We're now halfway through the season and I've been so excited by the incredible progress that all my lesson students have made so far - keep up the great work!
One thing I have heard from a few parents this year (and I hear it every year), is that their son is having some trouble translating the success he has in the cage to the game, and that "pressure" is at fault.
When in a lesson or at camp, my players don't feel any pressure: they feel totally relaxed and are having fun. As a result, they perform better.
But when they get to a game that "matters" they start getting nervous and these nerves are caused mostly by fear.
Fear of swinging and missing.
Fear of striking out.
Fear of swinging at a bad pitch.
Fear of giving up a hit.
Fear of letting the team down.
Fear of letting Mom and Dad down.
No athlete can perform to the maximum of their ability when, in the middle of the game, they have negative thoughts running through their head.
Staying in a positive mental state of mind in a game takes practice, just like learning new mechanics takes practice.
Baseball players have to play without fear. It's not easy to do, because I know that horrible feeling in your gut, when you try and aren't successful - trust me, I struck out A LOT! But when we take an aggressive swing or throw a fastball in the strike zone, we can't be afraid.
We MUST be thinking positively. We MUST "own" our decisions and have confidence as a result of the hard work we put in at practice and in lessons.
Playing nervous, or worried, or fearful simply does not work and one of our main jobs as parents and coaches should be to foster a game environment that makes the team relaxed and playing in a positive state of mind.
Players will have more fun when they feel less pressure / have less fear, and will absolutely perform better when they're comfortable and having fun!
P.S. I think there was a little confusion about my "hit the first pitch blog" that I want to clear up. At the Minor level, there is obviously a much lower chance that the first pitch will be a strike and of course, swinging at a ball that bounces 2 feet in front of home plate or that sails 5 feet over the batters head - even if it is the first pitch - will not end up being a good result for the hitter. At the Minor Level, we need to be PREPARED to hit the first pitch, but obviously only if we think it's a ball we have a chance to hit hard. The same ultimately applies at the Int and Major level. As players move up in Little League, the first pitch strike percentage will go up, and we need to be ready to jump all over that first pitch fastball, but only if it's a ball we think we can hit hard. ALL hitters struggle when they are either unprepared to hit OR are way too selective in waiting for the "perfect pitch." Hope that answers some questions from the Minor players and parents who have been asking me about it.