Could Aristotle Have Been a Great Athlete?

This genius believed that the mind’s only function was to be a cooling mechanism for the circulatory system.  Bet you know someone like that.  Well, according to humorist Will Rogers, everyone is ignorant, just on different subjects, and Mr. Aristotle was at least deficient in one area.  However, had he been right, at least that would have eliminated the problem of TOO MUCH THINKING, which is usually an athlete’s Achilles heel.  I am constantly amazed and dismayed at those in any sport who teach  mechanics excessively and little or nothing on the mental aspect.  The number one theory seems to be If there is a problem, it’s got to be mechanics, right?

If  that were  true, then each and every athlete that I work with, even by telephone, would not be making immediate improvement.  I know mechanics, but by telephone I do not have the luxury of analyzing and advising in this area.   I am not minimizing the necessity of teaching sound mechanics, which requires thinking, but once the skill(s) are learned, right brain play, which eliminates thinking, is absolutely essential.  Proper breathing and focusing solves the problems of  worry, doubts and fears and allows for peak performance.

If You Can Do One, You Can Do the Other

This season, I worked with a Double Aoutfielder who was hitting just over .200.  He was depressed and wondered if he would ever be able to hit for average, but his defense had always been good.  He bought into HEAD GAMES and the same day he had three hits, including a two run home run.  He called me a few days later after that breakout performance and was elated to tell me that during a two week stretch that he hit over .350.

I have numerous success stories from players who became convinced that it was only logical that the same ability used to  perform one skill could be utilized for another.  This player uses the book and the c.d., but the HEAD GAME that he felt helped him more than anything else was abdominal breathing.  This technique is extremely powerful in effecting maximum performance. Proper breathing and centering on the skill at hand can deliver remarkable results in the field or at the plate.

Better Bat Contact

THE EYES CAN DELIVER!!  This season, a Double A player called for help.  After one telephone consulting session with him,  he increased his batting average from .180 to about .250 in a short time, but had reached a plateau.  According to him, he was missing too many pitches that he felt he should be hitting.  My analysis was that his eyes were not always under control while swinging.   The next game this player went 2-4, with a double, a triple, an r.b.i. and a run scored against a pitcher with a 1.59 e.r.a.  The team had only five total hits.

What did I tell him?  The eyes must be relaxed and focused only on the ball.  If the eyes are not in control, then the body does not know exactly where the bat is supposed to be swung.   The body can do a great job with proper guidance from the eyes.  HEAD GAMES techniques are simple to use and the success stories are astounding.  Choose to maximize your performance!