Thursday, February 14, 2013

Mental Prepping Your Baseball and Softball Game At Bats


On Deck Circle

Begin mental prepping with your pre-pitch Timing Activation (see Timing Activation blog post) while reinforcing your muscle memory with the MP30 Training Bat (see Jaime's Swing Mechanic MP30 blog post)

NEXT

Repeat before the 1st pitch and after each sequential pitch...

Outside box if league rules allow:

Situational Awareness:

Know outs and base runners' locations

Depth Perception Tune Up:

Focus on 2B’s cap logo, then shift focus to Pitcher’s cap logo

Begin Pre-Pitch Recycling Timing Activation (See Recycling and Timing Activation Blog Posts)

Night Game… Close eyes for 5 seconds for improved vision (See

Retina/Vision Trick)

In box or “half and half” if league rules allow:

One Deep Breath…In through the nose; out through pursed lips

Look to third base coach, receive signs, square up to the pitcher, and re-focus

mentally

See Dr. Bill Harrison's Slow The Game Down blog post for fine centering-soft centering pitch tracking....

Begin Fine Centering-Soft Centering (Focus on Pitcher’s Logo & then re-focus

visually to the Release Point (Avoid being hypnotized by watching the Pitcher’s

Windup

Gently shift your weight from back to front repeatedly over your center

point (40-60) as you are fine centering and soft centering visually. Continue the

rhythm rocking breathing in through the nose going back and breathing out

through a slightly open mouth going forward. This keeps the jaw relaxed to

prevent teeth clinching which can lead to blurred vision. Plus, on contact

keeping the internal organs compressed through breath control helps to optimize

power. (Key emphasis is to do this simultaneously with a controlled, calculated

rhythmic weight shift.)

From Release Point:

Identify pitch and velocity

Begin Tracking Mentally…Yes, Yes, Yes, YES* or Yes, Yes, Yes, NO.

*(At contact, squeezing the handle in the palms helps add more power

as a result of a neuromuscular response)

Post Hit:

In the dugout, enjoy the congratulations and the pats on the back. Reward

yourself with a cup of water. Funny as it sounds, you should do this.
(behavioral conditioning)

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