05/02/2026
Ohh the negative mind & how it always feels sorry for itself.
Softball is a game of failures, make them learning lessons & MOVE ON to the next pitch the next at bat but please MOVE ON!!
Your response to adversity inside the dugout says more about you than your response on the field.
Out on the field, a) you're getting playing time, so it probably makes you a little bit happier b) you're in front of hundreds of people so your response is most likely effected by knowing you have eyes on you.
But inside the dugout, how do you react?
How do you react when you're 0-3 with 3 Ks? How do you react when you're injured and know you won't play for the rest of the season? How do you react after you just made two errors in one inning? How do you react after giving up 5 runs in one inning?
The more you dwell on yourself and your personal negativity, the more those emotions build in the dugout because it's enclosed, there's no where for it to go but right back to your team.
Can you imagine if every single person on your team was upset and feeling sorry for themselves inside the dugout? It would feel awful in the dugout and hurt the team, it just wouldn't feel right, it wouldn't feel good.
Don't let the walls of the dugout fool you. No one from the outside in the stands may be able to see how you react, but your teammates know, and your team comes before you.
When you feel your frustration coming on, put your team first in your thoughts. Instead of just thinking about yourself and what you did or didn't do, look at your teammate who just got a hit and feel happiness for her - genuinely be happy for her. Take your focus off of yourself. Look for something, anything, that you could do to help your team right there in that moment.
See, the dugout might seem like it's a place to hide, but the real you actually gets exposed a little bit more inside of there when you think no one is watching.
If you're feeling a little down, find ways to build other people up and make your team better. You feeling down and staying down only hurts your team. The dugout can be a place for your entire team to come together, share ideas, and lift each other up to build momentum to win the game TOGETHER.
How are you helping your TEAM inside the dugout even when things aren't going YOUR way? Your personal mission and expectations are never bigger than the team's.
