Stress on the baseball diamond?

First, I want to apologize for not communicating much on my blog the last 6 months.
I actually felt horrible April/May through August of this year. So much so that I
did the unthinkable and went to the doctor for the first time since 1995.
But in ’95 I had to because my leg was Broke in half and coming out of my skin!

You may or may not know this about me, but I didn’t miss
one day of school my whole life (K-12th). Thirteen (13) Years of never missing a day of school -
now that is a goal I made for myself when I was SIX years old and trust me that
took serious COMMITMENT and some SACRIFICES to achieve.

So, I did my research and looked for the best Natural Health Doctor I felt could help Mentor me
back to health. I found this guy and His name was Dr. Galitzer out of Los Angeles. So I went to see
him and he ran a bunch of tests and then we sat down (I was a little nervous)
and He said that my body was “extremely toxic and stressed”. That was interesting news to me…….
BUT I KNEW HE WAS WRONG…….Maybe toxic (Living and breathing the 2nd worst air pollution in the country will do that to you) – but I am not stressed.

Long story short – I now feel fantastic and back to myself (Drinking two lemons a
day did wonders….lol)

I want to tell you a quick story as I felt I have seen real “stress” and “pressure” while on a baseball trip and I want to make sure you understand what it REALLY looks like and how by understanding its true definition and meaning, this great and negative sport instantly becomes much easier. (Really, this relates all sports in General).

Baseball Stress?

In August 2002 I was a coach for a 12U USA team we took down to the country of Ecuador. Every day or night the taxi would drop me off a few blocks from my Hotel as there was a lot of road construction and the Taxi’s couldn’t get close to my hotel. They would drop me and coach Cory off and we would walk by this Mother and her two baby Daughters (maybe 2 years old and around 5 years old and very mal nourished).

They lived on this very street corner where I was dropped each day and I saw they had
little of anything at all – no toys, etc. The only way the family survived was to beg for food.

Each day The Mother would have the two daughters come up to me and beg for food
for the survival of the family. I will never forget the look of desperation in their little brown eyes.
I saw how they were barely surviving. But, what I really saw was the TRUE definition
of “Pressure” and “Stress” because if those Babies didn’t get fed they would die!

That day in Ecuador, I realized that there was no such thing as Stress and Pressure
on a baseball field and it really put my life, LIFE in general and BASEBALL in perspective.

So if you are current player and think you are feeling “Pressure” to get a hit, strike a guy out, win, etc you are not really experiencing what you think you are experiencing. What you are really experiencing is an “Opportunity” of chance. You are anxious to succeed. It really has to do with how you want to look at it. You have the opportunity to decide what you are really experiencing and you can call it what you want. But I’m here to tell you how to look at it. I’m here to save you TIME AND GRIEF. I’m here to help you play longer, have more fun doing it and to Eliminate FEAR from your mindset.

So, You have the opportunity to succeed and or fail on the field each
and every game, at bat, pitch, etc. And unless you’re a pitcher you’re going to fail a heck of a lot more than

you are going to be successful. So understand that and HANDLE IT in the moment and GET OVER IT quickly so you are ready for the next opportunity that presents itself.

Do not take this lightly my friend. I’M giving you a major lesson here.

Opportunities are like waves. If you miss one there is always going to be another one whether on the baseball field, in the classroom, that pretty girl, etc.

As for Failure……..

I was taught the definition of Failure from my Baseball mentor, Dennis Rogers (head coach RCC). Dennis says that “Failure is Wanting without Working” . So it you do strikeout and didn’t put in your time then you truly have failed. But if you strike out and are always preparing than its just a part of the game.

This is not easy to do but if you are constantly “AWARE” and “PRESENT” you can control
your emotions and NOT LET THEM CONTROL YOU.Over time it does become easier to handle the negativity attached to Baseball and Softball.

It takes a conscious effort (WORK) in the beginning and it’s a great Tool and quality to have and MASTER for not just sports but LIFE.

Many, many Big leaguers have this Master Quality  – Watch Albert Pujols (he is very good at it)

Randy Curtis

Do me a favor and “Like” my new Fan Page. I put some work into it and think you will like it.

Tags: ABD Academy, ABD Bulldogs, Baseball Mindset, California Fastpitch, Randy Curtis