Transcript
Speaker: Hey everybody, welcome to the Primal Baseball Podcast, your go-to place for baseball training, mindset development, and everything you need to elevate your game inside the lines and outside the lines.
Speaker: Today's episode, we are going to dive into something that's more than just a physical skill. It's something that's more towards the mental edge that you need to truly compete at the highest level.
Speaker: Our focus of this month or the upcoming month of March is going to be all about learning how to compete. So in baseball and really in life, it's easy to get caught up in perfecting mechanics, perfecting the skills that we think we need. So if you're in business, maybe it could be analytical skills.
Speaker: Maybe it could be ah certain technical skill that you're trying to build. However,
Speaker: In making sure that everything is technically right, sometimes we miss the bigger point. At the end of the day, the game is played in the mind, it's played on the field, and sometimes those skills won't show themselves unless you learn how to compete, how to let go of mechanics, stay present, and make sure that you're staying clear on your objectives that will help you throughout the season.
Speaker: So let's start with one question. What does it mean to compete? We often think of competition in terms of the scoreboard, the stats, the wins, the along the losses.
Speaker: But what if I were to say that the real competition happens in your mind long before you step on the field?
Speaker: The truth is that learning to compete isn't about being perfect. It's not about having the perfect mechanics. It's not about having the perfect perfect technical skills. It's about having the mental toughness to face the challenges of the game and still perform at your best when it matters most. It's about having that little switch in the back of your head that tells you it's time to go regardless of whether you feel great, whether you had the perfect warm-up, whether you had...
Speaker: the perfect med ball routine or plyo ball routine or whether you just got to the field and you had to jump right on the mound. In college baseball and high school baseball and professional baseball, you may think that there's this perfect warm-up that you're to go through. You may think that everything is going to go smoothly. When you get to the field, sometimes the bus is late, sometimes the plane is late, sometimes there's delays, sometimes the conditions, the field, the mound aren't great.
Speaker: These are things that you're going to have to overcome. And if you rely solely on your mechanics, your skills, sometimes they're not going to be there. Sometimes they're going to be off. You have to learn how to compete without those things. I see a lot of times guys in facilities,
Speaker: right? They're taking their playa balls. They're going through the routine. They're throwing their playa balls as hard as they can into a fence and think it's awesome. Think it's sick. They're looking at 90. They're looking at 92 and they think that's going to get them to the next level. Yes, it probably will get you the next level. It probably will get you recruited, but once you get there, it's not going help you stay on the field.
Speaker: If you're throwing 95,
Speaker: 92-95, let's say in college, for instance, and you can't compete every time you go out there, you just shut down, you can't handle the pressure, you can't throw strikes when you need to, you're not going to pitch. It's going to be the guy that's throwing 90-91 can command it, can handle himself under pressure, can throw that breaking ball in a...
Speaker: 2-0 count when he needs to. And if you don't trust me and you don't think I'm telling the truth, go to a college baseball game, call up a college coach, connect with anyone who's played college baseball. Obviously at the pro level, things change.
Speaker: At the high school level, things are a little different, but for the most part, this is the experience that a lot of my teammates and myself have had. So I challenge you with one thought.
Speaker: and Instead of over obsessing with your mechanics, how about you start focusing on one thing that you can control during the game and that's going to be your competitive mindset. So when you shift that focus from how you're going to do it, like the mechanics of the pitch delivery or the swing to the why of what you're doing it, like the objectives, the goal, the competitive drive, that's when you really start to elevate and enjoy the game a little bit deeper.
Speaker: And I tried to transition that as well as I could. it may have seemed like a quick turnaround from talking about mechanics to the why of your game. However, the why of your game is why you're going to compete.
Speaker: So if all you're doing on the mound is thinking about your mechanics and thinking about how good your mechanics are, chances are you're not going to have that true passion and fuel behind you to fuel your performance.
Speaker: But if you can remember why you're playing the game and how hard are you going to compete for that person thing or the reason you started playing the game, then that is unleashing your competitive drive and learning how to compete.
Speaker: And on the flip side, i know you're probably thinking, wait, isn't perfecting mechanics a huge part of baseball? Absolutely it is. Mechanics are a tool, but they're not the end goal.
Speaker: The problem is when players get so fixated on their mechanics that they lose sight of the actual game of the bigger picture. Let's do an example like Mike Trout.
Speaker: right He's one of the best hitters in the game, yet his swing isn't necessarily perfect. Obviously, it's great, but what sets him apart is his ability to kind of let go of his mechanics in the moment and focus on competing.
Speaker: When he's at the plate, he's not thinking about his setup. He's not thinking about his bat path or his launch angle. He's thinking about reading the pitcher, recognizing the pitch, and reacting in the moment. So the key thing here is is the presence.
Speaker: You've already done all of the work. When you go through your mechanical drills and things along that line in practice and in preparation for the game, that's great. But like let those things in your mind stay there.
Speaker: When you get to the game, when you're on the mound, in any competitive situation, you need to let go of that internal checklist of perfect mechanics and focus on the task in front of you, which is getting the dude out and competing your ass off, making sure that you out-compete the guy that you're facing 60 feet, 6 inches away.
Speaker: Like when was the last time you saw an MLB pitcher doing a hip load or or glute load feel right before they pitch in the ninth inning in a one-run game?
Speaker: They're focused on the moment. They're focused on getting the dude out. So let's let's talk about some actionable steps. It's all good to talk about focusing in the present and letting go mechanics, but we also need a roadmap to get there.
Speaker: And this is where objectives or setting objectives can come into play. I want you to think about this. Where do you want to be by the end of the season? What do you want to achieve? Not just physically, but mentally.
Speaker: Do you want to improve your batting average? you want to improve your your ERA? Yes. But more importantly, do you want to develop the mental resilience, the competitive edge to stay focused during high pressure situations and be able to succeed against other good players?
Speaker: Your objectives should align with both these physical and mental aspects of the game. And without these clear goals, without a defined purpose, you're just going to float through the season without without any goals to hit.
Speaker: You're not going to be actively working towards something. So I challenge you to sit down tonight or whenever you're listening to this, you can listen to it again and write down some goals for the season. What's your why?
Speaker: What drives you to step to the mound, to get in the gym, to keep pushing when it gets tough? When you are in a tough situation against another tough player, what's going to take you over the edge to compete and find that inner motivation?
Speaker: ah need you to use that and use it to fuel your work ethic and mindset. This brings me to my final point today, which is teaching you how to find your why. So this is the foundation of your drive, right? The reason you're putting in the work, even when nobody's watching, this can be very personal to you.
Speaker: And it's important because it will give you the clarity you need to stay focused when things don't go according to plan. It'll bring you back to center, bring you back to the present moment. So your might be different from a person next to you, might be different from any other teammate.
Speaker: Maybe you're playing for a spot on a college roster. Maybe you're competing for a spot on a professional team. Maybe you're just playing for the love of game and maybe you made a promise to someone special in your life that you would give what you had left to the game.
Speaker: Whatever it is hold on to that why. It's going to be your anchor, especially when you face challenges. So I want you to take a second to think about it. Think about this when I ask you, what drives what drives you to compete every day?
Speaker: And when you know that, when you can connect with that deeper reason, you're going to find that the mental part of the game becomes a lot easier. So wrapping up, let's just remember the key takeaways for this month.
Speaker: We're going learn to compete by focusing on the mental side of the game. Your ability to stay present perform under pressure will always outweigh perfect mechanics. Letting go of the constant obsession with mechanics.
Speaker: Instead, learning how to compete in the moment with your eyes in the situation. Let's set some clear objectives because without a goal, you're just drifting. Let's know where you're going and let's set yourself up for some success.
Speaker: And finally, let's find your why, that deep personal reason that keeps you going so that you're able to compete with a little bit extra fuel inside of you Hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Hope it inspired you to take a step back, reframe your approach and start building little bit more of a competitive mindset that's going to carry you throughout this season.
Speaker: Remember, it's not just the mechanics. It's going to be about competing in every moment. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode. Please follow us on social media at Primal Baseball, P-R-I-M-A-L-B-S-B-L, on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Speaker: Go check out our new site, our member site, PrimalBaseball.com. And if you would like to reach out to us and be on the podcast, PrimalBaseball, P-R-I-M-A-L-B-S-B-L, at gmail.com.
Speaker: please share this podcast, this episode with anyone you think may benefit. And we would love to hear your comments until next episode. See you guys later.
