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!