No matter what your skill or experience level, YOU bring something special to your team. There IS at least ONE thing you do better than anyone else on your team. Make it a point to give whatever it is you have each and every day. If you don’t, who will?

Truth: After EVERY game you should know that you did something to help your team that day, whether you played every pitch or none at all. If you can’t think of anything you did to help then you didn’t do your job.

EVERYONE has something to contribute!

Posted by Toby on Facebook…

There is a girl on my daughter’s HS softball team, that has not gotten into any games, even the blow out games, who cheers on her teammates all the time. The other day my daughter Melanie told me that when she hears this specific girl yell out, “Sit her down Mel!” when she has a full count on a girl it gives her such a good feeling inside and it motivates her to strike out the batter…. You are so right about every teammate can give something to the team.

I have also seen this type of situation with my own eyes: players lacking in skills finding big ways to contribute to their team.

Find a way every day.

If they can do it so can you. No excuses!

I have to admit. I see this all the time at youth softball practices. Coaches who are more concerned with the outcome of a play in practice vs the process.

Example? Trying watching a youth softball team practice turning a double play. More often than not you’ll probably see coaches satisfied when the ball is fielded sure handedly, thrown to 2nd, thrown to 1st, then thrown back home.

As long as the ball makes it through all those stages and back to the catcher everything is good and the coach is happy.

But what about how the ball was fielded? Did that person do a good job with footwork while fielding and throwing? Did they transition the ball well and get it to 2nd as quickly as they could? Did they make the catch as easy as possible for the person covering 2nd? Or did they use poor fielding and throwing technique and footwork? Did they make the catch and “turn” at 2nd difficult?

What about the “turn” at 2nd? Did the person covering 2nd approach the bag properly? Were they set up on the base right? Did they use the most efficient and effective footwork to get the out and quickly get rid of the ball to 1st base?

Then there’s the first baseman or the person covering 1st. Did they stretch to the ball correctly?

Was there good communication between the players on the play?

…and so on and so on and so on.

Too many coaches disregard all these components of a good double play.  Their only concerns are that the hit ball is not missed and that the thrown balls are not thrown wildly away. All they care about is that the bases were touched and the ball makes it back home – in other words, the result.

But what is that teaching the players? Are they practicing it right? Are they practicing it right consistently? Are they even close to getting both outs? Are there things they could do better? Or are they just practicing how to turn a double play incorrectly and inefficiently?

None of these things get addressed most times I watch a practice.

I know, I know. Taking the time to correct and refine ALL of that would take so long. Yes, it’s true that you may only get about half the amount of double play reps if you take the time to actually coach all that.  So what?! I’d much rather have 10 quality reps than 20 poorly or incorrectly done reps!

I also see this “Results over Process” mistake with hard throwing players. By the time I get to coach players they are 14, 15, 16 years old. Many have been playing since they were 8 or younger. They’ve been throwing the way they throw for a long time, and yet I see many, especially the hard throwing ones, who have poor throwing mechanics. They don’t get the most out of their body with the throwing motion they use. Most barely use their legs and rely on just their arm.

Since hard throwing players have a these nice strong throws, it seems most coaches during their youth ignored the fact that they weren’t throwing with the best mechanics. Coaches see a nice hard throw and which ends up in the catching vicinity of the person receiving the ball and that’s all they care about. The end result of the throw was good, so why “fix” anything?

Why? Because that’s your job as a coach! To help players get better even if they are already the best on their team or the best in the league for that matter.  There is always room for improvement.  You do your players a great disservice of you don’t help them get better despite how “good” they already are.

Allowing hard throwing players to continue using poor mechanics…

• wastes a players energy. Proper throwing mechanics are efficient allowing for maximum output with minimal effort. This is super important on long tournament weekends or over the course of a long season!
• makes them slower defensively than those who use efficient mechanics. The point on defense is to get the ball to your target in the shortest possible time frame (not with the highest possible velocity) in order to get more outs.
• puts unnecessary strain on their arm.
• reduces their arm’s effectiveness over the course of the season.
• shaves time off the longevity of this cannon arm over the course of this player’s career.

Like I said…disservice.

Focus on process over results – how they threw the ball, not where it ended up or how fast it was going when it got there – and you will avoid this issue.

Process Over Results
It’s not whether you get the ball here or not, it’s HOW you made the throw.
It’s not whether you came to practice or not, it’s HOW you trained while you were there.
It’s not whether you ran your sprints or not, it’s HOW you ran them.

Is the point simply to complete the task or complete it well?

It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s HOW you play the game.

You cannot always control the outcome of a performance. You can choose a good pitch and hit a ball well, but you cannot completely control whether you get hit or not. Someone on the other end may make an unbelievable catch and steal your hit. It doesn’t mean you did a bad job. You just couldn’t control the outcome of your good hit. All you can control is your performance.

• Did you give it your all?
• Did you do your best on that given day?
• Did you do what you trained to do to the best of your ability?

Have you ever walked away from a win with a less than satisfied feeling? Have you ever walked away from a win disappointed and bothered by your personal performance in it?

In contrast, have you ever walked away after a loss without anything to be ashamed? Have you ever walked away from a loss feeling proud that you did all you could do and simply came up short on that day against a worthy opponent? Have you ever come away from a loss more deeply respected by your teammates, your opponent, your coach, your family and your fans?

Was it the score or the result of the game that allowed you to hold your head high after a loss vs stew with dissatisfaction after a win?

The score or the result of the game is ultimately NOT the most important factor in how positive the experience was for you. It was about the PROCESS!

Funny thing is, mistakenly emphasizing results, results, results typially don’t get you to the results you want.

Focus on quality process, on best effort in the process, on best attitude about/in/regarding the process…that’s what usually gets you results you want.

Good results are a BYPRODUCT of excellence in your process (in your HOW)!

Good results are not “the point” – good results are what happen when you really truly get the point.

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

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?

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.

If you know the reason, or would like to take a guess, leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a FREE Softball Performance DVD.  Winner will choose from one of the following…

• 4-Minute Dumbbell Workouts for Softball
• The Pitching Velocity System
• Breakthrough Speed and Agility for Softball
• Power Training for Softball
• Dynamic Warm-Up for Softball
• Bat Speed and Hitting Power System
• Softball Playground Workout

Hurry.  You must leave a comment with your guess today because I’m giving you the answer tomorrow.  Good luck! 

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!

Now if you’re connected with All About Fastpitch on Facebook, then you saw part of this. I realized this needed to develop into a full blown blog post when facebook wouldn’t post the status update as I originally wrote it because it was too long. lol

So here is the expanded version of my softball attitude tip/rant of the week…

I’m sorry, but if you think you can’t or don’t learn anything sitting on the bench you need an attitude adjustment.

Been there – learned tons because I CHOSE to. I made it a point to LEARN any chance I got whether it was in practice or on the bench in the game.

Heck there were even times when I was on the bench during PRACTICE due to injury. I still tried to learn anything and everything I could regardless of the situation I was in.

I made it a point to increase my contribution to the team in any way possible even though I couldn’t play!

Stop your whining. It’s not going to get you what you want.

Whether it’s sitting on the bench or a slump or a bruised knee or a wet field there will ALWAYS be something that challenges you. There will always be obstacles along the way.

Find a way to still be a positive impact on your team. You may not get the game winning hit or the make the game winning play, but this experience WILL serve you well in your future in softball and in life!

• Why don’t I have as many chances as her?
• How come when I make a mistake in the game I get yanked but when so-and-so makes a
  similar mistake she still gets to play?
• Can you give me another chance? I’ll get it next time.

Unfortunately, many players don’t realize that they already used up their “chances” in practice. You use them up by coming late, by leaving early, by not paying attention, by slacking off, by goofing around, by becoming a distraction etc, IN PRACTICE.

What is your coach supposed to do if he keeps giving you chances to do a good job in practice and you keep blowing it?

By the time game day comes you may be down to your “last chance” while “so-and-so” still has a bunch left because she didn’t use ‘em all up in practice.

Now I’m not saying this is always the case, but it does happen.  People on the outside will often look in and say the coach is “unfair” because the consequence for one player is different from another.  But “fair” doesn’t mean “same” and rarely do people outside the team (the coaching staff and players) fully understand the situation.

So before you complain that things aren’t fair, take a look at where you may be using up your “chances” with your coach.  Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has bad days, but make sure that yours don’t come purely from a poor attitude or lack of effort.

It may seem like a bad thing when your opponent gets on base more often than you in the beginning of a game.  But if your team makes adjustments, you still have a good chance of coming out on top.

After all, what you’d love to see is your pitching becoming more and more effective against opposing batters while your hitters become more and more effective against opposing pitchers.  It can happen!

Two things that popped into my mind after watching that very scenario unfold before my very eyes:

1. The team that makes the best adjustments usually wins.
2. If your pitchers and hitters are becoming less effective as the game wears on, you’re in trouble – especially if the opposite is true for your opponent.

Remember, even if 4 innings are gone and you’re heading into the 5th, there’s still a lot of game left.  I know 5th inning sounds “late in the game.”  If you’re starting the 5th, then only 4 innings have been completed and, in a 7 inning game, that means there are still 3 innings left!  In fact, 42.85% of the game still lies ahead of you. It’s hardly “too late.”

Obviously, as coaches, the ideal situation involves pure domination of our opponent from the very start of a game all the way through to the last out.  In a perfect world this happens every game of the season.  In the real world we know that’s simply not the case.  So, if your team happens to get off to a bit of a slow start…

Keep the faith.  Make adjustments. Always remember that ultimately, how your game ends is far more important than how it begins.

But what happens when a call or two doesn’t go your way?  Or when one mistake leads to another?  Or when the playing conditions are less than desirable?  Or after you’ve been playing all weekend long and fatigue is starting to set in?  Or when your “best” players go down due to injury, health, or ineligibility issues?  How does your team react then?

Do they have the same approach? Do they remain upbeat and positive?  Or do they start to fall apart?  Do they start to press?  Do they start to get frustrated with themselves or each other?  Does your team fall apart or can your team still perform when things get tough?

I’ll admit, it’s not possible to re-create every challenging game-like situation in practice.  However if your team is never challenged in practice chances are they won’t be able to respond the way you want when challenge arises during the game.

Some very wise coaches and elite athletes suggest that training should be harder, tougher, and more challenging than competition.  That way when game day comes, it seems “easy” in comparison.  Is that what you do? Are you preparing your team to perform under adverse conditions, under any circumstance that may occur?  Or is your practice and training too easy?

Here’s an excerpt from an article by Wayne Goldsmith, high performance expert which pretty much sums it all up…

Accept that all teams have to learn to win in tough conditions and prepare to deal with them better than your opposition.

Notice he didn’t say “your team” – he said ALL teams. Often times we use an unfortunate circumstance in our season as an excuse for poor performance, but that’s just a cop out. Do you really think that the best NEVER have a bad day, or calls go against them, or bad weather to deal with, or personality clashes aka drama?

I’m sure you’d agree that such a perfect team environment doesn’t exist. Every team has it’s ups and downs, it’s challenges and obstacles, but the ones that are best prepared to perform in spite of how tough it gets are usually the ones that come out on top.

Not only is “your best no matter what” a great skill to have on the softball field, but in life as well. Help your players learn to keep moving forward no matter what adversity they may face.  Not only will you probably win more games and maybe even a few championships, but your players will also carry invaluable life skill off the field and into the real world where stakes are much higher than a few statistics or a win-loss record.

As I talked about in the Finish It post, this can often wear off as the season moves along…and that’s probably 100% normal.

But you know what’s really annoying as a coach and former player?  When players seem to lose all appreciation for the opportunity they have to participate in this game.  They simply look like that don’t want to be there, like practice is a bother to them, and they much rather be doing something else.  Now, I understand that it’s not easy to come out month after month, day after day adn keep the same level of enthusiasm, BUT if you come to the field and really are not into it, then what’s the point of continuing to put you through softball skills and drills?  There comes a point when you’re probably doing more harm than good because you start mindlessly going through the motions of your drills.  You start being lazy, sloppiness takes over, and bad habits start forming.  NOT GOOD!

You know what I like to do in times like these?  Something that not every coach agrees with or likes to do. I admit, there are probably other equally effective ways to do accomplish the same goal.  But when I run into a group of players who have seemingly lost most of their appreciation for what they are doing and begin doing more harm than good in skill drills, then I say…let’s forget practicing “softball” for a day…or maybe even just ONE hour. You’re really not getting much out of it anyway if you’re not doing it right.

Instead let’s do an hour of “mindless” non-softball training…running…conditioning…workouts…exercises!  You’ll all get a good workout.  You’ll all be challenged (which almost always makes you stronger in one way or another).  We’ll all break a sweat together…and, chances are, when all is said and done, you will probably be more than happy to pick up a ball and glove and do softball stuff again.   Not only that, the sense of accomplishment you feel after a particularly tough workout is pretty cool – especially when you go through it with your teammates! (and with your coach if your coach is as crazy as me )

But after months and month of coming out day after day, it’s not always easy to stay motivated and focused. It can be quite simple to start “going through the motions” and “check-out” mentally as you take your zillionth swing or throw of the season.

BUT - if you want to be the best you can be in this season, if you want to finish stronger than you started, (which is the point right), you really need to make a commitment to what you are doing. You need to make a commitment to put yourself “all-in” and push all the way through to the end and beyond – similarly to what I talked about in this baserunning post.

That’s why I think it’s so critical to be able to create a habit, the sooner the better, of doing the little things to perfection. Sometimes the long road ahead, or the long road that has already passed, make the entire journey too daunting to look at. It makes this ONE drill seem insignificant. In times like those, if you can simply go back to your simple habit of investing in each drill, in each rep – put your whole self in in each little segment of your training – just commit to that one moment, that one rep at a time…it can help you keep moving forward when the day-to-day starts to feel mundane. It can help keep you on track while to take a moment to rejuvenate and get the fire burning again.

If you can’t do that, if you don’t know how to keep doing at least those “little things” right, then that one “insignificant” drill or rep turns into two, or three. or simply turns into an entire day (what’s ONE practice right?). Then next thing you know, another day is “insignificant” and another and another until you’ve spent in entire week being sub-par, training at a level you’d never actually want to perform at and what good did you do yourself? Probably none at all, and in fact, you may have actually “hurt” yourself creating bad habits physically and/or mentally.

When it comes to staying “on track,” it’s also extremely important to set out with some “bigger” purpose. Something far more important to you than just one drill. Something that you are working toward and working for. Something that makes each drill and each rep and each day on the field worth it. If you’re lucky – just being there is reward enough. For some, that’s the way it is. The opportunity to go out there and do softball stuff is the highlight of any given day. For those people, motivation and focus is rarely a major issue.

But even the best, even the most determined sometimes get into those “moods” when they simply don’t feel like 100%. You know what? That’s human. It’s OKAY. Give yourself a break every now and then. Understand that it’s part of being an athlete. It’s something everyone goes through. Don’t waste time worrying about it. Acknowledge it, address it, and do what you need to do to refresh. You need it. It’s almost impossible to stay at full intensity ALL the time. You need to find ways to unwind, to relax, to refresh, and to rejuvenate mind, body, and spirit in order to perform the best you can.

Finishing up a season strong, isn’t easy. That’s why only a few an do it and do it well. It’s easy at the beginning. It’s easy as you start getting to the “meat” of your season. But when all that’s done and you’ve been climbing and climbing all year long…now there are two directions you can go. You can keep pushing and continue reaching higher and higher – usually this is the tougher, more challenging road. OR you can let up, stop pushing, and find yourself sliding,. or maybe even rolling, down the hill or mountain you just climbed.

Which is it going to be? Can you stay focused? Can you re-commit? Can you, for just a fraction of the time you’ve already put in…keep moving forward and finish stronger than you started? Take it one step at a time…you can do it!

It all started with a word at the field that was shared with others.  Then someone else came along and offered to share the insight they got from it.  The insight they shared then lead to this blog post which I am now sharing with you.  That’s a lot of sharing going on, but that’s how we continue to learn and grow and gain insight into ideas or concepts we may not have thought of on our own.  Or sometimes these things just serve as a timely reminder of what we already know – and the internet and social media make it easier than ever to begin and continue this chain of sharing, learning, and growing with each other.

Anyway – on to what this post is really about – The Challenge!

You see, in Coach Meg’s post, I read a phrase that just jumped out at me…

The challenge is to not become complacent

The challenge is to not become complacent…

• with your performance
• with your training
• with your mental approach
• with your school work
• with your interaction with your teammates
• with your performance
• with how you train
• with how you perform
• with what you’ve already accomplished
• etc, etc, etc

That’s such a great line and one that applies to so many player and coaches in the game today.  It’s so easy to become complacent once we find something that “works” or once we accomplish a goal or once we see that we are one of the best amongst our immediate competition.  But complacency is the quickest path to repeating crisis or failure.  So, you may be on top now, but never ever let that stop you from moving forward or continuing to develop.

One thing is certain, once you reach the top, once you become a champion, you now have what everyone else wants. Some are fighting tooth and nail and are willing to do almost anything to get what you have.  If you choose complacency, if you think that now, since you’ve finally reached your goal, that you can relax.  Think again.  That “prize” you’ve earned and worked so hard for will be gone in an instant if you think for once second that there’s nothing else you need to do…that there’s no more to improve upon.  Whether it’s a championship, or an award, or a starting position, or a spot on the team – working for it and earning it does not entitle you to it forever.

You think getting to that point was tough – staying there is a whole ‘nother level!

Complacency is a very sneaky enemy.  The challenge is to not become complacent.

BUT, from a parent perspective…

What’s more important?
If you had to choose one or the other which would you choose?
Or if you had to say that one was primary and the other secondary, which way would you go?
If you knew one team guaranteed a winning season, but not necessarily a lot of progress for your daughter and the other guaranteed improvement for your daughter, but maybe not a championship type record – which would you choose for her?

What’s more important to you?

a) that your daughter be on a winning team
b) that your daughter improve her skills as a player/person

Leave a comment here and share your thoughts!  I, of course, have my own thoughts as a softball parent, but I am interested in hearing what you think too!

Actually, not much. I was just thinking of a common phrase you hear at fast food restaurants where you can “have it your way.” One thing they always ask you is, “Would you like fries with that?” Some softball players seem to carry the “have it your way” mentality onto the softball field. I mean, believe me, I think it’s great that all I have to do is ask and I’ll get a chicken sandwich with no lettuce, but athletics doesn’t always allow you to have things your way. Too many softball players want things “their way” in order to perform at their best. Guess how often they’re going to do well.

Not very often.

Yes, bad weather may make the game more challenging. Yes, bad calls can be frustrating. Yes, having your great hits caught all day long can be discouraging. BUT if you always let these outside circumstances dictate your confidence and how you feel, chances are you’re never going to be in the optimal mindset for maximum performance.

I mean seriously, you’ve trained for too long to let ANYTHING take that away from you, much less something you have no control over. Whether this is only your first season and you’ve only been training for a few weeks or whether you’re an experienced player and you’ve been training for years – trust all that hard work you’ve already done. Don’t let one or two things on game day override all that effort you’ve already invested in yourself and make you feel like you can’t be successful.

It’s true the situation around you or your environment may not be what you want. Maybe the field you play on isn’t the best, or your team isn’t the best, or your equipment isn’t the best, BUT there will always be something and you can’t let that stop you from being your best.

You have full control over what you think and the mindset you having going into competition. Don’t leave it to chance. Stop allowing yourself to use excuses for poor performance. The more you blame other things, the less you’ll be able to make the real adjustments you need to help you get better as a player.

If you’re waiting for everything to be perfect before you can perform your best, it may never happen. Yes, it might be easier if you had the best of everything around you – better teammates, better coaches, better field conditions, better equipment, better umpires, etc, etc, etc but if you keep looking to everything around you to get better or keep looking to what you don’t have as the reason you’re not successful, where do you draw the line? When does it stop? Really, if you’re going to wait for all that to be just right, what else are you going to want? Would you like the sun to be at a certain angle perhaps? How about we wait for the wind to blow one direction while you’re up to bat and the other when your opponent is up to bat? Planetary alignment maybe?

Do you want fries with that?

You get the idea. When does it end? If you keep looking for excuses, you’re never going to reach your full potential. At some point you have to put all the outside BullSh*t aside and take responsibility for your own performance! Too much focus on everything else that could be different doesn’t help YOU get better. Make adjustments where you can – with YOURSELF and stop focusing so much on things you have no control over.

Little to none!

How do I know?

1. Partially from what I saw during break
2. Partially from what I read on Facebook during winter break
3. But mostly because of what I read on Facebook now that they are back in school and training has again begun (they both admit that they probably should’ve done a bit more while they were on break)

I’m not saying all college freshman do this, but it’s a very easy mistake to make.  You’ve just finished up your first college semester ever.  It’s been crazy, busy, and hectic.  There have been lots of adjustments to make, time away from friends, and time away from family.  When you get to go home for Winter Break, it’s very easy to:

• Do nothing but party with all the friends you haven’t seen in a while
• Do nothing but spend time with and enjoy the company of your family
• Do absolutely nothing because it’s the first time in months you don’t HAVE TO do anything

Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to enjoy your time at home.  I’m certainly not saying it’s wrong to spend time with family, nor is it wrong to take a little bit of a breather and relax a bit.  I actually think breaks or changes of pace are a good thing.  However, as a college student-athlete, when you go back to school (especially for softball) you WILL go back to training.  You’ve already worked so hard for months!  Why take a 4 week break from everything and “throw away” any of what you’ve gained during your 1st semester?  I’m not saying you have to keep up the same intensity and you don’t even need to do the same exact drills or exercises that you do in college, but at least do “something” to maintain the fitness level you’ve built up for yourself.

Some think that one “small” break won’t make much of a difference. Let me tell you, when you have a team of players who’ve been training for months then there’s a break then you all come back to train…it is VERY OBVIOUS who took a break and did nothing and who kept their conditioning up.  Right now we’re going through conditioning with our team at the high school age level.  It’s just pre-season, we aren’t really “allowed” to make conditioning “mandatory” and over break there are various reasons why student-athletes say they can’t make practice.  Fine.  But as a coach, even if a student-athlete has only missed just ONE week of practice, our coaching staff can tell, it is very obvious, which players have been diligent with their attendance and been there on a regular basis and which players have missed conditioning sessions.

So if you want to make the best impression possible on your coach, stay on top of your fitness level!

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Got a late start with conditioning?  Not sure what to do or where to start?  Try this simple 21 Day Express Shape Up Program.

Help yourself and enjoy the benefits of:

• Throwing harder
• Hitting the ball farther
• Stealing more bases
• Exploding out of the batter’s box
• Running down more balls in the field
• Reacting faster
• Staying healthy
• Avoiding Injury
• and so much more!

Start your 21-Day Express Shape Up Program today and enjoy more speed and power during your season!

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That just sounds like so much more fun than a “lets-hit-the-weight-room” workout.  Plus, you may not have easy access to a weight room or gym for softball training.  However, you probably do have access to a local playground.

No time?  No money?  No equipment?  No problem.

In Marc’s Softball Playground Workout video, you’ll discover how you can get stronger, faster, and more powerful using innovative, yet simple exercises that you can do in minutes (for FREE) at your local playground!

Right now this 3-part video is included as part of the 12 cutting edge products Marc is offering at 77% off.  But he has less than 100 bundles left (out of 200).  Make sure you go over and grab yours today!

It’s not like I have a “Deal of the Week” every week, but I heard about this one and had to tell you about it TODAY.  Like I said, I’ll explain why later.  Anyway, the thing is Marc over at Softball Performance is having a Crazy Super Softball Sale.

I’m not going to bore you with a lot of hype.  I’m just going to tell you what you get and why I had to tell you today.

What You Get

In a nutshell, you’re getting 12 of Marc’s Hot, Brand New, Cutting-Edge, Never-Released Before Products at 77% off including:

Yeah, that’s a lot of stuff!

Why I Had to Tell You Today

Marc is only giving all these products at the Super Softball Sale Price to 200 people.  His rules, not mine.  I know, that may sound like a lot, but I got an e-mail from Marc on Saturday letting me know that he’s more than half way through is “sale” inventory.  That’s right, over 100 people have already grabbed this packed bundle of softball peak performance goodies.  If you want to take advantage of this limited offer, Click Here before it’s gone.

Here they are in no particular order – all the specials that are ending soon

1.  Fastpitch Assistant at 41% off: get 6 months of weekly practice tips and ideas to make planning practice easier on you!  CLICK HERE to save big before the special ends tomorrow.

2.  Free Mental Game Help: Dr. Tom Hanson is GIVING you a number of awesome resources sharing success secrets of the best in the game of baseball.  Plus he’s answering some of the most pressing questions real players, parent, and coaches have about the mental game.  Learn more HERE.

3.  Workouts for Baseball/Softball: Brand new workout DVD from Coach Dan of BaseballStrength.com and you get it for “Shipping Only.” No additional costs for the workout DVD that will help you easily incorporate an effective fitness/training component to your practices or training routine.  Limited number of DVDs available, so get yours today.

4.  New Workout Video for Softball Pitchers: learn from the pros and use the exact exercises they are using to get same day results.  Barry Lovelace (the King of Core) got together some of the softball players he trains and he is going to show you the exercises they use to increase strength and pitching speed…all for just $9.  Obviously that’s a great deal that won’t last long.  Get your pitching workout HERE.

5.  Coming Soon: I think I heard Marc Dagenais mention that he’s going to be doing this personalized programs again.  I don’t have the details yet, but will let you know if and when that is available.

Whew!  That’s a lot of stuff, but it’s likely that there’s only ONE that you “really” need right now (and will put to use immediately if you get it).  Don’t go all crazy just because you can’t resist a good deal.  Just get the one program or resource that is going to help you the most right now. IF there is more than one that will help you immediately, then go for it, but I don’t want to see you spending money on something you’ll never use.  If you want the most for your dollar and you KNOW you will need/use it – then by all means, take advantage of these deals before they’re gone.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!