Effort and attitude


Jen Schroeder was a catcher at UCLA and currently is a softball coach.	Photo By: Jen Schroeder

The most winningest female coach of all time, Sue Enquist, used to always tell me: “There are only two things in the game of softball that you can control; your effort , and your attitude .” As a player, I took this statement to heart, and as a coach, I continue to preach her message.

EFFORT:

How hard do you try? What kind of effort are you giving? It’s not about being the most talented player on the field, it’s about being the hardest working. My dad used to always tell me “Work now, play later.” I’m going to admit, I haven’t always been the greatest in accepting advice, but I wish I had taken that line to heart a little more.

Not one coach or parent can force a player to work hard, but ultimately, one of two players will emerge: 1) the player that takes a gamble, hoping her talent will get the job done for her, or 2) the player that puts the work in, day after day, to give her talent the best chance of showing up on game day.

I remember being 13 years old. In my backyard. Alone. Setting up a tee. Taking swing after swing. Twenty inside, twenty middle, twenty outside, repeat. You know the list of chores parents leave on the kitchen counter during the summer? My families looked like this: 1) clean room 2) put away dishes 3) vacuum hall 4) hit off the tee. Obviously, the idea of putting forth an “effort” was ingrained in me at a young age, but ultimately, it was up to me to do so. Now, don’t get me wrong, sure, I slacked off, but every time I did, it haunted me on game day.

Remember, no one controls how hard you try, but YOU. So, sprint onto that softball field, yell a little louder, be the first person at practice, and the last person to leave. Be in control of your own successes, trust me, it’s worth the time.

ATTITUDE:

Do you like striking out? No! No one does, that’s obvious. The real question is: Are you going to let that strike out effect your psyche for the rest of the game? You better say no. Your attitude and how you respond to failure, is the second thing that only YOU can control.

As a former player I understand how “mental” the sport of softball is. Think about it, if you get a hit 5 out of 10 times, you are almost guaranteed All-American status. That’s failing just as much as you are succeeding, an F on an academic test. Therefore, the game of softball must be about staying positive and conquering adversity.

If you are the player who strikes out and immediately your chin drops, you shake your head, and the pitch that you just K’d on is repeating over and over in your head, then this message is for you. Let it go. Flush it. Get over it. You are going to have another at bat, you are probably going to have another hundred at bats. Don’t let your negative mindset affect the rest of your game. The most successful softball players are the one’s that can adjust the quickest and stay positive, the ones that always see a chance to get better through failure.

I know what it is like to have a screaming coach. I know what it is like to have a moron umpire. And, I know what it is like to play in terrible weather conditions. But, I also know that these things are out of my control. I can only control ME, MY mindset, and MY attitude. So I strive to stay positive and learn from my mistakes, and I dare you to do the same.

Effort and Attitude

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Effort and attitude

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