How to Think Less at the Plate
The ability to swing your bat naturally and instinctively is critical to great hitting. The major purpose of batting practice is to trust your swing when it’s time to play the game. As you get more repetitions through practice, you develop a memory program for that movement. Soon with a lot of practice, your swing becomes instinctive, natural, and feels effortless to do (you reach a state of over-learning). An effortless reactive swing is... [Read More...]
Four Steps to an At-Bat Routine
Do you have an at-bat mental routine? Do you use a batting routine to help improve your mental game and confidence in the box? Watch this video to learn to top mental game strategies of an at-bat routine. Read More →
6 Common Mental Game Errors For Hitters
In my work, it’s important to help ball players be aware when they are making mental errors and also provide direction. You first have to know when there is a problem before you can address it. Great hitting requires you maintain a great attitude. Confidence, trust, and focus are the keys to great hitting, but many players stifle their chances of better hitting by making too many mental errors at the plate. In this article, I discuss six typical... [Read More...]
Mariano Rivera and The Power of Self-Discipline
Coping with failure is very much a part of baseball. Hitters’ certainly don’t get a hit or succeed every time. The top hitters succeed three out of 10 times on average. Pitchers have had their taste of failure too. Pitchers succeed only half the time, even at the professional level. With all this failure, how can baseball players learn to bounce back? Mariano Rivera, relief pitcher for the Yankees says, “the secret is not so much confidence... [Read More...]
How to Avoiding Choking in Baseball
All baseball and softball players feel the pressure of competition at some point in their career. The word “choke” for baseball players can stop them in their tracks. Players never want to admit to others that they choked. PGA Tour player Bob Tway said, “It’s how you handle it. Some people handle it better. Everyone is choking, if they don’t say they are choking they are lying.” What does it mean to choke? Choking is a response... [Read More...]
Do You Step Up in Big Games?
Most athletes train hard all year long to make it to the playoffs or a state level competition. It’s clear to me that “the cream always rises to the top” during big games–the top athletes raise the level of their performance when they need it the most. I’m sure you’re also aware that some athletes mentally crumble in big games–they allow the pressure to cause them to tighten up. They are overcome by a tsunami... [Read More...]
Don’t Be Wishy-Washy at the Plate
Doubt and indecision will ruin your confidence at the plate. I call this “wishy-washy hitting.” Players who engage in wishy-washy hitting have trouble making decisions and can’t decide on a specific plan for each at-bat. Players who step up to the plate without a plan or change their plan frequently are prone to indecision and don’t perform as well as they should. If you are a wishy-washy batter you change your mind as you step into the batter’s... [Read More...]
