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This
Conversation Really Tix Me Off!
I had a conversation
today with one of our Elite Pitching students that
really made me mad.
I don’t get mad
easily, but wow, was I ticked off.
Don’t get me wrong,
it wasn’t the student that made me upset, it was the
conversation he had with his coach.
Let me set the stage
for you.
I’ve been working
with this left-handed pitcher for about 5 months
now. He came to me during his junior season with a
passion to be a better pitcher. He has a dream to
pitch in college. A very good student and athlete.
We’ve been working on
his mechanics, his conditioning, his mental
approach, and his college recruiting process.
He has made some
incredible improvements in his pitching mechanics.
His velocity is up 5 to 7 miles per hour. He’s
developed an incredible change, and the curve is
coming along nicely.
He’s got a bit of a
late start in the college recruiting process as he
will be a senior this upcoming season, but he is
working hard at it now.
Bottom line, I think
he has come a long way, and, more importantly, he
feels he’s made some great improvements. A UCLA
coach also thinks he has the tools to play at the
college level. See, our pitcher, we’ll call him
Stewey, (the name was changed to protect the
innocent) went to a camp in early summer at UCLA and
did an incredible job there.
He’s also gone to a
few other showcase events this summer.
Well, on to the
conversation with his coach, we’ll call the coach
Peter Griffin. “Stewey” called coach Griffin today
to see if he could borrow a pair of practice pants
for a showcase he will be attending this weekend at
the University of Washington. Don’t ask me why about
the pants. That’s a story for another time.
At this camp, there
will be college coaches from the UW, George Fox
University, Concordia College and another small
school. A great representation for several levels of
colleges.
When coach Griffin
asked why he needed the pants, Stewey told him about
attending the high school prospect camp at Husky
Ballpark.
The coach’s response
was absolutely astonishing to me. The coach told
Stewey that he was wasting his time, that only studs
would be at this camp and he should focus on junior
colleges and very small colleges in the area. (Read
between the lines. He feels Stewey isn’t a stud and
should shoot for a much lower target.)
Now, Stewey was one
of coach Griffin’s main pitchers last year (a team
that made the playoffs) and will be this year, too.
So, we’re not looking at a slouch athlete. Stewey’s
pretty good. He knows his weaknesses too.
This coach had no
idea what the format of the camp is, the reason
Stewey is attending, or what Stewey’s goals are.
Stewey called me
right after he met with his coach and was really
disillusioned. I think he was looking for
reassurance from me that he should go. Of course, I
said go there and kick some arse.
I’ve adopted the
saying from my mentor, Tom House, that baseball is a
game of failure coached by negative people in a
misinformation environment.
This is a great
example of negative people. Coach Griffin might have
meant well, thought he was giving him stellar
advice, but what does this put-down say to the trust
relationship between the coach and Stewey? This
coach just killed any trust.
Will Stewey think his
coach has respect for his abilities next season?
What will happen when
Stewey runs into some adversity this weekend or next
year or several years down the road?
That coach has given
Stewey an excuse to fail.
Here’s a scenario I
see could happen….. Stewey runs into problems….how
does he react?
I hear him telling
himself, you know, the coach was right, I can’t do
this. I don’t belong….etc., etc., etc.
The absolute worst
thing a coach can do to a student is put doubt in
his mind. Give him an excuse to fail.
Baseball is full of
it……in fact, the world is full of it. Negative
people that will fill your head with doubts.
Stewey has been
working very hard the last few months building his
skills and confidence. This coach could have killed
it in 27 seconds. I don’t think Stewey will let it
affect him, but we’ll never know.
When I was 16, I had
a high-profile, professional pitcher put some doubt
in my mind that, when I look back at it, stuck in my
mind and affected some decisions I made as a
teenager about my baseball career.
What was my advice
for Stewey?
Without trying to be
politically correct, I suggested to Stewey that he
prove his coach wrong and stick it where the sun
don’t shine on the coach.
Use it as motivation.
That’s my advice to
all of you.
If you want something
bad enough and have a reasonable amount of ability,
work hard and smart. Nobody can stop you except
yourself.
The limitations you
put upon yourself will stop you. We all have them.
Figure out what yours are and remove them (that’s a
little part of what we work on in our Life Skills
Programs within our Elite Pitching Classes: creating
goals, finding the motivation to achieve them and
removing your limitations).
We don’t need idiots
like coach Griffin setting limitations. And I use
the word coach loosely here. Coaches don’t do this….
I mean effective coaches. This coach will never
build a winning program with an attitude like that.
Whewww…breathe, Bill,
breathe. I can feel my blood pressure rising right
now.
Ok, I’ll come off my
soapbox now.
Please don’t let
anyone put limitations on you. They are only their
opinions. Who knows what motivation they have to say
such a thing. The only opinion that really matters
is yours.
There. I got that off
my chest.
Still can’t believe
it.
If you are looking
for some help with your pitching, drop by the
academy and check out our fall programs.
If you are one of our
BioForce Faithful and live out of the area, you can
check out our DVDs on the website (
www.bioforcebaseball.com ) if you’re looking for
some great instruction.
Until next time…
Keep working hard and
don’t let the mental midgets get in your way of
success!
P.S. Yes, the story
is true. The names were changed to protect the
innocent….and add a little fun into it. My two boys
will appreciate the humor. For you parents, just ask
your kids who Stewey and Peter Griffin are. It might
enlighten you a little.
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