There’s a great scene in Bull Durham where Annie gives Nuke Laloosh (best baseball movie names ever?) some perplexing advice…
Annie: “I want you to breathe through your eyelids.”
Nuke: “My eyelids???”
Annie: “Like the lava lizards of the Galapagos Islands.”
She also has him start wearing a garter belt under his uniform… all in the interest of distracting his mind from the tension-inducing thoughts that swirl through his head on the mound.
The anxiety and strain of having to throw strikes (amid his own doubts and fears).
The solution… Take his mind off of it.
And in the process, free himself up to do what his body already knows how to do perfectly well.
Without the voice in his head gumming up the works.
And wouldn’t you know it, things start clicking.
Nuke starts pitching like a man possessed.
He only runs into trouble later when his eyelids get “jammed.”
But that’s okay… Because just as Nuke tells Annie in the end:
“You know something, Annie… You can’t breathe through your eyelids.”
Annie: “Of course you can’t breathe through your eyelids. Whoever told you such a ridiculous thing?”
But there IS something to the idea of tuning out that nasty voice in your head.
And replacing it with something else…
Here are three things that worked for me in my career (give ‘em a try):
1. Tapping Into Music:
One thing I liked to out on the mound, any time I found myself getting tight was just to hum one of my favorite songs. Always got me in a groove, kicked my right brain into gear and got me ready to go.
2. Having a Mantra:
To keep me focused on process (vs. being overwhelmed by circumstances and potential outcomes), I liked to utter the simple phrase, “Execute.” Worked great to keep me calm and locked in.
3. Using Super Powers:
This one’s a little whacky, I admit. But it has to do with your ability to VISUALIZE. You know how Superman could use his laser-beam heat vision to blow something up? Before I’d go into my motion, I’d try to see a red laser beam focused right on the catcher’s glove. Hey, worked for me… don’t knock it til you give a it a try!
So no, you’re not a lava lizard…
But you can take a clue from the idea to help you stay in the zone out there on the mound.
It starts with developing a powerful delivery your can TRUST when it matters most.
So when the lights are on and you’re between the lines you can just let loose and do your thing…
With Confidence and Power.
Click here to learn how: http://ballisticpitching.com/blueprint
Until next time…
Committed to Your Pitching Success,
Coach Phil