Whether you believe it is 85%, 90%, or 100%, I think we all agree baseball is a mental game. Aside from the fact that most players and teams dedicate 100% of their practice time trying to improve what amounts to 15%, 10%, or for some 0% of what it takes to play the game. I wanted to share my thoughts regarding a discussion that took the mental aspect of baseball to a whole new level.
Do we need to become better coaching a mixture of “Left Brain” and “Right Brain” players? Huh?
Hold on! Before you throw up your hands and cursing this is just another millennial entitlement conspiracy, Roger W. Sperry was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1981 for this. So, let’s at least look at what psychologist are saying?
|
Left Brain |
Right Brain |
| Detail Oriented | Big Picture |
| Logical | Random |
| Sequential | Intuitive |
| Facts Rule | Imagination Rules |
| Cautious | Risk Taking |
As I scan over the respective adjectives mentioned above and applied them to certain players who excelled in certain situations and while others seem to fail. Hmmm, they may be onto something with this Left Brain-Right Brain Theory.
Left Brain – Too Cautious and over Logical? The player who consistently was thrown out stealing for fear of getting picked off, or the batter who struck-out with the bases loaded hoping for a walk.
Right Brain- Intuitive with a touch of Risk Taking? The player who consistently took an extra base on a ball hit to the outfield, or the player who lays down a bunt for a base hit because he noticed the third baseman was playing too deep.
Then, as if it was yesterday, I remembered that same successful player I defined as Right Brain getting thrown out late in the game trying to stretch a double into a triple. What was worse, he made that running mistake when there were no outs. I guess I wanted him to be that Right Brain person, who, once he hit the baseball, ran the bases as if he was Left Brain.
Does that mean I only want Left Brain players in the game during the late innings? But what if the other team is throwing a lefty and my Left-Brain players bat left handed? Whew, talk about paralysis by analysis!
Now what am I going to do?
Nothing!
Psychologist Kendra Cherry saved the day stating “the idea of right brain/left brain thinkers has been debunked,” and neuroscientist now “know that the two sides of the brain collaborate to perform a broad variety of task and that the two hemispheres communicate…”
I feel a whole lot better just knowing the game of baseball is one enjoyed by those who have learned to Think without Thinking. Just ask Mikey Rivers.
He explains the game of baseball in terms we all can understand!
“Pitching is 80% of the game and the other HALF is hitting and fielding.”
Until next Blog,
Al McCormick
