball....and I'm sure at some point next spring I'll get that same answer again.   Funny, it bothers me a lot less now than it did when I was coaching him when he was 10.  At 10, if he said "I don't know" I took it to mean he wasn't prepared....now at 22, I just laugh and say ...."oh well, #@it happens"     

Oh, and in case you're wondering, here in Ohio, it's 35 degrees colder than yesterday and 25 mph winds.....starting to feel like Spring baseball weather    College season starts 18 weeks from tomorrow

The book often referenced is "The Inner Game of Tennis" https://www.amazon.com/Inner-G...rmance/dp/0679778314

It's probably the best known in print. 

I am not sure some of you are understanding mental training. Regardless, dismissing it's importance and effectiveness in baseball makes no sense. Mental training can be as simple as teaching a HS pitcher to focus on one pitch at a time. Nothing else matters but executing that one pitch. It can be as simple as reminding a HS pitcher to pause briefly and take a deep breath before each pitch. For HS hitters, it can be as simple as creating a process/routine that is used prior to each AB. It can be as simple as working with hitters to be task focused instead of outcome focused. It is used by so many at elite levels that it should only make sense to study and incorporate, at least the basics, at most levels of play. Obviously not talking about the community 6-year old t-ball team. 

I agree that mental training is not going to make a player with average skills, a great player. However, it can be what separates a pitcher, hitter, defensive player from their peers (in terms of talent). I have seen the benefits first-hand with players at both the high school and college level, including my own son.

I don't think anyone is disagreeing with the value of mental training/preparedness. The game and good opponents typically and shamelessly exposes the the least prepared part of the player skills.

I don't think coaches have time enough time to do it like it needs to be done but they should.  When I give pitching lessons, we get to a point where we talk about pitchers have a plan and talk through what that plan should be per batter versus throwers just throw it and hope it goes near the plate.  Having been a varsity high school coach you talk through a lot of things and just hope some of it clicks with some of your players.  I think it is one of the huge differences between high caliber players and average players.  Knowing the game and knowing how to use that knowledge.

Well we all know what happens. You take some kids to the cage to get some work in and you begin to talk to them about what we want to accomplish today. You begin to talk to them about what we want to accomplish on the T's and why. How the drills we are doing will help them and why we do what we do, how we need to focus on this and that when we are hitting live in the cage and why. We talk about approach, counts, pitch recognition, etc. And the fact is most kids just want to get to the meat. They are so focused on doing the drills, actually swinging the bat that many times the focus on what your talking about is vastly overshadowed by what they are actually doing. 

Get in the cage and hack and get in as many cuts as you can. I try very hard to slow down everything and get them to focus on why. I try very hard to get them to understand that the mental approach goes hand in hand with the actual task. For me BP is pointless without also incorporating the mental approach to hitting. Where was that pitch? What were you trying to do with it? Why do you think you hooked around that pitch? It takes time. It takes patience for the coach and the player. Putting kids in counts,  in situations, while taking BP helps. Putting kids in counts, in situations while throwing pens helps. Put kids in situations while taking GB's helps as well. 

It is much easier to just hit fungos and say go one. It is quicker and less work to just run them through drills. Coaching the mental aspects of the game as your teaching the fundamentals of the game is Coaching. Being able to deal with failure, high stress situations, etc is a direct result of being coached to fail, put in high stress situations in practice, coached to have success and the confidence to play with no fear.