Do your players get so frustrated that they can focus on the game? Learn how to help young players manage their expectations in sports.

Dr. Cohn an exciting new Workbook and CD program for parents, coaches, and their young athletes--available at the end of the week. However, you can preview our new program, The Composed Sports Kid, by watching the video below. Learn how to help your kids cope better with frustration today!

In this short video,

• Learn the #1 reason kids get frustrated!
• Discover why kids shut down after mistakes!
• Find out the fastest way to help kids cope with mistakes!
• Learn why one simple strategy can help your kids have more fun in sports!

Watch video 1 and video 2 in this series>>

1. How Young Athletes Become Frustrated – A Model for Parents and Coaches

2. Helping Young Athletes Improve Composure in Sports

NEW! MARCH 5, 2010

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.

This is an important lesson I teach–to get a hit or to get an out, you must pay attention to task-relevant cues. This simple concept is easy to forget when you care too much about winning or what winning means. “Don’t strike out,” “Don’t walk this hitter,” “Don’t miss this pop up ball” are examples of what you might say to yourself with a result-focus. A result-focus–worry about the consequences of your actions–does not help you perform; it only creates tension and leads to worry. This is when you have to refocus your mind on the current pitch.

How do you stay focused on the process? Focusing on the process means knowing what performance cues are in baseball and keeping your mind focused on those task-relevant cues. You need to define what is relevant to performing the task. In baseball, the batter has specific cues for each task he must attend to. Some of the task-relevant cues are: studying the pitcher, knowing the count, setting up in the batter’s box, visualizing success, feeling confident, and focusing on the ball as the pitcher releases it.

If your mind wanders off task, that means you are not “on-task” and you are too focused on results or some other distraction. It’s OK if your mind wanders momentarily, but you want to be able to catch yourself and refocus on the current pitch as soon as possible. In this example, I would ask the baseball player to stop his at-bat routine, clear his mind, and restart his routine from the beginning.

To improve your mental game for baseball or softball, define the cues that are relevant to baseball execution and success–one pitch at a time. Also, know when you get off-task, and be able to stop and refocus on the task when you wander to results or are distracted!

To keep practice interesting and exciting, practice goals are important. Set goals to challenge yourself during batting practice. For example, you can challenge yourself to hit 7 out of 10 solid shots. Imagine yourself in a game situation and try to hit the ball in play 7 of 10 tries. Play an entire 9 innings in batting practice. The more “games” you can play to make practice interesting, the better your focus. Reward yourself for meeting your practice goals.

Creating competition in practice is another great way to keep the fun and excitement in practice. Be creative with your practice, challenge yourself or play a game with a friend. Have a batting contest with a friend or teammate. One game I like is “call your shot.” Two players are needed to play this game. Each person takes 10 pitches. One person starts by calling his shot such as hard line drive down the center. The other player calls the next pitch and you alternate until you finish the 10 shots.

Next time you get bored and lose focus, try the “two-minute drill.” The goal of this drill is to sharply focus attention on practice for just two minutes. I know you can focus for two minutes! See how keenly you can focus for those two minutes. When the two minutes are over you can relax and space out if you want. The goal is to practice with focus and intensity for short periods. Short bursts of intense focus with periods of rest or inactivity is better than practicing with 50% focus for the entire practice. What you will find is that you can stretch it out to four or five minutes instead of just two minutes at a time.

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 essential for superior performance for all skill levels. Most players don’t allow their swing to be reflexive. They focus too much on technique or controlling the path of the bat instead of reacting to the ball.

It gets even worse for many players in big games. Their tendency is to tighten up and not trust the swing in pressure situations. When you focus too much on how to make a good swing, you guide the bat and consciously try to force a hit. Over control causes poor timing and throws off your natural rhythm. The purpose of practice is to build motor memory–that you can rely on in games. When you play, let your instincts take over.

Some baseball players can trust their hitting better than others. When you trust in your swing, you forget about the mechanics of the swing. Let your creative mind take over during competition. Once at the plate, you should react to the pitch. If you think too much about how to make a good swing, the ball will pass you before you had a chance to even make a cut at the ball. Less thinking is better. React to the ball and let your body do what it knows how to do. I call this reacting to what you see and skipping the mental gymnastics.

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.

“Hope & Pray” Hitting
The moment the pitcher releases the ball, you just pray you can make contact with the ball. If you’re a hope hitter, you stand at the plate and strike out in your mind even before the ball crosses the plate for the first pitch. Even worse than that, you hope that you won’t have to hit again in the same inning! If you hope and pray to get a hit, you have trouble trusting your swing because you are so unsure of the outcome.

“Do or Die” Hitting
A do or die hitter focuses too much about not getting a hit and make it a dire need. If this is how you think, you worry too much about results. You always know what your batting percentage is during a game: 0-1, 1-1, 02, etc. You say to yourself “I need to get a hit.” As you focus on trying to avoid getting thrown out or popping out, this causes you to forget about execution and lose sight of what it takes to actually get a hit.

“Wishy-Washy” Hitting
If you engage in wishy-washy hitting, you have trouble making decisions at the plate. You change your mind often about your plan when at the plate. You may decide on a strategy, but then at the last minute change your mind as you settle into the batter’s box. You have two plans in your mind, which causes doubt. Indecision and doubt kill a smooth swing, which are a hitter’s worst enemy.

“Panicked” Hitting
If you engage in panicked hitting, you are too scared to start your swing. You panic because hitting is the weakest part of your game and you know it. You need to get a hit in order to play well. Visions of poor hitting days and strikeouts have you bewildered. Even if you gather yourself enough to take a cut at it, your muscles are too tense to make a smooth swing.

“Pessimistic” Hitting
If you are a pessimistic hitter, you are streaky and rely on momentum. If you get a hit in your first at bat, you’re OK and you can play well that day. You might “run the table” if you get hot early. But if you strike out or pop out early, your game is shot. You become pessimistic and say to yourself: “I’m going to play poorly today.” You generalize based on the first at bat that you just can’t play well today and become more pessimistic.

“Synthetic” Hitting
If you are a synthetic hitter, you think too much about mechanics while you play. Your left brain, the analytical side of your mind, has you under its spell. Your hitting does not feel natural or smooth because you think too much about HOW TO swing the bat. You try to make adjustments during your swing but this only makes matters. You are so consumed with making perfect swings that you loose feel and forget about making contact with the ball.

Coping with failure

Mariano Rivera, relief pitcher for the Yankees says, “the secret is not so much confidence as focus.”

Focus and the ability to concentrate in the now is important to develop a strong mental game. To be able to perform, you have to be able to focus on performance cues. You can’t throw a good pitch or get a hit without focusing your mind on execution. The good news is that every ball player has the ability to focus. But sometimes your focus can get displaced.

Ball players can lose focus by letting negative emotions, such as frustration or anger, get the best of them. Mistakes can cause you to feel frustrated, such as missing a fly ball or walking a batter. When players become frustrated or angry, they spend too much energy and attention on mistakes. You’re essentially focused on the past, which hinders your ability to focus on the current pitch or play.

Mariano Rivera is a good example of keeping his emotions in check and staying focused one pitch at a time.

“Nothing derails him, Chad Gaudin says. “No emotions get in the way. Ever. He is able to take all that energy of the moment and channel it into everything he has to do. Why doesn’t everybody do that? Not everybody has the power or self-discipline.”

Even though there will be times when you’re frustrated with your performance, the key is to catch yourself before your performance spins out of control. You’ll want to think of the times where you are most likely to become frustrated. Do you become frustrated when you’re down in the count? Or maybe you get frustrated when you’re not performing up to your expectations. The first step is to be aware of mistakes that can trigger frustration so you can develop a plan to bounce back from them quicker.

Failure is a part of sports, especially in baseball. The key is to not demand perfection and to be more accepting of your mistakes. You certainly don’t want to dwell on your mistakes or beat yourself up. Save your analysis of errors for after the game. Use mistakes as a way to improve your game. Think of your mistakes as learning opportunity to better your game in the future.