This game we love, softball, is a game of failure. Plain and simple, hasn’t changed, so won’t change. Often the mistakes we make cause runs, which cause lost games. In terms of hitting failure is even more frequent. Even great hitters fail to reach base more than they get there.

That’s why you’ve got to enjoy every bit of this game. This game that is made up of the little things, enjoy them all. If you enjoy enough little things, you should be able to get to that big enjoyment all those coaches seek, wins.

I work with a bunch of teams, organizations, ages, etc. Awhile ago, working with a U14 team, I saw the most magical thing. One of our hitters broke a hole in the wall. As a hitting instructor, it was awesome. The other girls on the team were encouraged to keep swinging hard and create their own hole in the wall. That wasn’t the magic though. The next morning, after I’d tweeted about this awesome hole, this young lady’s mother replied with this:

Our young U14 hitter had framed the parts of the hole she broke. She loved the moment THAT much.

Getting back to our theme today, enjoy this! Every hit, every single one, even if you didn’t hit it how you wanted to, enjoy it. Just remember, you will hit balls hard that aren’t hits, everyone hates that. Take the positive, you hit it hard, and those have good chances of being hits. This game knocks us down so often, especially as batters, enjoy all the positive moments. Think about them all:

Singles, walks, triples, good at bats, hard hit outs, doubles, strong takes on tough pitches, the occasional home run. There are so many little things to enjoy. Focus on them, all of them. If you take the time to worry about all the other things, I guarantee you will miss the good little things.

I didn’t even mention all the things you can do on defense well, or little things you can do to support your teammates. The list is really long, and it should be. Softball is supposed to be fun, enjoy it. Enjoy every positive thing, and maybe you will be busting holes in walls and falling in love with the pieces.