Life & Death Mentality Into A Non-Life & Death Game

Now that we’ve (hopefully) agreed upon the fact that baseball is just a game, let’s break that
down from a mental standpoint. Our brain is inherently wired for survival, so it takes a life-and-
death approach by default. This happens even more so when we are stressed, under pressure,
nervous, scared, or struggling. However, as we all have come to understand (hopefully), 
baseball is a non-life-and-death game. Therefore, we have no reason to truly be scared, nervous, stressed etc. 

If we take a non-life-and-death approach into baseball, we effectively
sort of neutralize the part of our brain that spirals us into slumps, walking the house, or
throwing a tantrum. Furthermore, if we just remain curious, we can play free from fear. If we
play with the curiosity to see just how good we can be that day, everything becomes a learning
experience; and if we love to learn, then we aren’t as afraid to fail; and if we aren’t afraid to
fail, then that should give us a heck of a lot of confidence. Now I can play the game
aggressively and have all sorts of fun.

The above paragraph boils down to this:
“I’m going to see how good I can be today..” sounds a whole lot better than “I hope I play well
today..”

That subtle spark of curiosity can be all the difference in playing for fun rather than playing with
fear. I know which guy I’m taking…

Trust Your Training

When the game starts, the time to think has come and passed. This offseason was the time to
prepare, train, and improve. Hopefully you’ve done that. Some will say that you fall to the
level of your training. I think there’s a ton of truth to that. We ultimately are only as good as
the work we’ve put in (along with our ability, of course). So, what’s my point? Here it is: On
game day…it’s simple; you have what you have. Play within yourself. For sure, believe in
yourself and your ability to do things you’ve never done before. However, take that with a
grain of salt. If you can’t throw 95 that day, then you can’t throw 95 that day. If you can’t hit
home runs, you can’t hit home runs. That is, of course, until you do.

The point is that we will only get the best out of ourselves when we play within ourselves and
use our strengths. No need to try and do too much. The ego serves little purpose and has little
place in a game that requires so much humility. So, just play. Notice how the word play
doesn’t involve the word think. When we just play, we release the tension and play loose. Get
your thinking out of the way beforehand. Prepare like a champion with mental game plans and
visualization; and when the time comes to play, just do it. Use your breathing and your
thoughts to clear the mind and enjoy the moment. When we think too much, it gets in the way
and we don’t allow our physical ability to play. Remember, you have what you have – use it.

Reflect & Adapt

Finally, take each opportunity to learn about yourself/the game and use it to build on in the
future. As humans, it is not the smartest, the strongest, or even the fastest that survives – it is
the one who can adapt (If you’re late on a pitch, do you make an adjustment or keep doing the
same thing? See in dictionary: Insanity). Remain curious about what you’re capable of so that
errors, bad at-bats, and mental mistakes become lessons we learn from rather than failures.
Here’s a simple way to keep things light and positive while also focusing on improvement; it’s
called the 3-2-1 method.

3 Things I/We Did Well:
2 Things I/We Learned About Myself/The Game:
1 Thing I/We Want To Improve on or Make My/Our Focus For Next Game:

At the end of the day, baseball is just a platform and a metaphor for life. Sometimes we strike
out, sometimes we hit a home run, sometimes we get in a rut, sometimes everything feels like
it’s going smoothly, sometimes we feel like nothing can stop us, and other times if feels like
nothing is going right despite our efforts. Alas, remember that it is not the events in our lives
that shape our path, but rather our response to those events. Our understanding that
baseball is, in fact, just a game should (hopefully) make it a vastly easier for you all. Have a
great season, everybody. I’m excited to get outside and watch this beautiful game.

- Austin Hanson 

MindStrong's Mental Performance Coach

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