Performing vs. competing

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Performing vs. competing: It's a given in travel ball that our girls are learning to compete, it's a combination of things we teach as well as just the reality of being on a team and playing against an opponent. We will sometimes say " she did not perform well today" and there is nothing wrong with that statement but I think it is that line of thinking that haunts some kids when we start talking about being recruited. I have seen many really good athletes, who play at a really high level who all of a sudden freeze up or start over thinking when they are first introduced to the idea of a college coach coming to watch them play. They freeze up or play tight because they are trying to all of a sudden "perform" on the field for a coach. As parents and coaches we need to have this conversation as soon as we realize our girls want to play at the next level. The reality is, coaches are going to come and watch you play. What are they looking for when they come? They are looking for competitive spirit and athletic ability. You can assume that if you are on a coaches radar, you have some of the skills and athletic ability already, you are not going to change that in a few seconds. Go out and compete against the opposing pitcher and the rest of the team with a laser like focus and a competitive spirit. You should not be aware of where the coach is standing and should not look to see what their reactions are to anything that happens. You need to be competing to beat the other team. This has a certain look that coaches recognize, you should be practicing it at your individual workouts, team practice and every game you play. That way when a coach shows up, you don't have to perform, you just do what you have trained yourself to do: COMPETE!

Keep working toward perfection!

Jack Jenkins

 

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Jack very well written! You touch on the "other half" of the game that separates the elite players from the others. Fearing "big game" situations is a LEARNED behavior! Many of us invest a substantial amount of money to get our daughters top-notch batting/pitching coaches while forgetting it's all for nothing if they can't execute when it matters most (under pressure). If you wonder why your daughter struggles with this part of the game look in the mirror and look at her coaches. That's where she will learn 95% of what she knows about handling pressure filled situations. Kids who learn early to focus on the things within their control (i.e. hard work, hustle, practice) and forget about things they can't control (i.e. bad umps, occasional mistakes, spectators) tend to operate in games (and life) with their emotions in check.

 

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Jack very well written! You touch on the "other half" of the game that separates the elite players from the others. Fearing "big game" situations is a LEARNED behavior! Many of us invest a substantial amount of money to get our daughters top-notch batting/pitching coaches while forgetting it's all for nothing if they can't execute when it matters most (under pressure). If you wonder why your daughter struggles with this part of the game look in the mirror and look at her coaches. That's where she will learn 95% of what she knows about handling pressure filled situations. Kids who learn early to focus on the things within their control (i.e. hard work, hustle, practice) and forget about things they can't control (i.e. bad umps, occasional mistakes, spectators) tend to operate in games (and life) with their emotions in check.

Could not agree more. We just had this exact conversation with the team this weekend, control what you can control.