Use Positive Self-Talk to Increase Trust in SKILLS
How would you characterize your self-talk during a ball game?
In other words, is your self-talk primarily positive or negative before you practice or play in games? Does your self-talk become more negative as the game nears?
Many baseball players believe they have no control over their thoughts. In fact, many ballplayers state “I generally think negatively” or “I just can’t seem to be positive, especially after making an error.”
If you tell yourself something over and over enough times, it will show up in your game.
A high school baseball coach who responded to our Softball and Baseball Mental Toughness Survey asked for strategies to change self-talk for his players:
“Some of my players’ biggest obstacles are not their talent, but their self-talk. After an athlete is down on themselves during a game or even before a game, how do you help the athlete to change their train of thoughts?”
Just as positive self-talk or constructive self-talk has a major impact on how a player performs, negative self-talk also has a powerful effect on performance.
The following example is how self-talk can affect a baseball player’s performance:
*Your belief affects your self-talk: “I can’t break out of this hitting slump.”
*Your self-talk affects your mental images. You can see yourself striking out with the bases loaded to end an inning.
*Your mental images affect your emotions. You become anxious and uptight.
*And your emotions affect your approach to a game. Instead of being aggressive at the plate, you take defensive swings hoping to not strikeout.
Your competitive focus and your self-confidence dwindle. You focus on outcomes such as striking out.
When your self-talk is negative, what you fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
In other words, how you think is most likely how you will perform.
The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Tampa Bay Rays in six games to be crowned champs for the 2020 COVID-shortened season.
Dodger starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw earned two wins and struck out at least one-third of the batters he faced.
In a post-series interview, Kershaw was still trying to process being World Series champs.
KERSHAW: “I’ve been saying, ‘World Series champs,’ in my head, over and over again, just to see if it will sink in.”
Even though Kershaw’s comments were after the series was over, the repetition of thoughts holds true before a game, with an even greater impact.
When you repeat something over and over, it eventually “sinks in.”
The more you tell yourself something, the more you convince yourself it “IS” or “WILL BE” true. Ultimately, how you speak to yourself becomes your reality.
How to Use Proactive Self-Talk:
If you feed yourself a steady diet of negative thoughts, negative results most likely will happen. Feed yourself constructive thoughts, you increase the chances for successful and productive play.
The first step in taking control of your self-talk is awareness.
Take notice of the circumstances that pull your attention away from constructive thoughts.
Are there any patterns that cause you to focus on negative thoughts? Log your self-talk after a game and identify which thoughts helped or hurt your play.
Once you notice patterns, make sure you work on re-framing your negative self-talk to help you feel more confident.
Just as healthy food fuels your body, proactive self-talk fuels your mind for peak performance.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- Overcoming Negative Self-Talk for Ball Players
- Be the Driver of Your Confidence
- How to Build Steadfast Self-Confidence as a Ball Player
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Instilling Confidence in Baseball And Softball Players
Confidence, more than any other mental game attribute, is vital for your team’s success. If your players have it and know how to keep it, they maximize their success. Your team cannot reach their full potential unless each player can harness the power of stable and enduring self-confidence–so your team can perform as a confident team.
Your players might possess a ton of physical talent, have great coaching, and train harder or practice more than anyone else in your league, but if they do not have the self-confidence to match, your team can’t utilize this talent.
“Instilling Confidence in Baseball and Softball Players” program consists of one 72-minute audio CD that includes 7 days of confidence-fueling exercises. You’ll also receive a simple-to-follow 74-page coaches’ manual that guides you through the 7 team session you’ll conduct!