In Corvallis, suddenly there came a tapping

Posted on June 18, 2007 
Filed Under Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Sports Performance

Monday, June 18, 2007

OMAHA, Neb. I f you saw Jorge Reyes sitting in the dugout Saturday, tapping his temples and face when he wasn’t on the mound, you saw what might be the secret to the Oregon State baseball team’s success.

It’s called Emotional Freedom Techniques, and it’s an alternative healing method that uses tapping on the body’s "energy meridians" to banish negative emotions and restore balance. It’s been called acupuncture without needles.

Greg Warburton, a mental health counselor and a friend of Oregon State associate head coach Dan Spencer’s, brought EFT to the baseball team in the middle of last season. He provided his services essentially for free — save two free tickets to home games that Spencer gives him — and several players have responded by taking up EFT.

Former OSU pitcher Kevin Gunderson was a big fan, Spencer said, and current players employing the technique include Reyes, catcher Mitch Canham and pitchers Joe Paterson, Eddie Kunz, Anton Maxwell and Blake Keitzman.

"It’s a way to free the energy in their body naturally," Spencer said. "Basically, it allows them 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 for us."

Indeed: two seasons, two College World Series, one national title — so far.

Reyes, whom ESPN showed multiple times in his tapping routine during his 3-2 win over Cal State Fullerton, is a big fan of EFT.

"We just call it ‘tapping out,’ " Reyes said. "When I’m in the dugout, I just tap and I tell myself, ‘You’re still pitching great.’ And if you’re doing anything bad, you just kind of tell yourself to flush it out by tapping."

He focuses on tapping the center of his chest because that is supposed to re-energize him, he said. Warburton goes over the ritual every Tuesday.

"I’m really superstitious, and I did it one time, so . . . I don’t care if it’s really a mental thing or not, or if it really works as far as re-energizing," Reyes said. "But it’s a superstition that I do, so I keep doing it."

 

*This article was written for The Oregonian by Rachel Bachman.

E-mail: rachelbachman@news.oregonian.com

*For more information on E.F.T., or to download your FREE E.F.T. Manual, go to:  www.EmoFree.com

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