Achieving Flow

I believe I've referenced before the importance of getting in a routine for your pitching delivery. It is also no secret that baseball players are notoriously superstitious. Heck, Wade Boggs ate the same chicken dinner (winner winner) before a game for his entire career. Still, I feel its important to address a pitcher's pregame rituals as we think about being able become mentally prepared for a game.

To pitch at any competitive level, one must achieve a state of focus that is both locked in and loose and free. Psychologists have addressed this as way of achieving "flow" or being "in the zone." There are actually "coaches" you can go see who claim that ( for $500 a session or more) they can help you achieve the zone mentality with a few mental exercises. While I've never attended these sessions, I am a little more than skeptical that its that simple. If it were, everyone would have done it by now. Zone coaches aside, I believe there is much that can be done to better give oneself a better chance to be "in the zone." And we've all been there before. Certain games just seem to happen where you feel like you are exerting almost no effort and throwing your hardest. You feel like you could literally close your eyes and still throw a pitch anywhere you want at anytime. Sometimes, this state of consciousness lasts a few pitches or innings and sometimes it last much longer.

Achieving this conscious state of "flow" is really at the heart of Less Is More Pitching. The idea that you can literally become so comfortable on the mound and know your delivery so well that you are routinely able to stay loose and calm and apply LESS force to your delivery which results in MORE velocity and movement is at the crux of my pitching philosophy. I realize these ideas seem contradictory, but trust me, they go hand in hand.

So...with all of that being said, as we prepare for a game, we want to give ourselves the best possible chance to achieve "zone" mentality. It is for this reason that baseball players are so darn superstitious. Starts with where you park your car in the parking lot and what gate you walk into the field through to which sock your put on and what music you listen to while getting dressed. Now, I'm not saying ever pitcher should worry about all of these details (although some do)I am saying you should pick one or two things that helps your brain recognize that it is time to get ready to pitch. Something simple like putting on your favorite song in the clubhouse can be exactly what you need to initiate flow. It can be even something a little more dramatic if need be as well. For example, there is a story that I've heard through some of my professional colleagues who played with Roger Clemens. They said he would purposefully put IcyHot on his jock strap as he got dressed. The reason behind this is that he felt if he was too comfortable than is mind would not be sharp enough to be on his game. By using the IcyHot, he was able to be uncomfortable in a good way.

Now, I'm not suggesting everyone go out and by IcyHot, but I AM suggesting that if you THINK it will help you...then it will! And that is ultimately what it boils down to. Finding what makes you lock into your "flow" state. Try different approaches and routines to find what works for you. A good way to figure this out is repeating what you did after a particularly good outing. Be diligent and leave no stones unturned.

Good luck and as always, keep me in the loop as you try these things out.

Until Next Time!