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Why Not Being Naturally Athletic Made Me Better

1/26/2016

My first pitching coach told my parents they should give up. That I just wasn’t going to cut it and they were wasting their time. Over the next decade, this simple conversation between parents and coach fueled my fire. It came easily to everyone around me, I quickly became the pitcher that was really a first baseman that got a few innings here and there. But that wasn’t enough. I wanted the ball in my hand.

I worked harder, practiced longer, and thought about what I wanted more and more. Pitching was never easy, I had to think harder, focus harder, and push harder than others my age. By the time I got to high school, I was working out at home before school, going to high school practice after school, an hour of pitching, and then off to travel ball practice. Focus, repetition, and drive helped mold me into the type of personal that refused to fail.

I knew that I wanted it more than anyone else. I also knew, I wasn’t as good as the naturally talented girls who could just show up to practice and succeed. It fueled my fire, people told me I couldn’t do it and I knew I wasn’t as good, but I was going to prove them wrong. I took hours outside of practice with coaches and my parents who supported my goals and dreams.
Not being naturally athletic taught me life lessons that I use today in college, coaching, and life in general. I’m so thankful for the fact that I had an amazing support system and found it in myself to push harder than the naturally athletic girls to level the playing field.

No one can tell you that you can’t do something but you.

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Do you have 5 minutes a day to get better?

1/15/2016

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“Simply put, when you teach your body how to do something—ride a bike, surf, strike some yoga poses, run a few miles—it creates a physiological blueprint” (Women’s Health Magazine). So, why does a physiological blueprint matter for a young pitcher? This is what helps young athletes create muscle memory. Every single time a pitcher completes their motion they are creating a blueprint for either poor mechanics or correct mechanics.

This is where dry pitches and mirror pitches come in. I spend an hour a week with my pitchers, and we get a lot done in that hour! It takes thousands of pitches to create mechanically correct muscle memory though, which we obviously cannot do in an hour. The most common excuse I hear from pitchers is “I don’t have a catcher, I can’t do this or that.” You don’t need a catcher. By completing dry pitches (throwing on your sneakers and your glove, and practicing your motion without throwing a ball) in front of a mirror or against a wall, pitchers can 100% focus on their mechanics and going full speed rather than whether the pitch is a strike or “fast.” Doing mirror work gives pitchers the opportunity to actually see how their body moves when they pitch and understand their mechanics better. There is a huge difference between a coach standing next to you and saying that your hips are closing too early and YOU seeing that your hips are closing too early. Throwing an hour a week with a coach doesn’t make you better. Taking initiative with what you work on and learn in that hour throughout the week is what makes you better. 30 dry pitches take five minutes. Do you have five minutes in your day to get better?

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Who Are You?

1/3/2016

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Of course, you are a softball player. For many young athletes that is what comes to mind first, Eventually we all hit that point in our lives where we need to figure out who we are on the other side of the chalk lines. For me that didn't come until 16, when I spent six months sans softball after a shoulder surgery. I fell in love with history that led to a passion for travel. That's when I really decided that I wanted to work with children and teach someday. Sometimes taking that step back and figuring out who you are off the diamond can make you even stronger and more confident off the field. I missed playing more than anything, but I learned things about myself I maybe never would have if I had not had the opportunity to take a step back. You will always be a softball player, even years after your last game that part of you never leaves, but you also need to understand who you are off the field to be a completely well rounded person. Playing softball ends long before life does, figure out who you are not just what you do.

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Why Not Being Naturally Athletic Made Me Better

Do you have 5 minutes a day to get better?

Who Are You?

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