With spring training underway for the 2020 MLB season, I wanted to take a look at what Little Leaguers should be focused on to become one of the 'big leaguers'. The personal and mental aspect of the game comes into play when the other team takes turns coming up to the plate to hit the ball. The game turns with every batter attempting to hit the ball being pitched to them at high velocity with one swing of the bat. It must sound so complicated when you hear it this way, but it is pretty simple when you have the right traits of a baseball player.
Physical Traits of a Baseball Player
A baseball player does not need to be physically fit in order to play but in the course of training to play well, most baseball players become physically fit especially if they start playing and training at a young age. The physical traits of a baseball player are generally present in most individuals. The game could be challenging for persons with disabilities, but for most people, playing baseball is an accessible sport to play.
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Reaction Time and Prediction
Having a good reaction time is an advantage for baseball players especially when it comes to batting. The speed of the incoming ball is usually tremendous and the time it takes to react and hit the ball with a swing of the bat is a matter of split-seconds.
Prediction is the ability to anticipate how the ball will come into the strike-zone. Pitchers have many tricks up their sleeves like curveballs and fastballs, to make their pitches hard to hit. The predictive ability and fast reaction time of a batter are factors for successfully hitting the ball.
Having a good reaction time is an advantage for baseball players especially when it comes to batting. The speed of the incoming ball is usually tremendous and the time it takes to react and hit the ball with a swing of the bat is a matter of split-seconds.
Prediction is the ability to anticipate how the ball will come into the strike zone. Pitchers have many tricks up their sleeves like curveballs and fastballs, to make their pitches hard to hit. The predictive ability and fast reaction time of a batter are factors for successfully hitting the ball.
Consistency and Openness in Training
Great baseball players do not become great players overnight. They go through training even from a young age, and they are consistent in their practice. Steady and correct practice is essential in building muscle-memory especially for the skills of batting and pitching. As you view on batsleeves.com, training from a young age goes a long way in building correct muscle-memory that will become a great advantage in future games. Consistent batting practice builds confidence in the batter. It also hones their instincts so that hitting the ball becomes second nature to them.
Openness in training is an important attribute because this allows the youth in training to form good habits that are shared to them by their coaches. Youths may sometimes be hard-headed and insist on their own style of batting but the greater experience of their coaches carry good lessons.
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Focus and Concentration
Having good focus and concentration is important to a batter because even minor distractions could mean missing the ball in mid-swing. In a baseball game, there are many distractions and there are even targeted distractions such as those jeers and shouts from hecklers. Focusing on the moment, a batter’s concentration could mean the difference between a home-run or a strike. Consistent practice is a great way to complement a baseball player’s already innate ability to concentrate.
Mental Toughness
Not every game is a win and not every time a batter is up, he or she hit the ball. Frustration is part of playing the game but dwelling in it is counter-productive. Mental toughness and the will to go on is a key trait for successful baseball players. Toughness means not giving in to pressure, whether this is internal or external. The self-confidence that comes from consistently training from a young age is exemplified by the best batters in baseball history. They stand their ground while everybody is watching, and then they swing for that home-run.
Endurance
Being an athlete would need both physical and mental endurance. Baseball players should be able to last longer in games and even in practices. Since being a great athlete would require a person to withstand challenges and obstacles, one must build resistance to all kinds of discouragement and occasional failure.
To build endurance, a baseball player should put in the work. What people say about burning the night oil can be applied to being an athlete too. Practice while the others are resting, perfect making accurate pitchers, train to run faster and rise above any physical constraint by building muscles. No great baseball players are born, they are all self-made.
Competitiveness
To be competitive is to stay on top of the line. Having a mind of a champion and a winning attitude can help you better condition yourself to any game. A baseball player does not put the possibility of failure getting in the way of their performance. When it is game time, it is all that matters. In order to be competitive, an athlete must be at par with the highest standard.
Included here are lifestyle and diet. You cannot be competitive only when there is a game, you become a competitive person in every aspect of life. This also involves self-discipline. You don't want to risk one moment in the fair chance that it might lead you to loss.
Ability to Manage Stress
Stress is gravity that weighs down on the mind, body, and athletic spirit. To manage stress well, one should be able to compartmentalize and not let anything get through you. An athlete should be able to take things lightly and have fun because playing baseball is something you do out of sheer passion for the most part.
The ability to look at the bright side of things and separate oneself from past mistakes and failures is a good step to make stress at bay. After all, you do not just lose a peaceful time when you let stress take a toll on you. It will also affect everyday life, appetite, and most importantly sleep. Laugh things off and make sure that the lesson learned does not include the unpleasant experience.
The traits that have been mentioned are a few of the core attributes that great baseball players have shown throughout the history of the game. Honing these traits will make a baseball player excel, especially in the aspect of batting. What matters most is that the batter steps up to the plate ready to swing each and every time.
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