Baseball The Mental Game
"The more I lived, the more I realized that
batting is a mental problem rather than a physical stunt. The ability to grasp the bat, swing at the proper time,
take a proper stance, all these things are elemental. Batting, rather, is a study in psychology, a sizing up of a
pitcher and catcher and observing little details that are of immense importance." Ty Cobb, Hall of Fame .367 career batting average over 24 years.
Here are some top tips to
succeeding in the mental game of baseball:
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Set
Goals for yourself and Here are some top tips to succeeding in the mental
game of baseball: write them down. What do you want your batting average
or ERA to be at the end of the season? Mid-season? Take a good look at what will be required
of you to achieve that. What will your training regimen be? Are you willing to put in the
mental and physical work.
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Fire up that
Competitive drive. Remind yourself of WHY you want to succeed at
this game.
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Do everything with
INTENTION and COMMITMENT. Half-way effort gets half the results.
This applies to the mental game of baseball as well as the physical. So few players not yet in the
majors work on their mental game. It's where you have the most to gain with the least
effort
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Never look past the ball. See the ball, hit the ball, catch the
ball. The game is not complicated. Direct that overpowering computer you have inside your skull to
do some analyzing on how much you can learn from everything you do so that you can improve. Worry,
doubt, fear are a tremendous waste of your mental energy.
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Practice Concentration ON and
OFF the field. The more you concentrate at your job or your school or when you are
with other people, the better you will do at the ballpark when you need it. Don't expect to just
flip a switch 5 minutes before game time.
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Develop your Confidence. By
amplifying your successes and forgetting your mistakes. Ask your coach and/or support system to
give you positive feedback on what you do well.
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Practice body awareness, relaxation,
and conscious breathing techniques to be able to take your body down when tense and move it up
when you need a boost.
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Inject
Discipline into all areas of your life and then it will spill over to your game.
That will pay off on the field by "training" your mind to stay on task and stick with fundamentals
when the pressure is on. That discipline will also keep you working on your game in practice when
you really don't "feel like it."
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Practice
like you play. Create some pressure in practice and drills so that your nervous system
gets used to playing in that state. You will much more easily be able to bring your practice game
to the real game. Coaches have many ideas on how to do this in
practice.
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Change your
language and self-talk and off the field. Eliminate these words with regard to
talking to yourself: Try, Hope, Can't, Hard, Struggle, Battle,
etc.
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Take
responsibility for your game. Your performance has nothing to do with the field or your
relationship with the other players or the coach.
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Use
self-hypnosis to program into your unconscious mind all of these ideas so you
don't have to think about them and they just happen. (or do it with me in my
office)
How You Successfully Think and Visualize is How You Actually Play The
Game
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