Contrast

What is the definition of Contrast?  For this blog the definition of contrast will be anything that happens to you in your career path for baseball that is deemed negative.  A quick example of that is when you are a pitcher and you are the starter for your team that day.  You get all warmed up and ready to go for the game.  Your bullpen felt great and you feel you are prepared and set for a great outing.  The next thing you know the game starts and you can't throw a strike.  You are walking guys, guys are getting hits off of you and you don't ever make it out of the first inning.  That would be a great example of Contrast. 

Now that we have a pretty clear idea of what Contrast is, the next step is to figure out how to deal with Contrast.  The first thing we need to know about Contrast is that it is there for our assistance.  Contrast is there to guide us so we know what parts of the game we need to improve upon.  But the most important thing we could learn from Contrast is how it grows our desire.  The more Contrast we have the more desire we should have.  Think about that for a second because this is a pretty tough pill to swallow sometimes, especially when we are in the middle of the Contrast.  The more Contrast we have, the more desire should grow inside of us. 

The best way I know how to relay this information to the players I work with is perspective.  If you can look at Contrast as your friend, then it won't beat you up so much.  Think of it this way, what if by having Contrast we also at the same time got better in our minds and our bodies.  What if every time you threw a bad game or hit too many batters or threw too many balls or gave up a game winning home run, what if at the same time you experienced this Contrast you knew that your mind and your body were learning from the experiences and they were fine tuning themselves for you even if you were not aware of it.  Now, if you could wrap your head around this belief, would you feel a little bit better about Contrast?  Would you allow yourself to feel better about the situation and not beat up on yourself because things did not go your way? 

You see, I am going through that same thing right as I am typing this blog to you.  I have had an ongoing battle with Batting Practice.  Over the years I have trained myself to feel a certain way about batting practice and what it represents.  I have twisted the story in my head so badly that it is tough for me at times to even go play catch with the guys out here.  But let me explain to you what really is going on.  The more I beat myself up and talk down to myself and feel unworthy, the more that comes to me and the worse it gets.  But the minute I am able to switch my focus to what is I want and then keep my undivided attention to that, things get better.  The Contrast I have experienced through the years have ultimately set me up for a lifetime of great batting practice!!  But to tap into that energy and create that good BP, I must also be able to understand that Contrast is a good thing and it is nothing to be scared of.  Contrast is there to help me grow my desire and get me to a point of where I really want to be.  My job is to continue telling myself that.  My job is to do the best I can to not discourage myself from throwing but to understand things are ok and it will get better.   In no way am I telling you that it is that easy.  Trust me, I have wanted to quit many times because of how badly it felt.  But when I look at the bigger picture and understand that me not throwing good BP right now does not make me any less of a person.  It does not make me a bad coach.  In my opinion, it makes me a better coach because I know exactly how it feels to battle through confidence issues.  I know how it feels to fail and I need to be able to communicate to my players how they can push through those setbacks.

In the end, this all ties back into Focus.  Step one is experiencing the Contrast.  Step two is identifying what you do not want, which allows you to now know what you do want.  Step three is taking your focus to what it is that you want and being so stubborn that you won't allow yourself to think any other way.  For example, what I need to do better is take all that energy and focus I have on not wanting to fail while throwing BP and pivot my thoughts to the other end of the spectrum.  I need to focus on succeeding and throwing well and sitting with the feeling of how great it will be and is when I throw great BP.  The more I can take my focus and put it on where I want to be and not what currently is, then I can start to tap into the energy I have stored up through all the Contrast.  So, if there are ever any times you experience Contrast in this game of baseball, and there will be (trust me on that one...LOL)just make sure you remember that Contrast is your friend.  It is setting you up for a world of future success.  Just take your focus to where it is you want to be and continue to dream as big as you can.

That is all for now...enjoy your weekend Passion for Pitching Family!!!

Belief Conquers All

A lot has been said this Spring Training, as is always the case when you get into a room with 20 coaches and bosses and roving instructors and all the rest.  Each morning we go into a meeting before we head out to the fields and each morning a coach or boss or whomever is assigned a topic for the day so we can debate and discuss different things.  Yesterday it was my turn and I discussed the word "startle".  In short, "startle" is basically what happens to the body when it feels threatened in some way, shape, or form.  The body is built for survival and it goes into survival mode when it feels the need.  That is basically the definition of "startle"

So, who cares, right??  Well, basically it doesn't matter at all if you are a person who is not competing against 150 other professional players for a job in the big leagues.  But, if you are one of those guys fighting for your livelihood and your life in professional baseball, then it does matter.  "Startle" is something you can get in many different ways by doing many different things.  For me, I go into "starle" each time someone mentions Batting Practice!! LOL...right now I am pretty bad with that!!  But for these young pitchers on the mound "startle" is something that can be very serious and very real.  Basically it is when you are on the mound and you feel as though you have no chance in getting anybody out.  Or it comes up when the catcher drops down a sign to throw a curveball and you feel a shortness of breath because you have no feel for the pitch that day.  Or it comes up when the manager walks out to the mound and points to the bullpen and the umpire runs over and says, "you're in!"  However it comes up it all comes down to one thing and one thing only.........BELIEF!

The bottom line of all things in life is belief.  If you truly believe in who you are, in what you are doing then "startle" is not an issue for you.  "Startle" is just another word that some fancy shmancy coach uses to explain what goes on in the nervous system when the body feels threatened.  And for those who do believe in themselves and their abilities that is what the word "startle" will always mean to them.  But for the pitchers out there who do get freaked out when it gets tough on the mound or when a big time hitter comes to the plate or when there are too many people in the stands watching your every move, you need a way to deal with this so called "startle".

Well, belief is the way to go.  Belief needs to be something you practice daily.  Now I am not talking religion here and going to church and all that stuff.  Not that there is anything wrong with that, but this is not a blog on religion.  The belief I am writing about is the belief, the knowledge in yourself and your abilities that no matter who is hitting or what the situation is or who is in the stands watching, none of that matters because you believe in you!! 

People all the time debate on talent vs. hard work.  I realize that talent and hard work are both equally important, but when it comes down to it, if you don't believe in what you are doing and in your own abilities, all the talent and hard work in the world will not mean a thing.  In professional sports especially, you must be so locked in to who you are and what you are capable of or the game will eat you alive.  The game is not forgiving, don't forget that.  I compare it to the ocean and the waves in the ocean.  Riding those waves out there the ocean seems so beautiful and fun, but you lose your focus on a big time wave for a second and that beauty can turn into pure fear in an instant...LOL!!

I guess what I am trying to get at with all this blabber is that belief can be learned.  Belief is something that you can train yourself into and it is not just given to those who are gifted.  Belief is something we all have in our bodies right from birth, it is just that some of us get trained out of that along the course of life.  That is ok too, you just got to get back on course and realize who you really are and what you are capable of.  I know I am giving a lot of eyewash now but don't worry, the belief sermon is not over yet....stay tuned!!!!!