For those that enjoy the game of baseball, Opening Day is cause for anticipation and excitement. As a fan, it generally marks the beginning of another promising season for their favorite team coupled with the sunshine that comes from the introduction of springtime. For many, these are reasons to celebrate and that bring on the warm fuzzy feelings and good vibes.
For the player, Opening Day also serves as the beginning of a new season that will serve as a proving ground for the work that was invested in the off season. It too is an exciting time that is often met with a nervous anticipation for good things to come.
Steve Springer is a former MLB player that has served as a mental performance coach for the Blue Jays and shares his wisdom through various social media platforms. Steve is always saying “play every day like opening day.” So what does this mean?
This is my take on his statement. On the surface, I think it states the obvious as it pertains to playing the game with that “opening day” excitement and “can’t wait” anticipation. On a deeper note, as it pertains to the mental side of baseball, it means to play the game with no “mental bricks.”
What are “mental bricks?” These “bricks” that players carry around result from all the negatives that tend to collect between the ears as a season goes along. These negatives are comprised of visiting past failures and projecting how these negatives will impact future performance. If the player does not have a system to recognize and release these bricks they can start to negatively impact performance.
On Opening Day, players are experiencing “firsts” for the spring which means they are void of mental bricks. As success and failures start to collect over the course of games played, these bricks can start to stack up.
I was fortunate enough to be afforded the opportunity to play professional baseball in the Twins organization. Reflecting on my short career, I know without a shadow of a doubt that my best at bat as a “pro” was my very first at bat at my first spring training back in 1990. That at bat was me, the same guy that was blessed to experience a very successful high school career. I was facing a guy that I didn’t know, found a pitch I liked and whacked it for a double. This was great!
As spring training went along, I had at bats that were good and some that weren’t so good. I remember after several games they posted stats and I saw where I was 5 for 19, that equates to a .263 average. My initial reaction was one of disgust and disappointment. Gosh Karl you suck, that is terrible! The negative self talk has started with a barrage of critical thoughts about my swing and what had to be wrong with it. The mental bricks were starting to accumulate and I had no knowledge or training on how to rid myself of the negativity. I’ll eventually blog about my “white noise” experience at a different time. The thing that I failed to step back and consider was the perspective of the level I was competing and failure was inevitable. I needed someone to tell me that .263 was pretty darn good at this point in the spring especially for a catcher. The season from that point was full of ups and downs, mostly downs, and the journey between my ears seemed to last forever.
So, how do you play everyday like opening day? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Be present. You need your mind to minimize thoughts that are either in the past or future. the present moment is the only moment you can control.
2. Take a deep breath and focus on your breathing. This is a technique that can help you stay focused on the present moment and control your heart rate.
3. Focus on the process. As a hitter, getting a hit is out of your control. Once the ball leaves your bat you no longer control what happens. The approach to the at bat or process is controllable. Hitting the ball hard each at bat is a more attainable goal each time.
4. Recognize and release the negatives. When you catch yourself focusing on the negatives find a way to release them. This can be done by a physical action or a verbal but find a way to release it a move on to the next pitch with present moment focus.
5. Try to maintain perspective. Remember that there are difficulties in every competitive arena especially hitting a baseball. Everything is relative to the level you are playing. Continue to work on your skills but also keep your failure in perspective.
6. Have Fun! Enjoy the game you play while you play. Not everyone gets to play the game. Find ways to keep the game fun.
Play everyday like opening day!!
I do have a certification in mental performance, if you want to know more about some of these ideas I have mentioned, shoot me an email.
Burchy and Big Guy 