Softball Tips - How to Reduce Brain Farts

You've probably seen games before where mental errors cost a team dearly. Just about every coach and player would like to reduce mental mistakes to increase their chance of success on the field.

Well, there's actually a very simple thing you can do…

Stay hydrated

Yup - that's it and it works! Did you know that your brain is comprised of water more than anything else? And did you know that your brain's function becomes impaired and/or reacts slower when you are dehydrated?

Impaired brain function is not a good thing when you need to make the right decisions quick or when you need to think on your feet during a play.  Keeping your brain working at 100% by staying hydrated can help you reduce your chances of making costly mistakes.

As you can imagine, just a fraction of a second can be a big deal! It can be the difference between a safe call and an out call. It can be the difference between scoring and being gunned down at the plate. It can be the difference between getting a hit or not getting a hit. You get the idea…

Have you heard that saying, "Softball is a game of inches?"

How many inches does a ball travel in a fraction of a second? Well, let's see…

According to those online conversion sites, 50 mph translates to 73.3 feet per second. This means that in 1/100 of a second, a ball thrown at 50mph travels almost 8.8 inches! So if even if your dehydration only slowed your brain processing down by 1/100th of a second, it could most certainly mean the difference between hitting a ball solidly for a base hit and shanking and/or missing the ball completely.