How to Perform Your Best Under Pressure
Some baseball players thrive in crunch time, such as when the bases are loaded. They want to be up to pitch or bat in this situation.
These players demonstrate their confidence and trust to perform their best in critical moments.
Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester is one of those players who thrives in crunch time. Lester pitched his way out of a bases loaded scenario to help the Sox beat the Angels 5-1.
“It’s nice to be able to fight out off that and get the ‘W. When you’re able to get out of those jams, it just builds confidence. So when you get into games that really matter, you can draw back and say, ‘I’ve been here before,” said Lester.
Some players tend to freeze under pressure when the team depends on them. You might over think your performance and analyze too much, which leads to tight and tentative play.
How can you perform your best under pressure?
Pressure is really self-induced and comes from within yourself, not the situation itself. It’s best not to put pressure on yourself to get a hit or pitch a strike.
Try to avoid thinking about the consequences of the game or your actions.
Don’t think about “what-if” scenarios, which doesn’t help you perform in the moment. Instead, think about your strategy or the little things that help you perform in the moment.
A batter may think about standing tall. A pitcher may think about his target.
You also want to draw on your confidence in those moments.
Remind yourself of the times when you performed your best, just like Lester suggests.
Replay those good performances in your mind to help you feel confident as you go up to bat or pitch to the next batter.
You can also rely on having an effective at-bat or pre-pitch routine. Use your routine to help you get into a confident and focused mindset, and stay in the moment.
By focusing on what you need to do, you shut out distractions, and can focus on one pitch at a time.
But keep it simple: plan it, see it, and do it!
You can also check out The Focused Athlete to help you shut out distractions or The Relaxed Athlete to help you develop a pregame routine.
The Focused Athlete
- Are you frequently distracted?
- Do you lose focus in competition?
- Do you want to learn more about how to focus better under pressure?
Check out The Focused Athlete!
The Focused Athlete is a complete system to teach you how to focus like a champion and harness the power of a zone focus every time you step on the playing field.
Learn more about The Focused Athlete here.
The Relaxed Athlete
- Do you get so tight or tense before competition that you can’t think straight or have freedom of movement?
- Do you become too tight to perform your best because you worry about embarrassing yourself or making mistakes in the game?
- Do you have a physical warm up routine you follow, but do not pay attention to your mental preparation before competition?
Check out The Relaxed Athlete!
The Relaxed Athlete is ideal for any athlete that wants to overcome pregame anxiety, worry, or excess tension and learn to perform with poise.
Learn more about The Relaxed Athlete here.
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