Nate Barnett

The Two Occupants of Your Brain

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:53:12 -0800

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.

The Two Occupants of Your Brain

Crawford Video Problem

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:20:27 -0800

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.

Do You Train Like Carl Crawford?

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:05:38 -0800

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.

Carl Crawford Video - 1

Carl Crawford Video - 2

Article in response to videos

Why You Need to Use Video for your Hitting Mechanics

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:49:00 -0800

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.

Your Work Habit Will Become Addictive

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:18:45 -0800

Your Work Habit Will Become Addictive:

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.

Jeter's Baseball Psychology

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 21:57:12 -0800

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

Jeter’s Baseball Psychology Approach

Is Hitting Mechanics Your Only Ticket To Success? What You Might Be Missing...

Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:45:28 -0800

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...

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 18:09:41 -0800

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...

Sun, 03 Jan 2010 07:23:10 -0800

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...

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:40:57 -0800

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...

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:24:53 -0800

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...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:09:32 -0800

Using video in your training will make all the difference in the world towards understanding your hitting mechanics. This video will explain more.

Tim Lincecum - Preparation

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:05:32 -0800

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.

Tim Lincecum Article

After I finish a hitting mechanics session with an athlete I...

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:56:44 -0800

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...

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:42:40 -0800

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.

Be Like Joe - Work on Extension

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 05:57:49 -0800

Check out this clip during the 2009 ALCS of Joe Mauer. Rarely do you see extension like this through the zone on a consistent basis as he does. Amazing!

Mauer Video Clip

"Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It’s no pink tea, and mollycoddles had..."

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:44:34 -0800

“Baseball is a red-blooded sport for red-blooded men. It’s no pink tea, and mollycoddles had better stay out. It’s a struggle for supremacy, a survival of the fittest.”

- Ty Cobb

Shaking off bad at bats as a hitter is tough to do. Many times...

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:34:31 -0800

Shaking off bad at bats as a hitter is tough to do. Many times I watch guys drag around a bad performance up at the plate for an entire game. Being able to drop these poor at bats mentally and move on is one of the ingredients of great athletes. Just look at Ryan Howard’s performance in the World Series this year. Nearly a dozen strikeouts, then he pulls out a home run late in the game when his team needed a boost.

This video may just be what you need to change the way you view your performances.

For a couple more tips on the mental game of baseball and dealing with failure, here are a couple articles I’ve written on the subject:

1. Failure is Part of the Deal

2. Failing Like a Champion

When working on your extension with your hands, it’s ok to...

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:45:57 -0800

When working on your extension with your hands, it’s ok to take your lower half away from the focus. I use this hitting mechanics drill when I work with athletes who suffer from the following symptoms:

1. Getting jammed on inside pitches
2. Pulling off outside pitches
3. Not hitting balls with backspin in the gap

Kaizen - "Constant Daily Learning"

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:36:00 -0800

Yesterday I was grabbing a Starbucks at a Barnes & Noble in Seattle and picked up the book Mind Gym by Gary Mack. If you’re looking for an easy to understand and highly applicable book on the mental game of baseball, you got to read this one.

Here is the link on Amazon.

He writes about how he spent time working with Japanese players on the mental side of baseball. The term Kaizen in Japanese means constant daily learning and improvement. It is widely used in business circles as well as sports. It’s the authors observation that Japanese players overall tend to be more focused on the process of improving weaknesses compared to American players who focus on the outcome.

How can you apply this?

Offensively: Setting goals and placing your worth on having good quality at bats each game is much more effective than basing your success on on how many hits you got. Get good at controlling what you can control, and let the chips fall as they may.