Stressy
January 16, 2009I’ve been reading this book I picked up in the airport called “Confident Conversation” by Mike Bechtle. With my introverted tendencies I figured this would be a good fit… and it was. I found the chapter on channeling stress to be particularly wise. Here’s a sampling…
“The truth is that everyone feels stress. The more challenging something is the more stress you’ll feel. It’s normal, it’s common, and it can be a positive force for a sharp performance-depending on what you do with it.”
“Without stress, we wouldn’t have the creative tension that keeps us focused.”
“A violin string needs a certain amount of tension to play in tune. Too little and the string produces no sound; too much and the string breaks. When used correctly, stress can actually become the fuel for creative interaction.”
“The most valuable books and resources about handling stress are tools for stress management, not stress elimination. We don’t want to totally get rid of stress. We need to learn how to use it to our advantage.”
“Stress is like gasoline. When a spark hits the fumes, it explodes. If that occurs in your living room, it’s devastating. If it occurs in the engine of your car, it gets you where you’re going. The gasoline isn’t good or bad; the application is what makes the difference.”
I had my own epiphany with stress somewhere during my second or third professional season. It was then that it finally dawned on me that the feelings of pressure, the butterflies, the sweaty palms, etc. were not going away or diminishing like I thought they would. They were here to stay. So, instead of fighting them and trying to eliminate them or feeling inferior when they occurred, I finally gave in and accepted them. I finally realized that those feelings weren’t good OR bad, they just were. God gave em to me for some reason, right? I just got on with it and figured those feelings were there to heighten my awareness. No big deal. It got to the point where I actually looked forward to those times and feelings and enjoyed the rush they brought.
So I guess my message to the younger player is this…no matter if you’re a 20 year veteran or a rookie in his first game, everyone gets nervous. You don’t need to get caught in the trap of fighting it or thinking you’re less of a competitor because it effects you. Fighting it is futile. Just accept the elevated heart beat or sweaty palms or whatever physical manifestation it has on you as part of athletics and life. Be thankful for the opportunities that come with those situations and get on with it. Be patient with yourself and remember, the more you are in those situations, the more familiar you’ll get with them. You may even grow to enjoy them. You might like to keep this quote in mind….
“Sometimes a hitter gets a hit, sometimes I strike them out, but in neither case does anyone die.” ~ Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez
P.S. The podcast with Dr. Ravizza is now up on iTunes…just go to iTunes, click podcast, and punch in The Art of Catching. Enjoy.
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