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Either
you are a hard worker or you’re not. Whichever it
is, your habits will become addictive.
 I can think back to my senior year of college
where I was chasing some personal records in home runs and RBI’s. Performing
under pressure was important for me since I was in a role where I was needed to be a run
producer. My motivation at the beginning of the year was high in itself being my last
collegiate season, but what I soon found was that the harder I worked, the more success I
had. The season began with a flurry of home runs which was just what I needed to
validate my work through the offseason. It was at this
point where the entire process of preparation and performance became highly
addictive. I’d spend extra time in the cage working on my hitting mechanics; replay my performances back
in my head constantly on the way to my classes, in my classes (oops), and in the evening after
practice. My entire day was consumed with mental preparation and thoughts of success
in the next game.
I finished the season performing personally above the high
standards I had set for myself. I have to
attribute the success I experienced to the addiction to preparation and the mental game of
baseball.
 Working with quite a few different athletes each spring, I
see a wide range of preparation patterns and work habits. Some guys
have a great mental game, and others have become addicted to their mediocre work
habit. I spend time relaying the importance of increased work habit if their goals
are truly to play at the next level. The thing of
it is that it gets tougher and tougher each year to break whatever habits and mind sets have
been ingrained.
If these habits involve solid preparation both mentally and
physically then it’s easier to increase these good training habits the next
season. However, it’s equally easy to become satisfied with the same preparation
strategies you used when you were younger. Those won’t
be good enough to beat your competition in high school and beyond.
If continual improvement is what you’re looking for,
here are the ingredients you’ll need to make a high quality
career.
1. Be willing to learn and understand your hitting mechanics, or pitching mechanics. It’s not enough to listen to training advice
from a coach without understanding why you are implementing his teaching. Do your own research. While most coaches genuinely want to see their
players succeed, there those who haven’t studied high level athletes enough to relay the right
training techniques.
2. Once you understand your mechanics, put consistent time in
building these mechanics so that when it comes game time, your body responds as you need it
to. Game time is not the time to be
working on the mechanics of your swing or defensive motions. Practicing five or more days per week
(when possible) will fast forward the process of building muscle memory and sharpen your
skills.
3. Study, learn, and practice the mental game of
baseball. This website should be a
start for you. Browse the many
articles on hitting mechanics and the mental game of baseball to get
an idea of what is really involved in baseball psychology.
4. Seek out other players you can work out with who have the same
goals and work habits as you. When
this game gets tough, and it will before you know it, you’ll need a good training partner to talk
to and practice with.
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