Strategies for Kids who have Trouble Bouncing Back

We hear it all the time because its true, baseball is a game based on failure. Even the best hitters in the world still fail 7 out of 10 times (a .300 average is VERY good)! The failure aspect of baseball makes things difficult for youth ballplayers who do not have strategies to regroup and move on. Furthermore, unlike basketball or soccer where the game moves fast, if a player makes and error or strikes out he often needs to wait a significant amount of time (or a few innings) until his next opportunity. This dead time in between opportunities leaves a lengthy window for negative thinking, self doubt and anxiousness.

Think of it like an internal traffic light: when your internal traffic light is green everything is going great – you are competing at a your highest level – you are playing in the moment and you are in the zone! A yellow light is when you start to have trouble and are beginning to spiral out of control mentally. A red light is when you are really struggling: maybe you made a bad error, walked a few batters or struck out for your 3rd time – your mind is racing, your tense and you just want the game to be over. You’ve lost all control of your emotions when your red light is on.

The beauty of this, is the opportunity to teach youth one of the most important life lessons there is, dwelling on past mistakes will not help performance, it will only hurt ones ability to compete at a high level.

The reason I have started this newsletter with this topic is I have recognized this is one of the most prevalent and important lessons youth ballplayers must learn. As parents and coaches it is our job to provide kids with actionable strategies they can implement so they can compete with their green light on, flush their mistakes and look to the next pitch without letting the past impact the present.

I recommend that coaches and parents work with their kids on developing a “release” which is specific to that individual. All players are different; as a result, particular “release” and “reset” strategies work better for some than others. Here are a few possibilities that I have implemented with athletes ranging from 9 year old beginners to 24 year old professionals.

After making a mistake, error and the yellow/red light is on…

Coaches, a good way to work on this is to give them a talk about their internal traffic lights. Have them go home and think about their release. At the next practice, start practice by handing out 3×5 flash cards and have them write down their release strategy. Therefore you can learn their release and can hold them accountable for it when they enter yellow/red light territory. I am happy to answer questions or come and talk to your teams about this. Hope this helps!