Recently I was warming up with one of my students who happens to be a little hyper, to put it lightly. He’s the kid that comes in already warmed up because he cant stop moving all day. Maybe a mustard stain on the shirt and possibly even forgot to bring his glove to practice. You know the type of kid I am talking about. Getting him to focus on the task at hand is usually a big accomplishment. However, kids like this can find a way to focus. It took me awhile to figure out what that was until our last lesson.
We started talking about how to feel the ball come off his fingers. “What does it feel like when it comes out of your hand?” I asked him. “Does your body feel balanced and in control throughout your delivery?” Instead of watching his eyes glaze over like usual after I give him a mechanical cue, he checked in with his body and what he was feeling. He let the mechanical issues go and felt what it was like when he threw a pitch down in the zone. If he air mailed one, he knew what his body felt like and corrected it. As much as it was astonishing to watch from my end, I wondered what sort of nirvana it must have been for him since he had never entered that part of his brain before. It was easily our best lesson to date and I think he learned a valuable tool during that time.
Big leaguers often talk about “feel.” I heard so many times that, “he’s got a good feel for that pitch.” Or, “That pitch is a feel pitch” when referring to an off-speed pitch of some kind. It is true that the ball has to feel good in your hand to have confidence in throwing it. What is also true by that rationale is, full body and mind awareness must be achieved before you have confidence in ANY pitch. Meaning, if your mind is all over the place and your body isn’t feeling good, you wont be successful no matter your mechanics or who you are facing. How you feel a certain day cannot be a predictor of success. How you channel your energy based on what you are feeling will give you the best chance of success on any given day. Check in with yourself before your next lesson or game and settle in to that “feel” for the day and make the most of it.
Founder of Baseball Dudes. Blessed with three beautiful children and an amazing wife. Baseball is my life, after my family, and I love sharing what I have learned from it. Thanks for taking the time to view what we offer here at Baseball Dudes.
