Learn Hown to Embrace Mental Toughness

A few years ago, I worked with an out of state nine year old racquet ball and basketball player referred by Skip Bertman.   Although this young athlete has been ranked as high as number one in the U.S.A. in racquet ball for his age category,  the fun was no longer there as the pressure had mounted.  He is  now not only excited about his athletic future but life generally.

His parents were also enthused as they  embraced the HEAD GAMES philosophy.  The dad is an attorney and the mom has multiple responsibilities inside and outside the home; they immediately made plans to use what they  learned to make life simpler, more enjoyable, less stressful and more productive. The techniques when developed over thirty years ago were intended  to be holistic and not limited to  sports.  We live in a busy, stressful and complicated era.

The good news is that accolades from across the world attest to the fact that  HEAD GAMES is an effective panacea in not only coping with the demands and complexities of modern society but can also lead to happiness and success.  HEAD GAMES principles include but are not limited to teachings involving POSITIVE THINKING, RELAXATION AND FOCUSING.   Why not add your name to the growing and glowing list of testimonials?  Make a comment on this post and let us know!

Getting Your Head in the Game

This post was written for baseball and softball players, however you will find that it can be used for many life situations.  Becoming a student of the game.  Many young kids think they are a student of the game but they haven’t even walked in the club-house. I say this as I am just finishing up another Instructional League. Here we have the cream of the crop, the best young talent in the nation. Most of these kids don’t have a clue as to what their swing consists of, let alone the mental toughness to make the necessary changes. I don’t speak for all, I do however speak for most. One thing I want to instill in you is the fact that there is so much to this game, don’t hurt your chances to improve yourself by thinking you know it all. I deal with plenty of know it alls day in and day out. Guess what, most of them don’t make it. Why? Since they know it all, they don’t need anyone to teach them.

Unfortunately in their mind, there is nothing more for them to learn. Always be ready to learn. I spoke to Rudy Jaramillo, Hitting Coach for the Texas Rangers, and he told me that Rafael Palmeiro just learned two years ago what it took to be a consistent Major League hitter. This was not in the minor leagues, nor was it his rookie year, this was after 10 years in the big leagues!

I recently received an e-mail from a customer. He has been solicited by a recruiting service to help his son get a scholarship. The recruiter told this dad that college coaches don’t care much about a kid’s swing, they can teach a kid to hit – all they are looking for is a good arm and glove. I was taken back by this advice. That is just another example of mediocrity and miscon-ceptions that circulate in this game. First of all everyone in professional baseball knows that the guys that hit – play – the gloves come in for late innings if necessary. Secondly you better not wait till college to learn how to hit because it will be too late. Don’t fall for it. Don’t let anyone, or anything take you away from becoming the best you can be. Not everyone will make it to the big leagues. However, having a solid work ethic, having the ability to make adjustments, not being afraid to fail, and becoming a student of the game are all qualities to take you as far as your abilities will take you, but more importantly, they will allow you to make it in the real big leagues – life.

Hitting Philosophy: Aggressive Under Control

This is the philosophy I teach and naturally I strongly believe it is the correct one.  If you would like to see this exemplified as a team philosophy, just look at the Oakland A’s, the Yankees, and the Boston Red Sox.  From an individual aspect, hitters who use this philosophy are many of the top hitters you see in the Major Leagues who have high base on ball numbers as well as a high on base percentage.

Individual examples: Several players who exemplify this philosophy in action are: Jason Giambi, Barry Bonds, Jim Thome, Bernie Williams, Manny Ramirez, and Eric Chavez; the list goes on and on.  Recognize the fact that these hitters are also among the top ten in base on balls.  Look at this list of hitters and ask yourself if you think they go up to the plate looking for a walk… of course not.  The walk is a by-product of having a good strike zone and not giving in to the pitcher by swinging at his pitch.  Unfortunately, most littler league and high school coaches think walks show a lack of aggressiveness.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It is not that any of these individuals (or teams, for that matter) are not aggressive; these are some of the most aggressive hitters in the league but also the most disciplined.

Hitters that consistently swing and make outs early in the count are actually fearful hitters.  They fear striking out.  They’ll hit the first thing close that they see.  Contrast this to the confident hitters who do not fear getting deep in the count and making the pitcher work.  This philosophy gives you the best of both worlds, that is, if you’re disciplined enough and mentally tough enough to use it.

Watch Your Emotions!

Emotions can have either a positive or a negative affect on your performance.  Let’s break down 3 components of emotion and how they not only affect you either in a positive or a negative manner but also how they interact with each other.

• Desire
• Fear
• Anger

Desire is present in every athlete.  It is motivating and relentless, it never gives up.  Desire positively affects athletes through motivation; it is the reason an athlete does not give up, despite any odds against him/her.  However, that same desire becomes a negative when it results in trying to do too much, or giving too much effort.

Fear can have a positive affect by improving your concentration, but it can also have a negative affect if you become too cautious, over-aggressive, or just “freeze-up”.

Anger can overpower all other emotions.  You can be very afraid of something, but if your anger is strong enough, you will forget your fear.  Anger can also motivate you and improve your focus.