I just read that line in a thread written by another poster and would love to hear this team’s thoughts on what what has been most effective for their son/daughter when struggling with the mental aspect of the game.
Specifically helping the athlete to see how much of an impact it can have on performance and how to address it individually.
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Great topic. I’m a believer in positive mental imagery. Envisioning success is the best precursor IMO. Except for rare occasions, you have to train your mind to believe you can do it before much success takes place. I never had any formal training on this but I’m sure it’s available.
Interesting. I am a crappy baseball player but a good golfer. I was also a doubter until I played with some old guys years ago. They told me before each shot to visualize what I wanted to happen, tell them what I was going to do, and then execute it.
I laughed first but I will be damned if it does not work. Your mind will actually make your body do it.
believe it or not. But I think it would translate to pitching pretty well.
This is a broad question so my take on it maybe different than intended...
The ideal metal aspect of the game is obtained via a culmination of different factors. They include:
Once these factors are well in place the mental aspect (confidence) should take care of itself.
2024
when I played, after analyzing the wind, size of the field, the opposing pitcher, I would “visualize” hitting over the light towers.
later in real estate development, I would visualize the finished shopping center 9 months later.
Bob
Relax, find your center, be the ball.
Joking aside, the mental side, relaxation and visualization are very important. I was a big believer of and passed it on to players if I got five or six hard line drives in a row in BP I didn’t need anymore swings. I wanted to go into the game visualizing those positive shots.
Great insight!! Thanks all the quick responses.
Staying in the moment is really important. Focus on the task at hand and tune out the world. Don't let the bigness of the moment, the situation, the crowd or anything else get in your head and become a distraction.
There are two interesting books.
The Inner Game of Tennis. Also on Youtube. It's hard to describe but your mind has two halves. One that tells the body what to do and one that organizes the body to do it. To perform, you have to shutdown the part of the brain that thinks. You can't think fast enough to perform. Like Good Knight and Consultant (Bob) said, picture what you want to do and do it.
The Mental Side of Baseball. "See the ball." "Are you seeing the ball?" What happened before and what happens after doesn't matter. See the ball, don't think about all the other stuff and it will all work out. Be present.
Jaeger, as in Jaeger arm bands, is big on meditation and relaxation.
I realize that this is all really touchy feely but you can read for yourself.
My advise to my kids is to have amnesia. What happened before is gone. The only thing that matters is this pitch.
Who was the Phillies player (nickname Nails) that said he "doesn't read books, it might screw up his swing."
"what is the role of the hitter"? SEE THE BALL!
QUESTION: HOW CAN A PLAYER SLOW THE GAME DOWN?
BOB
Step out of the box at every pitch and reattach anything with velcro on it, pretty much puts the game on paint drying mode. For pitchers, pitchouts against a 3 ft lead and pitch reset with F2 puts me into RIP Van Winkle mode.
back to joking:
You guys are the best!! Great stuff here. Really appreciate your willingness to share.
