How to Prevent the Downward Spiral

I hear it all the time, “Is there some kind of trick my pitcher can use during a game to prevent her from going into a downward spiral?” It’s frustrating to start off well and then lose your “groove” later in the game.

Coaches wonder what could have happened. ”She got tired”, “She lost it mentally,” or “She stopped performing her mechanics,” and so on. To identify the issue, take a cue from college teams. They are always recording a huge amount of stats throughout the games. For them, there is no “guessing” when it comes to the issues they face. They try to make it as objective and easy as possible to make decisions.

For you, try to figure out what is going on by using these guidelines.

1. Does the way she practices match the way she plays?

As Peter Drucker said, “What gets measured gets managed.” Do you actually know how many spots she hits in a game versus practice? I’m not talking about strikes called or pitches swung at. I’m talking about the “production statistic.” If a pitcher is doing her job by locating to spots, but still gets hit, this should count for her, not against. Create a signal that the catcher can flash to you, the coach, to notify you if she hit each spot or not. An assistant, resting player, or parent can record this throughout the game.

To record her accuracy in practice, throw 30 pitches to different spots. Record if each pitch was a hit, good miss, or bad miss. Then try to improve throughout the season. Do this at least every two weeks. Then she’ll have something to compare her games to.

2. Are you drawing logical conclusions?

Telling yourself “She pitched one good inning so the rest should be good” is illogical. This goes back to what her accuracy percentage is. Consider the accuracy percentage for the entire time she pitches, not the part she likes the best.

“Don’t practice until you get it right; practice until you can’t get it wrong.” - Unknown

How many times has she tried to throw 70 out of 100 strikes in practice? If the pitchers are throwing full games, they need to do so in preparation as well. Find a way to put in place game-like situations for practice. Choose those that increase the stakes and intensity. Have a presence in the circle and own it

3. Does the pitcher play better in games than practice?

If so, congratulations! You have a pitcher who has been gifted with a competitive spirit that shines when she needs it most. Now you need to push her to higher limits. This type of athlete might find herself getting bored in practice and losing focus - try spicing some things up.

Mimic game-like situations where the pressure is on. Find new drills that test her skills and get the rest of your team involved. Have each pitcher throw to a catcher as the team stands on the third baseline. If a pitcher hits her spot, one girl moves over. If she throws a bad miss everyone must move back to the other side and do some sort of conditioning. This makes practice more exciting!

4. Are you calculating accurately?

Take the entire amount of time she pitches in a game (the good, the bad, and the ugly) and count spots hit. Do not use only the worst two innings. Do not use only the best inning. Let’s say she pitches 3 innings. The first inning she strikes out every batter, three up, three down. The next two innings she walks a couple of girls and gives up three hits. After the game, calculate your percentages from the three innings that she played. Compare all innings to her practice. This will tell you 1) if she practices like she plays and 2) if she has an endurance problem.

5. How do you know if your pitcher is struggling with an endurance issue or a mental issue?

If she’s struggling with endurance, her speed would decrease as each game goes on. In practice, track her pitch count with a radar gun. Count how many pitches she throws until her speed and/or fundamentals start to break down. This will tell you if its nerves or endurance during your game.

6. What are your and her expectations for how she should play?

Make sure they are realistic. There is nothing wrong with holding oneself to a high standard-I respect you both for this! Yet, the more pressure she puts on herself, the more defeating her failures will be. Does she expect to never give up a home run? How many walks will she allow herself in each game? When I ask players and coaches how many spots they think they should hit out of 10, most people say 8, 9, or 10. Check yourself! Most professional pitchers hit 8 out of 10 spots. This includes movement pitches and change-ups. Make practice goals based on how she performed in the last game or practice. If she hits 60% as strikes, aim for 65%!

7. If the way your pitcher practices and play match then she is mentally tough and consistent!

She’s reached an important milestone where she’s built neural pathways. She'll be able to repeat her motion in any mental state. If she’s not there yet, that’s okay! Continue to have her set goals for and she will get there.

It's easy for players and coaches to misdiagnose performances because no one keeps enough stats. It's unfair to do one thing in practice and expect something different during games. The best pitchers pay attention to detail and as a result, are consistent.

On that note, I understand that buying an expensive radar gun and counting pitches at practice can seem excessive. But if your pitcher is looking to reach her potential, it's not.

On the other hand, if you don’t think you or she can handle organizing practices and games like this, take your post-game analysis down a notch. Find the things that you can control (practice, dedication, effort, focus) and excel at them.

Sports psychologists say good performance is about playing your best with what you have. That means you much be aware of what you have in the first place. Work hard to uncover this in practice.