Failure Isn’t Part of the Game — It Is the Game

 Failure isn’t something that occasionally shows up in baseball.

It is baseball.

It’s inevitable, constant, and unavoidable. Yet most players never truly prepare for that reality. They train their swings, their arms, and their bodies — but they don’t train how they will handle failure when it shows up. And it always shows up.

The real question isn’t if you will fail.
It’s how you will respond when it happens.

Every player needs a plan for failure:

• How will I act?
  
  

• What will my body language look like?
  
  

• How quickly will I adjust and move forward?
  
  

As you move up in levels, the failure only increases. The competition gets better. The margin for error gets smaller. This is where failure becomes the separator. Talent may get you in the door, but mental toughness determines how long you stay.

The players who continue to develop are the ones who master the moments after things go wrong — the strikeout, the error, the hard-hit out. They flush it and move forward.

Negative body language is wasted energy. Your teammates see it, and they feel it. They know failure hurts — they’ve all been there — but they respect players who handle it with composure. Coaches notice it too. When evaluating players, they aren’t just watching what happens on the field; they’re watching how players respond when the game punches back.

Baseball is a game where very little is truly in your control. You can’t control the umpire, the bounce of the ball, or whether a perfectly struck line drive finds a glove. But you can control your response to failure.

That’s where perspective matters. Ask yourself: What’s the worst that happens?
You fail? Welcome to the club. Every player who has ever played this game has stood in those same shoes.

Failure reveals who you are.

One of the most underrated offseason goals is learning to visualize failure — not just success. Picture the strikeout. Picture the error. Then visualize your response: calm body language, clear self-talk, and a locked-in next-pitch mentality. Positive visualization matters, but ignoring the reality of failure leaves you unprepared when it inevitably arrives.

Stack days where you handle failure the right way, and your development accelerates. You conserve energy. You stay present. You grow faster.

Because the truth is simple:

Failure isn’t part of the game.
Failure is the game.

Get better at playing it.

Locking It In: The Mental Battle Between Pitches

 

Baseball culture loves to talk about reps, mechanics, and confidence—but kids don’t just need more swings. They need classroom-style instruction, video breakdowns, and honest discussion. They need mental reps. They need to learn how to think between pitches.

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How Do You Lock It In?

Think like a sniper.
Use deliberate, controlled, pitch-to-pitch focus:

• Assess the environment
  
  

• Commit to the present moment
  
  

• Breathe
  
  

• Execute with accuracy
  
  

• Reset
  
  

• Prepare for the next shot
  
  

When you master this routine, it becomes a lifelong skill—not just a baseball skill. The same ability to lock in on a 2–2 pitch with runners on becomes the same ability to lock in during a senior thesis presentation, a job interview, or any moment that demands your full attention.

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Failure Is Part of the Mental Game

No one is mentally perfect on every pitch.
You will think about the error you just made.
You will think about the bad swing you just took.

The difference between average players and elite competitors is simple:
the best players have a flush tool.

You’re not trying to avoid negative thoughts—you’re learning how to handle them productively. Evaluate your mental performance every day. Baseball gives you plenty of time to relax, but once the game starts, you have to operate pitch to pitch.

And here’s the hidden advantage: the more mentally present you are—even in the dugout—the easier the game becomes. If you’re paying attention, pitchers will show you their patterns. Most players miss it because they’ve never been taught to respect the mental battle happening in front of them.

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Coaches Need to Teach the Real Mental Side

Not confidence clichés.
Not forced positivity.
Not “fake it till you make it.”

I’m talking about what actually happens in the mind between pitches—the part of the game cameras don’t show.

Control what you can control:

• You can control your actions until release point.
  
  

• You can control your tension level.
  
  

A tense muscle is a slow muscle—and your eyes are muscles. The best hitters “see a bigger ball” because their mind is quiet, focused, and creating an environment where execution becomes easier and more repeatable.

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To Summarize

• Maintain a tension level that keeps you relaxed, focused, and calm
  
  

• Prioritize accuracy over brute force
  
  

• Remember: big thoughts create long, inaccurate swings
  
  

• The result is irrelevant during the game—reset and return to your routine
  
  

• You’ll have plenty of time to break things down after
  
  

• Be where your feet are—every pitch

The Mental Edge: What Great Players Do Differently

 Baseball is a game built on failure, adjustment, and relentless self-belief. Anyone can look confident when things are going well — but real competitors are the ones who stay composed through failure. 

At the end of the day, success comes down to one question:

Can you keep your mind working for you instead of against you?

Every athlete faces frustration, doubt, and fear. The difference between average players and elite competitors is how they respond. The mental game is a trainable skill — and great players master one principle:

Never too high. Never too low. Win the present rep.

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1. Me vs. Me: Controlling the Noise

Baseball exposes you. One bad swing, one missed pitch, one error — and your mind can spiral fast. That negative voice shows up immediately:

“What are you doing?”
“You can’t hit today.”
“Don’t mess up again.”

Great players don’t pretend that voice isn’t there.
They acknowledge it — then take control of the moment.

When something goes wrong:

• Don’t react emotionally.

• Don’t replay the mistake.

• Don’t judge yourself mid-game.

Your only job in competition is the next pitch.

Reflection is for after the game. During the game, stay where your feet are. That’s how you enter a flow state — when the game slows down, your focus sharpens, and execution feels effortless.

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2. Breath, Calm & the Hunter Mentality

Breathing isn’t a cliché. It’s a weapon.

When your heart rate spikes, everything slips — timing, pitch selection, vision. A controlled breath resets your system and brings you back to neutral.

The best athletes play with what I call the Hunter Mentality:

• Calm

• Precise

• Explosive

• Fully locked in

A warrior fights with emotion.
A hunter wins with accuracy.

And baseball rewards accuracy more than anything else.

Your breath keeps you calm enough to react fast and execute with intent.

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3. Confidence vs. Fear: The Battle Every Pitch

Every pitch is a battle between two forces:

Confidence — the warrior

Fear — the demon

That battle happens on every swing, every pitch, every play.

Your job is simple:
Choose confidence — not because it guarantees success, but because it gives you the best chance to compete.

Ask yourself:

“What’s the worst that happens? I fail?”

If failure is the worst outcome, then you’re free. Failure is part of  the sport. Once you accept that, pressure fades and performance rises.

Confidence isn’t arrogance.
It’s preparation + belief.

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4. Adjustments: The Reality of a Baseball Season

Here’s the truth most players never hear:

• You’ll be great in 5 games.

• You’ll be bad in 5 games.

• The other 20 define who you are.

You won’t always feel good.
You won’t always see it well.
The zone won’t always be fair.

Great players perform anyway. They:

• Simplify their thoughts → W.I.N. (What’s Important Now?)

• Control their breath

• Compete with consistent confidence

• Accept that discomfort is normal

Being bad for a day is part of the sport.
Showing negativity is a choice.

Your body language tells teammates, coaches, and opponents whether you can handle adversity. And it’s honest.

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5. The Standard: Next Pitch, Every Time

A true competitor brings the same standard to every rep:

• Present, not replaying

• Calm, not chaotic

• Competitive, not emotional

• Adjusting, not complaining

• Always moving on to the next pitch

You don’t control outcomes.
You control your response.

That response becomes your reputation.

Enjoy the moment.
Compete with everything you’ve got.
Focus on the rep in front of you.

Then?

Next pitch.

Make Aggressive Mistakes

 Baseball is a game of failure, hardest game in the world, learn from your mistakes, don't get bitter get better. Those are all just ok. A more positive mindset helps you play better.  "Screw it baseball." "If mistakes are inevitable, I might as well be aggressive, trying to execute my job on this pitch. If I fail, whatever, it's part of the game. Refined Indifference. It's how you play baseball the best. Focus on seeing the ball well and being quick/accurate then onto the next pitch. "Getting the outcome you want increases when you let go of the need to have it." Play in the present, be where your feet are for that pitch and try to execute. Review the results after the game, that's the time to learn from them. Know the count and the outs the whole game for every pitch. Best way to stay playing in the present. 

Use the Velocity in Machine Work

 Train your eyes to be accurate at a speed that you will never see in the game. If your machine can't go that fast then move closer to machine. Our body will naturally swing quicker when training above the swing speed. Just relax, focus and try to be quick and accurate with the barrel. Try to pull it if you can. My best player Graham Roberts does our machine at Dbat as fast as its goes. He has great top hand path and is short to the ball. He is still working on seeing the ball more out front and making contact more out front with a strong wrist at contact but it's great for a 12 year old. The ball travels longer and faster to the pull side.The perfect swing is in the pull side gap, not up the middle. We can be more accurate on the ball up because it is closer to our eyes and barrel. We have to be short to the ball to get there on time. Up are mistakes by a pitcher most of the time. Do damage on mistakes. Learn how to drive balls pull side and you can play. Learn how to hit velocity and you will never go to the plate without your confidence which is the most important thing in hitting. Train off the machine going fast, use that tool and you will see the results in the game when it counts. SEE IT UP.

Cage Work

Most of cage work should be spent focusing on trying to hit the ball on the barrel. Doesn't matter the drill the coach makes you do just try to hit the ball on the barrel. Strong Top wrist at contact, straight to the ball. Start with the drill below in the cage if you have the choice.

Important to strengthen your wrist. Squeeze a tennis ball until you are strong enough to squeeze a baseball. Build up your hitting muscles in your wrist. Do pushups, a lot of them, they help with your load and controlling your body.

Until your top wrist is strong use a toddler bat to work on your mechanics of your path with your top hand. Still try to be accurate with your barrel even though the bat is light and small. 

Finish with Velocity off the machine that is faster than you will face in the game. The results won't be great but it's good for you. Try to relax, see it well, and be quick/accurate with your barrel with a strong top wrist at contact.  

Homercoach

 The stronger your top wrist gets the farther the ball will go. Most hitters make contact with a weak TOP wrist so the ball makes the bat move back at contact. Swing the bat with a strong top wrist, squeeze the bat tight quickly when you want to swing. This will start the forward move. Its not "hips before hands" It's TOP HAND FIRST! The rest of the body should follow the direction the top hand leads to the ball. The eyes and body set itself up different behind the top hand based on location and speed of pitch but the STRONG TOP HAND LEADS THE WAY. This move is not hard to learn but then you can focus on being more accurate with your barrel. Where did the ball hit my bat. AIM SMALL MISS SMALL. You're not trying to hit the ball. You're not trying to hit it with your bat you're trying to hit it on the barrel because it goes faster off your bat. There is an art and craft to hitting. The calm and accurate dudes are the best players. 

Make sure to do a lot of TOP hand swings in the cage. Your top wrist can't get too strong. 

If your ego lets you CHOKE UP! Being accurate with the barrel becomes easier because the top hand is closer to the barrel. CHOKING UP  is a cheat code that only some guys use like the 2022 NL batting title winner or the best hitter of all time, Bonds. 

Choke up and catch the ball with the barrel with a strong top wrist at contact. Please try this, its fun to high five your player rounding third after a homer. 

Your players need to do a lot of pushups and squeeze a baseball with their top hand  In practice put the machine where the pitcher your age would release the ball. Now put the machine on the hardest velocity you will see. Then play a game. Hit in the cage during game. Get another machine for the cage, if not just flip and throw to each other, a lot of top hand swings. Focus on accuracy of barrel. When players throw to each other they should throw different pitches but still try to throw strikes. Good for both guys. Pitcher is working on being accurate and his stuff. Hitter sees different ways the ball moves. Youth players struggle with off speed because they don't get a chance to practice hitting it. Offspeed are easy to hit when they are a strike because they are slow, learn to hit the off speed if you want to hit bombs. Amateur baseball is hanger central because no-one swings at it. Be the team that crushes hanging breaking balls and never worries about velocity because they hit it everyday in practice, SEE IT UP.