Talent is a Small Factor
Everyone in NASCAR has a big engine. Many soccer teams are loaded with great players. All NFL quarterbacks can throw fast and long. Most pro golfers can hit very far and very straight. Tall is normal in the NBA. How do you stand out from the pack when you reach the point where talent is all around you?
Applied to pitching, the answer became very clear and very simple. What you take into the circle determines what you will get out of it.
If I were to take one characteristic and bottle it to help pitchers become great, it would be the ability to anticipate. Anticipation is the laser-like focus on specific things to come, and the discipline to put yourself in position to take advantage of it.
Anticipation begins with total honesty. You must be willing to take a long, hard look at yourself. Where am I strong? Where am I weak? How can I improve on both so that, when that one crucial moment comes in big games, I can step up to the next level, then the next, and the next?
In order to do that, you must be able identify the exact obstacles you will face. I like to call it “training for failure”. When the conditions are not ideal, when the hitter makes unexpected adjustments, when the umpire refuses to call my best pitch, and when my best stuff is not working, how can I prepare to win anyway?
Many of the greatest players in history, in every sport, were not the most talented. Here are qualities that set them apart from the rest.
1-They were able to imagine with clarity. They carefully observed their sport, then mentally put themselves in the toughest situations they could possibly face.
2-They imagine with purpose. The objective is anticipate challenges they might face so they will never be surprised. Once they totally understand the obstacle, they design a game plan for that eventuality.
3-They “scout” themselves. How would I attack me? As I get better and better, teams will try new ways to beat me. I must prepare to deal with new surprises.
4-As they gather this data, they make sure they clearly understand the skills they will need to keep winning. One skill at a time, they go to work, sometimes with help from a coach, designing a plan to develop themselves further.
