Building Competitiveness
I hope you all tuned into Athletes Unlimited Softball's Opening Weekend last week! I absolutely loved playing on Team Chiddy. I'm on Team Mulipola (Blue) this weekend, so continue to watch, support, and learn from the best players in our game! Full schedule here.
One of the things that stood out to me most after talking to Chiddy about what her draft strategy as a captain was was that she was looking for competitors. She wanted to draft hitters that WANTED the at bat and pitchers that WANTED the ball. Competitiveness was a core value for that team and it brought out the best in everybody.
My question is - as a coach, do you value competitiveness? Young women are often told to not show their emotions, not to be upset or angry if they have a bad game, that they are being selfish if they decide to show those emotions. I say to hell with that. Let young women be angry. It's being competitive. That quality is what drives athletes to greatness (juat watch The Last Dance or The Captain). You think mindsets like that only apply to male athletes? Come into the Athletes Unlimited dugouts, the Team USA dugouts... You are going to see the same intense mentalities. The only difference is the paychecks (that's a topic for another day).
Growing up, I had a lot of coaches tell me I was too emotional, that I took my at bats too seriously, that I needed to "get over it" quicker when I was experiencing failure, and a lot of coaches thought I was "selfish." But, my dad and my brothers fostered and nurtured that competitive quality in me. Me being angry after a bad at bat wasn't selfish, I'm not angry that I failed. I'm angry because I want to win. Winning is what is most important. I have high standards for myself and when I don't meet those, I'm not going to act all sunshine and rainbows. Will I preach positivity? Always. Do I believe that failure in this game in inevitable? Absolutely. But will you ever want to win more than me? No. That's my mindset and that's why I'm still playing at 28 years old.
So to every kid that thinks they care too much... Hang on. I've been there. I believe you're on the right path.
Coaches/Parents - here are some practical ways to build healthy competitiveness into your teams.
1. Compete Every Practice - play games ALWAYS. Whether it's in batting practice, on defense, or live scrimmages. Foster a healthy standard of competition and emphasize winning.
2. Pace - there is a time to slow down and discuss, but one of the things I have found that has helped me so much mentally is having a fast paced training session. If I have a bad swing, it's immediately onto the next swing until I get it right. Make the athlete want to get it right themselves. You do not have to make a correction every rep they take.
3. When you lose - always remind the athletes of what they learned. It's about growth. We will not win every game we play, but we can learn something new every game we play. The goal is always to win, but when we don't, there is still an opportunity to get better. As a coach/parent, it's your job to guide them toward that growth. That learning process ignites a fire within to win like nothing else can.
Compete this week and don't be afraid to be angry.
--Halo
