I want to focus on self-talk using positive affirmations because I feel that having these attributes and abilities is just as important as having excellent pitching mechanics. In my opinion, what separates some minor league pitchers from major league pitchers is their attitude.
These positive affirmations are not the answer to everything a pitcher needs, but, in my opinion, they are a vital part of success. What do our athletes say to each other on the mound during the game? How are you mentally preparing before you hit the mound? I know that if the following principles are applied effectively, it will dramatically improve your pitching performance. The following is an example that I like to remember, not just on the pitchers’ mound, but at any major event in my life. (I use it every day) I simply substitute the launcher for other activities that I am going to do. Every day is the most important day of your life, right? Okay! Positive Affirmations / Self Talk You can use this example if you are a pitcher, but any athlete can use this same template and apply it to anything they do, be it hitting the ball, fielding, throwing, etc.
Remember, good self-talk is done with confidence, not arrogance. Here we go. “I am the best pitcher in this league. I am the number one pitcher because I am focused and excited all the time, and my skills are the best. Every time I get on the mound I am physically and mentally energized and ready for my best game. life. I am absolutely sorry today! Today is the best day of my life and today is the day I achieve my goals! On the mound I know I am successful and this is where I make the real magic happen. I’m excited; with the expectations of many strikeouts and my talented teammates behind me, I am confident! As I find each hitter’s weakness, I attack him one pitch at a time, knowing that every pitch is the most important thing. I shoot. My teammates see me as a leader and their confidence grows when they know I have the ball. I set myself and achieve great goals and have a clear vision of what the final result of each game will be. I am emotionally prepared, physically and mentally because I keep working on pitching mechanics, pi tching drills, and emotional training. I am enthusiastic and passionate every day! I’m the most consistent reliable pitcher on the team. My emotions are positive and I am in full control of myself and my way of thinking.
I’m the best! “It is important to read your affirmation aloud every day. Change this if necessary, make it yours, but decide today that mediocrity is unacceptable and you will begin to achieve goals and others will want to. Follow your example. After a few weeks of reading the affirmation (with enthusiasm) that you have written for yourself, you will begin to experience great success. Self-talk will help you quickly become who you want to be. Be who you want to be. Be right now by playing the part! Many pitchers can relate to a time when they have overcome great odds and succeeded. These same athletes have failed multiple times. Think about this statistic that I read and thought a lot about on several occasions.
Baseball is a game of failures, Hall of Fame hitters fail 70% of the time, and the best pitchers succeed perhaps half the time. Not very promising, is it? Do you see why it is important that athletes cannot rely solely on physical strength and natural talent to be successful? The point is to experience all of this through many performances on the field, we can use our past experiences to our advantage or disadvantage. We can draw a lot of power from the successes we have achieved in the past. A pitcher can take you back to the time of your best pitcher performance. This can have such an impact on how you approach game day. I have worked with several pitchers who have had trouble finding the strike zone.
I will tell you about that moment when they felt unstoppable when their game was at 100%, everything seemed to work in their favor; they were unbeatable. (They were literally Superman!) I ask them to describe to me what they were thinking, how they were feeling emotionally, and paint that picture of success deep in their minds that those feelings are coming back to them. When the athlete can really remember those feelings (physically, emotionally, and mentally), they will have no trouble zoning and not only throwing strikes, but will have dominance in all their throws. Why? Many reasons, but he knows he can do it! You’ve done it before, right? Why couldn’t I do it now? That is the attitude you are beginning to re-establish, one of total and unshakable confidence. The pitcher can immediately change his current emotional state from feeling frustrated to creating excitement and true enthusiasm through self-talk about a successful experience that happened in the past. We can also consider past failures as a learning tool for what not to do again.
I remember pitching an outstanding team with many great hitters. These guys knew how to smash the ball. I knew this because the three pitchers who were throwing in front of me were being bombed. Sure enough, with the bases loaded, my coach calls me to finish the job and save the game. One hit could add up to two and that would be the end. Now at that time I was in high school. When I got on the mound, I didn’t do it with much confidence. With around 10 pitches warm-up, he was supposedly ready for the pitch. Another problem, I was thinking about the “I hope not to do”. You can guess where that got me. One pitch, bases loaded, big farmer, home run, game over! A couple of days later, I remember my best friend’s father saying to me: Wow, that ball would have come out of any stadium! Fortunately, I have not forgotten the feelings I felt during the long bus ride home that night. I really learned from that experience.
Don’t stop at these performances; Recognize the emotions behind the loss or poor performance. Sometimes a pitcher can be in a situation similar to what he was in when he had a bad experience; (the experience of the game, good and bad, is one of the best experiences a pitcher can have) understanding self-talk and positive affirmations can change pitchers’ mindsets and help them experience a different outcome the next time they meet with similar problems. I hope everyone will take these exercises and principles that have been learned or reviewed and start applying them right away! I’m confident that if done correctly, any athlete will dramatically improve their overall performance on the mound and become a better leader on and off the field as well.