Help Yourself Get in “The Zone” by Stacie Mahoe

As a young player I remember my teammates talking about superstitions. I listened to the strange tales and beliefs they talked about and I thought it was silly. Did they actually believe these stories? I guess everyone is different. Some people believe in superstitions, some don’t. I’m part of the crowd that doesn’t necessarily believe them all because other people have for years.

However, when it comes to softball, I don’t step on lines on the field, especially not chalk ones. As a player getting ready for games and practices, I put on my socks and shoes in a certain order. My senior year in high school, Tiger Balm was a must for games. Even if I wasn’t hurting, Tiger Balm got rubbed on somewhere.

In college, before hitting the field, I ate Cheerios and Power Bars. If I could get ahold of M&Ms on game day, I’d only eat the green ones, and maybe the brown ones. I never ate the other colors, most certainly not the red or blue ones, until after the game.

Every time I step into the batter’s box, even now in non-competitive situations, I always go in with the same routine. I step in with the same foot first every time. I always take my practice “half cuts” no matter how quickly the pitcher likes to make her delivery after I get in the box. I’m sure I perform more of these little “habits,” but that doesn’t make me superstitious, does it? And what the heck does this have to do with getting in “The Zone?”

Well one thing I’ve learned since becoming a coach is that many top athletes establish routines as part of helping themselves get in “The Zone.” These athletes go through their own little routine when they get ready for games, get in the batter’s box, warm-up, etc, etc, etc.

When I heard about that, I thought back to all these little things I did and how much I felt it was “necessary” for me at the time. I remembered how I felt if I didn’t get to eat Cheerios or if I ate the wrong color M&M or accidentally stepped on a line on the field. I felt "unbalanced." I felt like things were a little out of whack.

Doing all of those little things, following the routines I established, helped me feel comfortable and in control going into competition. I felt like everything was in harmony. Going through those routines calmed me down, took away anxiety. When you are calm and anxiety free it’s easier to be confident. Playing with confidence, of course, greatly affects your performance in a positive way. It’s often the difference between success and failure. For players in “The Zone” everything just feels right. Hitting the ball and making plays feels simple and stress-less.

So, was I superstitious? I still like to think that I’m not. I simply practiced a technique that many athletes are taught today. I established routines that helped me feel confident, that helped me get into the right frame of mind to perform my best. These routines helped me get closer to being in “The Zone.”

Do you have any routines you go through? Are there things you do that you know calm you down and make you feel balanced? Make you feel confident? These things are important, don’t change them unless you find something else that makes you more comfortable and confident.

If you don’t have any routine and you sort of just fly by the seat of your pants, maybe it’s time to establish just one small routine that you do before each game, or before each at-bat, or before each pitch on defense. Something that lets your mind and body know it’s time to be calm, you’re in control, you’re ready for whatever happens next, and you can handle anything that comes your way. You don’t need to go overboard, just start small and see what works for you. Have fun with it, enjoy the game, and get in “The Zone.”

For more information on confidence in softball, visit www.GetSoftballConfidence.com.

Stacie Mahoe is an assistant varsity softball coach for Kapolei High School in Hawaii. She operates the All About Fastpitch website, which is full of fastpitch softball resources, drills, coaching tips, useful articles and college tips.