Coaches Corner
Coaches Corner
3 Mental Game Tools For Youth Athletes
As a coach, the mental health of your athletes should be your top concern. Here’s 3 tools to give your players…👇
We know that baseball/softball is a mental game, yet we spend the majority of our time on physical skills.
Mental strategies taught ON the field can transform your players’ lives OFF the field.
Enhancing your players’ mindset can only help THEIR performance and help YOU WIN!
Tool Set #1: Offer a menu of “reset strategies”
🚦When the green light is on they are in the zone. Confident. Performing at a high level. 😎
Yellow light means they are starting to have doubt. 😔
Red means player is shutting down. 😭Tears & no control over their emotions…
Great coaches equip their players w/ strategies to help them move from red/yellow light territory, to green light.🚦
Step 1: Teach them strategies
Step 2: Give out a flash card
Step 3: Ask them to return the flash card next practice w/ their reset strategy written on it
Reset Strategy #1:
Pick up some grass, a rock, or put something else into your hand.
Squeeze the object and put all your negative emotions into it.
When ready, throw the object and your negative emotions away!
Reset Strategy #2:
Press the reset button.
The button on the top of your hat…. That’s the reset button.
That’s why it’s there!
Just press it and take a deep breath!
(Kids and parents LOVE this one!)
Reset Strategy #3: Write a “personal power phrase” in your hat.
With a black sharpie, write a phrase which helps you relax and brings confidence.
Whenever in a jam, remove your hat, read the words, take a deep breath, and put your hat back on.
Reset Strategy #4: Go to your happy place.
Close your eyes and think of a person, place or thing that relaxes you or brings your joy.
Focus on that hard for a few moments.
Visualize it.
When you open your eyes you will be more relaxed than before.
Reset Strategy #5: Talk or sing to yourself.
Positive self-talk goes a long way.
Some players need to almost yell at themselves like…
“Let’s go Dave! You got this!”
Others may need to talk to themselves more calmly
“Just believe in yourself Dave” or “Trust yourself.”
Equip your players with a gameplan so they can get back to green light territory🚦
This image has a complete list to steal and give to your players.
Tool Set #2: Teach them to develop a pre-pitch routine.
While the reset strategies mentioned above are reactive methods to implement when we are in a tough spot…
The prepitch routine is a proactive process which we build into our game.
All big leaguers do this every pitch.
At the plate.
In the field.
On the mound.
Every.
Single.
Pitch.
This improves confidence and consistency.
And every player’s pre pitch routine should be completely their own.
That said, you as the coach, can provide them with a template so they can design their own routine.
Here’s a 3 step pre-pitch routine template…
Prepitch Routine Step 1: Find The Focal Point.
The focal point is something physical you do or focus on.
It’s the “anchor” which initiates the routine.
Label of bat.
Tap both shoes.
Corner of foul pole.
Read message inside glove.
This starts the routine.
Prepitch Routine Step 2: Take a deep breathe.
The verbal my teams use is: “Get B.I.G.”
B = Breathe
I = In
G = Greatness
Breathe in greatness!
100% of prepitch routines should include a long, slow, deep breathe.
This lowers cortisol levels and relaxes the player.
Prepitch Routine Step 3: Say a positive affirmation.
Tell yourself something positive which brings you confidence!
This must be something you want to do… ✅ “Crush the ball up the middle”
❌ NOT something you don’t want to do… “Don’t strike out”…
Some good positive affirmations:
🔥 Breathe
🔥 Have fun
🔥 You got this
🔥 I am the man!
🔥 Trust yourself
🔥 Im gonna rip this
🔥 See ball. Hit ball
🔥 Nobody beats me
🔥 Stay within yourself
🔥 Calm. Cool. & Collected
The player needs to find one that works for them!
Tool Set #3: Teach them about “Quality At Bats”
On the surface, this may not seem like a mental game strategy… But it is.
It redefines what success is for a youth player.
Most kids believe getting a hit is success and getting out is failure.
This is not true!
Youth players (and their parents) MUST be taught what success is at the plate!
There are numerous ways outside of getting a hit, that players can help their team!
Teaching them these and constantly talking about Quality At Bats encourages your players to focus on THE PROCESS!
For youth players they need to understand that all of these results mean THEY WON…
- Hit
- Walk
- Hard hit ball
- Hit By Pitch
- 6+ pitch at bat
- Sacrifice fly/bunt
- 3 pitches after 2 strikes
- Advance lead runner w/ no outs
Keep a chart in the dugout as to what qualifies as a “quality AB”.
If your team has a minimum of 50% QUAB’s there’s a good chance you will win the game.
Have players write down a “Q” on the lineup if a player has a quality at bat.
Award a QUAB champion for the game.
Don’t be that coach who only focuses on physical skills.
Our world is too stressful and difficult.
We need positive coaches like you who help kids regulate their big feelings.
Your players take these strategies with them for the rest of their lives. 💪🥎🔥⚾
Follow @CoachDavidKlein for more helpful content for innovative coaches. ⚾🥎🔥💪
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David Klein
Founder & Chief Experience Designer
David Klein, a nationally recognized and award-winning coach, has revolutionized the baseball and softball landscape with his transformative coaching techniques. As the founder of Legends Baseball and Softball in 2009, he's grown it into the West Coast's premier club baseball program and the U.S.'s sole franchise dedicated to both sports, boasting over 50 MLB signees and producing notable major leaguers and Olympians. Beyond his on-field successes, David's "Legendary Life Playbook" has enriched thousands of young lives, teaching crucial life skills through sport. His innovative SpeedBall™️ concept reimagines the traditional game, and as 2024 nears, he gears up to launch a leading certification program for youth sports coaching.
