The covid era has elevated the importance of mental health around the world ten-fold. Studies and institutions on this topic have become more common than a Morgan Freeman movie. But the prevalence of mental health in sports has been around longer than the pyramids. Upto 35% of athletes suffer from mental health issues that may manifest as stress, anxiety, and depression.
We talked to the legendary Australian powerhouse batter Greg Chappell about mental routines, and how important it is to improve your overall batting performances on the pitch.
“The mental skills in batting are as important, if not more important, than your core skills. I was lucky to learn early enough in my career that the mental side of the game, at the highest level particularly, is the most important,” says our mentor from down under. Everyone at a professional level is already on top of their game when it comes to their physical skills (duh). What differentiates the good players from the very good players is how you improve the mental side of your game, ‘cause that’s the only progression that’s gonna happen from there on out.
Also Read : Bryan Harper Masterclass on Bat Timing | str8bat Cricket Bat Sensor
If you’ve ever compared the difference in nasha drinking a Bro Code and a top notch pint of Hefeweizen, you’d know why quality matters more than quantity. “Understand that when you go into a training session, it's not just about the physical aspects of your game, it's training those mental skills. And for me, I would not face up in the nets until I was ready to go through my routine. So if you don't engage the brain when you go into a training session, then you're not going to get the most improvement out of your cricket,” advises our Aussie coach.
You ever had those moments when you’re given step by step instructions about a task but you just look at yourself as daftly as Liam Hemsworth looked at Miley Cyrus when you still can’t go through with it? Well, that's where our Antipodean guru saves the day. While talking about his own mental routine as a batter during his glory days, he says, “For me that was about the bowler from the top of his mark through until he let the ball go. Then between balls was a quick look away from the cricket, come back, count the fielders once again, engage with the bowler at the top of his run up and then the real critical concentration was when the bowler got into his load up, I had to be where the ball was and particularly where the point of release was. My total focus, my total concentration had to be on that ball leaving the hand because that's where all the information was that I was going to be able to pick up on length, line, spin, swing, whatever it was going to be.”
At the pro level, everyone's batting skills are sharper than a Bumrah yorker. What sets apart the legends from the has-beens is the mental game. So, next time you're at the crease, don't just stand there like a deer caught in Diwali lights. Focus on that ball like it's the perfect middle bite of a juicy burger. Train your mind as vigorously as you'd prepare for your board exams, and you might just find yourself smashing boundaries faster than an auto-rickshaw zipping through Mumbai traffic. Now that's a mental googly worth practicing, isn't it?
