Many baseball players struggle with these mental game challenges. Cleveland pitcher, Justin Masterson is aware of the mental battle with himself. Masterson helped the Indians beat the Red Sox 11-0 last Wednesday night.

“You get a little excited, but once you get on the field, it is game time. Half the time, the battle for me is with myself,” Masterson said.

Half of the battle is fighting with your own mind. Many ball players sabotage their performance; they can’t get out of their own way. They set high expectations for their performance. If you expect to perform perfectly or not make any mistakes you are setting yourself up for failure. When you don’t achieve those expectations, you become frustrated with your performance.

You can also sabotage yourself by adopting negative self-labels. Negative self-labels are confidence-busting names you use to describe yourself. You might tell yourself you’re a streaky hitter, for example.

Even though you may engage in self-sabotage, you can improve your mindset. First, let go of any expectations you have for your performance. Instead, focus on what you need to do in the moment to execute, such as seeing the ball well. Next, change your negative self-labels into positive ones. Instead of calling yourself a streaky hitter, tell yourself you’re a consistent hitter.

If you feel like you’re losing the mental battle, stay patient–you can improve your mental game with practice. Take time to become aware of your mental shortcomings and work to improve your mindset. A strong mental game can only benefit your performance.

A pre-pitch or at-bat routine is designed to help you:

•  Focus on what’s important
• Prepare consistently for the pitch or at-bat
• Feel confident before execution
• Trust your swing or throwing action

Phillies pitcher, Roy Halladay, recently threw a perfect game to beat the Marlins 1-0. Before his perfect game, Halladay was coming off a poor start this season. He had given up seven runs to the Red Sox in 5 and 2/3 innings. How was Halladay was able to turn his poor start around to throw a perfect game? He attributes part of his success to having a pre-pitch routine.

“I think you pitch the same regardless, even whether you give up a hit or not. I think you try not to be concerned with the score, one way or the other. You’re just trying to make pitches. That’s your only job. So, whether you’re giving up hits or it’s 5-0, 0-0, you’re just trying to make pitches,” said Halladay.

A common mistake that ball players make is to think too much about the score. Batters are often over concerned with their performance at the plate; they pressure themseles to make up for an 0-4 performance in the last outing. Pitchers might be thinking about how many runs they have given up or the current score of the inning. By having a routine, you are less likely to think results and more likely to focus on the process and your exectuion, one pitch at a time. A routine occupies your mind with what’s important, such as what you need to do to execute successfully.

If you notice you’re starting to think about the score, take a moment to regroup. Step out of the batter’s box , clear your mind, and refocus on execution. Find a thought to help you regroup. You might tell yourself to “Stop,” and remind yourself that that’s not important. Then, tell yourself what to focus on for this pitch only. You can focus on your plan for the pitch or seeing a good pitch, for example. Remember to keep things simple. You should only focus on one thought at a time.

Your mental game of baseball tip for today is to use a routine and stick to it. If you find yourself wavering from your routine or are distracted, take a moment to regroup and restart your routine.

For more information on preshot and pregame routines, check out The Relaxed Athlete

The Los Angeles Angels fell 0-6 to the Toronto Blue Jays Monday night. Angels pitcher, Joe Saunders, didn’t perform his best allowing three runs, four hits and five walks over 6 1-3 innings.

“It’s not really frustrating. It’s a good positive for me, knowing that I’m starting to get back to what I know I can do. But team-wise, it’s frustrating that we can’t pull out more wins. We just need to stay positive, and we need to execute better. We need to play the way we’re capable of playing. We just haven’t been doing that consistently this year,” said Saunders.

Confident athletes stay positive after losses, benefiting their performance. Positive thinking will help you bounce back from losses quickly. Instead of losing confidence after a poor performance, notice what you did well. You might have reacted quickly to a fly out or had a good strategy when you were down in the count. Then, take a look at what you didn’t do as well. Use that information to work on your weaknesses in practice and improve as a player. Above all, look at your weaknesses as opportunities for improvement rather than a sign of inadequacy.

Confident athletes are also patient. Many players tend to expect results too quickly. When you become impatient with your performance, you can speed through your routine, lose confidence and focus on the wrong things. Patient players are focused on execution and trust that a good performance will eventually come. Their confidence isn’t thrashed around by results. Patient players are focused on gaining their confidence from more stable sources, such as their preparation and practice.

Your baseball psychology tip is to bounce back quickly from losses by staying positive and patient about your performance. Take an objective look at your game after your performances and work to improve your weaknesses. Stay patient with your results and eventually things will fall into place.

This is a common challenge among all baseball players, including pitchers. You may try to “fix” your pitching technique after a wild pitch. Some players become too mechanical and over think their pitching motion.

When you over think your pitching motion, your mind and body are at odds with one another. Your mind is sending verbal commands about “how to” pitch the ball. Your body, on the other hand, wants to perform the motion as you have practiced. You are sending mixed signals to your body, which causes you to tighten up and become tentative. Perfectionists are guilty of this expecting to perform perfectly.

Thursday night’s game with the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners can offer a mental lesson on trust. The Rays handed the Mariners an 8-0 loss for their sixth loss of the season. Mariners pitcher Ryan Rowland-Smith and Rays pitcher Jeff Niemann commented on the importance of trust.

Ryan Rowland-Smith discussed his struggles of giving up six runs over 4-1/3 innings.

“It’s nothing mechanical, it’s all psychological. At this point of the year, it seems like the last nine years I’ve played professional baseball, I’ve gotten to this point. Where there are things you worry about that aren’t under your control. … I’ve just got to keep working at it, make the adjustments and I’ll be OK,” said Ryan Rowland-Smith.

Making adjustments is key to performing with trust. You will not always have perfect technique or throw a perfect game. You’ll want to make adjustments and use what’s working. If your curve ball isn’t working for you, try throwing a different pitch. The idea is to perform efficiently instead of perfectly.

Jeff Niemann, Rays pitcher, relies on his quiet mind to trust in his game.

“If you start thinking too much you start digging yourself a really deep hole. You try and address it the best way you can, but at the same time you still have to go out there and throw. It’s a fine line,” said Jeff Niemann.

You’ll want to shut off your analytical mind. Thinking too much can lead to throwing too tight. You’ll want to keep it simple. Think one thought before your pitch. Your thoughts shouldn’t be focused on technique (save those thoughts for practice). You might focus on feeling relaxed or hitting your target.

The bottom line: use your practice time to work on your technique. In games, let your performance shine just like you’ve practiced. Quiet your analytical mind, keeping it simple and using what’s working for you.

When you make assumptions about what others might be thinking about your game, you engage in “mind reading.” You don’t really know what others are thinking about you. Mind reading is just a distraction to playing your best. And it can cause you to avoid making mistakes and play tentatively.

LA Dodgers rookie pitcher Clayton Kershaw’s game started to go downhill in the second inning against the Milwaukee Brewers. The LA Dodgers were unable to rebound losing the game 11-6.

“It was kind of a snowball effect. It stings, it hurts, I didn’t give our team any kind of chance. It’s just not a good feeling to let your teammates down, to let everybody down. But it’s one game,” Kershaw said.

As a pitcher, you can feel that your team depends on you. Even though your position is important, keep in mind that each player on the team plays an important role. Worrying about what will happen is you let down your team doesn’t help you perform.

“The way I always think of it is, you pitch good, you can soak it in that night. You pitch bad and it’s going to hurt tonight. That’s the great thing about baseball: You play every day. Tomorrow is a new day,” said Kershaw.

You’ll have good days and bad days on the mound, just like any other pitch who is human. The key is not to lose confidence after a poor outing. Find something positive from each game and move onto the next. You’ll want to assess your performance objectively without emotion. Don’t beat yourself up for poor pitching or a loss. A better option is to assess what needs to improve the next game and move forward with a healthy dose of confidence.

Want to learn how to keep your confidence at a high level? Check out The Confident Athlete CD program at Peaksports.com

Recently, the Detroit Tigers blew a 6-1 lead game against the Texas Rangers. The Tigers were able to regroup and clenched an 8-6 win in the ninth inning. Brandon Inge played an important role in the Tigers’ victory with his second homer of the season.

“Sometimes you hit a spurt where no matter where you hit it, it ends up being an out. But that ends eventually. You try not to get too frustrated with things. I felt it was a matter of time. I needed to relax,” said Inge.

What can happen when a team lets the lead slip away? Below you’ll find the top mental challenges teams face that can cause them to blow a lead:

1. Thinking too far ahead. Some teams have thought they’ve won the game before it’s over. They lose focus in the present moment, such as the current pitch, at-bat, or game plan. Help your athletes think about what’s important to focus on in the moment, such as reading the pitch or focusing on the target. Remind athletes to refocus when they’re distracted.

2. Letting up because of a comfort zone. Some teams expect to win or lose against a certain team or by a certain score. Therefore, when teams are playing better than expected, they protect their score, sit on the lead and play tentatively. You’ll want your team to stay aggressive.

3. Lack of intensity or boredom. Related to the comfort zones, teams will lose intensity and feel that they are just going through the motions. They may have reached a state of boredom, not feeling challenged. Therefore, you’ll want to encourage your team to challenge themselves. You’ll want to set challenging goals such as varying your pitches or improving your fielding assists.

4. Trying too hard to keep a lead. Some teams will protect their lead and thus play more defensively. You think that you don’t have to score anymore runs and you can play good defense to win the game. This can be dangerous when your opponents win back momentum and make a run.

Pirates’ relief pitcher Octavio Dotel knows a thing or two about staying composed in crunch-time. Dotel was sent in to keep a 3-3 tie with the L.A. Dodgers Wednesday night. The tie seemed to be slipping away when Dodgers’ Jamey Carroll hit a double. To make matters worse, Carroll ran to third on Dotel’s wild pitch. With a runner on third base and no outs, Dotel kept his composure.

He responded with three outs: a comebacker by Rafael Furcal, striking out Matt Kemp and a ground out to Manny Rameriez.

The Pittsburg Pirates went on to win the game 4-3. Pirates’ Ronny Cedeno sealed the win a single line-drive in the 10th inning.

“You can’t start thinking about it, like ‘Oh, my, they’ve got a guy on third, it’s the ninth inning. You’ve got to keep yourself relaxed as much as you can and go pitch by pitch, and that’s what I did,” said Octavio Dotel.

Many ball players can get rattled when things don’t go as planned. You might throw a wild pitch, walk a batter, or strike out. When things don’t go as planned, many players become frustrated, dwell on errors and then speed up their routine.

Playing angry or frustrated baseball can cause more errors, poor decisions and mental mistakes. You’ll want to maintain your focus on the task at hand. Focus on what you have to do to throw a good pitch or to make a successful hit. You can focus on seeing the ball well at-bat or focus on the catcher’s mitt if you’re a pitcher.

Another strategy: stay calm.

“If you watched that inning closely, he never panicked. He knows the game is on the line. He knows a runner is on third base. He knows he’s facing a great lineup. But you still make your pitches. That’s what a veteran guy does. He’s figured it out. He knows how to control himself. That was impressive,” said teammate Evan Meek of Dotel.

Your baseball psychology tip for today is to refocus the moment you find yourself losing composure or dwelling on the past. Remember that no one can make you feel frustrated but yourself.

The goal in baseball is to win, score runs, and get a hit every time at-bat. This is obvious. If you dwell too much on winning or getting a hit, you can lose focus on execution. In addition, if you worry too much about the outcome, you can’t focus on what you need to do to get a hit. Results come from focusing on the process of execution. Focusing on the process is a simple concept to talk about, but one of the most difficult things for athletes to do consistently.

A key lesson I teach to baseball players is how to maintain a present focus. I often need to repeat myself several times and say the same thing in different ways to get the point across. Good results such as getting a hit and winning games comes from focusing on the process or paying attention to one play at a time; one at-bat at a time. You should “see” a positive result in your mind as you settle into the batter’s box. But you don’t want to become so fixated on getting a hit–”I need to get a hit”–that you worry about not getting a hit, going 0 for 4, and tighten up.

Some sport psychologists would say that choking is caused by not paying attention to what’s important —execution. When you focus on execution, it helps keep your calm and free of result-induced pressure. What do I mean when I say focus on execution? Execution is not focusing on the mechanics of hitting. You want to have a plan for each at-bat and stay committed to that plan.

By immersing yourself in your preparation—set-up, balance, visualizing a good at-bat, and focusing only on the pitcher, you put yourself in a position to get a hit. You can’t alter the outcome after the bat makes contact with the ball or the ball is in the catcher’s glove. Plan your at-bat, rehearse it in your mind, prepare your body, and react to the pitcher. What happens next is out of your control. You control your mental focus and you want to use this to your advantage when thinking about your mental game of baseball.

Total concentration is the ability to immerse yourself in a task without becoming distracted or pulled off task. Great players talk about concentration as being “in a bubble,” or “in a cocoon” during which nothing can penetrate their focus. Concentration involves several elements.

These include (1) knowing what cues to focus on; (2) staying focused on those relevant cues; (3) keeping a narrow and external focus; (4) the ability to shift attention when needed; (5) the ability to refocus when distracted; and (6) controlling your thought process. In this article, I discuss specific methods for sticking to the process and improving your focus.

(1) Stay Present Focused. You must keep your mind in the present moment on what’s important to play your best. This is easier said than done. It is easy to think about the last strike out you had or think ahead about the results of striking out. Know the task-specific cues you should focus on and be aware when you are not on task. Stop and refocus your mind on the task or on what you should think about to execute well.

(2) Think One At-Bat at a Time. Think about only the one pitch at a time to help you stay focused on execution. Separate each pitch from the rest and don’t think about the consequences of getting a hit. You don’t want to be thinking about the last inning when you are at the plate in the middle of the game.

(3) Don’t Think Results. If you think about what you don’t want to do, you’ll tighten up and make a controlled swing. When you think about results, you’ll create tension and indecision. Focusing on execution will help you get good results. In an earlier article, I discussed how your at-bat routine should help you focus on specific cues to follow as you prepare for each at-bat. If you don’t have a routine, the mind is free to wander aimlessly as you prepare for each pitch.

(4) Cue Yourself to Concentrate. Sometimes it’s hard to refocus when the last at-bat was 30 minutes ago. Lock in your concentration once it is your turn to at the plate. To help you click in, try using a physical trigger to focus your mind, such as tightening the Velcro on your glove before start. You want to turn your attention to preparation and execution for the first pitch, and if anything else enters your mind, let it pass through your mind.

(5) Relax Your Focus While You Wait. Not too many players can focus continuously for two to three hours. When you are up to bat it’s important to be ready, but you don’t want to grind and overanalyze the entire game. After each inning, relax your focus and save your concentration for the next time at-bat. This will help you be “fresher” for the end of the game.

(6) Rehearse While You Wait. Rehearse your at-bat before you’re up to play if you have trouble focusing after a long delay. For example, while on deck, imagine that you are at the plate taking pitches. Time your swing with the pitcher and “see” yourself make solid contact. When it’s your turn, you will be prepared to click in the focus because your have already rehearsed your at-bat routine.

A relevant story that illustrates the choices that confront you is a question that came up when I was working a high school hitter. He said the following: “I’m standing in the batters box at 0 for 3 so far in the game, and I wonder if I can get a hit! I started to get frustrated that I’m not hitting well. What should I think when this happens?”

My first response to this player was that he has two choices. The reality is that his last at-bats did not lead to a hit. I said the first choice and the wrong way to think is that you’re not hitting well today, the gods are not on your side. Every at-bat is a failure. This choice only causes you to become frustrated with your hitting and you blame yourself for not getting a hit, and think that you will continue to do the same!

I suggested to this player that the better choice is to know that you are putting in quality at-bats, but the outcome is not what you want. You’ll get a hit. You’ve got to stay patient and wait for it to happen, but nothing is happening YET.

You, too, have to stay confident, patient, and believe that you will get a hit if you stick to one at-bat at a time! Let go of the past. You must make this simple choice. Do you want to give yourself a chance of getting a hit in the later innings? Of course you do. Then you’d better make the right choice to give yourself a chance to get a hit! Forget about your past at-bats and stay confident with each new at-bat.