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DEVELOPING THE MIND OF A CHAMPION
Success requires developing the mind of a champion and mental toughness. One of the reasons some programs excel year after year, while others flounder in mediocrity is the development of mind. Some expect to win, while others hope to win. The champion possesses a certain swagger not akin to arrogance, but confidence - confidence in himself, his team and his coaches. This is a learned trait that comes through proper development of both the physical and mental aspects of the player.
The renown Coach Vince Lombardi once said, "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field." There is a direct correlation between winning and work ethic. Champions know this. They understand that reaching the pinnacle requires sacrifice of time, devotion to purpose and an undying passion to excel. Coach Paul Bryant once said, “It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” The key lies in preparation.
Preparing the Mind
We are emotional beings, some more so than others, but none the less emotional. Champions possess a developed control over their emotions that is often referred to as mental toughness. A good example of this is seen in the way that Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire handled their home run race in 1999. With every at bat came the constant barrage of camera flashes, the constant media attention and the pressure of achieving something no other player had. Both were able to overcome the emotional drain through a focused mental toughness.
Mental toughness is what separates the great player from the average player. He possesses the ability to change every tough situation into an ordinary one. He bounces back quickly from setbacks with a positive attitude. A mentally tough athlete responds to adversity with technique, not emotion.
The mentally tough player is serious about the goals he has established and pursues them with a persistent stubbornness. It is his strong desire to excel that supercedes anything that present itself as an obstacle. The fire to push oneself through obstacles is a common attribute among the successful. These possess a control and balance in all aspects of life. This control and balance allows them to make responsible choices while understanding that his behavior is a function of his decisions. There are no peaks and valleys, just an even-keeled approach.
Mental toughness is the acquired skill of being both physically and mentally sound in every situation. You can build this toughness through repetition. Peak performers in all sports recognize this and abide in this principle. The champion practices like he plans to play. Talent will only get you so far - the champion must develop mental toughness and a strong character to keep him at the peak of consistent performance.
Yogi Berra in one of his famous euphemisms said, "Baseball is 90% mental…and the other half is physical." Yogi may not have been too sharp in math, but he understood that the mental side of the game is very important. It is a proven fact that most athletes fatigue mentally before they do physically, because they haven't properly conditioned themselves in the mental aspects of the game. The connection between mind and body is very strong and often underestimated. For every thought of mind our body has a reaction. Consider a nightmare for one moment. Your mind thinks something and your body reacts to this. You awaken to a cold sweat, racing heart and agitated body. All of this while asleep. The reason we have a good game and then a bad game is often due to poor mental preparation. It's the reason you see a technically sound team beaten by one who is inferior in talent and skills.
Mental toughness is also the ability to control the UC's (Uncontrollables) of life. Uncontrollables are the things that are out of your direct control. How many times have you seen a pitcher miss his spot and give up a hit or homerun after a teammate made an error? It happens to the mentally soft player. The champion learns to excel in the controllable and dismiss the UC's. He has knowledge of what they are and maintains emotional control.
Being successful and winning will be a combination of displaying physical and mental skills at the right time - in the heat of competition. Competition must be an extension of your practice and your approach to both must be the same. The key to becoming a champion is found in proper preparation - mentally and physically.
Preparing the Body
Thomas Jefferson once said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and am finding the harder I work, the more I have of it." Luck is very often found in preparation. Vince Lombardi said, "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." The champion must have a heart to push himself to the limits of his physical makeup. If we have taken more swings of the bat, taken more "heaters", thrown more baseballs, and conditioned more than out opponents we will expect to win. Physical conditioning is often the difference in reaching the finals of a tournament, post season play and state/national championships. The champions of today are those who have prepared for the rigors of a tough schedule and have kept their bodies in top physical condition.
When facing a 90mph fastball or a batted ball traveling twice as fast, you cannot think about your response. You must be conditioned to maximum reaction. The best way to achieve this readiness is through proper conditioning so your muscular system is better suited to the stresses it must undergo in athletic events. We must develop muscle strength and muscle memory.
By increasing a players physical condition it not only heightens his playing performance, but also lessens the event of injury. Proper physical conditioning will not insure that you will reach the Majors, but it will certainly make the road much easier. Baseball injuries are often the result of muscle weakness, fatigue and/or lack of flexibility. The well conditioned and maintained body is far less likely to incur injury, but if injured can recover quicker. The champion must develop a consistent hard work ethic.
The physical conditioning of a baseball player needs to be sport specific. A football, body building, wrestling or basketball strength program lacks the fundamental qualities to help hit and throw a baseball. Baseball is a game of powerful, quick and explosive movements with many starts and stops. Every movement of the baseball player is generally done in less than four seconds. Therefore, the conditioning program of the baseball athlete must meet the physical demands of the efforts required to play it. Several aspects of his training to keep in mind are: (1) Strength Training, (2) Flexibility, (3) Aerobic / Anaerobic Conditioning, (4) Speed & Quickness, (5) Power & Ply metric Training, (6) Balance, Stabilization and Agility, (7) Nutrition. The baseball player must condition the whole body, therefore all areas must be considered. The Bama Bombers conditioning program is designed for this purpose.
Developing Proper Focus
Walter D. Wintle once said, "Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man, but in the end the one who wins is the one who thinks he can!" Champions learn how to get in the "Zone" and stay there. It wasn't by chance that Larry Bird wanted the ball when the game was on the line. Champions want to be there, because it is what the live for. In the flow, in the grove, on a roll, in the zone or whatever you want to call it is defining one thing - the special feeling of playing like you can do no wrong and everything is going your way. Gary Carter described it this way, "I think I could come to home plate, stand on my head, and still get a hit when I'm feeling like this." You are so involved in what you are doing that nothing else matters because you are so connected to your task.
Proper mental focus is vital to a winning attitude. Great players develop this positive mental focus and visualize good things happening - a pitcher throwing a no-hitter; a hitter hitting a grand slam to win the game; a fielder making a game ending clutch play. There are several exercises that can help you put on your "game face". Go back and remember a previous success. It may have been a good catch, a perfectly placed fastball for a called third strike, or a clutch hit. Keep in mind the sequence of events. Visualize it and remember every detail. Here are a few exercises to help you get into "The Zone":
1. Relax: The days of the super psyched are over. Studies have proven that athletes perform best when their psyche is just barely above normal and not at the extreme high end of the spectrum. Be energized, but relaxed. Your body is ready to go, but your mind is calm and relaxed.
2. Be Confident: Never let a bad experience or lapse in performance undermine your confidence in your ability. Confidence on the inside is manifested outwardly in our presence, the way we walk and your facial countenance. You trust your instincts and intuition to do the right thing at the right time. This allows you to react, instead of reason or analyze.
3. Gain Focus: Become absorbed by the moment. You have no remembrance of the past or qualms about the future - the time is NOW. The only concern is the task at hand. Become oblivious to everything else going on around you and become absorbed in the moment. Having this ability to stay in the moment is a gift that all peak performers develop.
4. Become Effortless: React, let things happen with little effort. Let your moves become smooth. Be in the state of mind that you can accomplish your task with ease. You have a sense of finesse and grace even when presented with the most difficult task.
5. Turn the Switch to Automatic: Set on autopilot and just react to whatever comes your way. Your body has been trained to do it, now just do it with no conscious thought involved. You are working on instincts. Enter a state of body awareness where the right stroke or right movement happens by itself, effortlessly.
6. Make it Fun: Enjoy the moment. Remember the times as a boy when you experienced the pure innocent delight of the game. Let everyone see the love and passion you have for what you do and the sense of gratification and satisfaction you get from it. If you don't enjoy what you are doing your future becomes limited.
7. Take Control: Feel that no matter what happens you are in control. When you are in control you are in charge with ultimate control of your body and emotions. You command your emotions and not them commanding you. The game is yours and great things are going to happen. Playing baseball requires the participations of your body, mind and spirit in harmony together. Control them all.
It is true that champions are made and not born. To become a champion requires dedication, work, desire and proper training of mind and body. "For all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: What might have been." John Greenleaf Whittier. Remember that the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. You will only hit what you aim for so aim high - Become a Champion!
Watch you thoughts, for they become your actions; Watch your actions, for they become your habits; Watch your habits, for they become your character; Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. Author Unknown
Gregory A. Legg General Manager Bama Bomber Baseball February, 2001
"It ain't braggin' if you back it up…." Dizzy Dean
Make your will to succeed greater than your fear of failure!
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