Winners are made in practice.  Everyone says, “You have to practice like you play,” but very few know what that really means, and even fewer do it.  Practicing like you play is quality practice, and it takes mental toughness to practice with that knid of intensity and desire.  Watching Greg Maddox and Roger Clemens practice their pitching between starts, you can see their intensity and concentration.  When they throw a bad pitch, they do not have the attitude, “It’s okay; it’s only practice.” Instead, Maddox and Clemens both respond like they do in a game; they get upset.  When they do not execute a pitch the way they want to in a game, they adjust, refocus, and get it right.  This is also exactly how they behave when they practice.

In practice, you should push yourself to do it right, again and again.  You pust pressure on yourself to be consistent, because that is what it takes to be great.  You cannot hit one or two balls hard out of 10 swings and call yourself successful.  Great players are able to repeat their mechanics and approach consistently, day in and day out.  You do not make the Hall of Fame in any sport by having one great year.  You are a Hall of Famer by performing at a high level for many years.  Consistency starts with good practice habits.

The follow through should be a personal preference.  While many hitters feel like they have a better swing with a two handed finish; other feel the one handed finish works best for them.  Some hitters use both methods depending on where the pitch is.  For example, many hitter finish with two hands on the inside pitch while releasing their top hand on the ball away, this allows them to stay through the ball better.

All good hitters stay through the ball and keep their head down past contact.  Some hitters, though not all, have problems keeping their head down past contact.  It seems that their back shoulder forces their head off of the ball too soon when they finish their swing with two hands.

There are many hitters that do not work on their follow through and therefore are not consistent with the final aspect of their swing.  In order to be consistent, work to perfect your finish.  Many times solely working on the follow through will still not completely eliminate the problem because problems with a hitter’s follow through occur early in the sequence of the swing.

Sports giants are people willing to pay the price for excellence.  Brooks Robinson took 200 ground balls a day from the time he was 12 year old until the end of his career.

Nolan Ryan is legendary for his dedication to his conditioning and his personal work habits.  In addition to having strong work habits, it is important to note the fact that dedication and effort is channeled toward specific performance goals.  On a day to day basis, the great athletes work on the things that are necessary to achieve their outcome goals.

Some may regard the hard work involved in developing the principles outlined in this book as a huge sacrifice, but a highly committed player doesn’t look at it as a sacrifice, but rather as a choice that involves sacrifice.  As a player, you need to decide what price you are willing to pay to become the best that you are capable of becoming- on and off the field.

What is a pressure situation?  In baseball a pressure situation can be any possible turning point in a game, or perhaps any time a player feels an urgency or a necessity to perform in the “right now” as if the game was on the line.  Pressure situations rarely announce themselves.  Pressure situations can be the bottom of the 9th in the final game of the World Series, or a clutch at bat in the first inning of a Little League game.

Nobody wants to choke in a pressure situation, but the greatest athletes and the greatest competitors have all choked at some point in the lives and/or careers.  When athletes choke, people say they have no guts, no courage, and they view the”chokers” as not mentally tough.  But, athletes who choke deserve a pat on the back because of their great desire.  Desire creates pressure.  No desire = no pressure; it is that simple.

Choking-up is trying too hard; it has nothing to do with guys.  Athletes who are said to be choking compete as hard as they can… to the point of self-destruction; they go “over the edge” to the point of their emotional control and self-discipline.  Great desire and competitiveness are attributes that every elite athlete must have, but strong emotions can easily take control, which is when choking occurs.

Performance Goals

Performance goals have to do with specific behaviors you need to master in order to achieve your outcome goals.  Examples of performance goals are hitting the outside pitch to the opposite field, consistently staying focused and alert on every pitch.  Performance goals are the stepping stones to achieving outcome goals.  They are the nuts and bolts of what you need to do in order to achieve the outcome you want.

Have you ever watched hitters on TV or at the ball park and wonder why one stands forward in the box and another stands deep in the box? Why one is close and the other far from the plate? There are various places to stand in the box. One of the most important concepts to realize when choosing where you are going to stand in the box, is that you must have good plate coverage. You need to be able to cover the outside corner of the plate, however you do not want to stand too close to the plate. So where is the ideal place for a hitter to stand? Part of the answer to this question has to do with the length of the bat you use and also the length of your arms.

To determine how far to stand from the plate:

• Place the end of the bat on the outside corner of the plate.
• Lay the bat down, placing the knob of the bat on the ground.
• Put your front foot where the knob of the bat starts.
• Put your back foot slightly wider than shoulder width apart.
• Lastly pick up the bat and see if you can touch the outside corner.

When a player is “hot,” it is imperative that he not pressure himself to maintain that pace.  If so, he starts trying too hard, thereby switching the mind to the left hemisphere, where trouble is certain.  Solution?  Leave your mind on automatic, and keep positive HEAD GAMES within your control.

Only a positive mind can keep one on the road to success.  Relative to sports, or anything else, the mind must be focused on the present, in order to maximize goals.  When focused on the task at hand, goals are secondary.  Goals, in order to not be detrimental to success, must be kept on the edge of the attention, and not allowed to interfere with the present.  When relaxed and  properly focused, the mind of the athlete shifts to the creative side.  This focus on the present, the action of the moment, is the solution to thinking too much.  Positive testimonials continue to pour in from across the globe with HEAD GAMESsuccess stories.

Question:

We have a hitter on our American Legion Team who claims that keeping his back elbow up at the point that he completes his stride; i.e. getting into a “Position of Power”, or “launch” position, or “loaded” position, allows him to attack the ball with a downward approach. His back elbow, at the end of his stride, is parallel to the ground. As i understand biomechanics, this position has to elongate the swing. It also seems to me that his hands and arms have to be really quick for pitchers that have some pop on their fastball, as well as good offspeed pitches, to compensate for the longer path that the hands have to take to the ball. In coaching hitters, I have difficulty convincing them that starting with the back elbow at a 45 degree (or so) angle in their stance and keeping it there after their stride gives them more time to decide if they want to commit to the pitch; in part, because they see so many major leaguers starting with the back elbow up and parallel to the ground.

Is it true that most major leaguers who start that way and are successful, i.e. , high batting averages, bring the elbow down to about a 45 degree angle when they get into their “position of power”? If having the elbow slanted toward the ground in the “Position of Power” is so important, why not start there. The player whose approach I like to get our hitters to emulate is Mike Piazza. His swing is extremely short and smooth. (Being from the New York City area, I get to see more of him than others). The other example I like to use is Tony Guinn. What surprises me is that this kid is being coached/instructed by someone who, the player says, is an advocate of your program. I find that difficult to believe. Any comments or suggestions?

Answer:

Coaches and kids see the set up of Major League hitters but most coaches do not understand what happens when the ML hitter gets into the position of power. The back elbow will relax before they swing. Some people cannot be convinced, I don’t argue with them, but I will have them do some drills that relaxes the back elbow. Doing one hand top hand drills will force the back elbow into the proper position. I would just keep reminding your hitter to stay short to the ball and see if over time he gets in a more relaxed position. Good luck.

I receive numerous calls, e-mails and other contacts inquiring if Head Games is effective in other sports.  The answer is a resounding yes!!  And, not only in sports, but life generally.  Many players, coaches and parents are involved in other sports and need the benefit of sound, proven mental techniques to enhance their particular game(s).  This past season, I worked with a National Hockey League player who had never heard of the benefit of playing out of the right hemisphere of the mind and had never used abdominal breathing.  Although a first round draft pick, he has never realized his potential.

He was so excited that he is now anxious for next season and highly recommended the book to a friend, who is a PGA player.  The golfer immediately ordered a book.  Regardless of the sport, POSITIVE THINKING, the right degree of RELAXATION and FOCUSING on the task at hand is paramount to making an athlete all that he or she can be.  The same is true in all areas of a person’s life.  Head Games will serve you well.