Mental Toughness: Staying In Control
Interview w/ Rod Gaspar, a lifelong competitor (and member of the World Series '69 N.Y. Mets)
Rod Gaspar is a former standout college, minor league and professional baseball player. He has a World Series ring to prove it. Rod is a lifelong competitor and was raised with a tough view of the game--whatever game it happens to be. He is currently a nationally highly-ranked handball player.
Q: How did you prepare physically for your United States Handball Association Four-Wall Tournament matches?
RG: I did 30-60 minute sessions of intense cardio on an elliptical machine, and played handball 2-3 times a week leading up to the tournament.
Q: How do you prepare mentally?
RG: By the time the tournament starts, I go into it thinking I can beat anyone.
Q: Are these the same psyching techniques you used as a pro baseball player?
RG: Similar. But handball is such a physically demanding game, so it has a different type of mental challenge. The game of handball is relentless mentally and physically. Baseball allows for breaks to gather yourself.
Q: They are long tournaments. At 60 years old how do you deal with the physical and mental fatigue?
RG: If I think I'm tired I'm tired. Sometimes mentally no matter how hard I try to push past the fatigue my body says "no." I had to learn to accept that. Sometimes my competitor wins.
Q: What percentage of your game is physical and what percent is mental?
RG: I couldn't say. I do know this: all things being equal, whoever is mentally tougher is going to win--most of the time.
Q: How do you stay focused?
RG: It can be difficult in a long ballgame or handball tournament to maintain concentration. My style has always been to take the competition head-on and try to get it over as quickly as possible.
Q: How do you usually react if you make a mistake during a game?
RG: If you're smart, you'll learn from it and move on.
Q: As a serious competitor, do you always compete to be the best?
RG: I just love to compete. It's a fun process. But it's important to realize that you're not going to be the best at everything--in life or athletics.
Q: Where do you get your drive?
RG: I have a very intense nature.
Q: Where does that "nature" come from and where does it go during the game?
RG: It has a lot to do with how I was raised. Growing up in the 50's and 60's, my parents were blue collar, hard-nosed loving people. By being small for my age (at 16 I was 5'2", 105lbs.) I was competing against bigger boys. I could hang in there with them, but I wasn't an exceptional talent, until 19-20 years old. By then my confidence in my baseball abilities had skyrocketed.
After I signed my first professional baseball contract the confidence level increased even more as I progressed through the New York Mets system. That confidence and my athletic ability has helped me tremendously in handball. Competing at the major league level has helped give me the confidence to know that I can compete with the best in handball as well.
My attitude is I am going to win and most of the time that happens.
Q: What mental game techniques do you use to control your competitiveness?
RG: Practice your skills until they become automatic. I use Relaxed Concentration, a technique that helps relax my breathing and intensify my focus.
email: athletewhisperer@gmail.com
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