The Bristow Voice Method Blog

Manny Ramirez and the ingredient of Peak Perfomance

Posted on 09. Oct, 2008 by Per Bristow in Performance

A year ago, I wrote an article about baseball player Manny Ramirez.  I really didn’t know that much about him, but since I know a little about peak performance psychology, I came to his defense when there was so much outrage due to his comments.  You might want to read the article on Manny Ramirez and peak performance here. It is now a year later and there is a lot more to say about him and the art of performance…

Last year Manny was a member of Boston Red Sox. After I wrote the article, Red Sox went on to win the World Series – thanks for proving me right, Manny.  (Why Americans seriously think winning national championships gives them the right to proclaim themselves world champions, as they tend to do in both baseball and basketball, is another story).

However, Manny Ramirez has not been happy in Boston this year and he has since August played for the Los Angeles Dodgers. And boy has he played. He has taken Los Angeles by storm. Players, media and coaches have all expressed that they have seldom seen one player have such an impact on a team.

But why?

Manny has expressed his dismay over how some Boston fans and media have misconstrued his comments. His comment that “If you think the world is going to go under because your team loses you need to get a life” has been taken as treacherous. Could it be that Manny  - as the peak performer that he is – is absolutely right and has learned how to lose? (see previous article).  His comment “I don’t care” was misinterpreted to mean that he wasn’t willing to do his best.

Does Manny’s remark "I’m just going out there and having fun” mean that he doesn’t take things seriously or is it that Manny understands the importance of having fun in order to excel?

Amazingly enough, the adult world often believes that having fun is a mark of bad work ethic. Many think being serious is the opposite of having fun?  Many believe that having fun means not being concentrated. Far too many adults think fun is for kids.

And these are likely the same people who are not even close to realizing their true potential, who never perform at their real peak, who learn slowly, and accomplish very little – meanwhile failing to realize that the kid who has fun is engaging in daily explosions of neural activity and learns and develops at super speed.

Personally, I find it amazing that we don’t recognize a genius at work – a guy who is so aware of his inner ability and aware of the state he needs to be in to perform at his peak. Likewise, we fail to recognize and be empathetic to the fact that he may not be a genius in verbally communicating in English

I highly recommend you watch Manny in action if you get a chance. Whether you like baseball or not, I think you’ll agree that watching him is quite fascinating. Watch as he approaches the plate.  Here is a guy who plays salsa music in the locker room, likes to clown around and is accused of having too much fun. But does he clown around when he is about to bat?  

Watch as he slowly approaches the plate in his baggy pants and dirty helmet. Watch the calm and the softness in his body. There is no pumping himself up or attempt to look aggressive or intimidating. But you can sense an extraordinary inner power within that calmness.

When he gets in his stance, watch the softness, the balance, the looseness in his body.

Now watch his eyes – the laser sharp focus – and don’t be surprised if it seems like there is a hint of a smile.  I have seldom seen anyone emit such enormous calm and inner power in the moment of performance. It’s a beautiful sight.

And the power lies in that he’s not doing anything.  He just is.

If the pitch isn’t perfect, he lets it go. It’s as if he waits longer than anyone else to watch every little spin of the ball. Then when the pitch is right – BAM – he explodes with amazing speed.  

And in the last two month he has lined up home run after home run.  When it’s not a homerun, he creates such a challenge for the pitchers that it benefits his other team mates.

Off the field, he helps create an atmosphere to help his team mates stay loose and all of his team mates are playing better. Naturally the fans are ecstatic.

And this from a guy who just loves to have fun.  

How much fun are we all having in our lives? Do you have fun when you excel, or could it be that you excel when you have fun?

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