The Fearless Mind

The Fearless Mind

By: Craig Manning

Ever strike out with the bases loaded and runners on in a clutch part of the game because you were trying too hard to get a hit? Have you ever gotten caught in the nasty clutches of a hitting or fielding slump? Ever choke before or been too psyched-out or intimidated to play at your best? Or maybe you've been on a team that always seems to lose games to weaker opponents. How about not being able to hit a certain pitcher even though you know she's not that good?

Each of these examples clearly highlights the importance of the mental part of softball. You can't reach your softball dreams without learning to develop mental toughness. That is, you have to learn how to stay calm under pressure, bounce back quickly from errors and bad at-bats, concentrate on what's important and block out everything else, use failures as a source of motivation and positive feedback, believe in yourself, stay motivated to work towards your goals, avoid psych-outs and intimidation and mentally prepare for those big games. These are just some of the mental skills needed to play good softball.

Life is a performance whether you’re on the field, in the courtroom, or running a household. But many of us, when asked to perform, are overcome by fear. We lose our confidence and allow our insecurities to hinder us. In The Fearless Mind, sports psychologist Craig Manning teaches you how to beat mediocrity and embrace greatness. With many years of experience as a pro tennis player, collegiate tennis coach, and doctor of philosophy, Dr. Manning will help you overcome your fears, expel anxiety, build confidence, and become a high-performing individual no matter what your field. Learn how to unlock your mind and reach your greatest dreams. There are many mental pathways to performance, but there is only one pathway to true success having a fearless mind.

The Fearless Mind methodology unlocks the power of the mind needed to achieve elite performance. Too often we think of being mentally tough as the absence of doubt and fear, not true. The best athletes in the world still have doubts and fears that interfere with their performance. The difference is, elite athletes utilize mental skills to overcome these interfering thoughts and achieve amazing levels of human performance. These mental skills are neither complex nor very difficult but without them mediocrity is almost inevitable. Imagine what we could achieve with a fearless mind?

Testimonials: http://thefearlessmind.com/athletics/

Each of you will be given a copy of The Fearless Mind to read. The hope is that you will apply the mental principles taught throughout this book to help you become a better softball player as well as a better person. We will reference a lot of different strategies and points that Craig Manning addresses throughout the upcoming season.  It is important that you are completing the reading assignments. As you read, think about how this applies to you as a softball player as well as how it applies to your daily life. Dr. Manning provides many analogies to tennis. You can easily apply them to softball as well.

Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors: The reading “assignments” will be a part of your Advanced Conditioning grade. Each week I will post a blog post on http://springvillesoftball.blogspot.com. There will be questions that you will need to “respond” to in the comments section of the blog post. Responses will be required in November, January, and February and will count towards your grade. Because of Moratorium, you will not be required to respond in December.  Please do not be overwhelmed by this. Responses do not need to be super long. They need to be thoughtful and answer the question(s). The purpose is to help you reflect and to help you improve your mental toughness.  

Freshmen: You are obviously not required to complete this portion. But please know that you are welcome to participate in the blog post discussions as well. I would love to hear what you have to say.