The Fine Balance

This is something I've always struggled with. Not balance like standing on one leg, although I could use some work, I am talking about the balance between the mental game and mechanics. They are both important and they need to work together.

The mental game is obviously important. I've wrote about it many times and I read books and watch videos of sports psychologists and I'd say I'm pretty informed about the subject. But mechanics are also important. It helps improve raw skill and makes for better play. Funny, that last sentence can describe both mechanics and mental game.

There are things that need to happen in a swing. Hip turn, weight transfer, etc. And players spend hours upon hours in the cage, off a tee working on mechanics of hitting. They think about it, they are aware of their problem(s). But most of the mental game preaches, in a nutshell: don't divide you focus from the ball to mechanics. Keep all focus on the ball.

Makes a lot of sense. And so true. It's undeniable. But to get good at baseball, you need that time in practice to sharpen your skills. Dr. Tom Hanson (sports psychologist) says the number one key is practice. The idea is that practice improves confidence, because you know you can succeed.

Now that I think about it, practice time should be reserved for analyzing mechanics but game time should obviously be just thinking all ball. Although, if focusing on all ball makes you better, why not just do that in practice? When do you say, mechanics can succeed well enough to stop focusing on them?

These are the struggles I have.