The Brian Cain Mental Performance Mastery Podcast

How to Win The Mental Game of Baseball - Kurt Suzuki

Mar 14, 2024

Former MLB player Kurt Suzuki and Brian Cain discuss the importance of the mental game in baseball, focusing on mindset, handling failure, staying present, simplifying the game, and maintaining a routine. They also touch on topics like managing doubts, dealing with setbacks, and the impact of having children on a player's mindset.

51:00

Episode guests

Kurt Suzuki

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Embracing failure as a learning opportunity is crucial in baseball mental toughness.

Establishing routines and staying present enhance on-field performance in baseball.

Resilience, positive mindset, and trusting the process drive success in professional baseball career.

Deep dives

Importance of Mental Game in Baseball

Mental game plays a critical role in baseball, distinguishing good players from great players. The ability to handle failure positively is key, emphasizing the importance of learning and growth from setbacks. Baseball's humbling nature requires staying focused, avoiding complacency, and consistently improving. Kurt Suzuki highlights the significance of the mental game in transitioning from a minor league to a successful major league baseball player.

Introduction

2min

Mastering the Mental Game in Baseball

12min

Mastering the Mental Game in Baseball

19min

Navigating Doubt and Setbacks with Foundation and Present Focus

3min

The Mental Game in Baseball

10min

Navigating Setbacks and Fostering Team Resilience in Baseball

6min

In this episode of The Mental Performance Mastery Podcast brought to you by Fundraising University, Brian is joined by former Major League Baseball player Kurt Suzuki. Kurt and Cain met when they were both in their first year at Cal State Fullerton in the fall of 2001. Kurt went on to be a NCAA National Champion (2004) a MLB World Series Champion (2019) and played over 15 MLB Seasons becoming an All-Star in 2014. In this podcast Kurt and Cain talk about:

How the mental game is the most important aspect of MLB
The mindset it takes to thrive in a game built on failure
What Kurt took from the mental game at Fullerton to his 15+ year Pro career
How to get the monkey off your back
The importance of a “So What Next Pitch” mindset
Living in the moment, not the past or the future
The need to have a focal point in your pre-pitch routine and release
The critical importance of sticking to the process
Reflecting on lessons learned from the 2004 NCAA National Championship
How to simplifying things in a complex analytical game
Staying neutral vs. Riding the baseball roller coaster
What it takes mentally to play 162
Striving for perfection and accepting greatness
The importance of a post game recovery process and routine
How having children changes your mindset and motivations as a professional athlete
Having doubt, yellow lights and talking to yourself not listening
How to take the emotion of results out of your game and stick to the present, process and stay positive
How the fear of failure will cost you your career or bring you to another level, all in how you process it
That and much, much more