Please print and read this article! Put it in your folder & bring to your next lesson:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/144740-mental-toughness-exercises/
Write down 2 of the exercises from article # 1. How can you use these in your pitching?
------------------------------------------------------
Article # 2:
Focus Technique #1
Mental Focus During Sports
By: Elizabeth Quinn
“Centering”
Mental Focus During Sports
By: Elizabeth Quinn
Centering during sports is critical to stay focused and avoid distractions. It helps an athlete stay in the moment and release past and future thoughts, worries and plans.
Sports psychologists recommend centering techniques to reduce anxiety and stress. These techniques allow athletes to pay attention to their body and breathing, redirecting their focus from the negative- or anxiety-causing event to the present task.
Centering Techniques
The first aspect of centering involves focusing on the rate of breathing and maintaining a slow, steady pace. Breathe in through the nose, and feel the air fill your lungs. Exhale through your mouth. It may help to have a key word (mantra) to repeat that helps you refocus on what you want to do. For example, 'relax,' or 'steady.'
The first aspect of centering involves focusing on the rate of breathing and maintaining a slow, steady pace. Breathe in through the nose, and feel the air fill your lungs. Exhale through your mouth. It may help to have a key word (mantra) to repeat that helps you refocus on what you want to do. For example, 'relax,' or 'steady.'
Practice
To do this automatically when you need it (during the stress of competition or training), you must practice it often. Use your training sessions to try various centering techniques and find the best one for you. Refocus and get 'centered' at every break, rest period or when there is a pause in the action.
To do this automatically when you need it (during the stress of competition or training), you must practice it often. Use your training sessions to try various centering techniques and find the best one for you. Refocus and get 'centered' at every break, rest period or when there is a pause in the action.
This process aims to keep you in the present, help you drop any baggage you carry about performance anxiety, expectations, or 'what-ifs.' If you develop an automatic relaxation response, it will change how you feel about what you are doing. Then, you will have less stress, enjoy performing and as a result, have more success.
Received from: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportspsychology/a/centering.htm
Received from: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sportspsychology/a/centering.htm
HW: Come up with 2 different words (different than 'relax' and 'focus' that you can begin using during practice and games. See if one of these words work. If they don't, look for a new word! Write them down and bring them with you to your next lesson!
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Article #3
Age 12 & Over:
Click the link. Read & Print the article. Place in your folder.
http://www.schaefersblog.com/building-mental-toughness-simple-but-not-easy/
Age 11 & younger
Read & Print the article below. Place in your folder.
How Young Athletes Lose Confidence with Comparisons
Article #3
Age 12 & Over:
Click the link. Read & Print the article. Place in your folder.
http://www.schaefersblog.com/building-mental-toughness-simple-but-not-easy/
Age 11 & younger
Read & Print the article below. Place in your folder.
How Young Athletes Lose Confidence with Comparisons
July 2, 2009 By
We are seeing a disturbing trend today in young athletes – one that coaches and parents need to understand and address.
Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates!
They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating on their own game. They do this in a number of ways—and none of them are good news for the young athletes.
Sports kids might:
Because this behavior hurts your kids’ confidence and success in sports!
Here’s the good news: There are steps you can take to help your kids focus more on their own talents, which boosts their confidence. Read on to learn more!
So, what’s wrong when sports kids make comparisons and focus on how everyone around them is performing?
Here’s the problem: When kids focus on others’ strengths, they’re psyching themselves out. And that hurts their confidence. We like to say that they’re intimidating themselves.
If all they can think about is their opponents’ big muscles and fancy uniforms, they’re not focusing on what’s most important—their own game.
Instead, they’re concentrating on what makes competitors (or teammates) better than they are. The young athletes are thinking about what’s wrong with their own abilities or skills.
Generally, kids who do this don’t have enough confidence in their own skills to believe they can compete with others.
It’s possible, however, to help young athletes stop making comparisons and stop psyching themselves out.
First of all, these kids need to change what they focus on. That means focusing, for example, on their own warm-up routine before a game.
Second, they need to stop putting their opponents on a pedestal. They have to stop being in awe of them. Again, kids should focus on what their own strengths and on getting their own job done.
Retrieved from: http://www.youthsportspsychology.com/youth_sports_psychology_blog/?p=125
----------------------
Article # 4:
Click the link and print the article. You should read it and so should your parent (you could read it together). Then, place in your folder.
http://www.positivesportparent.com/2011/03/how-can-i-help-my-child-develop-mental-toughness/
-----------------
Article # 5
Pitching With Confidence
A pitcher must be confident when ever he takes the field and gets up on the mound to pitch. If she has the mind set of "I hope they don't hit me hard today" or "my arm doesn't feel good today", she will be unsuccessful.
On the other hand if the pitcher is thinking "I'm going to throw these guys everything I've got and if they hit it, they hit it" and she is not making any excuses, then she will be successful.
A pitcher needs to have this confidence because if the other team sees that they are breaking her down, they will just tear into her and keeping breaking her down. On the other hand if a pitcher keeps up her confidence (even when things aren't going well), the hitters are like "man, when is this girl gonna give up".
That is all you can ever ask for. Respect from your opponents. Because once they respect your confidence, they have to respect your pitches. Meaning they can't sit on a fastball in a fastball count because you are a confident pitcher and you are confident in throwing your off speed for a strike in any count.
Although confidence is a necessity in the game of baseball/softball and pitching, when you are off the field you should be aware of where you stand on the line of cocky and confident. Even in real life, off the field, it is great to be confident in whatever you do, but you cannot go over board and start being cocky because people don't like that. Be confident, but conduct yourself like a professional and go get those hitters by pitching with confidence.
**As a reminder...not is your attitude visible to your opponent, but it is easily read by your teammates. You may not be having the best day, but your body language and attitude should never show it. You can easily trick your mind into being confident no matter what kind of day you are having. Remember, we have more "bad days" than "good days", therefore, we need to learn how to handle this.
The best thing you can do is be confident in everything that you throw. No matter if it's been working or not. If you make mistakes, act like you did it on purpose. The only ones that know, are usually your catcher, coach, and your teammates, but you act strong. The other team doesn't have a clue, so don't give them one with an eye roll, shake of the head, or groan.
So what, the ball went behind the hitter or your change-up just looked like you were pitching for the local slow pitch team...laugh it off! Can you change it? NOPE! Then why fret over it! It's done, it's over. All you can do is come back with your next pitch. If it works, it works, if it doesn't just continue to regroup and refocus.
As much as I would love for everyone to have their best game every day, it's impossible, and it's the name of the game, BUT you can act like it's the BEST game every day with your attitude and confidence which in return will amount to many more successes.
So, back to the attitude being easily recognized by your teammates...they know when you are not confident. They know, when you turn around, shake your head, roll yours, have steam coming out of ears, etc. THEY KNOW!
When they feel like you have given up on yourself, they give up. Your teammates look up to you. They look up to everything that you do. If you act as though you are confident in everything that you do and throw (even though your team knows that you may not be having the best day physically) they are confident and they are behind 100% because YOU are keeping them in the game. Act confident and in control.
Control your attitude and act as if you are the best and you can trick your mind into doing anything! Make a "bad" day into an AMAZING day. I can't tell you how many times in my career I was not having my best day, especially against some of the BEST teams in the country, but I managed to find a way to keep my team in the game, keep my team confident, and at the same time found many ways to win!
#6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xAGfitT04o
#7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMed6Q_Oa4A
Sports kids today spend too much time making comparisons to their competitors or teammates!
They focus on how others are performing, rather than concentrating on their own game. They do this in a number of ways—and none of them are good news for the young athletes.
Sports kids might:
- Compare themselves to friends who are gifted athletes
- Focus on athletes of the same ability level who perform better
than them - Feel jealous of teammates who get more playing time
- Feel jealous of high-performing siblings
- Worry about their size and think about how a taller or bigger
player might beat them
Because this behavior hurts your kids’ confidence and success in sports!
Here’s the good news: There are steps you can take to help your kids focus more on their own talents, which boosts their confidence. Read on to learn more!
So, what’s wrong when sports kids make comparisons and focus on how everyone around them is performing?
Here’s the problem: When kids focus on others’ strengths, they’re psyching themselves out. And that hurts their confidence. We like to say that they’re intimidating themselves.
If all they can think about is their opponents’ big muscles and fancy uniforms, they’re not focusing on what’s most important—their own game.
Instead, they’re concentrating on what makes competitors (or teammates) better than they are. The young athletes are thinking about what’s wrong with their own abilities or skills.
Generally, kids who do this don’t have enough confidence in their own skills to believe they can compete with others.
It’s possible, however, to help young athletes stop making comparisons and stop psyching themselves out.
First of all, these kids need to change what they focus on. That means focusing, for example, on their own warm-up routine before a game.
Second, they need to stop putting their opponents on a pedestal. They have to stop being in awe of them. Again, kids should focus on what their own strengths and on getting their own job done.
Retrieved from: http://www.youthsportspsychology.com/youth_sports_psychology_blog/?p=125
----------------------
Article # 4:
Click the link and print the article. You should read it and so should your parent (you could read it together). Then, place in your folder.
http://www.positivesportparent.com/2011/03/how-can-i-help-my-child-develop-mental-toughness/
-----------------
Article # 5
Pitching With Confidence
A pitcher must be confident when ever he takes the field and gets up on the mound to pitch. If she has the mind set of "I hope they don't hit me hard today" or "my arm doesn't feel good today", she will be unsuccessful.
On the other hand if the pitcher is thinking "I'm going to throw these guys everything I've got and if they hit it, they hit it" and she is not making any excuses, then she will be successful.
A pitcher needs to have this confidence because if the other team sees that they are breaking her down, they will just tear into her and keeping breaking her down. On the other hand if a pitcher keeps up her confidence (even when things aren't going well), the hitters are like "man, when is this girl gonna give up".
That is all you can ever ask for. Respect from your opponents. Because once they respect your confidence, they have to respect your pitches. Meaning they can't sit on a fastball in a fastball count because you are a confident pitcher and you are confident in throwing your off speed for a strike in any count.
Although confidence is a necessity in the game of baseball/softball and pitching, when you are off the field you should be aware of where you stand on the line of cocky and confident. Even in real life, off the field, it is great to be confident in whatever you do, but you cannot go over board and start being cocky because people don't like that. Be confident, but conduct yourself like a professional and go get those hitters by pitching with confidence.
**As a reminder...not is your attitude visible to your opponent, but it is easily read by your teammates. You may not be having the best day, but your body language and attitude should never show it. You can easily trick your mind into being confident no matter what kind of day you are having. Remember, we have more "bad days" than "good days", therefore, we need to learn how to handle this.
The best thing you can do is be confident in everything that you throw. No matter if it's been working or not. If you make mistakes, act like you did it on purpose. The only ones that know, are usually your catcher, coach, and your teammates, but you act strong. The other team doesn't have a clue, so don't give them one with an eye roll, shake of the head, or groan.
So what, the ball went behind the hitter or your change-up just looked like you were pitching for the local slow pitch team...laugh it off! Can you change it? NOPE! Then why fret over it! It's done, it's over. All you can do is come back with your next pitch. If it works, it works, if it doesn't just continue to regroup and refocus.
As much as I would love for everyone to have their best game every day, it's impossible, and it's the name of the game, BUT you can act like it's the BEST game every day with your attitude and confidence which in return will amount to many more successes.
So, back to the attitude being easily recognized by your teammates...they know when you are not confident. They know, when you turn around, shake your head, roll yours, have steam coming out of ears, etc. THEY KNOW!
When they feel like you have given up on yourself, they give up. Your teammates look up to you. They look up to everything that you do. If you act as though you are confident in everything that you do and throw (even though your team knows that you may not be having the best day physically) they are confident and they are behind 100% because YOU are keeping them in the game. Act confident and in control.
Control your attitude and act as if you are the best and you can trick your mind into doing anything! Make a "bad" day into an AMAZING day. I can't tell you how many times in my career I was not having my best day, especially against some of the BEST teams in the country, but I managed to find a way to keep my team in the game, keep my team confident, and at the same time found many ways to win!
#6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xAGfitT04o
#7:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMed6Q_Oa4A
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