By: Stephen Ladd

The Oregon State Beavers baseball team repeated as the 2006 and 2007 College World Series Champions. That was the first time a team has achieved this feat.



But that wasn’t the only “first”.



It was also the first time that high level collegiate athletes were seen using a baseball mental technique known as “tapping” on national televison. In fact, the team reports that no less than five prominent players utilize this new mental game technique on a regular basis.



What is “tapping”, you might ask…




The most prominent form of tapping is based on the pioneering work by Gary Craig in the mid 90’s called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). EFT is a meridian-based energy therapy, often referred to as “do-it-yourself acupuncture without the needles”. Instead you simply “tap” on a few “clearing points” on the face and body while focusing on the negative emotion you might be experiencing. The purpose is the “clear” the negative feelings and be able to focus on the positive intentions you desire to happen.



While the method is considered unconventional by most baseball mental game standards, the results are well documented in many other disciplines. Gary Craig discovered astonishing results while working with war veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. These men had recurring nightmares, phobias, paranoia, shame and guilt among other socially crippling conditions and feelings. EFT was able to give them peace and hope in a matter of hours, where more traditional therapies had failed for years.



Oregon State Assistant Coach Dan Spencer says, “It’s a way to free the energy in their body naturally. Basically, it allows then to do what they’ve been trained to do and not worry about the environment or situation, the hoopla. And it’s been very good to us.”



With the exposure and endorsement of the two-time World Series Champions, it may be commonplace to see this baseball mental tool used by players at all levels in the near future.

Stephen Ladd of www.RMTforBaseball.com is a mental performance coach based in Columbus Ohio, USA and the author of Renegade Mindset Techniques for Baseball™ (RMT). Ladd’s book is the only baseball-specific manual utilizing the innovative and results-proven energy psychology work of Gary Craig, founder of Emotional Freedom Techniques.