Pitching Mental Toughness

By Steven Ellis, former Chicago Cubs pitching pro

Of course, pitching takes a great amount of skill and ability, not to mention practice, but there is a mental side of pitching, called pitching mental toughness, that the best pitchers adopt in order to stay focused on the baseball field, and ultimately, to win the game.

Here are some tips for staying focused during the game, as well as pitching drills that you may want to practice to keep your pitching skills at their best.

First of all, it’s important to make sure that you’re practicing your pitching with the correct form, and that you’re making your body accustomed to the positions that will give you the best pitch.

Gaining adequate control and learning the basics of body mechanics will help you to reduce the stress on your arms that is caused during pitching, and you’ll be able to move faster during the game.

Additionally, putting yourself in the proper throwing position will increase how much power is behind your pitches, as well as your ability to deliver quality pitches throughout the entire game.

In order to prepare mentally for a game, it’s important to be as confident as possible, so that you can do your best. The best way to do this is to practice as much as you can, so that the motions of pitching will be second nature to you by the time you have to actually play with an opposing team.

You may also want to create mock teams with the rest of your teammates or family members, so that you can get used to the pressure of playing against someone and remain focused.

Watching major league pitchers in action is also a great way to mentally prepare for the game. You may get a better idea of what to do during the baseball game from actually watching someone who plays your position, and you’ll learn how to make certain adjustments to your stance and your techniques.

All major league players don’t always start or continue the game with perfect mechanics, so you’ll need to observe how a pitcher changes positions, pays special attention to the direction of the ball, and decides the speed of the pitch.

Observing major league players will also teach you how to stay focused on the timing and direction of your pitch, as well as how to add velocity.

If you feel that you need extra practice outside of rehearsal, fit additional rehearsal time into your schedule, and try to practice with a ‘team’ of people if possible, so that you can get used to pitching with people around.

Pretty soon, you’ll be pitching like a star athlete and exhibiting pitching mental toughness in no time!

If you'd like to receive more of my best tips and techniques to throw harder with better control while reducing the risk of injury, I invite you to subscribe to my free baseball pitching tips here: www.pitchingtips.com/free

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