The legendary Ken Ravizza did groundbreaking work in sports psychology, and his impact on the baseball world is still seen even after his passing. Here are some thoughts that he shared with baseballthinktank.com on confidence:

Ken Ravizza: There are so many times you play the game and the confidence isn’t there. I think sometimes it gets overrated. I’ve been around enough professional and college athletes’ swagger. Gotta have swagger, I’ve got swagger. I’ve worked with these people. Confidence is fragile for all of us as human beings. Let me say that again: Confidence is fragile. No one’s got their self all together. We all have our frailties, it’s called being human.

But the issue is, do you have something to go to when you’re not feeling great? So the question I’m always asking players is, “Are you that crappy you have to feel great and be confident to perform well?” “Uhh, I haven’t thought about that.”

Well, let’s stop worrying about the confidence and get back to: This is what I need to do when I’m putting on my batting gloves. This is what I need to do when I’m in the hole. This is what I need to do when I’m on-deck. And this is the way I’m going to get in and I’m going to take possession of the batter’s box. And when I’m in that batter’s box, I own that batter’s box. And sometimes you have to talk your way through it, that’s part of the dance. But you can’t be freaking out that “I don’t feel good, I don’t feel right.” Feeling good is overrated.