Mental and Physical Cues to Help with Adjustments & Command
INTRO
Baseball is a physical game, and to play at the next level, a player needs physical tools to continue a high-level playing career. On the other hand, this is just as much if not more a mental game as well.
As a pitcher, our main goal is to collect outs, and be consistently inside the strike zone, as well as develop pitches to generate weak contact, and get strikeouts. There are days when pitchers will struggle to find the strike zone, and that is when consistent adjustments need to be made in order to find success during the day the body feels out of sync.
A coach once told me, “Below-average pitchers adjust in 4-5 pitches, average pitchers adjust in 3-4 pitches, above average pitchers adjust between 2 pitches, but the great pitchers make their adjustments right after a bad pitch and correct it right away.”
Physical Cues for Command
Inside of a game, or any high intensity situation, our body reacts differently in terms of adrenaline, and moving faster than a training/bullpen environment. The best pitchers know how to harvest that adrenaline whether they need to control it and slow their heart rate or use that adrenaline to get the blood flowing and the heart pumping.
For example, in a game when a pitcher is trying to get to the glove side and rush out of the delivery and either miss more glove side, or miss in the middle of the plate, that could be several issues. One is the energy and adrenaline inside during a high leverage situation. A good physical cue to make the adjustment to nail the glove side fastball is whatever a pitcher would best succeed at. In this example, if the pitcher misses middle, or yanks more to the glove side, some simple adjustments could be:
Keep the front hip in line with the target longer
Let the arm path work naturally
Drive your direction energy with more intent to the spot
Strong glove side hold into the throw
Adjust eye sights
Remain athletic throughout the delivery
These are a few fastball physical cues to let a pitcher get a mental reset. The easiest way to be successful during a game-like situation is to make things simpler throughout the adjustments. When making physical adjustments, keep it to one or two feels through your process of deciding what the adjustment that needs to be made. The more our brain and body can process a simple task in an already difficult situation, the more chances we have for success. Another simple physical adjustment to the fastball having command could be to throw another pitch! There is no need to continue going fastball heavy, but a good physical and mental reset is trying another offering to the hitter. As we know, breaking balls and changeups are entirely grip and hand based physical cues to get the movement profile and command that we are searching for. However, if someone is struggling to command those pitches, a couple good physical adjustments are:
Spin it don’t place it
Trust the grip through the zone
Have catcher set up middle
Adjust eye sights at all time
Pick the spot to throw the pitch through, not placing it in the zone
Firm wrist or loose wrist
Letting the arm path work
Physical adjustments can be always made during any situation, and it is vital to make sure in drill work, bullpens or catch play, that we find our physical cues for adjusting with our command.
Mental Cues for Command
The mental side of baseball can make or break a career. As pitcher’s, we are always active in the game, and a lot of the outcome for the team falls on us. Having a strong mental side for in game adjustments is just as important as physical adjustments. I learned from a friend of mine, “our brains cannot process contractions in a negative situation.” This means that in a high leverage situation, if someone says “I can’t throw a ball here,” what our brain really processes is, “I will throw a ball here.” Having confidence on and off the field is what helps a pitcher make that next step in development. A few great mental cues to increase command are:
“So what, next pitch”
“I feel great”
“Get this breaking ball down”
“I am better than the hitter”
“My defense has my back”
Some of these mental cues are just examples of what could work for anyone. But the most important thing when establishing a mental cue for command, is picking out the one that builds the most confidence. A good idea when trying to find the right mental cue is to journal it. Establishing confidence in yourself and processing positive thoughts in the brain ultimately is the difference in throwing quality pitches every outing. Of course, pitchers will give up hits, and are not perfect all the time, but bouncing back after those rough at-bats is what makes a pitcher strong and confident.
As pitchers in tight situations, we go back to what we have trained and developed for in our long process of playing. During practice, training, and journaling, make sure to process every single outcome that can happen, therefore in a game we do not have to think so much as to what we are trying to achieve in the game. Make the adjustments right away, and focus on allowing our physical and mental side to take over when we play.