Got an interesting text today from the mom of one of my fastpitch softball hitting and pitching students. She was out at a game, and her daughter was apparently putting on quite a hitting display. Someone else there was impressed and thought that she had a doctored bat. He was talking about getting his daughter’s bat “rolled” to help her out.

The mom had no idea what it was, and asked if she should get her daughter’s bat rolled too.

Of course I immediately answered no and explained it is illegal. (That’s right, it is against the rules for those of you considering it.) That was enough for her, and she was glad she checked. But as she explained why she was asking it brought up an interesting point.

There are no shortcuts on the road to success, but people still continue to look for one. Rolling the bat is one of them. I’m sorry, but there’s no substitute for quality teaching coupled with hard work.

That’s what the girl whose mom contacted me has done. We’ve worked together for three years, ever since she was 10, and during that time she has made amazing strides — a little bit at a time. The display she put on today was the result of all that time and effort she put in, not a bat that had been doctored.

Yes, it can be tempting to try to get that quick edge. But rather than paying someone to treat a bat, instead invest that time, money and effort in actually learning how to hit. The results will be a lot more satisfying.

As for the mom, if you knew her you’d know how horrified she was to find out she’d even considered doing anything illegal. As she said, she and daughter want no part of cheating. Glad she asked before she did it!