Jay Ripper

Mental reps on the game mound didn’t ever occur to me in high school. Then we started doing it in college on away trips and I realized for the first time how different it is to pitch with the backdrop of a stadium compared to a bullpen. I found it immensely helpful. Executing pitchers in a controlled bullpen environment doesn’t just automatically transfer to a high pressure game environment with totally different mental, visual, auditory stimuli. A few differences worth mentioning, that most players take for granted: -The empty space behind the catcher to the backstop -Crowd, batter, umpire -Unique mound characteristics (especially at amateur levels - you probably won’t find a decent mound until college) All of these factors are unique variables you’re consciously or subconsciously contending with when you are tasked with executing a 3-2 slider on the black. Does every rep need to be 100% specific to the game environment? Not necessarily - but if you struggle to transfer your bullpens to the game, start figuring out ways to better familiarize yourself with the environmental piece of the puzzle. -Dry reps on the game mound -Bullpens/Live ABs on the game mound -Stand in hitters and simulated counts in pens -Catcher calling pitches/randomize order of pitches. -Heckle pens or other auditory and visual distractions -Pens while fatigued and with an elevated heart rate Note: dry reps still have quite a bit of value to work on your pre pitch routine in a more game specific context. I like to think of this as “eyes open visualization”