Are you using the wrong 'W' word?
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I had a hitter tell me last week he feels like he can't buy a hit. 1-for-his-last-12. Popping up pitches he normally crushes. Missing the fastball he used to put in the parking lot. He said it felt like the game was picking on him. I asked him what he's saying to himself between at bats. He didn't really have an answer. Just shrugged and said something like "I don't know, I'm just frustrated I guess. I say "Why me?"" That's the answer. That's the whole thing. Here's what a slump actually looks like from the outside. 0-for-3. Helmet comes off. Bat down. Head drops. Shoulders sink. Quiet. No eye contact with anyone. Just sitting there waiting for the inning to end. Nobody says "why me" out loud. But the body is screaming it. (And everyone in the dugout and in the stands can see it.) The 0-for-3 isn't what put you in a slump. The walk back to the dugout did. The way you sat on the bench did. The story you told yourself on deck before the next AB did. By the time you stepped in the box again, you already lost. That's the part nobody wants to talk about. Everyone wants to blame mechanics, blame the umpire, blame the pitcher, blame the lineup. But the real problem is the hitter losing the AB before it starts. Here's the flip. "Why me" becomes "watch me." "Watch me" hitters walk back to the dugout tall. They want the next AB. They're not embarrassed about the 0-for-3. They're looking forward to the 4th one. "Watch me" or "Watch this" Feeling bad for the pitcher that has to face YOU If the call doesn't go my way, know that someone just got lucky. "The pitcher needed that call on the edge, it's his only chance" That's the difference. Watch Me or Watch This. — Trey |
Trey Hannam Training
Written for Hitters, Parents, Coaches. My Goal is To Be The Coach I Wish I Had.
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