INTRODUCTION - Stepping into The Zone
Yogi Berra was right...you can't think and hit at the same time. Which is not to say that thinking has no part in the art of hitting, whether it be hitting a baseball - Yogi's specialty - or hitting a softball, which is our particular area of concern.
But even though this Yogiism is considered an axiom among big league baseball players, surprisingly little attention is paid by amateurs to the psychological aspects of the game. Former Atlanta Brave Dale Murphy, in describing the contents of an excellent book entitled The Mental Game of Baseball, said, "The subject of this book is something that's always talked about among players - more so than physical mechanics." Yet when it comes to softball, the mental side of the sport is all but ignored. We spen hundreds - if not thousands - of dollars each year hoping the latest advancement in aluminum alloys or bat construction (witness the DeMarini double-wall, the TPS triple-wall, the Power Forged Rawlings...) will somehow turn us into more powerful hitters. We spend countless hours discussing which weight training techniques will enhance our bat speed, what subtle changes in swing mechanics will give us more lift on the ball, which pitches can be hit out of the park, which ones cannot. And these are all necessary considerations, yet we forget the most important tool there is in hitting: the human mind. Concentration, confidence, focus, and relaxation...these are mental applications to what has previously been considered a purely physical endeavor - clobbering a softball. And while it's true that you can't beat size when it comes to hitting the ball deep - Major and Super Major players tend to be BIG people - it is equally true that it's the mental edge that distinguishes among players at every level of play.
So what we hope to accomplish on this page is to bring a new understanding to this part of our game. While we accept the importance of physical training, of the need to spend those long, grueling hours inthe gym, of using the best equipment money can buy, we likewise believe that mental preparation is important, too. Nor is it ignored by the so-called softball gods; Danny Williams, recently of the Steele's Hitmen, once described his pre-at-bat ritual: "I like to work myself into a psychotic frenzy."
Why? Because he believes it makes him a better hitter! And in softball, as in every aspect of life, your belief in yourself is ultimately what will determine what you are...and what you might become.
What you will find, then, in the coming weeks and months, is a series of short articles, or "tips", gleaned from years of experience and study - twenty years in the game of softball, a lifetime devoted to fine-tuning the inner game. The wisdom, if we can call it that, is as old as the oldest Eastern thought, though by no means do we consider ourselves experts in such fields. What we are striving for is to make the mind-body connection - the absolute key to functioning in the optimum performance zone - as easy and as accessible as possible. Practice these techniques and refine them as you would a new hitting stroke, and you will find your peak hitting experiences the rule rather than the exception.

PREPARATION - Or, Bringing It With You to the Game
Anyone who has followed softball guru Ray DeMarini is familiar with his mantra, "You gotta practice." Not just hitting home runs, but every aspect of hitting. Practice going to right, practice hitting up the middle, practice pulling the ball. Practice hitting line drives, practice hitting BOMBS. What is frequently left unsaid, however, is the mental preparation necessary for hitting. What frame of mind are you in when you step into the box? What kind of day did you have at work? How does your wife - or husband - feel about you being there tonight, or gone for the weekend? These are all distractions from your purpose of the moment, which is hitting. And as a good friend - and fine ballplayer - once said, "If you don't bring it with you when you come, you aren't gonna find it when you get there." Physically, mentally, or spiritually. If you aren't prepared beforehand, you aren't suddenly going to find yourself ready to participate once the game begins.
The key to playing in the zone is to play in the moment, to ignore the distractions, to focus so intently on what you are doing, that nothing else in the world exists. Baseball players often describe hitting streaks as times when the ball looks as big as a watermelon as it wafts slowly to the plate. Time slows perceptibly, the ball appears larger than normal. And the reason is simple. Their focus is so fine, so pinpoint, that the object of their attention seems literally to grow. They immerse themselves in the object - the baseball - so much that they cease to hear the clamoring crowd, to onsider defensive alignment, to be aware, even, of exactly what the pitcher is trying to do. Because it doesn't matter. All that matters is seeing the ball.
Similarly in softball, we all have these moments, standing on deck, or out in the field waiting for our next at-bat, when we know without question that when we step into the box something good will come of it. We'll get the big base hit - or, physical attributes allowing, the home run - and there is nothing the pitcher or the defense can do about it. And frankly, it doesn't necessarily require that we get the perfect pitch. Whatever junk he throws at us, we'll hit. In fact, we are going to crush the ball. Because we are absolutely focused on what we are doing.
And that focus can be practiced. When swinging in batting cages, assess the quality of what you are doing. Are you simply throwing tokens into the machine and working up a sweat? Or do you have a purpose in mind? No, you CAN'T think and hit at the same time. And thinking about hitting is not the same as focusing on hitting. Neither is concentrating on concentrating. You have to focus on the ball, or better yet, at a point on the ball. All consideration of swing mechanics, of weather conditions, of physical discomfort must be left outside the cage, or outside the batter's box.
One practice technique that is particularly effective is to waste a round when it's your turn to take some cuts. Slip the token into the slot, take your stance, and watch the pitches go by. Do not swing the bat. Practice seeing the ball from its point of release to its location in the strike zone. Judge the quality of your concentration. Did you, in fact, see the ball all the way to the backstop, or did your eyes or your mind wander? If you can't follow the ball in practice, how do you expect to do it in a game?
Likewise, in game situations, feel free to take a pitch, even if it's a strike, even if it's perfect. Use that pitch as you would a practice swing on-deck. Let your eyes see the pitch from the pitcher's release point, from his particular delivery. You've got three strikes to play with, why not use them wisely? even in a league that starts hitters with a one-and-one count, the pitcher still has to throw two strikes to get you out. And one of them is free.
Preparing yourself to hit requires much more than loosening the muscles; be fully prepared each time you set yourself to hit. As the old saying goes: See the ball, Hit the ball. It's no more complicated than that.

VISUALIZATION - A Brief Guide to In- and Out-of-Season Preparation
The next logical question is when do you work on your softball swing mechanics, if not in the batting cages? The answer is simple: whenever you can...wherever you are.
In his book, Golf My Way (New York: Simon & Schuster), Jack Nicklaus describes the process: I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp, in-focus picture of it in my head. First I "see" the ball where I want to finish...Then the scene changes quickly and I "see" the ball going there...Then there is sort of a fadeout, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.
In The Mental Game of Baseball (South Bend, IN: Diamond Communications, Inc.), Reggie Jackson shares a similar approach: When I want to turn it on, I have a routine I go through...I imagine myself putting the "sweet spot" in the hitting area just as the ball is getting there. I see a line drive going to center field...When I visualize, I feel my approach and the contact...I "see it" the way I am going to see it.
What they are describing, of course, is mental rehearsal, or visualization, which applies not only to the moments immediately preceding game performance, but anytime you have a quiet moment. It is a powerful practice technique, particularly useful in those long winter months when the season shuts down because the weather is too cold, the fields frozen or wet.
Harvey Dorfman and Karl Kuehl, authors of The Mental Game of Baseball, have this to say: Visualization programs the nervous system, muscles, and fibers of the body. The clearer the image - the more detail - the greater the effect on the body. Imgination can trigger nerve and muscle response.
In essence, the mind cannot distinguish between practice that is "real" - i.e., physical - and practice that is not. the same muscle memory is created whether you take your cuts in the batting cages, or whether you take them in your mind. (Which of course does not eliminate the need for physical training. Although there have been studies that suggest the body can be reshaped and conditioned to some degree through mental techniques, strength, flexibility, agility, and endurance unquestionably require physical training for optimum results.)
As Dorfman and Kuehl point out, when visualizing your performance, it is important that the mental picture be as vivid and detailed as possible. Feel the dirt from the batter's box under your cleats, the breeze tossling your hair as it blows out to left; test the weight of the bat in your hands, the tack of the pine tar; smell the onions grilling in the concession stand behind the backstop. Whatever sensation that you associate with where you play ball, incorporate it into your fantasy. Then "see" yourself performing to the utmost of your ability. Work on the mechanics that you know are your weaknesses. If you have trouble keeping your head down, in practice see the ball flatten as it impacts with the bat. If you tend to uppercut, visualize a perfect, straight-line path for your swing plane. If your hips fly open, keep them closed. And if your mental image goes awry, keep seeing it until you are perfect, until your image of your swing is dead-on with what you know to be right. Blister line drives all around the park, split the gaps between the outfielders, drive the ball through the box like you do on your best days in BP...hit some bombs!
Then, and only then, will you be "programmed" to perform at your best.

RELAXATION - The Key to Enhanced Performance
Even though this is supposed to be a softball article, I want to address the golfers who might be reading:
Golfers...did you ever wonder why you can hit the ball so consistently well on the practice range prior to a round, hitting missile after missile into the distance, but when you take those few steps over to the first tee you suddenly become so adept at the duck hook?
The answer lies not in the plane of your swing, nor in the alignment of your grip, but rather the answer is tension. A lack of tension in practice, a subtle, increasing tension at the beginning and throughout match play. Tension tightens the shoulder and neck muscles, causes motion to become less fluid and subsequently less accurate. It causes vision to blur, focus to become less keen, concentration to wane. And though these effects go unnoticed, they are nevertheless both very real, and very detrimental to performance. On the practice range it is easy to stay relaxed, to work on the many fine points of the game, to hone those fine motor skills. The environment is non-threatening, there is no one watching, casting critical assessments on what you are doing...unless, of course, you're paying him. But in the tee box things change. Shots are taken in turn; money is put on the line; other golfers are looking out the clubhouse window, checking out your game.
Well the same holds true for softball. Look at the hitters on your teams. Who's hitting those monster shots in the batting cages or in practice? Is he the same one busting down the fences in the games? Or is he the one most likely to hit the "home run in an elevator" shot with two outs and the winning run on third?
In truth, he may be either, because performance in practice is not always indicative of performance under game conditions. (Though again, the axiom is absolutely true: perfect practice makes perfect.) And it is tension - or rather our response to tension, for in truth tension is unavoidable - that makes all the difference. For some - indeed, clearly the majority - disciplined practice produces disciplined at-bats. In fact, it is essential that every ballplayer refines his physical stroke through some sort of practice. For others, however, untold hours on the practice field might yield nothing but the most inconsistent of results. Some thrive on game situations; some let the subtle influences of tensions throw them completely off their games. Learning to deal with tension - or rather, to minimize the effects of tension - is crucial.
Likewise, it is important to realize that no matter how often you take your cuts, no matter how easy it feels in the cages, no matter how fuzzy you feel when you launch your missiles in practice, it is not going to stay that way forever. Everyone who's played this game has had that feeling that suddenly he's found the secret to the universe, the feeling of "if I could bottle this stuff..." But nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we have so much difficulty agreeing on physical mechanics that it is unlikely that we'll ever achieve a consensus on the one key mental approach to hitting.
But this realization will not stop us from believing. And as long as we believe, for that one particular at-bat, for that one particular game, for that one brief, shining moment, we'll be able to relax and perform at our peak.
In the next article, we'll take a look at some of the techniques we can use to help us relax both in and away from the game.

A TRUE STORY—Silencing the Demons Within
Two ballplayers of widely disparate hitting abilities recently found themselves at the batting cages together. Player one—we’ll call him Dan—had gotten his season off to an outstanding start. He’d spent the off-season in a rigorous conditioning program, lifting weights and stretching, hitting off a tee in his garage, studying tapes, and fine-tuning his mental approach. Subsequently, when springtime rolled around, he came out hot. His early season average soared a full one hundred points above that of his lifetime. He was hitting the ball hard, consistently, even homering at an alarming rate. Finally he’d become the player he’d always wanted to be.
Player two—we’ll call him Bobby—did none of the above. As natural a softball hitter as there ever was, Bobby did nothing more or less than he always does to keep his game sharp. Tournament ball from early spring to late fall, a few month break from the game, then a few preseason BP sessions, and he was ready to go again. (Bobby hits homers with a near-Major Player frequency.) He came to the cages to work a few kinks out of his swing, but otherwise, he was—or soon would be—all right, as a lifetime of consistency would attest.
By appearances that day, Dan was clearly the better hitter. His cuts were crisp; the balls were rocketing off his bat. Even Bobby seemed impressed with the vast improvement Dan had made. Bobby, on the other hand, just plain stunk. There was none of his old form present in the cages. His bat speed was down, his timing was off, and he was topping the ball to the point where he looked like a very weak hitter indeed. Finally, it seemed, Dan belonged on the same field as Bobby.
Immediately thereafter, Dan went into a tailspin. In a month’s time, his average dropped precipitously, and his home run frequency—previously an unimportant statistic in Dan’s case—assumed more human proportions.
So what happened?
Simply put, along with the revelation that he was good enough to compete with the likes of Bobby, there was a subtle, nagging suspicion that he was not. Never verbalized, seldom given even a fleeting conscious consideration, it was nevertheless there, lurking just beneath the surface. Years of experience and observation, however incorrect now, were allowed to play havok in his subconscious mind. Left unchecked, they were able to undo virtually everything that had been done in the last several months.
Dan’s inner demon caused several things—all of them bad--to happen. First, the voice tempted him to try to prove he had indeed risen to Bobby’s level. Rather than taking the gains in stride, he began pressing, trying too hard to maintain his exceptional performance. Then the tension started to mount, and with it, he lost all sense of that easy, free-flowing zone experience. Next, the doubts started to creep into his consciousness. He didn’t belong on the same field as Bobby…or did he? He didn’t know. He became dual-minded, without focus, without a clear understanding of what it was he was doing in the batter’s box. Soon it was as if none of the off-season efforts had had any effect at all. Unable to relax, his hitting woes began to feed off themselves. Each mishit, each pop-up, each miserable grounder, became further evidence in the case against him. Even the occasional bomb came to be viewed as a fluke. The point is, Dan began to think too much, giving too much heed to the voices within. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the game, he wrestled with his demons…and lost.
The cure, then, was simple: he had to change his pattern of thinking. Rather, he had to stop thinking. Like the pitcher who starts aiming the ball instead of throwing it, he needed to let go. And only when he realized this was he able to right himself. Instead of focusing on the process of hitting,, or even on the process of relaxing, he needed to focus on the ball again.
Along these lines, he finally recalled an old trick for tightening his focus. And quieting his mind. He picked a spot on the ball where he wanted to make contact, and imagined a little black x there. Then he tracked the little black x with his full attention. Nothing was allowed to intrude on his focus. And when he was able to do that, the voices were suddenly silent. He was on auto pilot, with no devils to distract him, and he was free to hit again…
Silence the demons within, and you will hit like never before.

THE KEY TO CONSISTENCY
"Relax, take it easy..." Styx, Angry Young Man
So now that we know at least one of the things that we need to bottle in order to maximize our performance--relaxation, for any first time visitors out there—it’s time to take a look a how to go about bottling it, or making it available for our immediate use. Recently we discussed the subtle influence that tension has over our game, the necessity of staying relaxed under game conditions; now we’ll go over some proven techniques to help you relax both in and out of the world of softball. We’ll also suggest ways to find that optimum level of arousal for peak performance.
But first, let’s try an experiment. Open your desk drawer and take out a rubber band. Play with it, give it a few pulls and stretches, roll it around your fingers, and get a feel for it’s properties—stay with me a moment, please. Now loop it around you thumb and index finger like you’re going to shoot it at someone, only don’t put any tension this "gun" of yours. (Trust me, this is not as dangerous as it sounds.) Now, with your fingers the exact diameter of the unstretched rubber band turn your hand over and watch the rubber band fall to the floor. Next, put a little tension in the band, then drop your thumb, and let it fly. Finally, stretch the rubber band beyond its capacity and see what happens.
Now think in terms of softball—or any sport for that matter—and think in terms of your muscles. As you can see, a limp, flaccid muscle has no dynamic potential at all. Likewise, a muscle that’s too tight is seriously compromised by its own tension. Try flexing the muscles in your forearm, for example, and throwing a punch; now relaxing those same muscles and doing it again. Which punch has more juice on it? The trick then is to find that optimum level of tension that will produce optimum results, to tune your system—mind, body, and spirit—as you would tune a guitar to produce the sweetest music possible. Bear in mind, however, that too little tension is seldom a problem in sport.
So let’s shift gears: Imagine that it’s the bottom of the seventh and you’re down by two. There’s two on, two out, and you have one homer left. The guy behind you in the order is injured, and due to bad coaching, bad planning, or bad whatever, there’s no one to hit for him should you draw the walk. He isn’t going to come through for the team this time, so you’ve got to do it. It’s also the "if" game of the biggest tournament of your life. The butterflies begin to dance in your belly and you notice a slight shortness in your breath. You want to be here, but at the same time you’d rather be anywhere else on the field, only because you haven’t hit as well this weekend as you’d like. You’re still a gamer, but not quite now. You step to the plate with all the wrong thoughts in mind. Ultimately you’re doomed. Sorry.
As we’ve seen, tension like this can be devastating to your game, but it does not have to happen. Even these unexpected panic attacks—and yes, we all have them—can be controlled with a little bit of discipline, and a little bit of practice. There are a number of effective techniques that we can employ that will go a long way toward solving this particular problem. But again, it is important to remember that nervous tension is normal. Moreover, as our rubber band clearly demonstrates, this tension is both healthy and desirable. That realization in and of itself should be a big boost to your confidence. You’re not a coward because your hands sweat and your stomach churns right at crunch time. This is in fact part of the psycho-physiological "fight or flight" mechanism that we’ve all inherited from our ancestors.
But what to do when these symptoms get out of hand?
First, slow yourself down. The immediate tendency in a fight or flight situation is to hurry up and get it over with. That is the flight side of the equation, but what we’re interested in is fight. Take a few slow, deep breaths from your diaphragm, and feel the oxygen-enriched blood flowing through your system, washing the unwanted tension away.
Next, begin to move slowly and easily, as if you were totally relaxed. Tense muscles tend to move in a herky-jerky fashion. Deliberately force yourself to move in a more casual, relaxed manner. A few light stretches, slowly executed, concentrating on your larger muscle groups, might be helpful. A clear, focused mind will follow from a calm body. (The reverse is also true, which is another angle you might want to work with.) Assuming you’re on deck, swing your bat at about quarter speed. Again, the idea is to slow down. One or two full practice swings are okay, but we want our bodies thinking, "easy does it."
Notice at this point that our concentration is somewhere other than on the situation at hand. The number of possible scenarios that you will encounter in softball is small and manageable enough that how to deal with them should have become second nature a long time ago. A quick glance will tell you if you need the long ball, or the back door shot to the opposite field, or the whistling scud up the middle. Since the amount of time the mind is capable of focusing is limited to mere seconds, too much attention to the task at hand will rob you of this ability when you need it most. Also, by diverting your attention elsewhere, you are in essence making effective use of the flight mode, and forcing yourself to work with, rather than against, the forces of nature. Effective use of the flight response will give you all the fight you need.
Along these lines, many ballplayers find it helpful to fine tune their focus on some nearby object as they are settling into the batter’s box. A blade of grass, a candy wrapper, the bill of your cap. Find a "trigger" that you can associate with the relaxation response every time up. Make it a ritual. Teach yourself to "let go" whenever you tap the bat on the plate. Squeeze your hands tightly on the bat, then feel them totally relax. Ray DeMarini says that relaxed hands will increase your bat speed five to ten miles an hour. By incorporating this technique into your pre-at-bat ritual you’ll get the additional benefit of a clear mind as well. And that is the ultimate goal: a quiet mind and a calm body that’s ready to perform as it’s been trained.
Remember, finally, to be consistent. However you prepare yourself to hit, whatever ritual you adopt, get in the habit of doing it every time up. This will help keep you in your comfort zone, in a safe, familiar environment, where you’ll find minimal distraction...and maximum performance!