Focusing on Her Results is a Recipe for Disaster

guest — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:50:38 GMT

Let’s face it, we live in a world today that is OBSESSED and consumed by RESULTS. Never before in human history have our results been so micro-focused on and made so public so quickly. With cell phone cameras, mobile Internet access, You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and other rapidly emerging technologies people’s actions are recorded, publicized and robustly judged within a matterof mere minutes of an event…worldwide. WOW, talk about pressure!

If you are a fastpitch softball player at the high school or travel level it is likely that your coach reports game statistics on MaxPreps.com or Game Changer, so the whole world can see your individual RESULTS, even college coaches. Softball, like baseball, has become a game driven by obscure statistics measuring things like On Base %, WHIP (walks+ hits/inning pitched), RISP Average, Strikeout to Walk Ratio, Fielding %, ERA, Slugging %, Quality AB Ratio, and a few dozen more obscure ones.

Over and above the keeping of statistics in fastpitch softball is the moment by moment scrutiny of players’ performances by their coaches and parents. Fastpitch softball is a game of individual battles within the team game. As a result each player will be judged on her individual performance over and above whatever her team does that day. As we cover elsewhere in this book, a fastpitch softball player may have 6-10 plays per game that she will be judged on as good or bad, as a success or failure (more if your athlete is a pitcher). A coach, parent or player will absolutely keep score of the performance that day guaranteed.

With this much scrutiny and pressure the KEY for your athlete’s developing a healthy and successful approach to playing the game ofsoftball is in SHIFTING of her focus AWAY from the RESULTS or outcomes of her performance and, rather, focus on the PROCESS or effort involved in the event or action. This is perhaps the single most important factor in producing confident, successful, happy athletes.

Get your athlete ready for the 2012 season!

LET ME REPEAT THAT…focusing on an athlete’s RESULTS only is not only a bad idea, it’s a confidence killer that will do more to harm your athlete’s potential to become a consistent, peak performer and her love for the game that any other single factor!

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Focusing on Her Results is a Recipe for Disaster