But I Look Good, and That’s What Really Matters
Here’s me after the last game. If you recognize the background, then you are probably loose and drink too much beer.
I’ve been studying up on sports psychology and “mental toughness,” reading a couple of books and listening to some free podcasts. One of them is hosted by an old ex-wrestler who sounds like the Santa Claus narrator from the Frosty the Snowman Christmas Special. I listened to his podcast on softball this morning while eating a bowl of oatmeal, practicing my mental butchness. You know – confidence, doubt destruction, positive visualizations, affirmative self-image statements. “Learning the right way to chill is essential,” he told me. “You have to maximize your downtime, so your competitive mind can recover and be ready for each clutch situation.”
Fair enough. Then he said, “Ladies, as I’ve stated before, being a true competitor is not about luck or some special mental gift. It’s about being mentally disciplined.”
My butch, positive self-image sort of took a hit there. Later he started talking about big dogs versus little dogs. “Maybe you’re a natural alpha bitch,” he said. I couldn’t quite agree, but he told me that I could rewire my genetic predisposition, visualize and therefore bring out my inner big dog. “Ladies,” he said, “We never earn respect just by winning. We earn respect by fighting, by constantly battling for every run. Will and guts define the size of the fight in any dog.”
Will and guts, bitches. Remember that in the batter’s box.
Hysterical. Thanks.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:09 pmThis is more a response to the previous post and
it’s not so much to do with the “mental game” but:
Have you considered getting some batting practice
and having your swing/stance critiqued? What I
know about SF would fit into a matchbook but I found
this place through yelp.com:
http://www.xlevelsports.com/
Or maybe you know someone who knows someone, etc.
who can analyze your swing. Sometimes small adjustments can make a big difference.
And, as always, some days are just going to be better than others.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:44 pmI appreciate the comment. I’m talking to a couple of the guys on the C team, to see if we can all hit the batting cages together.
March 30th, 2010 at 5:49 pm“The Santa Claus narrator from the Frosty the Snowman Christmas Special” was Burl Ives, Bitch.
March 31st, 2010 at 8:27 amYou have to write down right now the phrases “Mental Butchness” and “Alpha Bitch” as either potential future book titles or band names.
And Belmont’s right on it – some practice, a little visual coaching, and remembering how some days will be better than others. This really applies to so many different kinds of performances: athletics, music or otherwise.
March 31st, 2010 at 9:49 amOnly really old people would know that.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:34 amI know, I’ve been hounding (pun intended) those C team alpha bitches for a couple of weeks now. Time in the batting cage can only help, but since I’ve been hitting well at practices and not at games, I do think there’s a mental game at work as well. And it does apply elsewhere. I remember my first few weeks at grad school, when I was practically levitating with anxiety.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:43 am