Mental Toughness When Pressure is Not On

[JNew0872]

Most people talk about their DD's not being able to handle the pressure. My DD is the opposite. When the pressure is on, she performs her best. Tryouts, she is on - hit, field and pitch. Tie game, she will pitch her best often shutting down the other side. Errors of her teammates and hits by other team do not bother her. She does not get flustered. If other pitcher is struggling and the game is on the line, she wants the ball. However, when something is not on the line, it is almost like she is too relaxed or too comfortable or maybe not as focused. A friend of mine commented that she has the mental strength to be a great closer. Anyone else have this problem? How do you work on getting them to be in the zone from the start not just when it matters? She is only 13 and at this point, wants to be more than a closer.

 

[Ken B]

13 is part of it. One suggestion might be finding a locally respected college or HS pitcher (past/present) and spending some time chatting about the mental game.

 

[starsnuffer]

This one is easy. At the beginning of each game take her phone and put it just behind and underneath the tire of your car. Tell her that if she looses you'll back over her phone.

Now she'll have sufficient pressure to be focused, since simply being a good teammate isn't doing it for her.

-W

 

[JNew0872]

This one is easy. At the beginning of each game take her phone and put it just behind and underneath the tire of your car. Tell her that if she looses you'll back over her phone.

Now she'll have sufficient pressure to be focused, since simply being a good teammate isn't doing it for her.

-W

LOL...I wish it was that simple but I do not have a typical teenage girl who lives and dies by her phone. She often leaves it at home. She would just say, "Wow Mom," and walk away.

I do not think it is intentional or that she doesn't want to be a good teammate. She wants nothing more than to win and do her best.

 

[rdbass]

Not sure this will answer your question but Jonathan Papelbon has the same 'problem'.

On nights when the ballpark is full and it's a close game and we're in a race - that's what makes me tick," Papelbon said. "That's the big reason I decided to be a closer . . . when the dial is turned up and there is something on the line, I just seem to be at my best. When it's a day game in New York and you're 12 games behind, that dial ain't really turned up . . . that ain't really how I go."

The closer position, he said, is an "intensity-driven role"

Some people are wired that way....just not at 13.

 

[JNew0872]

Not sure this will answer your question but Jonathan Papelbon has the same 'problem'.


Some people are wired that way....just not at 13.

This does not answer my question of how to change it but does kind of help me to understand what might be going on. Problem is baseball uses closers and pitchers just for relief purposes but you don't really see that as much in softball.

 

[iMlearning]

funny

This one is easy. At the beginning of each game take her phone and put it just behind and underneath the tire of your car. Tell her that if she looses you'll back over her phone.

Now she'll have sufficient pressure to be focused, since simply being a good teammate isn't doing it for her.

-W

DD is reading the mental approach to Hitting and when I looked behind the Kindle, she had her phone and was actually reading her texts. No focus!

 

[iMlearning]

1 Pitch Warrior

I'm reading 1 Pitch Warrior's book and he has an approach for pitchers to stay focused. He says it's hard to stay focused for such a long time so he has set goals for the player to reach each game. ...DD doesn't pitch so I didn't read the whole chapter lol but it was an interesting approach and he won 88 games in a row and works with Brian Cain on his material.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Ask your DD which, if any, out is more important than another and why? Food for thought and potential discussion - The last out ends the game, but only when its preceded by 20 other outs. If you give away some of those earlier outs, the last out may not mean anything by the time you get there. The key out in the game may be the bases loaded strike out to end the top half of the inning in which your team subsequently goes ahead goes ahead for good.

 

[PEPPERS]

Most people talk about their DD's not being able to handle the pressure. My DD is the opposite. When the pressure is on, she performs her best. Tryouts, she is on - hit, field and pitch. Tie game, she will pitch her best often shutting down the other side. Errors of her teammates and hits by other team do not bother her. She does not get flustered. If other pitcher is struggling and the game is on the line, she wants the ball. However, when something is not on the line, it is almost like she is too relaxed or too comfortable or maybe not as focused. A friend of mine commented that she has the mental strength to be a great closer. Anyone else have this problem? How do you work on getting them to be in the zone from the start not just when it matters? She is only 13 and at this point, wants to be more than a closer.

I have a question for you when the pressure is off where does she fall off is the speed down, is she missing her spots, does she loose the good breaks on her movement pitches or something else?

Do you notice a difference in her attitude, does she act different on the mound or in the dugout or toward her teammates?

Is there a distraction she pays attention when she is not as focused such as a coach, friend or parent putting pressure on her during these periods?