MENTAL SKILLS TRAINING
For Baseball Players
This is a question I have posed to baseball players from college field houses to major league lockerooms. The common answer to that question is “No.” So, I ask them, what are they doing to do about it?
Most baseball players are hesitant to look inside the mind as a way to improve performance. It’s really easy to work harder in the weight room. It feels good. The benefits are tangible. It’s really easy to work on mechanics or to look at video. Those activities are needed but they also put more emphasis on the body than the mind….. Baseball players need to realize, when it comes to performance, there is a mind/body connection.
What are you going to do about it?
Make no mistake; thoughts become things. If a pitcher thinks, “don’t walk this guy” or a hitter thinks, don’t swing at the slider” and allows that thought to occupy his mind, the thought will lead to that reality. As a result, your focus will be not on the execution of the next pitch or seeing the next pitch but on the emotion from the distracting thought. This takes focus away from the task at hand.