When I used to help coach my daughter’s travel softball team, I had three rules I made the girls recite before each game. There is a fourth I will expound upon later, but it was not part of the pre-game ritual. Recently, I have been reflecting on these rules, and the more I thought about them, I believe they have applicability to life in general. I will share and talk about them here.
First rule. Start fast. Who does not want to get ahead early? I think there are two types of people. People who take the ball and run with it and those who watch others run with it and then take the ball. I think watching before jumping in can be valuable but getting ahead early also matters. You can apply this to how you start your day. Wake up early and do something productive for you. For me, it helps set the tone for the day. If the rest of the day goes to hell in a handbasket, at least you have done something productive for you that keeps you grounded and whole for the day. This can be exercise, meditation, or whatever is important to you. I think to give to others, it is important you be whole and grounded first. Do this, and you have the opportunity to start fast and get ahead.
Second rule. Little things count. In other words, details matter. I had a coach that would argue with me and say – big things count. Of course, they do. But to win, details matter. Sorry Andy. Stealing a base on a change up pitch. Tagging up from second on a deep ball to right field. These are details to advance bases to put yourself in scoring position. If not, it is a lot harder to score – which is part of winning after all. I was fortunate enough to coach college football for Mark Duffner, who went on to coach in the NFL for a number of years. He used to give a talk called “Little Things.” It was about how details matter. For instance, always be sure you catch a punt. How many times have you seen a punt not caught only to have it roll backwards another 10 to 15 yards? That is lost yardage – thus a longer way to score. A little thing that is a big deal. So, put two returners deep to be sure the punt is caught. The point of this in life is – an attention to detail matters. Accuracy is important. If you do the little things right, often the big things take care of themselves as long as you communicate a broader vision of success.
Rule Three. Know where you are going with the ball before each pitch. In other words, think ahead. Anticipate. Look around corners. This is meaningful in life. In my work world, we talk consistently about looking around corners. Moves and counter moves. Anticipate. Think ahead and think it through in advance. That way, when your time comes you have already played a scenario in your mind. Why is practice so important in athletics or anything? Because you are simulating what may happen and when the time comes you are ready. Practicing. Anticipating. These are skills you carry with you your whole life.
Last rule. How will you respond to something going bad? In a softball game, something bad always happens to your team. You make an error. You strike out. It’s not the error or striking out that matters. It is how you respond to it. Are your going to sulk and go in the tank or overcome the adversity, flush the bad mojo, and move on and make the next opportunity better? Again, something true in life. Life is full of failure – falling down. Will you get back up? Can you overcome the bad stuff and make it better? This is where winners and champions are made. Do you want to be good or great? If you want to be great, you overcome the adversity, shake off the bad stuff and move ahead. True in athletics and in life.
So, to wrap up, I believe athletics are a great teacher of life lessons. The four rules above are those that translate directly from the softball field to lessons for life. The beauty of athletics. Being able to impart life lessons in youth sports that translate to, provide tools for, and building blocks for later in life.
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