Alan Jaeger, Jaeger Sports

"If this game was only about physical skills and ability than every first round pick would end up in the Big Leagues. The reality is that only a small percentage do."
     - Steve Springer, Former Major League Player and Scout

Like most other sports the game of baseball has evolved a great deal over the past 20 years. Today's players have access to more quality information and instruction than ever before. A great deal of this "new" information has brought exposure to the field of Mental Training. Sports Psychology, Yoga, Meditation and Visualization are training methods that are now more readily accepted by today's players and coaches than in the past -- it's more common now to hear about a player work with a Sports Psychologist or take a Yoga class to strengthen their mental approach toward performance.

The main reason for this receptivity is because players and coaches are beginning to realize just how mental this game of baseball truly is. As important as physical practice is there is a growing realization that today's baseball players, for several reasons, have more "mental" demands than ever before. For example, players now have access to a significant amount of quality information and instruction. This seems to have leveled the "physical" playing field and intensified the degree of competition. Showcases, scholarships, scouts, and the money and fame awaiting in professional baseball have put a players actions between the lines under a microscope. This once seemingly innocent game of playing catch with your father has been infused with pressures, distractions and self-consciousness. The net result is that baseball has become a head game.

Another reason baseball is so mentally challenging is because baseball has so much down time or "dead time" throughout a players performance (a hitter will come to the plate about once every 30 minutes). Dead time gives players time to think. Where other sports like Football, Basketball and Hockey are action and reaction oriented, baseball players have to learn how to get into an action or reaction mode. They don't have the luxury of being in action for continuous periods of time. It is the inactive time that gives the mind an opportunity to inhibit or sabotage performance if not trained properly.


Where the demands on the mental game has increased significantly our response to it hasn't. Though these factors have forced a change in the level of awareness in the baseball community it's remarkable how little is still being done about it. It's nice that the majority of coaches and players agree that 90% (or more) of this game is mental, but when are we going to take action? When are our "practice plans" going to reflect this?

Traditionally, practice plans are designed to prepare players for the real thing: game situations. Thus, hitters take batting practice, pitchers bull-pen, infielders take ground balls and outfielders take fly balls. Stations are set up to work on other various skills including bunt defense, pick-offs and run downs, pitchers fielding practice and base running. The problem is that these "practice" stations focus on physical execution. Game situations, when consequences are at stake, are based on physical and mental execution.

How come we haven't integrated "mental" stations designated for "mental practice" into our practice plans? Why would we expect to be relaxed and confident in "game situations" when we haven't practiced this form of training? Do we expect a clear and focused mind to just show up on game day because it should? Would you expect your arm to be strong if you never threw a baseball? Would you expect to hit well if you never picked up a bat? Then why would you expect your mental game to be "in shape" if you don't consistently work at it?

Yes, physical training is vital in the development of a baseball player but does that mean that physical mechanics are the only adjustments we make? Doesn't there come a point where physical mechanics must be supplemented by mental permission to execute these physical mechanics?

We can put pitchers in the outfield to shag fly balls for an hour but we can't find 15 minutes a day to teach our players how to relax, clear their minds and learn how to trust (be confident) themselves? We can't put aside 15 minutes to develop mental resources that are untapped, yet available to us through practice? Isn't there a mixed message to our players when we allot 40 hours a week for physical practice and 0 hours a week for mental practice?

The bottom line is this. Once physical practice has been "accounted" for it really comes down to our ability to relax (mental) and trust ourselves (mental) to execute the right action (mental) in a "game environment". Physical preparation is accounted for -- mental preparation is not. And the only way to account for anything is to do address it by doing something about it.


So, why haven't we done anything about it?

I have found three logical reasons why:

1. Mental Training is a part of the game that doesn't have protocol because it hasn't been passed down from generation to generation, like hitting and pitching mechanics,
2. Though the field of Mental Training is more widely accepted there are very few coaches who have extensive training in this field: it is difficult to know what to teach and how to integrate it into their practice, and
3. Though there is more interest and acceptance in the Mental Training field, baseball is still a very traditional sport. Not only is tradition being challenged but human beings characteristically are resistant to change.

The truth is that as long as we talk about how mental this game is and do so little about it we are going to continue to work at those skills that are already spoken for (physical) and neglect those (mental) that aren't. We are going to continue to wonder why our physical preparation in practice doesn't necessarily translate into success during performance.

It is time to make an adjustment.

The second part of this article is entitled The Link Between Mental Training And Peak Performance (on the menu as "Link to Performance")