Practice is part of competition. Serious, 100% effort at practice is essential. You must "stress yourself", not allow yourself to feel "comfortable" if you are to uplift both your own and the team's performance.

Use mental imagery and rehearsal for skills such as pitching, hitting or fielding. Look back on successes or imagine yourself performing very well and then go ahead and do it on the field. "Talk yourself INTO it, not out of it."

The 3 C's are crucial in this order:

          1. Confidence

          2. Concentration

          3. Competence

The first two come from within yourself and the 3rd one comes from practice much more than the other two. They are all interdependent and complement each other during great performances. Strive to achieve a high level in all three.

Use rest time to relax and then build up to the next performance, for example, between games

It is important to have breaks in concentration but not during performance.

Situations where you will need extra control will be:

          Playing in front of a hostile crowd

          Trying desperately to win or hold off defeat in the last inning

          When fatigue sets in late in the day or game

          When there are hassles with the umpire

          When our team suffers an injury

Also, there are many absolutely "crucial" or "vital" plays, which require your top performance

          The last out in an inning

          The two strike pitch

          The executions of a bunt hit or throw to finish up an inning, get ahead or use up time

These cannot be stressed enough and it will be your responsibility to try your best to maintain the 3 C's during these "crucial" times

Physical Preparation

Individual fitness development is mainly the player’s responsibility

At the beginning of any practice or game you must be physically prepared for the harder stresses on your body. Never begin to throw a ball indiscriminately without a fairly good warm-up

A warm-up routine is a gradual progression of exercises to allow the body to adjust itself to physical stress. If this stress is applied "cold", injuries can occur.

The type of routine you should follow for any practice or game will be:

Jog - 2 minutes - to elevate the body temperature

Stretching - gradually warm-up muscles

Throwing - easily at first --> harder throws

Always concentrating on good throws and two hand catches

Ready to go to work! - Remember, you must be "on time" and "ready to go" at all practices or games