What Is Your Body Language Saying?

Hey There Friend!

Would you believe someone that told you, “I’m confident” in a quiet voice with her shoulders slumped forward and her eyes looking down when she said it?

How about someone that told you, “I’m scared” in a big voice with her shoulders back, head up and her eyes looking directly into yours as she said it?

The answer to both is most likely NO.

What our eyes SEE is more powerful than what our ears HEAR.

So much of what we believe to be true is what we see with our own eyes.

Our BODY LANGUAGE or energy introduces us before we even say one word!

The crazy thing about our body language is that we can’t see or hear ourselves communicate it - BUT everyone else around us can! Often, we need the help of others to know if we are sending the right message to our teammates, coaches, opponents, and fans!

When I train pitchers, I intentionally create situations to push them outside of their comfort zones. Most of the lessons I teach are in small group or clinic type situations so that I can CREATE a competitive environment during training. I want to SEE how pitchers react when things don’t go perfectly for them.

I can usually predict HOW a pitcher will respond to adversity during games by how she responds during training.

One target game that we like to play during pre-season is “PIG.” It follows similar rules as in basketball. If you aren’t familiar with the game, here’s how it works. You need 2 pitchers to play. Rock, paper, scissors to decide who goes first. The first pitcher up gets to pick a location to try and hit. If she hits the location she calls, her opponent must also throw to that location. If she misses it, she gets the letter “P”, if she makes it, she doesn’t get a letter and the 1^st pitcher gets to choose the location again. If the pitcher that is in control of calling the location misses what she calls, she doesn’t get a letter, BUT she loses control of choosing. The first pitcher to spell the word “PIG” loses the game.  

Now there is strategy to this game! You must know your strengths and work to figure out your opponent’s weaknesses, just like in a REAL game. I explain this up front to all my pitchers and here are 4 of the things I STILL see happen regularly when we play this game:

1. The pitcher in control calls a “low fastball” and before the pitcher that called the pitch even steps up to throw it, her opponent says out loud, “oh no, I’m terrible at low pitches” with a nervous expression on her face.

What do you think that does for her opponent’s confidence as she gets ready to pitch?

You guessed; it gives it a HUGE boost!

Even if you aren’t super confident in a pitch or location, you MUST always ACT like you are! Tipping a weakness to an opponent gives them an advantage!

2. A pitcher has a "PI" and her opponent calls and hits a location that they both have been hitting well the entire game. The pitcher with the PI says, "here’s my G" and slumps her shoulders before she steps on the rubber to throw the pitch.

That self-talk and quitter’s body language will cause her to fail nearly at every attempt she makes! She’s already defeated before she even tries!

3. Sometimes I’ll have 2 games going at once and I’ll have the winners face off and the losers face off in a 2^nd game.

Often, at least one of the pitchers is hanging her head and feeling bad for herself after losing the 1^st game and carries that energy into what should be a “start fresh” on the next game. She’s giving up on herself before she even starts! It would be like having 1 bad inning and then going in the next inning still thinking about the previous one.

Pitchers MUST have a short memory! Things can change quickly and the ability to always look and act confident AND be in the present moment it the key to being a competitor!

4. Many times I see complete focus, confidence, and the same energy, expression, AND body language no matter how many letters a player has. THIS is a sign of a consistent, and fierce competitor!

I play games like this to TEACH pitchers about their body language and the things they are telling themselves in competitive situations.

When I see changes in how they look or hear negative self-talk, we discuss it. At first, some pitchers will get defensive when I mention it. They will swear to me that they are still confident and believe that nothing has changed with their mindset. I explain that while they may absolutely believe that to be true, they don’t LOOK like nothing has changed.

If I can see a change in what their body language is communicating, so can their teammates, coaches, opponents, and fans.

As a pitcher you are a leader, and people pay attention to what you are SHOWING them. If you look different during times of adversity than you do during times of success, they will notice. It doesn’t matter if you still “feel” confident and in control. If you don’t SHOW it, no one will believe it!

Think about opponents you’ve faced when your team had a BIG inning.

• How did the pitcher look?
• Could you see a change in her?
• Did she go from looking strong and confident to something else?
• What did you notice changed about her?

The really cool part about body language is YOU get to CHOOSE how you look to others!

Even when you aren’t feeling particularly good or strong or confident you can LOOK like you are if you keep your head up, shoulders back and exude the same energy you have when you are feeling GREAT.

If you look and act like a leader, even when you aren’t performing at your personal best, your teammates will continue to play hard and fight for you; your coaches will TRUST you and your opponents won’t be able gain any advantage from sensing a change in your confidence during times of adversity.

It’s a pitcher’s job is to be a consistent leader and to help create outs for her team regardless of her personal performance on any day.

It’s VERY important for you to PRACTICE maintaining consistent body language during your at-home workouts and team bullpens. If you notice you are feeling frustrated about something, BE intentional about not letting it show up in your body language.

Good body language can tell your mind that you are confident, and you can do it! The more you work on this during practice, the more automatic it will become for you. Just like practicing any physical skill like mechanics, speed or spins.

Here is one of many mindset assignments I give pitchers that train with me. This one is a great tool to help them understand what others SEE them communicating with their BODY LANGUAGE during success AND struggle! Feel free to print it and use to help YOUR pitchers!

Start by listing the things that may trigger a change in your self-talk and body language. Some common things are:

• walking hitters
• giving up big hits
• having a pitch that’s not working as well as normal
• umpires with tight or inconsistent zones
• teammates making errors
• coaches yelling at you
• hearing your parents voices from the stands
• not throwing to your favorite catcher
• arguing with your parents during at-home practices

If you can figure out the things that may cause your energy and body language to change, you can be prepared when you feel it start to happen and CHOOSE to stop it!

Next, you are going to ask 2 of your VIPs for some HONEST feedback about WHEN they may see your body language change and exactly WHAT that looks like. Try using a coach as one of your VIPs if you want to know what the person that makes the decision about your playing time what they think! ; )

It’s going to be super important that you don’t get defensive with them if they tell you something you don’t want to hear! Your VIPs are your biggest supporters and are also the ones you should trust to give you honest feedback when you need it!

Doing HARD stuff like acknowledging when you have a weakness that needs work, is what will allow you to grow the MOST as a pitcher and leader.

Great leaders make others around them better and more confident. Remember, no one can read your thoughts, they can only see your body language!

It’s easy to lead and be a good teammate when things are going well, but you MUST be able to be a FIERCE competitor every time you step on the field, regardless of your personal performance that day!

Some of the best descriptive words I get to hear about my pitchers include - confident, strong, resilient, gritty, team-first, LEADERS!

How do you want to be thought of as a player and person?

Make sure what you LOOK like MATCHES how you want to people know you! PRACTICE improving your body language every chance you get.

Remember, improving how you LOOK and ACT during times of adversity is a skill that must be worked on so that it becomes a habit when you compete!

Have a great weekend!

All My BEST,

Myndie