Baseball and Better Living
Whether or not you’re a baseball fan, you can take a lot of life lessons from this great American pastime.
Hitting a pitched ball is certainly the big thrill in this sport. It is especially good when it is a base hit or a homerun. But that thrill is really only a small part of baseball. The greatest hitters get hits one third of the time, and many players hit only a few home runs throughout their playing days.
Learning to appreciate the highs and not anguish needlessly over the lows is an important life lesson.
Fielding ground balls is one of the most common skills required of baseball players – regardless of their position. To field a grounder, a player must lower the body at the waist, bend the knees, be sure the ground is within easy reach, be quick to move the glove up or down or to either side, and never take eyes off the batted ball. At the same time, the player must anticipate what to do with the ball once caught. It’s got to go somewhere!
To deal with the ordinary everyday challenges of life, we must stay grounded with focused attention to what we are doing in the present. Since many of life’s challenges do not follow a steady path, we must also stay flexible and able to change direction as situations demand. While we cannot be preoccupied with what’s next, we must at least anticipate some of the likely actions that may be required of us.
To play the game of baseball well and field balls consistently, a player must learn to relax both brain and body. Athletes in all sports are among the best in our world at doing this.
As a licensed massage therapist, I seek to help my clients calm their brains and relax their bodies by creating a peaceful environment and directing their muscles and fascia to optimal positions. We all need to be good at relaxation!
Baseball pitchers are generally regarded as the elite talents of the sport. They are strong and fast and learn how to make a baseball do strange things as it spins toward home plate. In many ways, the biggest challenge for these gifted players is to stay healthy and avoid injury. The constant repetition of an extreme arm and shoulder motion must be complemented by strong leg and back muscles. A pitcher must also be coached to rest these muscles between bursts of high energy. Without all of these things happening, a pitcher is either not very good or cannot pursue the sport for very long.
The way pitchers manage their talent offers many lessons for life. Moderation is a good thing. Learning new and different ways of doing a common activity is good too. Bringing multiple strengths to bear on an activity and keeping multiple sets of strength healthy are very good things.
So next time you watch baseball players in action, think about the lessons they have learned to be good at their sport. Consider how these are lessons for all of us as we try to get the most out of our lives.
Play ball!