Hello and welcome to today's Mental BP.
First,
Find a comfortable seated position and if you'd like,
Grab a bat.
We're going to play a video game using mental imagery.
You are going to play your avatar in your mind.
By being here right now,
You are actively building on your strengths and eliminating your weaknesses in order to perform better at the plate.
So now,
For the next few moments,
Simply relax in the position you've chosen,
Noticing any tension throughout the body as you take two slow breaths.
If you could be just 5% more comfortable,
What adjustments might you make to achieve that?
And as you settle into this practice,
Again,
Just notice the way your body feels.
From your head,
Down through your neck,
Into your shoulders and arms,
Through your back,
Chest and belly,
Down in your hips,
Legs,
And finally through your feet.
Just notice,
Scanning the body from the outside,
Just notice,
Scanning the body from the inside out.
If you notice any areas of tension,
Try breathing right into the area and then slowly relaxing all the surrounding muscles on the exhale.
Breathe in and breathe out.
For the next few breaths,
Even note the breath,
Mentally noting the in-breath as in and the out-breath as out.
In and out.
Now,
With one deeper than normal breath in,
Let go of any thoughts you are holding on to as you release and redirect your focus to imagining that you are on a ball field,
During a game,
About to have an at-bat.
For the next few moments,
You are going to build your virtual practice environment.
This imagery practice should include the use of all your senses.
You should see,
Feel,
Hear,
Smell,
And perhaps even taste the following experience.
The setting should feel as real as possible,
So pick a familiar field,
A memorable opponent,
And even a specific time of day.
Is it drizzling rain or is the sun shining?
Is it raining or are you playing under stadium lights?
Now imagine walking your avatar from the dugout to home plate,
Getting a sense of your surroundings.
Feel your cleats grab the dirt or turf as you stride,
And listen for any sound they might make with each step.
Remember any familiar smells,
Like pine tar,
The leather from worn batting gloves,
Or fresh-cut grass.
As if time is standing still,
Analyze every detail of the field in front of you.
Note the distance of the fielders and pitcher on the infield,
And the outfielder's position in relation to the fence.
Imagine the closeness and proximity of the catcher and the umpire.
How does the batter's box feel in your feet as you stand there?
Is it turf,
Soft dirt,
Or packed clay?
Using all of your senses,
Feel into everything that this moment has to offer.
Embody your virtual player.
From this perspective,
You can now begin to build your perfect swing.
Pitch by pitch,
Begin to experience and at bat the way you want it to happen.
In fine detail,
Practice seeing the ball released from a right-hander's release point,
And then a lefty's.
Feel yourself hit 95 mile an hour fastballs to every part of the field.
Connect with all the senses involved in hitting every ball perfect,
Striking the ball with the sweet spot of the bat.
Occasionally playing the image in slow motion to analyze the feel of the swing or the contact point of the ball,
But mostly imagine yourself performing at actual speed.
Note the urgency felt from standing in the box,
0-2,
Staring down a pitcher that is throwing heat.
For pitch by pitch,
Recreate the entire pitch sequence,
Using different scenarios and mentally practicing your entire routine.
Set your mind right before you step in the box.
Take a breath.
Set your body in the box.
Take a breath.
Set your focus and let go.
See,
Feel,
And experience a complete pitch,
Ending with the ball releasing off of the pitcher's fingers and the ball launching to a deep gap or over the center field fence.
Over and over again,
For the next few minutes,
Experience 10 perfect swings.
Ready,
Set,
Go.
Set your mind right before you step in the box and take a breath.
Set your body in the box and take a breath.
Set your focus and let go.
As you finish this practice,
You can be confident that you are becoming a better hitter and that you are increasing your capacity to live more mindfully.
Great work,
And I hope you'll join me again tomorrow for more BP.
This practice will end with the sound of a bell.
.
