The Power of Visualization

"To visualize, is to materialize." Often times in sports, especially the game of baseball, athletes get lost in the competition of the game and tend to lose a certain degree of focus not only when they're competing but more importantly: when they are preparing for a game. The 5 P's that were taught to me in college baseball were Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

Now obviously leading up to a season, athletes put a lot of preparation into their game. Through hours of practice and hard work, breaking down the fundamentals and challenging themselves to be perfect, you always SEE athletes practicing the physical aspect of the game. You will find dedicated athletes in the weight room, showing up early to practice and staying late taking extra Batting Practice or extra ground balls, etc. But I feel there is a whole other side to the game that kid's do not challenge themselves enough. As many Hall of Fame baseball players and coaches have said, the game of baseball is greatly comprised of the MENTAL aspect. So do kids ever break a "mental sweat" like they do during a physical conditioning or workout program? I'm afraid not many do and this is a critical component in baseball!

Mental preparation is one of the areas of baseball that I was taught to be strong in at a very young age and I contribute much of my success to this. I was taught that each night before a game, in addition to the day of the game, to close my eyes and spend about 30 minutes just visualizing the entire game. Going pitch by pitch or at bat by at bat. Visualizing making that perfect pitch with a fastball that paints the outside corner. Visualize making solid contact with the sweet spot of the bat and hitting a line drive into the left centerfield gap. You get the idea! The more specific and visual you can get the better. Our universe is governed by laws and this is the Law of Attraction. If you think it, then it will be. If you can put yourself in the game situation before it happens and imagine success and can see your team celebrating after the victory, then odds are this will come true! The mind is a powerful thing and you're immediately training your mind to think positively and see things with the end result in mind. Now I realize to some this may be hokey and corny, but why not give it a try? I guarantee you it will make a difference. Besides, wouldn't you rather be hokey with a CHANCE that it may work instead of having no other alternative at all?

Maintaining composure and NOT showing ANY emotion on the baseball field is what I'm all about. I have NO tolerance for kids who kick the dirt in frustration, shake their heads in disgust, show up the opposing players or even their own teammates, throw a batting helmet because they got out, and anything along those lines--you get the point. This is conditioning your mind to be WEAK and show the opponents that you are beat. As a player in my days, as soon as I saw a batter show emotion, I knew I had him beat and that he was mine to dominate that day. I wanted nothing more than to add to his frustration and piss him off even more! That was the competitive streak in me.

As we know, baseball is a game of failure. It is a game of contradictions. As players, you must be intense but you can't play tense. It is a game of failure, but you can't be afraid to fail. That is why it is so crucial to spend as much time on the mental side of the game as you do on the physical aspect of the game. Because without a mentally tough frame of mind that can overcome failure, you will have NO chance to be successful in this game. Go take up ping pong or something else.

"To visualize, is to materialize." Through personal experience and reading many case studies about this topic, we must not overlook the time required in training our minds to become mentally strong as baseball and softball players. It is easy to develop physical skills but without a mind that can back these skills up, you are left with nothing. Try spending 30 minutes the night before and the day of the game visualizing. Close your eyes, find a quiet place and just take yourself through the entire game. If you're pitching that day; imagine yourself throwing the perfect pitches and be specific! If you're hitting and playing the field, imagine seeing the ball hit the sweet spot and exploding into the outfield or imagine that perfect ground ball coming at you that dictates the final out of the game. It is irresponsible just to show up to the field and expect to play good... you must put in the time and effort mentally just as much as you do physically. The Laws of Attraction will work in your favor.