This is an excellent example of something I’ve been doing for years. Particularly as a girls’ softball coach. I don’t know much about the mechanics of pitching in fast-pitch softball. So, when one of our pitchers is struggling, I am unable to suggest anything in her windup or release to help. But, I know I need to do something so that the young lady doesn’t get and stay in her own head and continue to struggle. My go-to is to tell a terrible joke. Sometimes the player doesn’t even get it. Every time, their first reaction is to look at me like, “WHAT?!?!?!”
This isn’t just a recreational sports trick, either. I wasn’t the manager of the high school softball team I coached last season; I wasn’t the one going to the mound. However, I could sense our pitcher was starting to get down on herself. So, I caught her as she was coming into the dugout at the end of an inning and told her one of my bad jokes. She chuckled. That wasn’t the point. After our half of the inning, she returned to the mound. After a walk and a hit batter, she seemed poised to implode. I yelled the punchline out to her. I doubt anyone knew what was going on, but I saw the little smile cross her face.
What’s the big deal? Well, this kind of coaching builds a relationship with the players. One that says, we’re out here playing a game that’s supposed to be fun. So, have fun. It shows that none of us should take ourselves too seriously. Oh, and much like my experience in these cases, the high school pitcher in my example above…she threw a strike the next pitch and her demeanor brightened significantly.
Hustle & Attitude 