What is the difference between games and practice? It is a question I ask my athletes to ponder constantly. When it really comes down to it…is there really anything that changes besides what the athlete perceives to have changed?

Most of the time as athletes we think there is a difference between hitting a ball or throwing a pitch in a game than in practice. Truth is, there is no difference. Sure, the intensity is higher as far as effort is concerned. In actuality, however, it is only the perception that has changed.

Players are still fielding ground balls, still watching a pitch to hit come in, still throwing to a location. Anyway you put it…all the things an athlete does in practice are the same things they do in a game.

Players think there is a difference, so there is. There goes that mind thing messing with us again. The mind is the one thing that can and will make or break an athlete. What you perceive will undoubtedly give power to your game or stress you out beyond belief wondering what is happening to my game?

The good news is that perception and how you think is a habit. Habits can be broken, they can be changed…. what great news! Alas, the problem is, not many individuals care to put the work behind changing those habits and perceptions.

Change takes time, it takes effort, it will also take your stress to another level (just ask someone trying to quit the nicotine addiction). There really is no difference. A habit is just something you are used to. Your brain has formed neurons to act a certain way based on how you perceive something. What has to be done is an athlete needs to create new neurons, essentially re-teaching your brain what to think. It takes dedication, and discipline to break a habit. If your willing to do that, you as an athletes will see a new rise in your game and in your confidence. Good Luck!

The concept of timing is one of the most important in the games of baseball and softball. It's more important than having the perfect swing. Personally, I work timing with my clients just as much as I work on their swings. It is a concept of trust at times as I will explain further.

When I ask an athlete when they start their swing (and I don't mean swinging….I mean the load), more often than not, I don't get a response. How can you hit if you have no idea when you need to load (by load I mean when you start your hands back and stride or rock back with your hands doing the same if you don't stride)?

There are those who say you don't need a load or the hands should stay still. I tend to disagree with those concepts as a matter of science. An object moving will always be faster than an object which is starting from a still position. In every sport other than baseball and softball, to create power you need to go in the opposite direction first. Then let all that torque (what you create in your body when your hands go one way and your front foot the other) do what it was designed to do…..create power. A boxer punches by bringing his/her arm back, you hit a tennis, golf ball by going back first. These are a few of the numerous examples of ways to create power and getting the body ready to hit something….why should this be a any different in baseball/softball?

Truth is…you need to load, you also need rhythm to play this game and any other game successfully. Rhythm is movement, a flow, when the body has this rhythm in the batters' box the body is relaxed and ready to read the ball. On the contrary, when the body is in an idle state just sitting there waiting for a ball to be thrown it tightens up, becomes anxious. Which state would you rather hit in?

I believe the load of a swing is an essential part of hitting and timing. I also believe that when a hitter loads they should be focused on a specific part of the pitcher's body (arm with the ball). Here is where hitters differ in that most hitters loads happen at different times. Some are a little slower in their loads than others and some are faster than others (which means fast load = you get ready quicker, slow load = ready later). I personally feel too many hitters load too quickly. The hands are rushed backed so quickly that by the time the hitter is ready, the ball hasn't even reached the hitting zone. Personally, my teaching method requires a slow trigger usually started when the pitcher's arm is at the top of their motion so by the time the ball is released the foot is about at contact with the ground which will give the hitter time to read the ball (see the location and spin) and release the hands on a strike or hold on a ball.

When a hitter is too quick with his/her load everything is rushed, bat control suffers from the hands moving back too quickly, and the hitters gets into what I like to call, swing mode where the hitter has started the hands to the ball and hasn't had the chance to even see or read the ball (location/spin). The result is a hitter that swings at balls they wouldn't swing at if they had the time to see and read the ball.

This brings me to the topic of trust I mentioned in the opening paragraph. Trust in a hitter is paramount. Most hitters are almost terrified about being late on a ball, letting the pitcher blow it by you. This may be one of the reasons why loads are so quick and hitters are so early. Another reason is that young hitters try and pull the ball all the time. Try doing that with a knowledgeable pitcher out there and you'll be having a 0 for day at the plate.

The best hitters in the games of baseball and softball have trust in their abilities and their hand speed, and are able to let the ball in deep and take it to the opposite field.

Another topic I would like to discuss on timing is pitching machines. I don't use them (except for bunting practice). Unless they have an arm (iron mike), or one of those computerized screens with Josh Beckett or Cat Osterman throwing at you, I believe they are useless. I've seen more swings being affected by coaches who crank up pitching machines (wheel based) to the point where players are sacrificing their swings just to catch up. Besides that, it's very hard to time a machine without an arm or something visual to work with. Machines with wheels don't have trigger points, the ball usually just gets on you or the ball gets stuck in the machine for a split second and your caught stuttering your stride foot all over the place wondering when the ball is going to come out. Swings are then started too early in order to get the bat on the ball, which then promotes a player swinging at a ball they normally wouldn't swing at.

Lastly on timing, is pitching motion. Let's say you have two pitchers throwing the same speed. Many young inexperienced hitters get so caught up on how a pitcher looks when he/she is throwing they miss the point at which they should be starting their loads. One pitcher may have a chaotic motion with very big and fast arm and body movements, while another has slow moving body parts, which means absolutely nothing if the batter is calm and pinpointing what's really important….the arm and the ball.

Timing is an important concept that is not talked about enough. It is a mental aspect in that timing involves trust, and also being relaxed at the plate (which can also be a mental issue for some hitters). Start being more specific with your timing in and out of the batters box and watch how your hitting game starts to increase as well as your confidence.

The title alone may make some people a little uncomfortable. However, in this segment of the mental game, we will take a look at failure and why it is an essential part of life and success on and off the field.

Too often we take our beautiful selves, the people we really are and hide it. All of us have a side that is amazing. The side where we have complete confidence, nothing can touch us, we feel free. Whether it's the freedom of singing in the shower, or being with close friends, we are totally comfortable with we all, Have It. I call this our real self.

On the other side of the coin is the person that cares so much about how they are perceived by those around them. Perhaps expectations have been put on us by others. Whatever the reason may be, all of this deviates from who we really are and hinders us from reaching our successes.

Recently, I asked my team what their biggest fears were. I asked them to e-mail me that night. They weren't obligated to let me know what particular fear bothered them, just that they needed to know what specific fear was holding them back. Later that evening, I read e-mail after e-mail and was astounded by the similarities in all of them. About 90 percent of the e-mails were along the lines of letting people down, and fearing failure. My players cared so much about pleasing others and making mistakes that it took away from the players they could be and the players I knew they were.

I explained to my team that my job as a coach is to teach them, not to judge them. This is usually a big parent issue as well. Sons and daughters want to please their parent's so much at times it becomes a burden, while parents at times can be an overwhelming figure in the stands or at home. All we want is the best for our kids (regardless if it's a coach or parent), sometimes we fail to see how tough we are on the kids that respect us and want to please us so much.

It was as if my team was set free after a conversation of learning to live and play for yourself and not worry about the fear of letting others down. To little by little translate the real you in different situations one-step at a time.

Fear of failure was the second aspect of the e-mails I received. As the Chinese Proverb states "Failure is not falling down. Failure is not getting back up" (loosely translated). I explained to my players that failure is a necessity of life and success. If you never failed how do you know what to measure against? Playing it safe was not going to cut it. No success has ever come from playing it safe and never taking the risk to fail.

I told my players to be willing to make a mistake. It's how we learn. Make that mistake, be aware of it, learn from it, and move on to the next lesson. Making a mistake has never sounded so good! Accept failure, learn to be comfortable with it by facing it constantly and see how the one thing that got in the way will now set you free.

Two Olympians are riding next to each other on "warm up" bikes and one turns to the other and says, I'm a boxer, how about you? the other responds, I'm a luger (pronounced lu-sier). The boxer could not believe what he was hearing, Hey man, don't say that he responded, you're not a loser….you're a winner man, a winner!

The luger surprised at the emphatic response from the boxer said, No, no…I'm a luger, not a loser. The luger, curious as to why the boxer replied as he did asked, Why did you go crazy like that when you thought I said I was a loser? The boxer simply replied, Because we are Olympians, and Olympians don't say things like that…they just don't.

The boxer in this story is none other than former boxing champion Vinnie Pazienza the Pazmanian Devil. He teaches us that it's the mindset that makes people great.

Whether or not you're an Olympian doesn't matter. Our thoughts are what make us who we are. The problem is, most of the population is in a negative mindset. A mindset that hinders potential and greatness with comments like I can't, I don't think I can, I'm not good enough… endless negative self talk. At times, people don't even realize that they're doing it.

Exercise

I use the following exercise to get my players to understand how much they are sabotaging themselves from truly being great.

I ask them for one day to write down their thoughts and comments. Write down all the thoughts and comments of the day and by the end of the day they were just amazed at how negative they were. The most amazing thing is that the majority of us are this way.

I then ask them to start monitoring their thoughts daily. Change the channel so to speak in their minds. As soon as something negative gets into your mind…quickly change the mindset into something positive. The changes in confidence, on game day, in practices have been profound. We use these and many other exercises to not only enhance our softball players on the field, but in life as well. We will continue to bring you other tips and techniques that will enhance your playing and your life.