The Two Occupants of Your Brain
Everyone who plays sports deals with unwanted and uninvited conversations in their brain from time to time. If you’re looking for how to control your thoughts, this article explains the situation in a light manner.
My name is Nate. This is where I share my thoughts and ideas on baseball hitting mechanics and the mental game of baseball. You can also find me at www.bmibaseball.com
Everyone who plays sports deals with unwanted and uninvited conversations in their brain from time to time. If you’re looking for how to control your thoughts, this article explains the situation in a light manner.
I just got word that the links to the Crawford video I sent out yesterday have changed. Stinking ESPN… If you find a link to the Carl Crawford video by ESPN Access I would be appreciative if you would send the link my way.
Sorry.
When I mention the name, Carl Crawford, what comes to mind? I got this video forwarded to me today and thought I’d add some more thoughts on Crawford’s training. Great video, I always like seeing the behind the scene stuff.
If you’re not using some sort of digital video recording device to analyze your hitting mechanics, it’s time to jump in the game. A couple years ago I picked up a Flip brand video camera from Amazon in order to capture hitters on video in an effective way. I chose a small digital video camera from Flip for a couple reasons:
Click Here for the remainder of the article.
Either you are a hard worker or you’re not. Whichever it is, your habits will become addictive.
If you know someone who is looking to boost their awareness of baseball psychology, send them to this article. The link to it is in the title.
I’m not a Yankees fan. There, I said it. I know that half of you are now finished reading this article, and I’m ok with that. I guess I should explain my opening sentence a bit more thoroughly. While I’m not a Yankess fan, I AM a fan of good, solid baseball. I consider good solid baseball players those who have a firm grasp on both the physical as well as the mental game of baseball. One of the first players I think of who has both components under control is Derek Jeter.
To learn what Jeter does that makes him such a consistent performer, you’ll want to read the rest of the article below
The great Ted Williams once said, “A good hitter can hit a pitch that is over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a questionable ball in a tough spot.” In his book, The Science of Hitting, he makes it clear that being a selective hitter made him the .344 lifetime hitter he was. When reading his book, this stood out to me as one of the more valuable and under taught principles in hitting instruction.
You can read the rest of the article HERE
How to Select Your Hitting Zone:
I was reading Ted Williams book, The Science of Hitting, and ran into an explanation that is worth a share. He talks about how 50% of your success as a hitter is based on what goes on from the neck up.
One of the best mental baseball concepts I’ve learned is to create a hitting zone that is unique to you. Williams says, “A good hitter can hit a pitch that is over the plate three times better than a great hitter with a questionable ball in a tough spot”.
It only takes a week to lose some skill work you’ve done on your swing mechanics. How is 2010 going to be different as far as your training is concerned? Do you really want to play at the collegiate level or above?
A game I played with myself when I didn’t feel like putting in the time was to tell myself that someone somewhere who wants my future spot in the lineup is working on their skills. I just couldn’t accept myself not working knowing that.
Let’s tear it up this year.
If you have dreams of playing baseball past the high school level, this video is for you. Work hard while you have the chance, you never know when it will be over.
One of the best ways to increase your bat speed as a hitter is to get your bat into and through the hitting zone in the most efficient way possible.
In the above video I explain what many hitters who have poor technique do - create bat drag. This simply slows your bat speed and makes it quite difficult to cover the inside and outside corners.
I will also demonstrate how to create bat lag which is the proper way to bring your hands through into the contact zone.
Using video in your training will make all the difference in the world towards understanding your hitting mechanics. This video will explain more.
Cy Young award winner two years in a row for Tim Lincecum. The dude has worked quite hard on developing his small body into a human canon. Below is an article in Sports Illustrated that discusses that work habit.
While this doesn’t apply to hitting, the point I want you to grab is that preparation is the best thing you can do to increase your value as an athlete.
Oh ya, ignore the part about the Mariners passing him up and picking up Morrow instead. I still have a bad taste in my mouth about that.
After I finish a hitting mechanics session with an athlete I will give him some homework. Building muscle memory is vital to skill development. Consistent dry drills (simulated movements without a bat or ball) are valuable for building muscle memory between session. It also creates a sense of work habit.
Here are some lower half dry drills to work on if you are working on torque.
Do you have problems with your mind wandering when you are hitting? Do you frequently deal with doubt because of past poor at bats?
I think you’ll gain some valuable insight into what Big League hitters do to combat this by watching this video.
The mental game of baseball is so valuable, don’t overlook its impact on your game.
Here is an article that deals with the concept of focal points and low quality thoughts.
