Besides physical tools, what goes on between our ears is absolutely vital for not just performing well but performing well consistently.
For the mentally weak and those who just can’t get a grip on their emotions when things don’t go their way, this game will chew them up and spit them out. Seen it happen and can only imagine how many talented athletes, and non-athletes, never reached, and will never reach, their full potential because they couldn’t get past “fair” or being so prideful they couldn’t handle being beat by their competition that day or they couldn’t grasp the importance of “stoic” when their teammates made mistakes.
It’s an emotional game, we are human. Excitement and frustration are most definitely part of being a competitor but using that as a reason or excuse to “lose it” is not “competing.” Throwing pitches with anger is not competing. Swinging harder than normal because we don’t like the last call is not competing. Hanging onto whatever happened the last pitch and being so distraught that we make a mistake on the next pitch/ball in play is not competing.
In the real world “Mental In-stability” leads to many mistakes and in some cases those mistakes can be life changing. Not just for us personally but often those around us. In our game this is often referred to as being “soft” or “easy to beat.” You call it what you want but if this is you, you are indeed easy to beat. You may have some special talent but ultimately you are not a strong competitor…YET!
Personal growth is an ongoing process. Some can, and do, fix things like this earlier in life while others take time and unfortunately some never figure it out. Having the ability to remain calm in tense situations puts us in a place to think clearly. To be able to critically think, observe the situation and make better thought out decisions. Breathe, relax your shoulders, give yourself a second.
We work so hard on improving and perfecting our physical tools but let’s make sure we are giving our mind the attention it needs and deserves too.
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.
