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Why is
it that the 1st and the 5th Innings are the Toughest
on Major League Pitcher?
Ever notice that?
Many of the teams score in the first inning; the
then the game gets a little out of hand in the
fifth?
If not, watch for the
trend this year.
Why does it happen?
I have my theory. I
believe it's part mental, and part physical. I don't
think it's a mechanical phenomenon.
Today, I'm going to
talk a little on the mental aspect.
I received a great
email from a concerned dad the other day and it's a
timely one as most of us are beginning our season
very soon, if it hasn't already begun.
Bill,
"What do you recommend to help my 15 year old
with first inning jitters (ie confidence)?"
John
John, the first
inning jitters is certainly not a new phenomenon. If
you look at the scores of Major League baseball (MLB),
you'll see a trend. A lot of runs scored in the 1st
inning, and the 5th inning. Why? Probably a million
reasons. But the few that I observe are jitters,
fatigue and complacency.
Just about every
pitcher I know gets jitters in the 1st inning. It's
natural. But what causes it? What about the higher
scores in the 5th inning? I think it's because the
pitcher is closing in on an official game, if he can
only get through this inning with the lead, I'll get
a win. I imagine there is some mental and partial
physical fatigue too as well as the pitcher possibly
not adjusting to the hitters, but I suspect most of
it is mental.
But what about those
1st inning jitters? Why does it affect some pitchers
more than others?
Simply, I think it
has to do with the pitcher accepting the uncertainty
of what's about to happen, or not accepting the
uncertainty.
In our book by
Christy Mathewson, Pitching in a Pinch,
Mathewson talks about the pressures pitchers face in
becoming a major league player. Why some don't make
it…because they don't learn to Pitch in a Pinch.
A lot of us don't
accept the uncertainty of an upcoming event. And, we
talk ourselves out of success. Players sabotage
their own performance a lot of times. The amazing
thing is that a lot of pitchers will do that before
they even step on the battlefield.
Our self-talk kills
us. "Will I get shelled in the first inning? I hope
I don't walk a lot of guys. Boy, that's a pretty
good team I'm facing."
What's the affect on
us not accepting that uncertainty and the negative
self-talk? We become very anxious. We worry about
the outcome…..we don't want to fail. And what do we
do? Focus on what we don't want.
Simply put, anxiety
is the distress or uneasiness of the mind caused by
fear. In this case, the fear of not succeeding. The
fear of what I don't want to happen just might
happen. Apprehension. I don't think anyone can
compete at a high level consistently if they play
with apprehension.
Do you or your
pitcher focus way too much on what you don't want to
happen?
What's the fix if you
do?
Here's my opinion.
Focus on what you want. Wonder about the great
outcomes that can happen. Focus on what you want to
happen. Your anxiety can turn into wonder. The
uncertainty turns into something better.
Wonder is the
acceptance of the uncertainty ahead. I certainly
would like to operate in a state of wonder as
opposed to anxiety.
The first step is to
become aware of what you are thinking. Write down
your thoughts during the game when you get home.
Pick up your writings the next day or two and it
should help to better understand what you have been
thinking about and then make the decision to not go
there.
Even hoping for a hit
at bat is a bit negative. When you hope to get a
hit, the message you send to yourself is a bit of a
band-aid. You are trying to mask the real belief
that you don't have confidence you will get a hit.
Focus on what you
want. Be specific too. "I want to hit this 0-2 pitch
on the outside of the plate over the 2nd baseman's
head." And you'll know how to react to the inside
pitch. That's a little more specific than, "I hope I
get a hit." When you are more specific, I think it
will take your mind off what you don't want.
Give this a try and
let me know how it's working for you. Your BioForce
Family would love to hear the success stories.
I'll tell you, I've
been working behind the scenes lately on a couple of
new baseball instruction products to be pre-released
very soon….first to you, our BioForce Baseball
online family.
The first is a book
on pitching principles. Been in the works for some
time now. And it's not the same 'ol science book,
and dry text book kind of stuff. I guarantee you the
title won't be "The Science of…" It will be a more
interesting read, and I've been working real hard to
make it a simple read too. Just like the old saying
K.I.S.S. I'm keeping it simple.
Simple because that's
what we need to do with baseball and mechanics, keep
it simple.
My other project? It
will be the ability for you to upload video clips to
me, and we can provide an analysis of your pitching
and/or hitting.
I'll be like your
cyber pitching coach, or hitting coach.
I'm looking forward
to that very soon. I hope you will be too. I'd love
to hear your thoughts on these two projects.
Until next time….
Train Like a Champion
Today!
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