You are not your stats. Softball is what you do but it is not who you are. Make sure you’re developing who you are the same way you’re developing your skills.
A bad game doesn’t mean you’re a bad player. A bad at-bat doesn’t mean you’re a bad hitter. A bad error doesn’t mean you’re a bad fielder. Learn what your weaknesses are and come back tomorrow ready to work on them!
Not every at bat, game, or weekend is going to be perfect. Take the bad as a lesson and learn to love analyzing your own game. We can improve every moment and if that’s not one of the coolest things about this sport I’m not sure what is.
Coaches that care about the PERSON behind the PLAYER are my favorite. I strive to make sure my players know that I’m not just here to coach them on the field, but to support them off of it as well.
‼️ RECRUITS ‼️ - If you are not willing to put in the work in high school, then why do you think you’d be willing to put in the work in college? Think deeply about what you want and then commit unrelentlessly to achieve it.
Sending emails to college coaches can be incredibly nerve-wracking. But if you aren’t sending those emails, really, how are they supposed to know who you are?
There are so many great schools out there - 2022’s it’s okay if you have not found the one yet!! Keep grinding, keep contacting the coaches of programs that you’re interested in. You will find the right fit !
The way you treat others matters more than the number of wins next to your name. Effective communication will last you a lot longer than a dusty trophy.
Three ways to get your name crossed out at a tryout:
1️⃣ Not hustling on and off the field
2️⃣ Not recovering after a mistake
3️⃣ Being rude to other players or coaches
Do the work because you love it. Do the work because it leads you to your goal. Do the work because there is always someone behind you waiting for you to get too comfortable.
Part of being a good teammate is listening and applying corrections given to OTHERS. Just because the coach didn’t specifically say it to YOU does not mean it doesn’t apply to you.
The
@NCAA
and
@NCAAsoftball
should be ashamed of themselves for not planning better. A post 11pm start and requiring the winning team to play mid afternoon the next day is ridiculous. Change is needed NOW to better support these athletes.
Nobody can put the work in for you. Coaches can guide you, support you, and motivate you when times are tough, but YOU decide when to work and how much work to put in. That’s the beauty - you’re in control of your development.
I don’t need to coach or train the BEST. I just need to work with the hungriest, the ones that won’t give up, the ones whose hustle outpaces pure talent.
The world is so cruel - if you contribute to that cruelness but commenting negative things about my players on any video I post - I automatically block you. There’s no reason for a 13 year old to be commenting “lol she sucks” on a video of a player trying to get better.
I am a HUGE fan of the transfer portal. This is a tool that athletes can use to make a decision that is best FOR THEM. For all those judging them, did you stay at your college you chose at 15-18 all for years? Have you switched jobs in less than four years? Stop judging.
Let’s get some 2022’s seen! Drop your favorite defensive or offensive clip from your summer season here - no explanation. Let your skills do the talking 🎉🎉
Curious with the recruiting dead period and the recruiting rules in place, how can 2025’s be committing to D1 schools? Did I miss a change in the rules? Looking to understand and appreciate any insights!
Mental toughness is the difference between allowing a tough game to become a tough tournament, a tough day to become a tough week, and a bad rep to become a bad game. Short term memory is key!
Let’s all work to uplift the softball players in our lives in 2021 and to grow the game wherever possible. A 5 minute conversation with a Rec or school team could mean a player feels inspired to pursue this wonderful game!
The work you do when no one is watching is the work that matters the most. Translating what you’re doing during lessons and practice into your muscle memory is no one’s responsibility except your own!
It’s a great day to set your weekly intentions. Focus on the big three:
1️⃣ Academics
2️⃣ Well-Being
3️⃣ Softball
Write down one goal for the week for each category and when things get stressful, go back to these focus areas.
I started following this girl maybe two weeks ago and the grind I see her making is just inspiring. She WILL reach her goals because she’s out working and out hustling EVERY DAY.
Most athletes start playing their sport when they’re young but some may not fall in love with it until they’re a bit older and that’s okay! Your love of the game is valid whether you just started or have loved it since tee ball.
No more than a month ago we were mourning the loss of a collegiate softball athletes who took their own life, and now as we see players entering the transfer portal the LACK of empathy I see on here makes me pray those young women have thick skins and tough minds. Be better.
How badly you want something should directly correlate to the work you put in. If you want to be the best then you have to train the smartest and the hardest to do that.
I took two weeks off both my 9-5 and live lessons. At first I felt immediate regret, was I being lazy while other coaches were out there hustling? But I needed these two weeks to recenter, to learn more, and to launch new offerings for my players. Now though, time to get to work.
Sometimes all you need to level up is a coach that believes in you and is patient enough to help you get there.
Sometimes all you need is a coach that believes in you and isn’t going to let you make excuses.
When these two are the same person - you’re in good hands.
Negative thoughts rarely lead to positive results. The sooner you can own your thought process both before and during the game, the sooner you can elevate your game further than you’ve ever believed.
Please don’t compare your gifts or blessings to someone else’s. Not everyone gets a brand new bat, car, puppy, etc. Not everyone gets to spend the day with loved ones or in an accepting environment.
#PostDontBoast
It’s so important to give your body and mind a BREAK every once in a while. For me, this means no in person lessons this week. Taking time to be with my immediate family, catch up on some reading, and goal set for 2021.
Training for your goals doesn’t always mean fun. It means sacrifice. Practice instead of parties. Sleep instead of social media scrolling. Studying instead of social events. You don’t have to sacrifice all the time but you do have to prioritize all of the time.
Doing the little things helps set you up to be able to do the big things. What you don’t see behind the diving plays is the hours that go in to timing, glovework, and mental drills. Are you willing to put in the work?
No one is perfect. So why are you constantly expecting perfection and disappointing yourself every time? This goes for players, parents, and coaches. Let’s set realistic goals for our girls and teams.
Every player needs something - whether it’s tough love, an extra smile, poking a little fun at them. The sooner you can figure out that need the better your connection will be with them.
Everyone is going to have an opinion of you. But the person’s opinion that matters the most is yourself. Make sure you’re proud of who you are - in actions, conversations, and online.
If you practice like a beast but perform poorly in games we need to:
1. Input game-like situations into your practices and training
2. Work on your mental preparation and game day visualization.
Tomorrow is National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). I’m going to be highlighting some awesome girls with stories of their “why’s.” If you want to be featured, shoot me a DM!!
There is nothing worse than looking back at a play and saying “I should have tried harder.” If you’re going to miss - miss because you took a great angle and laid out. Effort over EVERYTHING else.
Don’t just go to practice - BE at practice. Connect with your teammates. Use every moment to learn, whether you are taking active reps or inactive reps.
High school softball in NJ is now a shortened season from April through end of June, interrupting the travel/club ball schedules of both players AND coaches. Here’s a few reasons why I think this is an issue:
The ideal team player is intelligent, humble, and hungry. Take inventory and figure out which of these you are lacking in. There is always room to grow.
Took a day off yesterday because I was feeling under the weather. For the first hour that I laid in bed my thoughts were “you’re fine. Just get up and power through. You’re tougher than this.” But then I accepted that I just needed a day and today feel 1000% better.
Your effort has to match your aspirations.
Olympian-level goals? Olympian-level effort.
College-level goals? College-level effort.
Varsity-level goals? Varsity-level effort.
Taking feedback is an underrated mental skill. The ability of listening to UNDERSTAND vs. listening to RESPOND takes self-awareness and, like most other things, practice.
The hardest part of being a coach is tryouts. Knowing that some families will get bad news and curating teams that are best for each individual is HARD.
Had a player last night call me and tell me she no longer wanted to pursue playing in college. Thanked me for my support up until this point. THAT is the right way to self deselect from the process.