By Kolten Smith –
Everyone knows of the flashy things people do to become an elite pitcher – like weightlifting or throwing weighted balls – but something that many people gloss over is the mental side of things. It is incredibly important not just to put all of your time and energy into the physical side; you must also be mentally strong to be an elite athlete. At the Ranch, we call this “having a good and positive mindset.” There are several ways to work on your mindset, including watching motivational videos, reading books about leadership and perspective, and listening to podcasts about motivational topics. In this blog, I want to highlight some of my favorite mindset teachings to give people a starting point (or contribute some new ones to add to their arsenal).
The first one I’ll discuss is David Goggins’ book, “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds.” If you are unfamiliar with David Goggins, I will give you a quick rundown: He is considered “one of the toughest men on Earth.” He is a former U.S. Navy SEAL, an ultra-marathon runner, and a world record holder for the most pull-ups done in a day (over 4,000 in 17 hours). However, the most important is his story of how he achieved these things. I will not spoil his journey, but he was able to overcome a tough childhood and other unbelievable odds to become the successful man he is. I would highly recommend his book, or to at least watch a few videos of him speaking because of his incredible mindset.
Another person I am a huge fan of is Simon Sinek. I was introduced to him by Coach Wolforth at one of the Summer Program mindset talks when I trained here as an athlete, and ever since, I have grown to love his talks. One of my favorites of his is his discussion on the “infinite game” (embedded here is a link so you can easily access it on YouTube). Essentially, it
is about understanding that you must play the long game in life. This is especially true with your goals. For example, let’s say your goal is to hit 90mph on the mound. This is a tough goal for almost anyone. Understanding that not every day is going to be a good day and that sometimes you will have a few bad days in a row is essential. You will have your ups and downs, and when you are making your plan to achieve these goals, you should take the infinite game into consideration. Simon Sinek has many other great talks as well (which I highly recommend), like his “Leaders Eat Last” book.
At the Texas Baseball Ranch®, we take mindsets and motivational speaking very seriously. Personally, I think that it can make or break the achievement of your goals. You must believe that you can truly accomplish your goals and have the confidence that you will. It is my hope that after reading this, you have learned the importance of the brain being exposed to good mindsets, and that being elite is not only a physical task but a mental one, too.
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Important TBR Updates
- Limited Spots Remain For Our Final Winter Elite Pitchers Boot Camp February 17-19, 2024 (final camp until May). You can visit our website to learn more and register.
- People have started asking about our 2024 Summer Development Program and Elite Pitcher Bootcamp dates. The summer Elite Pitchers Bootcamp dates will be: May 25-27, June7-9, June 21-23, July 5-7, July 19-21, Aug. 2-4 & Aug 31-Sept.2. The Summer Program will begin May 28th and run through Aug. 8. Registration will open later this month. If you’d like to receive priority notification, please email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com.
- Have you been considering attending one of our 3-Day Elite Pitchers Bootcamp but haven’t yet pulled the trigger? To help, we have a detailed mailing package entitled “What Makes This Boot Camp Different”. If you’d like to receive this package, email Jill@TexasBaseballRanch.com and request a copy.
- We have revamped our YouTube Channel “Texas Baseball Ranch – Ultimate Pitching Training” (@TXBaseballRanch) and would love for you to check it out and subscribe. Go to https://www.youtube.com/@TXBaseballRanch. Let us know what you think.
