What is a fall in the field?
Everyone has heard of it, and all of us, at some point or another, have experienced a drop in hitting, but very little is said about a drop on the field. What exactly is a fall in the field? Good question.
Simply defined as the best I can, “a fall on the field is the result of a simple physical error that creates a mental and emotional fear of the baseball hit.” What what? It’s a phenomenal event that some players are more likely to experience than others depending on their attitude and mental makeup.
Sometimes when a player, especially a player who demands perfection from himself, makes a simple fielding mistake, such as the ball passing between his legs or a wild shot, a mental hurdle is immediately thrown that creates the fear of repeating. the error.
This, of course, is silly, but if you’ve ever experienced it, you know what I’m talking about. This fear may start slowly, but builds rapidly to the point where the player almost prays that they don’t get hit by the ball. Guess what, the ball seems to always find you.
An example of a quick sideline. When he was young he had a very strong pitching arm and was always positioned at third base. In a particularly important game, I remember it as if it were yesterday, I toppled first baseman and let the winning run score. From that point on, I was never able to hit a strong shot at first, instead aiming the ball.
The mental or emotional block was so immediate and strong that I had to switch to second base. Note that my fielding was unaffected, I was as good as ever, but I couldn’t stop aiming or setting the ball a bit. I know the pain of a fall in the field.
I couldn’t correct my problem, but over the years of minor league baseball and as a coach, I have learned a few tricks that can help you or your player overcome depression.
Mental fix:
The first thing that needs to be addressed is the mental aspect, as the physical aspect is usually not the problem, although it can be.
1. Stop and reflect on your past accomplishments. There was a time when you wanted to get hit by all the balls because you were confident that you could handle any situation. Try to remember some of the great plays you made. This is not being arrogant, you are thinking to yourself, it is also a fact that you made these plays.
2. If you stop and think about it, the brain must tell the body what to do to throw the ball. Go back to basics and mentally review all aspects of catching the ball, from crouching to seeing the ball in the glove.
3. After you reset the basics, use the visualization to really see each step you go through the basics. Visualization is a powerful tool, and seeing yourself correctly fielding one shot after another has a huge impact on your physical and muscle memory.
Physical arrangement:
Sometimes it does not matter that the culprit that results in depression in the field is mental, the mind will still blame the body and this is not abnormal.
1. After performing the mental corrections from above, it is time to institute the physical corrections. Again, get back to basics! Field slowly hit rolls, hundreds of them if that’s what it takes. Your intention is to re-granulate your mental and muscle memory, and it helps you read the ball, something you never know enough about.
2. Start fielding harder balls. It is imperative that you not only position groundlings, but attack them aggressively. Don’t let the ball play you, which is a major by-product of a fall on the field.
3. Finish the arrangement by hitting harder balls away from you, forcing your feet and body into the correct fielding position. This will conclude your retraining and restore your confidence.
Remember this … for any lingering doubts, the total ending to your fielding knockdown is identical to the single ball hit ending a knockdown, a long play away.