Paul Halpin

Being "locked in," as a hitter, is the perfect blend of swing (physical), approach/mindset (mental), and managing expectations (emotional). Just for context... 1. Your swing will never be "perfect." 2. There's no way to validate that you had the optimal approach/mindset. 3. Managing expectation is literally impossible, because there will be always be a "better," and always be a "worse." If you hang around the game long enough, you will notice that players who are consistently performing well learn to manage the big three: physical, mental, emotional. The reason why these seemingly simple tasks are hard... Is because sometimes, we can do all these things right, and the game doesn't reward us. Think about it. You can bring your best swing to the field on any given day, with the perfect plan, and be very much in the right place emotionally, and the guy on the other side can make 12 great pitches, and you have to walk back to the dugout 4 times. Similarly, you can hit 4 bullets right at people, and look at a box score that says 0-for-4 (and for all the people out there that say "no big deal, you hit the ball hard, just keep doing that..." competitors play to win, and 0-for-4 sucks, no matter how you do it) If one little thing is off in your swing, whether it be timing, plane, direction, you can start to feel lost. That feeling can alter your mindset, and it sure as shit is going to leave you disappointed. Similarly, if your approach to a certain pitcher is off, you can take great swings and still make outs. More anger. frustration, anxiety. Lastly, the feeling of failure of going 1-for-4, when you though you should have had three hits, is daunting. Until you create alignment in the mental, physical, and emotional, you will never truly master hitting. If you try to play baseball with any, or all of those out of whack, you'll never really find out how good you are. My advice... 1. Learn to "be ok when you're not ok." When your swing doesn't feel great, learn how to survive it and give yourself a chance. The guy who isn't hitting his driver well, doesn't walk up to the tee and take the driver out when the tournament is on the line. 2. Be a student. Create a plan every day based on the information you have available. Sometimes, that info is limited to the eight pitches you see a guy throw in warm-ups. Once you build your plan, be convicted in it. That doesn't mean you might not adapt from at-bat to at-bat, but you better be convicted when you get in between the lines. 3. Be incredibly confident and stay humble. These are pretty counterintuitive, but they have to make sense. You can want to hit 4 barrels every day. But you'd better know that you might not hit any, and that you're going to have to show up at the field the next day no matter what. Just because you hit .400 for a month, doesn't mean that if you hit .280 the next month, that you got worse. Learn how to chase process instead of results, and you will never get down on yourself.

Do the hard things, they’ll set you on a better path. Don’t always just do the easy thing like everyone else

Perfectionists: Have very high standards and feel as if they should never fall short of those standards. Optimalists: Have the same very high standards but know that from time to time they will fall short, they will make mistakes, etc. As the great positive psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar says, “Perfectionists reject everything that deviates from their flawless, ideal vision, and as a results suffer whenever they don’t meet their own unrealistic expectations.”… “Optimalists accept, and make the best of, everything that life has to offer.” Optimalist > Perfectionist all day, every day.

The best hitters have an attitude of exceptional confidence in their ability to win, no matter the situation, circumstance or happenstance. They just EXPECT to win and COMPETE with CONFIDENCE even after an 0-4 day they stay positive no matter what. They stay true to the process.

High level performers executing mental imagery/shadow reps: A thread...

Positive talk is so powerful. We become what we tell ourselves. It is the great habit of successful people. Make what you tell yourself be positive, uplifting, resilient, and strong. And repeat.

Hitters, when training.. - Approach - Confidence - Bat Speed - Direction - Timing Your direction may struggle when training X (whatever skill needed) but when you put it all together just make sure it's still there. Same thing goes for the rest. When you are specifically training for something, it may not be pretty because there is one major focus until you put it all back together. You're breaking something down then putting it back together.

Reminder:

Half bat review - MiLB homerun leader "Started hitting this week. 2nd day using the half bat. Still not great but figuring it out. I’m whacking heaters off the machine with my regular bat. Way less missing under, more direct. Really liking it so far" Halfbat.com

Jim Collins said, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice.” Greatness is a choice. A choice to take action. It starts when you push yourself beyond your comfort zone. It's not a destination, but a daily mindset to put your best foot forward. 🔹Greatness is pursuing excellence every day. 🔹Greatness is doing the small things. 🔹Greatness is making a difference. 🔹Greatness is doing the work consistently. 🔹Greatness is overcoming adversity and challenges. 🔹Greatness is pushing forward when it’s tough. 🔹Greatness is creating change when none is there. 🔹Greatness is a choice, a decision, and an action. JJ Watt said, “Success isn’t owned, it’s leased. And rent is due everyday.”

They cut @MikeTrout. The greatest baseball player of our generation. The story you have never heard and the lesson to learn: Back in 2008, I was a high school junior. I was an up-and-coming baseball player and my first big break was an invitation to the USA baseball team trials. You see each year USA Baseball brings in 100+ of the best baseball players in the country to try out for the 18u national team. That year, USA Baseball had arranged for two players each to stay with a host family. My roommate was a player named, Mike Trout. Mike had incredible athleticism but was from the Northeast so he didn't come into the event on the "hype train" like some of the top prospects from California, Texas, and Florida did. We both performed well at the event and made it to the final stage of the trials. Here USA Baseball chose the final 18 players for the national team. Mike didn't make those final 18 players. Fast forward 15 years and Mike is the best player of a generation. A surefire Hall of Famer and arguably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Funny, how life works sometimes. Look the lesson we can all learn from this is life is full of things that are outside of our control. You will be told no. You will suffer adversity. You will face disappointment. Accept it as part of your journey. My friends, we focus far too much on the end destination and completely miss the beauty in the journey. The come up, the adversity, and the struggle are what you will talk about one day. It makes the destination worth striving for. So, the next time you face a setback, remember Mike's story.

🛑 Stop Cutting the Baseball 🛑

The dugout isn’t a place to hangout or talk about anything. Get on the rail & lock in. Whether you’re playing or not. Majority of teams will give you information that you can use whether it’s at the plate, field, or on the bases. Baseball IQ & attention to detail is a separator.

Mark McGwire + Puig ->> On the ball 🔑 • Head + chest on vs lifting up + hands dropping under

Slammers Grammerstorf 2026’s runs the table and wins the South Denver Classic 16u @coclassicbaseball Tourney. #SlammersFamily

LHP 6’1” 200 Uncommitted 2 years left of eligibility FB: 86-89 CH: 77-79 SL: 76-78 CB: 72-75 2023: 50.2IP 56SO @ColbyTrojanBSB

LHP 6’1” 200 Uncommitted 2 years left of eligibility FB: 86-89 CH: 77-79 SL: 76-78 CB: 72-75 2023: 50.2IP 56SO @ColbyTrojanBSB

COACHES: Always remember why we got into coaching. Most of us coach for something bigger than wins, losses, glory, or power. Remember that true success is not measured by the number of wins we accumulate but by the number of winners produced.