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The Baseball Mindset

Baseball is a game of failure. Baseball takes great skill but it also takes a strong mentality to be great. The best baseball player in the world, Mike Trout, has a career batting average of .305. This means that he fails about 69% of the time at the plate. Mike Trout is a successful baseball player because he doesn’t dwell on the past. To be a great baseball player you have to be mentally tough and have a great mindset. This is going to be a blog to teach you to develop this mindset.

Develop Confidence:

Confidence is something you want to have in life no matter what you are doing, this is even true in baseball. If you want to accomplish something in life but you don’t believe that you can do then odds are you can’t. If your ho up the plate thinking “I won’t get a hit” then you might as well go back to the dugout. You need to have the mindset that says “I am going to get a hit.” There are several ways that you can go about developing confidence on the baseball field. One way to do this is to perform what you are trying to do. For example, going to the cages builds confidence because you are seeing yourself hit the baseball and this builds confidence. Another way is to visualize your success. This is important because you see yourself hitting the baseball and this gives you a boost of confidence before your at-bat.

Learn to Let Go:

In a game of failure, you can’t dwell on the past. You have to move forward and not let previous mistakes haunt your future play. You only get a few at-bats in a game don’t let one ruin the rest of them. This is a part of being mentally tough, it’s hard to forget about previous at-bats or errors but you have to be.

Confidence is key in everything you do. Like Yogi Berra said “Baseball is 99% mental” and this is true. In a game where the best of the best fails about 70% of the time, you need to be mentally tough and have a solid mindset. Every player needs to instill an “I will get a hit” mentality into their game. The key to success is to do what you want to achieve and to visualize yourself being successful. You must also not dwell in the past; you can’t let one mistake snowball into more mistakes that will hurt your team.

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Podcast

The Past Matters But Your Current At-Bat Matters More

Episode 8 of the Closing Pitch answers a series of questions. Are you tired of being stuck? Do you think too much in the future or in the past? When we’re at our best there is something that clicks. That “click” occurs because we are living in the moment. Our thoughts are way too in the future focusing on how to fix things or we’re thinking about what happened. Live in the moment, be the moment.

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

 

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Podcast

An Unhealthy Want For Competition


In this episode of The Closing Pitch, Spiker and Dave discuss the first episode of “The Last Dance.” The host’ had an interesting perspective on the career of Michael Jordan. The conversation then turned to a conversation on work-life balance, inner drive, and competition.

Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or follow us on Spotify.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

Do You Know How Hard This Is?


At some point, we lose our confidence. This could be the culmination of events or surrounding ourselves with a toxic environment. In reality, though we can find its’ origin in our insecurities and belief systems. In episode 14 of the Closing Pitch, Spiker and Dave talk about insecurities. Both hosts give stories from their past on how people approach these insecurities. Spiker used to use music and a two-lane highway to battle his future self.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

 

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Podcast

The Blueprint to Become Clutch

In this episode of The Closing Pitch, Spiker and Dave discuss conversations they have on an annual basis with players. Spiker received a text late last night asking the questions below. This episode is tailored to the guys answering these questions:

First I was wondering about how you would manage the blast. I got the blast sensor and was wondering how you would recommend using it.

Would you use it every time you hit or like once a week? Also, what stats are the most important to you and what should I watch for on the sensor?

Second, I’m an 8th grader and 2 goals that I’ve had for a while now are making the varsity team as a freshman and making the black team for the tigers. What should I do for both my physical and mental game to make sure I’m able to achieve this goal?

Third, I now baseball is extremely mental. How would you recommend training the mental parts of the game? I work very hard on the physical side, but I notice that my mental game is a little underdeveloped.

Fourth, baseball is a game where you will make mistakes. If I make a mistake I’m a tryout, how do I turn the mistake into a good impression? What are your best tips for body language?

Lastly, I was watching a documentary on Tom Brady, and I realized how clutch he was. How do you become clutch?

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

The Tactical Guide To Getting an Athletic Scholarship


In this episode Spiker and Dave review the new NCAA recruiting rules passed this week. They give a tactical game plan to get yourself recruited in 2020 and beyond. The strategy given in this episode can be applied now and in the future.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

1 Email and 1 Conversation Later Brought Us To This Opportunity For Players


Does teaching through fear help the student? Generational change happens and the student’s best interest is always the priority. Spiker and Dave discuss and email that was sent to them by a friend. Both hosts have a different opinion on the matter but after a long conversation, they came up with a conclusion.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

How Good Could You Be? (Ft. Jason Bell – Houston Astros Minor League Coordinator)


In episode 24, we have a guest. Our guest was Houston Astros Minor League Coordinator, Jason Bell. Jason was one of the youngest minor league coaches ever.  He is one of the best at developing a relationship from the very start. The best part is Jason never played a professional game in his life. How did he do it? We dive into his background in this episode.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

I’m too busy to give you a real reason


In this episode Spiker and Dave talk about overcoming poor time management as a person and baseball player. We also talk about how the player must be the aggressor when trying to get a scholarship. Success is not selfish. Also,  our Intern Todd makes another appearance in this episode to ask the question of how to rephrase “I am too busy to do that.”

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2

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Podcast

The Mouse Is Always Pressing On The Gas Pedal


In this episode, Spiker and Dave talk about how comfortability can be a problem and how you should always have your foot on the gas. Then they talk about how knowing you haven’t hit your ceiling is important for improving and success.

Apple Podcasts:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/spiker/id1308056021?mt=2

Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/4fjos02cDAqXvQA5dyVgR2