Toilets, Bricks, Fish Hooks, and Pride.

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redhotcoach

Out on good behavior
May 8, 2009
4,706
38
Verbalize
Verbalizing to yourself is called having a swing thought. Remember we talked earlier about the difference between being in the box and saying to yourself, “Drive it! Drive it! Drive it!” or “Don’t strike out”, “I got to get a hit here or coach is going to take me out of the line up.”



All athletes run through that stuff in their self-talk. What you want to do is tie in the rhythm of the swing thought with the rhythm of the mechanics. The mechanics are tied in with the thought that’s in my mind and it puts the mind and body together.



One of the drills you can do at practice, usually the first drill of the day is soft toss with verbalization. I call it Verbalize Round. I have the hitter tell me their swing thought out loud and I am listening to them talk as well as watching the rhythm of their mechanics. Out loud, they’re going, “Drive it! Drive it! Drive it!” They load on the pitch and then hit. We take three swings that way, so I can hear what their swing thought is.



During a game, I know that my shortstop’s swing thought is drive it. I might say to her, “Hey come on Kathy, let’s drive it right here!” pretty good coaching cue for her to get back with her swing thought. The other thing you want them to do as a part of the routine is mental imagery. So as I’m out here looking at third base, I know the situation, maybe I’m doing my mental imagery real quick. I’ve seen her throwing a fastball away, I drive it in the opposite field gap, I step in – swing thought of ‘drive it, drive it’ etc. So we’re building in the mental imagery and the swing thought and the breath on a pitch by pitch basis, as a part of the pre-pitch routine.



When practice is over you simply reverse the pre-practice routine that you used to get ready for practice. So spikes on to start practice, spikes off to end practice. I knock the dirt out of my spikes, that’s a sign that practice is over. I write down what I learned that day and what my goals are for the next practice. I change my clothes, I get rid of softball. As I change my clothes each article of clothing is the error I made, when coach was getting on me, the umpire’s bad call, the fact that we lost again etc. As I take off the uniform, I take off the stress, negativity and mental bricks from practice. I go in and I put my street clothes back on, I walk out of the locker room, I turn my cell phone back on. Goodbye softball hello school.



Having that sort of routine allows your athletes to leave their mental bricks from social life and school in the locker room and gives them a system for not bring bricks to practice. It helps them leave their mental bricks – as importantly – from softball in the locker room and not bring them to their academics. They’ve got to separate between the two. And for coaches having a routine to leave softball in your car when you get home will help your relationship with your spouse, will help your relationship with your family.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
DD was warned a couple times last year for pitching to quickly, I need to show her the 1st video it is really close to what we are working on so it will be great to show it to her.

Just an observation but Amanda never stops moving something. Pulling her hair, her shirt, walking, tossing the ball, bouncing or something.
 
Last edited:
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danialgarso1

Guest
I have seen your post. There have some baseball playing video, really i enjoy it. I am waiting for your next post.
 

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