Baseball Coaching Info

Building Emotional Toughness

In sports, thought processes occur instantaneously and fluidly in faster and intense level. It is this moment when the degree of your players’ emotional toughness is crucial.

It is our hope as coaches that when players are put in those situations, they will make quick and effective decisions and successfully utilize their skills at an optimal level. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Sometimes players who are brilliant in non-pressure practice drills become ineffective under game conditions. There are ways that coaches can instill more mental confidence and emotional toughness in players so that they will rise, not fall, during games. Some guidelines include:

1. Remember that players are individuals first and teammates second. Each player must be motivated in a unique manner.
2. Encourage players to be unafraid to take chances. They will view situations as opportunities instead of risks.
3. Use positive reinforcement: “Shout praise - whisper criticism.”
4. Treat players to their potential and they will fulfill their abilities.

Each player has a defined limit of natural talent. To this talent, acquired abilities or skills are added. Mental/Emotional toughness is the fusion of talent and skill brought to life in performance under stress and pressure. Players must think clearly and quickly in order to perform effectively. To accomplish this, players must be in control of:

• Internally Directed Stress: lack of confidence, fear of failure, anxiety.
• Externally Received Pressure: parental expectations, coach’s intimidation, peer pressure.

As coaches we should “practice” or “train” our players’ emotions. We want players who are: alert, team supportive, focused, self-confident, high-energy, and anxiety-free. You can help the players think more coherently in competition by emphasizing: positive thinking, adaptability, visualization, determination, team interdependence, and a dose of humor.

Coach must study and improve their own manner of talking to, teaching, and motivating players to most effectively to engender these traits in their team. Sports revolve around action and reaction, which rarely stops to allow players to catch their mental and emotional “breath.” Stress is a part of sports, but a necessary step toward growth. If channeled effectively, stress will increase mental toughness and composure and promote better performance on the playing field.