The mental part of pitching!

Tommy Lasorda said that mental toughness is the one thing a pitcher absolutely must have to be successful in the pro's. Any other single factor he can do without, but not mental toughness.

Mental toughness is a trait that is nutured and grown, IMHO. Comes easier to some than to others.

I think it's a huge factor and would love any suggestions.

I have two guys (11U) with huge arms who have a hard time throwing strikes, especially after they give up a walk or a hit. I have tried lots of things to help them out with only mixed success.

One game one thing that worked was getting one of my guys to relax (via taking deep breathes) between pitches.

I have also thought about getting them into Tae Kwon Do or Karate to teach them how to really focus.

Any suggestions?

IMHO, it's all mental. They need to understand that every pitcher gives up a hit or a walk every now & then. It is how the pitcher handles things after the walk or hit that makes him a great pitcher.

If they have gotten the batter to hit a grounder or a fly ball, then they have done their job. They cannot do more, nor can they be upset with themselves.

Pump their confidence every chance you get.

Coach Chris ...

From our experience, it seemed there were two factors working with the youth pitchers who struggled with the mental toughness ...
(1) age/maturity level ... many younger guys just need time to grow up and learn to deal with their frustrations and disappointments, and once they can do that, their mound demeanor improves ... tho some never do shake it and always show their emotions on the mound (even the pros).
(2) the level of their desire to be a pitcher ... some guys really have the potential but their hearts may not be in it. This definitely has affected players we have watched thru the years (at the amateur level, of course). In our son's case, he has always loved to pitch ... once when asked by a college coach during the recruiting process if he wanted to be a pitcher or a position player (he had a pretty good stick), he told the coach "I LIVE to pitch". He has always had a tough demeanor on the mound and you generally cannot tell if he has just given up his 5th walk of the game or the 3rd homer ... he always looks like he is in control even when the wheels seem to be falling off the cart.

What do you think about simulated innings as a tool to help improve concentration and focus?

By that I mean throwing pitches and keeping track of at least balls and strikes and pitching until you have "struck out" three batters.

How are you ever going to get out of a 3-0 hole with a batter in the box if you don't first leanr how to get out of a 3-0 hole when it's just you and the catcher?

At the end of last season, and too late for it to make a difference, I had one of my head cases (but with a huge arm) pitch a simulated inning. He really struggled, and it was just him pitching, me catching, and my son just standing in the batters box (he also has a problem throwing strikes with a batter in the box).

I learned the hard way that you have to evaluate pitchers based on how they pitch with a batter in the box.

A pitcher has to have the shortest memory.
One pitch at a time. My son is a pitcher and when he was 12/13 we spent a lot of time working on the mental side of the game. It's key.

If you pitch a grounder, and the 2nd baseman bobbles the ball, you as the pitcher did your job. All you ned to do is think of the next pitch, pitch a grounder and get a double play.

If you let the 2nd basemans error bother you, you will not think about the next pitch, you will throw up in the strike zone, and BOOM, the guy hits a double and a run scores.

As an ump, if I call a "border line" pitch a ball, and the pitcher looses control on the mound, kicks dirt, makes a face, etc. I can guareentee you he will not get the pitch all day. If he shakes it off, then as an ump, you might say to yourself "I blew that call" if he throws it heir again he will get it.

Mental toughness is something many pitcher lack.

The head case I talked about above definitely had a problem moving on. As soon as the others hit the ball hard, he fell apart.

One advantage of my son is precisely the opposite. He is completely one pitch at a time. To a degree this causes problems when he doesn't pay enough attention to a batter if they get on base, but rarely do they score (he never gets wild enough to let them score from 3B and he never walks more than 1 batter per inning). If a guy gets a hit (or more infrequently a walk) and gets on base, my son just goes to work on the next guy.

At the end of the day, I just let him worry about getting the batter to strike out or ground out, and 95% of the time that's what happens.

He is also less prone to being being worried about things like footing. Last year in the playoffs we started off the game with a different pitcher. The problem was that the ground was terribly muddy and the first guy couldn't get around it. The head coach put in my son and he then pitched 3 innings without showing any sign of being affected by something that drove the other guy crazy.

If when reading the above you think I'm bragging, I'm not. It's just a statement of fact (by an amazed father) and goes to the point that some pitchers have it and others don't.

Pirate fan, good for you as a coach.

Shame on you as a blue, though.

Call them by the book, regardless of what the pitcher, coach or fans do. The rules don't say that the strike zone shrinks if someone fussed about your last call. You have to be bigger than that, or don't put the mask on.

That said, pitchers should never show any emotion, no matter how bad the call.

Words of wisdom I have heard and used much are "Pitch every batter like you're just starting the game." Of course know there's runners on and the aspects of holding runners on, etc., but Randy Johnson said that he pitches every better like he was the first becasue it gets his mind off the past batter. It's helped me when I get frusturated.

Baptism by fire. The only way you will learn and develop the skill & confidence to pitch in tough situations is to have the opportunity. We hear a lot about the “5 tools” needed to play this game because they are relatively tangible physical properties that can be quantified. The 6th tool may be mental toughness. Like the 5 tools this is a moving target, i.e. you may have the mental toughness to be a great catcher or SS but not a pitcher. The game doesn’t start until the pitcher throws the ball and it takes a different breed of player to want the ball on the bump. I know a lot of stud, X tool players, that have the ability, but no interest in taking the mound. Mental abilities (i.e. toughness) manifest themselves only through trial. How do you develop mental toughness? Some kids are better suited than others just by individual make up. It is imposable to identify who has the mental toughness to pitch at 11/12. IMHO a lot of coaches, coaching at this age, may believe a “stud” player will make a great pitcher and that isn’t always the case. Give the kid opportunity in a game situation and then stay positive! 100 positive comments can be torn down by 1 negative. They need to overcome the fear of failure. Let him know that this is a game of mistakes (as is life), that he can or has permission to screw up. If he does get into trouble you will come out and get him (off the mound), that this is a TEAM sport, and that there are a number of team-mate that will “pick him up”. One exercise my son got into the habit of doing, as a young player, was while lying in bed, just before he went to sleep, he would “ZEN”, in his “mind’s eye”, visualize succeeding in tough situations. I think he picked this up from zen-master Phil Jackson when he was in Chicago coaching the Bulls' 6 NBA titles. Many are called, few are chosen….. Good Luck.

GO CHANTS

biggest part of pitching is mental toughness....i'm in college and out pitching coach made the whole staff read a book called psych-cybernetics....not only does it help in baseball but it helps in life.....when u pitch you have to have a short term memory....and not worry about what u did ith the batter before even if u strike him out.....striking out the batter before doesnt mean anything because you are facing a new batter so u have to figure out how to get him out....and u also have to always be positive and never show emotions....u show your upset its like a shark smelling blood...they will pounce all over u

One's makeup determines the mental part. JMO.

An 11 year old should be learning how to to play the game and position. If he has the mental stuff to reach the highest level, at any position, it comes with maturity adn his desire to overcome his shortcomings.

I am with smokey, kind of hard to predict who has the mental toughness to be a pitcher at 11.

How often have we heard, "Million dollar arm and 10-cent head." I think the pitchers that are just nasty competitors, doing whatever it takes to win (or as I like to say, NOT lose), are the toughest to face. Some, like Clemens, have the great stuff, but look at Maddux. Certainly not overpowering, but smart, and as nasty of a competitor on the mound as I have seen.
I think the college scouts get caught up so much in the tools, that many kids maybe less raw talent, but with great mental make-up get left out in the cold. To get further off-track, I bet the coaches that have a sense about recruiting "make-up," are much more successful than those that just look for tools--and end up with "tools".

Maddux was low to mid 90s out of high school. He had the "tools" and the makeup!

I think any pitcher who ever pitched in the Big Leagues "hates to lose". It's just some are better than others both mentally and/or physically.

I stand corrected. Had no idea he brought it up that high. I just remember the skinny geeky-looking kid with the Cubs but not the speed. Guess the karma O.D. is messing with my brain cells.

Mental Toughness is perhaps the most neglected aspect of any skill in baseball.

To overcome mental weakness you have to convince your players that they have done more, worked harder and know more than the other team's players. "Repitition is no fun but it's the reason we have won." You have to convince them to throw to location and be very positive as they achieve goals. Then, give them the impossible so that they can achieve it. Take a softball pitching screen with the hole in it and put it down where the catcher typically is. Now, have them throw a game situation. Yes, they will fail. That's ok because it's new and "everyone" does. However, we need to get better and we CAN DO THIS. The next practice they will do better and... Now, when they come to the game, you tell them to realize what they have done in practice and they are more prepared than anyone else to take the ball. JMHO!

Pg,

Took the words from my mouth on Maddox. In the mid early 80's he had some real good . Learned how to pitch as he matured.

I think that mental toughnes takes in so many aspects of what a pitcher is about. The thing that goes hand and hand with it is the ability to take a negitive situation and make it a positive one. (positive mental attitude) A good example would be that kid who has a tendency to fight himself on the hill, kick the dirt and struggle. Ground ball to short and an error occurs, you now have a choice, you get upset, you loose your concentration and begin to make excuses, or you point at the SS and let him know that he is going to get the next groundball and turn the double play. You would be shocked as to the power of the mind and how many times that the SS will get his doulbleplay ball. Makes for a positive for not only the pitcher but the kid who made the mistake, plus your entire team feeds off of the positive fibes and team play.
Everybody with ability can hold down the helm when the sea is calm, I look for the strength of a pitcher when they are faced with adversity.
How tough are you and are you up for the challenge of getting yourself out of trouble.
I also beleive in visualazation along with positive mental attitude. The ability to train the brain. Confidence, beleif in yourself, PMA, mental toughness, ability,(tools) and the ability to get the ball in on hitters are all huge keys to me..

Texan;

I'm not changing the strike zone. The strike zone does not shrink.

But everyone knows the "borderline" pitch can go either way. That's why it is call a borderline pitch. Everything has to be perfect on that outside corner pitch. Did the catcher set up right, did he receive the ball cleanly, etc. How far outside is the umps strike zone? (I'm not talking 6-8 inches). I'm talking the diameter of the ball.

There are occasions that we miss the call. If the pitcher trys to "show-up" the umpire, he will not get the call. End of subject.

On the other hand, if he shows respect for the situation and keeps his cool, he will get the call.

Quote from Pirate Fan.....

"There are occasions that we miss the call. If the pitcher trys to "show-up" the umpire, he will not get the call. End of subject."

I hope young pitchers are listening!

C'mon PF. You either thought it was a strike or you didn't. I never heard a blue call out "borderline". Only "strike" or "ball". The strikezone in the book doesn't have an area denoted as "borderline".

Read what you just posted. You are tilting the table. For the same location, in once instance you will call "strike" and in another "ball". That is what you just said.

And that is just flat wrong. Call 'em where you see 'em. Just being human? Maybe. Commonplace? Absolutely. Right? Nope.

And I guess if the coach fails to show you the respect you feel is due you, then his team won't get the "borderline" calls. And maybe if the fans tick you off, then their team won't get the borderline calls.

The game is not about the blues. They are to be impartial observers who call the game by the rules. Whether or not they are being paid the respect they feel they should receive should be irrelevant, up to the point a warning or ejection is called for. And again, I am aware that this often doesn't happen. But it should.

I don't want pitchers showing any emotion on the mound, for several reasons.

But I don't want blues making calls one way for one team and another way for the other.

So what we're saying here is that pitchers are mental? I always thought there was something wrong with them

Pf - what's the call on a pitcher's 1st offering of the game on the corner when you have no idea of how he will react to your calls?
A good ump stays consistent - strikes are strikes and balls are balls.
If your corner is the diameter of the ball it should make no difference where the catcher set up or if he fielded it cleanly.
You are letting situations & feelings dictate your calls. Unacceptable at any level. I'm guessing you also have "rabbit ears" as I'm sure you hear plenty of griping if you umpire in this manner. Very poor - end of subject.

PF is 100% correct. All UMPS have slightly different take on those borderline piches. Some UMPS have tight zones and others will give calls off one side or both sides of the plate. Some like the pitch down at the shins and others above the knees etc.
Part ofr thye job of a pitcher/catcher is to figure where the UMP wants the piches. These balls are not coming in flat but moving around. If you throw a curve ball that takes a couple of detors and catches the front corner and moves off the plate the UMP has to make a tough call. The UMP can change the whole complexity of the game. P/C have to adjust. PF is saying if you upset an UMP he is not going to get some discretionary calls. There isn't an umpire on the planet that won't addmit to what PF just said. The judjment calls go the other way and there are lots of them.
Getting upset with an UMP is suicide. My son ande I am sure all pitchers have UMPs they prefer behind the plate but you get what you get and you had better give him what he wants.

TX & d400 - It's quite obvious that you are either are a parent or a coach or both, but you are not an umpire. As far as I myself, I do not have rabbit ears, I am thick skinned and have actually been told by many that I am way to tolerent of coaches, parents and players, but that is not the point.

As an ump my goal to to enter the field and leave the field and hope nobody knows I was there. That doesn't mean I get every call correct or I did't make a mistake. It means I was consistent and had good game management.

Now, let's talk about the borderline pitch. This pitch is the one that is established that day between the umpire; catcher, pitcher and batter. This is the pitch that has a tolerance of about an inch either way, the human factor. This is the same pitch that the spectator or coach will always moan about. Yet the only two people that have the best view is the ump and the catcher. Yet everyone else at the field can see the pitch better than me. (I think this is the catagory were TX and d400 fall into.)

Back to the mental part of pitching. There are 3 situations that can happen.

1) The pitcher, the catcher and myself are all in a sync. The pitcher is hitting his spot and I'm calling strikes. Does a pitch that is a little further outside get called a strike, probably. I'm I changing the strike zone, no. The pitcher has consistently been throwing strikes in the same area all day, and yes, maybe I blew the call and gave him a strike. Usually the response from the offensive coach will be; "He's been calling it there all day, swing the bat".

2) The pitcher can't hit the broadside of the barn. The cather set's up ouside, he throws inside, the catcher, sets up inside he throws out side, etc. Then the catcher sets up outside and low and behold the pitcher hits his spot. The probablility in this situation is it's a ball. The pitcher has not earned the outside pitch. Am I changing the strike zone, no. The strike zone has not been established between the pitcher, catcher, batter and the ump. Therefore it's a ball. If the pitcher "flips out" then it will probablly still be a ball. Why? Because he has not earned the pitch.

3) This one will really get you teed off. (But one thing you have to remember, is the two favorite words for an ump is strike and out. They move the game along. Ball and safe pro-long the game.)Take situation 1, at the begining of a game. The pitcher is hitting that borderline area, and the ump is balling it. (Again, I'm refering to that 1 inch differece. Think about that for a minute. Look at ruler and compare a ball to 1 inch. BORDERLINE CALL.) I will gaureentee you that any umpire who is worth his weight will realize that the pitcher can hit his spot, and that borderline pitch can be called a strike. However, if the pitcher starts to "flip out" it will be a ball all day.

I'm sure you TX and d400 have been around the field a long time. I could say as an umpire that I only call it by the book. Ask any experienced umpire and he will tell you exactly the same thing i just did.

PF, you have already condemned yourself with your own words. Haven't you read what you posted?

I am realist enough to know that the majority of the blues are affected by a pitcher's reaction. But that doesn't make it right.

And you have no idea whether I chirp at blues or not. So I wouldn't recommend that you guess.

And pardon me, but I have studied not only the rules but the interps. And nowhere did I see that a pitch is only a strike if it is where the catcher set up. Or if the catcher gloves it to your satisfaction.

The pitcher should not have to earn the outside pitch. The pitch is either in the zone or it is not. CALL IT BY THE BOOK!

By your own admissions in your post you are not calling it by the book. You are letting the pitcher's attitude, his past performance, where the catcher sets up, how the ball is gloved/not glove, influence your calls. That is wrong, no matter how many blues do it or how you try to justify it.

And not every experienced ump willingly lets outside influences affect his call. Many? Yes. All? No.

And on my part, this discussion will end here.

Pirate - I get some of the examples you gave and sorry for the rabbit ear comment. I don't know you and you don't know me but I don't feel anyone has a better view than the ump. Has been my experience that umps who let player reactions affect them also very in-tune with crowd as well.
I have umped as well and & refereed lots of basketball. Worked with guys who let reactions from players & coaches get in their head and always thought the better one's I worked with tuned it out.
Yes, it's difficult but I think if a player react's in a manner you don't like give him or coach a little talk between innings or a warning immediately. Does a pitcher then not get the call the rest of the inning, rest of the game? Does that stay with you next time you see him? If it continues or kid goes overboard, toss him but don't let it influence a call.
Totally understand the human element involved but it goes too far when a call can go one way based on something like that, imo.
A smart pitcher shouldn't react to a call they don't like but they are human too. Ump is human but supposed to be impartial also.

Texan & Denis it is not that you are not right but PF is telling you the way it really is. I don't care what level it is the UMPS have discretionary calls and one of the things a parent and coach should do is train the pitcher and even the catcher not to ract to a bad or questionable call. That is where the Mental Toughness comes in.
You train a pitcher to not let outside forces interfer with your game. You don't let your opponent see weakness and you don't diss the UMP. The game is not over until it is over or the coach takes the ball from you.
Mental toughness is a trained response and it comes easier to some than others. Parents / coaches over reacting to bad calls sends a message that it is normal. Normal is not what you expect from a great pitcher. You should expect a class act regardless of how good or bad your day is going.

Tex -
You sound like a rules jockey. You know the rules, you know the interps, but you do not now or pactice the mechanics.

Real situation (HS,U-14 & above, American Legion,etc) - Catcher sets up on the inside corner, the pitcher throw the ball on the outside corner. For arguement sakes, lets say it is "within the strike zone". What is the call?

BY THE BOOK you would call it a strike.

A good ump will call it a ball. Here is the real world situation. Everyone in the park saw the catcher have to reach across his body to back hand the pitch. If he had to back hand the pitch it had to be outside. No one is going to question your call.

If you CALL IT BY THE BOOK, you are going to have the offensive coach out-of the dugout, agruring the pitch was outside. "Didn't you see him reach for the ball?" You are going to have spectators question your zone, you are going to create a situation that could have been avoided. Don't go there regarding you shouldn't let the spectators bother you, it more than that. You are starting to create a "game situation" that can snowball. GAME MANAGEMENT - that comes from practice. Not from reading it.

Read the rules, read the interps all you want. But this is the way it is.

Good points by all, but Pirate Fan is right on here. The instincts and intracasies of the game cannot be found in any rule book.

I always thought that it was better for the player to focus on getting his job done on the field - and not on what the umpire was doing.

Of course the pitchers and hitters should try to read umpires tendencies with the strike zone - but that is where it should end for any player.

Arguing with (or showing up) an umpire seems to be a huge waste of time - and virtually never helps you or your team.

I think any time spent thinking about an umpire is a total waste of time.

IMO.

Bobble, I never said otherwise. I agree with you. And everything I have said regarding mental toughness & how things really are is in line with what you said.

But that doesn't mean that I can't try to have some small effect on changing what is the current reality to what it should be.

I have just seen too many arrogant blues who think that whatever they say or do is right, regardless of what the rulebook says. And they think it is proper to retaliate - in how they make their calls - against players, coaches or fans who somehow upset their sensibilities. And that happens to be one of my pet peeves.

quote:

Originally posted by Pirate Fan:
Tex -
You sound like a rules jockey. You know the rules, you know the interps, but you do not now or pactice the mechanics.

Real situation (HS,U-14 & above, American Legion,etc) - Catcher sets up on the inside corner, the pitcher throw the ball on the outside corner. For arguement sakes, lets say it is "within the strike zone". What is the call?

BY THE BOOK you would call it a strike.

A good ump will call it a ball. Here is the real world situation. Everyone in the park saw the catcher have to reach across his body to back hand the pitch. If he had to back hand the pitch it had to be outside. No one is going to question your call.

If you CALL IT BY THE BOOK, you are going to have the offensive coach out-of the dugout, agruring the pitch was outside. "Didn't you see him reach for the ball?" You are going to have spectators question your zone, you are going to create a situation that could have been avoided. Don't go there regarding you shouldn't let the spectators bother you, it more than that. You are starting to create a "game situation" that can snowball. GAME MANAGEMENT - that comes from practice. Not from reading it.

Read the rules, read the interps all you want. But this is the way it is.

Too late, Bubba. I've gone there. And you don't want to go there because you know it can't be justified and it doesn't make your position look good.

So you base your calls based on what a coach or the fan is gonna say????? My gosh, man. Just take a Gallup poll of all who are present. Have them all turn thumbs up or down after every pitch. Then you can be completely relieved of making a call that someone would squawk on.

You're gonna let the coach on offense or the fans ("everyone in the park") influence your calls? Man, as a coach that would be great. Just squawk & the calls will go your way. AMAZING!!! But not unusual.

And I have talked with guys who ump AA (pro minors) games about these exact issues. And some of those guys do not agree with you. But then maybe you ump at those levels yourself?

Pitching is always a mental game. A good pitcher walks out to the mound in control and everyone knows it. You can see the umps sizing him up. If they're aggressive and throw strikes umpires will give calls. I've never met an umpire yet who didn't admire a good pitcher. If the pitcher respects the umpire he'll never show him up but will find a way to get his message across.

Pitchers (and catchers) check out “Boarderline Pitches” in the “Ask The Umpire” forum. Take it for what it’s worth.

BobbleheadDoll brings up a very good point, adjust. Baseball is a game of adjustments. Don’t get frustrated… adjust to where the umpire is calling the strike zone. Remember it’s not your job to argue balls and strikes.

Tex-

It's appears you don't like blues.
You are a rules jockey.
Stay in the stands,and let me call the game.
If you can't deal with to bad.
You you cause a scene "YOUR OUT OF HERE!"

I like good blues. Have quite a few friends who are blues. We became friends through our interaction at the ballpark, never saw each other anywhere else. They always appreciated a coach who took time to know not just the rules but the interps. Cut down on senseless chirping.

Most of the blues I've met who starting calling names such as "rules jockey" were those who were too lazy to study the interps. But you may be an exception to that.

Sorry if your ego can't handle it. Best of luck to you.

I have never been tossed yet, so don't hold your breath.

My son's coach for the last 2 years was a litigation lawyer so you can imagine how that was.
We all get frustrated with some UMPs but that is the way it is.
I remember a game years ago and one of our parents was very mouthy. He yelled at the UMP witha voice that really stood out. He was yelling "I thought only horses sleep standing up and after a pitch youve got to be kidding. He was warned and finally the UMP turned to hima and said if you think that was bad just watch. He didn't call a strike for a very long inning. The game was protested and a formal complaint made. What do you think happened ?

You cannot protest Fair/Foul; Safe/Out; Ball/Strike.

A formal complaint to the commissioner of the the league is another issue.

And now back to the topic. Pitchers must have and develop supreme confidence and control of their emotions on the mound. Coach Chris, one thing that I encourage players to do which really helps them relax is to mentally play a song in their head. They should pick a song that goes with their pitching rhythm and "listen" to it as they pitch. It helps them stay relaxed, keeps their mechanical rhythm, and helps them to focus. Also, simulated situations can help tremendously. Put a runner at third in practice, tell the pitcher it is a tie game with one out and a runner at third, see how the respond. Practicing pressure situations with a consequence or reward means that the kid will not be in that situation for the first time in a game with a championship on the line.