As we turn the attention towards the field, there are a couple of focuses that can be applied to pitching.

Lack of control– While easier said than done, pitchers need to realize their lack of control on the situation once they deliver the pitch. The pitch could be called a ball or a strike. It could be fouled off or put into play, be a hit or an out. Whatever the case, after the ball leaves their hand, pitchers really have no control over the result.

Unpredictability– The pitch may look like a strike, but the umpire calls it a ball. Or the pitch may look like a ball, but is called a strike. If the pitch is put into play, it could take a bad hop and be a hit. The ball could be hit high in the air and impacted by the direction of the wind, causing an error. The pitcher may throw a ball right down the middle of the plate and the hitter will swing and miss. Or not swing at all. Other times, that same pitch may be hit high over the outfield wall. There is a great deal of unpredictability and lack of control in the battle between the pitcher and batter, but there are ways to combat this.

Focus on what you can control.

By focusing on the task at hand and the aspects you can control, you can alleviate some of the anxiety that accompanies lack of control and unpredictably. If it’s out of your control, by nature, there’s not much you can do. Let it be!

Another controllable is your response to what happens. If things go wrong, how you focus your response to what happened will determine what happens next– your next pitch, next batter, your next inning. If the umpire misses a call, rather than focusing on the negative, you can reset and focus your response “I’ll make this next pitch even better.”

Plan for the unpredictable.

Umpires are going to miss calls, fielders are going to make errors. It may be too cold to feel your hand or too rainy to grip the ball. These are all things out of your control and everything will not always go according to plan. How you respond to these adverse moments that arise can set you up for success in the next moment.

Be prepared for the unpredictable and focus on what you can control to take back power and predictability in moments of stressful triggers. By narrowing this focus and energy, you can put yourself in a better mindset for success.