Routine is something that has forever been a big part of sports and in particular baseball. At the professional level, you're playing almost every day for 162 games. Even at the amateur level, you're playing at least four games a weekend in tournaments, 3 a week in high school, or up to 5 in college. We've got reporting times, stretching times, BP times, times to announce the lineups, and so on. It's all part of creating an environment of routine. Us normal people are the same way. You probably have a certain time that you wake up in the morning for school/work and a routine you follow in the morning to get ready.
While I completely agree with the use of routine, I have my doubts about some of the teachings on the topic today and whether athletes are really getting it. The place where the practice of routine is more evident than any other sporting setting I have seen is the College World Series. If you watched this year, you no doubt saw the battle between the home plate umpire and hitters in between pitches to stay in the box and keep the game moving. Some hitters made me feel like I was watching rhythmic gymnastics with the extensive nature of their pre-pitch routines. That and EVERYBODY going deep breath and stare at the barrel of the bat is what stood out to me.
I'm not questioning the use of routine. I am a huge advocate for it. There are a couple of concepts I think have to be considered and ultimately questioned before you blankly say, "I'm big on the mental game. I have routine." The first is the routine has to be yours. When I see a full lineup of hitters all have the same exact pre-pitch routine I can't help but wonder if the coach has forced them to do so because, "You have to have a routine." For me, that is no different than making every hitter have the same exact swing. It's ineffective coaching. Second, understand the purpose behind what you are doing. Why do you have this pre-pitch routine? The routine is to create a feeling of comfort, control, and lock into the present moment. One thing to ask yourself is, "Is my routine helping minimize thoughts, or is it clouding my head with even more?" If the answer is the latter, it may be a good idea to reassess.
As a player, I was probably way too dependent on routines for the creation of comfort. I had to eat the same pregame meal, listen to the same song driving down to the field and end it at the exact time (Clarence Carter- Strokin), take the same number of swings with the same drills, and so on. While I do think some routine is great, I became a slave to my routine. What I was unknowingly doing is taking the control of my performance and giving it to a song or a certain food (and not for nutritional purposes). Think about how ridiculous that is for a moment! That control was really given in my thought process more so than the actual routine. I'd be anxious about completing my routine and then be anxious about my performance.
In closing, I implore you to understand a couple of things again. Your routine is up to you as much as your swing is up to you. Don't become a routine robot! Also, understand the purpose of the routine instead of just saying, "Well, they do it so I guess I should." Create the feeling of comfort, and lock into the present moment. Routine should be a tool to for you to control and not vice versa.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
Monday, September 15, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #7
#7 Mentally tough baseball players approach every game the same way.
Mentally tough baseball players approach every game the same way. It does not matter who the opponent is, the conditions of the game, or whether the game is at the beginning or end of the year. Nothing like that matters because mentally tough players trust their preparation and ability.
Mentally tough players approach every game the same way because the game doesn't change. All of the pressure of playing certain opponents or playoffs is completely fabricated by outside influences. It's nothing more than a fugazi unless you allow it to become reality. If you disagree and say that pressure is undoubtedly real, these players at the very least have the ability to accept pressure for what it is and not allow it to consume them. This might be what stands out to me the most when I watch a big league game. These guys are playing in front of tens of thousands of fans and for their livelihood, but they are unbelievably relaxed. They trust their preparation and have perspective with playing what is ultimately a game no matter how we important we make it at times. The game is the same regardless of the circumstances it's played under. This may sound cliche, but the pitcher still is charged with throwing the ball across the plate and the hitter with hitting. Mentally tough players understand this and are able to perform at their best level, whatever level that may be, regardless of circumstance.
Another way mentally tough baseball players are challenged to approach every game the same way is to not allow the opponent to dictate how they play. It doesn't matter if they're playing the New York Yankees or the Sisters of the Poor (a favorite of my college coach). Mentally tough players prepare and play with a consistent approach that leads to consistent results. There are no let downs for mentally tough players.
Coaches can have a huge influence in how well or poorly players are able to keep a consistent approach to games. I had an epiphany last season in our high school baseball playoffs. We were about to get eliminated. It was the end to what was a very challenging year, and I realized the way I approached the playoffs was contradictory to everything I had come to believe as a coach and aspiring mental coach. One of our major themes as a team and as hitters was being prepared and trusting the preparation. We wanted to put in the work and be purposeful hitters on a daily basis so that our at-bats at the end of the year were the same as our at-bats at the beginning of the year. For whatever reason though, I gave into the hype of getting scouting reports for high school baseball games. Although it's fun to talk to other coaches, the scouting reports completely changed the way we had done things all year. Rather than trusting what we saw a pitcher doing, we were a little too overly reliant on a piece of paper based on someone who had seen a pitcher throw once or twice. Regardless of the quality of the report, it said that we needed to change what had made us successful as an offensive team all year. It sent the wrong message to our hitters about our preparation and everything we had worked so hard to build throughout the year. Needless to say, we had been eliminated and did not swing the bats the way we were capable of. I'm convinced that a change in preparation created this feeling that the game was somehow different and contributed to our early exit. This year I will challenge myself to trust the preparation and ability of the players on the team.
Know of a player who comes to mind as being really good at approaching every game the same way? Let me know! Tweet or email me your stories and examples.
Mentally tough baseball players approach every game the same way. It does not matter who the opponent is, the conditions of the game, or whether the game is at the beginning or end of the year. Nothing like that matters because mentally tough players trust their preparation and ability.
Mentally tough players approach every game the same way because the game doesn't change. All of the pressure of playing certain opponents or playoffs is completely fabricated by outside influences. It's nothing more than a fugazi unless you allow it to become reality. If you disagree and say that pressure is undoubtedly real, these players at the very least have the ability to accept pressure for what it is and not allow it to consume them. This might be what stands out to me the most when I watch a big league game. These guys are playing in front of tens of thousands of fans and for their livelihood, but they are unbelievably relaxed. They trust their preparation and have perspective with playing what is ultimately a game no matter how we important we make it at times. The game is the same regardless of the circumstances it's played under. This may sound cliche, but the pitcher still is charged with throwing the ball across the plate and the hitter with hitting. Mentally tough players understand this and are able to perform at their best level, whatever level that may be, regardless of circumstance.
Another way mentally tough baseball players are challenged to approach every game the same way is to not allow the opponent to dictate how they play. It doesn't matter if they're playing the New York Yankees or the Sisters of the Poor (a favorite of my college coach). Mentally tough players prepare and play with a consistent approach that leads to consistent results. There are no let downs for mentally tough players.
Coaches can have a huge influence in how well or poorly players are able to keep a consistent approach to games. I had an epiphany last season in our high school baseball playoffs. We were about to get eliminated. It was the end to what was a very challenging year, and I realized the way I approached the playoffs was contradictory to everything I had come to believe as a coach and aspiring mental coach. One of our major themes as a team and as hitters was being prepared and trusting the preparation. We wanted to put in the work and be purposeful hitters on a daily basis so that our at-bats at the end of the year were the same as our at-bats at the beginning of the year. For whatever reason though, I gave into the hype of getting scouting reports for high school baseball games. Although it's fun to talk to other coaches, the scouting reports completely changed the way we had done things all year. Rather than trusting what we saw a pitcher doing, we were a little too overly reliant on a piece of paper based on someone who had seen a pitcher throw once or twice. Regardless of the quality of the report, it said that we needed to change what had made us successful as an offensive team all year. It sent the wrong message to our hitters about our preparation and everything we had worked so hard to build throughout the year. Needless to say, we had been eliminated and did not swing the bats the way we were capable of. I'm convinced that a change in preparation created this feeling that the game was somehow different and contributed to our early exit. This year I will challenge myself to trust the preparation and ability of the players on the team.
Know of a player who comes to mind as being really good at approaching every game the same way? Let me know! Tweet or email me your stories and examples.
Monday, September 8, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #6
#6 Mentally tough baseball players embrace coaching without being dependent on coaching.
Mentally tough baseball players embrace coaching without being dependent on coaching. There is a fine line here. Players who want to be as good as they can be (mentally tough players) understand their game always has room for growth. They also understand that coaches are there to help with that growth. One thing mentally tough baseball players are really good at is focusing on the message in what a coach says instead of the delivery. I'm reminded of what has probably become the most popular tirade in amateur baseball circles. The speech I'm talking about is Augie Garrido after a loss at Texas. I'm going to refrain from posting it on the blog because of the amount of profanity, but you can easily find it on YouTube. The mentally weak player sees the speech as, "Oh, poor us. I can't believe Coach Garrido is talking to us that way." What the mentally tough player does, however, is find the message in all of the F Bombs and yelling. Coach Garrido cares about us and has pride in the way we play. He ultimately takes responsibility for what we do as baseball players, and we don't want to let him down. The proof is in the pudding. At the bottom of the screen the graphic says Texas won the next ten games and the Big 12 Championship after the speech.
Mentally tough baseball players are not dependent on coaching though. They are confident enough in their abilities and have prepared enough that they know themselves as players. As a hitting guy, this is huge. Being dependent on others for approval of how your swing is can be a powerless way to approach hitting. Trust me...I'd know! As a college player in particular, I was constantly looking for others to say what I could feel already in my swing. After every single round I would want to know how my swing looked. I have no doubt this had a lot to do with my inconsistencies as a hitter.
You should be your best swing coach. I absolutely think there should be one or two coaches who know your swing and can help you when you are in need, but once a base has been built you are the one who is ultimately responsible for what a "good" swing is. I'm reminded of one of my high school teammates Justin Helfer. Justin and I were pre-game hitting partners our last couple of years and were both meticulous about what we wanted to do. I'll never forget, after hearing me obsessing for the upteenth time about how my swing looked, Justin said, "You know what swing looks good? The one that gets hits!" Now the mental coach in me would love to alter that to, "The one that hits line drives," but I think we get the point. Trust what you feel and see. The ball doesn't lie.
Challenge yourself to find the happy medium between embracing coaching without being too dependent on coaching for your performance. I'd love to hear some more real-life examples. Send away.
Mentally tough baseball players embrace coaching without being dependent on coaching. There is a fine line here. Players who want to be as good as they can be (mentally tough players) understand their game always has room for growth. They also understand that coaches are there to help with that growth. One thing mentally tough baseball players are really good at is focusing on the message in what a coach says instead of the delivery. I'm reminded of what has probably become the most popular tirade in amateur baseball circles. The speech I'm talking about is Augie Garrido after a loss at Texas. I'm going to refrain from posting it on the blog because of the amount of profanity, but you can easily find it on YouTube. The mentally weak player sees the speech as, "Oh, poor us. I can't believe Coach Garrido is talking to us that way." What the mentally tough player does, however, is find the message in all of the F Bombs and yelling. Coach Garrido cares about us and has pride in the way we play. He ultimately takes responsibility for what we do as baseball players, and we don't want to let him down. The proof is in the pudding. At the bottom of the screen the graphic says Texas won the next ten games and the Big 12 Championship after the speech.
Mentally tough baseball players are not dependent on coaching though. They are confident enough in their abilities and have prepared enough that they know themselves as players. As a hitting guy, this is huge. Being dependent on others for approval of how your swing is can be a powerless way to approach hitting. Trust me...I'd know! As a college player in particular, I was constantly looking for others to say what I could feel already in my swing. After every single round I would want to know how my swing looked. I have no doubt this had a lot to do with my inconsistencies as a hitter.
You should be your best swing coach. I absolutely think there should be one or two coaches who know your swing and can help you when you are in need, but once a base has been built you are the one who is ultimately responsible for what a "good" swing is. I'm reminded of one of my high school teammates Justin Helfer. Justin and I were pre-game hitting partners our last couple of years and were both meticulous about what we wanted to do. I'll never forget, after hearing me obsessing for the upteenth time about how my swing looked, Justin said, "You know what swing looks good? The one that gets hits!" Now the mental coach in me would love to alter that to, "The one that hits line drives," but I think we get the point. Trust what you feel and see. The ball doesn't lie.
Challenge yourself to find the happy medium between embracing coaching without being too dependent on coaching for your performance. I'd love to hear some more real-life examples. Send away.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #5
#5 Mentally tough baseball players are in the right spot.
Mentally tough players are the guys who are always in the right spot. This is something I can honestly say goes a long way with baseball coaches and our opinions about players. We love to see an outfielder backing up a throw or a first baseman hustling to the area in front of the mound as a pitcher covers home on a wild pitch. Even tougher is the pitcher who is getting banged around the yard but is putting on a clinic at backing up third base and home.
I'm reminded of a day last fall when I went to watch a few innings of a College of Charleston intrasquad. I'm not sure the exact specifics, but CofC has some sort of point system to help motivate players with competition in the fall. Players get points for the usual baseball metrics like hits, RBI's, stolen bases, etc., but they also get points for other things like making a great defensive play or reading a dirt ball. There was some kind of wild rundown play where the left fielder ended up being an emergency guy in the play at second base. After the play, the left fielder yelled up to the assistant coach who was in charge of the point system that he should get a point for being there. The coach agreed, and the left fielder was as jacked up as most would be after hitting a bomb. Rewarding players for being in the right spot like this is HUGE! Other players see the outfielder getting praised, and the behavior becomes contagious. This is how you increase mental toughness in your program. You define a behavior that is mentally tough. You reward it with praise or points or whatever else you want to reward it with. You see the behavior spread and occur more often. By your own standard, your team and players become mentally tougher. Regardless of research, their confidence increases as they believe they are getting tougher. Then you make it to a Super Regional right? If only it were that simple!
Cal Ripken Jr. is someone who comes to mind for me as a player who was phenomenal at being in the right spot. He studied hitters, knew his team's pitchers, and used his intel to work to position himself at shortstop. Ripken was basically working with advanced metrics twenty-five years before they existed. Thus, his perceived range far exceeded his physical abilities.
On the flip side, here is the Rockies giving up 3 runs on a wild pitch! The pitch is wild because of the mental mistake of throwing the wrong pitch. The second run can just be chalked up to a physical mistake on the poor throw. The third run scores solely because of everyone falling asleep and the pitcher pouting mid-play.
So how do you make sure you're in the right spot as a player? #1: Pay attention in practice. Hopefully you're being put in as many game-like situations as possible. Learn from those situations. #2: Think ahead. I can still remember my Dad telling me to think about where I'm going with the ball before it's hit to me when I was 9 or 10 years old. This is an adage that doesn't change. Mentally tough players do this, but they also think about where they're going to be when it isn't hit to them. That is how you end up in the right spot. #3: Watch baseball. Watching baseball can be as much of a learning opportunity as you'd like it to be. Really watching any level of play at all can provide the opportunity. Watch the guy playing your position and see what he does on different plays.
Have a time where a player being in the right spot made the difference between winning and losing a big game? I'd love to hear about it. Hopefully you are enjoying the list!
Mentally tough players are the guys who are always in the right spot. This is something I can honestly say goes a long way with baseball coaches and our opinions about players. We love to see an outfielder backing up a throw or a first baseman hustling to the area in front of the mound as a pitcher covers home on a wild pitch. Even tougher is the pitcher who is getting banged around the yard but is putting on a clinic at backing up third base and home.
I'm reminded of a day last fall when I went to watch a few innings of a College of Charleston intrasquad. I'm not sure the exact specifics, but CofC has some sort of point system to help motivate players with competition in the fall. Players get points for the usual baseball metrics like hits, RBI's, stolen bases, etc., but they also get points for other things like making a great defensive play or reading a dirt ball. There was some kind of wild rundown play where the left fielder ended up being an emergency guy in the play at second base. After the play, the left fielder yelled up to the assistant coach who was in charge of the point system that he should get a point for being there. The coach agreed, and the left fielder was as jacked up as most would be after hitting a bomb. Rewarding players for being in the right spot like this is HUGE! Other players see the outfielder getting praised, and the behavior becomes contagious. This is how you increase mental toughness in your program. You define a behavior that is mentally tough. You reward it with praise or points or whatever else you want to reward it with. You see the behavior spread and occur more often. By your own standard, your team and players become mentally tougher. Regardless of research, their confidence increases as they believe they are getting tougher. Then you make it to a Super Regional right? If only it were that simple!
Cal Ripken Jr. is someone who comes to mind for me as a player who was phenomenal at being in the right spot. He studied hitters, knew his team's pitchers, and used his intel to work to position himself at shortstop. Ripken was basically working with advanced metrics twenty-five years before they existed. Thus, his perceived range far exceeded his physical abilities.
On the flip side, here is the Rockies giving up 3 runs on a wild pitch! The pitch is wild because of the mental mistake of throwing the wrong pitch. The second run can just be chalked up to a physical mistake on the poor throw. The third run scores solely because of everyone falling asleep and the pitcher pouting mid-play.
So how do you make sure you're in the right spot as a player? #1: Pay attention in practice. Hopefully you're being put in as many game-like situations as possible. Learn from those situations. #2: Think ahead. I can still remember my Dad telling me to think about where I'm going with the ball before it's hit to me when I was 9 or 10 years old. This is an adage that doesn't change. Mentally tough players do this, but they also think about where they're going to be when it isn't hit to them. That is how you end up in the right spot. #3: Watch baseball. Watching baseball can be as much of a learning opportunity as you'd like it to be. Really watching any level of play at all can provide the opportunity. Watch the guy playing your position and see what he does on different plays.
Have a time where a player being in the right spot made the difference between winning and losing a big game? I'd love to hear about it. Hopefully you are enjoying the list!
Friday, September 5, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #4
#4 Mentally tough baseball players communicate with teammates during games.
Mentally tough baseball players communicate. The communication take a number of forms. One way mentally tough baseball players communicate with teammates is by talking about what they see. This could be what a pitcher is doing on the mound (what he's throwing, when he's throwing it, etc.). Mentally tough players are disciplined enough to start this communication early and continue it often. Talking about what you see could involve talking about pickoff moves, looks to second, and picking up signs on offense. Talking about what you see on defense could be telling someone to watch for the bunt or a reminder that a hitter is a good runner. It could be the center fielder noticing a right-handed hitter is extremely late on fastballs and telling the right fielder to shade the line.
Mentally tough baseball players encourage teammates. Tough players are positive with all teammates regardless of role and help everyone feel valued during competition. They encourage and keep things controllable. "Hit it hard right here!" instead of "Get a hit right here!" They pick up teammates who need it after a bad at-bat or an error in the field. This does not mean the mentally tough baseball player cannot get on a teammate. In fact, he will if the teammate is not doing things the right way! Evan Longoria comes to mind here. I can remember watching a game a few years ago where there was a ball hit into left-center that B.J. Upton dogged it after and played into a triple. Longoria ripped into Upton afterwards in the dugout. Two things stand out that make what Longoria did great. #1: He did it in the dugout. There is no need to show up a teammate on the field. #2: He called Upton out for a lack of effort. Mentally tough baseball players don't get on teammates for not getting a hit or making a play, but something controllable like effort is absolutely within the realm of duty. Here is the video:
A couple keys to all of this. If you're going to be a mentally tough baseball player, you have to be accountable. This means you are communicating with teammates throughout the game regardless of your individual performance. It also means you encourage teammates regardless of whether you are best friends off the field or not. You understand team sports is about more than that. Finally, it means you are doing things the right way. It's okay for you to get on a teammate for lack of effort because the mentally tough player demands the same of yourself.
Can you think of a time when a teammate or player you have coached got in someone's grill appropriately? I'd love to hear about it! Tweet or email me, and I'd love to share your story with others.
Mentally tough baseball players communicate. The communication take a number of forms. One way mentally tough baseball players communicate with teammates is by talking about what they see. This could be what a pitcher is doing on the mound (what he's throwing, when he's throwing it, etc.). Mentally tough players are disciplined enough to start this communication early and continue it often. Talking about what you see could involve talking about pickoff moves, looks to second, and picking up signs on offense. Talking about what you see on defense could be telling someone to watch for the bunt or a reminder that a hitter is a good runner. It could be the center fielder noticing a right-handed hitter is extremely late on fastballs and telling the right fielder to shade the line.
Mentally tough baseball players encourage teammates. Tough players are positive with all teammates regardless of role and help everyone feel valued during competition. They encourage and keep things controllable. "Hit it hard right here!" instead of "Get a hit right here!" They pick up teammates who need it after a bad at-bat or an error in the field. This does not mean the mentally tough baseball player cannot get on a teammate. In fact, he will if the teammate is not doing things the right way! Evan Longoria comes to mind here. I can remember watching a game a few years ago where there was a ball hit into left-center that B.J. Upton dogged it after and played into a triple. Longoria ripped into Upton afterwards in the dugout. Two things stand out that make what Longoria did great. #1: He did it in the dugout. There is no need to show up a teammate on the field. #2: He called Upton out for a lack of effort. Mentally tough baseball players don't get on teammates for not getting a hit or making a play, but something controllable like effort is absolutely within the realm of duty. Here is the video:
A couple keys to all of this. If you're going to be a mentally tough baseball player, you have to be accountable. This means you are communicating with teammates throughout the game regardless of your individual performance. It also means you encourage teammates regardless of whether you are best friends off the field or not. You understand team sports is about more than that. Finally, it means you are doing things the right way. It's okay for you to get on a teammate for lack of effort because the mentally tough player demands the same of yourself.
Can you think of a time when a teammate or player you have coached got in someone's grill appropriately? I'd love to hear about it! Tweet or email me, and I'd love to share your story with others.
Thursday, September 4, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #3
#3 Mentally tough baseball players carry themselves with confidence.
Mentally tough baseball players carry themselves with confidence. There is a quote I've seen accredited to way too many coaches to say with any certainly who actually said it. The quote is, "Body language screams. It never whispers." The body language of a mentally tough baseball player screams, "I'm good!"
True confidence in baseball body language isn't from shooting arrows in the sky or any other form of celebration. True confidence in body language in baseball, in my opinion, is seen in the player who always appears to have a sense of calm. It's almost like they have some sort of secret cheat code in a video game that nobody else around them has. Derek Jeter has this look. Although he is reaching the end of a great career, his calm demeanor with enormous stakes on the line has been a huge part of his legend as a player. He's hit over .320 in seven World Series appearances. We all know that dominant pitching is what wins in the Major League postseason. That is what Jeter has done against dominant pitching!
So what can you do to improve your confidence as a player? Try carrying yourself with confidence regardless of your performance. A popular phrase is, "Fake it til you make it." Act like you are confident, and your brain will start to believe it. The brain will make you feel good, and this leads to more confidence. One more quote to leave you with from one of the greatest two-sport athletes of all time. Deion Sanders said,
"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good."
Let's focus on the middle part of the quote. "If you feel good, you play good." Although Prime Time's credentials as a sport psychologist can certainly be thrown into question, he makes a great point here. The greater your confidence, the greater your capacity to play well.
Who do you think of as a confident player? Let me know!
http://eclectikrelaxation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/deion-costacos-poster-1990.jpg
Mentally tough baseball players carry themselves with confidence. There is a quote I've seen accredited to way too many coaches to say with any certainly who actually said it. The quote is, "Body language screams. It never whispers." The body language of a mentally tough baseball player screams, "I'm good!"
True confidence in baseball body language isn't from shooting arrows in the sky or any other form of celebration. True confidence in body language in baseball, in my opinion, is seen in the player who always appears to have a sense of calm. It's almost like they have some sort of secret cheat code in a video game that nobody else around them has. Derek Jeter has this look. Although he is reaching the end of a great career, his calm demeanor with enormous stakes on the line has been a huge part of his legend as a player. He's hit over .320 in seven World Series appearances. We all know that dominant pitching is what wins in the Major League postseason. That is what Jeter has done against dominant pitching!
So what can you do to improve your confidence as a player? Try carrying yourself with confidence regardless of your performance. A popular phrase is, "Fake it til you make it." Act like you are confident, and your brain will start to believe it. The brain will make you feel good, and this leads to more confidence. One more quote to leave you with from one of the greatest two-sport athletes of all time. Deion Sanders said,
"If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good."
Let's focus on the middle part of the quote. "If you feel good, you play good." Although Prime Time's credentials as a sport psychologist can certainly be thrown into question, he makes a great point here. The greater your confidence, the greater your capacity to play well.
Who do you think of as a confident player? Let me know!
http://eclectikrelaxation.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/deion-costacos-poster-1990.jpg
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do #2
#2: Mentally tough players give full effort all of the time.
Mentally tough players give full effort all of the time. This holds true whether it is practice or the most important game of the year. Full effort all of the time means when you are playing your best or your worst. Mentally tough players do not allow something they can control like effort to get in the way of how they play. I'm reminded of something Greg Maddux said in his Hall of Fame speech. Maddux recalls a conversation he had with his pitching coach with the Cubs Bill Connors. Here is the snippet I am talking about:
"Billy Connors asked me a question one day. He asked, "Do you ever wonder how good you can be?" Of course I said no. And he said, "Why don't you go out there and try to find out." I've been trying to find the answer to that question every day since."
For me, this sums up this behavior of mentally tough baseball players. They are on a constant, never-ending quest to see how good they can get, and their effort reflects it.
Maybe the truest test, however, of this characteristic is not with the best players on the team who are always getting playing time. How about the guy who is on the team and works his butt off every day without reaping the rewards of doing so in game competition? These guys may be the mentally toughest of all. How do you come to every workout, work extra on your swing, and compete to the best of your ability every single day when you know you are not going to get significant playing time? Oh, and you do all of this and are still a team guy through it all! Players who are able to do that, for me, are just as mentally tough as anybody else.
Got someone who comes to mind? I'd love to hear about them. Tweet or email their story to me. I'm sure they would appreciate the shout out!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPfCNuD6I8XiL80nocZvarASNTU89wcjMMJMKzXUv7cu6i90INdgmklLbqDBwPZo2RWRpQ8RxQ5ZBD1ZUeqAvZe_RXD55Sl7yKaWxIMxzy1iqocV-YeFqjgc1wT3QreCM9-M2pHDryxI/s1600/chi_cubs_03.jpg
Mentally tough players give full effort all of the time. This holds true whether it is practice or the most important game of the year. Full effort all of the time means when you are playing your best or your worst. Mentally tough players do not allow something they can control like effort to get in the way of how they play. I'm reminded of something Greg Maddux said in his Hall of Fame speech. Maddux recalls a conversation he had with his pitching coach with the Cubs Bill Connors. Here is the snippet I am talking about:
"Billy Connors asked me a question one day. He asked, "Do you ever wonder how good you can be?" Of course I said no. And he said, "Why don't you go out there and try to find out." I've been trying to find the answer to that question every day since."
For me, this sums up this behavior of mentally tough baseball players. They are on a constant, never-ending quest to see how good they can get, and their effort reflects it.
Maybe the truest test, however, of this characteristic is not with the best players on the team who are always getting playing time. How about the guy who is on the team and works his butt off every day without reaping the rewards of doing so in game competition? These guys may be the mentally toughest of all. How do you come to every workout, work extra on your swing, and compete to the best of your ability every single day when you know you are not going to get significant playing time? Oh, and you do all of this and are still a team guy through it all! Players who are able to do that, for me, are just as mentally tough as anybody else.
Got someone who comes to mind? I'd love to hear about them. Tweet or email their story to me. I'm sure they would appreciate the shout out!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPfCNuD6I8XiL80nocZvarASNTU89wcjMMJMKzXUv7cu6i90INdgmklLbqDBwPZo2RWRpQ8RxQ5ZBD1ZUeqAvZe_RXD55Sl7yKaWxIMxzy1iqocV-YeFqjgc1wT3QreCM9-M2pHDryxI/s1600/chi_cubs_03.jpg
Tuesday, September 2, 2014
My List of What Mentally Tough Baseball Players Do
If you have been a consistent reader of the blog so far, you are well aware of my interest in mental toughness. We've talked about what mental toughness is to me, what mental toughness is in the general world of sport psychology, my thoughts on what mental toughness should be to your program, and an activity to help yourself, your team or your program create a plan to improve toughness.
Because I know many do not have the time to work through the activity, I decided to create a list for you of what I think mentally tough baseball players are able to do. I'm going to roll them out in a series of mini-blog posts so I can talk about them in a little bit of detail. The behaviors are not in any kind of ranking at all, but I will number them just for numbering sake. Remember: This list is just my opinion! It's not any more valuable than yours, but I am excited about the list.
This is a great opportunity for us to interact. Do you have a specific example of yourself, a player you know, or a player you have coached embodying the characteristic or behavior? I want to know! Tweet them to me, and I will retweet examples I like. Hopefully this is something you all will enjoy as much as I have enjoyed working through the list.
#1: Mentally tough baseball players play every pitch independently.
Many of us have heard the saying, "Play one pitch at a time." I feel like playing every pitch independently really drives home the message behind the saying. If you are independent, it means you are on your own. Independent baseball teams are not affiliated with any Major League organizations. Politicians who are said to be independent do not belong to a political party. The idea behind this is that the politician will not be influenced by a larger group of people above himself/herself.
The same holds true with playing each pitch independently. Mentally tough baseball players do not allow the influence of past or future pitches to take away from the focus of THIS PITCH. These players are able to shake off a terrible swing at a curveball in the dirt and understand they still have two strikes to work with. They're able to refocus and trust their plan. A mentally tough pitcher makes every pitch with a specific purpose regardless of score. How many times have you seen this happen in baseball? A starting pitcher gets off to a great start. He is shoving and pitching with extreme focus. The pitcher is throwing every pitch with conviction and forcing the other team to be reactive to his plan. Then, his team puts up a big number or two and builds an 8-0 lead. Maybe the pitcher starts joking around in the dugout, or the pitching coach says, "Alright now, we have a big lead, so we're just going to go out there, throw strikes, and let them hit it." The pitcher then suddenly goes out and appears to nibble. Maybe he walks the first hitter on four pitches, leaves a few out over the plate, and then before you know it the score is 8-4 or 8-5. Rather than stick with the same approach that led to 0's on the scoreboard and pitching independently, the pitcher and coach allowed the score to dictate the approach. Something that should be completely powerless took total control of the pitcher and coach. A mentally tough pitcher approaches every pitch with a purpose regardless of the score.
In closing, playing every pitch independently is not something that is easy to do. The ability to do so is earned through preparation and trust in both one's ability and plan. To be as mentally tough as you can be, however, challenge yourself to play every pitch independently. Start in practice. When you take a "bad" swing, move on to the next swing instead of letting one swing turn into a bad round. If you boot a ground ball, process what happened, see yourself doing what you want, and move on to the next rep. Some recommend a clearing mechanism of some kind. Wipe dirt with your cleats, unstrap and restrap your batting gloves, or simply take a nice, deep breath. Like any other concept, working purposely on playing every pitch independently will result in improvement over time and will make you a mentally tougher player (at least in my eyes!).
Because I know many do not have the time to work through the activity, I decided to create a list for you of what I think mentally tough baseball players are able to do. I'm going to roll them out in a series of mini-blog posts so I can talk about them in a little bit of detail. The behaviors are not in any kind of ranking at all, but I will number them just for numbering sake. Remember: This list is just my opinion! It's not any more valuable than yours, but I am excited about the list.
This is a great opportunity for us to interact. Do you have a specific example of yourself, a player you know, or a player you have coached embodying the characteristic or behavior? I want to know! Tweet them to me, and I will retweet examples I like. Hopefully this is something you all will enjoy as much as I have enjoyed working through the list.
#1: Mentally tough baseball players play every pitch independently.
Many of us have heard the saying, "Play one pitch at a time." I feel like playing every pitch independently really drives home the message behind the saying. If you are independent, it means you are on your own. Independent baseball teams are not affiliated with any Major League organizations. Politicians who are said to be independent do not belong to a political party. The idea behind this is that the politician will not be influenced by a larger group of people above himself/herself.
The same holds true with playing each pitch independently. Mentally tough baseball players do not allow the influence of past or future pitches to take away from the focus of THIS PITCH. These players are able to shake off a terrible swing at a curveball in the dirt and understand they still have two strikes to work with. They're able to refocus and trust their plan. A mentally tough pitcher makes every pitch with a specific purpose regardless of score. How many times have you seen this happen in baseball? A starting pitcher gets off to a great start. He is shoving and pitching with extreme focus. The pitcher is throwing every pitch with conviction and forcing the other team to be reactive to his plan. Then, his team puts up a big number or two and builds an 8-0 lead. Maybe the pitcher starts joking around in the dugout, or the pitching coach says, "Alright now, we have a big lead, so we're just going to go out there, throw strikes, and let them hit it." The pitcher then suddenly goes out and appears to nibble. Maybe he walks the first hitter on four pitches, leaves a few out over the plate, and then before you know it the score is 8-4 or 8-5. Rather than stick with the same approach that led to 0's on the scoreboard and pitching independently, the pitcher and coach allowed the score to dictate the approach. Something that should be completely powerless took total control of the pitcher and coach. A mentally tough pitcher approaches every pitch with a purpose regardless of the score.
In closing, playing every pitch independently is not something that is easy to do. The ability to do so is earned through preparation and trust in both one's ability and plan. To be as mentally tough as you can be, however, challenge yourself to play every pitch independently. Start in practice. When you take a "bad" swing, move on to the next swing instead of letting one swing turn into a bad round. If you boot a ground ball, process what happened, see yourself doing what you want, and move on to the next rep. Some recommend a clearing mechanism of some kind. Wipe dirt with your cleats, unstrap and restrap your batting gloves, or simply take a nice, deep breath. Like any other concept, working purposely on playing every pitch independently will result in improvement over time and will make you a mentally tougher player (at least in my eyes!).
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Let's EAT! Controlling What You Can Control
"Controlling what you can control" is a very popular concept in sport psychology. It is a concept with reach far beyond sports that can have a big impact on your daily life if you follow it. As humans, we spend so much time worrying about things we don't have control over: the weather, traffic, many decisions made in politics, etc. Something to consider is that for every minute we spend worrying about things we have no control over, we lose a minute to control what we can.
Early in the summer I talked to one of my friends, Banks Faulkner, who is the head baseball coach at Summerville High School about coming to speak at their baseball camp. The camp is for a wide range of ages and ability levels so I felt like "controlling what you can control" would be a good topic for everyone. As I thought through the message I wanted to get across, the three concepts that stood out to me were effort, attitude, and thought process. All three are fairly simple yet are often not controlled by many of us.
Effort is pretty straight forward. You have control over how much effort you give. There is no valid excuse for not giving your best effort. The shame is when you do not give your best effort you are actually losing more control of your performance. Think about it. The number one place where effort shows up when watching a baseball game is running to first base. High school coaches everywhere simultaneously lose it, and Twitter blows up every time Robinson Cano goes for a stroll down the first base line. Running hard to first base puts pressure on the defense to make mistakes. That is something within your control. When you don't run hard down the line, you are letting go of your power to pressure. Notice I did not say you are a joke or think you're above the game or that you are lazy. That would be a judgement (topic for another blog). The fact that you are not putting pressure on the defense when you don't run hard is an evaluation. Effort is 100% in our control in whatever we do. In relation to life, we have complete control of the effort we give to our relationships with others. We choose whether we make the effort to support loved ones, to stay in touch with old friend, and to foster new relationship. You either make the effort or not.
Attitude is the next concept. I heard Joe Maddon on MLB Radio this summer put it perfectly when he said, "Attitude is a decision we make every day when we get up in the morning." It really is that simple. How you react to the events that make up your day define your attitude and is completely up to you. When players pout about not being in the lineup, what happens? They usually completely check out of the game mentally, aren't good teammates, and ultimately aren't ready when an opportunity comes later in the game. How many times do you see hitters let one bad strike call ruin an entire at-bat? How many times does that at-bat turn into four? Even in the Major Leagues, pitchers will let one pitch call by an umpire dictate an entire inning or outing. I am huge on having perspective and find this to be very helpful when controlling your attitude. Remember why you do whatever it is you are doing, and don't allow yourself to overvalue the importance of any one pitch. This will usually remind you that whatever you may be letting bother is isn't really as big a deal as you're making it and helps you gain back control. Attitude is huge in a school setting. One of the things that bothers me about mindset is when people answer the question, "How are you?" with the day. "Oh its Monday," or "Hey, it's Friday!" are the two I hear most often. To allow something as silly as what day it is dictate your attitude is to completely give up control again. Why not approach every day with a "It's today" mentality instead and control what the day is made of?
The final concept of thought process is probably not as simple. Many within sport psychology have differing views of thought process and thinking. Some say you can control it, and some say you can't and actually hurt performance by trying to. For me, it is as simple as asking athletes what they are thinking when they are performing at their best. The answer, almost all of the time, is "Nothing." They were in a flow state where the preparation and natural abilities just take over. Although it is impossible to will yourself into this flow state (it just happens), I am a big proponent of Ken Ravizza's thought that the closest thing to nothing is one. Keep your thoughts simple, and have some kind of reinforcement for the situation. Keep your simple thought positive too. Instead of "Don't swing at balls!" or "I can't underthrow my receiver here!" lets go with "Get a good pitch to hit." or "Hit him in the numbers!" Simplicity and positive are key. Again, there are parallels to everyday life. Rather than telling yourself what you are not going to do today or focusing on who you don't want to be, make the decision to focus on what you do want to do and who you do want to be (This is a challenge for me at times, but I'm working on it!).
One of the things that bothers me about popular sport psychology is the amount of acronyms. I've seen WIN, DTD, APE, PRIDE, SMART, and many others. Although I am definitely a founding member of the SPEAOA (Sport pscy enthusiasts against over-acronymization), I have to admit that my mission to be in the sport psychology field without the use of any acronyms was crushed after thinking this topic through early in the summer. As I was reviewing what I'd written so far, I accidentally saw that by putting the three concepts together they spell EAT. With the concept of "eat" already being prevalent and another vague concept within sports, I thought this acronym could help provide meaning.
Telling yourself or teammate "Let's EAT today" could now mean that you're going to control your effort, attitude, and thinking. Although there are certainly other things to be controlled, the goal of sport psychology is to keep things simple. If you're able to control your effort, attitude, and thinking you will increase your chances of success and will have more fun doing so. So challenge yourself and your teammates to EAT today whether it is in sports or in life. Like anything else, understand you're not going to be perfect at controlling all three all of the time. Focus on improvement rather than perfection, and you'll have a realistic measuring stick for yourself. As always, please get in touch with me if you have any questions or feedback. If there is anything I can do to help you at all, let me know.
Coach Ehrlich
@Coach_Ehrlich
ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Early in the summer I talked to one of my friends, Banks Faulkner, who is the head baseball coach at Summerville High School about coming to speak at their baseball camp. The camp is for a wide range of ages and ability levels so I felt like "controlling what you can control" would be a good topic for everyone. As I thought through the message I wanted to get across, the three concepts that stood out to me were effort, attitude, and thought process. All three are fairly simple yet are often not controlled by many of us.
Effort is pretty straight forward. You have control over how much effort you give. There is no valid excuse for not giving your best effort. The shame is when you do not give your best effort you are actually losing more control of your performance. Think about it. The number one place where effort shows up when watching a baseball game is running to first base. High school coaches everywhere simultaneously lose it, and Twitter blows up every time Robinson Cano goes for a stroll down the first base line. Running hard to first base puts pressure on the defense to make mistakes. That is something within your control. When you don't run hard down the line, you are letting go of your power to pressure. Notice I did not say you are a joke or think you're above the game or that you are lazy. That would be a judgement (topic for another blog). The fact that you are not putting pressure on the defense when you don't run hard is an evaluation. Effort is 100% in our control in whatever we do. In relation to life, we have complete control of the effort we give to our relationships with others. We choose whether we make the effort to support loved ones, to stay in touch with old friend, and to foster new relationship. You either make the effort or not.
Attitude is the next concept. I heard Joe Maddon on MLB Radio this summer put it perfectly when he said, "Attitude is a decision we make every day when we get up in the morning." It really is that simple. How you react to the events that make up your day define your attitude and is completely up to you. When players pout about not being in the lineup, what happens? They usually completely check out of the game mentally, aren't good teammates, and ultimately aren't ready when an opportunity comes later in the game. How many times do you see hitters let one bad strike call ruin an entire at-bat? How many times does that at-bat turn into four? Even in the Major Leagues, pitchers will let one pitch call by an umpire dictate an entire inning or outing. I am huge on having perspective and find this to be very helpful when controlling your attitude. Remember why you do whatever it is you are doing, and don't allow yourself to overvalue the importance of any one pitch. This will usually remind you that whatever you may be letting bother is isn't really as big a deal as you're making it and helps you gain back control. Attitude is huge in a school setting. One of the things that bothers me about mindset is when people answer the question, "How are you?" with the day. "Oh its Monday," or "Hey, it's Friday!" are the two I hear most often. To allow something as silly as what day it is dictate your attitude is to completely give up control again. Why not approach every day with a "It's today" mentality instead and control what the day is made of?
The final concept of thought process is probably not as simple. Many within sport psychology have differing views of thought process and thinking. Some say you can control it, and some say you can't and actually hurt performance by trying to. For me, it is as simple as asking athletes what they are thinking when they are performing at their best. The answer, almost all of the time, is "Nothing." They were in a flow state where the preparation and natural abilities just take over. Although it is impossible to will yourself into this flow state (it just happens), I am a big proponent of Ken Ravizza's thought that the closest thing to nothing is one. Keep your thoughts simple, and have some kind of reinforcement for the situation. Keep your simple thought positive too. Instead of "Don't swing at balls!" or "I can't underthrow my receiver here!" lets go with "Get a good pitch to hit." or "Hit him in the numbers!" Simplicity and positive are key. Again, there are parallels to everyday life. Rather than telling yourself what you are not going to do today or focusing on who you don't want to be, make the decision to focus on what you do want to do and who you do want to be (This is a challenge for me at times, but I'm working on it!).
One of the things that bothers me about popular sport psychology is the amount of acronyms. I've seen WIN, DTD, APE, PRIDE, SMART, and many others. Although I am definitely a founding member of the SPEAOA (Sport pscy enthusiasts against over-acronymization), I have to admit that my mission to be in the sport psychology field without the use of any acronyms was crushed after thinking this topic through early in the summer. As I was reviewing what I'd written so far, I accidentally saw that by putting the three concepts together they spell EAT. With the concept of "eat" already being prevalent and another vague concept within sports, I thought this acronym could help provide meaning.
Telling yourself or teammate "Let's EAT today" could now mean that you're going to control your effort, attitude, and thinking. Although there are certainly other things to be controlled, the goal of sport psychology is to keep things simple. If you're able to control your effort, attitude, and thinking you will increase your chances of success and will have more fun doing so. So challenge yourself and your teammates to EAT today whether it is in sports or in life. Like anything else, understand you're not going to be perfect at controlling all three all of the time. Focus on improvement rather than perfection, and you'll have a realistic measuring stick for yourself. As always, please get in touch with me if you have any questions or feedback. If there is anything I can do to help you at all, let me know.
Coach Ehrlich
@Coach_Ehrlich
ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Walkthrough of Mental Toughness Activity
Earlier in the week I told you some of my thoughts on mental toughness. There were two major points. The first is that mental toughness is learned, not inherited. It can be taught and improved upon. This isn't to say every athlete would be equal. There are a lot of environmental factors to consider. The second major point is that to improve mental toughness in yourself or on your team you need to define what it is to you and make it measurable. For today's post, I want to walk you through an activity I've done with the high school baseball team I help coach and have given to a couple of other programs at the high school and college level. Afterwards, I will tell you my rationale for how the activity is designed. It's not perfect, but I do think it can be a valuable tool for you as an athlete or for your team if you are a coach.
1. Read the poem.
While not anything Maya Angelou would write, I do feel like the poem describes Mental Toughness. My hope is that it gets athletes to think and that they each can relate to some aspect of the poem afterwards. It is something to lead into the main activity.
While not anything Maya Angelou would write, I do feel like the poem describes Mental Toughness. My hope is that it gets athletes to think and that they each can relate to some aspect of the poem afterwards. It is something to lead into the main activity.
I am something all coaches want their players to have,
I am something all players want,
People talk about me all the time,
You know me when you see me,
You know me when you don't,
I am not easily defined,
I am action, attitudes, inactions, and gratitude,
What am I?
I am something all players want,
People talk about me all the time,
You know me when you see me,
You know me when you don't,
I am not easily defined,
I am action, attitudes, inactions, and gratitude,
What am I?
2. Ask athletes what they think is being described in the poem. If nobody gets it, tell them after a few guesses.
Self-explanatory here...They need to know the topic is Mental Toughness.
Self-explanatory here...They need to know the topic is Mental Toughness.
3. Introduce them to Mental Toughness, how it's hard to define, and why it's hard to define. What do you do when a coach says you are physically weak, you need to get faster, or you need to work on a specific part of your game? Follow lifting program, running program, or plan to work on skill. What do you do if you are told you are not tough enough? No answers here probably. The goal of the activity is to create the team's plan for getting Mentally Tougher by creating a list of behaviors/characteristics of Mentally Tough ________ (insert athlete type here). MENTAL TOUGHNESS IS A SKILL NOT A TRAIT! You can get better.
The whole point of this is to introduce the topic again and to discuss the purpose of the activity. It give the direction of where we are going.
The whole point of this is to introduce the topic again and to discuss the purpose of the activity. It give the direction of where we are going.
4. Talk about the Jay Bilas article as you hand it out. While you could just hand out the list, I think there is a lot of value in the athletes being able to read the descriptions following each behavior or characteristic. Have players look over the list silently and by themselves. You can have them mark which behaviors relate to their sport or that could if adjusted.
This gives athletes specific examples of behaviors and/or characteristics of toughness. It also gives athletes a chance to reflect individually before they may be influenced by a group.
This gives athletes specific examples of behaviors and/or characteristics of toughness. It also gives athletes a chance to reflect individually before they may be influenced by a group.
5. Split the team into groups. The job of the groups is to come up with a list of specific behaviors and characteristics they think Mentally Tough _______ (insert athlete type here) should have. The goal is to come up with a list for OUR team. Give them a larger sheet of paper to write the lists down on. As they discuss, walk around and ask how it is going and what they are coming up with. Ask questions like, "Why did you include this?" or "Is there a time when you reacted this way in a game (or the opposite)?" I would strongly suggest not trying to influence the list. The questions are designed to help understand your players better.
It is going to be hard not to give your opinion, but this is a great activity for players to have autonomy and ownership. I would keep groups at no more than 5 and pick leaders of each group beforehand. Talk with group leaders about what you are going to do and what you would like their roles to be as discussion leaders. One idea I had the other day is to have a coaches group as well. Treat them exactly the same as the other groups. This would get the input of coaches and stress to the team that we are all together. Just an idea!
It is going to be hard not to give your opinion, but this is a great activity for players to have autonomy and ownership. I would keep groups at no more than 5 and pick leaders of each group beforehand. Talk with group leaders about what you are going to do and what you would like their roles to be as discussion leaders. One idea I had the other day is to have a coaches group as well. Treat them exactly the same as the other groups. This would get the input of coaches and stress to the team that we are all together. Just an idea!
6. As groups begin to wrap up their list, tell them to pick 2-3 they feel really strongly about. They can have one backup if they want. Then, have each group present their 2-3 to the team. The teacher in me thinks it is important to make sure the team understands how presenting is difficult for some people, and this is not the time to joke around or make fun of people. Remember the reason for the activity. This is to create a list for our team to live by with Mental Toughness and to create a way to improve. The team will vote on what makes the final list and what does not. Have a group present and explain the items on the list. Review the behaviors/characteristics, and have the team vote. We did an approximate 2/3 vote was needed for the behavior to make it on the final list.
I like this part for a couple of reasons. Many of the athletes will end up with jobs where they make presentations and talk in front of groups. This is great practice in a safe, team environment. It also helps work on leadership qualities. The vote makes it a team process and again stresses ownership of the list. YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO GIVE YOUR OPINION HERE. DON'T DO IT! A player will say something like "swag" that will make you want to puke! Let it go! Understand that you get to have your input an overwhelming majority of the time with the team as a coach. Give the players some autonomy, and trust them to come up with a solid list. It does not matter if you don't like every single item on there!
I like this part for a couple of reasons. Many of the athletes will end up with jobs where they make presentations and talk in front of groups. This is great practice in a safe, team environment. It also helps work on leadership qualities. The vote makes it a team process and again stresses ownership of the list. YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO GIVE YOUR OPINION HERE. DON'T DO IT! A player will say something like "swag" that will make you want to puke! Let it go! Understand that you get to have your input an overwhelming majority of the time with the team as a coach. Give the players some autonomy, and trust them to come up with a solid list. It does not matter if you don't like every single item on there!
7. Upon the completion of the presentations, I like the idea of anybody on the team having the opportunity to give a behavior/characteristic they feel was not addressed that needs to be on there. Have them explain from their seat, and have a vote. It was really cool to see a few guys I would not have thought would speak up do so when we did this as a team.
You want to make sure everyone has a chance to be heard. Maybe 1-2 guys ended up dominating a small group discussion, but that fourth or fifth group member feels comfortable telling the team something now. It is just one more opportunity for someone to speak up.
You want to make sure everyone has a chance to be heard. Maybe 1-2 guys ended up dominating a small group discussion, but that fourth or fifth group member feels comfortable telling the team something now. It is just one more opportunity for someone to speak up.
8. Wrap up the activity. Discuss how this is only the start of the conversation. The list is the workout program, the throwing program, etc. It will only work if the athletes commit to the program. Accountability among all is huge!
This includes coaches here. Commit to what you are doing just like you expect your players to commit. The more you do, the better the players will feel about what they created together as a team.
This includes coaches here. Commit to what you are doing just like you expect your players to commit. The more you do, the better the players will feel about what they created together as a team.
9. Continue to make the list a priority. Point out examples of athletes doing things on the list and getting a little bit tougher mentally. Have athletes point out examples of teammates. In addition, I would pick 1-2 behaviors a week to be a major point of emphasis. Just like you may work on a specific defense in basketball for a couple of practices or first and third defenses in baseball, make the list part of the practice plan. Example: This week we are going to work on "Picking up teammates when they make a mistake." Look for examples of players picking up teammates. Reward them with praise, and the behavior will increase!
Can I prove with large amounts of statistical data that this list and process will increase Mental Toughness? No! I think what the activity does is define Mental Toughness is to your program and ultimately makes a vague term measurable. There are also the other benefits discussed within the steps above. Would you like me to help you with the activity? Get in touch. I'd love to facilitate the activity for your team! Have feedback? Send that too. If you try the activity, please send me the list your team creates. I'd love to see it and possibly use it for something in the future. Thanks again for reading.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Mental Toughness is _______________
Mental toughness, as I mentioned in the Win Now post, is of great interest to me. Coaches are always talking about it. "We've got to be tougher!" "The other team was just tougher than us today," or "That kid is just tough. You can't teach that," are a few of the ways I've heard toughness talked about by coaches. Just the other day, a football coach I spoke with was talking about a player "who just isn't mentally tough." As an athlete, you have probably been labeled as tough or not tough by coaches in the past. Maybe it even happened to your face. At the very least, you have gotten an unofficial rating from a coach.
Okay, so what is mental toughness then? If you were to ask athletes if they have heard their coaches talk about mental toughness, an overwhelming majority would say they have. Ask them to tell you what their coach thinks mental toughness is, however, and the same majority are unable to give a concrete answer. I've given you what I think mental toughness is, and a search on Twitter or Google would yield an infinite number of "expert" opinions. Even within sport psychology, there has been a lack of a widely accepted definition until fairly recently. There is a study of elite athletes from 2002 that came up with the following definition:
"Mental toughness is having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:
1. generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands that sports places on a performer
2. be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident and in control under pressure"
Simple enough? Yeah right! While the study is accepted by many in the sport psych community, it is created from interviews with athletes. In other words, the definition and characteristics are created from opinions.
For me, there are two keys to mental toughness. The first is to understand that mental toughness is learned, not inherited. Therefore, you shouldn't write yourself or players you may coach off as "just not mentally tough." If a baseball player has a weak arm, what does he do to get better? He throws. If a basketball player has a bad jump shot, he/she shoots. There are specific things to do to improve. How helpless is an athlete if a coach says they are not mentally tough and then does not give specific ways to improve? That can be demoralizing for a kid! That is like telling him he can't hit and just walking away. In other words, you work with what you have and work to improve.
So if a study of opinions can create a definition of mental toughness, why can't you or your program do the same? Which do you think would be more powerful to the athletes you coach? Would it be reading the academic definition above or a definition they have created as a group?
Jay Bilas wrote an outstanding article on what makes mentally tough basketball players. The article actually led to a book that is pretty good as well. What I love about the article is Bilas gives a list of specific actions that mentally tough basketball players do and descriptions to go along with them. The actions, for the most part, are concrete and measurable. For example, one of the behaviors is "talk on defense." If I were observing a basketball practice, I could track how many times a player or team talks to other players while they are playing defense. Therefore, I can visibly see improvement as this number increases over time.
The Bilas article gave me the idea of creating a list with baseball players. I've used the Bilas article twice with teams I've coached and had them work through the article to create a list for themselves. What the activity did was get the players to think through what they picture mental toughness to be. By giving specific behaviors or characteristics, athletes are then able to measurably become tougher. I'll admit the activity was not perfect, but I have no doubt that our teams and players were a little bit tougher as a result of having the conversation and creating a list than they were prior to doing so.
So in summary, mental toughness can be whatever you, your team, or your program decides that it is. The important points to consider are that you should make your definition measurable (be able to list examples, keep track), and everyone has the ability to improve! Challenge yourself to become a little tougher today than you were yesterday. Do this on a consistent basis, and you will become a mentally tougher player, coach, and/or person!
Later this week I will walk coaches through the activity so it becomes something that can benefit your program! What do you think mental toughness is? Let me know @Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
Okay, so what is mental toughness then? If you were to ask athletes if they have heard their coaches talk about mental toughness, an overwhelming majority would say they have. Ask them to tell you what their coach thinks mental toughness is, however, and the same majority are unable to give a concrete answer. I've given you what I think mental toughness is, and a search on Twitter or Google would yield an infinite number of "expert" opinions. Even within sport psychology, there has been a lack of a widely accepted definition until fairly recently. There is a study of elite athletes from 2002 that came up with the following definition:
"Mental toughness is having the natural or developed psychological edge that enables you to:
1. generally, cope better than your opponents with the many demands that sports places on a performer
2. be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident and in control under pressure"
Simple enough? Yeah right! While the study is accepted by many in the sport psych community, it is created from interviews with athletes. In other words, the definition and characteristics are created from opinions.
For me, there are two keys to mental toughness. The first is to understand that mental toughness is learned, not inherited. Therefore, you shouldn't write yourself or players you may coach off as "just not mentally tough." If a baseball player has a weak arm, what does he do to get better? He throws. If a basketball player has a bad jump shot, he/she shoots. There are specific things to do to improve. How helpless is an athlete if a coach says they are not mentally tough and then does not give specific ways to improve? That can be demoralizing for a kid! That is like telling him he can't hit and just walking away. In other words, you work with what you have and work to improve.
So if a study of opinions can create a definition of mental toughness, why can't you or your program do the same? Which do you think would be more powerful to the athletes you coach? Would it be reading the academic definition above or a definition they have created as a group?
Jay Bilas wrote an outstanding article on what makes mentally tough basketball players. The article actually led to a book that is pretty good as well. What I love about the article is Bilas gives a list of specific actions that mentally tough basketball players do and descriptions to go along with them. The actions, for the most part, are concrete and measurable. For example, one of the behaviors is "talk on defense." If I were observing a basketball practice, I could track how many times a player or team talks to other players while they are playing defense. Therefore, I can visibly see improvement as this number increases over time.
The Bilas article gave me the idea of creating a list with baseball players. I've used the Bilas article twice with teams I've coached and had them work through the article to create a list for themselves. What the activity did was get the players to think through what they picture mental toughness to be. By giving specific behaviors or characteristics, athletes are then able to measurably become tougher. I'll admit the activity was not perfect, but I have no doubt that our teams and players were a little bit tougher as a result of having the conversation and creating a list than they were prior to doing so.
So in summary, mental toughness can be whatever you, your team, or your program decides that it is. The important points to consider are that you should make your definition measurable (be able to list examples, keep track), and everyone has the ability to improve! Challenge yourself to become a little tougher today than you were yesterday. Do this on a consistent basis, and you will become a mentally tougher player, coach, and/or person!
Later this week I will walk coaches through the activity so it becomes something that can benefit your program! What do you think mental toughness is? Let me know @Coach_Ehrlich or ehrlichb1@gmail.com
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