Less is More

Credit: Sports Illustrated

"Less is more" is the concept that when in games and competing, less thinking and relying on one's instincts and muscle memory is more advantageous than the reliance on one's thoughts and trying to outplay the game. This may seem obvious that overthinking is bad while playing baseball, and sports in general, because sports are meant to be fun, and players practice their sports religiously for the very reason of being prepared and not having to be consumed by their thoughts and the striving for perfection that is meant for in practice.

But, this isn't always the case for some players, as the game can speed up on them after an error in the infield, multiple strikeouts in a row at the plate, or giving up multiple hits or walks successively as a pitcher. This can make one's thoughts spiral as all their skills and what they've practiced seem to go out the window.

Slowing the game down is essential for a player to combat these spiraling thoughts. For hitters, "See ball in zone, hit ball." For pitchers, "Take a breath between pitches. Breathe 4 seconds in, breathe 4 seconds out."

Simplicity is the aim of the game. As a player progresses through travel ball, high school, college, and into the Minor and Major Leagues, the game will only become more complex with the higher level quality of players and immense preparation and scouting that goes into every game facing another team. This is why it is especially important for a player to be simple in their thinking when in the field, on the mound, or at the plate. The more a player can dumb a game down and rely on their instincts, the better they will be.

Playing Free

The short clip from The Two Percent Podcast below mentions the concept of "playing free". Take a short listen to this:

Going off of what they talked about, "playing free" just allows the mind to solely focus on the competition aspect in front of it while at the plate, on the mound, etc. "Free" could also be translated to the fact that there is freedom in your mind, and the extra thoughts aren't consuming that available free space in one's mind. It's basic to think, but still fascinating, that freedom allows one's instincts and skills to take over control from the mind. The mind still functions and tells the body subconsciously about what the situation is, what the signs are from coaches, but the player is playing like they once did in T-ball: care-free and having fun.

Additionally, they discussed that as a hitter, it's a necessity to lock in and keep it simple. Hitters and pitchers alike will experience as they get older through college and the professional leagues, more teams and opposition will know how to beat them. That is where a simple, but focused mindset is best because while preparation and knowing how to approach an at-bat as a hitter/pitcher is still crucial, the overwhelming complexity and spiraling thoughts are overrode by a calming sense of ease of freedom.

Conclusion

For hitters, pitch movement and speed only increases the older one gets. This can lead to negative emotions for players who are in bad hitting slumps or between pitch adjustments that don't seem to help. While pursuing a calming, simple mindset with less thinking going on upstairs takes time and practice to apply this mindset, knowing and having faith that the results will come is the goal and can help take off pressure from the hitter more.

The same goes for pitchers. Only those on the mound can control how fast or slow the game can. A pitcher is directly in control of their tempo between pitches, and can speed or slow it down as needed (while still abiding to the pitch clock). In the case of overthinking pitchers, slowing down the game is essential, and that few extra seconds one took to breathe and fully relax their mind could be the difference between ball four or a game-ending strikeout.

In both cases, "less" means quite literally less thinking and produces a care-free, simple mindset. This in turn leads to "more" or better results because of the freedom to play baseball, or the sport, how it's meant to be played. Simplicity and enjoying the game and any challenge that arises then becomes easy over time.

So, while counterintuitive, "less is more".