How does a baseball player get out of a losing streak?

Website design By BotEap.comAvoiding the dreaded hitting slump is something every baseball player wants to do. When the punches stop falling, it can bring a lot of frustration. Take it from someone who’s had a lot of downs. I have had my share and have done my best to help advise many other players on their issues.

Website design By BotEap.comFirstLet’s take a look at some of the causes of recessions. SecondWe will see some remedies against depression that can get us out of depression.

Website design By BotEap.comHow did I get into a depression? She was hitting so well last week.

Website design By BotEap.comRac Slider, my old minor league manager that I played for with the Boston Red Sox used to say, Holty, he’s a round ball and a round bat. Rac meant that two round objects are trying to meet at right angles, which is not a very easy thing to do. Knockdowns are going to happen because hitting the ball head on is hard to do in the first place.

Website design By BotEap.comWe’ll look at four recession-causing scenarios leaving aside the one I landed in which I probably wasn’t as good a hitter.

Website design By BotEap.com1. Overthinking: Carl Yastrzemski, the HOF star of the Boston Red Sox said that when he was hitting his best, his mind was not aware of his body. In other words, your mind is free from any physical part of your body. You are not thinking about where your feet are stepping, or what your hands are doing. Nothing, just complete mental freedom. The baseball field looks like a big softball coming in so neatly.

Website design By BotEap.comHowever, during recessions your mind can be cluttered with all kinds of junk. Garbage in garbage out. While you’re waiting for the pitch you start thinking things like, where’s my elbow? Are my knees bent? Don’t forget to squash the bug. And wham, now you have so much on your mind that the pitch coming at you looks like a little pea hitting you so fast you thought a bullet was going by.

Website design By BotEap.comThat’s why professional baseball coaches do little to no training when a batter is in the box. They know that the more you train, the more mental clutter you give to the hitter. Youth coaches and spectators are often the complete opposite. They bombard the batter before the pitch and after the pitch with various suggestions and rebukes that clutter the mind. His helpful intentions turn out to be quite damaging to the minds of hitters now swimming in training instructions.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Are you a boy maybe? Professional hitters know they have to catch the ball in front of the plate. To get ahead they have to be aggressive. Yes, they also have to have a good eye. But, they have to have the mindset that they’re going to swing on every pitch. If you let doubt creep into your mind and think, well, maybe I’ll swing, let me take a look at the pitch first. So if it looks good, I’ll decide to swing.

Website design By BotEap.comIt is possible that this thought makes your swing too late. Preventing you from meeting the ball in front of the plate. You will hit a lot of lazy and routine ground balls and fly balls or dirty balls. And if you’re unlucky, these types of hits will mostly be easy outs.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Law of Averages: Baseball has a way of averaging over the course of a season. Sometimes losing streaks are just a natural progression of baseball that you can blame on statistical averages. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Website design By BotEap.comLet’s say a batter gets ten hits in a stretch of twenty at-bats. His average is .500 in this 20-at-bat streak. But he’s a .300 career hitter. Then at some point in the season, he’s going to have to go through a stretch of at-bats to even out the average and get back down to .300. So, in his next 20 at-bats, he might just get three or four hits for maybe a .150 average.

Website design By BotEap.com4. fly-open: Most hitters like to pull the ball. That’s where most players show their greatest power. But constantly pulling on the ball can cause the front shoulder to open up too early. If you’re up against mediocre shooters, you can probably continue to get the ball out successfully. But when you’re up against the best pitchers, they’ll blow your holes in your swing.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen the front shoulder opens up too early, you give a good pitcher too many opportunities to get you out. This can cause hitters to slump. That’s why power hitters are sometimes low-average hitters. They can hit the inside pitch but they have a lot of holes in the outside half of the plate.

Website design By BotEap.comHit the depression busters

Website design By BotEap.comThere is no single remedy for all cases of depression. Each player’s situation is unique. Here are some common busters that will suit most scenarios.

Website design By BotEap.com1. try to keep a clear mind. The problem is that everyone is going to want to help. Daddy will give you his two cents when you get home from the game. Maybe mom too. Grandpa Bob, who used to play a little in his day, gives you thoughts of him. You go to the batting cages and the hitting instructor adds his recipes. You are at the barbershop on Saturday morning and the barber gives you his solution.

Website design By BotEap.comNow the problem is complicated. Your head is spinning. You start pushing, worrying, thinking about every piece of advice, and the depression is likely to get worse before it gets better. Too much mental disorder. All the helpers unknowingly end up being part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

Website design By BotEap.comConclusion: you can’t think and hit at the same time. You have to do whatever it takes to keep your mind free of clutter. Kindly thank all your advisors. Now file all the tips before you step into the batter’s box. Clear the board and start each at-bat with a clear mind and no clutter.

Website design By BotEap.com2. be aggressive: Anticipate swinging the bat on each pitch. He serves the ball in front of the plate. swing it! Look to swing on the pitch before you see it. Let it fly! Don’t let maybe wavering thought creep into your little mind. He who doubts loses.

Website design By BotEap.com3. hard in the middle: One of the greatest hitters of all time, Ted Williams gave some great advice to our minor leaguers in spring training every year. Ted, who probably never suffered many prolonged depressions, would advise thinking about his mind when he faces any adversity… Hardly in between. Anytime the back ground was tough, the weather was bad, the opposing shooter was really good, it doesn’t count in your favor, the umpire has a big zone, the lights are bad or they were down… think about hitting the ball strongly in the middle.

Website design By BotEap.comBecause? Because this would probably help keep the shape of your shoulders open too soon. You can usually cover more of the strike zone. You will probably keep your head and eyes on the ball for longer. And most importantly, your mind is free of any other junk thoughts cluttering it up.

Website design By BotEap.com4. The best swing you have: One of my former coaches and later one of my fellow coaches, Doug Camilli, who played several seasons in the Major Leagues, gave us some great advice to help keep your mind free during your at-bat. Douger would tell you to just take your best swing that you have that day to the plate with you and go with it. In other words, don’t try to overanalyze his swing. He fixes and modifies your swing during batting practice. When you get into the game, just try to put your best swing on the courses.

Website design By BotEap.comThese are suggested remedies to get out of losing streaks. Remember, there will be peaks and valleys as a baseball player. Always stay humble because the hits are easy at times and the game will seem very easy. But, be arrogant and it will be more difficult to overcome the moments of inactivity. That’s why the pros say play baseball at Even Keel. Not too high, not too low… even keel.

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