Daily Barks

“Ability
is what you’re capable of doing

Motivation
determines what you do

Attitude
determines how well you do it.”

DONT COUNT YOUR DAYS. MAKE YOUR DAYS COUNT!!!!

A college recruiter will never ask you about your 8-14u travel ball team record. Focus on DEVELOPMENT!!!

I could Probably throw harder if I wanted, But why? When their in a jam, a lot of pitchers try to throw harder. Me, I just try and locate better.
Greg Madux

“You Know what makes me sick to my stomach ? When I hear grown people say that kids have changed. Kids haven’t changed. Kids don’t know anything about anything. We’ve changed as adults. We demand less of kids.We expect less of kids. We make their lives easier instead of preparing them for what life is truly about. Were the ones that have changed.”

Frank Martin
Head SC Basketball Coach

While there are physical elements necessary to be considered a great athlete, the most important characteristics are all choices that athletes make and all within every athlete’s control. “Like what?” you might ask. Having a teachable spirit, integrity, discipline, mental toughness, accountability, and selflessness are critical to becoming a truly great athlete. The beauty of each of these is they require no special skill, talent, or physical qualities. You just have to choose to make these characteristics a part of who you are. Choose to become the best you are capable of becoming.

I voted for……..

Baseball fields that have a outfield fence, no more singles that turn into home runs.
Parks with clean restrooms for parents
Snack bars with a good variety
Snack bars that have coffee for the early morning start times
Tournaments that give the players a free tourney shirt instead of charging them 15.00
Tournaments that reward good fair teams with good parents and fans, keep the shady ones away.
Tournaments that are about the kids not about the money
Fields that are dragged before every game
Decent mounds
Decent foul lines
Decent batter boxes
Umpires all on the same page, same rules !
Tourneys to run and start on time
No participation trophy
No awards for silver bracket
Bad loud rude parents to be thrown out and banned for the rest of the tourney .

“The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others.”

Are you a Helicopter Parent
posted by NCSA

Do not call out your son or daughter’s coach about a play called or decision made during the game.

Not ever. Remember, coaches will have what’s best for the team on their mind. If it seems like that might not be the case, take time to think through your reaction, and what makes you question their motivation. At the very least, you’ll give yourself a chance not to react emotionally — and it’ll allow the coach to continue to focus on the team and competition at hand.

Really, anything other than positive cheering is not permitted at a game.

*No negative words or gestures from the sidelines.
*Do not talk about other players, parents, or the coach in any breath other than the upmost compliment.
*Under no circumstances should you taunt the refs, the other team, or parents from the other team; if someone tries to engage with you, ignore them.

Leave the coaching to the coach, especially at home.

Your child loves you. They love playing sports. They love when you support them in their sport, and it’s important to support their coach, too.

Unless your son or daughter approaches you with a question or in need of advice or critique, don’t approach them unless it’s positive, like by saying “I love to watch you play.”

Remove “we” from your sports or recruiting vocabulary when talking about your son or daughter.

“We” aren’t going to college. “We” don’t have 3.2 GPA. “We” didn’t narrow our choices down to five schools.

Your child needs your support through the recruiting process. “It takes a village,” after all. But when it comes down to it, it’s your student-athlete who is going to college, and will need to be responsible for earning that GPA, or passing the SAT/ACT with a certain score, or working hard enough in their sport to compete at the next level.

Whether it’s choosing to stay in state or skip the old man’s alma mater, make sure your student-athlete knows they have your help and support as they work toward becoming the best version of themselves they can be.

Slow the Game Down
The most important mental game concept to master in order to maximize talent is slowing the game down. The game slows down on it’s own when you are feeling confident, comfortable, and in control. But during those times when pressure increases or when you find yourself questioning your abilities, there are a few simple keys that can help keep the game from speeding up. Shifting to an external focus is the best way to slow your perception of time. Hitters can do this by improving their tracking skills. Pitchers need to balance their external focus between broad and narrow channels and not every pitcher will find that balance in the same way. But the common thread for pitchers that master the external balance between broad and narrow is developing a rhythm that keeps their mechanics and game awareness in tact. Automatic thinking is another way to slow the game down. Practice, learning through experience, and using confidence are all ways to turn conscious processes into automatic ones. Remember that time isn’t speeding up and slowing down, it’s our perception of time that is changing. That perception is under your control. And it’s your key to performing under pressure.