Willie M

FASTPITCHTIPS

Think about how great players act in any sport. They constantly look calm, cool, and collected no matter what the situation. They aren’t rushed in their movements. They stand tall, they focus on the pitcher without darting their eyes all over the place. They exude confidence. Sometimes others may even say they look a little cocky.

Fast Pitch’s Finest

MENTAL PREPARATION FOR HITTING
By Shiela Douty

Hitting a softball is one of the most difficult things to do in the sports world. It is always different; there is always something different thrown at you each day. It is this type of adversity that makes softball such a fun and challenging game. Adversity is something that you should welcome and challenge others to "bring it on".

Most successful players have a certain innate ability that was God-given, but this is not what makes them successful. Instead it is their drive, their passion, and their ability to fully focus on what they need to do on a daily basis that allows them to take their game to the highest level. The ability to have great concentration and be in control of yourself at all times throughout the game is not something that you just decide to do one day. Instead, it is something that you have to develop over time. You learn through repetition just as you learned your ABC’s when you were young.

So many players work very hard at all the physical aspects of the game: fielding, pitching, hitting, physical agilities and conditioning, yet they leave the mental game to chance. The purpose of this article is to give you some simple things to start working on to give yourself a better chance of being a better player. Things like deep breaths, mental imagery, self talk, setting a mission and a plan, and pre-performance routines will be discussed. It is by no means all encompassing as far as mental training goes.

Confidence is the name of the game - especially in hitting. If you don’t believe you are going to hit a particular pitcher or pitch ... chances are you aren’t. Confidence is a feeling or a belief that the task you are attempting can be successfully performed. A confident player is constantly giving herself positive feed back and reinforcement. Even in practice, you can talk to yourself saying "nothing can get by me," "I am going to drill this ball." When thinking about softball you see yourself playing well and making great plays, and hitting the ball great.

Think about how great players act in any sport. They constantly look calm, cool, and collected no matter what the situation. They aren’t rushed in their movements. They stand tall, they focus on the pitcher without darting their eyes all over the place. They exude confidence. Sometimes others may even say they look a little cocky. But, how do you gain this confidence?

First of all you have to gain complete control of yourself and the situation. That means having a mission. You need to decide what type of a player you want to be, and what you hope to accomplish in the game. Once you have a mission, you can have direction, meaning, and discipline in your training, while at the same time minimizing stress.

To gain self control you must first have a plan. For hitting, first of all it is important to know yourself. Know what your strengths are and know your weaknesses. You should know what your best pitch is to hit ... and I don’t mean "a strike!" Are you best at driving the pitch low and away? Maybe you hit the ball up-and-in most consistently. Whatever particular pitch it may be, know what it is. Then look for that pitch to hit when you are stepping into the box or when the count is 2-0. Too many batters step into the batters box without a plan, without a purpose. The count is 0-0 ... what pitch are you looking to hit.

Realize also that your plan may change depending on the situation presented when you step into the batter’s box. For instance if there are less than 2 outs and runners on first and second, I know that I want to try to drive the ball somewhere on the right side of the field. That also means that when I step into the batter’s box, I am looking for a pitch that I can drive to the right side of the field. I have a purpose, a plan, a mission. If we have a runner on third base with less than 2 outs, I am looking for a pitch to hit at least a fly ball to the outfield. That is probably a different pitch than I was looking to hit in the previous situation. I have a purpose, a plan, a mission.

It is also important for me to know the opposing pitcher’s patterns. What does she throw when she gets in trouble? What is her best pitch? Does she like to get ahead in the count or does she throw balls that are close to strikes but out of the zone to see if you will go fishing? The answer to these questions helps me to formulate my plan as well.

Because of the ever changing nature of our game, your plan and purpose may change from at bat to at bat, from out to out, from pitch to pitch. Thus it is important to play this game "one pitch at a time." Once you have a mission and put a plan together for achieving that mission, it is easier to trust yourself. In order to perform, you have to trust yourself. Know that all the hours of practice and training that you have put in were for a purpose. Know that you are prepared and ready. You are under control. You know what you want to do. Now all you have to do is let yourself do it.

Sometimes, even with all this training you still don’t feel confident when facing a great pitcher. Initially, you may just have to fake the confidence. Practice striding to the plate, taking the signal from the coach, and getting in to the batter’s box in front of a mirror. Work on standing tall, chest out, eyes focusing on one thing. When you walk to the plate confident you often intimidate the other players and the pitcher into thinking that you are confident. Thus you are putting the pressure on them and taking it off of you.

It is not your job to get a hit. You are going to get a hit. It is the pitcher’s job to try to get you out. You own the plate, so act like it! Positive thinking will take you a long way in this game. You go to the plate acting confident even when you aren’t and suddenly you are getting a good piece of the ball. You hit it hard. You gain a little confidence. You get a hit, you gain some more confidence. Suddenly you are stepping to the plate fully confident, no longer needing to "fake it."

Remember, a poor perspective or one that anticipates poor outcomes will induce tension, shortness of breath, loss of focus, and tight muscles - everything that will prevent us from performing optimally. A healthy perspective will conjure up challenge and boldness, which encourage a relaxed, aggressive, focused state and approach.

It is important to train your breathing as well. You do not want to hold your breath during times of tension, even though that is your first instinct. An essential method to learn to release tension is in the art of deep breathing. Hitters must rely on internal means to release tension as they can not count on the outside world to take care of their needs at the plate.

It is important to become conscious of your breathing pattern at the plate. Before stepping into the batter’s box it is important to at least take the time for a long exhale. Try working on it in practice first. Before stepping into the box, inhale deep and slow. Hold on to the breath for a short 3-second duration. Release the air slowly and naturally. As you practice, work on extending the duration of the exhale a little longer. When you do this you are letting out carbon dioxide ... a muscle inhibitor. Carbon dioxide acts like brakes to our muscles. By getting rid of more of the carbon dioxide, we are allowing oxygen to take over. Oxygen acts as a muscle enhancer ... it is like an accelerator to our muscles.

Without releasing the tension with a deep breath, the hitter grips the bat more tightly. The arm muscles tighten and the bat then drags through the hitting zone instead of freely whipping through the zone. Cue yourself to breathe easy, stay relaxed. Taking deep focusing breaths like these will help relieve excess energy thus keeping you relaxed, slow your heart rate, bring your body and mind together, and allow you to perform in the manner in which you know you are able. It is easy to practice and easy to learn. You will learn to be intense without being tense. It just takes a little practice.

Another tool that will help tremendously is visualization. Visualizing past successes can help a hitter remind herself and her muscles of their capability. Visualization is simply "memory in pictures." One of the best times to get used to visualization is when you go to bed at night. When your head hits the pillow, spend 5 minutes recalling in your mind the best games or practices you have had. Remember what it felt like to swing freely without thinking and hit the ball perfectly. See yourself swinging, making good contact, watching the ball come into the zone. Always make sure you only conjure up positive results, not negative ones.

After you get good at the visualization process relying on actual games and practices you have played in, then you can start working on visualizing yourself in situations that you have not been in already, hitting pitches that are difficult for you to hit. Always see yourself hitting the pitch where it is pitched to the place on the field you should be hitting it. For instance if you visualize yourself hitting the down and out pitch, see yourself driving it down the right field line. If you are visualizing the pitch in tight on the inside corner, see yourself hitting it down the left field line. Then try to visualize the crowd in the stands, the noise on the field, the feel of the dirt, all of the components of the ball field.

One of the questions I get asked most frequently is how do you deal with the stress in the Olympics: standing at the plate with your team down a run and a runner in scoring position, 10,000 fans screaming so loud you can’t hear yourself talk, aren’t you nervous? My answer is always the same. It doesn’t seem stressful because I have seen myself succeed so many times when visualizing that it seems like I have already been there at least a thousand times. And every time I succeeded so why would it be any different now? The goal of visualization is to develop the ability to image clearly and have the ability to control your images. They will become more useful as you develop them through practice.

A few tips for effective visualization are as follows: work in as many senses as you can ... see the action, feel yourself moving, hear the sounds, smell the smells. Make your images as vivid and clear as you can. Always see yourself doing things well. See yourself overcoming mistakes such as bad calls by the umpire or other forms of bad luck. Try to mostly visualize yourself as if you were at the plate looking out to the field (internal imagery) rather than as if you were a spectator in the field watching yourself perform (external imagery). Remember to relax and let the images come, don’t try to force them.

Finally, it is time for the big game. How do you prepare for that? Preparation for the big game, for any game for that matter, starts long before you actually step on the field. Personally, I start my game day preparation the night before a ball game. I first think about the pitcher. Every pitcher pitches differently, so I have to approach it that way. First I think about the way she pitches: what pitches does she have? What does she rely on? Where is her release point? What type of a rhythm does she like to work in? Then I begin my visualization. I picture myself successfully hitting all of her pitches. I picture myself in different situations at the plate with different counts and runners in different places and at different innings of the ball game. I see myself succeeding in each situation. Usually, I fall asleep at some point during this relaxation process.

For me it was important to come to the ball field already focused. I would always try to put my uniform on and be fully ready to go at least 30 minutes before it was time to leave for the field. I would spend my last 30 minutes already dressed for the game visualizing again. I would go over hitting, defense, baserunning - visualizing the field and the other team. On the way to the field if I wasn’t driving I would work on relaxation and breathing exercises. By the time I arrived at the ball field I was 100% focused and ready to concentrate on the task at hand.

It is important to leave all your other worries and the real world behind by the time you step on the field. Some people do this when they change into their uniforms, others when they step out of their car in the parking lot. Whenever it is, it must be before you step onto the field to warm-up. Next I began my pre-game routine of stretching and warming up. It helps to have a routine that stays consistent. By using a predetermined series of actions, you can get yourself focused and into a mind-set to play your best ball.

It helps to take the randomness out of your preparation and lets you choose those effective things that will help your performance. A routine allows you to funnel or channel your thoughts and actions before a game, an at bat, or a pitch to where they need to be. Basically your routine becomes your checklist of things to do before you perform. It will give you your best chance of being at your best by the time the game begins.

This is by no means everything necessary for mental preparation, but it is a place to start. Remember, muscles need assistance from the mind if they are to be relaxed. A relaxed state does not imply a complacent one. Being intense without being tense is your goal. Perspective will dictate an initial mental assessment of a situation; make it a healthy, positive one. Self awareness is a prerequisite for addressing tension and the level of arousal you want to be at. Effective breathing is essential for relaxing yourself. Formulate a routine that works best for you.