- Aug 21, 2008
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- 113
From what you described, she's needs a Sports Psych more than anything else. I wish I had used the Olympic team psych's more than I did. Of course, like all young people, at the time I thought I knew everything. Now I know that I knew less than anything.She tries. She doesn’t get mad at the umps but sure can get mad at herself.
She’s good at analyzing the zone the ump is calling - but just can’t always make it happen.
Some of it is just skill and experience- she was on a C team last year and is playing a mix of A and B tournaments this year. It’s a whole different speed of play and skill level. she’s having some success and wants more bad. And wanting it isn’t always the best for her staying loose and relaxed pitching.
Learning to control one's anger, even at ourselves, is huge in pitching. It doesn't matter who the anger is directed at: the coach, the umpire, other team, our own defense after errors, ourselves after giving up a walk or HR, etc. no matter what it's anger that is killing her energy levels. Nothing burns hotter and with more intensity than anger in ourselves. If you don't know how to use that to your advantage, pitching will be extra hard.
A lot of time, the self anger starts in pitching lessons or pitching practice. I see kids get visibly upset with themselves they are struggling with something. This is when I stop pitching, and we have a chat. We stop and reset. Talk about what's happening and why. If they can learn how to manage their anger, figure out it's source, then it's much easier to quash. I'm sure we've all had students who bicker and fight with their parent during lessons, this never helps either. I've had parents get so physically upset with something, like the daughter's inability to spin a riseball backwards, that they leave the building and go sit in the car. Then the kid worries and gets knots in her stomach knowing her dad is going to be so angry with her in the car ride home. I feel so bad for these kids. And I have no problem in emailing the mom/dad who make this happen afterwards and let them know.