Slump Buster - Focus on the Little Things

Many times a slump has nothing to do with a major mechanical flaw and more to do with a minute detail or lack of focus. A great way to regain that undivided attention is by challenging the eyes to concentrate on small objects. This is a concept that works wonders for any sport that requires an athlete to control or make contact with a moving object.

For many generations players in the Domincan Republic have practiced hitting bottle caps with a broomstick. The line of thinking is that hitting a small object with a skinny barreled object should improve an athlete’s hand-eye coordination. Obviously, the results speak for themselves, as Dominican hitters continue to be a dominant force in Major League Baseball.

When I was playing high school baseball, Coach Clawson, utilized this concept by having the team practice soft toss by hitting popcorn kernels with a broomstick. When it came time to face live pitching, the baseball looked like a grapefruit. Perhaps this was Mr.Miyagi's thought as he had "Daniel Son" attempting to catch a house fly with chopsticks in the "Karate Kid." If Daniel could capture a tiny little fly with a small, awkward utensil then perhaps he could catch the Cobra Kai with his legendary "Crane Kick."

Athletes who are mired in a slump should strongly consider focusing on the little things to break out of a torturous funk. This could be a simple fix and is far less stressful and time consuming than many other slump busting options - including a mechanical overhaul, superstitious behavior, a visit with a sports psychologist or taking a break from the game.

MaxBP Reaction Training serves as a great way to retain focus and concentration. The small ball training provided by MaxBP will allow any athlete unlimited reps of seeing, catching and hitting golf ball sized wiffle balls. A few rounds of concentrating on these small objects traveling at a high velocity will have any slumping player more focused and ready to bust out.

While MaxBP by itself is a great training tool for athletes of all ages and abilities. For best vision training, a player should also incorporate MaxBP’s multi-color wiffle balls. Athletes who are tasked with hitting a moving object would be best suited by incorporating a BetterBat Skinny Barrel Training Bat into their training practices.

When that inevitable sports slump comes a knockin’ - and it most certainly will - don’t panic! Be prepared to remedy it with the “tried and true” small ball approach, whether it be bottle caps, corn kernels or MaxBP.