2-1 in 18 innings..a Sport Psychology Dream

    The spring has had a challenging start to it thus far.  Our team has had six injuries of varying severity with three guys out for the year so far.  Without going into too much detail, it has changed the complexity of our team significantly.  More importantly, it has ended the high school careers of at least two of the players.  That is something that has been very hard to deal with.  Regardless, I do not think anyone within the state of South Carolina feels bad for us and plans on spotting us any runs when we play them!  The challenge has been to keep the same high aspirations the team had before the year as the names in the lineup have been changed.  Something I think has helped with this transition is our clear expectation for everyone in the program and a goal we set of, "Being as good as we can be each day."  Guys getting hurt hasn't changed that a bit.  It was kind of cool to see John Calipari has the same expectations for his team in pursuit of history.  I saw a quote prior to the tournament starting where he said, "All I want for my team right now is individually to be the best version of yourself."  That is really all any of us can and should expect.  That best version may change over time and may even fluctuate daily, but it's a great perspective.

        The injuries have made the start a bit of a roller coaster ride as our team searches for its identity, and that roller coaster continued with an eighteen inning game on Tuesday night against one of our rivals.  The game, a tense one for all involved because of the numerous up's and down's that an eighteen inning game will bring, was a sport psychology dream with all of the story lines that developed.  It would be impossible to mention every one, but I will discuss a few general thoughts I had and hope to incorporate some concepts that will help others in the future.

1. The Toughest Moment in Baseball History That Wasn't:  Somewhere around the 5th inning or so, we were locked in a 1-1 tie.  We pinch-hit a kid with freakish athletic ability who has worked to try to play catch up with some baseball skills and knowledge of the game over the last couple of years.  He worked the at-bat and got drilled in the arm.  After advancing to second base on a bunt (I think?  18 innings remember!), he stole third.  The player slid extremely late and crushed his ankle on the bag as the ball scooted away.  "Score!" was the call and the goal of the player as he proceeded to do the unthinkable.  With his left foot dangling to the side, he hopped on his right foot in a perfectly straight line and scored ahead of the throw.  The player then collapsed in agony and had to be carried off the field.  Unfortunately, he got the bad news of having a severe leg and ankle injury that required surgery Thursday.  That is much more important than the result of a game, but the focus of the blog is the game so back to it.  As the player is lying in agony, the opposing coach is discussing the play with the umpires.  The umpires walk off several times to discuss what happened.  Any coach knows this is never a good sign and is likely going to result in 50% of the people involved in the game being extremely upset with the end of the conversation.  The umpires decided that one of them had blown the play dead because of a "concern for safety of the player" (never mind that he had been standing on third and decided on his own to go home).  I've never seen this happen in a baseball game in my life, but the decision was indeed made.  Our team was upset (about the player and the play), the hitter ended up striking out to end the inning, and little did we know the night was just getting started.  Regardless of the result, the player who hopped home showed unbelievable courage with his effort on the play.  It was the toughest individual effort I have ever witnessed in person and something I will never forget.  Moving past it proved a tough challenge.  Much thought was spent on how we should have scored instead of how we would do so again in the present moment.

2. Hitting In the Dark:  Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in baseball.  We've all heard the axiom about hitting a round ball with a round bat square.  Well something that can make it even harder than normal is attempting to hit in the dark.  Once we got into the seventh inning or so the sun was down completely, and any light would be of the man-made variety.  The lights at the field we were playing at were better served for listening to a little Barry White and making some moves than hitting.  This led to 11 innings of pitchers looking like they are all throwing 7-10 mph harder and an unprecedented amount of fist pumps as they threw fastball after fastball past hitters on both sides.  This was a major challenge to hitting.  When broken down to the most fundamental of levels, one must see the ball to hit.  The lights made it tougher than normal.  What made it even tougher, however, was if the hitters allowed the lights (uncontrollable) to take away from their focus on the task at hand (controllable).

3. Separating Elements of the Game: This relates to some of the inevitably gross offensive lines that occur in an offensively-challenged eighteen inning baseball game.  As hitter after hitter went back to the dugout or ended an offensive threat shaking their head after a strikeout or weakly hit ball, the challenge was to then move on and play defense.  Both teams did a really good job of this.  Guys did a really good job of separating different elements of the game and moving on.  Again, both teams did well with this and are to be commended.  Although it has been said that experience is the best of teachers, my hope for the offensive players is that they do not have too many opportunities to learn like this one!

4. How to Pitch in the Dark: It was at least as fun to pitch as it wasn't to hit during this one.  The confidence of three guys in particular who threw during the "Dark Ages" portion of the game was great to watch.  They threw like nobody was going to hit them and pitched through some tough spots.  The hitters did a poor job of placing proper value and effort with each pitch of each at-bat.  What I mean is all too many times one strike quickly became three, and swings were either of the gorilla or puppy variety.  There was very little free and easy to anything offensively.  The pitchers were the direct inverse of this.  "Here it comes.  See if you can hit it!" was the attitude on the mound when one run was probably going to win the game.  I'd encourage these guys to "pitch like you're in the dark" every game by throwing each pitch with the same conviction.

5. Every Moment Is as Big as We Make It:  This is perhaps the greatest lesson I think a game like this can teach.  In sports, so often we place an added emphasis on "crunch time."  This could be the final two minutes in a football game, the last inning of a baseball game, or the closing minutes of a basketball game.  My questions would be this: "What makes the final out of a baseball game any more valuable than the other twenty-six?"  "Is a touchdown in the final two minutes worth more than six points?" "Why do basketball teams change the way they have successfully gotten the lead in the first fifty-nine minutes in hopes of hanging on to a game?"  With this in mind, everyone will remember one or two plays from a 2-1, 18 inning game that "made the difference" in the game.  That difference, in reality, isn't any greater than every other play.  A baserunning mistake to start an inning is just as important as one to end an inning.  A great defensive play is still only worth one out.

In my opinion, the greatest of both athletes and teams are those who are able to best approach every pitch or every play with the same intensity and focus.  Consistent behavior yields consistent results.  Why would you then purposely have a completely different approach to the end of the game?  That only creates discomfort and likely hurts performance.  Now, if you are the rare player who seems to perform better in these "clutch" situations, then I would challenge you to reevaluate where your focus is during all of the other situations.  Chances are an adjustment in doing so would help you to be a better overall player.

Those are just a few of the topics that stood out to me in this marathon game for the ages.  There were certainly others like guys battling through 0-6's to get big hits late in what proved to be the deciding inning (we won 2-1).  It was a great game though and one I will never forget being a part of.

Have you ever participated in a long, extra inning game?  Were there moments or lessons that stood out to you?  I'd love to hear about them.  Tweet @Coach_Ehrlich, or shoot me an email atehrlichb1@gmail.com.  Win now!

Characteristics of a Great Teammate #2: Great teammates don't criticize execution.

#2: Great Teammates don't criticize execution.

        Great teammates don't criticize execution.  What I mean here is great teammates don't get on each other for things like not getting a hit or making an error.  One of my all-time favorite comments that crack me up at a baseball game is when I hear someone yell to the pitcher, "Hey! Throw strikes!" as they are struggling to throw them.  For what should be a very clear reason, I have yet to hear a pitcher respond with "Oh thank you for the great advice.  I had been trying to throw balls but will change my objective now."  There is a way to encourage teammates, and that isn't it.  I am also not a fan of players yelling out mechanical help to hitters.  "Get your foot down!" or "Keep your head on the ball," are two staples you may have heard.  The last thing hitters should be focused on is mechanical adjustments mid at-bat.  "Hit it hard right here," "Have a good one," or "See the baseball," are much better choices for encouragement.  They are controllable, task-oriented, and focused on action.

        When I first began brainstorming for this characteristic I wrote, "Great teammates don't criticize performance."  I backed off of this because I do think there are at least a couple of aspects of performance teammates should have the right to criticize:  effort and attitude.  If a teammate does not give full effort, it is well within your right to get on them.  Hopefully, the coaches do so and enable you to do fulfill your responsibility of playing the game.  Attitude is another part of performance that is within the realm of being policed by teammates.  Like effort, it should be handled by coaches if possible.  Many times players with consistently poor attitudes become experts at disguising them.  A, "Yes sir" to the coach may be followed with a sarcastic comment behind the coach's back.  These are the guys who stir up trouble behind the scenes.  If not handled early, one attitude can become four or five VERY QUICKLY.  Criticizing attitude is something great teammates are able to do.  If you're going to do it, however, you better be accountable for your attitude in return.  You can't criticize a teammate for throwing a helmet when he is struggling only to do it yourself a couple weeks later as you struggle.  The key is to expect from others what you expect from yourself.  It's kind of a Golden Rule of being part of a team sport.

Do you have good or bad examples of criticism of teammates?  Like always, I would love to hear them.

The Leyland Letter

       One of the best things about working on a staff where everyone has goals of developing as a coach and person is you get to share resources.  Early last week one of the other assistant coaches I work with sent me one of the coolest things I have gotten the chance to read.  It was a letter from Jim Leyland to a pitcher who, by the quick research I did, was probably about to experience his first Major League camp.  Leyland, after a seven year absence from managing, was about to take part in his first with the Detroit Tigers.  About a month and a half prior to pitchers and catchers reporting, Leyland sent a letter to players introducing himself and his expectations.  The letter is littered with great sport psychology messages and is no doubt influenced by Leyland's time with basebal sport psyc legend Harvey Dorfman.  Here are a few of my favorite nuggets from the letter:

1. Wanting to Be a Winner vs Realizing What It Takes to Be a Winner
Everyone who participates in sports wants to be a winner.  Nobody goes into a game saying, "Boy I hope we lose," or "I sure do want to play poorly today."  Leyland mentions "great preparation, dedication, discipline, and the desire to be the best."  I love all of these adjectives.  Understanding what they are and their importance is essential to being a winner.

2. Telling Players They Are Good
About halfway through the first paragraph Leyland makes the comment, "Maybe some of you don't realize how good you are yet but I do."  The fact that a Major League manager felt compelled to say that to players going to Major League camp is great for perspective.  If these guys need to be reminded or helped to realize how good they are, then how about the players the majority of us coach?  They probably could use a reminder from time to time or someone to believe in them.  One of the coaching lessons sport psychology teaches is that our expectations for individual players affects the way we coach them and ultimately how they develop while under our watches.  Do you tell the players you coach they are good?  Better yet, do your actions show that you think they are good?

3. THE ENTIRE SECOND PARAGRAPH
Wow!  I love everything about the second paragraph.  So many times we tend to worry about the teams or players we are competing against.  How are they preparing this offseason?  When the games come, what are they doing?  Who do they have on their team?  Who is pitching?  "Who cares?" is the message Leyland sends, and I couldn't agree more.  A while back I wrote that mentally tough baseball players approach every game the same way.  The opponent is irrelevant.  The game is what we play.  While that may come across as cocky, I don't believe that it is.  My thought is only that getting caught up in the opponent takes away focus from the task.  Having a plan is important, but the focus should be on what you are doing instead of your opponent.  That is huge to me.

I also really like what Leyland says about nerves and how he wants his players to be "totally relaxed and having fun."  It's okay to be nervous, but how you react to nerves is key to performance.  Then, even at the Major League level, relaxation and enjoyment are important.  "Playing freely" is a phrase I like a lot.  Pete Carroll is big on it, and its roots are in The Inner Game of Tennis.  I want players to feel so prepared for competition that they are able to enjoy it.  This is something I think is easy to lose sight of but is crucial to sports.

4. Knowing Who You Are and Staying True to Yourself
The start of the third paragraph talks about how Leyland is as a person and manager.  He mentions a couple of adjectives that describe him and his imperfections.  The key here is Leyland clearly knows who he is at the point in his career that the letter was written.  That is HUGE for any coach.  There are many ways to be successful as a coach, but self-discovery and being true to yourself are very beneficial.  Trying to be someone you are not can be sniffed out quickly by players and contradicts everything we teach them about knowing who they are as athletes.

5. Remembering How Hard Baseball Is
Leyland makes a comment about halfway through the third paragraph about his admiration for the ability the players have and realizing how hard baseball is to play.  This is great to me.  Sometimes as coaches we forget how hard it is to play the game of baseball.  We think to ourselves, "How can Johnny not hit every ball hard after all of the excellent coaching I have given him?"  Well, he can't because it isn't possible.  If it were that easy, everyone who plays would be good.  Although I think it is very important to have standards for your players, let us not forget our own trials and tribulations as players (at any level).  Most of us are trying to help pass along the great lessons and experiences the game of baseball has given us.  Let's help players to deal with the adversity they will surely encounter and help them to enjoy the great game by creating realistic expectations for performance.

Those are a few of the takeaways I got from The Leyland Letter.  What about you?  Were you drawn to something else?  Do you hate something Leyland says?  I want to hear about it.

Here is the Letter:

Here is a link to what appears to be the original site to post the letter with thoughts from the recipient Jordan Tata:
http://www.tasba.com/news/2015/2/24/my-letter-from-jim-leyland

Step Forward, Not Up

Disclaimer: Read the entire blog post before you label me a mental coaching dreamer!

        "Step up right here!"  We all have heard it.  Many of us have probably said it.  Maybe it was in a situation where a big hit was needed or a team seems flat.  Maybe it was when a player was injured, and an opportunity was created for someone else.  I know I've said it before, but I also know I've become very careful about how and when I say it.  For me, the majority of times call for a step forward instead.

        Step it up implies that you need to do more than what you are already doing.  You have to step up your performance.  Here is the flaw in this.  What if I'm already giving my best effort?  If I am already giving everything I have and the results are not there, then that can create a very helpless situation already.  Then, I am being asked to step it up even more.  I envision someone on a flight of stairs being told to, "Step it up."  They reach for the next step on the staircase only to realize there isn't one.  What is the result?  They plummet to the ground.  The same can hold true for your performance.  If you reach for that step that isn't there, your performance can actually suffer tremendously.  This can be a hitter trying to swing too hard and flying off of the ball.  Maybe a pitcher overthrows, and their stuff flattens out as a result.  Another visual I thought of with one of the guys I coach with is the appearance of everything the player does being a little too quick.  It's the setting on your DVR remote that is somewhere in between "play" and "fast forward."  Think about one of those football recruiting videos that look just a little bit unnatural.  This is what someone who is looking to "step it up" looks like.

        So instead of a step up, I would like a step forward.  The step forward's implication is that the opportunity is presenting itself and looking for players to volunteer.  For all you secret The Bachelor fans, the opportunity is asking you if you would like to accept this rose.  If you choose to accept, then the step forward is just doing what you have always been capable of.  There is no need to change who you are to compensate for the situation at hand.  Down a couple of runs?  Well then step forward with your best at-bat.  You can't get them all back at once.  Instead, the comeback must happen one pitch at a time.  Control the box, and do what you do best.  Has there been an injury or a player departure of another kind?  Again, the worst thing you can do is try to replace that player.  You are not them, and you never will be.  At the same time, you are the best in the world at being yourself.  Be your best to help compensate for the loss by stepping forward.  The MLB Sirius station has been doing a lot of Spring Training interviews with players, managers, and front office members.  One of the topics that inevitably comes up is how to replace that trusted veteran who left as a free agent or the guy who will be out all year with an arm injury.  I really enjoy hearing the different responses.  If you are a fan of MLB Network's discussions, the radio version is like MLB Network on steroids.  There is something about it being radio instead of TV that makes the people interviewed much freer and candid in their responses.  The best I have heard all acknowledge that you can't replace a "James Shields" or a "Max Scherzer."  The next line usually goes to how them leaving presents an opportunity for a young guy to prove themselves.  I think of a guy like Joe Panic last year with the Giants.  After an injury to Marco Scutaro, the Giants tried several guys at second base.  Joe Panik was called up and eventually given his chance to win the job.  He did not try to be Marco Scutaro.  Instead, he played his game.  The result was a great rookie of year and culminated with some big hits and arguably the biggest defensive play of the postseason.  Panik, ironically, was incredibly calm during all of this.  There was a clear trust in who he was as a player, and he ultimately helped the Giants win the World Series.  This happened by stepping forward rather than up.

        One thing I would like to make clear is that I am not completely against the phrase "Step it up."  There are absolutely times where players or teams need to do so.  For me, it is more in the manner of stepping up effort or focus.  Coaches can tell when a team is flat or a player isn't giving his best effort for whatever reason.  If this is you, then definitely step it up.  If you are giving your best effort, then you need to be able to live with the results.  Keep stepping forward with that best effort, and the tide will eventually turn.  Thanks for reading, and be sure to "step forward" today!

Characteristics of Great Teammates

        On most teams you'll find great teammates.  What constitutes a great teammate varies depending on who you ask.  Like many of the other concepts we have discussed, being a great teammate is something most of us would agree is important.  With the beginning of the baseball season upon us, most teams begin a shift away from the focus on individual development of the offseason to a renewed focus on the team.  Now is when you really find out who is "we over me" as the lineups are made and adversity is faced.  This made me think of creating another list.  The list will follow the pattern of the Mentally Tough Baseball Players List of being mostly shorter posts with examples.  Some of the characteristics will seem obvious, and some won't.  Some will be based on my study of sport psychology, but many will be based on experiences as a player and coach.  Like any other list of this sort, there will be some facts and some opinions.  Feel free to agree or disagree, but my hope is that the list will lead to some discussion within your teams and teammates, as well as reflection within yourself.

        #1: Great teammates don't hold each other responsible for an individual's personal situation.

        Great teammates don't hold each other responsible for an individual's personal situation.  This can work a number of ways, but I have two basic examples to illustrate my point.  The first is the player who finds himself without the role he was hoping for on the team.  Maybe he is not a starter after working hard and giving it everything he's got.  There are different ways to react to this sort of situation.  Some are productive, and some aren't.  An unproductive way would be to pout, feel sorry for himself, and to be mad at the guy who is starting over him.  As irrational as this sort of response is, it happens often.  Think about it for a second.  Did your teammate make the lineup?  No.  If he did, however, he probably still would have written his name instead of yours.  He is your teammate, but he wants to play as much as you do.  Don't blame him for your personal situation.  Accept it, free yourself up to have a productive response instead (more on that in a future post), and be a great teammate!

        A variation of the second example of a teammate holding another teammate responsible for a personal situation happens far too often during games.  Player A is starting, has a bad at-bat, and strikes out.  He comes in the dugout pissed off.  Player B is not starting and is trying to be a great teammate.  He tells Player A that it is okay, that he'll get him next time, and attempts to dap him up.  Player B snubs him or fires some sort of profanity-laced comment back at Player A.  This is holding a teammate responsible for your personal situation and is a selfish response.  Player B didn't make Player A have a bad at-bat.  Why get mad at him?  He's trying to be a great teammate.  Player B probably would have liked to have the at-bat Player A just had, and Player A certainly is not making that any easier to deal with.  Accept the support, and be a great teammate.

        The two examples I gave take a look at players in the two generic situations of starter and non-starter.  That was purposeful.  Among great teams, there are great teammates.  Anyone can be a great teammate regardless of ability level or role within the team.  All should be held accountable for the specific behavior and characteristics of a great teammate.  It's much easier to focus on and notice "guy on bench" and his response to not playing.  Let's not forget the responsibility of the guy playing as well.  His should be equal in expectations.  

        I hope you enjoyed this first in a mini-series.  Do you have other examples of teammates holding each other responsible for a personal situation?  I'd love to hear them.  Tweet them to me @Coach_Ehrlich, or shoot me an email ehrlichb1@gmail.com.  Best of skill with your seasons getting going.  Hopefully you have prepared and can go out and enjoy the year.

My Thoughts on Adversity

        Adversity.  It can be described as misfortunes or difficulties.  Dr. Ken Ravizza describes it as when the _____ hits the fan.  Within the game of baseball adversity may take the form of a booted ground ball, giving up a bomb, or having a call go against you.  Outside of the game, maybe adversity is a position battle, a prolonged slump (either as an individual or as a team), or problems completely outside of the sports environment.  The point is adversity can take many different forms.  Likewise, there are many ways to deal with adversity.  Some are productive, and some aren't.  For me, the productive ways boil down to three principles.  Those principles are trust, being rational rather than emotional, and being a solution seeker.  In my opinion, all three are interrelated.  I will try to tackle each individually though.

1. Trust-  Trust is huge in sports.  Coaches spend a great deal of time talking about needing to be able to trust players.  Players want to be able to trust teammates.  They also need to be able to trust coaches.  The ultimate test of trust in performance is whether individuals can trust themselves.  In-game adversity tests this trust.  When you make a poor pitch, do you start to doubt all of the work you have put in?  Maybe you are late on a fastball and pop it up weakly.  Do you then completely change your stance or approach as a hitter for your next at-bat?  If so, you are probably struggling to trust yourself.  In doing so, you are cheapening the countless hours of conditioning, the skill work, and the experiences that have led to this moment.  The best players in baseball have a great ability to trust themselves and what works for them.  If they are struggling to get hits, they know that each poor at-bat just makes them one at-bat closer to turning things around.  Many factors go into the building of that trust, but ultimately it is a decision made by the individual.

2. Being rational rather than emotional- This is something I struggled with as a player at many points of time.  I'd get out, and thoughts like, "I suck!" or "How the f*** could you not hit that pitch?" would creep into (and sometimes out of) my head.  Before I knew it, one at-bat with a poor result would turn into three or four.  Three or four at-bats may turn into a bad weekend or bad couple of weeks.  This was being emotional about my performance.  It worked on the flip side too.  Getting hits would be because, "I'm the man right now!" instead of whatever actually produced the result.  Rene Descartes is known as the father of rationalism in philosophy.  The idea behind rationalism is that opinions and the resulting actions of those opinions should be based on reason instead of emotion.  The idea is easier to describe than to enact, but taking the emotion out of your performance is one of the greatest keys to being a consistent player.  Self-reflection, sometimes in short bursts during games and definitely after games, is important to understanding who you are.  That reflection needs to be based on reason rather than emotion.  So many of the bad at-bats I had were "because I sucked" or "something is wrong with my swing" when I did my emotional reflection.  Rationally, they were because I swung at a bad pitch, tried to do a little too much, or deviated from my plan.  The great games were because I saw the ball well, got into hitters counts, and reacted to the baseball.  Be rational in the face of adversity, and your chances will greatly improve.

3. Be a solution seeker- One of my favorite quotes comes from the timeless Harvey Dorfman.  Dorfman says, "Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle."  I've seen the quote attributed to multiple people including Ben Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.  The darkness is the problem you're facing.  It's the adversity.  Sure, you could decide to curse it.  If you do, chances are you will feel a lot worse.  You definitely won't change anything.  Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, lighting a candle is seeking the solution.  How much time do we spend wallowing in self-pity or complaining about a situation?  That is ultimately just time wasted that could have been used finding a solution.  One concept I love (from Jon Gordon I think?) is the idea that you should not complain about something unless you are willing to try to find a solution.  Adversity needs to work the same way.  Rather than feeling bad for yourself because of giving up a hit, having a bad game, or being in a slump, you should be seeking solutions to "light a candle."  In our search for solutions, we many times go on wild goose chases for some crazy idea when the answer we are looking for is most often within us already.  It's probably thinking rationally about what is going on.  This is where consistent self-reflection can help keep us from prolonged periods of inconsistency.

        As you can see, trust, being rational, and seeking solutions really are all intertwined with each other.  Trusting your ability and plan help us stay rational.  Staying rational helps us to find solutions.  "Swinging at better pitches" is a much easier solution than "not sucking."  Being able to find solutions is part of the work and preparation that builds on our trust.  I chose to write this blog with an emphasis on the individual, but all of the principles are easily applicable to a team concept as well.  Steps to handling the adversity would likewise be similar.  Although my principles are not by any means the only ways to deal with adversity, they are three I feel strongly about.  Do you have a time where you battled adversity either in a game or outside of it?  I'd love to hear about it.  Shoot me an email @ehrlichb1.gmail.com, or send me a tweet.  Thanks again for reading, and good skill with your spring seasons starting up!





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The Character Development Inventory: A Tool for Discovery and Growth

        Over the past couple of months or so, I have had the great opportunity to design and implement an off-season mental conditioning program with the high school baseball team I am a part of.  As I mentioned in the last post on "Focus," I have been very hesitant to write specifically about what we are doing.  There are multiple reasons for my hesitation.  Mainly, I am not big on self-promotion.  I do not care at all if other people know what we are doing.  My only interest is that the players in the program invest in what we do.  That being said, one of my goals within the sport psychology profession is to help as many people as possible.  When I say help, I mean it in the true sense of the word.  My hope is to make an impact by helping all those involved in sports to perform to the best of their abilities and to enjoy the sporting experience.  To do so, I think it is of the utmost importance that we move past a surface level understanding of sport psychology (breaths, routines, and false bravado) and into the world of really understanding who we are.  For those reasons, I have decided to write a little bit about one of the tools we used early in the program.

        When our head coach mentioned to me that he would like me to start working with the players in our program on the mental side of the game, I could not have been more jacked up.  This would be a great opportunity to get experience discussing some of the concepts I have had the chance to learn about over the last few years.  That is not to say I haven't done so before, but this would be the most purposeful practice I've had to date.  More importantly, it would be the chance to introduce and revisit concepts with our entire program with hopes of providing value and a chance for them to improve.  What our head coach and I did in our conversation about the off-season program was to identify areas we thought the players could benefit from.  For me, this is huge.  Coaches who are looking to improve the mental side of the athletes they coach need to have the conversation of what exactly they are hoping to improve.  You know your players!  For us, we identified four areas for improvement.  We wanted to: 1. Help players know themselves better as a player and person, 2. Build mental toughness, 3. Increase knowledge of mental skills, 4. Establish a team concept/team-building.  I felt good about all of the objectives, but I admit my weakness of the four is the team-building concept.  I am not a "ra ra" type of guy, and that is the preconception I had about what team-building activities are.  I'll talk more about that later.

        The most important objective, in my opinion, was to help players better know themselves as players and people.  In order to help accomplish that, I turned to a tool called the Character Development Inventory (CDI).  The CDI was developed by Geoff Miller and is written about in his book Intangibles.  As I have written about in previous posts, G has had a big impact on me.  He has been more than generous with his time and advice going all the way back to when I first started researching schools.  G's CDI is a great, free tool that asks players to reflect on who they are.  The CDI is 95 statements and has three sections:  Personal Identity, Mental Toughness, and Baseball IQ.  Within each section are subcategories like Integrity, Confidence, and Ability to Apply Instruction.  The categories and subcategories all are intangibles, and one of the ideas of the CDI is to make those intangibles measurable through identifying statements.  Each subcategory has five statements for players to rate how much each statement applies to them on a scale of 1-10 (1 = not at all, 10 = perfectly).  Each player was given a CDI packet and asked to complete it before our next session.

        Players were placed into groups for the session using the CDI.  We have 7th-12th grade all together for conditioning, and I put them into groups with the idea of mixing grade levels as much as possible.  This would provide older players the chance to be in a leadership role and encourage all players to interact with some guys they may not normally talk much with.  Prior to the interaction, players filled out a scoring planner for the CDI that asks for average scores in each of the subcategories.  The planner also has players denote their three greatest strengths and three areas for improvement based on the scores.  The players then filled out a worksheet asking for more reflection on one of the strengths and one of the weaknesses.  The scoring of the CDI's took a lot longer than I anticipated.  In hindsight, I would have either had the players do this part of the activity outside of our work together or just planned to dedicate an entire group session to scoring the CDI's and the accompanying worksheet.  Regardless, after both sheets were completed it was time for what I found to be a great experience for all of the players and coaches.

        The players were asked to discuss their CDI results with their groups.  There were two parts to the discussion.  First, players talked about a strength.  Each player spoke about what a strength, what they specifically do that shows the quality, what it says about them as a player/person, and how they can help the team because of the strength.  For me, talking about our strengths is an incredibly underutilized concept in sports.  We don't do it very often.  If anything, talking about how good one is can be considered as a negative.  On the flip side, we all agree confidence is one of the most important factors in the success of a player.  Well, if that is the case, players should be encouraged to acknowledge how they are good sometimes!  At the high school level this is immeasurably important.  Players are at such a transitional phase, and the wide range of ages of the players we have (12-18) means opportunities for growth throughout the entire time as part of the baseball program.  Guys were then asked to discuss one of their areas for improvement.  Players spoke about what the area for improvement was, how exactly they struggle with the area, who the player they said exemplifies the quality (part of the worksheet), and what the area for improvement says about them as a player/person.  The group then discussed specific ways for the player to improve.  I walked around during the discussions, and it was very cool to hear the older players giving outstanding advice to younger guys.  Hearing guys being comfortable with an overall uncomfortable topic was great to see as well, and all of the credit for that belongs to the players for being active participants.

        Finally, we talked about the CDI's as a group.  I asked for a few guys to step up and talk with us all about what they may realize about themselves after completing the CDI that they did not realize before.  A few did, and it was very impressive to hear them discuss these concepts so freely with a large group of teammates.  One of the coolest stories came from one of our seniors Andrew Crook.  Andrew is a guy I have coached since he was twelve years old so I know him pretty well.  If I were to ever write a book, I could probably fill a chapter on Andrew, his family, and our years together.  He is extremely smart and has a first rate work ethic.  Andrew has developed great perspective on baseball and what it means in his life.  Andrew's also been labeled in the past, by himself included, as a perfectionist.  He is a true student of the game and in particular of hitting.  In addition, Andrew has embraced understanding the mental side of the game.  Every talk we have ever had about a facet of the mental game has been viewed as an opportunity to grow, and Andrew has certainly done that.  He is a guy who understands himself very well.  This was Andrew's third time filling out a CDI because of playing with me during the summer and then also completing it last year.  Andrew spoke about prior the experience he hadn't realized that a couple of characteristics that were originally weaknesses for him had turned into strengths.  Learning from failure was one of the characteristics Andrew mentioned.  In the past, because he had expected so much of himself, Andrew struggled with this concept.  Emotion would cloud his rational thinking about an at-bat.  This is no longer the case.  All the credit goes to Andrew for that improvement, and it was awesome for everyone to hear about.

        All in all, this CDI experience could not have gone better.  There are so many positives to list from the experience that it is very difficult to pick only a few.  One obvious positive is the self-awareness the tool asks for.  Being honest with ourselves is one of the hardest tasks we have as humans, but the CDI helps you do so in a non-threatening way.  A second positive was the opportunity for older guys to take on a leadership role in the discussions and coach each other on ways to improve.  The opportunity for younger guys to hear from older players who were in their shoes so recently was extremely valuable as well.  The discussions also created a great bonding experience for our entire program.  Some of the guys talked about some very personal issues about baseball and life, and it was all done with great respect among all.  I said before that I am not a "ra ra," team-building type of guy.  The CDI, and really the entire off-season mental conditioning experience, helped me to realize I do not have to be a cheerleader for team-building to occur.  It can happen organically.  Finally, the CDI can be a tremendous learning experience for coaches too.  I learn something about players I never knew every time we complete it.  While one on one meetings with each player would undoubtedly lead to even more learning, this experience could not have gone better.  In conclusion, I highly recommend utilizing G's Character Development Inventory with your team or yourself.  Odds are you will find ways it is valuable that you do not expect.  I know I do every time I use it!


Side Note: All of the resources are free too so I am not trying to sell you anything except a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow!

All of the tools for the experience can be found on Geoff Miller's The Winning Mind in Baseball blog and are linked directly here: Character Development Inventory Materials

The F Word

"Focus!"  It's another one of the coaching commands we say or hear all the time like, "Relax!" or "Throw strikes!"  Like both of the other commands, we demand this of our players but rarely address how or what to focus on.  I've never heard of a player who did not want to focus.  Telling them to do so is meaningless without them knowing how and what to focus on.  That being said, focus is a weakness of many young players.  This is something that has probably become more and more of a concern as our society has changed into such a fast-paced, technology-centered way of life.  I do not say that to complain.  The fact of the matter is it just makes educating players about proper focus all that much more important.

So, how do we go about teaching focus?  The topic itself is so broad that making it manageable is a challenge.  For me, it starts with understanding how players best perform.  In speaking with and reading about athletes and their best games, the common answer when questioned about what they were thinking is "Nothing."  Although I have my questions about whether this is revisionist history on the part of the athletes, best performances are rooted in a free flowing state we call "the zone" in which there is tremendous clarity of the mind.  "Nothing" is very much a possibility within the actual pitch or play, and reacting is what occurs.  Klay Thompson's 38 point quarter Friday night is a great example of "the zone."  What stands out to me in watching the clips is how loose he is and how much he is truly enjoying the moment.  

I digress though.  "The zone" is an awesome place to be, but the fact of the matter is we will not be there too often.  Trusting preparation and playing freely will increase our chances, among other things, but let's talk about focus during the other ninety percent of the time or so that we play.  The first piece of information to consider is that the brain can only focus on one thing at a time.  But you're a multitasker who can focus on five things at once?  No, you're not.  What is really going on is your brain is bouncing around constantly among those five things.  The visual I get in my head is a personified version of the brain standing in the middle of a circle of people.  Those people represent the five things being thought about.  The brain is shuttling back and forth rapidly, maybe in fast-forward mode with the orchestra playing in the background, trying to hold those five conversations all at once.  What is undoubtedly happening is the brain is missing bits and pieces of the conversations and is really absent in all instead of being present in one.

So, we can only focus on one thing at a time.  Where should my focus be then?  Here are some tips for where to have focus before going into specific examples:

1. Stay in the PRESENT moment.  Focus on what you need to do on this pitch or this play.  Thinking about past results or future consequences gets us out of the moment and away from our present focus.

2. Focus on what you want to do.  Be POSITIVE in your plan.  A great takeaway from a presentation I saw Geoff Miller give recently that may help a lot of players out there is that negative self-talk, although not ideal, is okay.  G's point was that accepting negative thoughts is much better than not doing so.  It's unrealistic to expect players to have 100% positive thoughts.  Perfectionists, if that is what they are demanded of, will take that to heart and beat themselves up over a negative thought.  This ultimately will lead to more and more and more instead of a simple acceptance and moving on.  That being said, you want to be positive in your plan of focus.

3. Focus on what you can CONTROL.  This is simple but incredibly important.  "See the baseball" instead of "get a hit."  "Hit a spot" instead of "Strike this mother guy out" (edited Major League reference).  Urgency creates tension.  When we get result-oriented within the moment, tension often occurs.

4. KNOW what to do in the situation.  Many of us have been there before.  We are unsure of the signs, of a pick play, or of where to go to the ball if it is hit to me right here.  All of those go into proper preparation.  Neglect can lead to the brain bouncing around and taking away from our focus.  Know what to do, and then let it happen.

5. Stay EXTERNAL.  This is getting away from thoughts on mechanics, thoughts about how you feel in the moment, or thinking about how you look.  It's staying task-oriented on this pitch.  "See the ball" again instead of "I've got to keep my shoulders level and my eye on the ball."  Again, trusting the preparation you have put in is vital to this ability.  

5. COMMIT to your plan, and expect success.  One of my favorite concepts I've heard talked about by pitching guys goes something like, "The wrong pitch, thrown with conviction, is better than the right pitch thrown without it."  Commit to your plan for that pitch.  I feel like a broken record, but this is where trust is again so vital to performance.

So, what are some examples of what to focus on?  As a hitter, it may be as simple as "See the baseball," or "See the spin."  "Hit the ball hard."  "Make solid contact."  "Just react right here."  All are simple and meet the characteristics we are looking for.  As a pitcher, "Hit a spot" or "To the mitt" are again about as simple as it gets and as much as you need.  It's away from mechanics and results.  It's present and under our control.  As a base stealer, "Read the foot," "Read the feet," or whatever else you may teach as a coach.  The thought is away from not getting picked off or even steal the base.  You're seeing and reacting.  Ultimately, most of the different choices of what to focus on as a player all come down to what terminology you find best resonates with you.  The tips will help you find that.

Now, what can I do if I find my mind wandering or racing, and my focus is fleeting from the moment?  Some of your choices are to resort to focal points (go to 7:18 for more), breathing, and stepping out of the box or off the mound to recommit to your plan.  Whatever ultimately works for you is great.  Acceptance of the situation and allowing it to be okay that your mind is racing is probably the most effective.  It allows you to move on instead of getting stuck or the racing to continue.

In conclusion, focus is a skill just like many of the other concepts I've discussed on the blog.  You can work on it.  The more you are able to control your focus as a player the more likely it will help you when you need it.  Consistency is also much more attainable with being able to do so.  Challenge yourself to work on your focus.  As you are sitting in class, try locking in on something using the characteristics discussed within the blog.  A lot of people like the use of concentration grids.  The concept behind them is going through and marking out the numbers in order.  Variations like timing the activity and adding distractions like loud music can help as well.  Work on focus in practice.  As you are doing defensive BP, truly treat it gamelike in your way of thinking as a player with working your focus from pitch to pitch.  With a little bit of purposeful work, you can turn focus into a weapon you use instead of an excuse.

An Invitation to Compete

One of the topics we've been talking a lot about lately on the baseball staff I am a part of is being competitive.  Is it something that can be instilled in players or not?  Is it competitive nature or competitive nurture?  One of these conversations took place the day after the Baseball Hall of Fame inductees were announced.  When I got home from school I saw an interview with John Smoltz on Intentional Talk.  If you heard an interview with Smoltzie last week, you undoubtedly listened to people ask him to discuss  how competitive he was.  Smoltz has a reputation as someone who wanted to win whether he was on the mound, the basketball court, or the golf course.  Many say this characteristic helped him be as successful as he was in baseball.  What Smoltz said about his competitive ways was that his dad instilled lessons in him while growing up that stuck with him throughout his baseball career.  This would lead me to think it was more of a case of competitive nurture rather than nature.  In other words, baby John Smoltz didn't pop out dicing hitters up with 87 MPH sliders and fist pumping.  He learned to be competitive along the way.

So what can we do as coaches to try to aid in the development of a competitive spirit in our players?  Well, for one we can compete.  I am a big fan of competition in practice.   You hear many times about the importance of making practice as game-like as possible on a consistent basis.  The idea is that making practice as much like the game as we can will help players to have a feeling of "been there, done that" in the game and just react.  While there is a lot to be said for repetition and building the muscle memory of taking a lot of reps, there is something to being gamelike in practice.  If  you practice at a slow speed and all is always loosey goosey, then come game time things may just be a little too quick for players.  Another reason competition is great in practice is it can work to make players compete (no kidding, right?).  But seriously, the more players compete the more likely they are learning those lessons that John Smoltz took advantage of as he grew up.  There are scoreboards in sport and in life.  You may even find that your players are actually more competitive than you thought.  Pete Carroll has a mantra of "always compete," and he lives and coaches by that mantra.  The Seahawks have Turnover Thursday in which the defense fights to get the ball away from the offense.  Richard Sherman says Turnover Thursday embodies what the Seahawks are all about as a team.  So elite football players aren't too cool to be competitive during practice?  It is tough to argue with the results Pete has gotten in Seattle.

What can I do as a player?  One of my favorite pieces of advice about competition is from Gary Mack.  He said, "A person who is mentally tough looks at competition as a challenge to rise up rather than a threat to back down ."  A simple Google search yielded a definition of challenge that I love:  "a call to take place in a contest or competition."  Wow!  A challenge is calling you on the phone and asking you to participate.  It's sending you an invitation that it would really appreciate if you accept.  A threat, on the other hand, is defined as "a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, or damage."  Some athletes see competition this way far too often.  The competition may cause damage to how I feel about myself.  I don't want to be injured or damaged so I am going to shy away from this competition thing you speak of.  It's a version of a flight response in a fight or flight situation.  If this is a variation of what you find yourself thinking, it may be time to check your perspective.  What is the worst thing that happens if you lose?  What is the worst thing that will happen if someone beats you out at the position you play?  Is it really a life or death type of situation?  Are you really holding all of your value as a person based on a win or a position?  Simple answers to simple questions, but it can be easier said than done at times.  Taking another angle, what about seeing competition as an opportunity to be the threat towards your opponent?  The aggressor in sports is usually the one who is rewarded with victory.  Why not trust your preparation and talent to impose your will on the opponent?  One thing we can do as coaches to foster a healthy perspective among players is to truly show how we value each member on a team regardless of role.  This is something I think I did a poor job of early in my coaching career.  I think I have improved, but I can always get better.  My guess is you can as well.

In conclusion, I do think we can become more competitive.  Coaches can assist players in becoming more competitive.  There is no cookie-cutter approach, but creating competition in preparation is certainly a start.  Players, see competition as a challenge instead of a threat.  Accept the invitation today to compete in whatever it is that you are doing.  Chances are you will enjoy the experience, and no damage will occur.

Side Note:  Another great message from the Smoltz interview was he said something about how he was taught to compete and try to win but never at the expense of the integrity of the game or your opponent.  This cannot be overstated.  Compete your butt off, but be willing to accept that your best effort may not always be good enough on the scoreboard.  That is okay and part of what make sports great.

Here is a link to Pete Carroll's "Always Compete" Mantra

It's all about The U...Inverted

What is the correct level of arousal for me to perform my best?  After you snicker like a 7th grader in Sex Ed class, that is what the concept of the Inverted U looks to answer.  Here is a graph displaying the concept of the Inverted U before we discuss it further:

As you can see, the concept of the Inverted U is shown through the use of a parabola (that's the curvy line).  On the X-Axis is arousal level or excitement level.  Its scale works from 0 to 10.  This scale can mean different things for different people.  For me, I think of 0 as being asleep.  A 10 for me is flipping out where you have completely lost control of yourself and what you are doing.  On the Y-Axis is your performance.  A 0 is as bad as it gets, and a 10 is your peak performance.  The parabola illustrates, in a nutshell, that there is an ideal level of arousal for you to perform your best.  If your level is too low or too high, you will not achieve your peak performance.  The parabola above is just to illustrate the general concept of the Inverted-U.  The chart could be different for a variety of reasons.  Sport being played, actual role in sport, and personality of the individual, among other factors, can influence how the an athlete's parabola would be drawn.  For example, a golfer trying to sink a putt would probably have a different ideal level of arousal than a defensive lineman trying to rush the passer.  Within baseball, a starting pitcher looking to throw 7 quality innings may not find it effective to play at a "10."  A closer, on the other hand, may want to be at a "10" to air it out for twenty pitches for the final three outs of a game.

While there are mixed opinions about the concept of the Inverted U in sport psychology, I really like the concept of self-awareness it addresses.  Knowing how you feel and act when you are performing your best is something anyone can benefit from who is looking to achieve that peak performance on a more regular basis.  Gary Mack, in his book Mind Gym, discusses how he wanted athletes to "know their numbers."  The idea is for you to reflect on how you feel during your best performances so that you are better able to be in control of yourself before and during competition.  Are you a 5?  Are you a 7?  Are you a 10?  What does that feel like?  What are you doing?  Then, reflect on what happens when you are too low or too high?  When you are low, do you find yourself drifting off?  Are you lackadaisical?  When you are too high, does your mind start to race?  Do you lose control of your breathing?  All of these are questions to consider if you want to play your best on a consistent level.  Being aware of physical behaviors and how you feel are both important.

What I would challenge you to do is reflect to "Know your numbers."  If you are a 5, then this may have an effect on what you do before games.  You probably shouldn't be listening to scream metal that makes you want to run through a wall.  If you are an 8 or 9, a nap during the other team's BP may not be ideal for you.  If you like to be at a 7 and are a pinch-hitter, you may want to do something in between innings to keep yourself moving and the blood flowing.  Otherwise, you may find yourself trying to go from a 2 to a 7 within a minute or two as the coach calls on you to hit.  If you are a 6 and find your mind racing while on the mound, it may be a good time for a deep breath or the use of a focal point to refocus and get back to the present moment.

In closing, this is extremely beneficial for coaches to know about players as well.  Understanding that everyone is different may involve being okay with guys preparing in their own ways for competition.  This is tough for us baseball guys.  We are so regimented by nature in how we think as coaches.  Is "our way" more important than the most effective way is something to consider?  Also, knowing a player's number can help us with finding warning signs during a game if we see them slipping too low or going to high.  Knowing your number as a coach can be very helpful as well.  Understand what happens when you are too high or too low and how that may affect your team's performance.  The Inverted U is ultimately another great tool for self-reflection and understanding who you are as a competitor.  The more consistent our behavior, the more consistent our performance.  Controlling what we can is essential for both.  As always, please let me know any questions or feedback you may have at all!

To Thine Own Self Be YOU

You are the best in the world.  Yes, I am talking to you.  You're better than over 7 billion people at something no matter who you are.  You are the best in the world at being you.  Have you ever stopped to really think about that?  It's pretty cool.  On your best days, you're the best at being you.  On your worst days, you're still the best at being you.  Of course, this comes with a price.  On the flip side, no matter how hard you try to be like someone else you will never be as good at being that person.  So why do we spend so much time trying to be other people?  In the sporting and non-sporting world, people are constantly making comparisons.  These comparisons can come externally with comments from a coach or parent like, "Why can't you be more like "So and So?"  A much more effective method would be to focus on a specific behavior.  "I'd like you to be more focused on your swing when you are taking batting practice."  The comparisons can come internally too with thoughts like, "I can't believe he's playing over me.  I'm better than he is."  A more effective way of thinking would be, "What can I do to get better?"  Both examples can be toxic to our ways of thinking.

A lesson I have learned over the last few years as I have dived into sport psychology and psychology in general is that self-awareness is one of the best gifts we can give ourselves.  True understanding of our strengths and weaknesses, as an athlete, coach, or person, is a challenge that can be as rewarding as we make it.  Knowing who we are and why can help spark us to even greater growth and ultimately work towards fulfilling our "potential" as athletes or people.  Of course, knowing is only a start to the equation.  It is what we do with that knowledge that is ultimately what is important in our growth.

Let's start small though.  I'd like to challenge you to focus on being the best "You" possible as a player.  Understand your strengths and weaknesses.  How can you use the characteristics that make you a good player to maximize your performance?  If you are a speed guy without a lot of power, maximize that instead of making wholesale changes to try to hit bombs all the time.  If you're a soft tossing lefty who hits his spots, you may work to be able to throw any pitch with conviction regardless of count.  This isn't to say that you should not work to develop power too or increase velocity.  To just say, "I am who I am, and I always will be this way," as a high school baseball player would be to devalue any work you put into the game.  Who you are, especially at that age, is not constant.  It's ever-changing.

Last year we grouped hitters by hitter type to help them understand who they are and what they needed to be successful.  What group a hitter was in dictated what his rounds of BP would be like.  The groups looked like this:

1. Piranhas (handle the bat, bunt, can run, little power)
2. Buffalo (have power, want to drive the ball, most not fast)
3. Cobras (solid runner, can handle the bat, can bunt but can juice some gaps)

If we do the groups again this year, a couple of the piranhas would now be cobras because they have evolved as players.  They have gotten stronger and have a little more pop, but they haven't lost sight of what makes them successful as hitters.  The key is to keep in mind who you are right now so that you can best create your plan for success while also making expectations of growth manageable.  Then, continue to reset the perception you have for yourself to break through false ceilings as a player.

Sometimes in coaching I think we can be guilty of spending so much time focusing on team this or team that that we forget to appreciate the different "You's" that create the team.  In doing so, we are actually missing out on a golden opportunity to make the team we are preaching so much better.  Gregg Popovich took time before prepping for the NBA Finals last year to celebrate a day significant to Patty Mills as an indigenous Australian.   Think about that for a second.  Before starting with any X's and O's, Gregg Popovich, at the highest level of competition possible, took time to celebrate the culture of an individual and make Mills feel valued.  This feeling of value is something that makes the Spurs very special as an organization.   This isn't to say that I do not believe in the concept of "we over me," but I think to expect every player to be the same and treat them as players only is not the most effective coaching method.  Understanding the uniqueness of people is, at the very least, as important as understanding x's and o's.

So, as we celebrate the holiday season and you start making your New Year's Resolutions, challenge yourself to congratulate yourself on being the best in the world at being you.  When you make resolutions, make them about being the best you instead of being more like someone else.  I'll be doing the same from the sunny Dominican Republic!

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