The Mental Side of the Game

THIS PAGE IS STILL IN PROGRESS AND WILL BE COMPLETED SOON

1.     Knowing your WHY

There is a famous TED Talk that claims, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” That’s because when it comes to investing in products and relationships, trust is the number one factor for people. We embrace things and people that we can connect to and have things in common with. With softball or anything else that you do, you must know your ‘why’.

               When I played softball, my why was that it brought me joy, it was fun, it made me feel important, and it brought me a sense of family and community that I loved. Your why should always be something that brings you love and joy. You should play because YOU love it, and not for anyone else.

2.     Measuring Success.

The biggest mistake that players, coaches and parents make is measuring success with wins, comparing themselves to others, or obsessing over stats. I see a lot of players and parents get so obsessed with things that don’t matter, mostly worrying about how they appear to others.

Play because you love it. Yes you should work hard and practice often, but you have to make practice enjoyable. If a kid enjoys softball. Let your actions, integrity, and performance speak for itself.

3.     How much should you practice?

As much as you want! The kids who are really obsessed and love it practice most days – they are doing something on their own every day.

4. Biggest Mistakes I see players/family’s make:

·       Going to high school to play softball instead of going to the high school that is a the best fit academically, financially, and locationally, and that will provide them with the best overall experience.

·       Joining recruiting programs that cost thousands of dollars a year. Many of these programs are just looking to take your money and they don’t necessarily have the best relationships with college coaches.