Baseball Player Magazine

Day after day, week after week, year after year, coaches and players spend countless hours practicing softball fundamentals and game strategies. While there is no denying the importance of these types of practices, it is becoming more evident that what is learned during practice transfers to the game with more success when players also develop their “mind muscles”. 

Developing a mental game plan is as critical as your stance in the box or the follow through on a curveball. You’ve heard the expression “Be careful what you wish for.” As an athlete, how you think and what you think can impact every aspect of your game. 

Sports psychologists work with college and professional teams to help players improve their attitude and performance on the field. There are many techniques that will help develop and strengthen mental stamina. Athletes, by nature, are kinesthetic- meaning they excel in situations that use their physical talents. Being mindful about the mental part of the game doesn’t always come as easily for players. Yet, it is equally as important in player development. 

Let’s examine some ways a pitcher can harness the power of the mind and make it part of the toolbox for game winning strategies. 

1.  Focus / Concentration

We’ve all been in challenging situations where it’s hard not to lose it! Having a little routine, or even a trigger word or phrase after getting the ball back from the catcher, and before the next pitch can put a pitcher back in the zone. A strong mental game is what can hold a pitcher together in situations where a job needs to get done, and the game is on the line- which often seems to be the case! Pitchers need to learn how to dig deep and find that inner drive to keep focused on the task at hand.

2.  Confidence

Confidence in ability to achieve your goal. Visual?

ization (mental imagery) is one key way to develop self-confidence and to get that game-like feeling before the actual game. For example, during bullpen sessions, it’s important to not just go through pitches and sequences, but to imagine game-like situations. Once you step on the practice mound, visualize yourself in pressure situations. If you were to close your eyes and envision yourself ready to throw a pitch with runners on second and third and two outs in the bottom of the 7th, with your team is up by one run, how would you feel? Heart beating fast, sweat beading on your face, mind racing? What would it be? Each pitcher is different; that’s why it’s important to visualize different situations to get a feel for how you would react. Every athlete should have their own visualization routine. The night before each game, many pitchers visualize the next day’s game- striking out batters, painting the outside corner and busting someone inside on their hands with a curve ball. Visualization is a way to imagine positive outcomes and promote positive and focused mindsets during games. 

3.  Control

Self-awareness of emotions and understanding the triggers that cause the identified feelings help an athlete develop emotional control. The ability to maintain control despite distractions and adversity is key to a successful performance. It’s good for a pitcher to have cues to stay in control. A cue can be as simple as a deep breath to get back in the right frame of mind.

The two most common emotions that can get in the way of success are anxiety and anger. Anger towards a situation, such as a bad call, puts the focus of attention on the reason for the anger. This lessens the ability to concentrate, which can diminish self-confidence, which can fuel more anger. You get the picture, and it’s not a good one! Letting your emotions get too high or too low can interfere with a pitcher’s mental game because it can cause loss of focus and have an effect on team players. As a player who controls the game, it’s important for pitchers to set a tone. Relaxation techniques, emotional mindfulness and getting hold of emotions before they get hold of the pitcher are skills that need to be talked about and practiced regularly.

As Yogi Berra said, “Ninety percent of the game is mental. The other half is physical.”

Athletes need to see the value in being educated about the importance of having a strong mental game, and its affect on player performance. Otherwise, they will not have a seriousness of purpose. Skills and strategies that improve mental strength need to be infused into regular game practices, using repetition and role-playing simulations, with the goal being seamless application in real game situations.