I wanted to try something different with the Kevin Slowey interview, and I hope it provided you with another point of view on the mental game. The reaction from the people I've spoken with about the interview was pretty good, but I wanted to write about a few things that stood out to me as well. Hopefully, this will enhance the great stuff Kevin had to say just a little bit.
Takeaway #1: Being Proactive vs Reactive- Kevin's Quote,"Early on, my mental plan was more reactive, but... my plan transformed to a proactive one, planning for situations rather than reacting once I found myself in the midst of them."
Sports are always going to favor proactive athletes and teams. Teams and athletes who go out and play the way they want to play and force others to alter the way they do things are the ones who are tough to compete against. The proactive athletes creates discomfort in the opponent. This takes a lot of confidence in your abilities and preparation.
Also, Kevin's point of being proactive with mental plans is a HUGE message of the mental side of sports. If you wait until you're really struggling to embrace concepts in sport psyc, you're really going against much of the purpose behind sport psyc. The misconception is that sport psyc is designed to fix or change. Although that can certainly be part of it, the real idea is enhancement. It's taking what you have and making it even better. It's improving performance and the sporting experience. Be proactive with your mental game!
Takeaway #2: Sport Psyc or Mental Coach is a Tool- Kevin's Quote, "The goal should be for an athlete to see the sports psychologist as a useful tool that he/she can use to produce better and more consistent results."
This may be something I have to steal from Kevin in future presentations with teams. We all want to do better, and the best are consistent. Let's get rid of the idea that sport psych's are only around for people who are having major problems. They're there to help "produce better and more consistent results."
Takeaway #3: Maintain Perspective- Kevin's Quote, "Over the course of my career, the most impactful mental skill I have attempted to develop is the ability to maintain perspective. With every pitch and every outing, cultivating the ability to be mindful of the situation, to keep perspective rather than let the moment overwhelm me."
Perspective is HUGE in sports and life. It helps you from overvaluing any moment or performance. What I mean is that pitches in the first inning or drives in the first quarter are really just as important as those that come in the ninth inning or fourth quarter. A "good" or "bad" game is just that. It's nothing more and nothing less. The athletes who stand out as being called clutch, to me, all appear to have this perspective. They're really clutch because they are good. As everyone else feels the tension created by the moment, clutch athletes remain calm and confident in their abilities and preparation. They're emotionally consistent. Being mindful is about being present in that moment. It's being absent of all of those annoying thoughts that have nothing to do with the performance right then and there. It's much easier said than done, but it is is something we all can improve on. It's "Win Now" in a nutshell.
*What I've discussed here is perspective within a specific game, but having a broader perspective on a career and life is probably even more important. This is probably its own blog entry but is huge for creating a good environment for the sporting experience and for enjoying life.*
Takeaway #4: Routine- Kevin's Quote, "I think routine is necessary for any successful athlete. That routine may be altered at times, but a true routine creates an atmosphere of comfort and preparation..."
I could not agree more with everything Kevin said about routine. Successful athletes are consistent, and a major reason why is the confidence and comfort created through routine. One of the goals we have for hitters at Blythewood is for every at-bat to be the same. This mindset is created, in part, by making the at-bats the same through routine and preparation. For me, creating "an atmosphere of comfort and preparation" for an individual cannot be forced. It can be encouraged, and athletes can be assisted in creating routines. Forcing every athlete to prepare exactly the same way or to have the same pre-pitch routine, to me, defeats this purpose and is empty sport psyc in my opinion. Every person (and therefore every athlete) is different. There is not a one size fits all approach to success so find what works for you in the days leading up to competition, the day of competition, and during competition.
Hopefully, my takeaways from the interview added a little bit for you. For me, that is what any search for improvement is about. It's not necessarily finding something that completely transforms your way of thinking. It could be, but finding little concepts here and there, from different places and people, can be just as valuable and have just as big an impact through the creation of your own way of thinking. Challenge yourself to look and grow.
As always, I appreciate any and all feedback you may have. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me @Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com. I did make the amateur mistake of putting my card as my Facebook picture and had to weather an attempted catfish attack last week so that lesson has been learned!
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Interview with MLB's Kevin Slowey
For today's blog, I wanted to try something a little bit different. I recently had the opportunity to speak with one of my good friends from college, Kevin Slowey, about the influence of the mental side of baseball on his career. Kevin had one of the strongest work ethics I had ever been around in college and always impressed me with his discipline and commitment to improve as a player and person. Kevin was extremely advanced mentally for a college baseball player and has continued to be so in his professional career.
Kevin went to Winthrop on an academic scholarship and developed into an All-American. In only three years, Kevin set school records for wins and strikeouts. Kevin was a second round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2005 and has accumulated over five years of big league service time. He has three seasons of 10+ wins and has pitched in various roles for the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. In addition, Kevin had the experience of representing the United States in 2006 Olympic qualifying. More importantly, Kevin is a great person and one I am proud to call a friend.
I hope you enjoy the perspective he brings as someone who worked his way through the grind of the minor leagues and into a solid Major League career. Have your dictionary handy!
Q: What does the mental part of the game include for you? How has this evolved as you've moved up through different levels of baseball?
A: The mental aspect of baseball has always been a large part of the game for me; it includes pre-game work with visualizations as I review the opponent and formulate a game plan, in-game adjustments and the resolve to focus on only one pitch at a time, and post-game in assessing my performance in an honest way, recognizing adjustments and then packing the game away rather than letting it linger in my mind.
As I moved through different levels of baseball, I became more and more aware of the importance of having a thorough and complete mental plan that I could put to use everyday. The more complete my mental plan was, the more successful my years were. Early on, my mental plan was more reactive, but as I moved through the levels of the minor leagues, my plan transformed to a proactive one, planning for situations rather than reacting once I found myself in the midst of them.
Q: What did the different organizations you've played for do for players? Were there major differences place to place or even year to year within the same organization?
A: The mental aspect of the game wasn't very prevalent in baseball when I was drafted in 2005; very few organizations had sports psych programs in place. Now, almost every organization has multiple sports psychologists on staff, and I think the role of the mental coach is really starting to solidify within the sport, both at the minor and major league levels.
Q: What do you see the role of a sport psych or mental skills coach being in the ideal environment?
A: I think the ideal role that a sports psychologist fills is to be a dependable resource with a knowledge base that the athlete can go to whenever they might need to. I think the mental skills coach should be comfortable with players in/around the clubhouse, and should be available to speak conversationally and also by appointment in private. The goal should be for an athlete to see the sports psychologist as a useful tool that he/she can use to produce better and more consistent results.
Q: Has any one particular person had a great influence on you with regards to the mental side of the game? If so, how?
A: There hasn't really been one particular person who stands out, but playing with and against highly successful players early on in my career like Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and Greg Maddux, who spoke often about the mental aspect of the game helped to convince me that the mental side of the game was incredibly important, and worth developing.
Q: Have you done much on your own to enhance your mental skills? If so, what?
A: Over the course of my career, the most impactful mental skill I have attempted to develop is the ability to maintain perspective. With every pitch and every outing, cultivating the ability to be mindful of the situation, to keep perspective rather than let the moment overwhelm me
Q: How important has routine been to you? Here, I am talking about how you prepare to pitch both before games and during the game. Are you big on doing the exact same thing before every pitch? Do you have a particular thought process to get read to pitch and/or pitch to pitch?
A: I think routine is necessary for any successful athlete. That routine may be altered at times, but a true routine creates an atmosphere of comfort and preparation, similar to a flight checklist before a plane takes off. Before each game I review the opponents lineup and roster, watch video to search for tendencies and then write out my pitch plan (writing things down helps me to see pitches in my mind rather than just talking about them)
I try to do the same things, both physically and mentally before each pitch:
1. Assess the situation I'm in (anyone on base, outs, count)
2. Decide definitively which pitch to throw before stepping back on the rubber
3a. Step onto the rubber
3b. Acknowledge the catcher and wait for him to give me a target
4. Begin my motion and pitch
Q: How open are guys in professional baseball in general to working with sport psychologists and mental coaches in your opinion? Has this evolved as you've been in baseball over the years?
A: I think baseball players are very open to the idea of working with mental coaches and sports psychologists. The prevalence of sports psych in baseball has grown exponentially in the past 7 years. I think that in the end every athletes wants to succeed. As this aspect of coaching/preparation continues to get results, I imagine an even greater percentage of players will start seeking out and using these tools.
Q: If you were giving advice to young players today on what, if anything, to understand at an early age about the mental side of baseball, what would it be?
A: I would encourage them to examine the mental aspect of baseball for themselves; to ask coaches and mental coaches for advice and instruction. No player would turn down advice from a pitching or hitting coach, so why would he/she avoid the help that a mental coach might be able to offer?
A huge "Thank you," to Kevin for agreeing to give his insight on the mental side of baseball and its influence on him. I thought about giving some of the points that really stood out to me, but I would rather hear from you all first. What stood out? Tweet it to me @Coach_Ehrlich, or email me @ehrlichb1@gmail.com. Are interviews something you would like to see more of? Let me know that too. Thanks again for reading.
"The most impactful mental skill I have developed is the ability to maintain perspective." - Kevin Slowey
Kevin went to Winthrop on an academic scholarship and developed into an All-American. In only three years, Kevin set school records for wins and strikeouts. Kevin was a second round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 2005 and has accumulated over five years of big league service time. He has three seasons of 10+ wins and has pitched in various roles for the Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins. In addition, Kevin had the experience of representing the United States in 2006 Olympic qualifying. More importantly, Kevin is a great person and one I am proud to call a friend.
I hope you enjoy the perspective he brings as someone who worked his way through the grind of the minor leagues and into a solid Major League career. Have your dictionary handy!
Q: What does the mental part of the game include for you? How has this evolved as you've moved up through different levels of baseball?
A: The mental aspect of baseball has always been a large part of the game for me; it includes pre-game work with visualizations as I review the opponent and formulate a game plan, in-game adjustments and the resolve to focus on only one pitch at a time, and post-game in assessing my performance in an honest way, recognizing adjustments and then packing the game away rather than letting it linger in my mind.
As I moved through different levels of baseball, I became more and more aware of the importance of having a thorough and complete mental plan that I could put to use everyday. The more complete my mental plan was, the more successful my years were. Early on, my mental plan was more reactive, but as I moved through the levels of the minor leagues, my plan transformed to a proactive one, planning for situations rather than reacting once I found myself in the midst of them.
Q: What did the different organizations you've played for do for players? Were there major differences place to place or even year to year within the same organization?
A: The mental aspect of the game wasn't very prevalent in baseball when I was drafted in 2005; very few organizations had sports psych programs in place. Now, almost every organization has multiple sports psychologists on staff, and I think the role of the mental coach is really starting to solidify within the sport, both at the minor and major league levels.
Q: What do you see the role of a sport psych or mental skills coach being in the ideal environment?
A: I think the ideal role that a sports psychologist fills is to be a dependable resource with a knowledge base that the athlete can go to whenever they might need to. I think the mental skills coach should be comfortable with players in/around the clubhouse, and should be available to speak conversationally and also by appointment in private. The goal should be for an athlete to see the sports psychologist as a useful tool that he/she can use to produce better and more consistent results.
Q: Has any one particular person had a great influence on you with regards to the mental side of the game? If so, how?
A: There hasn't really been one particular person who stands out, but playing with and against highly successful players early on in my career like Orlando Cabrera, Carl Pavano, and Greg Maddux, who spoke often about the mental aspect of the game helped to convince me that the mental side of the game was incredibly important, and worth developing.
Q: Have you done much on your own to enhance your mental skills? If so, what?
A: Over the course of my career, the most impactful mental skill I have attempted to develop is the ability to maintain perspective. With every pitch and every outing, cultivating the ability to be mindful of the situation, to keep perspective rather than let the moment overwhelm me
Q: How important has routine been to you? Here, I am talking about how you prepare to pitch both before games and during the game. Are you big on doing the exact same thing before every pitch? Do you have a particular thought process to get read to pitch and/or pitch to pitch?
A: I think routine is necessary for any successful athlete. That routine may be altered at times, but a true routine creates an atmosphere of comfort and preparation, similar to a flight checklist before a plane takes off. Before each game I review the opponents lineup and roster, watch video to search for tendencies and then write out my pitch plan (writing things down helps me to see pitches in my mind rather than just talking about them)
I try to do the same things, both physically and mentally before each pitch:
1. Assess the situation I'm in (anyone on base, outs, count)
2. Decide definitively which pitch to throw before stepping back on the rubber
3a. Step onto the rubber
3b. Acknowledge the catcher and wait for him to give me a target
4. Begin my motion and pitch
Q: How open are guys in professional baseball in general to working with sport psychologists and mental coaches in your opinion? Has this evolved as you've been in baseball over the years?
A: I think baseball players are very open to the idea of working with mental coaches and sports psychologists. The prevalence of sports psych in baseball has grown exponentially in the past 7 years. I think that in the end every athletes wants to succeed. As this aspect of coaching/preparation continues to get results, I imagine an even greater percentage of players will start seeking out and using these tools.
Q: If you were giving advice to young players today on what, if anything, to understand at an early age about the mental side of baseball, what would it be?
A: I would encourage them to examine the mental aspect of baseball for themselves; to ask coaches and mental coaches for advice and instruction. No player would turn down advice from a pitching or hitting coach, so why would he/she avoid the help that a mental coach might be able to offer?
A huge "Thank you," to Kevin for agreeing to give his insight on the mental side of baseball and its influence on him. I thought about giving some of the points that really stood out to me, but I would rather hear from you all first. What stood out? Tweet it to me @Coach_Ehrlich, or email me @ehrlichb1@gmail.com. Are interviews something you would like to see more of? Let me know that too. Thanks again for reading.
"The most impactful mental skill I have developed is the ability to maintain perspective." - Kevin Slowey
Thursday, July 31, 2014
You've Got to Be Present to Win
If you have ever been at any sort of raffle, you've no doubt heard the statement, "You've got to be present to win." Winning ticket numbers or names are read, and you see everyone looking around hoping nobody gets up so that another ticket is picked. I am still bitter about not getting a gas card from a faculty meeting two years ago! I was at baseball practice instead of the meeting. What made it worse is the meeting was on the day of an Open House where parents come to meet teachers. After practice, I headed back up to school and went on to be told by at least ten people that I had won a gas card but did not get to receive it. The sick joy they had in telling me really made me question what people thought of me at school!
Being truly present means locking in to whatever you are doing in that moment. It's truly listening to what people say in discussions instead of hearing bits and pieces while you think of how you're going to tell them they are wrong. True presence means focusing on every rep with full intensity and focus in the weight room instead of just going through the motions. There are a lot of connections between being present and an earlier blog called "Win Now" on my thoughts about what mental toughness is. The more you're able to be present, during both competition AND preparation, the more you'll be present to win.
Sometimes being present can take on a larger meaning as well. I was watching a video clip this morning from an interview with Kevin Durant where they asked him about whether he ever thinks about returning to his hometown area and playing for the Washington Wizards. In my opinion, Durant's response could not be any better for multiple reasons. The first thing I love is that KD says he doesn't think about it at all unless someone brings it up. By acknowledging the situation exists if people ask him about it, Durant is being real. He doesn't pretend that the thought should be somewhere with the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus. At the same time, he does not waste his daily allotment of energy and focus on a situation that is two years down the road. The second thing I love about Durant's response is where his focus lies. He focuses on his teammates, his organization/city/fans, and getting better every day. I love Durant's focus on getting better every day. While he clearly has a long term view for what he wants to be as a player and person, he is focused on the present moment. The selflessness and obligation he feels to work for his teammates and organization are awesome too. In a day and age where many in the media choose to have a TMZ-styled focus on selfish, "me me me" athletes, the Durant's of the world do not get nearly enough credit or attention. I think there are more athletes out there like this than many realize, but they're not worth coverage to the four-letter network unless they are superstars. The final aspect of Durant's answer that I really like is it's genuine. Durant is not a robot. There is clearly sport psychology influence in what he says, but it's also clear that this is Kevin Durant's answer. It isn't something he has been brainwashed to say.
For me, multiple groups of people can learn from and relate to what Kevin Durant had to say. One group I thought of is high school athletes who are committed to colleges. A big challenge for those guys is to not waste thoughts and focus on all the things they are going to do when they get to college. Take time to celebrate the opportunities, but focus daily on doing what created the opportunity. This will help when it's finally time to go to college. That part of the paragraph is the coach in me talking! The mental coach in me also understands that if the worry is on a year from now then enjoyment of the present experience can suffer. Growing up, my family was always very competitive with board games. I'd get especially fired up and pitch fits when I was losing or lost. My mom would say, "It's all about the journey. Just enjoy playing." I hated it then but now have to reluctantly give credit to my mom for being well ahead of me in her sport psychology knowledge. Consider this my, "You were right Mom!" Athletes: Enjoy the last year of high school and all it brings (or the last three or four years with the way commitments are coming earlier and earlier!).
Another group of people who I think can benefit from this is college coaches. Although I have not coached in college, I have friends who do and have seen the grind of working one's way up the coaching ladder. Many times it means accepting jobs in areas they may not want to live in the future, with programs they may not ultimately aspire to be a part of, and with duties that may not be exactly what they want to do. The really good ones are able to accept whatever situation they are in and do their best on a daily basis.
I saw a quote a few weeks ago from Coach Tim Corbin who just won a national championship in baseball with Vanderbilt. His advice was, "Do the best you can with what you're doing right now." This really drives home the point of this entire blog regardless of your current roles in sports or life. Future opportunities are not real until they are present opportunities. Challenge yourself to get better daily and to feel a sense of responsibility for your teammates and organizations. Also challenge yourself to do the best job with whatever you're doing now. It's a great perspective and one that increases the odds for future cool opportunities to present themselves.
Another group of people who I think can benefit from this is college coaches. Although I have not coached in college, I have friends who do and have seen the grind of working one's way up the coaching ladder. Many times it means accepting jobs in areas they may not want to live in the future, with programs they may not ultimately aspire to be a part of, and with duties that may not be exactly what they want to do. The really good ones are able to accept whatever situation they are in and do their best on a daily basis.
I saw a quote a few weeks ago from Coach Tim Corbin who just won a national championship in baseball with Vanderbilt. His advice was, "Do the best you can with what you're doing right now." This really drives home the point of this entire blog regardless of your current roles in sports or life. Future opportunities are not real until they are present opportunities. Challenge yourself to get better daily and to feel a sense of responsibility for your teammates and organizations. Also challenge yourself to do the best job with whatever you're doing now. It's a great perspective and one that increases the odds for future cool opportunities to present themselves.
Thanks again for reading. Please continue to reach out to me with any way I can help you out!
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Redefining My Definition of Success as a Coach
Success, in general, is such an inexact term. What I mean is that the definition of success for a random sampling of 100 different people may yield 100 different answers. None are wrong. The fact that people have different ideas of what success is can be very important when being involved in team sports because it helps understand individuals. As a younger coach, I struggled for years with a lack of understanding of what success was in coaching. My perspective was out of whack. As a cocky, division-one baseball player who had an opportunity to coach in college I was going to go into high school baseball, help create a factory of hitters, and win multiple state championships. I thought I knew so much when really I could not have had more to learn (still do too!). With that warped sense of what success was, every year was a disappointment because we did not win a state championship. If kids did not become great hitters, in my mind it was because they "just didn't get it." How many times do we hear coaches say that (know I've been guilty, maybe another blog post entirely)? Another reason I struggled, and something I DEFINITELY struggled with as a player, was I allowed on-field results to create my value as a person. When I look back, and this is really as recent as two or three years ago, my mind is blown at how much time and energy I wasted with such a shallow and unrealistic definition of what success is.
About three years ago, when I read Mental Keys to Hitting by Harvey Dorfman, I began a journey as a coach. I compare it to what hitters go through when making significant mechanical adjustments to a swing. Everybody wants the instant fix, but baseball requires hitters to follow a process for the change to truly take hold. After that initial excitement of making a change wears off and false hope of things working right away fades with it, you have to get to work. Progress is seen off the tee, then maybe in front toss, BP, and finally the changes are able to take hold in the game. This process may take weeks, months, or even years of development. That is what I feel like I've gone through as a baseball coach with my understanding of sport psychology. I was able to make a couple of quick changes based on what I read and felt like I had great results with those little changes. What I didn't realize at the time was the changes were very surface level and could only have a limited impact. I'd need to "hit the tee" to really see any significant progress. I read books, spoke with people who have been successful, and took classes. I began to apply what I learned with players I coached. There were many ups and downs. As a hitter, this would have meant good and bad at-bats. It would have meant games where you contemplate whether it was all worth it and maybe go back to your old swing for a game or two. As a coach, this meant going through periods of time where I questioned different aspects of the mental side of the game and how I did things. It meant many times as an assistant coach where I'd want to say anything but would find myself doubting what I had to say. It also meant fighting through a perception of what coaching was all about and understanding that it can be different than what was largely accepted.
With all that said, I know I do not know everything about coaching. That is something I think many young coaches with high aspirations and confidence in their knowledge of the game may struggle to accept early on. What I have been able to do is to place the same expectations I have for players on myself: 1. Understand who you are and 2. Work to improve. Honest self-reflection is absolutely essential for growth in any aspect of life, and it is something I can say I have done as a coach. I know my strengths and focus on them, but I challenge myself to work on my weaknesses. Purpose is something that has helped me tremendously. I've gotten much better at having purpose in what I say and how I say it. I'd be remiss if I did not say that what has allowed this development as a coach is being part of a great staff. Our head coach allows us to be who we are as coaches, and we all compliment each other well. I'm able to work in an environment where I can grow as a coach and human being and am encouraged to do so, in different ways, by everyone I work with. This is something I do no take for granted as I speak with guys I know who coach in other programs at multiple levels.
I know I have kind of strayed from the initial topic of this post, but I feel like understanding part of my journey and what has made it possible is essential to understanding my redefinition of success and my general perspective in the blog. With that being said, here is what success has become for me as a coach. Excuse me for stealing a little bit from Gary Mack in Mind Gym, but I love the way he worded part of what success is.
My Definition of Success:
"Success is peace of mind that comes from being able to say, with confidence, that I did my best to help every member of the team feel valued in their role and as a person. It is being able to say that I did my best to aid their development as players and human beings. I did my best to help maximize both individuals and the team."
There is no mention of winning state championships or helping to produce division-one hitters for me. Do I still want to win a ring? Absolutely, but I understand what goes into it and that a season can still be successful without winning one. If the only definition of success was winning a state title, only a few programs would be considered successful in each state every spring. Do I still want to help players get a chance in college? Absolutely, but it is just as important for me to help those who will never play another baseball game understand how this great game has importance in their lives. For me not to understand that would be a disrespect to all of the work put in as athletes and educators.
For me, I understand more and more what success is at the high school level as I feel the amount of pride I have in former players and what they become. I have just as much joy in seeing guys become teachers, businessmen, or coaches as I do in seeing guys play well in college or get drafted. The players I miss, more and more, are the players who truly embraced the concept of team sports. More and more often, they are not the guys with the highest batting averages or the most wins on the mound. They are the guys who got an at-bat here and there were still able to be a great teammate and work every day to get better. It takes a truly special human being to be able to do that. Success, for me, is seeing all of those guys have the opportunity to create whatever their definition of success is in life. Is my definition of success as a coach right? For me, I think it is. Yours could be different. All that I ask is that you challenge yourself to reflect on what success is to you. I think it will help you as it has helped me.
I recently finished a book called Mind Gym by Gary Mack. He was very well known in the sport psychology field and worked with multiple professional teams. Below is part of a poem Mack liked enough to include in the book. The poem is called "The Guy in the Glass" and is by Dale Winbrow. I loved it when I read it and thought it related well to the post because of its message on self-reflection. Hopefully it makes you think a little bit.
"When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass."
I know I still have a lot of room to grow as both a coach and human being. Acknowledging that is important. When we stop learning and growing, we cheat everyone who isn't lucky enough to have the opportunity. Do you have room to grow as an athlete, coach, or parent? Please let me know if I can help you in any way at all.
About three years ago, when I read Mental Keys to Hitting by Harvey Dorfman, I began a journey as a coach. I compare it to what hitters go through when making significant mechanical adjustments to a swing. Everybody wants the instant fix, but baseball requires hitters to follow a process for the change to truly take hold. After that initial excitement of making a change wears off and false hope of things working right away fades with it, you have to get to work. Progress is seen off the tee, then maybe in front toss, BP, and finally the changes are able to take hold in the game. This process may take weeks, months, or even years of development. That is what I feel like I've gone through as a baseball coach with my understanding of sport psychology. I was able to make a couple of quick changes based on what I read and felt like I had great results with those little changes. What I didn't realize at the time was the changes were very surface level and could only have a limited impact. I'd need to "hit the tee" to really see any significant progress. I read books, spoke with people who have been successful, and took classes. I began to apply what I learned with players I coached. There were many ups and downs. As a hitter, this would have meant good and bad at-bats. It would have meant games where you contemplate whether it was all worth it and maybe go back to your old swing for a game or two. As a coach, this meant going through periods of time where I questioned different aspects of the mental side of the game and how I did things. It meant many times as an assistant coach where I'd want to say anything but would find myself doubting what I had to say. It also meant fighting through a perception of what coaching was all about and understanding that it can be different than what was largely accepted.
With all that said, I know I do not know everything about coaching. That is something I think many young coaches with high aspirations and confidence in their knowledge of the game may struggle to accept early on. What I have been able to do is to place the same expectations I have for players on myself: 1. Understand who you are and 2. Work to improve. Honest self-reflection is absolutely essential for growth in any aspect of life, and it is something I can say I have done as a coach. I know my strengths and focus on them, but I challenge myself to work on my weaknesses. Purpose is something that has helped me tremendously. I've gotten much better at having purpose in what I say and how I say it. I'd be remiss if I did not say that what has allowed this development as a coach is being part of a great staff. Our head coach allows us to be who we are as coaches, and we all compliment each other well. I'm able to work in an environment where I can grow as a coach and human being and am encouraged to do so, in different ways, by everyone I work with. This is something I do no take for granted as I speak with guys I know who coach in other programs at multiple levels.
I know I have kind of strayed from the initial topic of this post, but I feel like understanding part of my journey and what has made it possible is essential to understanding my redefinition of success and my general perspective in the blog. With that being said, here is what success has become for me as a coach. Excuse me for stealing a little bit from Gary Mack in Mind Gym, but I love the way he worded part of what success is.
My Definition of Success:
"Success is peace of mind that comes from being able to say, with confidence, that I did my best to help every member of the team feel valued in their role and as a person. It is being able to say that I did my best to aid their development as players and human beings. I did my best to help maximize both individuals and the team."
There is no mention of winning state championships or helping to produce division-one hitters for me. Do I still want to win a ring? Absolutely, but I understand what goes into it and that a season can still be successful without winning one. If the only definition of success was winning a state title, only a few programs would be considered successful in each state every spring. Do I still want to help players get a chance in college? Absolutely, but it is just as important for me to help those who will never play another baseball game understand how this great game has importance in their lives. For me not to understand that would be a disrespect to all of the work put in as athletes and educators.
For me, I understand more and more what success is at the high school level as I feel the amount of pride I have in former players and what they become. I have just as much joy in seeing guys become teachers, businessmen, or coaches as I do in seeing guys play well in college or get drafted. The players I miss, more and more, are the players who truly embraced the concept of team sports. More and more often, they are not the guys with the highest batting averages or the most wins on the mound. They are the guys who got an at-bat here and there were still able to be a great teammate and work every day to get better. It takes a truly special human being to be able to do that. Success, for me, is seeing all of those guys have the opportunity to create whatever their definition of success is in life. Is my definition of success as a coach right? For me, I think it is. Yours could be different. All that I ask is that you challenge yourself to reflect on what success is to you. I think it will help you as it has helped me.
I recently finished a book called Mind Gym by Gary Mack. He was very well known in the sport psychology field and worked with multiple professional teams. Below is part of a poem Mack liked enough to include in the book. The poem is called "The Guy in the Glass" and is by Dale Winbrow. I loved it when I read it and thought it related well to the post because of its message on self-reflection. Hopefully it makes you think a little bit.
"When you get what you want in your struggle for self
And the world makes you king for a day
Just go to the mirror and look at yourself
And see what that man has to say.
You may fool the whole world down the pathway of years
And get pats on the back as you pass
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
If you've cheated the man in the glass."
I know I still have a lot of room to grow as both a coach and human being. Acknowledging that is important. When we stop learning and growing, we cheat everyone who isn't lucky enough to have the opportunity. Do you have room to grow as an athlete, coach, or parent? Please let me know if I can help you in any way at all.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
"Good luck!" My Mission to Rid the World of This Timeless Phrase
"Good luck!" People have been saying it forever. Job interview tomorrow? "Good luck!" Big game against your rival? "Good luck!" Test in the morning? "Good luck!" If you're involved in any kind of sports or competitive field at all, you probably can't go a week without hearing someone say, "Good luck!"
A phrase that I used to view as basic coaching language has become blasphemy for me as I've become more and more heavily involved with sport psychology. What do I have against it? I hate the connotation that luck has that much to do with your performance and its outcomes. Do you want to do well on your job interview? Then you should think through the questions you will be asked and practice, you should dress well, and you should arrive early. You should trust that your life and experiences have prepared you for tomorrow. Do you want to do well on that test in the morning? If you have paid attention in class, study, and know the material, then you will. Want to play well against your rival? Then trust your ability and preparation, and execute. Hopefully you have earned it through hard work.
Am I saying that I do not believe in luck at all? No. I do believe in luck, to a degree, but I do not believe in giving that much power to luck when approaching something. The reason I do not is it takes away from the feeling of power and control that you have earned. I know that both as a player and as a coach my best performances have come when I feel in control. That sense of control comes with an ease and flow to the game. My worst performances were when I felt out of control and let things that should not have any impact have power over me (negative thoughts were a big one for me!). Only when I was extremely down would I walk up to the plate with a feeling of, "Oh, well maybe I'll get lucky and run into one." Usually that resulted in a helpless walk back to the dugout. As a teacher, it bothers me when a student says a test was easy. I always respond with, "Well, did you know the material?" They undoubtedly say, "Yes," and I respond with, "Well, then you are the reason it was easy." Taking responsibility for performance, whether in sports or in life, can be a very powerful decision. While it may lead to you blaming yourself for a poor performance, that can be avoided by being rational about what went wrong and made the performance bad. In other words, take responsibility for performance without making it personal.
There is a quote by Dr. Louis Pasteur that says, "Chance favors the prepared mind." For me, this is true. It is amazing how people who do what they are supposed to do to prepare seem to have things work out in their favor. You may have heard some other variation like Ernest Hemingway's "You make your own luck," or Seneca's "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity," but I like Pasteur's plug for sport psychology well ahead of its time! If you are only preparing physically, you are cheating yourself out of a major part of preparation as an athlete or coach. Prepare your mind by buying into the mental side of your sport, and luck will have a way of favoring you even more.
In closing, I would like to invite you to join my grassroots effort to rid the world of the phrase, "Good luck!" I've been challenging myself to say, "Good skill!" instead. I like skill because skills are learned, and "Good skill" implies you have put in the work to acquire those skills. It doesn't quite roll off the tongue yet, but I'm getting there. Do you have another suggestion for a replacement phrase? I'd love to hear it. Email it to me or tweet it out to me, and I'll gladly give you credit for helping to exterminate us all from luck's control over our thoughts about performance.
http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/instagramphics/48890453612/1/tumblr_mlu607Ba451s9u3je
A phrase that I used to view as basic coaching language has become blasphemy for me as I've become more and more heavily involved with sport psychology. What do I have against it? I hate the connotation that luck has that much to do with your performance and its outcomes. Do you want to do well on your job interview? Then you should think through the questions you will be asked and practice, you should dress well, and you should arrive early. You should trust that your life and experiences have prepared you for tomorrow. Do you want to do well on that test in the morning? If you have paid attention in class, study, and know the material, then you will. Want to play well against your rival? Then trust your ability and preparation, and execute. Hopefully you have earned it through hard work.
Am I saying that I do not believe in luck at all? No. I do believe in luck, to a degree, but I do not believe in giving that much power to luck when approaching something. The reason I do not is it takes away from the feeling of power and control that you have earned. I know that both as a player and as a coach my best performances have come when I feel in control. That sense of control comes with an ease and flow to the game. My worst performances were when I felt out of control and let things that should not have any impact have power over me (negative thoughts were a big one for me!). Only when I was extremely down would I walk up to the plate with a feeling of, "Oh, well maybe I'll get lucky and run into one." Usually that resulted in a helpless walk back to the dugout. As a teacher, it bothers me when a student says a test was easy. I always respond with, "Well, did you know the material?" They undoubtedly say, "Yes," and I respond with, "Well, then you are the reason it was easy." Taking responsibility for performance, whether in sports or in life, can be a very powerful decision. While it may lead to you blaming yourself for a poor performance, that can be avoided by being rational about what went wrong and made the performance bad. In other words, take responsibility for performance without making it personal.
There is a quote by Dr. Louis Pasteur that says, "Chance favors the prepared mind." For me, this is true. It is amazing how people who do what they are supposed to do to prepare seem to have things work out in their favor. You may have heard some other variation like Ernest Hemingway's "You make your own luck," or Seneca's "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity," but I like Pasteur's plug for sport psychology well ahead of its time! If you are only preparing physically, you are cheating yourself out of a major part of preparation as an athlete or coach. Prepare your mind by buying into the mental side of your sport, and luck will have a way of favoring you even more.
In closing, I would like to invite you to join my grassroots effort to rid the world of the phrase, "Good luck!" I've been challenging myself to say, "Good skill!" instead. I like skill because skills are learned, and "Good skill" implies you have put in the work to acquire those skills. It doesn't quite roll off the tongue yet, but I'm getting there. Do you have another suggestion for a replacement phrase? I'd love to hear it. Email it to me or tweet it out to me, and I'll gladly give you credit for helping to exterminate us all from luck's control over our thoughts about performance.
http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/instagramphics/48890453612/1/tumblr_mlu607Ba451s9u3je
Monday, July 21, 2014
An Intro to Goals
"Goals, without hard work, are nothing more than wishes."- Augie Garrido
The quote above is probably my favorite of all time. Augie Garrido has been way ahead of the curve in incorporating sport psychology into the way he coaches and his players play. I love everything about the quote, and it is so applicable for working with amateur athletes. When I read the quote, I think of a genie popping out a lamp to grant wishes. People who say they have goals but do not put in the hard work may as well sit around and hope for the genie to appear. Spoiler Alert: It's not going to happen! There are no genies in real life, and there is no substitute for putting in work to achieve goals. I was talking with an old friend from high school today who put it well when he said, "Playing the lottery isn't a retirement plan." This is the same general message but with a different delivery. No work = no reward an overwhelming majority of the time.
Whenever you ask high school athletes whether they want to play in college or not, almost every kid raises his hand. Everybody wants to play college sports and most likely beyond college! As kids make their way through high school, however, you find out who really wants to play college sports. The kids who want to play in college are at every single workout. They are in the cages working hard on the weekend. They are taking extra jump shots, working on serves, and running routes. For those kids, playing college sports is a goal. For the kids who say they want to play but do not put in the hard work, playing college sports is only a wish.
Goals are a very hot topic in performance psychology. Most view the ability to understand and set goals effectively as one of the most important mental skills to have. For me, this is kind of cool. You're telling me I am buying into the mental side of sports just by setting goals? That doesn't sound nearly as abstract as visualization or breathing techniques. Goals can help provide direction for your energy and focus in practice and competition. To relate it back to my last blog post on The Process, goals provide the vision and directions for making that process happen.
What you will find is that as you work toward your goals, you will become more in control of your preparation and performance. The stronger your commitment to goals, the more likely that they will come to fruition. Everyone wants to be good, but not everyone is willing to put in the work it takes to be good. Are you willing to set goals and create a plan to accomplish them, or do you prefer to wait around hoping you win the lottery? Then, more importantly, are you willing to follow the plan?
Here are some tips for when you set goals:
1. Make them personal: Get input from people you trust, but your goals need to be YOUR goals. You are the one who is going to do all of the hard work to make them happen. Don't chase other people's dreams for you.
2. "Ink it, don't think it.": Writing goals down makes them real. I have to admit. This is not a strength for me. When I get started with a day, I rely too much on my brain! My goal is to write down daily goals to increase my productivity.
3. Create strategies to achieve goals: You need directions to get to your destination, or you will just be wandering around hoping you get there. Yes. I know you want to hit 10 jacks this spring! What will you do to make that happen? Lifting? Taking extra swings? Making alterations to your approach?
4. Set both long-term and short-term goals: Long-term goals can help create your vision. Short-term goals provide the steps along the way.
5. Focus on what you can control: You can't control outcomes. You CAN control your preparation.
I've also attached a link to a Goal-Setting Handout I made for a class. It includes many of the tips above but is more thorough in working you through setting some goals.
As always, thank you for reading the blog. Please continue to reach out to me. I'm loving the feedback!
@Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
The quote above is probably my favorite of all time. Augie Garrido has been way ahead of the curve in incorporating sport psychology into the way he coaches and his players play. I love everything about the quote, and it is so applicable for working with amateur athletes. When I read the quote, I think of a genie popping out a lamp to grant wishes. People who say they have goals but do not put in the hard work may as well sit around and hope for the genie to appear. Spoiler Alert: It's not going to happen! There are no genies in real life, and there is no substitute for putting in work to achieve goals. I was talking with an old friend from high school today who put it well when he said, "Playing the lottery isn't a retirement plan." This is the same general message but with a different delivery. No work = no reward an overwhelming majority of the time.
Whenever you ask high school athletes whether they want to play in college or not, almost every kid raises his hand. Everybody wants to play college sports and most likely beyond college! As kids make their way through high school, however, you find out who really wants to play college sports. The kids who want to play in college are at every single workout. They are in the cages working hard on the weekend. They are taking extra jump shots, working on serves, and running routes. For those kids, playing college sports is a goal. For the kids who say they want to play but do not put in the hard work, playing college sports is only a wish.
Goals are a very hot topic in performance psychology. Most view the ability to understand and set goals effectively as one of the most important mental skills to have. For me, this is kind of cool. You're telling me I am buying into the mental side of sports just by setting goals? That doesn't sound nearly as abstract as visualization or breathing techniques. Goals can help provide direction for your energy and focus in practice and competition. To relate it back to my last blog post on The Process, goals provide the vision and directions for making that process happen.
What you will find is that as you work toward your goals, you will become more in control of your preparation and performance. The stronger your commitment to goals, the more likely that they will come to fruition. Everyone wants to be good, but not everyone is willing to put in the work it takes to be good. Are you willing to set goals and create a plan to accomplish them, or do you prefer to wait around hoping you win the lottery? Then, more importantly, are you willing to follow the plan?
Here are some tips for when you set goals:
1. Make them personal: Get input from people you trust, but your goals need to be YOUR goals. You are the one who is going to do all of the hard work to make them happen. Don't chase other people's dreams for you.
2. "Ink it, don't think it.": Writing goals down makes them real. I have to admit. This is not a strength for me. When I get started with a day, I rely too much on my brain! My goal is to write down daily goals to increase my productivity.
3. Create strategies to achieve goals: You need directions to get to your destination, or you will just be wandering around hoping you get there. Yes. I know you want to hit 10 jacks this spring! What will you do to make that happen? Lifting? Taking extra swings? Making alterations to your approach?
4. Set both long-term and short-term goals: Long-term goals can help create your vision. Short-term goals provide the steps along the way.
5. Focus on what you can control: You can't control outcomes. You CAN control your preparation.
I've also attached a link to a Goal-Setting Handout I made for a class. It includes many of the tips above but is more thorough in working you through setting some goals.
As always, thank you for reading the blog. Please continue to reach out to me. I'm loving the feedback!
@Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
The Process
"We focus on the process," has become a popular thing for coaches to say when they want to prove they know something about the mental side of sports. Unfortunately, I think its meaning is lost on many of the coaches who say it and most definitely lost on many of their players. It's almost like coaches believe that by saying, "We focus on the process," people are hypnotized. A simple follow-up question of, "What is the process?" would stump a lot of those coaches.
Saying you focus on the process without being able to explain the process would be like going on a trip without a destination or directions. Ben, we don't want to get destination disease! That is great, but without any directions you are just driving around. Without being able to define your process, you are just moving around aimlessly as a player. Now, imagine the same travel scenario with one big change. Instead of one car, imagine a group of 20-30 cars following a car driving around with no directions or destination. It is a recipe for a disaster. That is what a team is when there is no definable process from the leader.
Don't get me wrong. I think it is great that more and more coaches and athletes are showing interest in the mental side of sports. In my opinion, having an understanding of sport psychology is an invaluable part of the sporting experience that will only increase over the coming year. What I do think is happening, however, is some people within the field are capitalizing on that interest by giving people very surface level information without the support necessary to use it. Coaches are "trusting the process" without the preparation necessary to earn the trust. Instead, there is a blind, false trust emerging that makes people have the wrong idea about the mental part of sports and causes confusion.
So what is "the process" to me? The process starts with a clear vision and principles. This goes for individuals and teams. The process includes daily preparation that is planned and purposeful in nature. Having purpose is as much as you can is a must with the process. The process involves optimal focus with all of the preparation whether it is lifting, conditioning, or practice. The process is a commitment to every repetition having equal value. The process is being as good as you can be every single day. The process is the teaching and learning of fundamentals and the accountability to use those fundamentals. The process is focusing on definable, controllable tasks instead of uncontrollable results. The process has its ups and downs. You're probably not going to be as good as you can be every single day, but that is okay as long as you learn from it. Like when driving, sometimes individuals and teams run into traffic or a roadblock and have to adjust. This is where the process involves coaching (traditional or of one's self) that is able to make changes while holding true to the vision and principles that lay the foundation.
I realize that "the process" described above is very general in nature. It would be more specific based on whatever is attempting to be accomplished, but I think the components I mentioned are necessary regardless of what you are doing.
So next time someone says "We just trust in the process," I challenge you to follow up with, "What is your process?" Whether they are able to give you an answer or not will help you decide whether they are truly part of the mental movement or not.
For the record, the guy on the video clip below gets "The Process!" Watch the first minute.
For the record, the guy on the video clip below gets "The Process!" Watch the first minute.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
The C Word
Confidence! If you were to poll a pool of athletes across a variety of sports about how they feel during both good and bad performances, there is little doubt the word confidence would come up over and over. When performance is good, confidence is high. When performance is bad, confidence is low. The answer is simple then. Let's be confident all the time. Then performance will always be good. Things, unfortunately, are not that simple. While there is no exact magic formula, there are a few things I think you can do to become as consistently confident as possible.
Harvey Dorfman summed it up great when he said, "Confidence doesn't "come to you"; an athlete must take it." I love this quote for a couple of reasons. First, it implies that the ultimate responsibility for confidence lies within the individual. As coaches, we can't simply pass out confidence like we do uniforms for the year. While I do think coaches can help foster an environment conducive to the building and sustaining of confidence in players (a topic for a later blog), athletes ultimately determine confidence. Second, I love the visual created by Dorfman saying "take it." For me, I visualize a greyhound race where the hounds are chasing after the fake rabbit. In sports, athletes are the greyhounds, and confidence is the rabbit out in front. Confidence is a few feet in front of the athlete. The athlete just has to run a little bit faster, reach out, and take it. Now, what can athletes do to take the confidence they're reaching for?
The first step to confidence, for me, is preparation. As an athlete, there is no replacement for that feeling you get when you know you've done everything you can to be ready for competition. It's awesome and provides a feeling of control. As cliche as it may be, there is no substitute for working hard. There is no substitute for taking extra ground balls, extra jump shots, or working on your form as a sprinter. There is also no substitute for preparing mentally. Prepare, and you will earn your confidence.
The second step lies in understanding what you can control (again, another blog entry). As athletes, and people in general, we are so susceptible to worrying about things outside of our power. We worry about how people feel about us. We worry about winning and losing. We worry about umpires, referees, and judges. Understanding what you control, and taking control will help make confidence a regular occurrence. Try making a list of what you can control about your performance or whatever you're attempting to build confidence in. Then work to focus your efforts on controlling those things. This is a simple process that helps create tangible ways to improve.
A third step and one that is closely related to both one and two is to work to generate that feeling of confidence you have during your best performance. What are you thinking? What is your body language like? How is your breathing? If you're thinking, "See the baseball and smash it," you can control having that thought again. If you walk with purpose and rhythm, you can control that walk. Ken Ravizza and Tom Hanson talk a lot about "faking it until you make it." Carry yourself with confidence long enough, and you will believe in it. If this is something that is difficult for you to remember, try the mental recall visualization we discussed in the last blog entry. That may help you be in the moment and remember how you feel during your best performances.
This is by no means an all-inclusive list to the steps to building confidence. Like anything else, feeling confident is unique to each individual. Understand that it is unrealistic to expect to feel confident all the time in everything you do. Part of what makes sports and life so great is the battle to bounce back from adversity. If you are able to have something to lean on and go back to during those times when your confidence is low, however, you are hopefully able to maximize the feeling of confidence.
Side Note: Want to see what confidence looks like as a hitter? Here is a link to one of my favorite at-bats I have ever witnessed. It is Miguel Cabrera facing Mariano Rivera in a pressure-packed situation. There are many things about the at-bat that I love, but try observing what Miguel Cabrera does that make him ooze confidence. I'd love to hear from you about what you see!
Side Note: The same principles above apply to having confidence in any situation in life. You could take video of top performers in any field, and many of the same qualities would be present. Of course, this is much easier to talk about than to apply. There are absolutely situations I am more confident in as a person than others. What I do know, however, is that I can work to improve. For me, that is what life is all about. Understand that there is always room to improve and grow.
Remember to get in touch with me please! I'm loving the feedback I have gotten and feel like I am using it to create better content for the reader. Please let me know how I can help. @Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Harvey Dorfman summed it up great when he said, "Confidence doesn't "come to you"; an athlete must take it." I love this quote for a couple of reasons. First, it implies that the ultimate responsibility for confidence lies within the individual. As coaches, we can't simply pass out confidence like we do uniforms for the year. While I do think coaches can help foster an environment conducive to the building and sustaining of confidence in players (a topic for a later blog), athletes ultimately determine confidence. Second, I love the visual created by Dorfman saying "take it." For me, I visualize a greyhound race where the hounds are chasing after the fake rabbit. In sports, athletes are the greyhounds, and confidence is the rabbit out in front. Confidence is a few feet in front of the athlete. The athlete just has to run a little bit faster, reach out, and take it. Now, what can athletes do to take the confidence they're reaching for?
The first step to confidence, for me, is preparation. As an athlete, there is no replacement for that feeling you get when you know you've done everything you can to be ready for competition. It's awesome and provides a feeling of control. As cliche as it may be, there is no substitute for working hard. There is no substitute for taking extra ground balls, extra jump shots, or working on your form as a sprinter. There is also no substitute for preparing mentally. Prepare, and you will earn your confidence.
The second step lies in understanding what you can control (again, another blog entry). As athletes, and people in general, we are so susceptible to worrying about things outside of our power. We worry about how people feel about us. We worry about winning and losing. We worry about umpires, referees, and judges. Understanding what you control, and taking control will help make confidence a regular occurrence. Try making a list of what you can control about your performance or whatever you're attempting to build confidence in. Then work to focus your efforts on controlling those things. This is a simple process that helps create tangible ways to improve.
A third step and one that is closely related to both one and two is to work to generate that feeling of confidence you have during your best performance. What are you thinking? What is your body language like? How is your breathing? If you're thinking, "See the baseball and smash it," you can control having that thought again. If you walk with purpose and rhythm, you can control that walk. Ken Ravizza and Tom Hanson talk a lot about "faking it until you make it." Carry yourself with confidence long enough, and you will believe in it. If this is something that is difficult for you to remember, try the mental recall visualization we discussed in the last blog entry. That may help you be in the moment and remember how you feel during your best performances.
This is by no means an all-inclusive list to the steps to building confidence. Like anything else, feeling confident is unique to each individual. Understand that it is unrealistic to expect to feel confident all the time in everything you do. Part of what makes sports and life so great is the battle to bounce back from adversity. If you are able to have something to lean on and go back to during those times when your confidence is low, however, you are hopefully able to maximize the feeling of confidence.
Side Note: Want to see what confidence looks like as a hitter? Here is a link to one of my favorite at-bats I have ever witnessed. It is Miguel Cabrera facing Mariano Rivera in a pressure-packed situation. There are many things about the at-bat that I love, but try observing what Miguel Cabrera does that make him ooze confidence. I'd love to hear from you about what you see!
Remember to get in touch with me please! I'm loving the feedback I have gotten and feel like I am using it to create better content for the reader. Please let me know how I can help. @Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Monday, July 7, 2014
You Use Visualization, but Do You Use It Purposefully?
What is visualization? It is something we do all of the time as humans. Every time you picture something in your head, you are technically using visualization. You're visualizing right now as you read the words on this page. What I'm going to discuss today though is using visualization as a purposeful technique used outside of competition.
I am a big fan of the two categories of visualization Dr. Jack Curtis (one of the trailblazers in baseball's work with sport psychology) works on with his players. The categories are mental recall and mental rehearsal. Mental recall is where you visualize past successful performances. Mental rehearsal is where you visualize future performances. Both can have positive effects on your outlook and how you perform.
One of the great things about visualization is you have complete control over your performance. You can bat 1.000, you can complete every pass, and you can make every putt. Why not see yourself being successful when you have complete control?
Another technique I like is putting yourself in tough situations and working on seeing how you want to react. For example, a pitcher may visualize being in a bases loaded, no out scenario. The pitcher can then work on staying calm, slowing things down, getting back to a routine, or whatever else helps him perform well in that situation.
Some say that visualization can have effects equal to actual physical reps. Although I do not recommend ditching working on your swing, taking jump shots, or running routes completely, I think purposeful visualization can be a great addition to your preparation and in-game thinking. Visualization can help increase your confidence which is ultimately what success in sports and life is all about!
A Few Keys When Trying Visualization:
*Relax- Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can focus on what you are doing. Focus on deep breaths in and out.
*Use the senses- Try to incorporate as many as possible to really feel like you are there. Hear the crowd. Feel the warm air. Smell the freshly cut grass.
*Practice- I've read horror stories about coaches using visualization with their teams for the first time with teams before a championship game. This is too late and makes them feel less prepared! Like any other training, visualization takes work and repetition for its effects to take hold. Do not wait until things get bad to turn to mental techniques. That is like waiting until you go 0-10 to start working on your swing.
Real Life Application: Visualization can be used to help performance in every aspect of life. Next time you have a big presentation at school or work, try some visualization the night before. It can help create a sense of comfort that you have given the presentation before, and you have dominated it!
Side Note 1: I've attached a short visualization script I created for a class I took over the spring for you to take a look at. The target audience is high school hitters. It is by no means perfect, but I do think it serves the purpose of giving an idea of what a script may look like. The script can be found here: Sample Visualization Script
Side Note 2: Questions on visualization? I want to hear them! One thing I hope to do as a mental coach is to create individualized visualization scripts and/or recordings for athletes and coaches. For me, making the experience as personal as possible will create an atmosphere that will help visualizers maximize value. If you are interested in the possibility of me creating a script or recording for you or for your team, please get in touch. Email me at ehrlichb1@gmail.com or shoot me a DM on Twitter @Coach_Ehrlich! Thanks again for reading.
I am a big fan of the two categories of visualization Dr. Jack Curtis (one of the trailblazers in baseball's work with sport psychology) works on with his players. The categories are mental recall and mental rehearsal. Mental recall is where you visualize past successful performances. Mental rehearsal is where you visualize future performances. Both can have positive effects on your outlook and how you perform.
One of the great things about visualization is you have complete control over your performance. You can bat 1.000, you can complete every pass, and you can make every putt. Why not see yourself being successful when you have complete control?
Another technique I like is putting yourself in tough situations and working on seeing how you want to react. For example, a pitcher may visualize being in a bases loaded, no out scenario. The pitcher can then work on staying calm, slowing things down, getting back to a routine, or whatever else helps him perform well in that situation.
Some say that visualization can have effects equal to actual physical reps. Although I do not recommend ditching working on your swing, taking jump shots, or running routes completely, I think purposeful visualization can be a great addition to your preparation and in-game thinking. Visualization can help increase your confidence which is ultimately what success in sports and life is all about!
A Few Keys When Trying Visualization:
*Relax- Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can focus on what you are doing. Focus on deep breaths in and out.
*Use the senses- Try to incorporate as many as possible to really feel like you are there. Hear the crowd. Feel the warm air. Smell the freshly cut grass.
*Practice- I've read horror stories about coaches using visualization with their teams for the first time with teams before a championship game. This is too late and makes them feel less prepared! Like any other training, visualization takes work and repetition for its effects to take hold. Do not wait until things get bad to turn to mental techniques. That is like waiting until you go 0-10 to start working on your swing.
Real Life Application: Visualization can be used to help performance in every aspect of life. Next time you have a big presentation at school or work, try some visualization the night before. It can help create a sense of comfort that you have given the presentation before, and you have dominated it!
Side Note 1: I've attached a short visualization script I created for a class I took over the spring for you to take a look at. The target audience is high school hitters. It is by no means perfect, but I do think it serves the purpose of giving an idea of what a script may look like. The script can be found here: Sample Visualization Script
Side Note 2: Questions on visualization? I want to hear them! One thing I hope to do as a mental coach is to create individualized visualization scripts and/or recordings for athletes and coaches. For me, making the experience as personal as possible will create an atmosphere that will help visualizers maximize value. If you are interested in the possibility of me creating a script or recording for you or for your team, please get in touch. Email me at ehrlichb1@gmail.com or shoot me a DM on Twitter @Coach_Ehrlich! Thanks again for reading.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
You Never Know Who Is Watching, But Should You Care?
With many of the country's rising seniors flocking to Atlanta this week for what most consider the biggest tournament of the year for colleges to watch high school talent, it got me thinking about the tremendous power that we have as athletes and coaches. We have the power to choose how to react to events and situations. No matter what good, bad, or ugly come our way, we can choose how to react.
The message is relevant to this week for me because the players who react the best to playing in front of more scouts than they have played in front of their entire life will be the ones who fare the best this week. That is the situation, and it is real. How different players and coaches react to the situation will vary.
In my opinion, there are really two ways to approach the topic of playing in front of scouts. For the first, I'd like to make reference to the outstanding Derek Jeter tribute by Fox Sports 1(Short Clip Here). He was at spring training as a young guy with Don Mattingly, and Donnie Baseball was working with Jeter on a back field. Nobody else was around, but afterwards they started towards the locker room. Mattingly turned to Jeter and said, "Hey, we better run. You never know who's watching." Mattingly was at the tail end of a great career, but he still had that attitude. When you play like you never know who's watching, you are really giving power to the influence that people who are watching have. This may be taking the quote from its original context, but I think it is a major concern of many young players today. Elite athletes like Jeter and Mattingly are able to channel that and make it work for them, but youth players allow who is watching to take away from their focus.
The second approach to playing in front of scouts is to not worry about who is watching you. For me, this is the ideal attitude. Any focus you give to the scouts and college coaches who are watching just takes away from the focus you have on what you are trying to accomplish during that pitch or that at-bat. This is certainly a different attitude, but do you play the game for those who are watching? Do you play to get scholarships and draft attention, or do you play because you love baseball and competition? If the answer is the former, please go ahead and play like you never know who is watching. That may help you. If you play because you love baseball, I challenge you to play this week like nobody's watching. Play like you are that little kid in a pickup game in the neighborhood (Those still exist somewhere, right?). Enjoy baseball and the chance to play it. You will improve your chances of playing up to your ability level, and you will enjoy the games more. Coaches, instead of making sure you state the obvious to your players about the scouts being there, challenge yourself to focus on the same things you always stress to your players. I feel fairly certain most of you stress things like playing the game the right way and getting better. Not many coaches say to their teams in pre-game, "Alright guys. Let's go out there and win some scholarships." Nor should they. Challenge yourself to not even use "the S word" all week. Remember why you coach and they play.
You have a tremendous power today, this week, and every day. How do you choose to use it?
Side Note: This really applies so much to everything we encounter in life. In the world of teaching, for example, there are always people complaining about so many things. If people stopped to think about how little what they are complaining about should influence them, they would feel a little ridiculous about giving that much power to something that should not have any. I know that I have been guilty! Concerning yourself only with what should have influence over you is a freeing feeling, however, and one that makes your day to day much more enjoyable.
The message is relevant to this week for me because the players who react the best to playing in front of more scouts than they have played in front of their entire life will be the ones who fare the best this week. That is the situation, and it is real. How different players and coaches react to the situation will vary.
In my opinion, there are really two ways to approach the topic of playing in front of scouts. For the first, I'd like to make reference to the outstanding Derek Jeter tribute by Fox Sports 1(Short Clip Here). He was at spring training as a young guy with Don Mattingly, and Donnie Baseball was working with Jeter on a back field. Nobody else was around, but afterwards they started towards the locker room. Mattingly turned to Jeter and said, "Hey, we better run. You never know who's watching." Mattingly was at the tail end of a great career, but he still had that attitude. When you play like you never know who's watching, you are really giving power to the influence that people who are watching have. This may be taking the quote from its original context, but I think it is a major concern of many young players today. Elite athletes like Jeter and Mattingly are able to channel that and make it work for them, but youth players allow who is watching to take away from their focus.
The second approach to playing in front of scouts is to not worry about who is watching you. For me, this is the ideal attitude. Any focus you give to the scouts and college coaches who are watching just takes away from the focus you have on what you are trying to accomplish during that pitch or that at-bat. This is certainly a different attitude, but do you play the game for those who are watching? Do you play to get scholarships and draft attention, or do you play because you love baseball and competition? If the answer is the former, please go ahead and play like you never know who is watching. That may help you. If you play because you love baseball, I challenge you to play this week like nobody's watching. Play like you are that little kid in a pickup game in the neighborhood (Those still exist somewhere, right?). Enjoy baseball and the chance to play it. You will improve your chances of playing up to your ability level, and you will enjoy the games more. Coaches, instead of making sure you state the obvious to your players about the scouts being there, challenge yourself to focus on the same things you always stress to your players. I feel fairly certain most of you stress things like playing the game the right way and getting better. Not many coaches say to their teams in pre-game, "Alright guys. Let's go out there and win some scholarships." Nor should they. Challenge yourself to not even use "the S word" all week. Remember why you coach and they play.
You have a tremendous power today, this week, and every day. How do you choose to use it?
Side Note: This really applies so much to everything we encounter in life. In the world of teaching, for example, there are always people complaining about so many things. If people stopped to think about how little what they are complaining about should influence them, they would feel a little ridiculous about giving that much power to something that should not have any. I know that I have been guilty! Concerning yourself only with what should have influence over you is a freeing feeling, however, and one that makes your day to day much more enjoyable.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Great Resources to Get You Started Part 1
Being a lifelong learner is something that has become extremely important to me. I have said before that if there were one piece of advice I could give to amateur players it would be to read. Read something. Read books, read magazines, or read online articles. Technology has made it incredibly easy to access all kinds of information we would have never though possible as close as ten years ago. Take advantage!
With that in mind, I want to present you with two of the books I have found to be especially helpful in building the foundation for my knowledge in sport psychology. Both have something different to offer, but I am confident you will get insight from them far in excess of the price.
1. The Mental Keys to Hitting: A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement by Harvey Dorfman: This is the book that started it all for me. Hitters, coaches, and parents of hitters can all get something from this book. Harvey Dorfman is acknowledged as probably the greatest sport psychology consultant in Major League history and paved the way for many today. A major strength of the book is how concise it is (13 chapters in about 100 pages). Dorfman is very straightforward in his writing style, and he is great about giving short stories about big leaguers that help drive messages home. I am also a big fan of the "Remember" section at the end of each chapter that gives the reader key points. This book really changed the terminology I use with hitters and is a great introduction to the mental side of baseball.
Here is a link to The Mental Keys to Hitting on Amazon (my preferred book buying destination) The Mental Keys to Hitting
2. Intangibles: Big-League Stories and Strategies for Winning the Mental Game-in Baseball and in Life by Geoff Miller: G is currently the Mental Skills Coach for the Atlanta Braves and does a phenomenal job with this book. The book is easy to read and does a great job combining theory with real life experiences from G's work with minor and major league baseball teams. G is big on using movie clips to introduce sessions with his teams and does a really good job explaining how he uses the clips. I used the clip from Rounders discussed in the book with a summer team I coached, and the lesson was well received. Another valuable part of the book is the The Character Development Inventory (CDI) G has created. The CDI is a ninety-five question evaluation that can be used in a variety of different ways. I have used the CDI with our baseball program at Blythewood High School and found it invaluable in helping me understand the players we coach on another level. This book does a great job giving the reader a glimpse into the world of sport psychology work in professional baseball. Also, G is a great guy who has given me tremendous advice to get me started on my path!
Here is a link to Intangibles Intangibles
If I get good feedback from this post, I will write more about other books and resources I have learned from in the future. If not, I won't!
I really appreciate the great feedback I have gotten from many of you so far in the form of texts and tweets. Please keep it coming so I am able to make the blog as valuable as possible for the reader!
If you haven't already, please follow me @Coach_Ehrlich on Twitter as well!
Not a reader? Check out this E:60 clip about Evan Longoria and the influence Ken Ravizza has had on him:
With that in mind, I want to present you with two of the books I have found to be especially helpful in building the foundation for my knowledge in sport psychology. Both have something different to offer, but I am confident you will get insight from them far in excess of the price.
1. The Mental Keys to Hitting: A Handbook of Strategies for Performance Enhancement by Harvey Dorfman: This is the book that started it all for me. Hitters, coaches, and parents of hitters can all get something from this book. Harvey Dorfman is acknowledged as probably the greatest sport psychology consultant in Major League history and paved the way for many today. A major strength of the book is how concise it is (13 chapters in about 100 pages). Dorfman is very straightforward in his writing style, and he is great about giving short stories about big leaguers that help drive messages home. I am also a big fan of the "Remember" section at the end of each chapter that gives the reader key points. This book really changed the terminology I use with hitters and is a great introduction to the mental side of baseball.
Here is a link to The Mental Keys to Hitting on Amazon (my preferred book buying destination) The Mental Keys to Hitting
2. Intangibles: Big-League Stories and Strategies for Winning the Mental Game-in Baseball and in Life by Geoff Miller: G is currently the Mental Skills Coach for the Atlanta Braves and does a phenomenal job with this book. The book is easy to read and does a great job combining theory with real life experiences from G's work with minor and major league baseball teams. G is big on using movie clips to introduce sessions with his teams and does a really good job explaining how he uses the clips. I used the clip from Rounders discussed in the book with a summer team I coached, and the lesson was well received. Another valuable part of the book is the The Character Development Inventory (CDI) G has created. The CDI is a ninety-five question evaluation that can be used in a variety of different ways. I have used the CDI with our baseball program at Blythewood High School and found it invaluable in helping me understand the players we coach on another level. This book does a great job giving the reader a glimpse into the world of sport psychology work in professional baseball. Also, G is a great guy who has given me tremendous advice to get me started on my path!
Here is a link to Intangibles Intangibles
If I get good feedback from this post, I will write more about other books and resources I have learned from in the future. If not, I won't!
I really appreciate the great feedback I have gotten from many of you so far in the form of texts and tweets. Please keep it coming so I am able to make the blog as valuable as possible for the reader!
If you haven't already, please follow me @Coach_Ehrlich on Twitter as well!
Not a reader? Check out this E:60 clip about Evan Longoria and the influence Ken Ravizza has had on him:
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