We have established the value of routine. Routine – Set Behavior – Habit – Plan. Call it what you will, effective preparation is grounded in such behavior. Diet, sleeping habits and workout schedules are part of a hitter’s preparation. Important as they are, these off-field preparations, and the related philosophy, are too inclusive for these pages.

Before getting to those specifics, I must again note that baseball has been called a game of adjustments. The vehicle for this adjustment is your brain. The emotional system won’t allow you to learn from your mistakes. This has been discussed earlier. Its importance of the reminder is based on learning. The ability to make an adjustment implies the ability to learn from mistakes. When applying that learning, you are not preparing for the next pitch, or the next at-bat or the next game.