Inside the Major League Mindset
Great feedback on my Pete Rose comments yesterday -- most supporting my view, a few opposing.
I'll return to the debate soon, but now there's something more exciting to discuss.
I'm in Minnesooda visiting my parents and am thrilled to see my Twins off to a 3-0 start.
Reading the Minneapolis Tribune this morning, the mental game jumped right out at me.
Ramon Ortiz was the Twins winning pitcher yesterday. Last year it took Ortiz 8 starts to get his first win.
Here are a few excerpts from the article:
"Ortiz credited pitching coach Rich Anderson for teaching him how to relax in pressure situations....
"During a mound visit [in a troubled spot in the 6th], Anderson said he told Ortiz: 'Don't try as hard. Just back off and pitch and change speeds.'
"His damange control was awesome," Anderson said.
The Twins made a few great plays on defense and Ortiz was clearly helped mentally by them:
"You make a few plays behind them and these pitchers get confident," manager Ron Gardenhire said.
So what's going on here? What is going on with the mental game of major league pitchers? Of division champion pitchers?
The same thing that goes on in high school pitchers. The get nervous. Their confidence goes up and down with what happens in the game. They need to get better at "damage control."
They ride the Results Rollercoaster: good results leads to confidence; bad results leads to lost confidence.
I think this is important for players at all levels to realize. Much of the battle of winning the mental game is simply realizing that the feelings you are having are normal and are experienced by top players at all levels.
Everyone has to deal with their emotions.
Once you realize that, you're less likely to freak when your heart starts pumping and your grip gets a little tight.
Be on the lookout for quotes like this in the paper. I find players find it helpful to find out that big leaguers wrestle with the same things. It's not like they have it together.
Awareness of the issue and understanding it happens to everyone gets you a long ways.
Mental skills training gets you the rest.
Tom
Tom Hanson, Ph.D.
P.S. This is why I teach the same things to 12 year olds as I do Major League players. Join a rapidly growing list of high achievers who are kicking butt in the Baseball Confidence Gym http://www.BaseballConfidence.com/Join.html
I'll return to the debate soon, but now there's something more exciting to discuss.
I'm in Minnesooda visiting my parents and am thrilled to see my Twins off to a 3-0 start.
Reading the Minneapolis Tribune this morning, the mental game jumped right out at me.
Ramon Ortiz was the Twins winning pitcher yesterday. Last year it took Ortiz 8 starts to get his first win.
Here are a few excerpts from the article:
"Ortiz credited pitching coach Rich Anderson for teaching him how to relax in pressure situations....
"During a mound visit [in a troubled spot in the 6th], Anderson said he told Ortiz: 'Don't try as hard. Just back off and pitch and change speeds.'
"His damange control was awesome," Anderson said.
The Twins made a few great plays on defense and Ortiz was clearly helped mentally by them:
"You make a few plays behind them and these pitchers get confident," manager Ron Gardenhire said.
So what's going on here? What is going on with the mental game of major league pitchers? Of division champion pitchers?
The same thing that goes on in high school pitchers. The get nervous. Their confidence goes up and down with what happens in the game. They need to get better at "damage control."
They ride the Results Rollercoaster: good results leads to confidence; bad results leads to lost confidence.
I think this is important for players at all levels to realize. Much of the battle of winning the mental game is simply realizing that the feelings you are having are normal and are experienced by top players at all levels.
Everyone has to deal with their emotions.
Once you realize that, you're less likely to freak when your heart starts pumping and your grip gets a little tight.
Be on the lookout for quotes like this in the paper. I find players find it helpful to find out that big leaguers wrestle with the same things. It's not like they have it together.
Awareness of the issue and understanding it happens to everyone gets you a long ways.
Mental skills training gets you the rest.
Tom
Tom Hanson, Ph.D.
P.S. This is why I teach the same things to 12 year olds as I do Major League players. Join a rapidly growing list of high achievers who are kicking butt in the Baseball Confidence Gym http://www.BaseballConfidence.com/Join.html
posted by Tom Hanson at
1:31 PM
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