The Institute of Sports Performance

Creating Breakthroughs with Athletic Performance and Sports Injury Recovery

 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn RSS InstagramSend Us an Email

713.522.2200

  • HOME
  • FIND US
  • PRODUCTS
  • BLOG
  • Pro, Olympic, & Elite Athletes
  • Speaking Engagements / Sports Culture
  • OVERCOME SPORTS INJURIES
  • IMPROVE SPORTS PERFORMANCE
  • YOUNGER ATHLETES
  • MEDIA
  • OUR TEAM

Hitting Slumps and Coaching Errors

March 19, 2013 by Robert Andrews 5 Comments

Galen great handsIt is spring time and that means that baseball and softball are in full swing. It also means that my phone is ringing and my email box is full with players and their parents wanting help to end a hitting slump.

When these players walk into my office most are dejected, down, and frustrated with little confidence. Many of these hitters were “tearing it up” earlier in the season and then hit a slump that has lasted a while.

The sad thing to me is that a 2 for 12 slump is catastrophic in the eyes of many coaches so they start tweaking and changing the hitting mechanics of a good hitter. These changes take a hitter who is only struggling mentally and creates a physical struggle too. Frustration heightens, players and coaches become more and more impatient. The hitting slump usually worsens meaning a drop in the hitting order from 3 or 4 to 7, 8 or 9. Some end up out of the line up all together.

If coaches and players could recognize that this approach only increases the ‘get it right” mindset of the hitter they would understand that this increases pressure, tension in the body, and in most cases erodes self confidence. Stressed out, tense hitters with low belief and low self confidence rarely hit the ball well.

Instead of altering mechanics try creating a relaxed atmosphere in the cages and games. Teach your players how to relax during each hitting rep or at bat. By learning how to get in their “zone” before each pitch hitters approach each at bat with a consistent mental and emotional temperament. They are focused and relaxed. They leave behind the “get it right” mindset and return to loving the game.

I worked with a major leaguer who was hitting .248 for the season in late July. He had lost the love of the game and was focused on the changes his coaches were making to his swing, scouting reports, videos and all the other interventions to try to get him to reach his potential. He was locked in to trying to get it right and please his coaches. By learning how to breath the right way, get in his peak  performance zone before each pitch, reconnect with his love of the game he ended the season hitting .281 and hit 17 HR’s and 36 RBI’s during this time.

His slump wasn’t physical in nature is only required a mental adjustment.  He reached his potential and has continued this upward trend for the last three seasons.

Hitting slumps are rarely physical in nature. The mental and emotional pressures that coaches put on players and players put upon themselves can make the best hitters in the game struggle.

Where the mind leads the body follows. Wherever you point your mind as a hitter will determine how well you hit the ball. Become mindful of your mental approach, how you handle your emotions during the game, and learn how to breath in a way that creates a calm mind and body.

The game becomes fun again, confidence soars, and hitters move back up in the batting order.

Filed Under: Sports Shut Down and the Mental and Emotional Impact on Athletes Tagged With: baseball, coaching errors, Hitting slumps, peak performance zone, softball

Contact Us

The Institute of Sports Performance™
3701 Kirby Dr
Suite 713
Houston, TX 77098
Find us

713.522.2200

robertandrews@tinssp.com
kierstincollins@tinssp.com
michaelheck@tinssp.com
cortneewhite@tinssp.com

Sign Up for Email Newsletters

From Our Blog

Overcoming Mental Blocks in Sports

What Happens When A Season Disappears? Drug and Alcohol Issues And The Sports Shut Down

A Parents Guide to the Sports Shut Down

Cancelled Seasons and the Mental and Emotional Wellbeing of Athletes

Learning Styles and Effective Coaching: Empowering Your Athlete To Their Full Potential

Popular Blog Topics

ACL ACL Injuries Athletes in Transition Athletic Performance Athletic Pressure Balance baseball Coaching College Athletes College Football CORE Map Corona Virus EMDR Gator Nation Gymnastics Gymnastics abuse Gymnastics Performance Laurie Hernandez Limbic System Mental Blocks Mental Focus Mental impact of injuries Mental Toughness mental training Mike Leach Olympics Overcoming sports injuries peak performance zone Performance Pressure Recovery Robert Andrews Robert Andrews MA Shame Simone Biles softball Sports culture Sports Injuries Sports Injury Sports Injury Trauma Sports Performance Success Texas Tech University Tim Tebow Urban Meyer USAG

Instagram feed

Something is wrong.
Instagram token error.

institute_sports_performance

Follow
Load More

Recent Tweets

Retweet on TwitterRobert B. Andrews Retweeted
stevemagnessSteve Magness@stevemagness·
28 Aug

Distance coaches shouldn't weigh athletes.

The 'data' coming in doesn't actually tell you much worthwhile and it isn't worth the potential psychological harm or message that comes from it.

Still astonishes me how frequently this occurs in the college setting.

Reply on Twitter 1299374511863803904Retweet on Twitter 1299374511863803904133Like on Twitter 12993745118638039041066Twitter 1299374511863803904
mindsportsRobert B. Andrews@mindsports·
2 Aug

Talk about Peak Performance! Go team #SpaceEx #Splashdown

Reply on Twitter 1289991703470850048Retweet on Twitter 1289991703470850048Like on Twitter 12899917034708500482Twitter 1289991703470850048
mindsportsRobert B. Andrews@mindsports·
11 Jul

Laurie Hernandez on Twitter: "this is heart breaking. sending Catherine lots of love - i hope she knows her bravery in sharing her story doesn’t go unnoticed." / Twitter

Laurie Hernandez@LaurieHernandez

this is heart breaking. sending Catherine lots of love - i hope she knows her bravery in sharing her story doesn’t go unnoticed. https://twitter.com/itvnews/status/1280195998732759040

Reply on Twitter 1281977712505233411Retweet on Twitter 1281977712505233411Like on Twitter 1281977712505233411Twitter 1281977712505233411
mindsportsRobert B. Andrews@mindsports·
5 Apr

Parents Guide to the Sports Shut Down https://tinssp.com/a-parents-guide-to-the-sports-shut-down/

Reply on Twitter 1246841665240862720Retweet on Twitter 12468416652408627202Like on Twitter 1246841665240862720Twitter 1246841665240862720
mindsportsRobert B. Andrews@mindsports·
28 Jan

The mental game of Olympic Champions. http://www.championsmentaledge.com

Reply on Twitter 1222167270518116353Retweet on Twitter 1222167270518116353Like on Twitter 1222167270518116353Twitter 1222167270518116353
Load More...

Sign Up for Email Newsletters

Contact Us

The Institute of Sports Performance™
3701 Kirby Dr
Suite 713
Houston, TX 77098
Find us

713.522.2200

robertandrews@tinssp.com
kierstincollins@tinssp.com
michaelheck@tinssp.com
cortneewhite@tinssp.com

©The Institute of Sports Performance 2012-2015 ~ All Rights Reserved ~ Customization of Genesis Framework by Weborization