Mental Prep For Baseball Pitching

How does a Major League Baseball player or pitcher prepare -- mentally -- for a big game or a postseason series?

Joe Janish, a baseball coach at OnBaseball.com, had the opportunity to discuss that topic and many others related to mental preparation for baseball with one of the leading experts on the subject, Jim Fannin. Jim’s worked with 24 All-Stars over the years, including Alex Rodriguez, Casey Blake, Barry Zito, Carlos Delgado, Jim Thome, Orel Hershiser, Frank Thomas, Alex Cora, and many others.

This is one of the best interviews on this topic that I've ever heard.

Download mp3 Interview Here (27:20 mins)

What 'Failure' Teaches Us?

We are brainwashed in school that failure is bad. But looking back over the course of my baseball career, I found that failure was truly the only path to success. Because with each failure comes the silver lining of knowledge that turns failure into success.

You're going to have bad games, bad weeks, and sometimes straight up bad seasons. I certainly had all three throughout my career.  But with all those failures, I was able to make the right adjustments in my pitching mechanics, to make the right adjustments with my strength training, and to make the right adjustments with my attitude. Ultimately, those failures are what allowed me to earn that baseball scholarship, to get drafted twice, and to have the opportunity to play professional baseball. Those failures led to some of my successes on the pitcher's mound.

Here's my point: Don't be like most people and get upset or lash out when you are forced to think ... when you are forced to look at what you are doing and make adjustments ... or when you have a failure. You must use those opportunities to learn something new -- to grow as a person, and to grow as a baseball pitcher. Trust me, throughout the process of pursuing a career in professional baseball, the road will be long and tough. Very tough. Yet it's through the failures we face that will allow you to succeed.

The only question is, "How will you handle it?" The answer to that question is what separates the great pitchers from the wannabes.

Why Command Is A Pitcher's Most Important Asset

My baseball pitching coach in college once told me that the greatest asset a pitcher can have is command: command of himself, and command of his pitches.

Command of yourself means controlling your emotions, your attitude, your work ethic, etc. Pitching command means being able to locate any pitch within a certain section of the strike zone instead of just trying to throw the ball over the plate with no purpose.

In order to pitch at the highest levels of the game, you much command yourself and your pitches.

6 Keys To Optimal Pitching Performance

1. Focus on the present; focus on the next pitch.

2. Do not dwell on good or bad situations that just occurred. Do not dwell on the last pitch, the last play, the last inning, the last game.

3. Do not jump in thought to the future. Current focus must not be disturbed by a thought of what might be or what was.

4. Do not be too hard on yourself, but you must work hard! Realize that many things in the game of baseball are beyond your control and that trying your best and working your hardest is the only thing you can control. Focus on that.

5. Trust your pitching skills. Use goal-setting to gain confidence.

6. Focus on the process, not the outcome. That's how you improve.

How To Practice Pitching To Stay Sharp Mentally And Physically

"The bullpen is a preparation, not an indicator."

--Harvey Dorfman, author of The Mental Game of Baseball

How many times have you heard a pitcher in the bullpen wonder out loud if his breaking ball was going to "show up" today. Pitchers at every level do it. Do you?

As a pitching coach and instructor, I believe it is critical for a baseball pitcher to view his time in the bullpen as time to get things to work instead of a time to find out if they work. It is amazing to me how often pitchers see their daily "stuff" as a sort of lottery … either they show up with winning stuff or they approach the game with inquisitive looks on their faces because of feelings from a poorly executed bullpen.

While I was certainly guilty of this in my career at times, I have since learned that pitchers have a lot more control of this than they likely think. It involves several different facets of preparation and all of them contribute to who "shows up" on the mound for the next start. The Mental Game of Baseball book is a great place to start. I encourage you to work on it.

Talk About Major League Superstitions!

Nobody tops former MLB pitcher Turk Wendell's rituals, shown here. Whoa!

Do you have any rituals or superstitions?

Former MLB Pitching Coach Talks Pitch Counts, Strategy And Mental Toughness

Here's a nice interview with Rick Peterson, former pitching coach for the Oakland A's and N.Y. Mets, on pitch counts, evaluating pitchers, getting ahead of hitters, and the makeup of a successful pitcher.

Guest Post: Establishing Mound Presence

Jeff Moree, a high school pitcher at Carmel Catholic, in Illinois, submitted this article on establishing mound presence. I really like his advice on the importance of body language and the role it plays on mental side of pitching. As always, I encourage you to submit your articles, details here.

So you have the 90 mph heater, a dirty curve, and a sneaky change. What are you missing? It is one thing to have the tools of successful pitching, but it is another thing to show the hitter that you have what it takes to get them out. 

I am talking about mound presence. It is the unspoken pitching tool that separates the good from the great. Being able to intimidate the hitter and get into their head will give you the advantage when push comes to shove.

Having "command presence" is proving your ability to take control of the situation at hand; that situation being the pitcher versus the hitter. If you can demonstrate that you are in charge of the situation, and can attack the hitter, you will have the upper hand in the battle. If you allow the hitter to intimidate you or get in your head, he will pick up on this and thrive. It is in your best interest to show the hitter that you are the boss, and that you are in charge of his impending strike out. 

Another key factor of Mound Presence is "body language." As a pitcher, we have tendencies to show our emotions through our body motions. If you let up a screaming double and slowly walk back to the mound, it gives the impression that you are defeated, and therefore gives the hitter all the more confidence. A solid physical presence will give you the look of "mental toughness." Pitching mechanics tend to differ when emotions set in. Some pitchers may over throw when they are getting shelled, others may drop their arm angle. These flaws in a pitcher's mechanics usually lead to more hits and a fatigued arm. A strong mental pitcher keeps his mechanics sound throughout the entire game, regardless of his emotions.

Having a certain aura about you as a pitcher will help to give you the upper hand in a game. If you show your confidence on the mound, the batter will realize that you mean business. However, if you allow the emotions of the game to affect your body language and mechanics, you will lose any advantage you may have had over the hitter. You are the pitcher ... you are in charge of the game ... be the boss.

How To Set Goals To Increase Pitching Performance

"This year, I want to ____________________."

What baseball pitching goals would you write in the blank space? Take some time to think about it: What would you like to accomplish on the pitcher's mound this year?

Did you come up with a set of goals? Write them down on a piece of paper, and then tape it next to your bed, on your dresser, or on the bathroom mirror. Put your goals in a spot that you'll see them on a daily basis.

Visualizing your goals is a great way to accomplish them. Many successful pitchers do it. They set short-, mid-, and long-term goals every season. When they accomplish one, it gets crossed off the list. Then more are added.

Here are 7 simple tips to have a more productive baseball season.

1. Set a clear precise goal

Start with one thing that you want to achieve. Whatever the goal, make it specific and put it in writing. For example, "throw first pitch strikes to hitters," or "put hitters away when you have two strikes on them."

2. Set a realistic time frame

There are no unrealistic goals, just unrealistic time frames. For example, if you want to throw harder, it simply won't happen overnight. Instead, if you dedicate yourself to following a quality training routine, you can expect to see the results you desire.

3. Break down long-term goals into short-term goals

Arrange long term goals into short term goals: daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly. What can you do today, right now, to start getting better at pitching?

4. Measure progress

Make corrections as needed. Note progress, and write it all down so you can reference it in the future. This way you can see what made you successful or unsuccessful and can make adjustments accordingly.

5. Create motivation

"Desire" what it will mean for you to accomplish the goal.

6. Mental picturing

See yourself attaining the goal using all senses: touch, sight, hear, taste, and smell. Bring the visualized experience to life!

For example, picture yourself making the perfect pitch in the last inning of a close game with runners on base, threatening to score. Hear the crowd roar, smell the hot dog stand, see nothing but your catcher's glove, etc.

7. Believe in yourself

Maintain a positive attitude and never, ever give up!

OK, now let's go back to that question I asked at the beginning of this chapter. Fill in the blank: "This year, I want to ____________________ ... and because I've set goals, written them down, established realistic time frames to accomplish them, and prepared to the best of my ability, I will accomplish them." That's how winners are made, and that's how to become a great baseball pitcher.

Happy New Year!

Vision Training For Baseball Pitching

Everything you do in pitching begins with what you see -- the catcher's mitt, the way the hitter is standing, the crowd in the stands. Vision training for pitching underlies your success on the mound; if you visualize success, you have a better chance at achieving it.

For baseball pitchers, visualization training can have a positive effect on your game day performance. Here's how to do it like I was taught by a sports psychologist in pro ball. It takes 10 minutes and can be done daily.

1. Go to a quite place where you won't be distracted for 10 minutes.

2. Close your eyes and relax.

3. Visualize yourself on the mound in a big game -- first from the outside (like you're a fan watching the pitcher on the mound), then from behind the mound, and then from a close-up view of your upper body (almost like the camera angle on TV, but you want to see it closer).

4. View your pitching mechanics, nice and fluid. See proper arm angle and release point. Feel the pitching delivery with all your senses.

5. Visualize yourself throwing different pitches. See the arc of the slider. See the arc of the curve ball. See the movement on your two-seamer. See the backward spin of your four-seam fastball. The ball will produce a light that will follow the proper path, depending on the pitch. See and follow the pitch acting as it should.

Vision training will allow you to go out on game day and just focus on the catcher's glove. Say, "I'm going to throw the curveball on the low outside corner," and you don't have to think about your mechanics or anything like that. You will throw that curveball to that point that you've already visualized more often than not.

Try it.