How To Finish The Season At Your Best
The college and high school season is coming to an end. Here’s how to play your best in the homestretch:
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Help your team compete for a championship in the postseason
Finish the season on a positive note to help your prospects for next year
Go into the offseason with excitement and confidence
A strong finish can be the icing on the cake for a remarkable season, or a chance to turn it around if you’re not performing your best.
With your season on the line, every big moment gets amplified. Here’s how you can be the one to succeed in the big moments:
1. EMBRACE THE MOMENT
Do not lie to yourself that it’s “just another game.” It’s not. The games at the end of the season and postseason will always mean more. Don’t shy away from this feeling. Own it instead.
Embracing the fact that these games are pivotal for you and your team will cause to rise to the occasion and improve your level of focus.
If you try to play down the moment, you might end up being swallowed by the tension and pressure of late-season baseball.
My experience:
Last season, my last year of college eligibility, I came into my last start of the regular season fully embracing the idea that ‘this is it.’ I had no pro opportunity lined up yet, and no playoff spot was guaranteed yet. As far as I knew this was my last guaranteed start. I embraced the pressure instead of hiding from it.
The result: Complete game victory
9 innings, 2 runs, 11 strikeouts
Don’t run from the pressure, embrace it
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2. REST AND RECOVERY
It’s been a long season. You, your teammates, and your competition have been training/playing for months. Now it not the time to ramp up the training, reps, and workload.
Cut down on the reps, take more recovery days, double down on getting more sleep and eating better.
You hear all the time how many guys get ‘burnt out’ or exhausted. You can get an edge simply by being fresh and well rested.
With how many reps you’ve logged the last few months, you’re not going to lose anything from taking a bit lighter during the homestretch.
Where you’re at physically right now is pretty much what you’re rocking with the rest of the season. Place more emphasis on recovery so you feel your best down the stretch.
What this looks like:
Slightly cutting down your throwing volume between games
Make your bullpen sessions shorter
Spend less time in the cage
Focus on quality over quantity
Cutting back the sets and volume in lifting/conditioning
Try to get to bed earlier
Eat more carbs, protein, or total calories
Obviously long term we do not want to cheat ourselves out of reps, but for this short period ‘feeling good’ should be more important. Especially with how stressful these games can be at this point in the season.
3. FOCUS AND ENERGY
Maybe you’ve noticed it, maybe you haven’t, but as the season goes on people get mentally drained. They lose touch with the little things, slack on their routines, or even mentally check out.
Obviously not everyone does this, but it does happen, and it can be contagious. Maybe this is a wake up call for you, or maybe it’s just a reminder.
Bring the focus and energy to your routines, daily work, and training that you brought opening day. Emphasizing this alone can set you apart from a surprising amount of people.
FINAL NOTE:
A strong finish to the season or memorable playoff performance can do a lot of good for your career. It’s amazing how much can happen in such a short amount of time.
Don’t let this opportunity go to waste. Put yourself in the best position to seize these big moments, so that you can look back on the effort you gave and the memories you made.
- MT
I’m currently building a training program for pitchers. It’s going to contain everything that got me from college to pro ball. Subscribe so you don’t miss this opportunity