Are You Really Sure This Is What You Want?

Do you want to be a pitcher, or do you just want to pitch? There is a huge difference.

It is an individual decision. Neither choice is better than the other.
You see, one day a kid decides to try pitching. Hey, this is fun! At that time she is simply pitching. Getting into a game is a bright spot in her week. It is one of many activities which give her that feeling. One day she decides to take it to an entirely different level and begins to have college dreams. Now it is time to become a “pitcher”.
That is where so many problems begin. First, this has to be her dream, not something planted by teammates or parents. It never ceases to amaze me how many parents keep suggesting the college goal until the kid finally parrots it. Let me give you a typical scenario. A new student comes for lessons and I ask how far she wants to go with softball. She will say, “I want to play in college.” I will quickly ask why. If she turns to her dad as if to say, “Why do we want to play in college?” we have a problem. It happens far more than you might think. It leads to constant frustration.
All of that aside, we see far too many kids who say they want to pitch in college but are not interested in adopting the discipline necessary to reach that level. This causes so much stress for everyone. Here are the main reasons we see this happen.
-You know the first one. It is a parent’s wish, not that of the kid. The parent gets caught up in the fun of the game and gets starry-eyed and begins to dream big for the kid. Neither of them has a clue what it will take to reach that goal, especially if they are thinking D1. The odds are around 900-to-1 that a 12-year-old will ever become a D1 starter somewhere down the road.
-Other members of the team have that dream and the kid feels a sort of peer pressure to go along with them. Sometimes it is the coach who constantly states that he is preparing members of this team for college softball.
-Pitching is something she enjoys so she wants to keep doing it as long as it is easy and fun. She wants the reward, but has no concept of how to prepare herself for the demands of a much higher level.
-She is not in the proper environment. The level of play in which she is engaged is not getting her ready.
-She is not ready for a change in the cost/reward ratio. At lower levels, she works a little and pitches a lot. She may invest 20-minutes of practice for every hour she gets to be on the mound. To take it to the next level, we always suggest two hours of practice for every hour on the mound, plus proper strength training, making excellent grades, and playing at higher levels where you have to compete every day to be the main pitcher. She may invest as much as 3-hours in preparation for every 45-minutes on the mound. If she is not prepared for this, the wheels fall off the buggy.
-She does not get the support at home. I often see a kid with big dreams and the parents just do not know how to help her set goals, build self-discipline, or practice with purpose. Other times it is heart-breaking because the parents do not have the resources to support the kid’s dreams. All of our Instructors have a kid or two we “adopt”. Sometimes it is a single parent who cannot devote the needed time or money to the kid’s dreams. In all of these cases, we do our best to help.
-Then, there are the parents who simply worry more about their own gratification, so the only thing they contribute is belittling the kid because she cannot magically get there without their help. I am patient, loving and kind to that kid, but that parent is called aside for a serious talk. (Unfortunately these parents are not reading this post. There is a party somewhere)
-She plays for someone who does not have a clue. Well-intentioned people get into coaching who do not have the background or the support system around them to develop kids with college dreams. Parents and players realize, too late, that this was a mistake.
These are just a few things to consider. The big question remains. Is this really her dream and is she willing to pay the price necessary to achieve it? If the answer to either part of the question is no, let her enjoy the game for what it is, save some money by getting off the college exposure trail, take the pressure off of her, and put some of that money you save toward a real vacation this year.
***Note: If you are a former college player who would like to learn about our Instructor Certification process, contact us. You will be surprised about all of the ways we can help you become successful. We believe pitching can be much better in America and are looking for people who have played the college game and have a passion for helping kids succeed.