Last week I talked about how a particular card game ‘Speed’ helped me with my sports performance anxiety. Today I discovered a new sport, one that I actually hadn’t realized was new to me. That is baseball. I have played T ball before, a bit of softball, but never baseball. Well, actually, today was batting practice. It is what I think is the most important skill in the game.
I experienced all the symptoms of sports anxiety, but over and over again. I used to get anxious just before the start of a marathon. That is where I normally experience my anxiety. But waiting for every ball to come out of the batting machine immersed me in that anxiety until I got used to it.
There were actually reasons to be anxious because there were so many times that I missed the ball, especially at the start. The second time I played it, I got a few more hits, and the third time I only missed a couple of times. I think I was learning fast. The batting practice was addictive, but also so challenging.
I couldn’t understand exactly what to do. I understand that I had to watch the ball, and then hit it, but I couldn’t really exactly see where the top of my bat was because it was behind my back. So, how could I hit the ball? If I had to catch the ball, it would be so much easier. I guess getting all that coordination is part of the game, and part of the fun.
Baseball is totally new to me, but I have recently developed quite an interest in it. I have recently discovered that people have said that the game is 90% mental and 10% physical. I am starting to realized that.
The part that I discovered was just the batting, but the game itself involves a lot of critical thinking, concentration and focus. There does seem to be a lot of excited people playing the game, but they are also using their brains as well. As it is a new skill for me, it is also a new challenge that helps to stimulate my mind and potentially promote brain health.
Personally, I think the feeling of hitting something and hitting something well is a great feeling. It is a way to physically expel stress from your body. I think it also helps to get rid of any aggressive feelings you may have bottled up inside.
I can’t wait to hit a few more balls again.
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