Stop the Mind Games and Play Ball!
Some baseball players worry too much about what others think about their game. For example, do you worry too much about what your coach thinks about your batting technique or about performing well to gain respect from teammates. Many baseball players don’t want to let teammates, parents or coaches down.
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
