What Can You Control?
In the baseball world, there is a common phrase: control what you can control. But what does that really mean? You may think there are multiple things you can control but it all comes back to one simple yet complex thing, your mind.
I Have 10 Different Pitches
The first thing I’d say to a young pitcher telling me he has 10 different pitches is this; No you don’t. Now 10 pitches is an exaggeration, but the same response would apply to a pitcher who said he has more than 3 pitches.
Thrive In The Classroom
Yes I know, it’s school. And in this day and age with so much technology and video games, it’s difficult at times to get student athletes to understand exactly how important having good grades are. For some student athletes, it’s too little too late unfortunately. For others, they are on top of their grades and handle their business from day one. The latter are more difficult to find. But I think if student athletes were involved in a conversation about the importance of school and what that means to potential college coaches, they may try a little bit harder.
Sitting The Bench
“Oh man, why is my son not starting.” “Why am I being benched right now?” Those questions are far too common for parents and players alike.
Develop An “Out” Pitch
A successful pitcher has to have a pitch that they can go to in order to get a hitter out. What this means is you need to develop either a change-up or some type of breaking ball that you can not only throw for a strike consistently, but can be used when you need to get a hitter out.
Focus On The Process, Not The Results
One of the most difficult things to do is to keep your focus on the process, not the results. We are a result-orientated society. That is to say if we don’t get the results we want right away, we believe we have failed. After all, no one wants to put work into something only to not achieve the desired results
Work On, Build On
Here’s the idea behind the Work On/Build On mindset. First, be honest with yourself. Critique your performance. What did you do really well? Was anything just awful? What could you have done better?
Just Not Feeling It
There will come a time when you get on the mound and just don’t have your stuff that day. Well guess what? The game of baseball, or anyone else for that matter, doesn’t care one bit. You don’t have a feel for your breaking pitch, your change-up keeps sailing, and/or you don’t have your good 2-seam or 4-seam fastball that you normally rely on. So what do you do then? Ask the other team to take it easy on you and give you a break because you don’t have your best stuff that day?
The Fear Of Failure
The question is, how do we make our pitches better? The answer actually lies within a series of questions coming from you directly. Whenever you are playing catch with either a pitcher or catcher, ask them about your pitches. The answer they give you, whether you like it or not, is great feedback.