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Most of our Gamers players have worked hard in Winter practices and rep sessions to develop the skills required to succeed at the next level of baseball. But, these drills have been done indoors, in batting cages, astroturf and bullpens. As we move into the season, our challenge is to apply those skills in outdoor practices and during game competition. This is primarily a mental challenge. The challenge of letting your muscle memory and physical skills take over, regardless of the environment (indoors, outdoors, practice, or bottom of 7th of a tie game). On February 3rd, Buddy Biancalana conducted a clinic for Gamers players on “Perfect Mind – Perfect Motion” — how to connect your mind and body so they are in-sync. This is the secret to performing to your potential when it matters the most. Click here for more information on Buddy Biancalana. Click here for an interview with Buddy Biancalana from MLB Radio. Click here for an interview with Buddy Biancalana from Baseball Prospectus. Click here for more background on Perfect Mind – Perfect Motion Sports. If you listen to the MLB Radio interview, it provides the best background summary of the clinic. Every Gamer needs to listen to this interview. It is much better than any notes. Here are some of the additional specific details that were covered in the clinic: MENTAL FREEDOM is number one rule in the Mind-Body connection. To achieve physical freedom and perform to your potential, you must achieve MENTAL FREEDOM. So the core of the clinic focused on basic drills to help players start to understand MENTAL FREEDOM. Drill 1 => Deep breathing. Taking deep breaths, start breathing from the diaphram, then push the air up through the lungs and pumping the air into your chest and head. This is the starting point for all the other drills. This clears your mind, and exhilarates and relaxes you at the same time. This is the foundation for mental freedom. It is like a mental “active warm-up”. It takes some practice to get good at this. Drill 2 => Positive affirmation. In this drill, you repeat a positive affirmation (yes, yes, yes) over and over in your head for a minute. Repeat the positive affirmation louder and louder (in your head) as you go along. After you do this, notice how positive and upbeat you feel. This helps you understand that YOU can control your own thoughts. And, since what you think impacts your performance, you can start controlling your performance by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Drill 3 =>Body awareness. In this drill, you got into a relaxed state through deep breathing and focus 100% of your attention to your body — starting with your right big toe, working up your right side to your right shoulder, then repeating on your left side, and finishing by working down and up your spine and into your head. Do this with your eyes closed. This drill improves body awareness and the mind-body connection, while at the same time teaching you to control and focus your thoughts. Drill 4 => Visualization. This drills starts out by getting into a relaxed state through deep breathing. Close your eyes and start visualizing a baseball scene. Get all of your senses involved, what does it look like? what colors do you see? what do you hear? What do you smell? How does it feel? Be as detailed as possible as your create a 5-dimensional movie in your own head. Then visualize a baseball situation or action. A complete at-bat, as a pitcher or hitter. Be as detailed as possible. Slow down time. Create a good ending – hitting the ball on the sweet spot, making a perfect pitch, making a great play, scoring from second, etc… The key is to be as detailed as possible, using all your senses, and slowing down time. Drill 5 => Focused Reps. Adds true baseball motions to the visualization process. Except this time with your eyes open. Focus on every detail of throwing and catching the ball. Notice everything about the ball. Full commitment to complete focus on every detail. Now, apply the same focus on every detail of throwing the ball. Slow everything done and notice every detail. Make the commitment to do this, and your ability to focus will improve dramatically. Why not do this EVERY time you play catch in pre-game warm-ups? Find opportunities to work on this drill. A full commitment to relaxed focus with a baseball, or bat, or glove. Drill 6 -> Mental Reps This is the same as Drill 5, except with no baseball and your eyes closed. Take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes. Go through the motions of a perfect swing, of a perfect pitching delivery. Slow motion, with total body awareness. Visualize the baseball, visualize the catchers mitt. Physically move through the perfect swing, the perfect delivery, the perfect fielding mechanics. All with your eyes closed, in slow motion with 100% commitment and focus. No other thoughts. These drills are a foundation for creating MENTAL FREEDOM and the Perfect Mind – Perfect Motion connection that is important to baseball success. Gifted athletes do this naturally, it is just part of their mental make-up as a person. The rest of us need to work on these skills to achieve the mental freedom required to reach our potential. |
Developing Baseball Players
