Category Archives: General Thoughts
Playing on the edge instead of where it’s safe
Sorry it’s been a little while since I’ve posted something new. Hope the old posts were keeping you entertained, at least to some extent. At least was for a good reason, though: I’ve been trying to make the rounds of games to see my students and the girls I coach in the summer playing in some of their games. I’ve also been trying to wean myself off the computer at night, at least as much as I’ve been on. When you find yourself emailing your wife, and she’s sitting on the couch right next to you, you have a problem.
But that’s not what got me on here today. I actually saw another great email message from Bobby Simpson of Higher Ground Softball. He was talking about a book he’d read called The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle. What struck Bobby, and me by extension, was the discovery that more than half of all the top performers in a given sport got there through a series of small failures. It wasn’t that they were bad, really. It was more that they were willing to go out beyond their comfort zones, where they knew they could succeed, and instead be willing to fail today so they could be better tomorrow. This was a worldwide phenomenon.
How many times have you seen (or coached) the opposite? You have a pitcher who has been working on developing a drop and/or curve ball. But when game time comes, she throws only fastballs and changeups because she knows she can throw them for strikes. Or worse yet, she want to throw drops and curves but you as the coach don’t let her because you might lose the game if she throws them, but feel confident you’ll win if she doesn’t. She never develops those weapons, and when you face a team that is hitting her fastball consistently you have nowhere else to go but the bullpen.
Or what about the situation I’ve railed on lately — the automatic bunt with a runner on first. The coach does it because it’s the “safe” thing to do. No one can criticize her for following “the book.” Well, except me I suppose. But if she lets her hitters hit away now and then in that situation she might find she can play for three or four runs instead of one in an inning. Sure, there’s a risk you get none. But you’re taking that risk by bunting away outs anyway.
It’s human nature to want to succeed. When we’re successful we feel good about ourselves. And here in America it’s particularly important because we love winners and hate losing. But the truth is most of the time you don’t learn a damn thing from winning and succeeding. Especially if you do the same things all the time. If you’re winning almost all your games you’re probably playing the wrong opponents or in the wrong tournaments.
The same goes for players. If they’re going to go beyond where they are, they need to stretch beyond their current limitations. Sure, they may find their reach exceeded their grasp at times. But they may also find out their grasp extended farther than they thought. After all, you can’t get anywhere just standing still.
If you’re a player, get out of your comfort zone. Try those new things. They may not work out, but at least you’ll have a better idea of what you can and can’t do — or perhaps what you could do with a little more work.
If you’re a coach, push your players out of their comfort zones, and do the same for yourself. Especially early in the season. Give that developing pitcher a chance to test her skills. Be willing to lose a few games early to win more games late. It’s what the best in the world do.
Why so serious?
Since my own daughter opted out of playing high school softball her senior year, I’ve found I have a lot of time on my hands. It doesn’t go to waste, though. I tend to wander out and catch games that either involve students of mine, players on my team, kids I know, or sometimes even some random game.
If you’ve never done it — gone to a game where you don’t have a direct stake in the outcome — it’s really an interesting experience. What you notice the most is how emotional, upset, angry, etc. otherwise seemingly reasonable people can get. I’ve watched as parents and/or other fans totally freak out over an umpire’s call — even if it’s the right call. They get angry over a poor strategic move, a missed play or dozens of other things.
I understand. I’ve been there too. But when you stop and watch a game you ‘re not totally invested in you can see how silly it sounds at times.
For most of us, we are watching kids playing a kid’s game. Winning that game, that tournament, that league championship may seem important at the time, but it’s really not. At least not in the big scheme of things.
We want to see our kids do well, or better yet do their best. But sometimes that desire gets in the way of common sense. If you find your blood boiling and your tolerance level dropping, take a deep breath, take a step back, and ask yourself the Joker’s question — why so serious? Then take a chill pill and be glad you live somewhere that a fastpitch softball game can be your biggest concern in the world.
Playing the game the way it was meant to be played
I have discussed the case of a young lady named Hillary on the Discuss Fastpitch forum in the past. She is a high school senior who was cut from her high school’s varsity team and placed on the JV team because she had the gall to participate in a school activity other than softball, and thus would miss a couple of early practices while competing with the show choir. This despite the fact that the school traditionally elevates all seniors to varsity regardless of ability, and the fact that she had been a varsity starter last year. Seems like the Principal would want to have a say regarding school organizations working together instead of against each other, but she has not to date.
But that’s the background. Today I want to talk about this young lady and how she has handled this personal slap in the face.
Many (dare I say most?) players probably would have quit, or at least have shown a poor attitude. Not Hillary, though. I had the opportunity to watch her play recently and you would think it was the opportunity of a lifetime for her instead of an embarrassing demotion. She sprinted out to her position (left field) each inning. When she hit the ball she hustled up the baseline. When another hitter put the ball in play, Hillary ran the bases hard and slid hard. She did everything you would’ve asked of any player, and did it with a smile on her face.
Hillary didn’t bother thinking about what had been done to her or how unfair life was. She was there to play ball.
We coaches always talk about how the only two things you can control are yourself and how you react to everything you can’t control. In my opinion, her demotion to JV was a classless act by a self-center, ignorant coach who long ago forgot that the game is about the players, not about him. But Hillary has handled the situation with tremendous class and dignity. She sets an example for all of us, and really lives what most of us only talk about.
What a little experience and confidence can do
Last night I had one of those experiences that puts your heart in your throat at first, but then makes you glad you’re a coach.
One of my students, a girl named Lauren, told me she pitched again since the last time I’d seen her. (More on that in a minute.) Lauren has been taking lessons for a couple of years but never had much chance to pitch in games. Most of the time it was due to joining teams where they already had established, experienced pitchers, although she missed an opportunity in middle school because she was too shy to speak up and say she pitched.
As anyone who’s coached anything knows, at some point you just have to get in there and do it. This year, on her freshman HS team, Lauren finally got that opportunity. She throws hard, but was having some control trouble in practices that I would attribute to nerves as much as anything. The other pitchers on her team had game experience, but she didn’t have much.
Anyway, I went out to watch one of her games. She was the third pitcher in when her team was blowing out their opponents. She was a little amped up, and a little nervous, and had some trouble. Most of it was throwing high. She was bringing heat — looked to me that she was the fastest on either team — but she gave up a couple of walks early before finally settling down. I was a little worried that a risk-averse coach would decided he didn’t want to take the chance on another outing. Fortunately, that wasn’t true.
She told me she’d actually pitched twice since last week. The first game she got a couple of innings in. She walked a couple to start off, but then settled in and struck out the side, so no harm no foul.
She finally got a start after that. She told me she did well. Her mom, Brenda, however corrected that statement: she pitched a no-hitter. Lauren dismissed it because the team they played didn’t hit very well, but I told her a no-hitter is an accomplishment against anyone. Usually even a bad team has one or two kids who can hit, and even if they don’t some duck snort or ground ball with eyes leaks through.
So that’s very cool. It’s a testament to Lauren and her willingness to stick with it, even in the face of adversity and a lack of opportunity. When the opportunity came, she made the most of it.
By the way, the reason my heart was in my throat was when she started to describe her outings she made it seem like she did poorly. Totally suckered me in with that. I was quite relieved to hear she did well. I fully expect with some experience and confidence in her back pocket that she’s at the start of a long and successful career.
Deja vu all over again
Over the last two weeks I have had one of those really interesting experiences that reminds you that life keeps marching on.
I am doing some pitching clinics on Sunday afternoons. Each is a one-hour clinic with a few kids from their local rec leagues. The clinics repeat for several Sundays, so I do have the chance to do the kind of repetitive work that leads to improvement.
A new group started on March 8. As I was introducing myself to them I looked at one of the girls (Caitlyn) and she seemed vaguely familiar. I stopped in mid-sentence and said “I’ve worked with you before, haven’t I?” She smiled and said yes. Turns out she had done this same type of clinic with me two or three years ago.
The thing is, she was probably around 10 years old then. She is now 13, I think, and has changed considerably. Back when I worked with her before she was a small, slightly built girl who was just finding her way athletically. She is now a teen, around 5′ 6″ tall and athletic-looking.
I’m pretty sure that I accidentally pushed her down once when I was trying to demonstrate how to push off the rubber. At the time she wasn’t getting it, so I gave her a little push from behind, her foot came down early and down she went. I mentioned that to her and we both had a laugh. She wasn’t sure if it was her but thought it might’ve been.
Then this past week a new girl joined that group. Her name is Claire. I don’t remember her quite as well, but she told me she had done this clinic with me a couple of years ago as well. She did seem familiar, but again I am used to seeing her as a little kid, not a teen.
It really is something when you see someone like that after a couple of years — especially at those two ages. They really do change a lot in a couple of years.
One good thing I saw is that they both maintained a lot of the mechanics we had worked on. Each has some things to work on, but we didn’t have to start over from scratch. Caitlyn even remembered the changeup I’d taught her back then and threw it well this past Sunday. Nice to see the work we put in stuck. When they come in for clinics and then go away you just never know.
Adidas ad — whoops!
Just took a look at the Dick’s Sporting Goods GameOn catalog, which features products for baseball and softball. As I was paging through, I stopped at page 18, where there’s a full page ad for Adidas that features Monica Abbott in mid-pitch. Cool, I thought.
Then I looked at her feet. I first noticed her aggressive stride. Then I looked at the other foot. Her pivot foot is clearly an inch or two off the ground. Not a lot, just an inch or two. But it is off the ground. I guess the folks at Adidas don’t know the fastpitch pitching rules for women.
Nothing much to add to it. I was just sort of amused. You would think if you’re a shoe company that you would’ve looked at the shoes.
It must be Jerk Week
You know how The Discovery Channel has Shark Week? For the fastpitch softball world this must be Jerk Week. On Sunday I heard yet another story of someone who just doesn’t get it.
A former student of mine, a girl named Kaity, is helping coach the varsity team at a local high school in an economically disadvantaged area. It’s a small pocket of poverty in an otherwise middle class area. Of course, in an area like that, things like travel ball (or possibly even rec ball) are non-existent. None of the girls there can afford the private instruction, high-level play, or even decent equipment in a lot of cases that every other high school in the conference has. Some in abundance.
Kaity told me last week she went to the athletic director at the school and asked for some money to purchase a few Easton Incrediballs the girls could use for indoor practice. She especially wanted them for the girls who have volunteered to learn how to pitch in the next three weeks. Yes, that’s right. A few girls are going to spend three weeks trying to learn to chuck the ball toward the plate so the team can play at the varsity level.
In any case, she said the athletic director’s response was, “Win a game first. Then you can ask for equipment.” What an incredibly insensitive, shortsighted and unrealistic statement. In other words, the statement of a jerk. I’m sorry, but there’s no way this team is going to win a game, particularly in conference. They’d have trouble beating most 12U teams in my area, and that’s no exaggeration. Expecting them to beat even an average HS varsity team is beyond unrealistic. It’s moronic.
The AD should be happy that they are fielding a team at all. In this area, if they can get 12 girls on the team, that’s 12 girls who have something to do besides fall in with a bad crowd, take drugs, get pregnant, or suffer other consequences. I’ve seen them play, and while they’re awful from year to year, the girls who are there always seem to be glad to have the opportunity to play. For many, it’s their first team sport ever. Why would you not want to try to give them at least some chance of improving?
Fortunately, Fred Popp at Grand Slam USA in Spring Grove is a great guy. He heard the story and donated five balls for them to use. (The fact that Kaity used to take lessons from me there when she was in high school certainly helped, but Fred’s just that kind of guy.) He did what the AD should’ve done.
Kaity and the head coach will be doing their best, but it’s an uphill battle to say the least. You’d think your AD would offer support instead of put-downs. But apparently that’s too much to ask.
As I said, it seems like it’s Jerk Week.
The nicest compliment a coach can get
I was talking to the mom of one of my students tonight, a girl named Lauren, and she told me one of those stories that makes me glad to be a coach.
Lauren had her high school tryouts last week. When she came in for her Monday lesson she was kind of down. She didn’t feel like she had done well and was a little concerned about her chances. We had a pretty good lesson, I gave her a few words of encouragement, and she went home.
Tonight her mom told me it was just what she needed. She woke up Tuesday morning all pumped up, and went in and nailed her tryout.
As coaches we spend a lot of our time working on the mechanics and physical skills. We sometimes forget about the mental part. Boosting a player’s self-esteem can sometimes do more for them than a whole boat full of drills. It’s important to remember that that’s a big part of the job. And when you’re successful it’s a great feeling!
Thanks for your comments, and keep them coming
Just wanted to take a few moments to thank everyone for their comments lately. It’s important to get discussions going, as we all learn more.
I like seeing the activity. You don’t have to agree with what I say to comment either. I might argue with you, but only with the best of intentions. So keep ’em coming. Dialog beats monolog any day!
Embrace adversity
This is probably a direct result of Stacie at the Fastpitch Softball Blog. I saw her post yesterday “Feeling Quoty” and liked it. Then lo and behold, in my day planner this morning I ran across a quote I liked so much I thought I’d pass on. It reads:
“Kites rise highest against the wind — not with it.” The source of the quote is Winston Churchill, a man who knew a thing or two about getting through tough times.
So what does that mean? To me it says that facing difficulties in your life helps make you a better, more complete person. As long as you can stand up to the winds of adversity you will come out the other end at a higher level than when you started. And often it’s the adversity we face that makes us who we are. As another great leader said, “I don’t want to lose my pain. It’s what makes me who I am.” — Captain Kirk
Softball is a game built on failure, and failure is a form of adversity. When that happens — whether it’s striking out, walking too many hitters, booting a ground ball, dropping a fly ball, or not making a team you want to be on — you have two choices. You can feel sorry for yourself, get all down, go into a shell and make things worse. Or you can rise above it, learn from the experience, embrace the lesson and use it all to make you a better person as well as a better ballplayer.
What happens to you is often outside your control. What you do with what happens to you, and how you react to it, is entirely within your control. When the winds of adversity blow, be a kite.
Life in the Fastpitch Lane 