How to block everything out, so you can pitch your game

Have you ever pitched with rabbit ears? It's a figure of speech used in baseball to describe a guy who's minding everyone else's business but his own. Usually, it describes a pitcher who's not fully concentrating on the task at hand, but rather tuned into what his parents, his coaches, the opposing team, etc., are saying.

As a pitcher, the mound is no place for rabbit ears. When your on the mound, you've got to block everything out but the next pitch. You've gotta talk to yourself in a positive way and focus on hitting the strike zone. You've have to trust that your next pitch will be a strike. You have to ignore the taunts from the other dugout -- "Hey pitcher, look out for the hole in front of the rubber" or "Hey rubber arm, your stride's too long." And you've got to ignore what coaches or parents or friends in the stands might be saying. What they're saying is not going to help you. It won't allow you to succeed.

How do you take off the rabbit ears? Concentrate on YOUR game. Slow things down. Tune it out. Keep it positive. Concentrate on the next pitch.

So take off those rabbit ears if you've been wearing them.

(Submitted by Bill Chapones)