Digication ePortfolio :: Jonathan Reinebold

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As Yogi Berra said, "Baseball is 90% mental, the other half is physical." Yet we don't coach the mental aspect of the game. I initiated a Mental Game Minute Read email to the team. My brother, a professional football coach, liked them so much he forwarded some of these to coaches, such as June Jones, Jerry Glanville, and Kenny Niumatalolo. Below are some samples.

From "Training Camp" by Jon Gordon. To be successful in any pursuit you have to be laser focused. How do you do that?

1. Start you day with a question, what are the three most important things I need to do today to help me meet my goal?

My baseball interpretation, go into each practice, lift session... with a plan.

2. Say no and say yes. Say no to things that are trivial and don't take you forward, say yes to things that help you get where you want to go.

My baseball interpretation, use what time you have available to improve. Say yes to things like taking extra ground balls, say no to spending that time gossiping with your friends/teammates.

3. Tune out distractions.

My read on it. Don't listen to nay sayers, or those that tell you how great you are. That is just noise. Don't look at stats, depth charts, or compare yourself to others. Your quest is to be the best you, that you can be. That is the only thing you can control and the only way you will improve.

This is a good read, just like his book "The Energy Bus". Great quick reads for those that want to be better than "average".

Some of you have asked me about the mental game. One thing I want to ensure that you understand is it is a skill, and like any skill it requires practice. I have a question for you all. When you hit or pitch, or play the field are you internally focused or externally focused? Internal focus is good during practice, when we are working on technique but bad when we are playing. Internal focus is thinking about what you have to do physically to execute, such as where your weight is or how your hands are positioned.... External focus is on the object of your position, for example the ball if you are a hitter, or the catchers mitt if you are a pitcher. When playing games make sure you are externally focused. If you aren't call time, refocus and get back after it. In the end it is about competing with what you have that day. Somedays it is easier, other days you just have to have a good crappy day.

coMpete: MAKE IT COUNT: You have one game tomorrow and then that game and day are gone forever. You can waste it, or you can MAKE IT COUNT. You can focus and enjoy the experience of competition, or you can just be in the dugout or on the field with no appreciation for what you have. The choice is yours. You guys might not get how much of a blessing that is, yet, but one day you will look back on this and understand. Have fun tomorrow, compete well and savor the moment. MAKE EACH PITCH COUNT!

Tomorrow we can approach our practice as "same stuff different day", or we can attack it. It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to improve. Coaches can help you get better, but you have to be honest with yourself to identify what you need to work on and then come to practice with a plan on how to achieve it. I would tell a teammate what you want to work on so he can keep you accountable for doing what you say you want to do. Remember, it doesn't always have to be about physical skills: skills you can work on without a coach: leadership, communication with teammates, bringing positive energy, focus, refocusing if you lose focus, relaxation techniques, and the list goes on. Demand more of yourself in your practice than any coach can demand of you. If you do that you, will be closer to Coach Wooden's definition of success. In the real world it will be up to you to identify and work on your weaknesses, might as well start doing it now.

What is success? If we play poorly and win is that success? If we lose but play our best, is that success? Don't let our record be the basis of our definition of success. Watch this from the greatest coach of the 20th century and ask yourself, are you the e in COMPETE, Evolving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4aUMBGujY0

Stat watching: If you are a stats watcher, you are actually making the game more difficult to play. You are focused on outcomes instead of the process. Don't believe me? Answer one question, what good comes from stat watching? Here is what bad happens: Going well you start to press to keep it going, oh just 2-3 today and I am hitting .XXX, pressure to get an outcome instead of focusing on having a good at bat,. Going poorly, if I go 0-3 I will only be hitting .XXX, pressing for an outcome. HERE IS THE BIGGEST REALITY, IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT YOUR BA, FIELDING %, ERA IS. COACHES KNOW WHO IS PLAYING WELL AND WHO ISNT WITH THEIR EYEBALLS. You can go 4-4 and have four crappy at bats, or you can go 0-4 and have a great day at bat. Take your performance to the next level by letting go of outcomes.

You get your confidence from your preparation. A routine isn’t superstition it is simply getting your body and mind ready for the task at hand. It aides in putting your mind in the present moment. Superstition is if I don’t do x I won’t hit. Routine is stretching everyday in the same way so my body is prepared. It’s doing those things that prepare me for my at bat, giving me structure so each plate appearance isn’t a new experience. Build your personal routine, but make sure it is there to prepare you, don’t make it a wish for luck.

Today is a great day to reflect back on what we are doing well and what we need to focus on. We should never be complacent and think we have it figured out. We are either getting better or we are regressing. I don’t think you can just maintain because others are always getting better and if we just maintain we will eventually fall behind those progressing.

You all scratched out a win. You fought when you had to, Junior’s 10+ pitch at bat where he beat the hitter with bases jammed was outstanding!

I did see two areas where we can improve. 1: Controlling the controllables: The cold got us to change the way we went about our pregame. We were preoccupied with something beyond our control Some guys were not doing the dynamic stretches the right way because they were more concerned with keeping hands warm etc., others had to be coaxed out of the dugout to take ground balls. We can’t control the weather, so we just have to deal with it. Too much complaining about it! It wasn’t cold for us and warm for them, be mentally and physically tough and deal with it. You can’t control it. 2: present moment focus. I don’t like being the jerk that collects phones, but guys were focused on their phones instead of preparing for the game. We weren’t where our feet were. We ALWAYS have to focus on the task at hand, even in pregame activities. The Superman poster on the clubhouse door is there for a reason, when you walk onto the field you are no longer Clark Kent, Midshipman, or whatever, you are a baseball player/Superman. BE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE at all times. If you learn to do this it will make your adult life easier, work/life balance, interpersonal relationships, performance at work all are easier when YOU ARE WHERE YOUR FEET ARE! Those of you that fly will find out how valuable and refreshing this concept is. Some say surfing does the same thing because you are truly focused at the task at hand. All of your stresses and your issues disappear while you are surfing or flying.

Keep learning and growing.

Tomorrow if you are in a green light state, go enjoy it. If you are in yellow, battle your opponent and refocus if you start to think about the last pitch or at bat, outcomes, or you become internal when hitting, pitching or fielding. Step off the rubber or out of the batters box, take a breath, find something to focus on to bring you back to a present moment focus. If you are in red lights let us coaches know. For anyone that worries about outcomes remember why you play the game and make that your focus. Have fun tomorrow and just play the game!

Gents this week was a great experience. Your hard work in the off season is beginning to pay off. What did we learn from this trip? I think we learned that when we play relaxed we play better. Getting hyped up for a big game is a fallacy. We can’t try harder, we should just focus on the task at hand, not the results or the situation. Hit the ball hard, track the ball, catch it and throw it. Keep it at its most basic and we are good. I think we learned that we are a very good team. We have depth and everyone contributed to our 6-2 record. Congrats guys

Compete-Care: What have you done to show you care more about the team and your team mates than yourself? Have you picked up a team mate after they made a mistake? Have you corrected a team mate either gently, or bluntly, when they did something or said something wrong? Coaches can only give direction and guidance, it’s up to the players to develop and nurture team culture.

Did you know that teams that have more physical contact, high fives, chest bumps etc. win more than teams that don’t! The contact releases oxytocin, a pleasure chemical in the brain that relaxes players and improves feelings of closeness and community. High 5s all around!

Before you can control your performance you have to be in control of yourself. Breathing is a great way to do that. If you need more energy concentrate on the inhale. If you need to relax concentrate on the exhale. Always in through the nose out through the mouth.

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