Overcoming mental obstacles

Vanderbilt to McDonalds ?? Wow

Jeez, He must have REALLY got pounded! What was the final score? lemme guess 347 - 8. lol

Tripledad-
Your byline is one of the best about overcoming mental obstacles:

"Clear the Mechanism"

For all you movie buffs out there, there’s no better example I can think of for this technique than For Love Of The Game. Kevin Costner plays his last game as a professional baseball pitcher, and as he steps to the mound, he takes in all of what surrounds him (the fans, the players, the field, the smells, the lights, everything), and soaks it all in. From there, he focuses in on his catcher and the distance between him and the plate. At that time, he tells himself to “clear the mechanism”, and one by one, each disturbance around him clears out so the only thing left is a “tunnel” from his glove to the catcher.

Not to downplay that story, but looking back, that was not that big of an obstacle to overcome. How about failing to close a game your team is winning for a Super Regional birth, giving up the game winning homerun to lose an NCAA Regional, and sending your #1 ranked team home for the season - all with one fateful pitch. In effect, ending your and several of your teammates college careers. I could see that making someone wanting to quit and go work at McDonalds.

Yeah, I love that too. I have always told my pitchers that when they are on the mound to develop "tunnel vision". The only thing you see is the catchers glove. No ump, no batter, nothing but the glove. And then throw to the glove. Everything stripped down to the basics.

Anyway, love that line.

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
Not to downplay that story, but looking back, that was not that big of an obstacle to overcome. How about failing to close a game your team is winning for a Super Regional birth, giving up the game winning homerun to lose an NCAA Regional, and sending your #1 ranked team home for the season - all with one fateful pitch. In effect, ending your and several of your teammates college careers. I could see that making someone wanting to quit and go work at McDonalds.

I can strongly relate to both stories. Twice in college we got a phone call he was coming home. I am glad it stopped after a while (the phone calls).

For Price that may have been his rock bottom, the game that made him a first rounder. The type of situations described here, usually makes for better pitchers.

"Become mentaly absorbed into a physical routine." This simple concept takes time to fully develop properly.