Last night I was involved in my first type of competition since maybe February. I was playing volleyball with my team at Bangor park for the first night of summer league volleyball. I was so AMPED to get back into it. It has been way too long since I had any competition-related experiences. My adrenaline started pumping, my heart started racing, and it was just awesome! My arm was not hurting, everything was right on point. WOW!
There was a few people who could no longer be on the team due to various reasons, so we had to find ourselves a replacement. I never exactly met this kid, but from what I knew he listened, he was a competitor, and he could jump. What more could you ask for really?
I took a sport psychology class last semester and it really opened up my eyes into the mental game of sports. If you go to any competition, make sure you take a look at how different people carry themselves. Those who win probably act on a more confident basis. Those who lose are probably lacking confidence.
We are kind of jumping around here, but let's get back to the team's replacement. The only volleyball he has ever played is gym class volleyball. In other words, his volleyball IQ was lacking. However, his athleticism makes up for some of his minimal volleyball IQ. We started playing our first couple of games, and he made a few key errors right in a row. All of a sudden you could see his confidence drop all the way to the ground. He then started to make even more errors. I was starting to get the vibe that this kid is hopeless, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. We ended up losing our first four games to pretty good teams. During our last two games something changed. Good things started to happen, we started playing as a team, and everyone's confidence went through the roof; especially the replacements. He started being aggressive, he realized he had a team around him who would have his back if he made a mistake, and his play improved significantly.
You see this confidence phenomenon all of the time in Major League Baseball. Hitters get into really big slumps every once in a while, and I really think it is nothing more than a mental thing. They end up getting into tough outs, they start to think that they're doing something wrong, they start chasing bad pitches, and then they dig their own grave. Instead of doing what they do best, they change their approach and make matters worse. Their confidence gets run over by a mac truck, and then they find themselves strolling along a long and bumpy road.
The point is that in anything you do, do it with confidence. If you find yourself in a position where you feel yourself getting into a slump, maybe just go back to the basics. In other words, go back to what made you into the person or athlete that you are today. The way that you carry yourself mentally could possibly be the difference between you coming in first place and you coming in fifth place.
Be mentally strong,
Be confident,
Be you!
Throwing: Glory Days
Have you ever had a day of throwing when nothing seemed to go right? You start trying harder, and consequently start tensing your muscles. When you think it couldn't get worse, it actually does. You then start thinking to yourself that you're terrible, and you should just quit all together. Mixed emotions start to build up, and outside pressures seem to be attacking from all angles. You start worrying yourself about not being ready for a meet, not being able to reach your goals, or even not attaining the collegiate scholarship that you have always dreamed of.
Regardless of how you're throwing, throwing is still throwing. Throwing is simply just a sport. It is something that you grew up doing because you loved to throw; you had a passion to constantly throw. Am I right?
Eventually, you get to a point where throwing becomes something more than just the sport that you love. It becomes the one thing that you have to rely on in order to get a college scholarship. The implement that you grew up loving reforms into a stabbing blade of pressure. All that it seems to do is create unwanted stress.
Sometimes you need to just take a step back; take a ride on the time machine that brings you back to the glory days of when throwing was fun. If a sport reaches a point where it turns into a personal emotion of hatred, you need to take a step back and just take the day to enjoy it.
Go back to the glory days. Relive it.
Regardless of how you're throwing, throwing is still throwing. Throwing is simply just a sport. It is something that you grew up doing because you loved to throw; you had a passion to constantly throw. Am I right?
Eventually, you get to a point where throwing becomes something more than just the sport that you love. It becomes the one thing that you have to rely on in order to get a college scholarship. The implement that you grew up loving reforms into a stabbing blade of pressure. All that it seems to do is create unwanted stress.
Sometimes you need to just take a step back; take a ride on the time machine that brings you back to the glory days of when throwing was fun. If a sport reaches a point where it turns into a personal emotion of hatred, you need to take a step back and just take the day to enjoy it.
Go back to the glory days. Relive it.
Training/Throwing: John Hopkins Medicine, Overuse Injuries
I just watched a webinar given by John Hopkins Medicine on the topic of overuse injuries.
The most important concepts that I took out of it, mostly involved the prevention of overuse injuries. Most overuse injuries can be prevented by taking the proper precautions. I have said this before, and I will say it again, listen to your body! Trust it! Believe it!
If you are starting to feel discomfort or pain coming on, you must stop doing what you are doing. You then need to consult either your athletic trainer or a trusted doctor of yours. Trust me when I say that you do not want to experience the wrath of overuse injuries at their worst. Overuse injuries can be the most frustrating experience that you ever have.
The medical doctor that was speaking mentioned the thought that you should take at least 3 months off from your given sport per year. I don't exactly know how this concept is supposed to work for a thrower, but I would assume that it is something to give serious consideration.
She also mentioned that you want to have at least 2 off days per week for your given sport. Rest is very important as an athlete. You may feel that taking 2 days off per week is going to limit your progress. However, if you decide to ignore the 2 days of rest per week and end up with an overuse injury that holds you out for month after month, does your progress really matter?
The most important concepts that I took out of it, mostly involved the prevention of overuse injuries. Most overuse injuries can be prevented by taking the proper precautions. I have said this before, and I will say it again, listen to your body! Trust it! Believe it!
If you are starting to feel discomfort or pain coming on, you must stop doing what you are doing. You then need to consult either your athletic trainer or a trusted doctor of yours. Trust me when I say that you do not want to experience the wrath of overuse injuries at their worst. Overuse injuries can be the most frustrating experience that you ever have.
The medical doctor that was speaking mentioned the thought that you should take at least 3 months off from your given sport per year. I don't exactly know how this concept is supposed to work for a thrower, but I would assume that it is something to give serious consideration.
She also mentioned that you want to have at least 2 off days per week for your given sport. Rest is very important as an athlete. You may feel that taking 2 days off per week is going to limit your progress. However, if you decide to ignore the 2 days of rest per week and end up with an overuse injury that holds you out for month after month, does your progress really matter?
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