I read a great article in the New York Times today titled, “Mets’ Psychologist Helps Players Catch Their Breath“. This article highlights relaxation, imagery, and rehabilitation from injury as some of the mental psychological skills offered in sport psychology. As the stakes rise, it becomes even more necessary to incorporate skills training into sport. Below are a few quotes that from the full article that emphasize the point. Let’s go METS!
“The idea is to slow down,” Manager Terry Collins said. “Slow. Down. Slow the heart rate down; slow the thinking process; slow it down. Instead of rushing, take a second, take a breath, and assess what’s going on here.”
“Sometimes I’ll catch myself — it’s almost like I’m holding my breath,” Conforto said. “So I just make sure I do it before every pitch.”
“Baseball is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical,” said Syndergaard, who considers himself close with Fader. “It doesn’t matter how physically talented you are; if you’re not able to conquer your own mind, you can’t really do much.”
“The big thing he says is not to cloud your mind with outside things,” Harvey said. “Go with the task at hand. Go game by game, pitch by pitch. That’s the most important thing.”
FULL NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE
“Mets’ Psychologist Helps Players Catch Their Breath”
