Mental Training – How Negative Thinking Can Really Destructive

I started working with my team officially this weekend with our first practice yesterday.

We have a good hitting team. And yesterday, I was introducing a few simple softball hitting concepts mostly about stance, rythm and loading/trigger/negative movements.

I have one player who said “I can’t do it”.

What?

“I can’t do it. My body won’t do it.”

Are you kidding me?

Wow – we got also as much, if not more coaching on the thinking and mental side than we do on the technical side.

But you know what? It is certainly not usual.

In this case, this young lady was actually arguing with me to convince me that she couldn’t do it.

I’m only talking about a slight trigger here. What else can’t she do? I’m looking forward to see.

This is actually very typical.

And this is a big block to getter better.

Kids are used to instant success, instant fixes, to getting what they want NOW!

They aren’t used anymore to working hard and facing obstacles to get what they want.

This kind of thinking is really a big road block to getting better.

You really can’t afford to think like that if you want to get better.

Learning works this way..

1) you have to be willing to try something else and have an open mind

2) Willingly integrate the new stuff

3) Understand that it will NOT work right away

4) Understand that you actually will probably be even worse than it was because you learning a new thing

5) Understand it will take time to master it and before you feel comfortable.

Learning takes time.

Learning is like taking 3 steps back to take 5 forward after.

You have to move back before you can move forward a few steps.

And pleazzzzzzzze… get rid of that I can’t do attitude.

So useless, so destructive.

Train hard, play hard.

Leave a Comment