The Importance of Being Proactive with Mental Game
Would you consider yourself a mentally tough baseball player?
Do you consider yourself a player that can overcome every obstacle or every challenge that comes your way?
Mental toughness helps you rise to meet the small challenges in each game.
For example, each pitch in a baseball game is a challenge itself with every pitch having a combination of factors that makes each situation unique.
These factors include:
- Opposing team
- Opposing pitcher
- Pitch count
- Score
- Inning
- Count on the batter
- Runners on base
- Weather
- Umpires
- Field conditions
- Spectators
- Streaks
- Slumps
Mental toughness gives you the edge to play through a wide range of circumstances and pressure situations such as, overcoming errors, throwing strikes without your best stuff, making late inning rallies, closing out games, winning playoff games, etc.
Mental toughness also increases your ability to overcome other obstacles that happen during the season such as, injuries, reduced playing time, conflict with coaches, bad practices, technique improvement, etc.
You may want to develop mental toughness but you should know that mental toughness does not happen by mistake. Mental toughness is a skill that requires mental skills training.
Mental toughness is both an attitude (how you view adversity) and action (how you respond to adversity).
Think of mental toughness as a mental muscle that grows when you exercise it. Each time you successfully overcome adversity, you build mental toughness. When you overcome an obstacle, you develop more mental toughness that will help you when you face more difficult challenges in the future.
You can apply mental toughness strategies to many areas outside of baseball such as, school, work, relationships, sickness, goals or a significant life challenge tantamount to the coronavirus.
The coronavirus is a challenge like no other. You have been forced to face unparalleled obstacles: social distancing, self-quarantining, isolation, cancellation of sports, distance learning, and personal inconveniences.
The coronavirus, with all its significant challenges, also presents an opportunity to build your mental toughness.
Mental toughness changes the way you view adversity and the purposefulaction you take to overcome those challenges.
Major League baseball players are in the same situation as all other athletes dealing with the coronavirus. John Baker, the former Cubs catcher and current mental skills coach for the Cubs, highlighted the importance of mental toughness for all baseball players.
BAKER: “I believe baseball players, in particular, are very resilient and very tough. Nobody in any other sport deals with as much failure as baseball players. As a result, you can learn a lot watching how people play the game, obviously. But to come back from this as well, I expect players to bounce back resiliently.”
The takeaway is that the mental toughness is a transferable skill. As you develop mental toughness for baseball, you can apply those same principles and skills to overcome obstacles you face in life.
Developing Proactive Mental Toughness
Be proactive with your approach to your game! Don’t wait for the roof to collapse.
Many athletes wait until they are in a slump, injured or lose all confidence before they even consider to develop mental toughness.
Commit to spending 10 minutes a day to developing mental toughness. Set a few goals, rehearse your performance, anticipate challenges you might have to cope with and be ready when you return to sport.
Be proactive. It is easier to build a skill when the pressure is off.
Get The Mental Edge For Baseball and Softball Players!
Do you (or your athletes) lack full confidence in your skills when you step on the field as if your game disappears at game time?
Do you lose composure easily after you make your first error of time game?
Do you feel embarrassed after striking out and carry this with you for longer than one inning?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, check out The Mental Edge For Baseball And Softball Players!
Boost your (or your athletes mental) toughness! Learn 8 mental toughness lessons to help ball players improve confidence, focus and composure.
Download your copy TODAY and start boosting your mental toughness!
What are baseball mental game customers saying?
“Dr. Cohn, I’ve been tearing it up lately!!! Every single thing you taught me works perfectly in every situation I’ve been in. I’ve been so into every game and focusing on the process and not the outcomes and everything falls right into place . In the playoffs I’m 5-7 with 2 run home runs and 5 RBIs. I feel great at the plate and focusing is a breeze now. I just wanted to thank you for everything and keep you posted with how everything was going.”
~Jalen Phillips, College Baseball Player
“With your help, I have been able to deal with stress and pressure of the game of baseball more efficiently. I have learned to help me keep my focus and disregard negative thoughts and energies. This process focus will keep me from getting my head in the way of my performance, from working against myself. Thanks for your help. I look forward to speaking with you again.”
~Keith Donnell, college baseball player
“Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with our team. It was greatly appreciated and really helped a lot. I found myself implementing your teachings in our first practice right after you left. I really enjoyed the way you implemented already known ideas, but gave us a different way of viewing it. Thank you.”
~Amber Prosser, Clark College Softball
Boost Your Self-Confidence And Focus With Expert Mental Game Coaching!
Master mental game coach Dr. Patrick Cohn can help you overcome your mental game issues with personal coaching.
You can work with Dr. Patrick Cohn himself in Orlando, Florida or via Skype, FaceTime, or telephone. Call us toll free at 888-742-7225 or contact us for more information about the different coaching programs we offer!
What are our mental coaching students saying?
“As a college softball coach I experience great pleasure in helping youth league coaches develop their young players. As reversal of that process, I, as the student, look to experts like yourself to give me the “mechanics” of sports psychology so that I may better impart my knowledge to the players and coaches. Your contribution spreads like wildfire and helps hundreds of youngsters as well as us “oldies.” Thanks for your contribution–it means a lot.”
~Tom Moore, College Softball Coach
“A quick note to let you know how effective your programs worked for my son who is 17 and plays varsity baseball in VA. In late 2009, I ordered the Relaxed Athlete program for my son because I saw he was pressing too hard at the plate and had disappointing results for the 2009 season. Thanks to your programs, my son now has a completely new approach to the game of baseball (and school) and it’s more fun for him now. He made all-district player at his position and hit .443 this season. A complete 180 degree turn around from last year.”
~Mark M., sports parent
“Dr. Cohn has put together a program that has enabled myself and our players to approach the mental game in a systematic way that is easy to use and apply. Our awareness level has greatly increased.”
~Marty Hunter, Head Baseball Coach George Fox University
Disclaimer
*Testimonials found on this site are examples of what we have done for other clients, and what some of our clients have said about us. However, we cannot guarantee the results in any case. Your results may vary and every situation is different. No compensation was provided for these testimonials.
Leave a Reply