One Of The Toughest Things To Teach Hitters - How To Stay Focused!
The following was posted on WebBall by Coach Richard Todd
Train both physically AND mentally
What a lot of young hitters don't understand is that in order to have consistent success up at the plate, you have to train both physically AND mentally. What does this mean? The physical/mechanical part of good hitting is obvious to every player. There is absolutely no substitute for good mechanics in the batter's box. Your grip, stance, stride, swing and weight shift need to be fundamentally sound for you to have success. We could even say that in practice, this physical part of the game is probably THE most important factor in learning to hit to your potential. In practice, hard work and sound fundamentals are necessary requirements to turn your baseball dreams into a reality.
"Your success up at the plate dramatically switches from the physical to the mental."
However, once you step into the batter's box for that big game, tryout
or showcase, your success up at the plate dramatically switches from the
physical to the mental. At this point, sound fundamentals should now be
part of your muscle memory along with the proper arm, leg and core
strength and conditioning needed for successful execution. Now whether
you soar with the eagles or gobble with the turkeys is almost entirely
determined by what is going on between your ears. It's the mental side
of your hitting that becomes MOST important in pressured situations.
Specifically, what you focus on before and during your at-bats is the
most critical mental requirements for success in hitting.
Concentration
The reason that so many ball players hit better in practice than they do in games can be traced back to this key mental skill. Concentration is a central skill in mental toughness: It affects your ability to stay calm under pressure, your confidence level, how you handle last minute negative thinking and doubts, and how quickly you bounce back from bad at-bats.
Hitters who consistently do better in BP than games, tend to concentrate on the right things in practice, the feel of what they're doing, the release point and ball, and just reacting. When they hit well, their mind is quiet, with very little thinking going on. However, when they get into a game, they inadvertently switch their focus to thinking about mechanics and pressuring themselves about outcome, i.e....
- “I've got to get a hit.”
- “I've got to advance the runner.”
- “What if I strike out again?”
- “What will coach say/do if I don't get a hit?”
So how do you learn to develop the concentration of a Major Leaguer? You have to systematically work on developing and strengthening your “concentration muscles” so they'll be there for you when you need them, in the on-deck circle and up at the plate. Here's how...
Developing Awareness
Like in every aspect of this game, you can't correct anything you're doing wrong until you can first become aware that you're doing it. If you hit better in BP than in games, you need to learn to become aware of what you are doing different mentally in each of those situations. To discover this, try the following exercise:
Concentration & good performance: Think back to the last time you hit really well, whether it was in BP, a game or scrimmage. What exactly were you focusing on right before you picked up the bat? When you stepped into the batter's box? Before the pitcher's release? After one pitch, and before the next one? Jot down your answers on a piece of paper. Do this same exercise for one or more additional times when you felt like you were hitting like your “old self,” the way you're perfectly capable of. This concentration represents the “right things” to focus on.
Concentration & bad performance: Next, try to remember times when you struggled up at the plate, when you were in a slump and/or had no confidence. What were you focusing on in these situations? In the on-deck circle? As you walked up to the plate? Before the pitcher's release? In between pitches? This focus represents the “wrong things” to concentrate on.
Compare & contrast: Now carefully look at the mental difference between your best and worst hitting performances. If you're like most hitters, you should see some clear differences when you're at your best and worst. You'll probably notice that when you hit well, your concentration is outside of you on what you are doing, seeing and reacting, and when you struggle, your focus is inside of you on what you are thinking.
How to Concentrate
Whether you hit well or poorly, you're always doing a good job of concentrating. The key question here is, “what are you focusing on?” Championship concentration involves focusing on what's important and letting go of everything else. Two things are important concentration-wise for hitters: Staying in the NOW, that is focusing on just one pitch at a time and not getting mentally hung up in the past or the future; Keeping your focus on what YOU ARE DOING, and not on what others may be thinking or saying about you. This is much easier said then done.
Concentration is a two part mental skill...
- Become aware that your focus has drifted from what's important.
- Quickly return your focus to what's important.
"It's the break in concentration that you don't catch..."
Losing your focus won't hurt you as a hitter. What will hurt your
hitting is when you lose your focus and you don't immediately return it
to what's important. It's the break in concentration that you don't
catch that causes hitters to struggle up at the plate. Work the
following at-home exercise every day for 4 minutes:Place a ball 4-5 feet away from you. Pick a spot on the ball where you will gently rest your eyes for the entire exercise. Breathing normally, as you inhale, concentrate on the feeling of the air coming in, and as you exhale, let a word go through your head like “ball,” “now,” “loose,” etc. This “concentration cue” will help remind you of the proper focus up at the plate. Every time your mind drifts from your spot on the ball, breathing and concentration cue, quickly return your focus. Do this exercise in two, two minute segments. First, practice in your room with no distractions, remembering to bring your focus back each and every time you drift. Second, place the ball at the base of a TV. Turn the TV on and sit back where you would normally watch it. Every time you get distracted by the TV, bring your focus back to the ball, your breathing and your cue.
Staying in The Now
Let go of bad at-bats in the on-deck circle and up at the plate. If you hang onto your mistakes and bad at-bats while you're trying to hit, you'll continue to struggle. Your job mentally is to let go of the past and focus on this pitch, one pitch at a time, in the now. Use these during-game techniques to help you do that.
FIST SQUEEZE
Close your eyes, make a fist and focus on the feeling of the tension in your hand. After holding that tension for 10 seconds, in your mind tell yourself, “let go,” and as you hear those words, very slowly let the tension drain out of your hand as your fingers relax and gradually open. Notice the difference in feeling in your hand as you do this. Repeat this process several more times so that you get familiar with this “letting go” feeling. In practice, when you have a poor at-bat or make an error, practice this letting go strategy. Whenever you're in the on-deck circle, or even up at the plate and you find yourself thinking about a past bad at-bat, step out of the box, make that fist again and “put” your bad at-bat or negative thoughts into your fist. “Hold it” there for 10 seconds and then tell yourself, “let go,” and as you do, allow the tension to drain away from your fist and along with it, the past.
ERASE
Your job mentally when you hit is to keep your focus in the now and let your mistakes and bad at-bats go. One way to do this is by grounding this mental task in a physical act. Try the following: When you are either in the on-deck circle or up at the plate, make a mark with your foot in the dirt. Allow your focus to rest gently on that mark. It represents the past, your last bad at-bat or your last game when you hit poorly. As you “erase” that mark with your foot physically, as you rub it out, you can think, “That was last game or last at-bat. That's in the past and I'm erasing it. This is a brand new at-bat and I am focused in the now on just this pitch.”
USING YOUR PRE-HIT FOCUS TO CALM DOWN
One of the reasons hitters struggle in games is because they allow themselves to get too nervous before their at-bats. This performance disrupting nervousness is often fueled by the athlete's over-thinking before and during each at-bat. In fact, when you allow your focus to go INSIDE, on your thoughts, your level of nervousness will always accelerate up!
Handle Over-Thinking
One effective way to get a handle on this over-thinking driven nervousness in games is to deliberately switch your focus from internal thinking, to focusing your attention on your external surroundings. For example, if I am in the on-deck circle and I'm starting to get nervous because of the direction my thoughts are going in, I'll carefully look at the trees surrounding the field, I'll look at the backstop in detail, or the score board or any number of things that I can see in the external environment. The trick when you practice this is to be sure that as you look, your mind is silent. You want all of your attention caught up in carefully examining what is around you. And during my at-bat, I may call time and look down at my cleats, or what I can see beyond the outfield fence, etc.
Remember, the mental side of your hitting is just as important as the physical/mechanical. Don't leave this all important dimension to chance. Start today to systematically develop the concentration of a champion.
