Mental Game and Techniques in Baseball
If you (or your athletes) struggle to take practice to competition, today’s message reveals one reason why.
Do you think the mental game and your technique or mechanics go hand-in-hand? They definitely do! Your mindset can enhance or detract from the ability to apply well-learned skills (from practice) to competition.
Allow me to share a short story with you. (I’ll also share a taped audio interview to back up my claim).
Mark, a baseball parent to his 17 year old high school athlete, discovered firsthand how attitude and technique are interconnected…
Mark’s son was tense and nervous with his batting last year. Mark discovered that his son badly wanted to impress his teammates.
“In games, he looked like he was pressing too hard and as a result was losing all his mechanics,” said Mark. “During batting practice and lessons, he would perform fine. But yet, in games he would completely lose all his mechanics.”
OK, you know Mark’s son didn’t really “lose” his swing or mechanics. But his son’s swing did morph in games because of the existence of tension and anxiety. And this is very typical with athletes…
Mark’s son was trying to impress his teammates and coach. Worrying about impressing others lead to pressing and trying too hard at the plate. This caused tension and worry, which ultimate lead to poor transfer of his learned skills to games.
He enjoyed talking to his son a great deal about baseball. Mark said he contributed to his son’s problems, until he backed off and allowed his son to get advise on the mental game.
Here’s what helped Mark’s son transfer his mechanics to the game…
Mark’s son completed “The Fearless Athlete” and “The Relaxed Athlete” programs. Not only did Mark learn to how to stop over-coaching as a parent, his son learned how to relax and not press at the plate.
Mark said one of the key lessons was the awareness of what makes you nervous or anxious. “If you try to impress everyone, you are going to be anxious,” he said.
His son biggest take-away: He learned that it’s OK to feel anxious. Just understand why you’re anxious so you can cope better.
“After completing the programs he was more aware of the things that made him tight. He learned to control his breathing and control his emotions, which made all the difference in the world. He had a spring in his step. I saw a complete 180 degree turnaround,” said Mark.
Even if you don’t participate in baseball, you should listen to my Interview with Mark. Learn how Mark discovered his son’s tension and anxiety manifested during competition:
You can read more about “The Fearless Athlete” and “The Relaxed Athlete” programs by visiting “The Confident Athlete” series.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Mental Game Keys to Take Your Practice to Competition
- Your Mental Game and Performance Slumps
- Mental Game Tips to Overcome Mistakes
*Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on iTunes
*Subscribe to The Sports Psychology Podcast on Spotify
Download a free sports psychology report to improve your mental game!
Learn more about our one-on-one mental game coaching.
The Confident Athlete
“The Confident Athlete” consists of 2 audio programs that include 14 days of confidence fueling exercises and a simple to follow workbook that guides you through the 14 days, helps you apply the strategies, and customizes the exercises to your personal needs.
Let me help you put a stop to the confidence leak. You can learn to have greater levels of confidence in competition than you do in practice by identifying the specific ways you undermine your own confidence and how to convert your practice confidence into COMPETITIVE CONFIDENCE.
“The Confident Athlete” is a ground-breaking system to teach you how to think like a champion and have ultimate self-confidence every time you step on the playing field, court, track, or course. The confident athletes was developed for any athlete – junior to professional –that wants to gain confidence. However, coaches and sports parents can learn how to teach others to perform with ultimate confidence. Use my program if you want to bust a slump or just wanting higher or more consistent levels of self-confidence.