The Mental Game

Yogi Berra was right, "Ninety percent of baseball is half mental." To become an effective athlete, you need the mindset of a winner.

Simplify but not too simple. Let's distill to a manageable list. It Takes What It Takes provides a helpful framework. 

1) Believe in yourself. "Confidence comes from proven success." The Massachusetts volleyball State Champions last season all had at least one loss. Think back to Kara Lawson's video about "touching perfection." That didn't mean absolute perfection. 

In Performing Under Pressure, Weisinger and Pawliw-Fry discuss your "COTE of armor"- confidence, optimism, tenacity, and enthusiasm. 

2) Dispel negative thoughts. Recall the story of the Mets hitter who asked who's that lefty on the mound. Somebody said, "That's Steve Carlton, the Cy Young winner." Lenny Dykstra answered, "I'll stick him." In a sport where 30% success makes an All-Star, Dykstra made failure not an option. 

3) Have a growth mindset. Know where you need to improve. Know what you must do to improve. Do it and improve. You can see MVB players' growth in recent highlight videos. 

Sara Blakely 'aims high'. Blakely, founder of Spanx, explains that she is short and not highly athletic. In an adventure 'seminar' attendees jumped from a ledge over Victoria Falls to a partner suspended about ten feet away. If you missed, you fell 380 feet with a bungee cord. She aimed for a spot three feet over her target, who caught her. She did not miss because she aimed high. 

• Differentiate yourself
• Be authentic
• Be fair
• Embrace what you don't know
• Don't seek validation

4) Visualize. See prior success in your personal highlight reel of attacks, blocks, serves, sets, digs, and so forth. Imagine the perfect toss, the forces providing momentum into the serve, great contact, and the serve spinning or floating over the net. 

5) Welcome pressure. Competitors love a challenge. Competitors view the big game as a reward for doing the right things. "This is great." In his The Playbook interview, Patrick Mouratoglou discussed having a player who would get into winning position (tennis) and then collapse. He told her that she didn't want to win. 

Everyone is different. Some people get the proper 'activation' with upbeat music and others need calm. Some relax with exercise or yoga and others with mindfulness. To be at your best, find a routine that works for you. 

Lagniappe. Nobody can play the ball within the midline of their body all the time. Serve receive and passing tips...