What is a mental focus and what is the right frame of mind? You often hear about the mental focus of the game. But some people don’t understand what this means. It just means how you think about the game before playing it. Let’s explore it.
Before even reaching the field, a preparation is carried out. It all starts with practice and even the exercises you are doing before the game. You often hear “the right frame of mind.” Well, it applies to all aspects of baseball.
As far as practice goes, it simply means that you run your business with a purpose in mind and do it efficiently. Let’s take an example. He is about to work off the tee to help his swing. Do you just pick up your shirt and start hacking? Or do you work on the areas you need, like hitting the ball on the other side of the tee while visualizing the outside field? You need to have a purpose in what you are doing.
And when you practice, use the time to practice the right way. I’d rather have 10 minutes of quality, purposeful practice than 20 minutes of practice with no idea what you’re trying to work on.
The same goes for batting practice. Are you in the right frame of mind? Are you crying in the fields? Or are you hitting with a purpose and trying to get things done? Again, give me 10 minutes of purposeful quality shots and not 20 minutes of hooking the ball with no idea what you’re trying to do.
These are all little things that carry over into a game. It all starts at this stage of the game. Practice the right way with a purpose and you will enter the game in the right frame of mind.
What about the correct approach to the game? The mental focus of the game begins with preparation. This means doing your homework and knowing the opposition. What kind of pitcher are you pitching today? Is it a left-hander with a sidearm or a top right hand that throws 95 mph? If he’s a left-hander with side arms, then maybe in batting practice I’ll visualize the fastball sinking into the outer corner and really work hard to cut down and just try to hit the ball the other way. If it’s a tough flamethrower to throw, maybe my hitting practice today will be to stay close to the ball and try to be a little faster.
Now you have a purpose, the right frame of mind, or just the right mental focus for the game. By combining the correct mental focus with the correct exercises and practice, you are well on your way to vastly improving your game.