​I used to think that I could teach mental toughness. About a year ago I even put it in my cover letter for my current job and actually, I said exactly this: “Mechanics and pitching both play a large role in success, but creating and encouraging a mentally tough staff is what wins the 1-0 game in the 10th inning.” What does creating and encouraging a mentally tough staff actually look like though? It’s easy to talk about it and players always shake their head yes like they understand, which is great…until a situation comes up and they are mentally weak yet again.
 
I’m slowly starting to learn how to be the bad cop. As an assistant, I often get to play the good cop. I don’t make final decisions about the line up, I don’t give speeches at the end of games where we didn’t play to the level we should have, and sometimes I even play the cheerleader to help players move on from a bad at bat or play. But lately, I’ve needed to play the bad cop in different situations which is new and uncharted territory for me.
 
 I’m starting to learn that the mental toughness of the pitching staff is partially in my control. To be mentally tough, they need to face adversity and struggle before they see it in a game situation. If they are not mentally tough it is my fault, I have failed to prepare them to the best of my ability. Lately, I’ve been taking a good look at how hard I push them. In the bullpen I have started taking more of a bad cop role, which in turn has started to enhance the relationship with pitchers and catchers. Our catchers have started to take on the good cop role, which then creates even more of a staff dynamic (even if sometimes it is me vs. them!).
 
A few weeks ago we had a rough weekend, I mean REALLY rough, there was just a complete lack of focus - which was inexcusable. We met as a staff at 6:45AM Monday morning. Just the four of us…the three pitchers warmed up to each other and then we got started with our bullpen. I set a tee up with a ball on it…they had to knock the ball off the tee three times in a row before we could move on. The catch being that each pitcher had to knock it off once. Without each of them doing their part to complete the task, the exercise would last forever. Once we got over the fact that I got them out of bed at 6:45AM on their “day off” to knock a ball off a tee and started to focus, it went much more smoothly. We then proceeded to have a great week of bullpens, and in turn a great performance the following weekend in the circle. Needless to say, it was a bad cop week…but the message was received loud and clear.
 
I’m starting to implement drills and exercises in bullpen that foster a more mentally tough approach, but it really goes beyond that. One of our pitchers has been sick with the flu this week, she took one day off but came out and threw her bullpen the rest of the week. If you can push yourself to perform at your weakest, just think of how much stronger you can be when you’re rolling at 100%. I am getting better at calling them out on their excuses, which range from the dirt in front of the mound was too hard to we made a lot of errors. Mental toughness is a culture, and it starts at the top and works its way down.
 
There are a lot of things in softball that have an “age limit.” The first one that comes to mind is when pitchers learn spin pitches too soon and it messes with their mechanics. Creating a mentally tough pitcher has no age limit - it’s never too early to start. Sometimes even 12U pitchers need a bad cop once in a while. Looking back, that’s when it started for me…even though I had no idea at the time. I find myself now using a lot of the same drills and ideas with all of my pitchers, from 12U through 22. Here are a few of my favorite ways to “teach” a pitcher to be mentally tough. I by no means know the secret, or came up with any of these on my own…but I’ve had success with them as a pitcher and a pitching coach.
 
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1. When a pitcher is struggling in a game, don’t always “save them” right away. If you don’t allow them to learn how to work through their struggles and learn to make in game adjustments, they will start to bank on the fact that you as a coach will always swoop in and save the day. Sometimes when the going gets tough, they need to get tougher.
 
2. The bucket of water drill. I introduced it to my college pitchers at the beginning of this season and they all thought I was nuts. Take a bucket full of water, and dunk a softball in it. Hand it to your pitcher and she throws the ball as is, no towel, no wiping it on her pants, just throw it as is. She will quickly learn that if she holds the ball loosely still and uses the seams she can still throw strikes and make the ball spin. Obviously, she will never throw a ball that is dripping wet in a game, but just knowing that she can do it makes it much less stressful to throw in the rain.
 
3. Hit three in a row. There were many bullpens throughout my childhood that lasted much longer than they should have with this drill, it’s another one that I now use at the college level as well. It’s quite simple…warm a pitch up and throw the pitch until you throw three perfect ones in a row. It’s amazing how many times pitchers will hit two and lose it on the third one just to start over again. If there isn’t 100% focus and precision, the drill lasts forever. Give it time, your pitcher will get better with practice just like anything else.
 
4. Create competitive drills, like the one I mentioned above with hitting the ball off the tee. Create situations where there is pressure, it helps to prepare pitchers for the pressure of a 3-2 count, of runners on 2nd and 3rd, or of a tie game in the 9th inning.
 
5. Do you scrimmage among yourselves with a coach acting as the umpire? Challenge your pitchers. Make the strike zone a shoe box, every time they make a face or show negative body language when they don’t get a call they want give the batter another ball. Call them out on their illegal pitches.
 
6. Teach them how to come out of a game. A good friend and colleague taught me this one, and I think it’s great to use at any level. Generally, when a pitcher is taken out in the middle of the game it is because they are struggling and giving up runs. How does that pitcher treat the pitcher that is coming into the game? How do they act on the bench? How do they act in between innings? By practicing how to come out of a game before it happens there is an expectation set for how they should act.
 
7. Use tools that give pitchers instant feedback. One of my favorites is the stripe on the ball to show a pitcher how the ball is spinning. Another is using a string across the strike zone where a rise should start under or drop start over to show a pitcher where the pitch is actually breaking. (Feel free to contact me for more of an explanation…its easier to show in a video!)
 
8. STAY OUTSIDE FOR PRACTICE. It’s cold? It’s raining? It’s 98 degrees? The field is muddy? STAY OUTSIDE. By practicing in conditions that are more difficult than you would see in a game situation it prepares all players (not just pitchers!) for rough playing conditions. I even suggest going out in conditions maybe you wouldn’t even play in, if it’s worse in practice then it makes the game time situations that much easier!
 

I’ve heard this from SO many young pitchers over the years that I’ve been giving lessons. One of the first questions I ask pitchers in their first lesson is what positions they play. Of course I care what other positions they play, but the ulterior motive in the question is too see how they view themselves as a pitcher. Often I get answers like “I play short stop, third base, and I only pitch at practice” or “I don’t actually pitch in games so I’m an outfielder.” Very few young pitchers will say “I’m a pitcher, and when I don’t pitch I play _____ position.” It then gives me an idea of where the pitcher’s self-image is at, and how much I need to focus on that throughout my time with them.
 
I use the phrase “It’s supposed to be hard, if it were easy everyone would pitch” when I see a pitcher struggling with a new drill or is just getting frustrated in general. I also often ask “How many people do you know that play softball?” The answers vary, usually with young pitchers I get around 30, and when I ask how many of those softball players pitch the answer is around 5. It really helps to put pitching into perspective for young athletes. For older athletes, I talk to them about how many of their teammates pitched when they were younger and decided on other positions as they grew up. It’s teaching the same concept, that no one said it would be easy, and that pitching isn’t for everyone.
 
I feel like sometimes pitchers (and parents) expect instant results. You cannot throw strikes overnight. You cannot gain 10 mph overnight. You cannot become a top-level pitcher overnight. Pitching is a process. It takes months, and even years of commitment and hard work.
 
At 11 years old I wanted to quit. I had just moved from 10U to 12U travel ball, and at the time that was when you moved from 35 to 40 feet, and from an 11” ball to the 12”. (How things have changed! I now have 12 year olds pitching at 43 for their middle school season.) I literally couldn’t throw a strike. There were many nights in my backyard that ended in arguments with my parents with lots of tears. We were at a breaking point, and I say we because it really was all three of us feeling the same frustration. My first pitching coaches at 7 years old had told my parents that I wasn’t good enough, and they should just have me play first base instead. I was finally feeling like they were right, maybe I really wasn’t cut out for this. My parents did something extreme. (They’re a little softball nuts…) They hired a top tier pitching coach out of California to give me video lessons, and then when that wasn’t enough we flew to California for a week. I practiced 6 hours a day for a week straight. By the last day I was in tears at practice because I was so frustrated. But…it worked. I learned more about softball and pitching in that week than I had in years of practice. She sent me home with so many new drills I thought my head would explode. I also walked away from that week knowing that if I could make it through what she put me through in a week, I could do anything. Yes, the week in California was great for me as a pitcher, but it was even more important for my self-image as a pitcher. It was a turning point in my career.
 
Every pitcher has moments where they wonder if pitching is really for them and if it’s all worth it, whether they pitch every inning of every game, or are still working towards earning some innings. It’s completely normal, and it’s probably not something that will go away as you get older. Adults go through the same thing when they graduate, start a new job, start a family, really anything new and difficult throughout life. Learning how to overcome adversity as an athlete not only makes you better on the field, but makes you more prepared for events that will happen as you get older.
 
If you put in the time, the effort, and have the right attitude then you are pitcher, no matter how many innings you pitch. You have to start somewhere, everyone does! Celebrate the progress, no matter how small. Adding 1 mph, getting a spin correct 5 pitches in a row, completing a wall drill correctly for the first time…the mile stones are endless. Paying attention to and celebrating the small things lead to success. It’s a process, no matter how old or how good you get, there is always something to get better at!