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Softball Player Intervention With Dr. Kenneth Ravizza

Host
Hi Kenneth, I understand we are about to meet a softball payer?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Yes, this is a woman Alexa who I happen to who have done five sessions with the her team and our paths cross where she is coming at the locker room and we just have a discussion about some of the things going on for her at that time.

Host
Okay, great let us go take a look.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright.

Alexa
Hey Kenneth, what is up?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Hey Alexa! How are you doing?

Alexa
Good.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
What is been happening?

Alexa
Not too much. I am on my way to practice.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
How has it been going?

Alexa
It is going alright, it could be better.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Really, better in what way?

Alexa
I do not know. I have been really nervous lately.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Really nervous, alright.

Alexa
I do not know.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
That happens at times. What is being going on?

Alexa
Well, like right before a game, I am worried that I am going to screw up so and it has been going on pretty constantly. I cannot get that out of my head.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
So it has been going on a while?

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
What is being happening with your advance.?

Alexa
Same thing. I get up there and even before I start sets before one deck, one double deck I am starting to worry that I am not going to make contact and I am not going to get on base so, I do not know.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Yeah, tell me have you ever had that happen before in your softball career?

Alexa
Yeah, but you know this was...

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Did you get out of it?

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
You got out of that funk.?

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright. So you got in there and you got out of it.

Alexa
This one is lasting longer.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
This is a little longer?

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Ah, that will touch you little more, but you will be alright. Alright, tell me, when you are going in you said it is starting when you are in the hole, when you put on your hitting gloves

Alexa
Yeah, when I put on my gloves and my helmet, sometimes it get started even before that, even when I am out on the field I could be thinking about it if I am going to be up.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Even in the outfield you are thinking about it?

Alexa
Every once in a... yeah it starts to...

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Oh, alright. But one of the reasons why are you thinking about it Alexa is that it is important that we do not want to lose this and that is that you care about what you are doing and some of this nervousness you are feeling may not be nervousness as much of as it is excitement. You want to do well.

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Okay, so that is there, but what we got do is we got to just curb it a little bit and just get it so that you can use that energy to your advantage instead of the energy using you. Okay? It is a one way to play with it.

Alexa
Alright.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Hey, tell me though a little bit about when you step in there, when this things starts when you put on your hitting gloves, sometimes even before that, okay, that you put on your hitting gloves, put on your helmet, what goes on?

Alexa
When I am on the deck I try not to think about it so I am trying to cheer for my teammate who is out and then when I actually get up to bat, I start thinking about trying to pick up the ball earlier and the first thing that comes in my head that I am not going to pick it up quick enough and it is... you know I am going to think it is great pitch and... so that is usually the first thing I am thinking about is and I get...

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza

When you are on deck, what are you looking at when you are looking at the pitcher?

Alexa
I look at her release point.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Okay, you are looking at the hips seeing where the ball is coming out of the hip really locked into that. Great, okay. Now from on deck walking to the plate, what goes on?

Alexa
Well, I am just... my mind starts racing about you know, what I have to do looking at coach, getting the signal and thinking about what the count is and whatever and trying to...

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Got to, got to, got to, got to get it hit, got to get it hit.

Alexa
Yes.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Got to.

Alexa
Can I get at this?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
And everything tightens up.

Alexa
Right.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Okay, a couple of things to play with. I want you to work on them and practice.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Think about this number one - when you are down playing in defense, you come in, you become the offensive player. We got to separate offense from defense okay. So one way to do that when you take off your glove, put your glove down.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Use it as a symbol that, that is the end of defense. When you put on the hitting glove you put on the... grab your bat you are putting on the hitter. So you are separating offense from defense.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Same thing, when you go back to defense. Let us say you strike out, you have to remember in softball, you contribute like we talked about in the other sessions, you contribute with your bat, you contribute with your glove, you contribute with your base running, you contribute with your understanding at the game and most important that you can contribute with the way you support teammates. Five ways and there maybe others. Okay, but those are five ways, you are just not just a hitter, there are these other things you do. You got to keep that in prospective. When you are putting on that glove, you are putting on the hitter.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Okay, almost view it like a final today, like you are getting in this final and you are gradually clicking in the concentration.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Okay, and you have that routine that you go through. Any thoughts that come in, what you need to be attending to. When you are in the hole, you need to stretch, get loose, when you are on deck, you take your stride with the pitcher, picking up her hip, picking up the release point.

Alexa
Right.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Right? Now, what something you can do when you step into the box. Show me what you do when you step into the batter's box.

Alexa
I usually just, I take the signal from coach.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
So, that is what we talked about, you got to have a plan and be committed to your plan.

Alexa
Then I just usually, I step in and I get ready.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
But what I want you to do is to keep the thinking out side the box and when you step in, you are just... you are the hitter.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
You are the hitter. It is you and pitcher and all of the attention goes on one thing would be your breathing. Take a good breath when you step in the box. Here, just try that and now even look at the label of the bat. Pick a spot on the label, just focus on that spot as you inhale and exhale and then you are going to get in the box. If you could see this spot there is a good chance you are going to see the release point. So really focus on the spot, good breath and then step in.

Alexa
You want me to do that?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Yeah.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Let the breath go.

Alexa
So, let it go before I get in?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Yeah, before you get in so, then get in. then get in, boom and you are there.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
So you got the breath and something to go to because if you can control that breath, it is a pretty good indicator that you are going to be in control of yourself.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Then you got your release point that the energy is going out too and that is just something to play with today. If we can just increase, have you played with increasing the quality of the at bat. Do not worry about the hit, how are you seeing the ball? Are you making contact? Do not get hung up on the hits. That will come down the road.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
This way you got to work the process in terms of getting it done.

Alexa
Alright.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright, so a couple of simple things to play with.

Alexa
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright, so tell me from this, what you are going to take out to practice today and play with?

Alexa
I think during batting practice, I will try to focus on doing that and try to keep my... like you said I will keep the thoughts out of the box.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
And to keep the thoughts out of the box you are going to do what?

Alexa
Take my breath and focus on a spot. So what happens if they start coming back?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Do not worry, we will talk about that tomorrow.

Alexa
Okay.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
You take care.

Alexa
Alright, thanks.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright, we will see you.

Host
Well, that was great. Can you tell me how you think things went and as you started this?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
I thought the interaction was very productive in terms of short and sweet and right to the point and trying to give her some things that she could take to the field that day out and start putting into application and play with and then we can come back and revisit it.

Host
I noticed that you kept separating things like offense and defense and when you are up at bat, when you are in the field.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
I guess from my prospective one of the key things is when the athletes really performing at a high level, they are totally involved in the present moment. That is one thing from my work and peak experience that I really got out of that. How do you get to the here in now. In baseball and softball both, there is such a tendency to carry the last moment to the next moment and segmentation skills are important and the beautiful thing in softball is there are the symbols - the glove, the glove on is defense, the glove off is getting ready for putting the hitting gloves and grabbing the bat, so there is implements. This use of symbols for me and my work is also important, so there is an association that goes with the things where... now I am here, that is over, move on, next thing.

Host
Sure. Can you say a little bit about having her take the deep breaths and then to stare at a point on the bat?

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
What the breath was about for her was just is she in control of herself? Before you are going to try controlling the performance you got to make sure that you are in control of you and if she could take that breath, it is a sign to her that at least I am doing something right and the idea of looking at the label on the bat is to get the attention and energy going up, because in softball, she has got to bring her attention to that release point that she was talking about of coming off the hip and she has got to be there. Well, before you are going to be there, let us practice having the energy out on the point on the bat because if they are internal, this is where all the fear, self-doubt, worries, all the craziness is in here, but there is a certain point where to heck with how you feel. The energy goes out and now you do battle. One thing I am always talking with athletes about is learning how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Host
Yeah.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
You may not feel great, but you deal with it.

Host
I know early on you try the change the meaning for her about a couple of other things that happened.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Yeah, especially with the nervousness and excitement and trying to give her a different perspective or re-framing it a little differently and also having her go back to... has this ever happened before? I learned that from a ball player who once told me that, one of the things that is important when an athlete is slumping is to realize you have gotten out of it before. Yeah, I can get out of this. That helps with the confidence level in terms of battling out of it.

Host
Thanks a lot that was a great show.

Dr. Kenneth Ravizza
Alright, great. Thank you.

Host
Okay.