Mental Training - Building Confidence and Avoiding Fear

Wildness on the part of the opponent’s pitcher will heighten the fear, and should our first-time batter be hit by a pitch, she will be reluctant to enter the batter’s box again.

But, we must try to allay her fear. If we succeed, our next problem will be to get the front shoulder at least level, if not down. Keep in mind that should a ball be pitched high and inside, it is a natural tendency for the shoulder to rise up to protect her face. These fears are not confirmed to the very young. Seasoned high school and collegiate players often display the some protective response.

Coaches may want to watch for this tendency as it may explain those numerous fly balls and strikeouts. We often think that a batter drops her back shoulder and hands, causing her to swing under the ball. Perhaps Mr. Fear is causing the front shoulder to rise resulting in the drop of the back shoulder and hands. Hmmmm. Food for thought?

It would be wise for all batting coaches to check out the position of their hitters in the batter’s box. Those weak grounders and little pop-ups could be the result of poor outside plate coverage due to positioning rather than anything fundamentally wrong with a swing.

Bounding balls deciding to confront a novice infielder are Mr. Fears finest confederates. The first reaction for a fielder is to rise up, turning the head to the side, which, of course, usually results in the ball continuing unimpeded. We think of this as an infielder’s problem, but outfielders have an interest in this, too, since balls can go everywhere at frightening velocities.

The remedy, obviously, is to stay down on the ball and look it into the glove. This takes infinite patience when dealing with younger players. The problem is not privy to the very young, since many upper level players also sport the poor malady.

The best we can do is try to convince our players that looking the ball into the glove is their best protection, since a ball hitting one in the face or side of the jaw usually means a trip to the dentist or plastic surgeon, whereas a shot to the top of the head, although painful and perhaps a bit of a bell ringer, is less apt to cause severe injury. So, it’s another coaching challenge to install correct fundamentals in our players.

Mr. Fear’s second ally is the fear of failure. Generally, experience will conquer this affliction, but it is prone to raise its ugly head at the worst possible times.

There is nothing more mentally frightening than for a youngster to enter the batter’s box with the bases loaded. Inexplicably, it is not as bad if there are fewer runners. There is just something monumental and ugly about the sacks being loaded. The same is true for a young pitcher who must face a batter under similar circumstances.

The fright is heightened by well-meaning parents and coaches who constantly shout instructions. The more seemingly important the situation, the more aggressive the comments from the stands and the coaching boxes. All of this provides tension for the players and tension is one of Mr. Fear’s pals.

All of us have been in the on-deck circle during an important moment in a ballgame. Often, the thought is: “Gosh, I hope the batter gets a hit so I don’t have to bat.” or with the bases loaded, a gorilla with a tree in her hands comes to the plate and we have to pitch to her. We look to the bullpen. “Nobody warming up!” Horrors! We have to pitch!” Or we are in the field with the bases loaded and the winning run on. “Please don’t hit it to me! Please!”

Come on now, admit it! It’s happened to you, too, coach! We’ve all looked under the bed for monsters, never finding any, but surely there must be some.

How did we get over these negative thoughts? Hopefully, we had some good coaches that taught us the mental side of the game; that we should be drooling at the prospect of batting with the bases loaded; that we want the challenge of facing a gorilla in a tight spot; or that we want the ball hit to us in a tight situation.

Perhaps “confidence” is the watchword. Confidence will definitely allay our fears. The trick is to gain that confidence and keep it. Good coaching can help us gain it, but poor coaching can destroy it. Every kid will experience moments of confidence failure. It’s natural, especially during slumps, etc. Regaining it is sometimes a monumental task and coaches must recognize this and work with such players to correct any misgivings about their play.

Yes, Mr. Fear can be conquered. Takes a little work, but it can be done. By the way, coaches, it is Smitty’s Law that playing time and encouragements are musts if our players are going to meet the challenge. The bench is a poor arena to conquer Mr. Fear.