Staying focused on the Baseball or Softball Field
Maybe I’m unique but I find it difficult to focus for a couple hours straight and even simple tasks seem almost daunting. Yet we want the boys or girls on the field to stay focused the whole game. We want their thoughts to be on or in the game from the time they get to the field till the time it is over. I found my mind could wander in the course of an at-bat let alone the whole game. Lets be honest, baseball is not the fastest moving sport and there is a lot of standing around time.
As a hitter I found it easier to break the at-bat down into smaller parts. You have heard the cliché one pitch at a time, but if you put it into practice we need to only focus for about seven seconds at a time. When I think of staying focus for only seven seconds at a time it becomes mush easier to manage. Once we step in the box and get in our stance we begin the focus on our one thought. (See the ball; come down on the ball, short to the ball, etc.) After the pitch is over we step out of the box and collect our thoughts a deep breath or two and the begin the focus again. Breaking the at-bat into smaller chunks makes it easier to manage. One pitch at a time or seven seconds at a time does take some practice but it will make it easier to have the intense focus we need to be successful.
The same is true in the field. The focus does not need to be intense the whole game. We need the focus to be there for a few seconds before the pitch where we run through the list of what my responsibilities are for a given play and then through the pitch. It gives us a couple seconds to relax the focus and prepare the next pitch. We need to be prepared for every play or pitch but to keep your focus at the highest level needed for success we need to give little pauses. So we are ready when it really counts!
Until Next Time,
Chad