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Baseball is brutal. It tests your confidence, focus, and belief in yourself more than almost any other sport.
And when things go wrong, the thoughts show up fast:
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“I struck out. I suck.”
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“Coach dropped me in the lineup. He must be mad at me.”
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“I feel off today, so I probably won’t play well.”
But here’s the truth:
Just because you think something, doesn’t mean it’s true.
Your brain is wired for survival, not performance. And unless you train it, it’ll default to fear, doubt, and self-protection.
That’s where the mental game comes in.
Step 1: Vision
Before you can control your thoughts, you need to know where you’re going.
Ask yourself:
Once you know that, it’s easier to stay locked in.
You stop reacting to every at-bat and start aligning with the player you’re becoming.
Step 2: Self-Awareness
Start noticing your habits—especially your body language.
Film yourself during games. Watch how you walk to the plate. How you react after an at-bat.
Your body is a reflection of your mind.
If you want to control your performance, start by observing your behavior.
Step 3: Focus
We live in a world full of distractions—phones, YouTube swings, comparison traps.
The best players keep it simple:
Protect your focus. Keep your head where your feet are.
The best hitters win pitch to pitch—not post to post.
Step 4: Process Over Outcome
You can’t control results. Hits come and go.
But you can control your process.
Ask yourself:
If the answer is yes, that’s a win—even if you got out.
Judge your success by your process, not the box score.
Step 5: Routine
To stay consistent mentally, you need a physical routine.
That could look like:
Your routine is how you stay in control.
Because the mental game isn’t just about toughness—it’s about focus.
And if you can stay focused pitch to pitch, you give yourself the best chance to succeed.
AB Reflection: How to Learn From Every At-Bat
After each at-bat, ask yourself:
Those four questions cover:
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Approach
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Execution
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Timing
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Mental Game
You don’t need to change everything. You just need to know what to adjust and what to trust.
Recognizing Your ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts)
Here’s a wild stat:
You have 60,000–80,000 thoughts per day. And 80% of them are the same ones you had yesterday.
Most of what runs through your head is just a loop.
And a lot of that loop? It’s negative.
That’s why we call them ANTs—Automatic Negative Thoughts.
They show up fast, and they’re often rooted in fear, pressure, or past experiences.
Common ANTs in Baseball:
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All-or-Nothing Thinking: “I struck out, so I’m a bad player.”
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Filtering: “I got out. Doesn’t matter that I hit it hard.”
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Ignoring the Positive: “That hit doesn’t count—I just got lucky.”
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Jumping to Conclusions: “Coach moved me down. I must’ve done something wrong.”
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Fortune Telling: “I know I’m going to strike out again.”
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Emotional Reasoning: “I feel off today, so I must not be any good.”
Where do they come from?
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Your brain is built to protect, not perform, it scans for danger, not opportunity.
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Past moments—like a coach yelling or a bad game—can stick and replay.
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And your brain likes to save energy, so it just replays the same old thoughts again and again.
But here’s the key:
You are not your thoughts.
You’re the one who chooses what to do with them.
Breathing = Control
You’ve heard it before: “Just breathe.”
But here’s why it actually matters:
When the pressure’s on, your breath can either lock you in—or let the game speed up.
Train it. Use it. Trust it.
Final Thoughts: You Need a Plan
Negative thoughts aren’t going away.
They’re part of the game.
But with the right tools, you can stop letting them control you.
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Build a clear vision
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Become more self-aware
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Focus on what matters
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Stick to your process
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Train your routine
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Reflect after every AB
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Recognize your ANTs
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Use your breath to reset
The mental game isn’t just for when you’re struggling.
It’s how you play free, confident, and locked in—every day.
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