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Here's more wisdom, courtesy of Dave Leffew.............................
Most of you are well into the process of TRYOUTS and are starting to feel some ADULT FRUSTRATION!!! From the anxiety of joining a different team, to not being selected to I CAN'T DECIDE, Amie and I are hearing it all. We feel for you but it is a lesson in life, as all of us adults have had similar tough choices to make dealing with jobs and where to live. So, get busy, deal with your decision, look for other options and make a choice.
For those of you who have already chosen your NEW TEAM and are worried about fitting in, this is very normal. Most of the time all the worries are unfounded and you will find that out after a few practices. You must have had some good reasons for making the choice, so give it some time.
For those of you who have had several TRYOUTS with no phone call of acceptance, be patient. You might want to examine if your tryout choices might not have been the correct teams for your skill level. There are elite teams, good teams, average teams and recreation teams. You will fit in somewhere. Ask Amie or myself our opinion of your abilities. You might have to go down a level and then work hard to move up. If you have the skill level but still aren't chosen then examine your attitude. Are you a bad teammate? Poor loser?? Whiner??
For those of you who are sitting on 3 or 4 teams who want you, DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!! If all you can do is pitch, then pick the team that is going to give you the most pitching time. If you want to play other postions and pitch, pick a team that will let you. If you want to hit, pick a team that lets pitchers hit. If you like the toughest competition out there, pick the most talented team. If you are a college prospect, pick the team with the best schedule and coaches with connections. Know what your needs are and make the decision that is best for you.
What if your old team lost a lot of good players and you are the only good pitcher left and your old coach is a great person?? Tough choice here, but DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!!! Sometimes this happens and from my experience if you are a good pitcher and stay with a team that you know is going to be bad, then you just made a BIG MISTAKE!! Be tough, be honest, tell the coach and move on.
What if your HIGH SCHOOL COACH IS PUSHING ME TO PLAY FOR A TEAM that i just don't like. We feel that if you are an elite pitcher you need to play for an elite team and if the team is not elite, then those coaches are actually holding you back. We feel that a talented player will not improve if you are on a team that is below your level. I know that the fear of not being able to play for your high school is a factor, but IF YOU ARE TRULY AN ELITE PLAYER, YOU WILL BE ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TEAM.
After all this and if you still haven't found the right fit, then just WAIT!!! Because so many things can happen like pitchers getting hurt, pitchers switching, families moving, there is ALWAYS A DEMAND FOR PITCHERS IN THE SPRING. So, work hard all winter and be prepared for that email from Amie and I that SOMEONE NEEDS A PITCHER!
This document was produced by Leffew Fastpitch and can be reproduced and shared if credit is given to Leffew Fastpitch
Most of you are well into the process of TRYOUTS and are starting to feel some ADULT FRUSTRATION!!! From the anxiety of joining a different team, to not being selected to I CAN'T DECIDE, Amie and I are hearing it all. We feel for you but it is a lesson in life, as all of us adults have had similar tough choices to make dealing with jobs and where to live. So, get busy, deal with your decision, look for other options and make a choice.
For those of you who have already chosen your NEW TEAM and are worried about fitting in, this is very normal. Most of the time all the worries are unfounded and you will find that out after a few practices. You must have had some good reasons for making the choice, so give it some time.
For those of you who have had several TRYOUTS with no phone call of acceptance, be patient. You might want to examine if your tryout choices might not have been the correct teams for your skill level. There are elite teams, good teams, average teams and recreation teams. You will fit in somewhere. Ask Amie or myself our opinion of your abilities. You might have to go down a level and then work hard to move up. If you have the skill level but still aren't chosen then examine your attitude. Are you a bad teammate? Poor loser?? Whiner??
For those of you who are sitting on 3 or 4 teams who want you, DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!! If all you can do is pitch, then pick the team that is going to give you the most pitching time. If you want to play other postions and pitch, pick a team that will let you. If you want to hit, pick a team that lets pitchers hit. If you like the toughest competition out there, pick the most talented team. If you are a college prospect, pick the team with the best schedule and coaches with connections. Know what your needs are and make the decision that is best for you.
What if your old team lost a lot of good players and you are the only good pitcher left and your old coach is a great person?? Tough choice here, but DO WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU!!! Sometimes this happens and from my experience if you are a good pitcher and stay with a team that you know is going to be bad, then you just made a BIG MISTAKE!! Be tough, be honest, tell the coach and move on.
What if your HIGH SCHOOL COACH IS PUSHING ME TO PLAY FOR A TEAM that i just don't like. We feel that if you are an elite pitcher you need to play for an elite team and if the team is not elite, then those coaches are actually holding you back. We feel that a talented player will not improve if you are on a team that is below your level. I know that the fear of not being able to play for your high school is a factor, but IF YOU ARE TRULY AN ELITE PLAYER, YOU WILL BE ON YOUR HIGH SCHOOL TEAM.
After all this and if you still haven't found the right fit, then just WAIT!!! Because so many things can happen like pitchers getting hurt, pitchers switching, families moving, there is ALWAYS A DEMAND FOR PITCHERS IN THE SPRING. So, work hard all winter and be prepared for that email from Amie and I that SOMEONE NEEDS A PITCHER!
This document was produced by Leffew Fastpitch and can be reproduced and shared if credit is given to Leffew Fastpitch
