Relax...Laugh a little

I spent last weekend in Louisiana. I had the opportunity to speak to the West Ouachita High School Softball Team. We spoke about the power of positive thinking, the importance of Team, the responsibility of team leaders, and the need to compete. The girls were very receptive. Heads were nodding, questions were answered, and we even had bouts of laughter. Speaking to the WOHS Softball team reminded me of two things: 1) I love talking about softball and empowering teams and individuals to be better players and teammates. 2) There are so many personalities on a team that can make a Team enjoyable to be around. I would like to write on the latter.

Softball is a sport that teaches so many valuable lessons. One that I hope I never forget is that the Team is made up of very different and unique people. Athletes need to be pressed to be their best and they need to be prepared for game situations, but they also need to learn to relax. There are many tense times, but if every minute of every day is that way, players will soon burn out and forget why they even play the game.

There was more than one moment when the WOHS Softball team reminded me of this. They had just finished winning a game played partially in rainy conditions, miserable by most people's standards. I wondered whether they would come in to listen to me, some unknown person, with a "let's get this over with attitude." But, they listened, laughed, and were high-spirited. Most teams have at least one or more players who just say the right thing at the right time to make everyone cut-up laughing. To some coaches there is no place for laughing and having a "good" time, but I think there is something to be said about laughing, relaxing, and enjoying time with teammates.

Everyone's definition of "fun" is different. My definition is as follows: Fun- having the ability at the end of the day to say that "my team and I did our very best," and being proud of each other for the accomplishments, all the while being excited to come back and do it better tomorrow. As a coach I choose to motivate and encourage in a positive manner as much as I can. When practices get hard a little encouragement can go a long way. And, there needs to be time to relax and laugh a little. There is no reason a little light-heartedness can't be a part of a team sport. Enjoy your teammates and experiences shared, four years is a shorter amount of time than you think!

It doesn't matter if you are training dolphins or motivating your team members, positive reinforcement is the way to go. You don't see trainers at Sea World beating the dolphins with baseball bats when they don't jump through the right hoops. You see them, instead, giving them little fish when they do jump through. Why can't we remember that? Steve Chandler, Leadership Author