I was on a remote coaching call with a high school pitcher the other day and we got on the topic of goals…
It’s one of the first things we go over on these Zoom calls:
“Has anything changed with your goals (long-term, short-term) since our last call?”
Because life happens, things can change, and when it does it’s SUPER important to recalibrate.
Side note: this pitcher happens to live in Iowa, right down the road from where they filmed Field of Dreams. The original ballfield and farmhouse are still there, and they get to use it for some of their games… pretty cool!
Anyway, once we had the goals established/clarified, we turned to the next important step.
IDENTITY: Who do you need to BE to make that happen?
Want to pitch in college? …or win the High School state championship?
Awesome.
Then you want to EMBODY a “champion” pitcher.
What are some of things a champion pitcher does?
Well, like we discussed in yesterday’s note, a champion starts by committing to the FUNDAMENTALS.
- He’s consistent with his arm care, throwing program, conditioning, etc…
- He works to hone his mechanics, develop his pitches and overall command.
- And maybe most important, he BELIEVES in himself and commits to developing a “champion” mindset.
Then it’s time to put those things in ACTION.
Identify the specific HABITS you’ll need to develop to make that vision reality… things you’ll do on a daily (or semi-daily) basis.
And have a plan to make them automatic so you can do them even on days when you don’t feel like it…
Because, spoiler… sometimes you won’t.
In those moments, Champions don’t rely on motivation or willpower…
Nope.
They use their willpower ahead of time… to install good HABITS that run on autopilot.
I’ll have more on this in the days ahead (identifying the right pitching habits for you and how to install them so they’re easy to stick to and become almost automatic), so stay tuned…
In the meantime, you can start by thinking about this framework.
GOALS –> INDENTITY –> HABITS
Goals: “What does my BEST possible 2023 baseball season look like for me?”
Identity: “Who do I need to become for that to happen?”
Habits: “What are the specific activities I need to be doing on a consistent basis to make it a reality?”
And get excited about what’s possible. You got this.
That’s all for now…
Until next time…
Committed to Your Pitching Success,
Coach Phil