This is a great story I read about the other night, about Nationals closer Sean Doolittle and a little bit of lavender oil. In order to combat the stress of the postseason Nationals director of mental conditioning, Mark Cambell, suggested Doolittle dip his glove laces in lavender oil in order to “refresh” his mental state. Finding a mental refresher is nothing new in high pressured situations, which happen in sports all the time. It may be as simple as a deep breath, looking out towards the sky, or in Doolittle’s case, get a whiff of lavender. For those of you that don’t know, when Doolittle is receiving signs he holds his glove just under his beard which would allow him to smell his glove in the moment. It’s in that moment when he smells that scent that all the stress around him disappears and his mind is completely clear to execute the next pitch. This method seemed to have a positive effect for Doolittle as he produced two saves and three holds with an ERA of 1.74 and an opponent’s batting average of .167. The Nationals would be 8-1 when Doolittle appeared in the game along the way to winning the World Series. It was in the most intense of game moments that Doolittle was able to succeed and he attributes some of that success to his mental release. Now whenever Doolittle puts that glove to his chin as he takes his signs, hes reminded of the success he and his team had during their World Series run. It’s this confidence and mental clarity that helps him focusing on making his next pitch.
“When you’re a reliever and pitching in high-leverage situations in must-win games, and you’re on-call every night for like a month, it starts to take its toll on you. And it’s a challenge to stay even-keeled and to really manage that energy. That’s the hardest part,”
Sean Doolittle
Most athletes can relate to the term “mental release” because most of us have our own version of it. Something quick we can go to that will clear our mind before a big play in order to have our full focus on the moment at hand. Back in college we would go over the mental side of pitching a lot, and I remember being showed a video with Evan Longoria talking about his mental release he learned from sports psychologist Ken Ravizza. It’s important to note just how important the mental side of the game can be along with the physical. You can have all the talent in the world but if you are mentally weak you are going to fail in high pressure situations. And it is in these moments that great players, become legendary. It’s interesting to learn about different athletes “mental release” because I believe we all have them and some can be as simple as dipping your glove laces in lavender oil.
The Washed Up Athlete 