Game Day Challenge

Posted on April 27, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

Softball Thought of the Week: Your Impact on Your Teammates is Often Far Greater Than You Know

One thing you cannot control is how your negative vibe impacts others. It can be one look, one word, or one action that we put out and can never get back.

While you may be able to drop it, move on and play your game, you have NO control over how others are affected by it.

One distraction from you may be enough to knock someone else’s performance just a bit off kilter and bring down their overall performance. If you have that affect on most of the teammates who were around you when you put that vibe out, impact is exponential!

On game day especially, do your best to make sure your actions, words, decisions, etc are HELPING your team performance their best!

Athletes like to be in a particular mindset or “groove” as they go into competition. Disrupting that “mojo” of any of your teammates before a game or during a game is not a good idea.

If you’ve ever run track or run for competition, you know how critical breaking stride or losing your form for just a split second can be. I know because it happened to me before. I was just ahead of another sprinter and for just a moment, I lost my form. I did get it back, but in just that moment, she went from just behind me to just in front of me.

After I regained my stride and form, I did close some of the gap, but not enough to pass her by again. That’s how I see disruption from inside the team environment/mojo before a game. It might be a “small” thing that just throws the team off balance just a little, but it can be enough to alter the outcome.

So the challenge for game day is to make sure your impact on teammates and on the team is positive and improves performance!

photo credit: softball team

Are You a Real MVP?

Posted on April 9, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

The most popular topic on the Facebook FanPage this week came from this post…

A player that lifts her teammates to a higher level and helps them quickly recover from mistakes is more valuable than a player who has a stronger arm or bat but doesn’t know how to be a source from which her teammates gain confidence, positivity, and power from.

That post received 53 “likes” within days. That’s the highest yet!

Have you had the opportunity to be on a team with a player like this? Or maybe just observe one on another team?

Players with decent softball skill and this exceptional softball attitude are so much more valuable to a team than a player that has superior softball skills but no further reach.

What do I mean by reach? Dr. Tom Hanson once wrote an article that I wish I could find right now. He was talking about Derek Jeter and about how, when you’re in the room with him, you can just feel his confidence.

His confidence just flows out of him into his surroundings, and therefore, to the people around him as well.

Some players have this effect. Their enthusiasm, confidence, and positive attitude spills over into anything near them.

Other players, while highly talented, do not have this effect.

It’s like everything is bottled up inside them. They perform great, but no none of their teammates can feed off them or “get their juice.” There’s nothing flowing out of them into their surroundings to feed off of.

While these players may perform at a high level, they do not elevate the game of those around them.

Real MVPs however…

effectively uplift their teammates
elevate the game of those around them
are a source of confidence, strength, resilience, and positivity that others can draw from
make the game easier and more enjoyable to play
draw so much enjoyment from simply playing the game their positive “can-do” attitude becomes infectious

Some people refer to this as the “it” factor. For MVP’s, whatever “it” is…

IT’s in their words and how they say it
IT’s in their every action and every move
IT’s not only when things are going well, but ALL the time
IT’s simply part of who they are

When they infect the rest of the team with their confidence and belief in the team, their team is practically unstoppable!

Seriously, when a team is unified under a common blanket of confidence – watch out!

A player that can bring that to the table every game, to me, brings so much more value than one that can hit a homerun in every game.

What do you think?

Softball Quote of the Week: Scoreboards, Value, and You

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

This concept of “Enough” has come up several times in various areas of my life over the past several weeks. One example was this great article over at SoftballPerformance.com which talks about this very concept.

Since this topic of “Enough” seems to keep popping up, I decided to post something about it on the AAF Facebook Page.

People seems to like it well enough and some have asked if they can share it with others. Of course, I have no problem with that, so long as you remember to mention where you got it from.

So feel free to share this Softball Quote of the Week with your team this week…

Whether you win or lose, you really won’t be much different, as a person, than you were 2 hours ago.

Never allow the scoreboard to dictate your self worth!

It’s a highly unreliable and completely irrelevant indicator of your true value as a human being.

Really, a couple of hours doesn’t completely change your life. Maybe you’ll learn a few lessons. Maybe it does give you a different perspective on things.

What you choose to do with your experience may very well change your life.

The win or the loss in and of itself does not do that. You do. The win or the loss does not suddenly make you amazing if you weren’t before nor does it make you worth less than you were before.

Never tie your self worth to the outcome of your performance or of a game. Your true friends and your loved ones don’t love you any more or less because you did or did not hit a ball, because you did or did not make an error, or because you did or did not win a game.

Who you are as a person, as a human being, is not at all correlated with outcomes on the field.

Silly Egos, Pre-Season is for Learning

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

Each year it baffles my mind how bent out of shape team “supporters” get over losing a pre-season game. Some people are hell bent on winning, even in pre-season.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t like to lose, but winning is not the ultimate pre-season goal for wise coaches. Placing the win above all else in pre-season is short-sighted and likely detrimental to your team in the long run.

Pre-season is for training and for learning.

It’s foolish to primarily play your “strongest” 9 players during all your pre-season games just so you can win.

The almighty W is NOT the most important thing in pre-season.

Any fan of NFL football could tell you that. There are professionals in the NFL that are getting paid big bucks and even they don’t focus on winning as the ultimate goal in pre-season.

Sticking with only your strongest 9 players in pre-season wastes opportunities to get your WHOLE team ready for regular season (the part that really counts). Sticking with only your strongest 9 basically translates to putting all your eggs in one basket (and before the season even starts no less).

How are you supposed to know what your players can do in “game-like” situations THIS season unless you put them there? Pre-season gives you an opportunity to find out, but you won’t ever know if you don’t take advantage of it.

Pre-season is the best time to…

explore your personnel options
formulate a solid “Plan B”
see how your team responds to less than “ideal” situations and lineups
get non-starters game reps so they aren’t shell shocked should you need them during the season
give some “sleepers” the opportunity to show you what they can contribute
see how “starters” work with “backups” in game-like situations
let your players EARN their spot
see how different players react under pressure (some elevate, some crumble)
etc, etc, etc

However there’s no way to see all of that if you are hell bent on winning every game and only want to go with the current “best 9.” Some players grow and get better under pressure, but if you never put them there, they never get that chance.

Others show that they need work on their mental game, but you never know that if you don’t put them under game-like pressure. Some personnel combinations work together better than others, but you never get to see that if you only try one combo. Some players improve by leaps and bounds from season to season but if you base their playing time only upon the past and never give them a true shot THIS season, you may not discover this until much later, wasting valuable time for that player and the team.

Pre-season is for training and learning first, not only for players, but for coaches too. Winning is second.

You don’t want to win pre-season. Ideally, you use pre-season to get the team as ready as possible for the season, and eventually post season, when games really count. Sometimes getting your team ready and winning don’t fall along the same path.

During pre-season, be willing to sacrifice short term gain (a.k.a. the win) to better your team over the long haul.

Do you really think, at the end of the season, anyone outside the team will even remember what games you won or didn’t win in the pre-season? Even if they do remember, is that the part of the season that really matters? Yes, I admit, the W is cool, but I challenge you to use your pre-season opportunities more wisely than that!

photo credit: rabbit

7 Success Thoughts of the Week

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

The past week has been crazy to say the least. Big challenges, lots of emotions, unexpected events and so much more. I didn’t have much time to write, but I did take some notes. Here is some of what I’ve been able to take away from this week of challenge and change…

1. The LAST thing you need to be doing when standing up for something you believe in is worrying about what other people think – ESPECIALLY when those people have NO clue about what’s really going on.

Been there, done that, and slapped “stupid” across my own head for being foolish enough to take advice from uninformed/misinformed/under-in…formed “know-it-alls” (aka idiots). Lesson learned…not making that mistake twice.

2. Don’t let the opinions of others pull you away from your core values. Especially if those people have never been anywhere near your shoes nor the path you’re on! Stand strong!

3. Saddens me to see that some people think so little of themselves, when STRANGERS say, “You don’t deserve to have all that” they BELIEVE it!

4. When you work your butt off for what you have & earn every bit of it, you have NO reason to feel guilty for having more than others.

5. There’s no way things ever work out in your favor if you decide beforehand that you have no chance.

6. After all the blood, sweat, & tears you put in to what you’re fighting for, you’re gonna let someone else tell you you can’t win before you even finish the battle? Give it your best shot! You’ll never win if you give up before you even try.

7. Never EVER sacrifice your long term vision for short term gain or just because it’s the easier, less painful thing to do now. More often than not the easy choice now is NOT the best decision long term.

Softball Coaching Tips – Choices and Consequences

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

softball coaching choices One thing I’m really picky about as a coach is seeing players make good choices. I’m not only talking about where to throw the ball, but about how they approach the game and the small decisions they make on a daily basis.

I think of it as Choosing Excellence Daily.

Making it a point to be on time vs rolling in late. One is choosing excellence, one is not.
Coming out to the field and rocking in vs coming out and slacking. One is choosing excellence, one is not.
Choosing to abide by team rules vs trying to bend them as far as you can without getting caught. One is choosing excellence, one is not.
Choosing to care for your equipment and field vs using and abusing. One is choosing excellence, one is not.
Giving a great enthusiastic team yell at the end of practice vs taking it for granted and mumbling it. One is choosing excellence, one is not.
Hustling vs dragging yourself around on the field. One is choosing excellence, one is not.

I think you get the idea. I’m huge on players diligently doing small things well. After all, if you can’t do the small things well, what makes you think you’ll be able to do the big things well?

It’s almost unfair to expect “big” things from yourself (or your team) when you’re not even training for those big things by taking good care of the little things first.

Choosing excellence can take you to some really great places.

The other option? The other option often leads you to places you don’t wanna be. It’ll take you down roads I never want to see you travel.

Some coaches feel like consequences for these little things are a waste of time or they feel like they are doing players favors by letting them slide with less than their best in these small daily decisions.

Truth is, as coaches, we’re not doing our players ANY favors by allowing them to get by with poor decisions and still allowing them to reap the same rewards as if they’d made all the right ones.

One of the reasons I’m big on teaching good decision making through sports is so that hopefully, it creates good habits and translates into real life.

I’d rather dish out the consequences on the field and have players learn lessons there rather than let them slide and allow poor decision making to catch up with them “one day” (often in real life!).

In my eyes, the sooner you learn good decision making the better. The sooner you learn that good choices often reap rewards and bad choices often bring about consequences the better! It’s true many of us still need help and reminders with this, but anything we can do as coaches to help our players learn this very important life lesson is going to help them!

If they learn it “later” chances are they are learning it the “hard way” in real life where the stakes are often greater and the penalties far more severe.

So what if they have to do a few sprints for showing up late?
So what if they find their butt on the bench for a few innings because they made a poor choice?
So what if they have to sit out an entire day of softball because they broke a rule?

It may seem like a big deal at the time, but those are small, small prices to pay compared to what the real world can dish out.

Help your players learn good decision making through sports. Don’t be afraid to actually dish out consequences and hold your players accountable for their choices and actions.

What is that called? Oh yeah, discipline. It doesn’t happen by itself. You, as a coach, have to have the guts to implement it. You don’t have to get all crazy and come up with hundreds of rules each with their own consequence. But you do need to decide what’s important to you. What kinds of decisions and actions are not allowed on your team and which ones are? What are you going to do to hold your players accountable for their choices and actions? Think about that. Get input from your staff. Decide, then be consistent with it.

Players are not dumb. They learn quick. When they see good decisions -> good things happen; bad decisions -> bad things happen they’ll start making better decisions pretty quickly.

You know that phrase “No pain, no gain?” If players don’t feel the “pain” of their mistakes, chances are they won’t make the positive changes in that area. After all, most of us agree that change is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and sometimes painful. The only way we move toward making positive change is when the pain of staying where we’re at is greater than the pain of change. In other words, your current situation is so awful, change begins to look like the easy route!

People make changes when the pain of the same is greater than the pain of change.

Don’t take away your players’ opportunities to learn important life lessons through sports (aka withholding “pain”/consequences). Doing so means they’re forced to learn it elsewhere, possibly in a much more painful environment like the real world.

Softball Tips – The One Constant You Can Count on is that Things are Going to CHANGE

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Stacie Mahoe

Softball coaches and parents often get caught up in this idea of trying to keep a travel team together. It IS a great idea, BUT the reality is that it’s very tough to do. Especially when you start reaching the ages of 13, 14, 15…softball is getting more and more competitive, so when coaches and parents come across a team that does really well together, they want to do everything they can to keep it together.

That is a good idea of course and a natural inclination to have. The problem is that this is the very age when people start moving in different directions for a number if different reasons. Some are personal, some are logistical, some are actually softball related, and others just happen.

Many coaches and parents spend too much time getting upset over this inevitable change. They start getting all bent out of shape over the thought of bringing new girls into the mix…especially when “last year’s” team was successful.

I was recently asked for my thoughts on this very type of situation. Parents were getting concerned because 10 our of 12 girls from a successful 12U team moved up to 14U and now the coaches were looking at bringing in more girls.

Well, first of all 10 players on a 14U travel team isn’t going to be enough so the coaches DO have to bring more players into the team. How many? Tough to say! It’s easy to go with a smaller roster when there is a history if the players being committed and capable of showing up week after week. But if you’re bringing new players and families into the mix, you may be unsure of which ones will really truly be reliable.

It’s great to be able to have a roster of 12. However, if you happen to have an injury and an illness at the same time on a long tournament weekend, it leaves you in a challenging spot. A spot that not only makes things tougher for team success but also places higher risk on the health and safety of your players which should always come first! Carrying 14-16 players may be a better idea.

But What About Our Dream Team?
Coaches and players alike may not be completely comfortable with the idea of changing up this team too much. But at a certain point you really need to stop trying to force something that won’t happen and consider the other side of the coin…

It’s completely normal after a particularly successful season to want to do it all over again. You figure you can toe that same line to get there again. There’s only ONE problem. Even if you have the same coaching staff and the same roster…

This year’s team is NOT last year’s team.

I’ll say it again… this. year’s. team… is. NOT. last. year’s. team

1) Even if you had the EXACT same roster as “last year” it doesn’t mean you have the “same” team. It does NOT guarantee you the same results…especially if you’re moving up a division. The players on the team are a year older. They have another year of life experience under their belts. They have another year of softball experience under their belts. They have different things going on in school this year. Some have different friends. Some are more mature and more focused. Others are more distracted. All of these changes in the lives of the players change WHO they are this year compared to a year ago. That’s true for each and every one of them. That changes the team dynamic!

2) The idea that you will be able to do the “same thing” with the “same team” and get the “same result” is delusional. You already saw in #1 how this is NOT the “same” team so as last year, so right off the bat the idea that you’re doing the same thing with the “same team” is erroneous. Now let’s address doing the “same thing.” Let’s say you ran some new drills last year or incorporated new practice strategies that the girls really responded to or did some new workout/training program last year. Well, if you do that again this year, will it still be “new” to the girls? No because they already did it last year. It’s not going to have the EXACT same effect so it will not give you the EXACT same result. That’s what makes coaching fun…if each season was exactly the same if you ran the “same” drills with the “same” girls, softball would be awfully boring.

So if you feel like having the “same” team will guarantee success THIS season, you’re fooling yourself. Not only is your team NOT the “same” neither is your competition! The one thing you can count on in this world is that things WILL change. Having the “same” team may actually lull you into a false sense of security. Coaches, players, and parents all know success is possible. It’s already happened and sometimes an entire team environment and organization falls into the trap of expecting it to just happen again without pouring in the same “dirty work” and burning motivation.

3) Embrance the change. As the title to this article states…the ONE constant you can count on is that things will change. This is true in softball and in life. Change in a team is an opportunity to learn to adapt and grow in spite of the changes in environment. In real life, if you don’t keep up, you will get left behind. In higher levels of softball, team personnel changes. Starting lineups change. Coaching staffs change. Training environments change, etc, etc, etc.

If you shelter players from this aspect of the game and of life, they may not know how to deal with it when they get older and when the stakes are greater.

So if you can keep a team together, that’s cool. But if a little change or a lot of change happens, stop beating your head up against a wall trying to stop it. Stop wasting time and energy putting off the inevitable and wishing for something that’s just not going to happen. Embrace the opportunity to grow even more, to develop more than just softball skills. Yes, change is uncomfortable and there are some things about the new situation that may not be as good as what used to be. BUT all new situations open up opportunities that would have never been avialable otherwise. Focus on that!

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