One of the top sayings in baseball is "The Most Important Pitch is the Next Pitch." The magnitude of this saying and mindset is huge in the game of baseball. Elite players exhibit a short memory and can quickly forget about the last play (extremely positive or negative) and focus 100% on making the next pitch their best.
As coaches and parents, we play a huge part in helping players develop this mentality. For the coaches, while it is extremely important to give players feedback so that they can learn - message and timing is everything. For instance, yelling at a player for swinging at a high pitch during their at bat or for missing a ball while on the field is a sure fire way to ensure that they will think about that blunder on the next pitch. A better thought to share is to stay aggressive, get your pitch or whatever positive event you want the player thinking about on the next pitch.
The same goes for parents, no doubt players can hear you from the stands when comments fly about why did you swing at the pitch or why did you make that fielding mistake. A better thought is let's get the next one. (We know - easier said than done - but extremely important on the road to building an elite baseball player.)
So next time things go wrong on the field put a positive thought in your players mind to help make the next pitch their best!
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