3/23/2022 3 Comments Week 4: StrugglesHello everyone and welcome back to week 4. To put it lightly, this week was a roller coaster of emotions for me. I did get to pitch in 3 games, but only 1 of those games was a good outing. This week we played East Forysth on Tuesday and Friday which is ranked second in the conference. On Tuesday we played them at home and I went in to pitch for one batter and struck him out on 3 pitches. This was the confidence boost I thought I needed to get my season going, but I was wrong. Friday night we played East Forsyth again and I went in to pitch and it did not go well. I only gave up one run, but I had 2 walks and did not throw enough strikes. Saturday we turned right back around and played Alexander Central. I got in for one inning, but again I gave up one run while throwing too many balls. Baseball is more mental than it is physical. Believing in yourself and knowing you can perform well is a big deal in baseball, but a big problem of mine has always been throwing strikes. When I can locate my fastball and my curveball I am really good, but my problem is when I cant throw strikes and I walk a lot of guys I get in trouble. This has been my main problem all year, I am just constantly missing the zone. The main reason this is happening is because I get in my head. I start thinking about all the possible outcomes of things and get distracted by that instead of throwing the ball. I've had this conversation with my coach and he has told me that he believes in me and knows I can do this, but the final step of this is believing in myself.
Enough with all the negatives, lets focus on some positives! While I did have a bit of a rough week there was some good. I got a chance to pitch in practice against some guys on the team and I ended up hitting 83 MPH. I have been seeing linear growth in my fastball velocity over the past 4 weeks, going from 81-82 and now to 83 MPH. This is a big deal because it shows me that all the work I'm putting in is translating out onto the field. I have been going to the gym at least 3 times a week in the mornings before school which is hard to do, but it's worth it. To sign this off I want to leave everyone with an important message!
3 Comments
3/23/2022 07:55:53 am
I really like your genius hour project. Keep working on it and hopefully you'll start to see some progress soon.
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Zander Richardson
3/30/2022 05:42:52 am
I completely agree with the fact of a sport being more mental than physical. Whenever I play football I always have to mentally prepare myself to give it my all and not doubt myself.
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Nathan Crotts
3/30/2022 07:20:18 am
I agree with the energy part, sports are exhausting. They are more mentally than physically tired, good job.
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AuthorHello! My name is Braeden Rodgers and I am a sophomore in high school. I am excited to go on this journey and share my progress with you all. |
Photo used under Creative Commons from Minda Haas Kuhlmann