The Mental Part of Baseball

Introduction

A lot of baseball is mental, which means it is in your head. How you react to certain situations can change a whole game or series of games. Without the right mental outlook, you could cost your team greatly. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to be physical for baseball. Baseball players not being athletes is a common myth. Unlike other sports, though, like football you can be the strongest person on the field and still be the worst. This is why so many young baseball players are quitting. Many people quit because of the amount of pressure the game puts on them. You will fail most of the time, and young people have not grasped that concept yet. They strike out one time or make one error, and they think that they aren't good. There needs to be someone teaching these kids that it is okay to fail. Everybody does. 

Hitting A Baseball

Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest, if not the hardest thing to do in sports. This should already make you feel a little better about one strikeout or fly out. The average player gets a hit around 2.5 times every ten at bats. I am here to help baseball players become more than an average player and that starts in the mind. If 

you are walking up to the plate without confidence, the at bat is already over. You need confidence if you want to do something good in your at bat. Something that commonly happens to players is if you don’t get a hit in one game, it messes up your mind. You can’t let that happen. You have to put the past behind you and do better in the next game. Another important aspect of confidence is your body language. This is commonly overlooked.

Body language is key. A lot of young players have horrible body language. It doesn't matter if you are a hitter, pitcher, fielder, or just in the dugout. If the other team notices this they will use it as fuel immediately. They will get in your head and that is when the game just goes south. When you start slumping your shoulders and showing that you don't believe in yourself, that is when they have you. The brain follows the body. You as the batter should also always have an idea of what you want.

When a baseball player steps into the box you have to have a goal. If you go 

up there just aimlessly swinging nothing good will come out of the at bat. As a baseball player you have to focus on what you are trying to do (Dalmass). You will have a different mindset every time you go hit based on the situation. If you want to move the runner, put it on the ground, two outs you need lion drives, etc. One problem that young hitters have is they get distracted easily. They get bored because of how long the game can take and that is why most people don't like baseball. Young players still haven't learned patience yet and get antsy standing up there. This is a problem because one of the key components of hitting is being calm and relaxed. Your muscles have to be loose or they will clamp and change your swing causing you to make bad contact if you make any at all. You have to just relax and let your body do what you trained it for. Don't think… just do.

How to Gain Confidence

I know what you are thinking. I'm telling you what you're doing wrong and not telling you how to fix it. Here are some things that many people say help with confidence. Hitting off the tee really helps. When a lot of people hit off the tee, they are just goofing around. They could be swinging as hard as they can or just throwing their hands at the ball. What you should be doing is working on mechanics; that is what will translate into hitting barrels in the game. Another thing is doing drills that you like doing/are good at. Doing drills that are hard for you will only bring your confidence lower when you do that. Sometimes you might worry about what your teammates are thinking or if theyŕe judging you. But think about how you feel when they make an error. You forget about it in like one inning. So why do you dwell on yours for the rest of the day? There's no changing what already happened, and thinking about it just makes you play worse (Rodmaker).

You should not only be thinking about yourself; it is a team sport. At some point you are going to have to mature and think about how the team is doing, not you. This is easier said than done but has got to happen. You are always helping the team in some way, and you have to know that. Whether it is hitting, fielding, or even just cheering your teammates on. There are always opportunities to help. 

Don't Compare Yourself to Others

One problem that is common is comparing yourself to others. You will never be the same exact type of player as someone else. Some people hit great, some hit ok, 

some field great, some pitch great. You need to be you. When you are young a lot of people are strictly contact hitters. They see people hit home runs and all they would try to do is hit home runs which resulted in a lot of swings and misses. They try to throw as hard as they can to be like other players, and they end up making errors or not throwing strikes. This is very bad for you mentally because you will never fully be them. Now don't get me wrong, You can use this in a good way as motivation to get better, but you have to get yourself physically up there first.

Physical Strength Equals Mental strength

Don't complain without doing anything to get what you want. The mental part of your body does not work if a player isn't physically able to do what they want. A lot of people want to hit the ball hard but don't workout or are very skinny. If you want to get the results, having just a strong mental mind isnt gonna change that. You have to be physically able, too (Holt).

Conclusion

As a baseball player, the mental aspect is the most important part of the game. It is key to get your mental part right. You have to have confidence and a vision of what you want to do. Now baseball players get in a slump all the time. Don't let that discourage you. You are still a great player. Just remember that you cannot only be physical and not mental or only mental and not physical. You have to be both (Holt).